Chapter 2310: Generations Have Changed

Elder Chu had lost three disciples, and his own body bore several bloodied holes, the result of the Spider Queen’s enthusiastic embrace. A streak of blood near his temple indicated a close call with blindness.

Liu Qingdao sighed as he looked at him. “Elder Chu,” he said, “why has it come to this?”

Elder Chu, his eyes still bloodshot, glared back. “You killed Old Xu,” he retorted, “of course we must avenge him!”

Elder Xu and he had been fellow disciples for thousands of years, their bond stronger than that of brothers.

“You’ve been tricked,” Liu Qingdao explained. “Someone else murdered Elder Xu. That person impersonated Tang Jingye and incited you to attack Wei’an City, which forced Cang Yan to intervene and suppress you.”

Yuan Xilin stopped, startled. “You… what did you say?”

Liu Qingdao then briefly recounted the events in Wei’an City. “Elder Xu’s disciples were all eyewitnesses,” he added. “You can question them yourselves in a little while.”

He then took a piece of Juluo wood from his robes. “Elder Xu’s divine soul is still preserved within this Juluo wood,” he explained, “though he’s fallen into a deep slumber from sheer exhaustion. Once he awakens, you’ll be able to speak with him.”

Yuan Xilin took the Juluo wood and probed it with his spiritual sense. He then nodded to Elder Chu.

“It’s him!”

Liu Qingdao’s candidness showed he had no fear of confrontation. Yuan Xilin and Elder Chu’s animosity significantly lessened, and they exchanged a look, both feeling disheartened.

The Qixia Sect had been in seclusion for over a century, patiently awaiting the revival of spiritual energy. Yet, no sooner had they emerged than they suffered such a devastating blow!

What puzzled them even more was how powerful the human kingdom occupying this land had become, capable of easily subduing even ancient immortal sects.

The Qixia Sect, with its heritage spanning millennia, wondered what path it should take now.

Liu Qingdao understood the bewilderment in their eyes.

In fact, many immortal sects and powerful demons emerging from seclusion in recent years often found themselves similarly disoriented.

This world had changed too rapidly.

However, this pain and stark contrast would ultimately be theirs to experience and resolve.

Yuan Xilin then asked Liu Qingdao, “How does the Bingyuan Division intend to deal with the Qixia Sect?”

“Before our conflict began, the Qixia Sect had three possible paths,” Liu Qingdao stated solemnly. “At that time, we genuinely didn’t want the Qixia Sect to follow the mastermind’s script and disturb Wei’an City, but unfortunately…”

He glanced at the Juluo wood in Yuan Xilin’s hand. “Now the bitter consequences are here,” he continued, “but fortunately, Wei’an City did not suffer significant casualties. Therefore, the Qixia Sect still has one path remaining: to join Cang Yan and serve the Great Emperor of Nine Hells!”

With matters having reached this point, the Qixia Sect no longer had the luxury of acting whimsically. Yuan Xilin, unable to utter any platitudes about being like a free cloud or wild crane unburdened by worldly affairs, could only remain silent.

Suddenly, several streaks of lightning flashed across the sky, shifting the light and shadow around them, making the surroundings either bright as day or darker than midnight.

Before long, fine, dense rain began to drift onto their faces.

Elder Chu looked up, slightly surprised. “Have we left the small world?”

“Indeed,” Liu Qingdao replied. As they passed through the dark forest, he pointed ahead. “That is the true Wei’an City.”

The view suddenly opened up to reveal the dazzling lights that the Qixia Sect members had become quite familiar with.

It turned out they had been circling on a suburban hillside, still more than ten li from Wei’an City.

Yuan Xilin looked back, unable to suppress a gasp.

Illuminated by the lightning, they could even make out the waterfall of Butterfly Stream from where they stood.

“What an impressive feat,” he murmured. “We had no idea when we entered or exited that small world.” While their initial unawareness of entering it was understandable, given they’d been ambushed, to have emerged without noticing, completely unaware of the entrance, was unsettling.

“Cang Yan gathers extraordinary individuals and rare treasures from across the land, and it has made numerous continuous innovations in spiritual arts, magical artifacts, and formations. Their application in warfare, even I find incredibly ingenious.” Liu Qingdao wasn’t boasting. “Sect Master Yuan, if you remain in Cang Yan for a while, you will naturally come to understand this.”

A large nation, abundant with talent — how could the Qixia Sect, with its mere few dozen members, possibly compare?

Yuan Xilin could only say, “We shall see.”

Great nations employed many ingenious strategies; their own side was truly no match. Even a mere illusion was wielded with divine mastery. At this point, the members of the Qixia Sect were finally convinced.

Indeed, times had truly changed.

Only then did Liu Qingdao speak again.

“I have a question I’d like Sect Master Yuan to answer.”

“Please ask.”

“You had only just emerged from seclusion,” Liu Qingdao said, raising a finger, “when you dispatched Sky Centipedes to raid Xuanjing mines and warehouses in places like Tongyue Town. How did the Qixia Sect know these locations?”

Xuanjing warehouses were relatively secretive, certainly not marked with prominent signs at their entrances. It was unlikely that the Qixia Sect, having been in seclusion for over a hundred years, would know their locations, let alone merchants who regularly traversed the western part of the Blazing Gold Plain.

As for military garrisons near mining areas, their locations were even more obscure, known only to the most attentive or those with specific intentions.

After a few breaths, Yuan Xilin finally replied, “An old friend of mine had already emerged from seclusion, and I sent him a message to inquire about the current state of the world. He informed me that all Xuanjing veins in this land belong to Cang Yan, and that this nation is not friendly towards immortal sects. I asked him for the locations of the Xuanjing mines, and he provided them.”

For any immortal sect returning to the mortal realm, the immediate priority was always to acquire Xuanjing. Given that Cang Yan, the dominant power, held such a poor attitude towards immortal sects, why should the Qixia Sect greet them with smiles? It was better to act independently and provide for themselves.

Compared to Beijia and Mouguo, Cang Yan’s treatment of immortal sects and demon immortals certainly couldn’t be described as rolling out the red carpet. It forbade them from establishing grand spirit-gathering formations and from carving out territories for themselves.

For instance, the Baoshu Vassal Demon Kingdom recently welcomed two major immortal sects, both ancient and boasting several powerful Grand Immortals. To demonstrate his sincerity, King Baoshu specifically designated four prefectures as “Immortal Settlements” for these two sects, allowing them to enjoy the abundant resources of the prefectures and granting them considerable administrative authority in those areas. Such preferential treatment was, of course, not available to every faction seeking refuge with Beijia, but this grand gesture served as a benchmark, attracting immortal sects and rogue immortals of all sizes.

Cang Yan, however, would never offer such terms, even forbidding immortal sects and great demons from disturbing or enslaving its populace. From the perspective of these extraordinary powers, wasn’t Cang Yan’s attitude truly unaccommodating?

Of course, Cang Yan also had its own unique strengths, but that was a topic for another time.

Liu Qingdao raised an eyebrow. “An old fellow Taoist, you say?”

He could discern Yuan Xilin’s evasiveness, a clear reluctance to name names and betray a friend.

Yuan Xilin sighed. “You and I are both remnants of ancient times,” he said. “Who among us doesn’t have a few old friends from the past?”

“Your old friend wouldn’t happen to be from Spirit Mountain, would he?” Liu Qingdao sneered faintly. “He pushed you into the eye of the storm, and yet you’re still covering for him?”

Yuan Xilin remained silent.

After all, he had asked the question first, and the other had answered; how could he now betray them?

Seeing him firmly keep his mouth shut, Liu Qingdao didn’t press further. The distribution of Xuanjing mines in the western Blazing Gold Plain wasn’t a military secret, and anyone with enough effort could discover their locations. Moreover, there was a broader context: in recent years, newly emerged immortal sects and great demons had been causing trouble in Cang Yan, and the Bingyuan Division frequently found traces of Spirit Mountain’s instigation behind them.