Chapter 78: Chapter 74: An Unremarkable True Inheritor... The Great Ancestor is Mighty
Piercing shrieks, muffled curses, the clang of weapons, the agonized screams of the dying, the CRASH of overturned furniture, the CRACKLE of burning flames... All these sounds blended together, composing a doomsday dirge for Cyan Bamboo Castle.
Before the one-sided slaughter, the well-trained soldiers of Cyan Bamboo Castle put on a grand performance of scattering in a wild panic.
Upon arriving at Cyan Bamboo Castle, Du Youqian deliberately chose not to interfere, letting Liao Minmin do as she pleased in order to observe her character.
Liao Minmin, however, acted with a degree of restraint. She only killed those who refused to lay down their arms, and any adult man from Cyan Bamboo Castle’s direct lineage who was taller than her. She did not involve innocent women and children.
In fact, the Martial Arts Families and sects she had previously "wiped out" had not been truly annihilated. She had only slain all the adult men and those who practiced Martial Arts, never harming the women and children. Duanmu Qingyun’s intelligence had been flawed.
Perhaps it was a matter of empathy; she didn’t want to be the cause of such a worldly tragedy again. Thus, even knowing it might leave behind hidden dangers for the future, she was unwilling to commit an act so contrary to cosmic harmony.
Du Youqian offered no judgment on whether her approach was good or bad.
’There is a Dao of killing, and a Dao of forgiveness.’
’Everything in the world is the Dao.’
’A seeker of the Dao must above all be humble. You cannot say that one path is the Dao, and another is not.’
’You are but a minuscule seeker of the Dao, having barely scratched the surface of the Great Dao.’
’What do you know of the Dao? You don’t know a damn thing.’
’If your understanding becomes obstructed, you could be fated to never grasp the Great Dao for a hundred thousand lifetimes, unable to break through beyond the Golden Core realm.’
’It’s just that, if this girl were to walk the path of slaughter, it would not align with my own disposition. I would simply cease to cultivate her potential, and that would be the end of it.’
’From the looks of it, this girl is capable of repaying grievances with justice without creating needless slaughter. Her disposition does bear some resemblance to my own.’
’Perhaps she is a kindred spirit on the Path.’
A plan was already forming in his mind.
The cries and screams gradually subsided.
Most who dared to resist had been cut down. Those who could escape had fled. The women and children in hiding, naturally, dared not make a sound.
The slaughter was winding down. Just as Du Youqian was considering how to train Liao Minmin next, a cold voice echoed from the distance. "Which Demon dares wreak such havoc here? Surrender at once!"
The voice wasn’t shouted, yet it struck the heart like the tolling of a great bell, its immense power making one feel so unwell they wanted to vomit blood.
Liao Minmin, who bore the brunt of the assault, fared even worse. The sonic impact left her dazed and confused, her ears filled with a loud RINGING as she staggered on her feet.
As she stumbled, a giant hand formed of Magical Power brazenly materialized and reached for her, the gesture full of condescension.
"WHOOSH! WHOOSH!"
Several streams of cyan Sword Qi, though launched second, struck first, shattering the hand of Magical Power.
Du Youqian strolled forward with his hands behind his back, a faint smile playing on his lips. He moved through Cyan Bamboo Castle’s rivers of blood with the leisurely grace of someone walking through a garden in the Immortal Realm.
The person who had conjured the hand of Magical Power now revealed himself. He was a Qi Cultivation Cultivator in a Daoist Robe, with a gaunt face that suggested he was well along in years.
A few wisps of a beard hung from his chin, giving him a rather sagely, otherworldly air.
His Daoist Robe billowed without a wind, his gaze was lofty, and his expression was one of detached indifference. His presentation, his entire aura, was First Class.
Liao Minmin finally regained her footing, her eyes wide with shock and worry as she stared at the newcomer.
’This person seems to be another powerful Immortal Master. Can Great-Ancestor handle him?’
Du Youqian, however, saw through him at a glance. ’This man has simply spent too long in the Mortal World and grown accustomed to showing off for the masses. His actual strength is... mediocre, at best.’
The man spoke, his tone cold. "So, it is a fellow Daoist. I am Li Yu, National Guardian of the Wu Kingdom. May I ask where Fellow Daoist hails from? And have you seen the direct-lineage son of this castle’s lord?"
Du Youqian immediately understood. ’So, this was the man who led Duanmu Qingyun onto the path of cultivation.’
He sneered. "Fellow Daoist Li, what rank of disciple are you in the Shengxuan Sect? Judging by your shoddy Magical Artifacts and the fact that you’re still at the Qi Cultivation Middle Stage at your age, I’d guess you’re an Outer Sect Disciple?"
Li Yu’s face flushed, and a flicker of indignation appeared in his eyes.
’This young pup has no sense! There’s a saying: don’t slap a man in the face! Who just comes right out and exposes someone’s every weakness like that?!’
’I’d love to be an Inner Disciple! An Inner Disciple wouldn’t have to come to this place where the Spiritual Qi is so thin, forced to watch helplessly every day as my Cultivation stagnates!’
His gaze turned dangerous as he stared at Du Youqian. "Fellow Daoist, why do you insist on interfering in my affairs? Do you intend to make an enemy of the Shengxuan Sect?"
Du Youqian threw his head back and laughed. "Fellow Daoist, you’re quite amusing. You think you can represent the Shengxuan Sect? I, on the other hand, can represent the Zhongxuan Sect. Qiu Yuanqing, True Inheritor of the Zhongxuan Sect, at your service, Fellow Daoist Li."
Li Yu was suddenly caught in a dilemma.
He didn’t quite believe Du Youqian. The young man, apart from being exceptionally handsome, seemed utterly unremarkable. ’This is a True Inheritor?’
’Besides, when a True Inheritor travels, they are always accompanied by a Guardian. Where is this one’s Guardian?’
But he didn’t dare to bet on Du Youqian being a liar.
’What if I’m wrong, and Du Youqian really is a True Inheritor? If I, a mere Outer Sect Disciple, were to fight with a True Disciple from a fellow Fourth-class Sect, how would my Sect punish me?’
’I don’t even have to think about it. Even if I won, the Sect would just go through the proper procedures and offer me up as a scapegoat to apologize.’
’And if I lost... well, that’s even simpler. They wouldn’t even need the procedures.’
Just as he was hesitating, Du Youqian smiled. "Fellow Daoist, you are so stubborn, unable to recognize when to advance and when to retreat. If our conflict escalates and we end up fighting with True Fire, wouldn’t that damage the friendly relations between our sects? It seems I’ll have to show you a little something."
Just when both Li Yu and Liao Minmin expected him to unleash a powerful Magic or release a Flying Sword to showcase his exquisite Swordsmanship...
...Du Youqian reached into his Storage Treasure Pouch and pulled out a thick stack of at least a hundred Talismans.
Li Yu’s expression changed drastically. He could sense that these were no Tier One Lower Grade Talismans fit only for propping up a wobbly table leg; they were, at the very least, Tier One Middle Grade.
There were even a dozen or so Tier One Upper Grade Talismans mixed in, emitting powerful fluctuations.
’Talismans like these... even if I sold everything I own, I couldn’t afford more than a few!’
’Using such Talismans for Magical Combat... this person is either the scion of some powerful immortal or his own strength is simply astonishing.’
’In any case, he’s an extravagant, powerful figure.’
’I can’t fight him!’
"Fellow Daoist Qiu! Qiu Zhenchuan! Wait, hold on! I was in the wrong just now." Li Yu was a man who knew when to yield, and he immediately backed down.
Liao Minmin’s eyes lit up, and she nearly jumped for joy.
’Even an Immortal Master who seemed so powerful had no choice but to bow his head before Great-Ancestor.’
’Great-Ancestor is so mighty!’
Du Youqian’s eyes crinkled into a smile as he nodded. "Fellow Daoist Li, since you’ve admitted you were wrong, shouldn’t you pay a certain price?"
’Truthfully, I don’t want to fight either,’ he thought. ’If we really came to blows, I’d have to be careful not to accidentally kill the man.’
’Otherwise, being targeted by the local hegemon, the Shengxuan Sect, in their own Wu Kingdom territory would be a hassle.’
’Besides, constant fighting and killing isn’t the mainstream way in the Immortal Cultivation Realm.’
’Cultivation is for seeking the Dao and attaining long life.’
’Damaging one’s Sea Crossing Treasure Raft means the end of one’s path on the Dao.’
’Apart from the madmen of the Demon Sect and those Tribulation Cultivators, who actually enjoys all this fighting and killing?’
’Still, I can’t let him off too easily, or people might think that a True Inheritor of the Zhongxuan Sect is weak and easily bullied.’
