116: Chapter 116 Turbulent Times, Homecoming
Chen Zhuyun was slightly stunned, not expecting their attitude to shift so rapidly, which made him unable to help but smile.
"Many thanks."
Just like that, Chen Zhuyun took Ruan Zhirou and the two little ones and flew away from this place, facing no further obstruction.
What he did not know was that although the Jade Blood Dao Lord had fallen during the Ancient Eras Final Tribulation, the Grotto-Heaven that this Dao Lord had raised high still hung above the Nine Heavens, overlooking this realm.
It was unknown how many existences of the Blood Qi Path still existed within the Jade Blood Grotto-Heaven, but it was certain that there were definitely figures at the level of Nascent Soul Earth Immortal or even Immortal Lord.
Because a Grotto-Heaven does not just stay up; it requires maintenance. Only existences at the Immortal level are qualified to maintain a Grotto-Heaven.
If a Grotto-Heaven is not maintained for a long time, due to energy depletion, the erosion of time, and other combined factors, it is possible for the Grotto-Heaven to fall.
Although an Immortal Dao Grotto-Heaven is claimed to never fall, that is based on the condition that the Dao Lord who opened this Grotto-Heaven has not fallen.
If the Dao Lord falls, and the subordinate Immortal Lords, Earth Immortals, and others all fall together, leaving only characters at the Golden Core level, then this Grotto-Heaven, with no one capable of maintaining it, would fall from the Nine Heavens into the mortal world after a million years or so.
And if there is external interference, this time would be reduced; it might not even last for a hundred thousand years before falling.
Several Foundation Establishment Great Cultivators watched the direction in which Chen Zhuyun and the four others left, feeling somewhat puzzled. That was the direction to Liming Town. Could it be that this Prodigy, who was suspected to have walked out of the Jade Blood Heavenly Sect Grotto-Heaven, was going to find the Chen family in Liming Town?
One of the Foundation Establishment Great Cultivators touched his chin and said thoughtfully: "My sensing just now was not wrong; the Aura emitted by that person indeed carried a dense Blood Fiend Qi, yet it was not as nauseating as the Blood Fiend Demonic Sect. It is very much like the Blood Qi Cultivators of the rumored Jade Blood Heavenly Sect."
"Not right, it is very strange. I did not feel the Aura of mana on that person, as if he were not a Cultivator of the Immortal Dao. It is truly strange." Another Foundation Establishment Great Cultivator spoke, his tone filled with astonishment.
"Alright, whether or not he is a person from the Jade Blood Heavenly Sect, it is not something we can handle or deal with."
A Foundation Establishment Great Cultivator who appeared to have a higher status spoke, his gaze sweeping over the group, his tone carrying an unquestionable meaning:
"Liquan Town has already been sealed by several Great True Persons using great Divine Abilities. Anyone capable of walking out from inside Liquan Town is definitely not simple. Their identity and status are far from what we, Disciples of Purple Mansion Factions, can compare to."
"A branch Sect of a Dao Lord Heavenly Sect has, at the very least, an Immortal of the Nascent Soul level sitting in charge. Looking at the entire Great Qi, the only Immortal Sects that can stand shoulder-to-shoulder with it are those three: Cang Gu Hall, Luotian Sect, and the Red Dust Sect."
"We are only paid so much; there is no need to risk our lives. If we can do it, we do it; if we cannot, we leave it alone. Do not ask too much or interfere too much with matters that exceed our scope of handling, lest we bring trouble upon ourselves."
The other Foundation Establishment Cultivators nodded one after another. Senior Brother made sense. As expected of a Sect Prodigy who could be favored by the Sect Leader's daughter, not only was he good at living off a woman, but he was also very excellent in terms of conduct and dealing with people.
They were only Disciples; if the sky fell, there were taller people to hold it up. If Chen Zhuyun's matter was reported upward, the only ones who would be in trouble were them.
It was better to do as Senior Brother said: more trouble is worse than less. Pretend not to see it; if asked, say you do not know and have not seen it.
They all came from the Luoyun Sect, a Purple Mansion major Sect of Chuan Commandery. There was a Great True Person with Five Dharma Manifestations in the Sect suppressing the Luck, and three True Persons of the middle and Late Stages of the Purple Mansion sitting in the four directions, so it was considered a relatively powerful Purple Mansion Faction.
Any faction with a Violet Palace Peak master possessing Five Dharma Manifestations sitting in charge could be called a major power. It was more than a grade higher than ordinary Purple Mansion Factions and could basically call the wind and summon the rain within a commandery.
Even in a large commandery like Changli Commandery, such a faction was a top-ranked existence, second only to factions with False Core Great Powers in charge.
In a remote and small commandery like Liyuan Plains, a Great True Person with Five Dharma Manifestations was basically the strongest person in the commandery, able to turn hands into clouds and cover hands into rain; calling them a local overlord would not be an exaggeration.
This time, the Luoyun Sect sent people to the Liquan Town ruins because they had received an invitation from the Ten Thousand Treasures Pavilion of Liyuan Commandery. Everyone dug up the ancient ruins together, and the gains belonged to themselves; the more they dug, the higher the profit.
Besides the Luoyun Sect, many other Purple Mansion Factions were persuaded by the Ten Thousand Treasures Pavilion and sent many Disciples over.
As for the Xuan Yuan Sect, they were now like a mud bodhisattva crossing a river—unable to even save themselves—and could no longer restrain these Purple Mansion Factions.
Just after Chen Zhuyun and the four others left, at the location of the Liquan Town ruins, the Void Realm split open, and an aged figure walked out.
If Chen Zhuyun were here, he would definitely recognize the old man's identity; he was that mysterious old man suspected of having transformed from a Dragon.
Even though he had cultivated to the Peak of Gang Sha within the trial ruins, facing this terrifying existence of the mysterious old man, he was still like a drop in the ocean, not worth mentioning.
In his perception, this mysterious old man was definitely an existence above the Purple Mansion, terrifying beyond compare.
Even though he was confident that he could stand shoulder-to-shoulder with any Foundation Establishment Peak in the world, in front of the old man, he could not produce any strange thoughts, not even being able to throw a punch; this was caused by the excessive gap in strength.
The old man who appeared in the ruins was leaning on a coiled Dragon cane, his blood-red pupils like two blood-colored suns, enchanting and evil.
He first looked up at the high sky, his deep gaze seemingly piercing through the Nine Heavens, seeing that Immortal Dao Grotto-Heaven hanging high above the Nine Heavens.
"After the Ancient Eras Final Tribulation, a million years of time have passed in a flash, and I have returned to the mortal world again. It is truly nostalgic."
The old man sighed deeply and took a step, walking forward slowly. The obsidian statues along the way dared not make any sound, as if they had turned into true dead objects, fearing they would anger this person.
"Blood Qi is not apparent, and the dao position is deeply hidden. It seems that the various Lords of this generation are quite wary of the Blood Qi Path."
Two beams of piercing light shot out from the old man's eyes. The Void Realm in front of him shattered into pieces. Several figures with Auras as powerful as the vast sea were shaken out, their eyes filled with shock and intense wariness.
"Lone Boat of the Ten Thousand Treasures Pavilion pays respects to Senior."
"Tai Zhi of the Taiyuan Sect pays respects to Senior."
"Luo Xiao of the Luoyun Sect pays respects to Senior."
"Cang Xin of the Cang Jin Pavilion pays respects to Senior."
If there were other Cultivators here, they would definitely be shocked, their jaws dropping.
These four people in front were all Great True Persons with Five Dharma Manifestations, ranked at the Violet Palace Peak, enough to traverse various commanderies and run rampant in a province.
But now, the four Violet Palace Peak masters, facing the old man, all put away the arrogance belonging to Great True Persons and took the initiative to salute, and it was the extremely respectful kind.
"Ten Thousand Treasures Pavilion... I did not expect that so many years have passed, and that Lord is still alive. This is something that even the Thunder Ancestor and Dao Ancestor could not do." The old man spoke slowly, his tone mysterious.
Mo Youming's forehead was tightly furrowed. He, a dignified Violet Palace Peak master, at this moment had the urge to break out in a cold sweat.
"Senior, you flatter me. This Junior is just a small Violet Palace master and dare not discuss the various Lords. I hope Senior will forgive me."
The old man waved his hand, his blood-colored eyes sweeping over the four: "That little fellow has the Luck of my Jade Blood Heavenly Sect on him, and the Karma involved needs no explanation from this old man; you can understand it yourselves."
Subsequently, his gaze fell on Mo Youming, and meaningful words sounded: "The prophecy of the Heavenly Secret Dao Lord is about to be fulfilled. The most prosperous Golden Great Age in history is about to begin. Does your Ten Thousand Treasures Pavilion have any plans?"
Hearing this, Mo Youming's tiger body shook, and he replied tremblingly: "Senior, your old self is really overpraising this Junior. I am just a mere Violet Palace master; the plans of the Lords in the Pavilion are not something this Junior can know."
"Moreover, Senior, as a Great Power of the Jade Blood Heavenly Sect, plucking stars and grabbing the moon is nothing; why not go to the Pavilion's headquarters and ask in person?"
The old man looked at him with a half-smile, and only after a long time did he move his gaze away, his tone deep: "Forget it. This old man cannot afford the trouble. Plus, this realm has not yet recovered, and the current world is too fragile to withstand us old guys taking action."
"If I suffer divine retribution, this old man will suffer a great disaster. Go, go."
As the words fell, the old man's figure disappeared, leaving only the four, whose bodies were tense and who were still bowing in salute.
It was not until a long time had passed, confirming that the old man had truly left, that the four slowly stood up. Their hanging hearts finally dropped, and they breathed a sigh of relief.
Most of these old monsters who have lived for many years and popped out of ancient ruins are capricious. If you accidentally anger them, there is only one outcome: death.
Even a Golden Core True Monarch, when facing these old monsters, must be careful. If they are not careful, their own Golden Core will be shattered.
"Scared me to death." Mo Youming said, still feeling lingering fear.
The other three looked at him one after another, and were glared back by Mo Youming: "Let us go, the three of you. Do not spread today's matter, otherwise do not blame my Ten Thousand Treasures Pavilion for not being friendly."
The three knew the seriousness of the matter. An old monster who came out of the Heavenly Sect ruins was not someone their Purple Mansion major factions could touch. The Karma was too big and too heavy; they could not bear it and would be crushed.
Standing behind Mo Youming was the behemoth that was the Ten Thousand Treasures Pavilion. Its strength and foundation were strong enough, and its status was high enough to fully bear this Karma.
Therefore, let Mo Youming and the Ten Thousand Treasures Pavilion have a headache about the Heavenly Sect ruins. They could just follow behind and drink some soup.
After the three left, Mo Youming took a deep look at the Liquan Town ruins, his figure stepped into the Void Realm, and he disappeared.
The old man's appearance broke the established plan. He had to contact the people at headquarters to see what the headquarters had to say.
Now that True Monarch Shuxuan was still fighting outside the heavens, the other branches of the Great Qi Ten Thousand Treasures Pavilion had encountered obstacles to a greater or lesser extent, and the Sect establishment plan was almost stagnant. External force must intervene to break the stalemate.
If the headquarters could send a Nascent Soul Earth Immortal, that would naturally be best. At the very least, they should send one or two Golden Core True Monarchs to stabilize the situation.
In terms of importance, Great Qi was much more important than other Immortal cultivation countries. A Golden Core Peak True Monarch Shuxuan was still not enough, unless he could have a Breakthrough.
On the other side, Chen Zhuyun and the four others galloped all the way, taking two and a half days to finally arrive at Liming Town.
Before long, the towering Luoyun Mountain came into view, causing Chen Zhuyun and Ruan Zhirou to be stunned.
"This is my home?!"