Demon Cultivator with Celestial Book

Chapter 349: Chapter 248: Pity the People of This World, for Their Hardships Are Many (Part 2)

In Jiang Yi’s presence, True Monarch Lu had always appeared as serene as a chrysanthemum, seemingly without a temper.

But when facing True Monarch Xinghuo Fuming of the Hunlun Sect, she showed no mercy and gave no quarter.

"How absurd! Of all the Daoists of the Eight Sects, only the Innate Sect’s is still at Qi Cultivation, yet you guard him like a precious treasure."

Not to be outdone, True Monarch Xinghuo Fuming retorted with a sneer:

"With a True Monarch as his guardian, won’t every Opportunity within Jukuzhou be his for the taking? That seems rather unfair to the True Inheritance disciples of the other Ancestral Sects."

True Monarch Lu’s phoenix eyes narrowed. As the Daoist’s mentor, she would not tolerate such slander:

"And your sect’s Lin Ru? Did he not have a True Monarch accompanying him as he traveled the four continents?

Forget Jukuzhou. In relict grotto-heavens like the Panlei Immortal Mansion and the Taotie Dragon Palace, without a True Monarch’s protection, I wonder how many times the so-called ’Great Dao Like a Dragon’ Daoist Lin would have died.

Back then, I don’t recall True Monarch Fuming saying anything about unfairness.

And don’t forget, the ’Coiling Dragon Thunder-Aura Great Seal’ that Lin Ru seized from the Panlei Immortal Mansion was only obtained because your sect’s True Monarch intervened, snatching an Opportunity meant for Daoist Pei of the Formless Sect."

"That was then, this is now. The situations are not comparable."

True Monarch Xinghuo Fuming replied in a low voice.

In the vast, dim void, water and fire surged, creating a violent, incompatible scene.

The True Monarch from the Taifu Sect, who had been watching the commotion, finally spoke up:

"You two True Monarchs, please calm your anger. Why harm your relations over the Opportunity of a junior?

True Monarch Lu of the Innate Sect is only overseeing the mortal realm and will not intervene. This cannot be considered breaking the rules.

Furthermore, that Daoist Jiang has yet to achieve Foundation Establishment. He poses no threat to the other True Inheritance disciples.

True Monarch Fuming, please give me some face and do not pursue this matter."

The third True Monarch standing in the void was the Taifu Sect’s True Monarch Fengqi Heji.

Her hair was styled in a flying immortal bun, adorned with a golden buyao hairpin. Her features were as delicate as a fine-line painting, her beauty magnificent.

She wore a deep emerald palace gown, and her body emanated layers of ethereal, cloud-like light and an aura that was profound and inscrutable.

Persuaded by the True Monarch of the Taifu Sect, True Monarch Xinghuo Fuming took the opportunity to withdraw his Qi Mechanism and ceased his confrontation with True Monarch Lu.

The latter, however, was not finished. Her gaze shifted, and her voice was light as she said:

"True Monarch Tao, the karmic debt between you and my Daoist... will be settled sooner or later."

This True Monarch Fengqi Heji’s secular name was Tao Ran.

The appearance of Fengdu, the forging of the nether-worldly connection, and the drawing out of the Shao Yang—it was all this woman’s doing.

If not for Jiang Yi repeatedly escaping a True Monarch’s schemes with the help of the Celestial Book, he would have entered the Taifu Sect by now, becoming just another piece used to elevate Zhang Yuansheng.

"Your sect’s Daoist Jiang should first enter the Foundation Establishment Realm before we speak of settling karmic debts."

This True Monarch Tao, who studied the Qintian Dou Shu, was magnificently beautiful, her cold elegance difficult to describe, like a plum branch covered in frost and snow:

"Besides, it is not necessarily a bad thing for Daoist Jiang to enter the Mingcang Marsh.

When Yuansheng ascends and attains the Shenqi, a place within the Shao Yang will surely be left for him.

This is a Cultivation achievement that would be his for the taking.

In contrast, as things stand now, it remains to be seen if Daoist Jiang can even achieve Perfection in the five methods after a sixty-year cycle."

True Monarch Lu stood with her hands behind her back. A celestial river hung upside down, waterfalls flowed horizontally, and all manner of water-aspected phenomena flowed forth from her.

"True Monarch Tao, you just wait and see. If the Mingcang Marsh can produce a Zhang Yuansheng, then my Innate Sect’s Eight Peaks can certainly help our Daoist succeed to the Shao Yang."

Reduced to a spectator, True Monarch Xinghuo Fuming secretly mused:

’A Magical Combat between two female True Monarchs is a once-in-a-millennium sight. If they start fighting, should I just watch from the sidelines, or lend a hand...’

...

...

「Jukuzhou, Mortal Realm.」

Liyang Dynasty, a penal mining cave.

Yao Yun kept her head down, trailing far behind a long, dragon-like queue of people.

Her small, emaciated body carried a large basket half her height, filled to the brim with crimson ore.

"From today onward, each person must dig up three baskets’ worth a day. This is an order from above!"

A man with a hooked nose stood at the cramped, murky entrance to the stone cave.

Compared to the skeletal forced laborers, this Steward stood with a straight back, had abundant qi and blood, and his temples bulged high—he was clearly a master.

"If anyone dares to be lazy or slack off, don’t blame my whip for being merciless!"

After saying this, Steward Fang flicked his wrist. The whip in his hand, which the laborers both feared and dreaded, shot out like a striking serpent, whistling through the air before cracking against a nearby wooden post.

CRACK!

The thick wooden post, wrapped in hemp rope, gave a sharp snap and split in two.

The laborers queuing to turn in their haul fell silent as cicadas in winter, not daring to breathe too loudly.

If that whip were to land on flesh and blood, it would likely tear off a layer of skin and even break the bones beneath.

In the seven or eight large mining pits of this penal colony, Steward Fang was like a local tyrant, holding the power of life and death.

They, the laborers, were nothing but fish on a chopping block, to be carved up as he pleased.

After a long wait in line, Yao Yun handed her large basket to a soldier for inspection. A full basket could hold about thirty-five pieces of the crimson ore.

The ore was quite heavy, hard as iron, and covered in a crimson color, as if stained with blood-rust.

"You’re still one basket short for today."

The soldier said coldly after recording it.

"Understood, Sir Soldier!"

Yao Yun nodded numbly, hoisted the empty basket onto her back, and walked back toward the depths of the pitch-black tunnel.

When she got inside, an old man, rail-thin like a bamboo pole, hurried to take the basket from her.

"This old slave is useless. I have made the Princess suffer."

On Yao Yun’s little face, black as the bottom of a wok, she managed to force a smile.

"Don’t say that. If Eunuch Chen hadn’t helped me dig the ’Blood Iron,’ I would have been worked or starved to death long ago."

The old man’s voice was sharp and shrill:

"Damn that Wu Changgui! He let Liyang through the gates and buried our Daye empire! And what’s more, he’s caused the Princess to be reduced to a criminal laborer!"

Yao Yun remained silent. Who would have thought that this sallow and skinny little girl was actually the nineteenth princess of the Daye Dynasty?

"The entire Daye imperial family was implicated and executed. If my mother hadn’t switched me with a servant girl, I wouldn’t have survived."

Yao Yun lowered her voice, her eyes sparkling:

"My mother told me. Liyang slaughtered everyone because they feared a ’Jiezi’ would be born among the Daye royalty."

The old man shouldered the large basket and swung a pickaxe, striking the stone wall again and again, digging out a few fist-sized pieces of blood iron ore.

"Liyang venerates the ’Demon Visage’ as its state religion, using the nation’s fortune to nurture the Ten Abominations, letting them run rampant in the mortal world.

If the Princess can awaken her root of wisdom, comprehend the ’Jiezi Method,’ and beseech the descent of a celestial deity, only then might it be possible to revive the Daye Dynasty... Princess, did Her Majesty ever tell you the whereabouts of the ’Zhixuan Treasure Map’?

Without that map, I fear it will be difficult to become a Jiezi."

Seeing the old man rambling on, Yao Yun’s numb expression changed, and she chuckled softly:

"Of course. Mother secretly told me the location of the ’Zhixuan Treasure Map’. Once I find a way to escape this penal mountain, I will take Eunuch Chen with me to find it."

Hearing this, a glint of shock flashed in the old man’s eyes, and he thought to himself:

’So all my time acting with this wretched girl wasn’t wasted! I finally got the location of the Zhixuan Treasure Map out of her... When the time comes, I’ll offer this little brat to King Wu. I’m sure to get a handsome reward!’

There was no sun or moon in the mining cave. These exiled laborers were driven inside to dig for blood iron every day before dawn.

Only when the sun set could they barely finish their work, fill their bellies with pig slop-like rations, and then crawl into their shacks to sleep.

Having worked for so long, the laborers had almost forgotten what sunlight looked like.

Yao Yun didn’t dare sleep in the large common bunk. She could only roll up a mat and secretly crawl into an empty dog cage, curling herself into a ball.

She closed her eyes, endlessly chanting a list of names:

"Wu Changgui, Huang Zhongtai, Xue Yiren, Chen Jin..."

These were all her enemies!

Yao Yun remembered her mother’s words clearly: trust no one, not even the seemingly loyal Eunuch Chen Jin, who had protected her all this time.

Recalling the faces of her enemies over and over, Yao Yun pressed her palms together and prayed silently:

"Raging sacred fire, burn my broken body... To do good and cast out evil, only for the sake of light... Joy, sorrow, all returns to dust... Pity the people of my world, for their suffering is great... Please, let the Jiezi descend!"

The Daye Dynasty had stood for eight hundred years, reputedly thanks to a blessing from a celestial deity.

Because the founding ancestor once led the deity’s horse, he was granted a world-conquering divine art and swept across the land.

Upon founding the nation, the great ancestor made a solemn vow that his descendants would serve the celestial deity for all generations.

Thus, it was rumored that the bloodline of the Daye imperial family had a chance to produce a Child of Calamity who could summon the celestial deity.