Sheng Ren was so frightened by this sudden change that he immediately attacked his surroundings. However, he soon realized that he could actually absorb all this evil Qi and even control it. Sheng Ren glanced down at his hands, which were full of newfound power. After a long time, he threw his head back and laughed wildly.
Through this laughter, Yan Tianhen heard his desire for power and his ambition, which bordered on obsession.
“I see now… Hahahahaha! So this is the power of evil Qi!” Sheng Ren laughed crazily as he stretched out his hands, as if to embrace and greet the evil Qi.
He welcomed the evil Qi climbing out of the cracks in the earth and wrapping around his feet, allowing it to freely enter his body and travel to his heart and brain.
“Dage, look at his neck.” Yan Tianhen suddenly pointed to Sheng Ren’s neck.
Lin Xuanzhi said, “That’s where Little Lang bit him.”
The teeth marks were still clearly visible.
Yan Tianhen gnashed his teeth in hatred. “So this shameless bastard really was the culprit. I actually believed that Sheng Ren was a good person, but who would’ve thought that he would be so despicable?”
“However, it’s one thing for him to hurt Lian Hua, but why did he also attack Cangdi Fenglang?” Lin Xuanzhi couldn’t understand. “From beginning to end, Fenglang hasn’t had any disputes with him.”
Yan Tianhen said, “I don’t know either.”
However, they soon saw the answer.
Cangdi Fenglang was still unconscious, but he kept on muttering, “Save… Shixiong… Quickly save…”
Dao Zu sighed and placed Cangdi Fenglang in his room. After giving Cangdi Fenglang several dark-colored pills with strong medicinal effects, he set up many barriers around the room.
Dao Zu pinched Cangdi Fenglang’s small nose. “Poor thing.”
After pinching, Dao Zu added, “It’s Master’s fault that made you suffer like this. But don’t worry. After I save Lian Hua, I’ll help you find a way to resolve this. There’s no need to worry, even if you’re forced to cultivate evil Qi in the future. Evil Qi is nothing more than a cultivation method. Anyhow, as long as we haven’t committed atrocities that offend Heaven and reason, we have nothing to worry about.”
Cangdi Fenglang quieted down considerably. Nobody knew if it was because he heard Dao Zu’s words.
“This doesn’t add up,” Yan Tianhen spoke.
Lin Xuanzhi also found the inconsistency.
Because at that time, when he and Lingyu were stationed in Youshan to keep watch over Heaven’s Wail, Cangdi Fenglang was the one who summoned him back to Spirit Sect. However, how could Cangdi Fenglang have possibly summoned Chang Sheng back when he was in such a miserable state right now?
Lin Xuanzhi and Yan Tianhen exchanged a glance, and the scene inside the pocket dimension shifted again, this time changing to Youshan. At that time, several large cracks had torn through the sky above Youshan, which looked frightening.
Although both Lingyu and Chang Sheng were most worried about the situation with the Pillar of Heaven, they also understood that the so-called ‘each performing their own duties’ meant that no matter what happened in other places, they must still keep strict watch over the area they were responsible for.
However, one day, Chang Sheng received a letter from Cangdi Fenglang asking for help. The letter said:
‘Lian Hua was refined as a sacrifice to the Pillar of Heaven. After Master found out, he led Spirit Sect’s disciples over to rescue Lian Hua but was met with great resistance. Master is seriously injured right now, and all the subordinate sects attached to Spirit Sect are getting restless, revealing their ambitions of replacing Spirit Sect’s position. There is currently no one in Spirit Sect who can take charge. Please return as soon as possible.’
Only then did Chang Sheng realize what terrible events had just occurred.
He was forced to return.
Chang Sheng left.
However, the real Cangdi Fenglang was still lying in bed in a coma.
“After I went back, Master was already seriously injured, and his cultivation realm was also greatly damaged.”
Lin Xuanzhi’s tone was a little heavy as he continued, “In order to pull Lian Hua out of the Pillar of Heaven, he destroyed the pillar with his own strength and used half of his cultivation to suppress the Pillar of Heaven. Only then did he manage to save Lian Hua’s life. Later, Xi He took out one of the Jianmu tree’s roots and reconstructed a body to house Lian Hua’s souls and spirits.”
This finally marked the end of the tribulation brought about by the Pillar of Heaven.
However, Chang Sheng never returned to Youshan.
“Cangdi Fenglang disappeared.” Lin Xuanzhi’s memory was a little vague, but he still remembered the general timeline.
“It was after I came back. I couldn’t find any traces of him. At that time, Master had no choice but to enter secluded cultivation to heal his wounds. Because of what happened with the Pillar of Heaven, Spirit Sect was jointly excluded by the various sects. There was chaos inside the sect. Although I wanted to go back to Youshan to check on you, I couldn’t clone myself.
At this time, Sheng Ren came forward to take charge of the overall situation. He first sent someone to look for Fenglang, then sent me to watch over Master and protect him while he recuperated. But nobody could’ve imagined that several sects which had been the most vocal in criticizing Spirit Sect were suddenly slaughtered in their sleep. Naturally, the first one everyone suspected was Spirit Sect.
While this mess was going on, I received news about the ambush at Youshan.” Lin Xuanzhi looked a little fierce as he shifted the view to Youshan.
Youshan’s mountain range stretched for hundreds of thousands of miles and was the largest mountain range in the Southeast Land. It had abundant spiritual Qi, and countless sparrow spirits were buried underground. Yet Heaven’s Wail started from Youshan.
One day, purple evil Qi suddenly began to leak out of the cracks in the sky. Although the disciples guarding Youshan were frightened in the face of an unknown power, they were still the representatives of their sect, people who could fight even ancient beasts. They soon calmed down and worked together to fight this sudden disaster.
Lingyu was also one of them, and he even stood out with his outstanding talent.
He was also quite well-versed in arrays, so he joined hands with several illusion array masters to weave arrays through the cracks formed by Heaven’s Wail. At the very least, they wanted to slow down the spread of evil Qi.
The evil Qi transformed into evil creatures. The disciples tried their best to kill them, wishing that they could use all the power their cultivation levels allowed. Actually, they were able to barely control the war situation so that these evil spirits couldn’t leave Youshan and harm the people under the mountain. This stalemate continued for a month.
Lingyu realized that their manpower was insufficient and their cultivation levels were insufficient. He needed to borrow someone from the sect, so he immediately sent a message to Chang Sheng and asked him to quickly send reinforcements.
Soon, Chang Sheng sent Cangdi Fenglang over.
“But Fenglang had already disappeared at that time.” Lin Xuanzhi frowned. “I couldn’t have possibly sent him. Moreover, from beginning to end, I’ve never received your reinforcement request.”
Yan Tianhen said, “Someone must’ve tampered with it from within.”
Cangdi Fenglang came alone.
Although Lingyu was both surprised and unhappy, he still didn’t say anything. He simply believed that Spirit Sect was short on people and couldn’t afford to send anyone else. Moreover, although there were many things Lingyu disliked about Cangdi Fenglang, even he had to admit that this boy’s cultivation was passable.
However, the unexpected happened when Lingyu took Fenglang to the top of Youshan to confront the ancient beast Fu Zhu, which had been infected by evil Qi and had turned into an evil spirit.
Fu Zhu’s pair of purple eyes glared fiercely at Cangdi Fenglang, who was hiding behind Lingyu. Behind them was a cliff and there was no one around.
One second, Lingyu was still talking with Cangdi Fenglang about how to capture Fu Zhu alive, but the next second, a hand suddenly stabbed into his abdomen and forcibly ripped out the demonic core inside his Dantian.
Everyone in Spirit Sect knew that Lingyu didn’t like Cangdi Fenglang. But it was also an indisputable fact that Lingyu had absolute trust in Cangdi Fenglang. Therefore, when he was backstabbed by Cangdi Fenglang, Lingyu’s eyes were full of disbelief — even when he saw Fenglang’s bloody hands and his own demonic core — now crippled — he still couldn’t believe his eyes.
Fenglang was a good child.
After all, this boy never fought with him and obeyed all of his requests. How could he betray Lingyu like this?
How could he be this vicious?
‘Why?’
Lingyu asked silently.
Cangdi Fenglang curled his lips. “I just feel that there’s no need for Spirit Sect to exist anymore. And you — not only you, but also Lian Hua, Xi He, and Chang Sheng — must all die when the time comes.”
Even until he was slapped off the cliff, Lingyu still didn’t understand why Cangdi Fenglang would say those things.
He fell to the bottom of the cliff. Originally, he should have fallen directly to his death, but he was saved by the evil spirit Fu Zhu, who also jumped down with him.
That place was the place with the thickest evil Qi. His Dantian was crippled and his cultivation was all gone, but Lingyu didn’t want to die. He wanted to live. He still had many things to do and many people he had yet to see.
Fu Zhu protected Lingyu from those evil spirits’ attacks. In despair, Lingyu slowly discovered the method to cultivate evil Qi. He didn’t know what was happening outside or how the world had changed.
When he repaired his empty Dantian with evil Qi and became a true evil Qi cultivator, he wrapped himself in extremely ragged clothes and took Fu Zhu along, climbing up from the bottom of the cliff step by step.
He stood under the sun again.
He dared not return to Spirit Sect like this.
Alone, he led a monster with four antlers to a small town near Youshan. He asked the passers-by what day it was and what year it was, and what had happened to the Pillar of Heaven and Heaven’s Wail. He got the answer he wanted to hear.
The Pillar of Heaven had been repaired, and the Heaven’s Wail in Youshan was also gone.
But everyone who was originally stationed in Youshan had died.
None survived.
Even Lingyu, the core disciple of Spirit Sect, had completely disappeared. Chang Sheng personally came to look for him. Lian Hua and Xi He also came here to look, and even Dao Zu came to Youshan and searched for him. However, they couldn’t find him.
“Sigh, who knows what kind of monsters those evil Qi cultivators are — no wait, not even monsters can compare to them.” A man who had personally experienced evil spirits attacking the city patted his chest with lingering fear. “It’s truly terrifying. Now, the entire Spirit Sect is catching and hunting down evil Qi cultivators, who are simply a cancer of the Nine Lands ah!”
Lingyu: “…”
Someone saw that Lingyu’s deer was beautiful and the two pairs of antlers were very dazzling, so he became tempted. “Little Brother, is this deer for sale?”
“Not selling.” Lingyu took his deer and refused without thinking.
“Your clothes are ragged and you look poor. If you sell it to me, I can guarantee you rich clothes and plentiful food.”
“I don’t lack rich clothes and plentiful food.”
He left this town, found a clear stream by the side of the path, and jumped in to wash away the grime. Looking at the reflection in the water, his hair was messy, his skin was as pale as a ghost, and he looked like he could be blown over by the breeze.
He opened his mouth and tried to smile.
Don’t be afraid.
In this world, even if others don’t understand you and misunderstand you. Your Shixiong and Master will never misunderstand you and despise you like those people. Don’t be afraid.