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Chapter 760: The Aftermath of Shu Yu's Death
Chapter 760: The Aftermath of Shu Yu's Death
Chiyunzi walked out of the hall, and only two people in the crowd stepped forward, their faces filled with sorrow and anger, following him.
The other disciples watched the back of this senior master, feeling an inexplicable fear rising in their hearts.
The Eternal and Transcendent Immortal had already achieved immortality, and had long since grown indifferent to the world. But now, out of the seven disciples he had, four had died in a short time, and his closest senior disciple had left to lead the resistance against the Bodhi Sect on other continents. Only two younger disciples remained, and there was no one to offer him a few words of comfort.
In his jest, everyone could sense a hint of murderous intent.
“……”
Qingguangzi watched his senior brother leave, neither trying to retain him nor accusing You Yao of her actions.
Chiyunzi seemed to be using the younger generation to gauge his own stance.
After the deaths of Maofeng and the others, Chiyunzi's cave still sent out its senior disciple to leave the Northern Continent, indicating that in his eyes, dealing with the Bodhi Sect was the priority, and the San Xian Jiao was a united family that did not need to leave anyone behind to guard the stronghold.
But the reality was quite the opposite.
With Chiyunzi's cave weakened, it should cede the Daoist temple.
It sounded disheartening, but You Yao's reaction actually reflected the thoughts of the younger generation.
If today's actions are considered wrong, then what is right?
If this precedent is set, would every disciple be free to cling to the Daoist temple, threatening to die if anyone tried to take it, daring the brave to stake their lives?
The vast Northern Continent couldn't be a place where the most shameless person wins.
With the people's hearts scattered and many disciples each occupying a portion of the incense offerings, who would have the ability and authority to replace the human emperor?
With this thought, Qingguangzi withdrew his gaze and fell silent.
Before he left to listen to the teachings, he had learned from his fellow senior brothers that the Jade Purity Patriarch had the intention of selecting twelve Golden Immortals to manage the overall situation, and disciples from all lineages had a chance.
Rising to the top among the immortals during the great calamity, ranking just below the Three Pure Ones and the Five Emperors, the status one would enjoy after the calamity was self-evident.
Moreover.
This news also indicated that the patriarch was closely watching the great calamity. To select the leader of the immortals, there must be certain standards, meaning that all immortals in the calamity would be evaluated.
Qingguangzi quietly glanced at You Yao below. At least for now, the Qingguang Cave lineage's performance was excellent, and his own chances were quite high.
As a master, he couldn't hold his disciples back in such a critical moment.
Regardless of whether the deaths of Chiyunzi's disciples were related to You Yao, or if she just happened to be passing by, even if she was the one who acted, today he had to stand up for her in front of his senior brother.
“Don’t take it to heart. Your senior master is just emotionally disturbed and doesn’t blame you.”
Qingguangzi nodded at this senior disciple and added, “Besides being diligent, also help your junior brothers more… and avoid getting involved with outsiders.”
“I understand.”
You Yao bowed.
Behind her, Yunmiao Zhenren's face showed a touch of awkwardness. He could tell whom his senior brother was referring to when he mentioned "outsiders."
But after finally climbing up this ladder, there was no turning back.
He could only pretend not to notice and also bowed, his demeanor even more humble than You Yao, the direct disciple.
……
Northern Continent, Kaiyuan Prefecture.
The once desolate Tianta Mountain had undergone a complete transformation over the past few months. Although no city had appeared, with the help of the immortal disciples, the number of houses and cottages had increased, and they now resembled a small town.
Of course, the most significant change was the population.
Refugees from the direction of the prefecture had been flooding in, and even when Tianta Mountain couldn't accommodate them all, they turned their eyes to the west.
Due to Haoming Zhenren's decree, his Daoist temple was now cleaner and more beautiful than Tianta Mountain, making it incredibly attractive to the refugees.
Plus, the area was vast.
As a result, nearly eighty percent of the people in Shu Yu's Daoist temple were drawn away by him, leaving Shen Yi with only a mere twenty percent.
“My lord's incense offerings have all been taken by them.”
Nan Huang was indignant, knowing that his lord had taken considerable risks to slay Shu Yu.
Shen Yi simply smiled, his eyes lowered.
He looked at the reply from the Imperial City in his hand. The content of the letter was simple, identifying the group of monks who had suddenly appeared in the Northern Continent.
The title "Bodhisattva of Pure World Liberation" was strangely glaring.
Despite being in the Northern Continent for so long, Shen Yi still hadn't truly joined the San Xian Jiao. When he would meet his end depended on when those monks found him.
This feeling of living day by day, with no certainty about tomorrow, is truly unbearable.
The most crucial thing now is to master the great technique that will propel him to the Second Grade. This meager incense offering won't keep him alive.
Before Lingxu Zi returned, the only lifeline Shen Yi had was the so-called good reputation of Qingguangzi.
In other words, as a refugee who had risked his life for Qingguangzi, leading to the complete annihilation of the Shenxu lineage, at least the Qingguang Cave couldn’t openly harm him.
They had to follow the rules and gather evidence.
Shen Yi deliberately guided the group of refugees to Haoming Zhenren's Daoist temple. Even if You Yao Zhenren was convinced that he was the culprit, she couldn’t produce the necessary evidence.
After all, Grand Emptiness True Lord hadn’t gone anywhere, and the civilians had come of their own accord. Besides, they hadn’t just come to Tianta Mountain; they had also visited other temples.
“Sigh.”
Shen Yi briefly recorded the recent situation and handed it to the Old Ancestor of Shen Xu to bring back to the Divine Dynasty.
“This incense offering won’t last much longer.”
Recalling how Haoming Zhenren, after losing a great demon, had only left a meaningless threat and then fallen silent, he likely had a temperament similar to Yunmiao Zhenren.
The Qingguang Cave would soon discover the anomalies in Kaiyuan Prefecture. Even without concrete evidence, the usual power struggles couldn’t be avoided.
“As for how long we can last, it depends on our abilities.”
Shen Yi closed his eyes and focused inward. With so many refugees flooding Tianta Mountain, witnessing the stark contrast between this place and the Imperial City, the abundant Imperial Qi pushed his Shenxu Dao Fruit, which was already on the verge of a breakthrough, one step further.
The six-six transformation had originally turned the divine wind into gray mist, and now this gray mist had gathered into a thick, heavy black cloud, completely obscuring the golden radiance of the Bodhisattva’s manifestation.
“We understand.”
Nan Huang stood quietly by his side, a fierce glint in his eyes.
His master had personally stirred up turmoil in the Northern Continent. Now, as the changes unfolded, they had to seize the opportunity to establish a firm foothold. If they failed, it would likely mean death.
Meanwhile, in another part of Kaiyuan Prefecture.
“There are more and more people, Senior Brother!”
Hua Ming clutched his senior brother’s sleeve, his excitement barely contained. What he had initially considered a stroke of bad luck had suddenly turned into a stroke of fortune overnight.
The incense offering that originally belonged to Shu Yu Zhenren was inexplicably flowing toward them. Just a glance at the sky outside the temple revealed the pale yellow mist growing denser by the second.
“...”
Haoming Zhenren sat up straight, struggling to suppress his joy.
Even in his wildest dreams, he hadn’t imagined that he would one day command the incense offering of almost the entire Kaiyuan Prefecture. This was far more than a Xiushi at the six-six transformation stage could ever hope to possess.
The only reason he was still sitting there was the faint sense of unease gnawing at him.
After a long while, a disciple rushed in, speaking rapidly, “Master, we have investigated. The refugees from the Imperial City are coming here because the Qingguang Cave has stopped providing aid.”
“Stopped providing aid?” Haoming Zhenren looked at him in confusion.
“Yes, all the disciples responsible for aid have disappeared. Perhaps they have returned to the Qingguang Cave, and we haven’t heard any orders from Shu Yu Zhenren.”
As the disciple spoke, even he found it hard to believe that in the Northern Continent, where there were more wolves than meat, someone would voluntarily give up a temple.
“Master, what should we do now?”
Hearing this, Haoming Zhenren clenched his fists tightly and took a few deep breaths, as if to reassure himself, “This isn’t something I’m trying to take... Listen carefully, don’t be too obvious. Treat everyone equally.”
Whatever had happened at Shu Yu Zhenren’s place was none of his concern.
The most important thing now was to repair the houses, distribute water and food, and place statues of Haoming True Lord to deeply engrave his divine name in the minds of the refugees.
Unfortunately, the white ape was dead, and he needed to quickly find a replacement from his fellow disciples to seize this opportunity and secure this eternal incense offering.
Thinking about it made Haoming Zhenren a bit angry.
If not for that Xiushi from the Southern Continent, things wouldn’t be so complicated, and he wouldn’t have to share this immense fortune.
Even if he absorbed all this incense offering, he still wouldn’t be considered a top talent in the sect, given that there was still a small area of Tianta Mountain, like a thorn in his eye, making him feel uneasy.
Well, there would always be other opportunities.
With this thought, Haoming Zhenren waved his sleeve, dismissing the disciple to get the job done quickly.
As soon as the disciple stepped out, a tall figure slowly entered the hall.
“Why are you still dawdling when I told you to go and comfort the refugees!” Hua Ming turned and shouted, but before he could finish, his senior brother pressed him down.
He waited until he could clearly see the figure approaching.
Hua Ming stared straight at the crown on the newcomer's head, his gaze moving down to the fair and delicate face, devoid of any expression.
His heart suddenly began to pound fiercely, the thudding sound almost deafening.
It wasn't due to the beauty before him. In that breath, this usually carefree and mischievous junior, who even dared to argue with his senior brother, was now filled with fear, his head hanging low like a meek little animal.
"Y-You Yao Senior Sister."
Haoming Zhenren forced a smile as he stood up, his palm drenched in sweat.
He was filled with intense frustration.
He had missed just one change, yet he had not sensed the arrival of this senior sister at all. Because of this, his apprehension deepened. The woman before him was likely far more powerful than the rumors suggested.
He could only hope that his earlier words hadn't been overheard...
The moment he saw You Yao, Haoming Zhenren was certain of his earlier suspicion: Shu Yu Zhenren had not abandoned Kaiyuan Prefecture. More likely, something had happened to him.
But with no guilty conscience, Haoming Zhenren quickly suppressed his unease. "Senior Sister, what brings you here?"
You Yao Zhenren gave them a brief, indifferent glance, showing no intention of small talk. She slowly turned and looked out at the Daoist temple. "Who told you to do this?"
"Do, do what?" The courage Haoming Zhenren had mustered up vanished at this question, and he involuntarily lowered his head.
"These houses and the food and water."
You Yao Zhenren had been tasked by her master to support her fellow disciples. It was only then that she remembered Shu Yu had not returned, so she decided to come and check the situation.
Upon arriving at Kaiyuan Prefecture, she was met with a perplexing scene.
A large number of refugees were scattered, and in the vast territory of the prefecture, she couldn't find a single Qingguang Cave disciple to ask.
What puzzled her even more was that among all of North Continent, the Daoist temple overseen by Haoming and Tianta Mountain now stood out uniquely.
"Ah, so that's what Senior Sister means."
Haoming Zhenren let out a sigh of relief, his face full of indignation. "This wasn't my choice, but that Grandmaster of the Emptiness Heavens from South Continent. He did all this without even a word of notice. If I didn't follow suit, wouldn't the people in my Daoist temple have their hearts swayed toward him?"
"Using such despicable means to compete for offerings, this is the first time I've encountered such a thing. I really had no choice..."
"..."
You Yao listened quietly, nodding lightly.
She turned her gaze back and suddenly asked, "Have you seen my junior brother?"
Haoming Zhenren, who had already guessed, was taken aback by the sudden question. His face turned red as he stammered, "I haven't seen him at all. Shu Yu Senior Brother's matter has nothing to do with me."
Before he could finish, even Hua Ming, who had been keeping his head down, broke into a cold sweat.
She hadn't even specified which junior brother, yet Haoming's response was like a confession.
If someone had indeed met with misfortune, the person who benefited the most would naturally be the prime suspect. With so many refugees under his care, Haoming was now in a position where he couldn't wash himself clean, no matter what...
"Ha."
Sure enough, You Yao Zhenren withdrew her gaze, unable to suppress a cold laugh.
If it were anyone else, seeing Haoming's trembling and fearful appearance, they might have directly apprehended and interrogated him.
But she shook her head.
His fear was genuine, but the reason was likely that he was trying to pretend he didn't know about Shu Yu's situation, so he could take advantage of the situation and gain the offerings.
As for harming the Qingguang Cave disciples or doing underhanded things, he lacked both the capability and the courage.
"Understood."
You Yao Zhenren gave a noncommittal response and then stepped out of the hall.
Even after she left, Haoming Zhenren remained in a daze. Only by standing before this woman could one truly understand the immense pressure behind her reputation.
"Senior Brother, are we in the clear?" Hua Ming cautiously lifted his head.
"In the clear? I hope so!"
Haoming Zhenren swallowed hard, growled, and then quickly followed her out.
He hovered high in the sky, gazing eastward.
Sure enough, as expected, the figure in black was already heading toward Tianta Mountain, directly toward the young man sitting in meditation.
"Besides us, he's the only one who benefited."
Hua Ming also followed, a sudden gleam of joy appearing on his face. He glanced at his senior brother, and they both understood each other's thoughts.
That cultivator from South Continent was not like them; he was a fellow disciple of San Xian Jiao.
Senior Sister You Yao had no reason to be polite to him.
Moreover, with the despicable methods he used to deal with the refugees, he was bound to face trouble today!
(End of Chapter)
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