Chapter 1090
Who is the mastermind behind Chapter 1090?
"click"
The old copper lock was opened, and the barrier surrounding it dissipated.
With a gentle push, the red lacquered wooden door creaked harshly; it was too old.
Sunlight dispelled the darkness in the room, and dust motes fell in a flurry.
The room's furnishings remained unchanged, as if nothing had ever happened, but the air was exceptionally foul, and everything was dusty and grimy.
Song Qingyun frowned subconsciously, rolled up his sleeves, and brushed away all the dust, making the room much brighter.
Stepping into the bedroom, everything felt so familiar, except for the most important thing that was missing.
Arriving at Song Qingli's dressing table, he remained silent for a long time before finally picking up the bronze mirror placed in the center. Half a fingerprint remained on the frame, still clearly visible even after nearly two hundred years.
The image of her getting ready involuntarily surfaced in his mind, and a slight ripple stirred in his heart.
He put down the bronze mirror and his gaze fell on a vermilion lacquered wooden box on the table, which was heavily protected by various restrictions.
The moment a finger touched the surface of the wooden box, the restriction instantly melted away.
Upon opening the wooden box, a blue and white safety buckle was placed on top, bound with a striking red cord, with a letter underneath.
It feels slightly cool to the touch at first, but gradually becomes warm and smooth after absorbing body heat, just like the temperature it used to be.
After hesitating for a moment, I finally picked up the letter:
"Seeing this letter is like seeing you in person."
Brother, by the time you read this letter, I will have already left.
Qingli always believed that you would come back.
So I kept waiting, day after day, year after year.
But I slept deeper and deeper, and in my hazy dream, I saw my father and mother; they had come back especially to see me.
Just like when I was a child, I lay in my mother's arms and fell asleep listening to my father's folk songs.
When I woke up, Sister Yu said that I had slept for three days this time, and I hadn't felt this relaxed in a long time.
Brother Yun, I'm not waiting for you anymore. I'm going to go to a very faraway place with my parents.
If you want to see me, look up at the moon.
The moon will always be there, and so will I.
May you be safe and well, and rise to great heights.
Qing Li's last words.
The delicate handwriting became increasingly messy and crooked as it went on, revealing a sense of urgency between the lines, as if it were racing against an invisible opponent.
"pat"
Tears the size of peas rolled silently from the corners of her eyes, splashing onto the letter paper and turning the ink into a mess.
Upon seeing this, Song Qingyun panicked, and his hand trembled involuntarily.
Nearly two hundred years have passed, far exceeding the shelf life of ordinary letter paper, and it is only maintained by a wisp of spiritual energy left behind by Song Qingli.
Now that the inspiration has faded, the letter has suddenly disintegrated and turned to ashes.
"No!"
Song Qingyun's heart trembled, and he hurriedly reached out, but only managed to grasp a wisp of grayish-white dust.
"buzz"
An invisible spatial force erupted from his palm, freezing everything in the room in place, even the dust.
He carefully collected the powder from the torn letter, afraid of missing even the slightest bit.
After doing all this, he seemed to have lost all his strength. Clutching the safety buckle, he slumped to the ground, staring blankly at the dust motes hovering in the air.
The letter was very short, so short that he could read it at a glance.
This letter is so long that it can hold the rest of a person's life.
He wasn't stupid; how could he not sense Song Qingli's feelings?
But he already had someone else in his heart. Their relationship was half due to the guilt of not realizing it in time, and half due to the brotherly and sisterly affection they shared every day. It had nothing to do with romantic feelings.
He wanted to make his feelings clear, but he was worried that the other person's body couldn't handle it, so he kept putting it off. He never expected that he wouldn't even get to see her one last time.
Until the very last moment of her life, Song Qingli never received his answer.
His biggest regret in life was going down the mountain.
One by one, these living people, upon their return, all turned to dust.
If time could turn back, he would never go to Tuozhou, much less travel far.
He wanted to protect his family and everyone he cared about...
As the [Exorcism Powder] began to be sold in various cultivation worlds, the demonic calamity gradually subsided, and the borderlands finally had time to stop and quietly lick their wounds.
Although the demonic calamity has passed, the destruction it brought far exceeded that of the demon race and the sea race.
Those who personally experienced this calamity are all somewhat terrified of the word "demon".
This resulted in isolation and closure; the space teleportation arrays in various locations were shut down, allowing only internal use.
Even black markets and auction houses have basically been shut down.
This was a devastating blow to the trade markets in the remote border regions.
In response, the Wanxiang Palace and the Song family had no other choice but to refine the "Exorcism Powder" day and night.
The market will only recover when everyone can calmly deal with demonic energy and no longer fear it. It may take a few years or a few decades; no one can say for sure.
However, there has been some new progress regarding the lands tainted by demonic blood.
The turning point came from a message from Wang Zaixing, which was delivered to Song Changsheng, who was far away in Wanxiang Palace, through Song Qingxi.
After reading the contents, he immediately approached Yi Tianzheng and the others who were recuperating.
"We've received a reply from the Demon Subduing Hall headquarters. Their Demon Subduing Envoy will arrive at the Myriad Manifestations Palace soon. They say they've found a way to clear out the Blood Demons and restore the ecosystem, and they want us to provide resource support if necessary." Song Changsheng's words revealed a long-lost sense of ease.
The most pressing problem is the pollution of demonic blood, but now we finally see a glimmer of hope.
"Coincidentally, the White Deacon from the East Sea Black Market also replied to me, saying that the Shadow Pavilion will also send someone over, most likely together with the envoy from the Demon Subduing Hall."
Song Changsheng raised an eyebrow and said, "It's quite rare that these two families could actually come together."
The Demon Subduing Hall can be considered one of the most unique organizations in the human cultivation world. All cultivators take it as their duty to eliminate demons and protect the righteous path. Although its branches are spread across hundreds of cultivation worlds, it has always maintained neutrality and never intervenes in the struggles of local forces.
Even the branch hall led by Wang Zaixing tries its best to abide by this rule.
The cultivators of the Demon Subduing Hall have always been at the forefront of the fight against demons. Whenever there is a relevant situation, as long as the evidence is sufficient, their requests for help will generally be answered, even if it is just a Qi Refining force.
They are staunch defenders of the Way, a fact that has remained unchanged for tens of thousands of years. Had the Demon-Subduing Hall's headquarters not been located so far away in the Central Continent, this demonic calamity would never have devastated to this extent.
The cultivators of the Demon Subduing Hall have their own principles for conduct and prefer to act uprightly and honestly.
What I hate most is the Shadow Pavilion, a force that focuses on operating underground gray industries.
Because these kinds of forces act without any bottom line, they are most likely to harbor filth and evil in the shadows where the sun cannot reach.
It's already difficult enough to get them to turn a blind eye, let alone join forces—it's practically a pipe dream.
Yi Tianzheng wasn't surprised. He sighed and said, "According to the information from Deacon Bai, the Shadow Pavilion's branch in the border region carried out a cleanup mission in the cultivation world of Lu Kingdom under the orders of an elder."
The target of the purge is your friend.
Almost all the wounded in that battle were tainted by demonic energy. There were many personnel transfers during that time, and the number of people who came into contact with them is now impossible to count.
When we first contacted them, the Shadow Pavilion was somewhat dismissive. After investigation, they realized the seriousness of the matter, and all the black markets have now been shut down.
Over the years, the demonic energy has spread far and wide, but it has never erupted on a large scale.
Since the Ancient Demon Clan is involved, this is no longer something the Shadow Pavilion can handle, and they dare not hide the news.
During this period, the various Nascent Soul cultivators in the Central Continent joined forces to put pressure on the Shadow Pavilion, making them take full responsibility for the matter.
One stone stirs up a thousand waves!
Currently, a large-scale investigation is underway throughout the Central Continent, and it may even spread to the entire human cultivation world in the future.
Such a matter could not possibly be kept secret from the Demon Subduing Hall, and the two families, unusually, set aside their differences and joined forces to resolve the issue.
Given that the border region was the starting point and involved the ancient demon race, it's not surprising that they would send envoys.
Actually, it's not just them; many other forces will also send people, and there might even be Nascent Soul Supremes present.
Song Changsheng raised an eyebrow and said, "Aren't they afraid of causing a riot?"
The area north of the Tianshan Mountains is not like the borderlands. If chaos breaks out there, it would probably take the intervention of those ancient holy sites to quell the unrest.
Furthermore, the area north of Tianshan is not as peaceful as it appears on the surface. The remnants of the old era, such as the Heavenly Fire Sect and the Gu Immortal Sect, are eyeing the world with covetous intent, attempting to overthrow the entire human cultivation world. They are also a very powerful force.
"We cannot afford to be careless at this moment. Without a thorough cleaning, it will be difficult to completely eliminate the hidden dangers."
Moreover, such things cannot be concealed. After the investigation began, demonic disasters broke out in various places one after another. Fortunately, the scale was not large and they were extinguished in a timely manner, but it was certain that the news would leak out.
The situation regarding the ancient demon race can still be kept somewhat hidden.
These messengers were nominally there to attend the supreme ceremony commemorating the patriarch.
Has the date for the ceremony been set?
After years of silence, the borderlands have finally seen the emergence of a sixth-tier powerhouse, and a grand ceremony is indeed needed to assert sovereignty and demonstrate their presence.
Only when those north of the Tianshan Mountains rediscover the importance of this land will they have the confidence to face even greater challenges.
The heavens are in chaos, and a great calamity is imminent.
No one knows where this catastrophe began, but one thing is certain: chaos breeds monsters, the seal of the abyss may not last, and the demon race will never give up its eastward advance.
In the past, they couldn't even get onto the chessboard, let alone be the player.
They can only passively accept arrangements forever.
The border region was barren and an isolated enclave, surrounded by wolves. If given a choice, the founder of the Myriad Manifestations Palace would not have established his lineage in such a remote place.
In essence, there is no fundamental difference between the Myriad Manifestations Palace and forces like Luoxia City and the Golden Crow Sect. They were all supported and pushed to the forefront, except that the Myriad Manifestations Palace played the role of "overseer".
In this situation, there is no benefit to be gained.
The situation is completely different now. Ancestor Xuanlei has the qualifications to participate in the game, and they can try to take control of their own destiny!
"The time is set for three months from now. At that time, the matter we discussed with you before will also be carried out simultaneously."
"Three months is a bit too rushed." Song Changsheng shook his head, then asked, "What is the attitude of the Great Zhen Immortal Dynasty?"
Yi Tianzheng sneered and said, "After the news of Ancestor Xuanlei's breakthrough spread, their attitude changed very quickly, and they all sent people over."
Upon hearing this, Song Changsheng couldn't help but smile.
Among the five academies, the Myriad Manifestations Palace was originally only in the middle ranks, but after Ancestor Xuanlei broke through, it completely crushed the Beast Taming Sect, the Ji Clan of Tianshui, and the Hundred Cauldrons Pavilion.
Even the Great Zhen Immortal Dynasty treats them as equals; this is the deterrent power of a supreme expert.
Simply put, they've grown from children into adults, gaining the power and confidence to overturn the table. If they don't change their attitude, the Myriad Palaces won't hesitate to aggressively expand their influence regarding the distribution of the Nine Heavens Secret Treasury.
At their size, the importance of the Nine Heavens Secret Treasury should be ranked first.
The extent to which one possesses the secret treasures is closely related to future development.
Every power has an invisible bottom line; once that line is crossed, decline is inevitable.
The power of a supreme-level expert in the struggle for the Nine Heavens Treasures is self-evident.
Apart from the Great Zhen Immortal Dynasty, the other factions didn't even have a chance to resist!
At this moment, Song Changsheng suddenly remembered a question and pointed to the sky: "Will there be any messengers coming from above for this celebration?"
He was referring to the mastermind behind the establishment of Wanxiang Palace in the border region, the so-called "Upper Sect".
Two days ago, Mu Guibai had already informed him that the Boundless Sword Sect was very likely to send envoys, as were the Array Dao Academy behind the Heavenly Vein Sect and the Tai Xuan Dao Sect behind the Golden Crow Sect.
This surprised Song Changsheng. Because of that Buddhist scripture, he had always thought that the Golden Crow Sect was supported by the Vajra Temple. He never expected that it was actually the Tai Xuan Dao Sect from the Western Continent, which was geographically even more distant than the Boundless Sword Sect.
Upon closer examination, they are quite impressive, all being powerful Nascent Soul cultivators who dominate their respective regions.
In reality, they were like strangers, and almost all contact had been lost.
This is quite similar to the previous situation between the Song family and the [Jinxiu Banner].
If the commotion hadn't become so big, these forces probably wouldn't have remembered the few "pieces" they had placed on the border.
Yi Tianzheng nodded slightly and said, "There are some things you should know."
The backer behind the Myriad Manifestations Palace is the Eight Directions Pavilion, a first-class power in the Central Continent. It is the largest merchant guild in the entire human cultivation world, with influence covering nearly two hundred cultivation worlds across the five continents north of Tianshan.
The founding patriarch of our sect was a guest minister of the Eight Directions Pavilion. In his later years, he came to the Great Qian Dynasty and, with the assistance of the Eight Directions Pavilion, established the lineage of Daoism.
At that time, the influence of Bafang Pavilion was limited to a part of the cultivation world in the Southern Continent. It was struggling under the siege of those established merchant guilds and even prepared to withdraw from Tianshan.
The main purpose of supporting Wanxiang Palace was actually to seize the market, but it did not ultimately reach that point.
Fifteen thousand years ago, under the leadership of a powerful ruler, the Eight Directions Pavilion soared to great heights, truly reaping benefits from all directions. Its headquarters moved to the Central Continent, and naturally, it no longer cared about the petty gains on the frontier, and gradually lost contact with the outside world.
Before the decisive battle with the sea creatures, we also asked them for help, but we did not receive a reply.
This is actually quite normal, but just as the great battle ended and Ancestor Xuanlei returned from the distant sea, he sensed the aura of another supreme being in the sky above the sea area after the battle…”
...(End of this chapter)