Chapter 600 - 80: The Fall of Guangshan Temple

「Five days later.」

The grand competition held once every five years at Qianmu Temple had concluded. But unlike the jubilant atmosphere that had filled Zhonghui County Town before the event, the streets were now nearly devoid of pedestrians.

This wasn’t just limited to Zhonghui County Town. For the past two days, across nearly a thousand kilometers of land spanning Nanlin Road and Mozhou Road, the intricate network of official highways and byways was almost entirely empty.

Suddenly, the sound of tearing air broke the silence above Nanlin Road, followed by a multicolored stream of light that stretched for over a hundred kilometers—the spectacular phenomenon caused by more than a hundred Entering Cultivators flying in unison.

Leading this vibrant stream of light was a token that blazed with a golden glow, clearing the path ahead. While this token was now unfamiliar to the common folk, having vanished for over a century, the cultivators of the Nanlin Road Cultivation Realm dared not forget it.

It belonged to one of the three True Men of the Chu Country: Changqing Zhenren!

Trailing behind the hundred Entering Cultivators were more than twenty Second Realm Cultivators, all maintaining a constant distance. As they passed, the Five Elements Qi they stirred formed waves of celestial music, triggering miraculous phenomena across the land. In some places, crops in the fields ripened in an instant. Elsewhere, the elderly suddenly regained twenty years of their youth, while others were blessed with incredible strength.

These events and more inspired awe and worship among the common people. For a time, the name of Changqing Zhenren once again echoed throughout all of Nanlin Road.

「Mountain Peak Dojo」

Wang Ping welcomed a new batch of guests: reinforcements summoned by Zi Luan, Wu Quan, and Gan Qi. Zi Luan had brought the same man as before, Monk Mingxin. Wu Quan had called upon a kinsman of his named Wu Bing, also a Third Realm Earth Vein Cultivator. As for Gan Qi, he had brought his Dao companion, a Third Realm Star God named Mengxin.

Wang Ping, on the other hand, hadn’t needed to go to such trouble. He already had Yuan Zheng, Ruan Chunzi, and Dongcan with him, not to mention his most trusted partner, Yu Lian. And of course, if necessary, he could call on the Artifact Cultivators from Shanwu Road. They still owed him five favors.

As was customary before taking action, they first had to settle the division of the spoils.

What Wu Quan wanted was just as Wang Ping had previously learned: influence within the Mozhou Road Daoist Palace. Gan Qi’s request, however, was different.

"My array of magical artifacts has yet to fully integrate with my physical body," Gan Qi stated. "I need to offer the spiritual essence generated from this battle as a sacrifice to help me complete the final fusion."

This was Gan Qi’s demand. Most cultivators of the Righteous Dao scorned the practice of ritual sacrifice, so his request naturally drew looks of displeasure from everyone present. Monk Mingxin simply closed his eyes.

"No one will fight you for it. You can handle that matter yourself," Zi Luan said, making the promise to Gan Qi when he saw that Wang Ping had no intention of speaking.

After Zi Luan made his promise to Gan Qi, Wang Ping asked him, "And what is it that you want?"

Zi Luan chuckled. "What I want is included in Daoist Wu Quan’s share."

Wang Ping turned to look at Wu Quan.

Wu Quan simply clasped his fists in a salute, offering no further explanation.

"With such a massive show of force, surely Guangshan Temple will hand over the person, assuming they have any sense at all. If they do, what’s your plan then?" Mengxin’s voice was soft, with a cool, gentle quality to it.

Zi Luan smiled at Mengxin. "Don’t worry, Fellow Daoist. Guangshan Temple won’t be able to hand anyone over. In fact, even as we speak, Guangshan Temple may have already been annihilated!"

A cold glint flashed in Mengxin’s eyes at his words. She glanced at Gan Qi beside her, then turned to Wang Ping. "Fellow Daoist, did you gather us here with the true intention of declaring war on Lishui Prefecture?"

Wang Ping took over the conversation. "We’ll decide whether or not to go to war when the time comes. For now, we need to get moving."

With that, he didn’t even bother using a token. He and Yu Lian transformed into a streak of light and vanished into the clouds above. Zi Luan was right behind them, and after the others exchanged glances, they too followed suit.

「Zhonghui County」

On an empty street in the Outer City District, outside a teahouse at the mouth of a small alley, two figures made for a conspicuous sight as they sat at a tea table.

One of the two was Wu Fu. Across from him sat an old acquaintance of Wang Ping’s: Leng Kezhen, the former Vice Commander of the Imperial Guard of the Xia Country. For reasons unknown, he had appeared here and was now sitting with Wu Fu.

"All the Third Realm Cultivators have cleared out. Aren’t they afraid of someone launching a sneak attack on their home base?" Leng Kezhen quipped, raising his teacup. He then glanced at Wu Fu across the table. "Oh, right. I forgot you were still here, Fellow Daoist."

Wu Fu gazed at the fading streak of light in the sky. "How do you know," he said softly, "that Changqing isn’t creating this opening on purpose?"

"Oh?"

"When you’re dealing with a Taiyan Cultivator, especially on his home turf, you have to be extremely calculating. No one dares make a move unless they are certain of victory."

"So what was the Star God Alliance really after when they plotted against Qianmu Temple all those years ago? It couldn’t have just been for a Pocket World Mirror, could it?"

"The Star God Alliance wasn’t behind that incident."

"Right, the South Sea Taoist. I know, I know..."

"Judging by the recent promotion of the Xiao Shan Lord, the South Sea Taoist was merely a scapegoat. They tore Qianmu Temple apart, supposedly searching for something. Who knows if they ever found it."

After saying this, Wu Fu looked at Leng Kezhen. "What are you still mulling over? Does a dog take this long to vet a new master?"

His words were harsh.

Leng Kezhen, however, didn’t seem to mind in the slightest. "I’ll make my decision after this business is concluded."

He picked up his teacup and gazed in the direction of Guangshan Temple on Mozhou Road.

「Guangshan Temple」

Guangshan Temple was situated in the central region of Mozhou Road, nestled among a series of low hills. The area had once been surrounded by water on three sides, with a small county town nearby.

Now, however, two Entering Cultivators hovered in the sky above the small town, their hands poised to execute the Sword Control Technique as they stared coldly down at the City Defense Army barracks. The nearby hills had been visibly flattened, pockmarked with a dense spread of deep craters, as if struck by a meteor shower. The original pavilions and towers were nothing but rubble.

Amidst the ruins, a dozen more Entering Cultivators were searching for something. At the center of the former temple’s Spirit Gathering Array, Hu Qianqian watched impassively as the nearby Ice Orchids were set ablaze.

"What a waste. Those things are one thousand taels of silver a pop!" Niu Qi said, wincing as he watched the burning Ice Orchids. They were the core material for constructing a Water Element Spirit Gathering Array.

The words had barely left his mouth when a burly figure emerged from a building just south of the Spirit Gathering Array. It was the Tiger Demon King Ben, and he was carrying four unconscious cultivators.

Wang Ben walked up to Hu Qianqian, dropped the men he was carrying, and gestured at them. "Confirmed. These are the four who slipped through the net. They’re not dead, just unconscious."

"There’s something fishy about this battle," Wang Ben continued. "First, in the middle of their fight, the Spirit Vein of Guangshan Temple’s two Second Realm Cultivators just collapsed on its own. Then, we took the temple without a single casualty. And now these four are found already knocked out, almost as if they were just waiting for us to come and capture them."

Wang Ben stuck out his tongue to lick his nose, then swished his tail, which was like a steel whip. He looked at Hu Qianqian and asked, "Do you think Changqing Zhenren knows they’re doing all this?"

"A man of Changqing Zhenren’s stature? How could he possibly not know?" Niu Qi stepped forward and nudged one of the four men on the ground with his foot, muttering the reply to Wang Ben.

Hu Qianqian stared at the four men on the ground, struggling to suppress the killing intent rising within her. Finally, she sighed. "Take them to Hu Xin’s grave and sacrifice them."

"Is that all? Isn’t that letting them off too easy? According to the traditions of our Demon Race..."

"They were merely being used. Their lives are enough to repay the debt owed to Hu Xin."

As soon as Hu Qianqian finished speaking, the sounds of battle erupted from the direction of the county town. A moment later, a rain of Water Swords fell from the clouds. Watching the endless downpour of blades, she remarked, "One link in the chain after another."