Chapter 153: Chapter 150: Decision
March 21st,
Miao Family Village was attacked by unknown assailants. The entire Miao Family was annihilated and the village burned to the ground. The members of the Miao Clan taking refuge in Dawan Village, beside themselves with grief, have offered the family’s ruined 1.8-mu Spirit Field as a reward for finding the culprits and bringing them to justice.
...
March 29th,
The Family Protection Mutual Aid Alliance announced that it now includes a total of sixty-one villages. It has also organized a patrol guard of several dozen Cultivators and has declared to the public that it will vigorously crack down on Tribulation Cultivators and hunt down anyone who dares to attack or plunder its members.
...
April 1st,
Several member villages of the Family Protection Mutual Aid Alliance were attacked by unknown assailants, resulting in the destruction of several villages and significant losses. The Alliance Leader publicly declared that he would personally take action and was determined to apprehend the perpetrators. He vowed that even if they fled to the ends of the earth, he would make them pay their blood debt in full!
...
April 7th,
Nangong City battled mysterious, black-clothed figures outside Qing City. According to some passersby fortunate enough to witness the fight, the power fluctuations from the battle were at least at the level of the Qi Introduction Ninth Layer. Rumors are circulating that Nangong City may have had a blessing in disguise, breaking through to the Qi Introduction Ninth Layer Realm in one fell swoop.
...
April 11th,
A merchant caravan composed of several chambers of commerce, including the Sanhe Chamber of Commerce, Duobao Tower, and the Jadeite Jade Merchants Association, which had been renting temporary trading posts east of the village, was ambushed by Tribulation Cultivators three hundred li outside Qing City. A Qi Introduction Ninth Layer expert was among the attackers. Fortunately, Nangong City arrived in time to provide aid and repel the enemy.
During this battle, Nangong City displayed the Cultivation of the Qi Introduction Ninth Layer.
...
April 19th,
A massive, chaotic battle suddenly erupted in the East Mountain Area for unknown reasons. Several Qi Introduction Ninth Layer experts fought to the death there. Outsiders did not dare to get close, so the specific cause of the conflict and the identities of all involved remain unknown.
What is known is that Xia Congyuan, the Manor Master of Qi Manipulation Manor, was one of the combatants. His fame was once equal to that of Wu Yuanzhi, Patriarch of the Wu Family of Wu Family Collection, and he was publicly acknowledged as the one most likely to advance to the Soul Emergence Realm within Qing City’s territory.
In addition, many disciples of Qi Manipulation Manor have also been spotted appearing in the vicinity one after another.
...
April 23rd,
Someone seems to have spotted the tracks of the Patriarch of the Qi Family, another major power in Qing City’s territory, in the East Lake Territory. There is speculation that with the Qi Family’s younger generation lacking talent and the family facing potential decline, their Soul Emergence Realm ancestor might participate in this struggle. He could be trying to seize the Cyan Essence Water Grass to refine the aptitude of his bloodline’s descendants and add a few geniuses to the family.
...
April 27th,
Wu Family Collection has been sealed off, with no one entering or leaving. However, on this day, a group of mysterious black-clothed figures attacked Wu Family Collection, leading to a chaotic battle. Several plumes of smoke rose into the sky, and many walls and buildings collapsed. It seems a True Cultivator of the Soul Emergence Realm made a move, as the battle’s fluctuations were incredibly alarming.
An hour later, the attack appeared to have failed completely. The surviving black-clothed figures retreated from Wu Family Collection and vanished into the mountain forests.
...
April 29th,
It seems some of the black-clothed figures who attacked Wu Family Collection were captured. Rumors have begun to spread that the attackers were agents of the Demon Dao from the Nanyue Kingdom.
...
May 2nd,
Over several consecutive days, twenty to thirty villages within the Border Desolate Land were suddenly massacred, with every person and animal slaughtered.
Someone approached Nangong City, Xia Congyuan, the Manor Master of Qi Manipulation Manor, and several other renowned Qi Introduction Ninth Layer veterans of the nearby Immortal Cultivation Realm. After an investigation by these individuals, it was concluded that this was the work of the Demon Dao.
Those villages were most likely used in a blood sacrifice by members of the Demon Dao.
...
May 8th,
Conflicts in the outside world have grown more frequent, and casualties are rising.
But for some reason, more Cultivators are rushing in from other regions. While Immortal Master Si and the various chamber of commerce Shopkeepers are pleased by this, their words also betray a hint of worry.
...
May 15th,
The Alliance Leader of the Family Protection Mutual Aid Alliance, in concert with the Qi Family Patriarch and several outside allies, launched an attack on a Tribulation Cultivator gang hiding in a certain location. They killed several Eighth Layer Cultivators and returned victorious. With this news, the prestige of the Family Protection Mutual Aid Alliance grew even greater. It’s said that a few small merchant firms and some vendors have contacted them, preparing to set up shop within the Alliance’s territory.
...
May 20th,
Someone obtained a stalk of Cyan Essence Water Grass from an unknown source. The news leaked, triggering a massive, chaotic battle. The Family Protection Mutual Aid Alliance, the Qi Family, Qi Manipulation Manor, and other factions were all drawn in. Experts of the Qi Introduction Realm from outside the region also entered the fray, and it’s rumored that members of the Demon Dao were hiding among them.
The number of combatants was roughly estimated to be over a thousand, with more than a hundred people dying as a result.
...
May 26th,
The chaotic battle over the Cyan Essence Water Grass has come to a temporary end. The person who found it is dead, and the Cyan Essence Water Grass itself was destroyed in the struggle. No one knows how that person found the Treasure Medicine, or where it was discovered.
However, this news has galvanized a large number of Cultivators. Many are already converging on the battlefield, conducting a thorough search of the surrounding area for any related clues.
Battles and killings have also become increasingly frequent.
...
May 30th,
The merchant caravan in the area east of the village, formed by the Sanhe Chamber of Commerce and several other firms, was attacked again five hundred li outside Qing City. Although they managed to repel the enemy, the major firms suffered considerable losses, especially in terms of personnel.
Immortal Master Si consulted with everyone, hoping to pool together a sum of Spirit Stones to hire Dawan Village. The goal was to either clear out the Tribulation Cultivators on the trade route or have Dawan Village provide escorts for a few trips.
If the situation continues to deteriorate, the merchant caravan may pull out entirely.
...
Shen Changchuan sat in his chair, his eyes scanning the intelligence reports recorded in the book he held.
Each incident recorded within made his heart sink.
’The trouble...’
’It’s getting bigger and bigger!’
’One thing is certain: the situation around us is rapidly spiraling into irreversible chaos. The interwoven struggles between the various factions were already troublesome enough. But now, with the appearance of the Cyan Essence Water Grass, it’s like adding fuel to a raging fire, making the situation escalate even more intensely!’
’I can just imagine it. With concrete proof that the Cyan Essence Water Grass exists, most of the factions that were still on the sidelines, thinking the rumors were unreliable, will almost certainly jump into the fray, pushing the situation in the Border Desolate Land further into chaos!’
’In this chaotic situation, True Cultivators of the Soul Emergence Realm are lurking in the shadows, their presence felt but not seen, while experts of the Qi Introduction Late Stage Realm emerge one after another. Against this backdrop, what path should Dawan Village take?’
Shen Changchuan couldn’t help but worry.
In fact, according to the intelligence gathered by his maternal grandfather, Han Qinhu, the chaos in the region had increased several times over compared to a few months ago.
In a short period, even more villages had been wiped out!
Countless hidden figures, wanting to fish in troubled waters, were poised to strike but had yet to make their move.
This has turned the entire Border Desolate Land into a massive powder keg!
