They were still in the new year season. In past years, children dressed in new clothes would still be happily running along the streets, playing in the snow. However, for all of Central Continent City’s Yunqin people, this new year lacked the slightest trace of cheerfulness. It was only shrouded in unease and fear.
Yesterday was the twelfth day of the new year. Not only were many stores that should have long opened back up still closed, another intense battle occurred in Tianqi Tavern to the city’s north. According to the news from the royal court, the tavern owner many of Central Continent City’s people were familiar with was a Great Mang spy. However, there were also rumors being spread in secret that this Tianqi Tavern was a place that Green Luan Academy used. Regardless of which news was real, in the end, everyone in Tianqi Tavern died, the casualties including two Divine Adjudicators dressed in red robes, several cultivators from the royal court and many Yunqin soldiers.
These days, bloody battles of varying scales continuously erupted in Central Continent City’s streets and alleys. Rong Family’s consecrators and the Inspector Division cultivators brought up by the former emperor searched everywhere for what they considered fish that slipped through the net.
A group made up of Purgatory Mountain Divine Adjudicators, Xu Zhenyan and Leng Zhennan’s personal troops had long left Central Continent City. They cooperated with some secret agents and hidden royal court structures to seek out the traces of the fugitives Lin Xi and Nangong Weiyang.
While many Yunqin people who weren’t willing to submit inwardly cried out Lin Xi’s name, the young red robed Divine Adjudicator Qi Lianmo who used to be of extremely humble status in Purgatory Mountain, yet now became a brilliant figure after Zhang Ping controlled Purgatory Mountain, was currently seated on the back of a Devilmask Dove. He wondered to himself just where exactly Lin Xi and the others were hiding right now.
Even though Lin Xi possessed a special Meteor Sky Phoenix and those Fiend Race cultivators also had a mount like the Immortal Butterfly Flowers, under the threat of the Devilmask Doves Purgatory Mountain had already arranged a long time ago, all traces and proof showed that Lin Xi’s group couldn’t have gotten very far.
So where was Lin Xi?
…
“Either way, all those who bow down will obtain endless demonic power. All who worship my lord devil will obtain eternal life. All those who turn their back to my lord devil will fall into an endless prison of flames eternally without reprieve…”
Right now, in True Dragon Mountain, several dozen individuals chosen from Great Mang who had just put on Purgatory Mountain’s divine robes were kneeling on the ground. They repeated after a serious faced Divine Adjudicator again and again. When they finished reciting this a hundred times, another Purgatory Mountain red robed Divine Adjudicator placed some sutras that recorded a certain cultivation method before them, allowing them to cultivate it. These dozens of newly joined red robed disciples were so moved their entire bodies began to shake. They began to recite in a pious manner again, praising Purgatory Mountain.
In the current Purgatory Mountain, this was called ‘sacred gift’.
Those who serve the patriarch with devout hearts will obtain this type of ‘sacred gift’, obtain some powerful cultivation methods not even the core disciples of the past Purgatory Mountain could obtain.
Qi Lianmo was one of the earliest disciples who received this ‘sacred gift’. Before Zhang Ping took over Purgatory Mountain, this was a cultivation land that already tried to control the thinking of all disciples, and only the disciples who underwent brainwashing could become true Purgatory Mountain disciples. That was why he also believed sincerely that Zhang Ping was the reincarnation of Sky Devil Prison Plains’ devil king, that he would lead them to a world ruled by the devil. All people and thoughts that went against and defied their way of thinking would be purged clean through the devil’s flames.
Qi Lianmo patted his cheeks, making the frost that collected on his face and eyelashes fall off. Then, he waved his hand downwards, ordering some shadows below to start their second search.
…
In a field not far away from the mountain forest Qi Lianmo’s men were searching were some worn down houses. These homes were crawling with vines that were leafless from winter, covered in weeds. They looked like they hadn’t been used for at least a few years. However, Qi Lianmo didn’t know that these vines had only been grown a few days ago. Underneath these vines that withered from the cold, was a cellar a peasant household here previously used to store sweet potatoes and other goods.
Right now, this cellar was also full of grass that grew like a carpet. Lin Xi was currently half reclined against a wall while breathing heavily.
“I originally planned to mock you.”
Mu Shanzi[1] looked at him from across him, shaking his head and saying with a sigh, “However, from your wretched appearance, I really don’t feel like mocking you anymore.”
“By the way, how does it feel to be betrayed by your brother, to be beaten in this state?” After shaking his head, he said this while cracking open a grin.
He just said that he didn’t feel like mocking Lin Xi, yet he said this type of thing immediately afterwards. Mu Shanzi was even more deserving of a beating than before.
“It feels terrible.” Lin Xi looked at Mu Shanzi. “Is there any news from Gao Yanan or the others?”
When he saw Lin Xi’s calm expression that didn’t get angry, Mu Shanzi seemed to have become a bit stupefied as well. He shrugged his shoulders. “Nope. But I reckon that with half the mountain collapsed, even Vice Principal Xia would have been crushed to death if he was still alive.”
“Mu Shanzi, shut up!” Qin Xiyue on the side stood up in anger, her face pale as she berated.
“Either way, he can take it all right now. It makes no difference if I talk a bit more or not.” Mu Shanzi gave Lin Xi a rather profound look. “If you cannot even take this, how could you be worthy of being the enemy of this handsome and heroic Mu Shanzi?”
Mu Shanzi’s expression and words made others really want to beat him up, yet the expressions of everyone in this cellar didn’t change that much after hearing his words.
“Let’s talk about more productive things.”
Lin Xi coughed lightly while looking at Mu Shanzi. “Since you were able to come here, then the academy should have told you to bring a message to me.”
“Right now, the outside world is even more chaotic than when you all went into hiding. It is extremely messy.” Mu Shanzi shrugged his shoulders while saying, “Sixty percent of Yunqin’s soldiers are fighting amongst themselves, while the other forty are conspiring for war. Our fellow student Zhang Ping’s cultivation methods are indeed extremely formidable. Some originally low level red robed Divine Adjudicators seem to have even become like those Purgatory Mountain Great Elders, becoming zombie-like beings. They don’t know pain, and unless their bodies are pierced, they won’t die. There are also some red robed Divine Adjudicators who can turn the bodies of cultivators into hot oil. Of course, there are some Yunqin cultivators who have defected to his side for some of his cultivation methods. There are some Yunqin people who have become furious because of this, frantically killing the Yunqin cultivators who have defected. Either way, all of Yunqin has become as chaotic as before it was founded. It is like a centipede that was chopped up into countless pieces, and every piece is fighting crazily. I really wonder if our fellow schoolmate Zhang Ping used to raise pigs. There are quite a few Devilmask Doves looking for you all outside, with a few others searching for all of you with Flame Titans. I really don’t know how he managed to bring out so many Devilmask Doves and Flame Titans. Worst thing is that he seems to still be in good spirits. Just yesterday, he personally killed our academy’s Teacher Di. By now, the academy’s exposed powers have been destroyed seventy to eighty percent. If things go as planned, then his next step should be to subdue all of the cultivation lands that refuse to serve him. I wonder if you’ve thought up any methods to deal with him… also, the academy doesn’t know if he will directly attack Green Luan Academy.”
“There are more Flame Titans?”
Mu Shanzi nodded. “If you were to head out right now to pay Strong River City Supervisor Manor a look, you should be able to see a few.”
“So? Don’t you feel that your brother Zhang Ping is a bit too fierce?” After pausing for a bit, Mu Shanzi then said while clicking his tongue, “He could even have so many sacred level fiend beasts at his side. When he only brought two into Yunqin before, that was merely to confuse you, to let you lower your guard I reckon.”
“The more formidable the fiend beast, the more they are protective of their territory and the lower their numbers. There has never been that many sacred level fiend beasts in any recorded period of history. This is true unless he has the ability to create this type of fiend beast.” Lin Xi remained silent for a moment before saying, “Even now, we do not know that much about him. If he can create some single-wheeled metal puppets or even some other soul weapons, then he has completely brought a sect from the Immortal Devil Age into the modern world. He really would have the ability to take down Green Luan Academy.”
“I don’t need to hear you flatter his strength right now.” Mu Shanzi curled his lips. “My only interest is your way of thinking. Do you want to recover first before fighting him to the death, or do you want to head to Great Mang with me first.”
Lin Xi’s breathing became a bit heavier. “You are going to Great Mang?”
“We have to at least figure out how many Flame Titans there are first, see if we can contact Zhantai Qiantang, find out if he took down his old Purgatory Mountain nest dow… Also, as long as some mines or workshops are destroyed, then even if Zhang Ping has the manufacturing method for the single-wheeled puppets, without the raw materials, he still won’t be able to make more of those things.” Mu Shanzi snorted. “At this type of time, only a talented genius like me who was always looked down by all of you moving out won’t attract attention.”
Right now, Mu Shanzi’s expression and tone were still extremely irritating. However, not even Qin Xiyue and the others felt that he was hateful anymore.
Mu Shanzi was obviously not some genius. Normally, no one paid much attention to him either. However, just through the scenes he described alone, every single cultivator had to be careful, let alone a Green Luan Academy student like him.
“What kind of expressions are those? Are you doubting my skills?”
When Lin Xi and the others calmed down and looked at him, an extremely unhappy expression appeared on his face..
“Regardless, we need to leave this place first.” Lin Xi broke the silence. He first looked at Mu Shanzi, and then at Nangong Weiyang, Chi Yuyin and the others. “Our injuries are all extremely heavy. We need the academy’s support.”
“I know what you are saying. Either way, we can’t let all of you continue to rot here, you seem to have some thoughts as well. You weren’t as disappointing as I previously imagined.” Mu Shanzi clapped his hands. He looked at Lin Xi and continued to ask, “Anything else?”
“Take care.” Lin Xi looked him in the eyes and said this slowly.
Mu Shanzi stared blankly. He immediately flung his head the other way, muttering to himself, “What an idiot. He doesn’t even know if he’ll survive, yet he told me to take care.”
1. Golden spoon who previously lost a bet to Lin Xi, then made up with him B3C33
