Chapter Twelve Heaven's Sorrow

  Shu land is full of spirits and beauty. In the central area, there are thousands of miles of fertile plains surrounded by mountains and rivers, with countless spiritual mountains and beautiful waters.

  The majestic Qingcheng Mountain, although it is listed as a sacred place with the Western Mystical Mountain, has its own unique charm. The mountain is serene and spiritual, surrounded by clouds and mist, which distinguishes it from the vast and majestic Western Mystical Mountain. Legend has it that immortals appear in Qingcheng Mountain, but the valley is deep and the mountains are treacherous, with many insects and beasts. How can ordinary people have the ability to venture into the mountain to search for the footprints of the immortals? Even if there are one or two brave and skilled individuals who enter Qingcheng Mountain, they will also disappear without a trace. As time goes by, the people around Qingcheng Mountain dare not enter the deep mountains again. During festivals and holidays, the number of people offering sacrifices has increased. Some offer sacrifices to the mountain god and the land, some to the wandering immortals, and some to the mountain demons and ghosts, each with their own unique rituals.

  Since Qingcheng Mountain is a place where the Taoist way of immortality is flourishing, many monks and Taoists have emerged, all claiming to possess great magical powers, willing to accept people's money and property in exchange for warding off disasters. Foolish husbands and wives are unable to distinguish between what is true and false, seeing those with dignified appearances, they first believe three parts of it, and hand over some hard-earned copper coins, in order to gain some peace of mind.

  This winter, the Qingcheng Mountain suddenly gathered lead clouds, strong winds blew, and then a loud thunderclap was heard for hundreds of miles. A woodcutter who lived at the foot of the mountain saw countless purple lightning bolts falling in the depths of Qingcheng Mountain, as vast as a forest, as powerful as a tsunami, and he was so frightened that he ran out of the mountain immediately. After this, the people around the mountain became even more convinced that there were immortals living in the mountains. There were also those who knew a little about Feng Shui, who talked loudly and boasted, saying that this was an omen of the birth of a demon, and that the world would be in chaos.

  In the depths of Qingcheng Mountain, there is another mountain, in a place where human footprints rarely reach. This land is shrouded in clouds and mist all year round, with flying springs washing over rocks, strange flowers blooming everywhere, and emerald green trees growing luxuriantly. This is the true Qingcheng blessed land described in the Taoist scriptures.

  The Qingcheng Mountain is steep and dangerous, but at the most critical moment, there is always a thread of life, subtly matching the Taoist idea of "one missing" and the endless cycle. On the mountain peak sits a large Taoist temple, with green tiles and blue walls, blending seamlessly into the surrounding landscape, evoking a sense of transcendence. This temple is one of the three main pillars of Orthodox Taoism, the world-renowned Qingyang Palace.

  The Qingcheng Mountain descended from the purple thunder, and it happened to fall on the Qingxu Palace. The protective spiritual treasure array of the Qingxu Palace was completely useless in front of the purple thunder, and a large area of houses and temples were destroyed. Fortunately, the destroyed ones were only the northwest corner wing rooms, and no major disaster occurred, but some young disciples were injured or killed. For a time, the Qingxu Palace was busy with people putting out fires and rescuing others, and it was in a state of chaos.

  Finally, the dust settled, and a middle-aged Taoist emerged from the fire scene, bowing to several true immortals standing on the steps with their hands behind their backs, looking ethereal: "True Immortal Hui Bing, the heavenly fire has been extinguished. After an initial count, nine of my disciples were injured in the temple, and one died, all of whom were young disciples who had just entered the temple gate. Please, True Immortals, use your skills to rescue and treat them."

  At this time, more than ten Taoist priests had already carried out the nine wounded and one dead young Taoist priest from the fire scene and placed them neatly in front of the steps. On the top of the eighteen-level jade step, there were seven true immortals standing with their hands behind their backs and eyes cast down, a look as if the heaven and earth were collapsing before them but they didn't bat an eyelid, just like the dead and wounded were not disciples of this palace.

  Listening to the middle-aged Taoist's words, an old Taoist with a purple aura on his face slowly opened his eyes and said: "Dao Jing, it's just a small matter, you can't even calm down, this is not good for your cultivation of the Golden Record."

  After Dao Jing hastily admitted his mistake, the immortal said: "Take him to the Three Flowers Hall, and I will collect his soul and lock his spirit, restoring his vitality!"

  Although he had just been scolded by the true person, Dao Jing still obviously let out a sigh of relief, and hurriedly instructed the four little Taoists to carry the disciple who was already dead with burns all over his body, following the true person to the Three Flower Hall. He also asked the group of little Taoists to take the injured disciples to the Dan room, arranged for several Taoist priests who were skilled in medical skills and alchemy to diagnose and treat them, only then did he have time to wipe the sweat from his forehead.

  The Qingxu Palace was full of elegance and refinement, with everyone moving about with a carefree air. Even when rushing to put out a fire to save someone, they did so with poise and composure. The only exception was this middle-aged Taoist priest, who was tall and robust, with a shiny face that could be described as dignified. However, such a large man seemed completely out of place among the ethereal and otherworldly atmosphere of the Qingxu Palace.

  The Taoist's cultivation was deep and profound, and his position in the palace was not low. This time, he was the commander of the rescue team, but he always rushed to the front line, resulting in a disheveled appearance. His face was covered with black soot, which was washed away by sweat, revealing a streaked mess. He was already at a loss for words, and when he wiped his sleeve again, it became even more smudged. When he stepped forward to respond, some people couldn't help but frown slightly.

  The Daoist seemed to be unaware of it, and said: "All the disciples have been rescued, next we need to take stock of the losses, the fire scene can only be cleaned up tomorrow..."

  He had hardly finished speaking when a young disciple in the fire suddenly shouted: "Dao Jing Shu Shu, there is still one person!"

  Dao Jing was shocked and exclaimed, "There's still someone else? How is that possible? I've clearly searched the entire place! Quickly carry him to the Three Flower Hall, ask Master Xū Yuān to continue his life-saving and soul-locking treatment, or it will be too late!"

  At this time, the young disciple shouted again: "But he is still alive and seems to be unharmed!"

  Dao Jing's face changed greatly, and the six true men of Qingxu Palace standing on the high stage also moved at the same time!

  This time the heavenly purple lightning was extraordinary, powerful and overbearing, leaving no grass intact wherever it struck. Dao Jing used his spiritual awareness to thoroughly search the fire scene, only coming out to report after confirming that there were no survivors left in the fire scene. The seven true immortals of Qingyu Palace seemed to be simply standing idly on the steps with their hands behind their backs, but in reality they had already used their divine consciousness to search the entire fire scene several times, and apart from the disciples cleaning up the fire scene, they also did not discover any signs of life.

  But how can there still be people in the fire scene?

  Dao Jing rushed into the ruins after the fire with a knife-like heart, and the six true men on the stairs looked at each other, floated up together, their bodies left the ground one foot, and followed Dao Jing into the fire scene.

  In the blink of an eye, Dao Jing had found the young Daoist who was making the sound. Following his pointing direction, he saw a shallow pit about three feet in diameter under a nearby broken wall. In the pit lay a person, wearing a Daoist robe that was half destroyed by purple lightning. He stared blankly at the sky, his lips opening and closing as if muttering to himself.

  Dao Jing shouted at the young Daoist who was still standing there: "You only know how to stand, why don't you go and help him up!" He didn't wait for the young Daoist to respond, and rushed forward on his own.

  Dao Jing did not hear the young Daoist behind him muttering, "I...dare not...", nor did he understand lip language, and he did not know what his fellow disciple, who was lying in the pit, was murmuring to himself.

  "Who... am I? And where... is this place?"

  He gazed up at the distant blue sky, dazed and thinking, but no matter how hard he tried to recall, all he could remember was the boundless purple flames and an indescribable pain.

  Purple flames, dancing purple flames everywhere!

  He can only think of this.

  In that endless and boundless pain, he could only remember the moment that had just happened, until the sky reappeared in front of him, the pain subsided, and his memory was restored.

  In an instant, countless scenes flashed through his mind. These pictures were fragmented and couldn't be distinguished from one another, yet they felt eerily real, making it difficult for him to discern what was true and what was false.

  "Be careful, Dao Jing!" The cry from the people behind him made Dao Jing's heart skip a beat, and he abruptly stopped in his tracks, barely stopping himself from falling into the pit. Just at that moment, the person at the bottom of the pit had turned around, and a pair of clear eyes were fixed intently on Dao Jing.

  Boom!

  In an instant, Dao Jing felt as if thousands of thunderbolts were exploding in his mind at the same time, and countless golden snakes were dancing wildly before his eyes. As soon as the golden snakes danced a few times, they exploded into countless tiny fragments of light, like a mirror shattered into tens of thousands of pieces, each piece containing a picture that recorded all the appearances of living beings. The fragmented realms seemed to have substance, wandering and shifting unpredictably, as if they were cutting Dao Jing's mind into fragments with every move, each cut a painful wound. Immediately after, a torrent of icy killing intent surged out from the realm fragments, this killing intent was so heavy, what made Dao Jing's heart tremble even more was that it was also so cold and indifferent, to the point where even if all living beings in the world were slaughtered, there would be no ripples in its calmness. As the killing intent rose, the countless broken mirrors, each piece changed into a picture of slaughter and cruelty.

  The disciples of Qingxu Palace naturally didn't know about the changes in Jingxin's heart, they only saw Dao Jing's stout body rise into the air, with two thin lines of blood emerging from his nostrils, and his feet splashing out more than ten feet away. The scene was shocking and frightening, and they couldn't help but cry out in unison.

  The young man in the pit had already stood up, with a hint of purple flames flowing in his eyes, staring only at Dao Jing.

  "Is... isn't this Wind Chant?" a young Taoist cried out.

  "It's really him! Yin Feng has injured Dao Jing Shifu!"

  "Nonsense! You've just entered the path for a few years, how can you possibly defeat Dao Jing Shifu?"

  The sudden change startled the young disciples of Qingxu Palace, who had already lost their composure and were arguing noisily among themselves. The youth was drawn to the commotion and turned his gaze towards the young disciples. A chill began to rise from his feet, and a faint killing intent spread out unnoticed, like ripples on water.

  The noisy Qingxu Palace disciples almost simultaneously shut their mouths, and in an instant, there was a silence, with only Dao Jing's massive body falling to the ground, making a loud rumbling sound.

  That young man slowly swept his gaze across the scene, and wherever his eyes landed, the numerous Qingyun Palace disciples were as if struck by an invisible giant hammer, their faces pale, hastily retreating in disarray. A few with particularly small courage had their legs go weak, and they actually sat down on the ground. The surrounding Qingyun disciples retreated like a tide, exposing these few individuals. These young disciples were for a time overcome with fear, unable to hide or escape, yet also powerless to flee, and in their desperation suddenly burst into loud wailing.

  The young man looked around and opened his mouth lightly, spitting out a faint purple gas. He then sighed in a voice that was almost inaudible: "So this is the mortal world..."

  He lifted his leg and the wind was born, where he fell, clouds rose. He walked a few steps to the young disciples who couldn't move and asked softly: "Then... who am I?"

  The distance was so close that those few disciples were originally timid, and at this moment they were frightened by his murderous intent, and had already been scared silly, crying and retreating backwards. Only one of them with a slightly bigger gallbladder pointed at him and said: "You, you, you are Yin Feng! Don't kill me, don't kill me!"

  At this moment, a loud shout suddenly came from the side: "You dare to be so bold, you demon, to actually come to Qingxu Palace and cause trouble, and even hurt my fellow Daoist Jing! With your insignificant Dao lineage, do you think you can act as if no one in the world can match you? Today I will let you witness the true power of Qingxu!"

  The young man turned his head and saw a thin middle-aged Taoist standing beside Dao Jing, pointing at him and scolding. This Taoist had always been on good terms with Dao Jing, but now seeing Dao Jing's face as pale as gold paper, with blood flowing from his nose and falling to the ground without getting up, he was both anxious and angry for a moment, after scolding, his left hand immediately raised his sword finger, constantly drawing in front of him, while his mouth rapidly chanted incantations.

  His Taoist skills were profound, and as soon as he raised his hand, seven-colored light sand gushed out from the tip of his finger, floating in the air without dispersing, condensing into a magnificent trajectory, and in an instant, a Taoist array was about to take shape.

  The young man furrowed his brow, gazed at the Taoist for a moment, and then fell silent with his hands behind his back. The Taoist merely exchanged a glance with the young man, and suddenly clutched his chest, his incantation abruptly interrupted, before violently spitting out a mouthful of blood. He let out a faint cry, yet still managed to forcibly activate his magic.

  The young man quietly waited for him to finish his magic, and only then did he lightly open his lips and shout: "Break!"

  In an instant, it was as if a formless gust of wind had blown by, sweeping away all the seven-colored sand grains around the Taoist priest, not a single one falling to the ground. The Taoist priest was stunned on the spot, rubbing his eyes, and only then did he believe that the seven-colored sand grains he had released had been shattered by this young man's simple word!

  He plucked up his courage, and once again took out a talisman from his bosom. With a shout, he held the talisman in his left hand and ignited true fire with his right hand's index and middle fingers, directing it at the talisman. Who would have thought that the young man shouted "Break!" again, and the talisman suddenly burst into flames, destroying itself.

  The Taoist was indeed profound in his Taoist skills, and in an instant, he changed several techniques one after another. These were all high-level techniques that the ordinary disciples of the Qingyun Palace rarely saw in their daily lives. However, no matter how the Taoist's techniques changed, the young man simply stood calmly and shouted "Break", breaking them cleanly.

  "Yin Feng, since you come from Qing Yu, why are you so disrespectful to your elders?" The voice was loud and clear, and it suddenly dispersed the killing intent that had spread throughout the scene. Before the sound of the question had even faded away, a true immortal slowly walked forward. He looked around fifty years old, with an otherworldly air about him, his entire body radiating an aura of emptiness and spirituality.

  The Taoist priest pointed at Yunfeng and shouted: "You wicked disciple, why haven't you yet paid your respects to the Venerable Master Xuanyuan?!"

  That young man still stood with his hands behind his back, and said lightly: "I bow to the heavens and earth, I bow to the great Tao. In this mundane world, among these ordinary people, what else is there to bow to?"

  That man was so angry that his whole body trembled, pointing at the young man, unable to speak for a moment. He had the intention of going forward and fighting desperately, but the young man's Taoist skills were obviously lowly, yet he was sinister and tight, and with just one broken character, he broke all of his proud Taoist methods clean. What could he do even if he wanted to fight?

  Xu Xuan Zhen Ren gazed at the young man for a moment, then suddenly smiled faintly and stroked his beard, saying: "My humble name is Xu Xuan, I'm in charge of the Qing Yu Palace gate. Originally, I should have accepted your bow. But since you're unwilling, never mind. I'll take you to the Upper Emperor's Treasure Hall to meet the ancestors first."

  Having said that, the Xū Xuán True Person's robe sleeves fluttered once, and in an instant he appeared beside the young man, grasped his wrist, and took him to the Upper Imperial Golden Hall.

  The young man did not have the slightest resistance.

  When passing by the side of that person, Xū Xuán Zhēn Rén suddenly stopped and said: "Dào Míng, your Wind Path has not become thicker. Your Dao method was broken because your heart is unstable, which allowed him to take advantage of the situation. Now that this matter is over, you will hand over all miscellaneous matters and go to the Hòu Shān Xuán Bì Dòng cave in the back mountain to face the wall for three months and cultivate your mind!"

  Dào Míng's forehead was covered in cold sweat as he hastily knelt down to acknowledge, and didn't dare get up until Yuán Xián True Person had gone far away.

  On this day, Xixuan Mountain had its first snowfall.

  Ji Ruocheng stood at the window with his hands behind his back, gazing out at the fluttering snowflakes, and felt a surge of blood and an inexplicable sense of anxiety.

  His mind was unpeaceful, and in a state of disturbance he returned to the table, took out the tortoise shell jade mallet, and was about to divine future events. With one strike, the tortoise shell cracked with a loud noise, the cracks were crisscrossing each other, all showing signs of great calamity.

  Ji Ruocheng saw it, but only smiled slightly and didn't think much of it. This was because before he divined this hexagram, he had already known in his heart that the hexagram would be like this. But this time when he smiled halfway, his smile suddenly froze on his lips.

  From the crack in the turtle shell, fresh blood slowly gushed out! The fresh blood kept flowing and gradually dyed the entire turtle shell red, also leaving a large patch of blood on the table.

  This hexagram is extremely ominous and forebodes bloodshed.

  Ji Ruocheng closed his eyes, stood still for a long time, and then slowly exhaled a mouthful of turbid air. He opened his eyes slowly, and at this moment, there was no sadness or joy in his eyes.

  He took out the remaining pieces of turtle shell and broke them into several pieces. The cracked turtle shell was covered in blood, and his hands were soon stained with fresh blood. He raised his hand and pointed, a fire ignited at his fingertips, burning the turtle shell clean. Then he slapped the white jade hammer with one palm, and the jade hammer disappeared into nothingness as he recited the incantation of separation.

  After cleaning up, Ji Ruoxuan's room was much cleaner, but her hands were still stained with fresh blood that refused to dissipate.

  He raised his hand to his eyes, lightly licking a bit of fresh blood with the tip of his tongue, savoring the lingering smell of blood between his teeth and cheek.