For the Common People

Studying literature could not save the country; only cultivating immortality could. Liu Jinyuan’s decision to abandon literature for the Dao reminded Chu Yang of an old acquaintance.

According to the original plot, Liu Jinyuan would have pestered Li Xiaoyao to teach him martial arts, all to win the approval of his cousin and uncle-in-law.

The current situation was somewhat similar, except martial arts had been replaced with cultivating immortality.

Could this guy be trying to cultivate immortality just so he could marry Lin Yueru…

The Lin Yueru before him had not fallen for Li Xiaoyao. Liu Jinyuan still had plenty of chances, so it was understandable that he refused to give up.

The more Chu Yang thought about it, the more he felt that cultivating immortality to save the country was just an excuse. Liu Jinyuan wanted to go to Shu Mountain because he had seen that Chu Yang could fight Lin Tiannan to a standstill.

It was not just the thick-browed, big-eyed ones who turned out black inside when cut open. This handsome top scholar was even darker inside!

Chu Yang narrowed his eyes and stared at Liu Jinyuan with an ambiguous smile. Goosebumps rose all over Liu Jinyuan’s body, and he barely managed to force out an innocent-looking smile.

"Cultivating the Dao is no simple matter. Young Master Liu, you should think it over carefully."

Xu Changqing tried earnestly to persuade him.

"Daoist Xu, Jinyuan has already made up his mind. Please let me try!"

When Liu Jinyuan became stubborn, he was not to be underestimated.

"Cousin, I support you! I’ll go to Shu Mountain with you!"

Was there any better excuse to go to Shu Mountain?

Lin Yueru thought happily.

She just did not know whether Shu Mountain accepted female disciples. She could absolutely become a Daoist nun. Once she became one, Lin Tiannan would not be able to force her to marry!

The two of them harbored their own schemes, but no matter what, they insisted on following them to Shu Mountain.

Thus, the group split into two parties. Early the next morning, Chu Yang and the others prepared to set off for Baihe Village, leaving Tang Yu and A Nu behind.

Even if the two encountered the Moon Worship Sect, they would not die. They had originally been experimental subjects chosen by the Moon Worship Sect, meant for studying love.

Still, just in case, Chu Yang gave Tang Yu a small trinket engraved with a Flying Thunder God formula, saying it was a gift for A Nu.

Tang Yu did not suspect a thing and gladly accepted it.

The main group then set out.

Halfway there, Zhao Ling’er suddenly asked worriedly, "Daoist Chu, won’t I frighten the villagers of Baihe Village if I go there like this?"

Chu Yang answered, "Your blood can suppress the ancestral reversion, but it will affect your lifespan."

Zhao Ling’er asked only one question. "Will it affect the child in my womb?"

Chu Yang shook his head.

The fetus was protected by spiritual energy and would not be affected by its mother.

Afterward, Zhao Ling’er entered the woods alone and, without hesitation, poured her scorching blood over her tail. A red flash flickered, and she transformed back into human form.

When Li Xiaoyao saw Zhao Ling’er again, she had already returned to the appearance she had when they first met. The joy on the brat’s face was impossible to hide.

He had not heard the conversation between Chu Yang and Zhao Ling’er, so naturally, he had no idea what price she had paid.

While the party marched on, Chu Yang quietly slipped away. He made a round of the area, using Observation Haki to investigate whether there were any Moon Worship Cultists nearby.

Sure enough, he sensed some movement.

However, those Moon Worship Cultists were not gathered near the main group. They were heading toward Tang Yu and A Nu.

I knew it. No matter how powerful the Moon Worship Sect Leader’s magic is, he can’t possibly predict everything and arrange matters perfectly along the way. He really did tamper with A Nu!

Chu Yang quietly removed the Moon Worship Sect’s scouts before leaving.

The Moon Worship Sect Leader would not tolerate being "blind" for too long. Before long, he would appear in the Central Plains.

Chu Yang hoped to deal with the Moon Worship Sect Leader on his own turf as much as possible, leaving him no chance to summon the Water Demon Beast. Besides, if he had the chance to gather all five Spirit Orbs, he could simply leave them at Shu Mountain.

The Moon Worship Sect Leader probably did not have the nerve to attack Shu Mountain. The Sword Saint alone would be enough to give him a hard time, not to mention the deeply calculating Qing Wei.

The main group traveled slowly. They should have reached Baihe Village in the morning, but they were delayed until afternoon because Shi Gonghu had made a bamboo sedan chair for Zhao Ling’er after she returned to human form.

The chair had been hastily made from bamboo found nearby. Previously, because her snake body had made travel inconvenient, Shi Gonghu had had no choice but to make do.

But now, no matter what, he could not let the Princess climb mountains and ford rivers herself.

Especially since Zhao Ling’er was pregnant.

Even with such treatment, Shi Gonghu kept saying, "This old servant deserves death." Chu Yang reckoned that once they reached the next city, he would truly prepare a proper sedan chair for Zhao Ling’er.

This revealed Shi Gonghu’s blindly loyal side. Once something conflicted with his values, he could no longer distinguish between priorities.

After considering it for a while, Chu Yang spoke with Shi Gonghu and made it clear that continuing to delay their journey could very likely bring them into direct contact with the Moon Worship Sect Leader. When that happened, their group might not be able to protect Zhao Ling’er.

Shi Gonghu fell into an intense internal struggle. In the end, he compromised and stated that they would keep things as simple as possible from then on.

When the group neared Baihe Village, Xu Changqing was the first to notice that something was wrong. The corpse qi and Evil Qi filling the air made him frown slightly.

Shi Gonghu was the next to become alert. Having come from the military, he was extremely sensitive to the scent of corpses. He immediately ordered his subordinates to protect Zhao Ling’er.

Liu Jinyuan edged closer to Lin Yueru, startling the already nervous Lin Yueru so badly that she nearly jumped out of her skin.

The carefree Li Xiaoyao asked, "Brother Xu, what’s wrong?"

Xu Changqing did not answer. He silently drew his sword. Li Xiaoyao froze for a moment when he saw this, then drew his own sword and stood guard beside Zhao Ling’er.

Chu Yang spoke up at that moment. "They’re zombies, and there’s more than one. Please bring me your weapons. I’ll draw a few talismans for you."

Talismans for purifying zombies were a very basic type. Chu Yang had read about them long ago in Shu Mountain’s Scripture Repository. They were fundamental knowledge every Shu Mountain disciple had to learn.

But without true essence or spiritual power before, reading about them had been pointless.

Chu Yang drew talismans on everyone’s weapons, then glanced at Xu Changqing. Xu Changqing was even more efficient than he was. He truly was Shu Mountain’s model disciple, proficient in everything.

With the enhancement of the "Corpse Purification Talisman," everyone gained confidence. Whenever they encountered zombies, they rushed forward and hacked at them wildly, fierce beyond compare.

The scattered zombies around Baihe Village were clearly no match for such a professional team. They were wiped out in no time.

The group fought their way into the village, leaving the villagers inside utterly dumbfounded.

Where had such fierce heroes come from?

The villagers seemed to have seen their saviors. They moved aside the chevaux-de-frise blocking the village entrance and surged over, weeping and wailing.

Li Xiaoyao was so startled that he nearly swung his sword at them. Fortunately, the villager in front reacted quickly and immediately dropped to his knees, beginning to kowtow.

"Heroes, save us!"

Under the villagers’ support, Chu Yang and the others entered the village and arrived at Doctor Han’s clinic. From him, they learned what had happened to Baihe Village.

The zombies of Baihe Village all originated from a nearby place called General’s Tomb.

The Skeleton General and the Red Ghost King were there.

Hearing that ghosts were causing trouble, Xu Changqing, as Shu Mountain’s chief disciple, declared that it was his duty. He immediately intended to go slay demons and eliminate evil.

Li Xiaoyao also wanted to go, but when he thought of Zhao Ling’er, he hesitated. It had been the same last time. How could he make the same mistake again?

The plot had diverged.

Li Xiaoyao was unwilling to go to General’s Tomb. He only wanted to stay and accompany Zhao Ling’er.

Zhao Ling’er did not urge him either. The husband and wife were perfectly aligned.

When Lin Yueru heard words like skeletons, zombies, and ghosts, her expression became unnatural as well. Clearly, she did not want to get involved.

Liu Jinyuan, on the other hand, looked excited. He intended to study these supernatural phenomena, completely overlooking the fact that he was weak as a chicken.

Chu Yang had a headache. Sometimes, when the plot did not follow the usual course, things became even more troublesome.

Left with no other choice, he privately spoke with Zhao Ling’er again, intending to exchange Blood Bodhi for the Demon Devouring Gu in her possession.

Zhao Ling’er knew the effects of Blood Bodhi. She had personally watched the maidservants of Immortal Spirit Island go from near death to lively and energetic.

When Chu Yang took out twenty Blood Bodhi at once, Zhao Ling’er was thoroughly frightened. She hurriedly waved her hands. "Daoist Chu, if you want the Demon Devouring Gu, just take it. You don’t need to give Ling’er anything."

"Those who cultivate the Dao fear karma most. If I take the Demon Devouring Gu for nothing, it means I’ll form karma with Miss Zhao. I may have to pay an enormous price to repay it someday."

Chu Yang smiled. "I hope Miss Zhao will not hinder my cultivation."

After saying so much, Chu Yang simply did not want to delay Li Xiaoyao’s cultivation. He still needed that human-shaped cheat to fuse martial arts.

If the progress was delayed, Chu Yang himself would be the one suffering the loss.

Since Chu Yang made it sound so serious, Zhao Ling’er stopped refusing. She accepted the Blood Bodhi he gave her, intending to save all of them for Li Xiaoyao.

She did not mind having more of something that could save lives.

The deal was successfully completed. Chu Yang happily left Baihe Village with Xu Changqing. Halfway down the road, he noticed Xu Changqing studying him with a strange look.

That look felt familiar and somewhat uncomfortable to Chu Yang. He could not help asking, "Senior Brother, what is it?"

Xu Changqing said anxiously, "Junior Brother, Miss Ling’er is already married. Leaving aside that you are a man of the Dao, even if you were not, you should keep your distance. Fortunately, Brother Xiaoyao is broad-minded…"

Holy shit!

This guy thought I was after another man’s wife!

Chu Yang shot him a disdainful look. "Senior Brother, your thoughts are so filthy. I only sought Miss Zhao out because I’m interested in the spells and gu insects of the Southern Border. She’s the only one here who understands them…"

As he spoke, Chu Yang flipped his hand over, and a plump white gu worm wriggled in his palm.

"Ah?"

Xu Changqing’s old face reddened. Realizing that he had misunderstood Chu Yang, he hurriedly apologized.

Chu Yang sneered. "Tsk, tsk. Shu Mountain’s chief disciple actually has impure desires and such filthy thoughts. Once we return to Shu Mountain, I’ll definitely report this to Master!"

Xu Changqing was so anxious that he nearly knelt before Chu Yang, repeatedly begging for mercy.

"I can keep quiet, but no matter what happens later, you have to follow my command and keep your mouth shut!"

Xu Changqing patted his chest and guaranteed that he would climb mountains of blades and seas of fire for his junior brother without even blinking.

By the time the two found General’s Tomb, night had fallen. The zombies around them became more active, moving much faster than they had during the day.

Chu Yang idled off to the side and let Xu Changqing grind monsters alone.

Xu Changqing was, after all, Shu Mountain’s chief disciple. He had received systematic training since childhood and was far stronger than the inexperienced Li Xiaoyao. The Skeleton General was no match for him.

Furthermore, the Demon Devouring Gu continuously slowed the Skeleton General’s movements.

After several flashes of golden light, the Skeleton General’s body completely fell apart, and the strength he had accumulated over the years was absorbed by the Demon Devouring Gu.

The two continued deeper until they reached the lowest level of General’s Tomb.

A horrifying blood pool came into view.

Towering blood-red light illuminated the entire underground space. No one knew how many lives had been used to build it.

Xu Changqing trembled all over, enraged beyond measure. The Red Ghost King had taken more than a hundred times as many lives as the Serpent Demon. This was the first time he had seen such a vicious ghost.

"Demon, die!"

Xu Changqing controlled his sword and stabbed at the Red Ghost King.

In an instant, sword qi soared into the sky and intertwined with the bloody light.

The Red Ghost King was doomed to die. Even if Chu Yang used some ability against it, he did not need to worry about exposing it like he had with Lin Tiannan.

Conqueror’s Haki pressed down on the Red Ghost King alongside Xu Changqing’s attack.

Perhaps because it was a ghost itself, the Red Ghost King had fairly strong resistance to such mental attacks.

Conqueror’s Haki did not knock it unconscious. Instead, it fell into a certain degree of confusion.

But that was enough. Because of its confusion, the Red Ghost King could not cast a single complete spell throughout the battle.

Xu Changqing beat it to death with basic attacks, shredding its entire body into pieces with sword qi.

Fortunately, Chu Yang reacted quickly. Otherwise, even the Demon Devouring Gu might have been caught in Xu Changqing’s sword qi, wasting a thousand years of power for nothing.

After the Red Ghost King died, a brown bead flew from its body and landed at Xu Changqing’s feet.

Xu Changqing picked it up, and his pupils suddenly contracted. He exclaimed, "The Earth Spirit Orb?"

"No wonder the Red Ghost King could wreak havoc in the area. It actually obtained the Earth Spirit Orb. Junior Brother, we must quickly send this Spirit Orb back to Shu Mountain. Leaving it here will bring endless trouble."

Chu Yang nodded. At this stage, the five Spirit Orbs were as troublesome as the Infinity Stones. He did not intend to touch them for now, so it was better to let Xu Changqing return it to Shu Mountain.

After all, meat left in the pot was still his own.

After destroying the Red Ghost King, Xu Changqing walked over to Chu Yang. He had seen Chu Yang release gu insects against the Skeleton General and the Red Ghost King, after which the gu insect had changed.

Xu Changqing asked, "Junior Brother, what exactly does that gu insect do?"

Chu Yang had no intention of concealing it. He said directly, "This is the Demon Devouring Gu. It can absorb and store the power of demons, ghosts, and monsters, then transfer it to others."

Xu Changqing felt that this was an unorthodox method. His brows furrowed tightly. "Junior Brother, surely you aren’t planning to…"

Chu Yang nodded. "That’s right. I’m going to use the Demon Devouring Gu to increase my power."

Xu Changqing seemed to have guessed this. He sighed. "Junior Brother, I know you’ve felt stifled for many years, which is why you had such misguided thoughts. I can understand."

"But as I said before, you have already entered the Dao. There will be no more barriers in your future cultivation. With your talent, you can soar straight to the clouds. There is no need to worry."

Unexpectedly, Chu Yang suddenly put on an expression of righteous self-sacrifice and said excitedly, "Senior Brother! You’re wrong. I’m not doing this for myself, but for the common people!"

Xu Changqing: "???"

Chu Yang said mournfully, "Senior Brother, you also know that I lied when I said Shu Mountain would help Xiaoyao and the others. Shu Mountain cannot interfere in worldly dynasties. Xiaoyao may not even have the chance to become a disciple."

Xu Changqing was suddenly shocked. "You knew that, so why did you deceive them…"

Chu Yang said softly, "To give them hope. Otherwise, if those people return to the Nanzhao Kingdom, they will only be walking into death. Going to Shu Mountain still gives them the slightest possibility."

Xu Changqing shook his head. "There is no possibility at all. I already told you Shu Mountain will not interfere."

Chu Yang’s gaze became firm. "That is why I’ve decided that if the Sect Leader is unwilling to intervene, I will go to the Nanzhao Kingdom myself and lend them a hand."

"Even if I die, I will not let that Moon Worship demon menace the common people!"

Chu Yang’s willingness to face death completely moved Xu Changqing. He said that no matter what, he would persuade the Sect Leader.

Then, before Xu Changqing’s eyes, Chu Yang absorbed the thousand years of power from the Red Ghost King and the Skeleton General.

Xu Changqing wore a pained expression, as though what Chu Yang had absorbed was not power but a life-threatening poison.

After leaving General’s Tomb, the two returned to Baihe Village. Xu Changqing’s grave expression made the others think that their trip had not gone well.

With the Red Ghost King eliminated, Baihe Village’s crisis was resolved. Everyone decided to rest for the night and continue their journey the next morning.

While everyone was resting, Chu Yang used the thousand years of cultivation to push the Dragon Elephant Prajna Skill straight to the thirteenth level, Great Perfection.

The eleventh level granted the power of twenty dragons and twenty elephants, while the twelfth granted the power of fifty dragons and fifty elephants.

The thirteenth level granted the Hundred Dragons Hundred Elephants Power!

Now, whenever Chu Yang casually threw a punch, the air erupted with a burst of ground-shaking thunder and trembled without end.

A true Tremor-Tremor Fruit user!

"Now I’m actually looking forward to the day I face the Moon Worship Sect Leader…"

His increased strength also made Chu Yang more composed.

As soon as dawn broke, the main group left Baihe Village. Because Chu Yang had cleared out the scouts beforehand, no accidents occurred.

The Moon Worship Sect Leader was still playing blind.

They traveled for an entire month without encountering any trouble. Chu Yang and the others successfully arrived in Yuzhou.

Yuzhou was known as Ba Shu in ancient times, a major prefecture at the foot of Shu Mountain. The Shu Mountain Sect’s influence was everywhere here; nearly every somewhat larger shop was part of its holdings.

Because it was so close to Shu Mountain, Yuzhou had an extremely high level of safety. Whenever demons occasionally appeared in the World of the Living, Shu Mountain disciples would immediately destroy them.

The local people deeply respected the Shu Mountain Sect. Wherever Shu Mountain disciples went, people would line the streets to welcome them.

That was how it should have been…

But when Chu Yang and the others arrived in Yuzhou, they found it much more deserted than before, completely different from when they had descended the mountain.

There were hardly any people on the streets. Even when the occasional passerby went by, they would show complicated expressions upon seeing Chu Yang and the others’ Taoist robes.

There was not a trace of warmth.

"Junior Brother, something’s wrong!"

"Senior Brother, you’re stating the obvious."

Chu Yang shot him a glance. The entire Yuzhou looked haunted; even an idiot could tell something had happened.

It was not just the two of them. The others in the group had noticed that something was off as well.

Li Xiaoyao directly grabbed a passerby and asked, "Brother, why does everyone in Yuzhou look so hurried? Did something major happen?"

The passerby shoved Li Xiaoyao away in panic. "Don’t grab me! I need to go home!"

Li Xiaoyao’s stubborn streak flared up. He held on to the passerby and refused to let go, swearing he would not stop until he got an answer. The other man was so anxious he was practically about to cry!

"If you’re outsiders, then hurry up and leave! Shu Mountain’s Demon Imprisonment Tower collapsed, and so many demons escaped from inside! The whole of Yuzhou is in a panic—no one dares go outside at all!"