51: Chapter 51 The Situation is Chaotic

Ten days passed in the blink of an eye.

In the skies above Hongyue City.

The once-clear sky was now blanketed by thick, leaden-gray clouds.

Even the draft blowing through the halls carried a faint scent of blood and Devilish Qi.

A heart-pounding sense of oppression quietly spread through the air.

The chaos in the Outer City of Hongyue had reached its peak.

Out-of-control Demonic Cultivators were committing atrocities at will—burning, killing, looting, and engaging in every kind of evil.

Furthermore, a large number of Loose Cultivators took advantage of the chaos to transform into Bandit Cultivators, specifically targeting lone Cultivators and pushing this already turbulent world into deeper disorder.

Such a scene inevitably left Chu Feng feeling somewhat uneasy.

The reactions of the Hehuan Sect and Tiandan Sect were truly so abnormal that they raised suspicion.

After all, these two great Sects were currently the true controllers of Hongyue City.

Not only were there heavy troops stationed in the city, but the dozen or so small market towns surrounding Hongyue City also had Golden Core Elders dispatched by the two Sects personally overseeing them.

With such an arrangement, there was no reason to allow Demonic Cultivators to run rampant or sit idly by as the situation worsened.

Yet, the reality was quite the opposite.

Both Sects turned a blind eye to the demonic disasters and marauding chaos outside the city.

They neither sent troops to purge the threats nor stepped forward to stabilize the situation; instead, they allowed the chaos to continue spreading.

Hongyue City had originally been under the jurisdiction of the Chusheng Sect.

Now that the escaped Ancestor Chusheng had returned after achieving a Breakthrough to the Soul Transformation Stage, the first ones he would settle scores with were these two Sects that had occupied his territory.

So, were the Tiandan Sect and Hehuan Sect simply giving up and letting everything go to ruin?

Thinking along these lines...

The various Sects of Nanshan Prefecture had absolutely no reason to cooperate with Ancestor Chusheng; instead, they should have been joining forces to set up defenses and maintain strict vigilance.

"Could it be that these Sects already know about Ancestor Chusheng's Breakthrough and have concluded that this place will inevitably become a land of strife, so they want to plunder as much as possible before evacuating?"

Once this thought emerged, it grew wildly like vines in Chu Feng's heart; the more he thought about it, the more likely it seemed.

He slowly turned around, his gaze sweeping over his Dao Companions beside him. "Sanniang, Youchu, Xingyu, Yafei—stay safely in this courtyard for the next few days. Whatever you do, do not go out."

This small courtyard on East Street in the first ring of Hongyue City was protected by a defensive Formation and had Jiang Miaoyi, a Golden Core Great Perfection Cultivator, overseeing it.

As long as his Dao Companions stayed obediently in the courtyard, they could avoid all the conflicts and dangers outside.

Cheng Sanniang and the others were all aware of the critical situation; they nodded in agreement one after another, though worry was hidden in their eyes.

After dinner, Chu Feng went to the quiet room in the courtyard alone.

He sat cross-legged on a prayer mat, calmly circulating his Cultivation Technique, attempting to find a bit of peace in this chaotic world while seizing every moment to improve his cultivation.

Only by being strong enough could he protect the safety of those around him in this unpredictable situation.

Three more days of this calm yet tense life passed.

That afternoon.

Chu Feng went to the Duobao Pavilion.

In an elegant room, he sat opposite Immortal Master Hongyue.

Steam curled from the spiritual tea on the table, and amidst the lingering fragrance, the two were discussing the recent situation in low voices, their words filled with concern over the current chaos.

Just then, the door was hurriedly pushed open. Zhong Cheng, the Vice Pavilion Master of Duobao Pavilion, walked in quickly with a solemn expression, reporting urgently: "Pavilion Master, True Disciple Chu, something has happened!"

Chu Feng and Immortal Master Hongyue exchanged a glance, both seeing the gravity in each other's eyes.

Immortal Master Hongyue raised a hand to signal Zhong Cheng to calm down, saying in a deep voice: "Don't panic. Speak slowly. What exactly is the matter?"

Zhong Cheng took a deep breath, suppressing the turmoil in his heart, and said slowly: "Half an hour ago, the Hehuan Sect took the initiative to invite several Golden Core Elders of the Tiandan Sect stationed in Hongyue City to their Sect headquarters to jointly discuss ways to deal with the chaos caused by the Demonic Sects."

"Who would have thought that halfway through the discussion, the Hehuan Sect suddenly activated a Trapping and Killing Formation they had secretly set up long ago, surrounding the Tiandan Sect Elders."

"At the same time, a large number of Hehuan Sect Cultivators launched a surprise attack on the Tiandan Sect's strongholds in Hongyue City."

"Those Golden Core Elders from the Tiandan Sect sent out distress signals, and the City Lord's Mansion has already received the news."

"Vice City Lord Master Sikong personally led a team, taking over a dozen Golden Core Guest Elders to the Hehuan Sect headquarters. He intends to mediate the grievances between the two Sects, stabilize the situation in Hongyue City, and prevent the flames of war from spreading to the Inner City."

Hearing this, Chu Feng's expression changed slightly, and the teacup he held between his fingertips paused for a moment.

This move by the Hehuan Sect came too suddenly; it was clearly a blatant provocation of conflict between the Righteous and Demonic Paths, which was completely illogical.

Immortal Master Hongyue frowned even deeper. "The Hehuan Sect and Tiandan Sect are both major Sects of Nanshan Prefecture."

"Although one belongs to the Demonic Path and the other to the Righteous Path, they have never had any deep-seated hatred."

"On the contrary, they have had many collaborations due to shared interests. Especially when facing external enemies, they have always stood together and looked out for each other. Why would they suddenly turn against each other and do something that harms both sides?"

Zhong Cheng sighed repeatedly, looking helpless: "Who knows... Sigh, ever since Ancestor Chusheng escaped, the situation in Nanshan Prefecture has never truly been stable, and now it's a complete mess."

"I only hope Master Sikong and the others can successfully mediate and not let the situation get any worse."

"Zhong Cheng, continue to gather information," Immortal Master Hongyue said.

"Yes!!"

Before they knew it, it was nearly noon.

The door was pushed open once more, and Zhong Cheng returned with the latest news, his expression even worse than before.

He walked quickly to the two of them, his tone filled with worry: "Pavilion Master, True Disciple Chu, the situation is bad! The Hehuan Sect is a Demonic Path Sect after all; they completely ignored the mediation of Master Sikong and the others and actually killed those Golden Core Fellow Daoists from the Tiandan Sect!"

"I'm afraid a bloodbath is about to erupt in Nanshan Prefecture!"

Immortal Master Hongyue's face darkened as he spoke slowly, "This matter is a bit fishy. The Tiandan Sect has operated in Nanshan Prefecture for so many years, with high prestige and many Disciples. For the Hehuan Sect to rashly resort to killing is simply inviting disaster and courting self-destruction. They couldn't possibly be unaware of the stakes involved; there must be some hidden agenda."

Listening to their discussion, Chu Feng had no heart to delve into the reasons; his mind was most concerned about his Dao Companions in the courtyard, fearing the turbulent situation would affect them.

He immediately rose to take his leave from Immortal Master Hongyue, his tone urgent: "Pavilion Master, I'll take my leave first."

As he walked, he asked, "Immortal Master Miaoyi, what do you think the Hehuan Sect is after? Such a rash move is truly too abnormal."

Jiang Miaoyi's expression was calm, and she spoke casually, "With Demonic Sects rampaging outside and the Hehuan Sect suddenly attacking the Tiandan Sect inside the city, this is definitely no coincidence. It must have been premeditated."

"What they want is nothing more than control over Hongyue City, as well as all the surrounding resources and interests."

Pausing for a moment, Jiang Miaoyi looked up at Chu Feng, her tone becoming a bit more serious: "Although I can protect you, the current situation in Hongyue City is chaotic, with Devilish Qi and Killing Intent intertwined. Your focus on studying the Talisman Scripture will inevitably be affected."

"In my opinion, it would be better to leave here sooner and find a stable place to cultivate in peace."

"As for whether to go to the Prefecture City or the Continent City, you can decide for yourself."

"But Chu Feng, with your talent in the Dao of Talismans, the Duobao Pavilion headquarters is the place where you can truly display your brilliance."

"There are richer Talisman Dao texts and cultivation resources there, which will allow your talent to be fully realized."

Chu Feng bowed to Jiang Miaoyi and said sincerely, "Immortal Master Miaoyi is absolutely right. I understand."

He had already made up his mind; since Hongyue City had become a land of strife, he could not stay for long.

After some consideration, he finally chose the Continent City of the Nanyun Continent—Nanyun City.