Chapter 1094
The Leader of the Righteous Path
"Snapped"
Lightning lashed across a rugged, barren mountain like a steel whip, arcs of electricity dancing across the rough rock surface, turning it pitch black.
The torrential rain fell in response, as if the Milky Way were pouring down. The clear rainwater continuously washed over the nameless, barren mountain with sparse vegetation. Birds that were temporarily roosting on the strange rocks were startled by the sudden downpour and scattered in all directions.
Soon, the seeds that had been carried by the wind into the crevices and into the droppings of birds and beasts, which had not yet been digested, began to sprout at a speed visible to the naked eye.
They don't need soil; they can survive and grow simply by taking root in rainwater.
The once barren mountain was covered in green in less than a short time.
Such dramatic changes are not isolated cases; they can be seen everywhere on this land.
The barren mountains have come to life, and the already dense forests have grown rapidly under the influence of the rain.
And these are just some of the side effects of this heavy rain.
Song Changsheng stood in the air, and although he did not make any movement, the pouring rain seemed to have a mind of its own and drifted past him without a single drop falling on him.
Beneath the rushing rain, he saw a land scarred by devastation awakening.
The land that was destroyed by war and demonic blood gradually recovered its vitality under the washing and soaking of rain, and even became more fertile than before.
The demonic energy, barely perceptible to the naked eye, mixed with the earth's energy generated as the land rapidly cooled, continuously rising upwards. As far as the eye could see, white mist swirled, as if one had entered a legendary "fairyland."
“Even the demonic energy floating in the air has been purified.” Song Changsheng stretched out his hand towards the rain. Raindrops fell into his palm, but did not splash, nor was it as cold as ordinary rain. Instead, they flowed into his body through his pores, turning into a warmth.
The Lone Shadow True Monarch, standing to the side, remarked with emotion, "The cultivation world of Lu Kingdom is the source of all this. This good rain should have started here, and this land has benefited from the misfortune."
He was not speaking without reason. This seemingly ordinary rainwater was formed by combining a vast amount of precious resources with the unique [Pure Yang Pure World Cleansing Spiritual Spring Water] of the Demon Subduing Hall after being tempered by the power of the Pure Profound Supreme Dao.
This spring has existed since the Demon Subduing Hall was first built, and it is inexhaustible.
All disciples of the Demon Subduing Hall must use this water to cleanse their bodies from the day they enter the sect. One or two times may not show any effect, but over time, it will strengthen the cultivator's "yang energy". When the yang energy is strong, evil spirits will find it difficult to approach, and even inner demons will be suppressed by it.
For this reason, the first batch of disciples of the Demon Subduing Hall were all men, who cultivated the purest and most yang methods. Even the magical artifacts they used were forged using a special water-forging method and the same [Pure Yang Cleansing Spring Water]. Each of them was a nemesis of evil spirits in the world.
In that turbulent era when demonic forces ran rampant, this group of Demon Subduing Hall cultivators risked their lives to defend the righteous path, always being the first to fight, and almost all of them perished in battle.
But as soon as one group fell, another would appear, like endless weeds on the plains, until the demonic calamity was completely quelled, and only then did they drag their wounded bodies back to the mountain gate.
Later, more like-minded righteous cultivators united to form the Demon Subduing Alliance, which established branches in various places.
Upon learning of this, the Demon Subduing Hall not only opened its scripture pavilion free of charge and shared its demon-subduing experience, but also allowed people to freely use the spring water.
This is extremely rare in the long history of humankind.
This move touched everyone. The various branches of the Demon-Subduing Alliance, which were originally acting independently, were willing to accept the complete leadership of the Demon-Subduing Hall. After a long period of mergers and integrations, the current structure was finally formed.
Theoretically speaking, the place where the spring is located is the true Demon-Subduing Hall, and the other branch temples are not the legitimate ones.
But tens of thousands of years later, it is more like a command and control hub. Apart from the various elders and protectors, it hardly recruits disciples from the outside anymore.
Therefore, the elders of the main headquarters are carefully selected from various branch halls and are subject to a rotation system, which is dissolved and reorganized every hundred years.
After the disbandment, these elders can choose to return to their original branch halls or become protectors on the spot, staying at the main headquarters to cultivate diligently while also providing necessary assistance to the next council of elders.
Once their disciples reach a certain level, they are either sent to various branch halls or incorporated into the Demon-Subduing Guard.
Normally they are responsible for guarding the spring, and they also serve as a mobile force to deal with demonic situations that the branch temples cannot control.
Of course, cleaning house is also within their responsibilities.
The Demon Subduing Hall was established by a group of righteous guardians who cared for the common people, but as it expanded, some bad apples inevitably appeared.
However, compared to other forces in the human cultivation world, the Demon Subduing Hall is a breath of fresh air.
The Array Dao Academy is the holy land for array masters, the Skillful Craftsmanship Pavilion is the holy land for craftsmen, and the Demon Subduing Hall is the holy land in the hearts of guardians of the Dao.
Even the Lone Shadow True Lord, who was at odds with the Demon Subduing Hall, felt a deep sense of respect whenever he recalled this history.
Now he has witnessed something incredible.
From the time Supreme Master Jingxuan took out the list until now, only an hour has passed, yet the Myriad Manifestations Palace has already gathered all the resources.
He had seen that list before. Apart from a few basic resources, the other resources on the list were all at or above the fourth tier, and there were even some rare sixth-tier resources.
Although Wanxiang Palace has a profound history spanning tens of thousands of years, the resources of this remote region are extremely scarce, and most of its resources come from the development of the East China Sea.
Having gone through several major battles and not yet had time to enjoy the fruits of victory, the treasure trove is now being provided with so many rare resources. Once the war relief funds are distributed, the treasure trove will likely be nearly depleted.
These are the accumulations of Wanxiang Palace over many years, which require time to settle and cannot be obtained by simply looting.
It should be noted that the Southeast was the region least affected by the demonic disaster, and the resources used for ecological restoration were borne entirely by Wanxiang Palace without any hesitation.
Their execution speed is astonishing.
If it were any other faction, this amount of time would probably not be enough for them to reach a consensus.
Is it because Wanxiang Palace has a deep foundation and doesn't care about these resources, or are they really that selfless?
To find out the answer to this question, he asked Yi Tianzheng about his doubts when he returned to Wanxiang Mountain to retrieve resources.
The other party's reply was only one sentence, but it left a deep impression on him.
"Wanxiang Palace is the foremost of the righteous path on the frontier."
When he said this, Yi Tianzheng spoke with a firm and resounding voice, without the slightest hint of hypocrisy or pretense.
Such a sense of responsibility is enough to put most people in the world, including him, to shame.
If they had that kind of sense of responsibility, Shadow would never have been able to escape successfully!
Under the wash of the heavy rain, the hideous "scars" on the earth that had been eroded by demonic blood finally healed and were covered with a layer of new tender grass.
Such a huge change naturally could not be kept secret from the cultivators living on this land. Unaware of what was going on, they reported it up the chain of command, and eventually it all came to Song Qingxi's attention.
In fact, Song Qingxi had already witnessed the changes firsthand without needing their reports. This rain had not only fallen on the cultivation world of Lu, but also on parts of the cultivation world of Daqi, Cangyuan, and Gusu.
Seeing that the demonic energy had been purified, Song Qingxi had a vague guess in her mind, but to be on the safe side, she still planned to ask Song Changsheng for confirmation.
It was because of her message that Song Changsheng learned that the rain had covered such a wide area, and he suddenly had a more intuitive understanding of the strength of the Nascent Soul Supreme.
"The clouds have moved," said Lone Shadow True Monarch suddenly.
Song Changsheng looked up and indeed found that the dark clouds were moving, and at an extremely fast speed, exceeding that of most Golden Core cultivators.
At this rate, it won't be long before this timely rain washes over every corner of the border region, completely eliminating any potential future threats from the demonic disaster.
The dark clouds dispersed, and warm sunlight gradually enveloped the earth, with glistening raindrops still clinging to the blades of grass in the sunlight.
A rain shower not only purified the demonic energy, but also seemed to dispel all the gloom.
"It is both a disaster and an opportunity," Song Changsheng said softly.
This is not only a restoration of the damaged ecosystem, but also a comprehensive improvement. These places where spiritual rain accumulates will gradually transform into pseudo-spiritual soil with abundant spiritual energy and vigorous vitality in the future, becoming a cradle for the growth and reproduction of various spiritual plants, and countless cultivators will benefit from it.
For impoverished border regions, every resource is precious.
Lone Shadow True Monarch said calmly, "For a long time, the growth of resources has been far behind the consumption. In the cultivation world north of Tianshan, all capable forces have planned to intervene artificially."
Just like farmers in the mortal world fertilize the land, it can be considered a way of giving back to heaven and earth.
It's not much different from the method used by the Pure Profound Supreme, only more targeted and with a smaller scope.
Song Changsheng's eyes flickered slightly. He had considered this method before, but it was impossible to implement in the past due to limitations in resources and capabilities. Now, it could be gradually put on the agenda.
“The Pure Mysterious Supreme has already left this place, having commanded clouds and rain. There’s no point in us staying here. Why don’t we return to the Myriad Manifestations Palace and wait?” True Monarch Lonely Shadow suggested.
"That's excellent."
……
The two returned to the Myriad Manifestations Palace, and on the way, they discovered that the cloud had moved to the Jade Dragon Cultivation Realm area, much faster than they had expected.
"We can finally breathe a sigh of relief." After listening to their story, Yi Tianzheng said.
"Although the border region is vast, it is only a small corner compared to the area north of the Tianshan Mountains. The real challenges have just begun." Song Changsheng did not feel too relaxed.
The problem of the demonic calamity has been noticed by most forces, including many at the Nascent Soul level. The Demon Subduing Palace is also going all out, so he is not too worried. As long as the Abyss Seal is not broken, this problem will be solved sooner or later.
What he's more worried about now is whether some unscrupulous people will take the opportunity to cause trouble.
The remnants of the Heavenly Fire Sect and the Gu Immortal Sect have always been eyeing this place covetously.
At this moment, Song Changsheng suddenly remembered that when he was trying to buy the [Innate Splendor], the black market suddenly received a ban, listing most of the Nine Heavens Secret Treasures as controlled items.
He had a feeling that something big might happen, but nothing happened afterward, so he thought he was just overthinking it. But for some reason, the thought suddenly popped up again.
The black market is one of the first places to receive the ban, so it might know something.
“True Lord Lone Shadow, I am somewhat curious about the previous restrictions and prohibitions on the Nine Heavens Secret Treasury.”
"A regulatory ban?"
Upon hearing this, True Monarch Lone Shadow shook his head and said, "I don't know much about this matter, and it's strictly forbidden to spread it outside."
"Up there?" Song Changsheng narrowed his eyes slightly.
The Shadow Pavilion exists in a gray area, hidden from the sunlight, and its specific strength has always been unknown to the outside world. However, the prevailing speculation is that the Shadow Pavilion has a Nascent Soul Supreme in charge.
Who is above the Nascent Soul stage in terms of power?
Those ancient, top-tier powers?
Or is it really a control order issued by the Five Holy Lands?
Song Changsheng felt a vague unease.
"Don't overthink it. These are things we can't control; it'll only cause us more trouble."
“Fellow Daoist Lone Shadow, now that we’ve reached our positions, how can we not think about it?” Song Changsheng sighed softly.
To this, Lone Shadow True Monarch could only remain silent.
There are dozens of cultivation worlds in the border regions. Even if the Pure Profound Supreme personally takes action, it would be impossible to cover them all in less than three to five days by manipulating clouds and rain.
During the waiting period, Song Changsheng took the opportunity to extract a lot of secrets and information from Gu Ying Zhenjun.
Through the other person's narration, he felt as if he had stepped into a completely new world.
The perspective shifts directly from this remote corner to the vast land of the entire human cultivation world.
After several days and nights of conversation, he felt quite unsatisfied.
"Although the matter of the demonic disaster has caused a great uproar, its impact is still within a controllable range."
In a while, there will be a large-scale underground trade fair organized by the Shadow Pavilion. There will be many good items. If you are interested, you can go and have a look.
Bartering is allowed at the trade fair, but spirit stones are not permitted; you'll need to prepare more [Law Essence].
As he spoke, Lord Lone Shadow handed over an invitation embroidered with a dark crescent moon.
He added at the end, "People will also come to Qiaogonglou."
Song Changsheng's eyes flickered as he accepted the invitation, saying, "I will definitely go if I have the chance."
A barely perceptible smile appeared on the corner of Lone Shadow True Monarch's lips.
He knew that from this moment on, this friendship was no longer superficial.
"The Pure Mystery Supreme has returned." Looking at the clouds drifting across the sky, Song Changsheng stood up and said.
...(End of this chapter)