Chapter 876
The Year is Approaching
Having traveled to so many places, only the land of the Great Qi cultivation world could bring him a sense of security. This was his root, and nothing could replace the sense of security he felt on this land.
Instead of using the space teleportation array, he rode the wind to Luoxia City, mainly intending to take in the changes that had taken place in the border and spirit states over the years.
Bianzhou and Lingzhou were originally one, but later they were divided into two, and their fates diverged from there.
Border states are rich in mineral resources, which are widely distributed. Due to their proximity to the Ten Thousand Mountains, resources such as monster materials and spiritual herbs are unique in the cultivation world of the Great Qi, creating the largest trade market on the border. Luoxia City started from this.
Over the years, Luoxia City has been the dominant force, with virtually no internal strife except during beast tides, allowing the border region to develop significantly.
In contrast, Lingzhou's development was not so smooth. Before Song Taiyi, the ancestor of the Song family, came to Lingzhou, the state had been embroiled in a chaotic war for hundreds of years because it had not yet produced any Purple Mansion-level forces. It missed several hundred years of development time, and its already scarce resources were severely depleted.
After the Song family established themselves in Lingzhou, they remained stable for several hundred years. However, after Song Yun passed away, the family fell into chaos again. It wasn't until more than a hundred years later, when Song Xianming broke through to the Purple Mansion stage, that things gradually stabilized.
But what followed was the invasion of the beast tide, the destruction of the Earth Fire Sect, the revenge war of the Blazing Sun Sect... and two expeditions against the demon race.
In just over a hundred years, the number of major wars experienced was more intense and frequent than in the previous thousand years.
People come and go, one generation after another, with no time to recover their vitality.
The gap between Bianzhou and Lingzhou widened so much that they eventually became incomparable.
After Song Changsheng broke through to the Golden Core stage, he was relatively stable for a period of time, and the effects were very significant. The strength of the original major forces, including the Song family, improved considerably. The existence of Qinghe Market also attracted a large number of independent cultivators.
The scale of the market has expanded year by year, far exceeding the original Liuyun Market.
As you continue forward, you'll find that the population density has increased significantly, creating a thriving and prosperous scene.
There is still a huge gap compared to Bianzhou, but everything is developing in a positive direction, which has given Song Changsheng some comfort. At least it proves that the Song family has brought not only disasters and turmoil to Lingzhou over the years, but also prosperity and stability.
However, he didn't know how long this situation could last.
As the centennial approaches, the peace that the cultivation world of Daqi has achieved through immense sacrifices is about to come to an end, and the enormous shadow cast by the demon race will once again shroud the entire cultivation world of Daqi.
When Song Changsheng traveled from Lingzhou to Bianzhou, he saw the impending crisis hidden beneath the surface of prosperity.
His return this time, besides paying tribute to Bai Zhengchun, also had a deeper reason: to discuss with Mu Guibai how to deal with the possible beast tide in the future and preserve this hard-won beauty.
He landed outside Luoxia City without disturbing anyone, and strolled into the city. It was bustling with activity and full of life, as prosperous as ever.
However, a faint sadness permeated the air, as if mourning a deceased person.
As soon as Song Changsheng stepped into the area of Tianyin Mountain, he heard a gentle and peaceful voice: "Come to the back mountain."
There is only one place in Luoxia City that is called the back mountain, which is the location of the Luoxia City Cemetery. He had been there once before marrying Zhuang Yuechan, and all he felt there was shock and oppression.
Upon reaching the back of the mountain, one is greeted by a dense array of stone tablets, covering the entire mountainside and stretching as far as the eye can see.
Each tombstone represents a vibrant life.
Most of them gave their lives to resist the beast tide.
There were disciples from Luoxia City, as well as a large number of rogue cultivators whose corpses were left unclaimed.
In the past two thousand years, at least tens of thousands of new graves have been added here. The last expedition that mobilized the entire cultivation world of the Great Qi Dynasty only required the mobilization of 100,000 troops.
This is just a microcosm of how Luoxia City has resisted the beast tides for two thousand years.
When Song Changsheng arrived at the mountain peak, he saw a figure dressed in white, standing in front of a new grave with his hands behind his back.
"Master."
"You're here." Mu Guibai turned around, a lingering sadness hidden between his brows.
Looking at the familiar name engraved on the tombstone, Song Changsheng felt a mix of emotions. The once infamous Blood-Clad Asura, who was renowned throughout the cultivation world of the Great Qi, was now buried under this small mound of earth.
To be precise, what was buried was only a set of clothes; even returning to one's roots was just a pipe dream.
"If Zhengchun knew of your achievements today, he would surely be happy for you." Mu Guibai's eyes were full of satisfaction. It was truly remarkable that the cultivation world of Daqi could produce such a genius.
"It's a pity that Uncle-Master didn't get to see it with his own eyes." Song Changsheng gently placed the flowers he had picked along the way in front of Bai Zhengchun's tombstone and said softly, "I'm late, Uncle-Master."
“Your presence will make Zhengchun happy. What does it matter if it takes a few more days? What you are doing is a long-term endeavor, and he is watching from heaven.”
"Is the Boundless Sword Sect really this harsh that they won't even return the remains?"
Mentioning this matter, Song Changsheng became somewhat indignant. For most cultivators in the world, returning to their roots and being buried in peace is a matter of utmost importance, and can even be called an obsession.
Even though Luoxia City made so many sacrifices in resisting the beast tide, all those whose remains could be found were properly buried. Even if no remains were found, as long as the identity of the deceased could be confirmed, a cenotaph would be erected.
In comparison, the actions of the Wuliang Sword Sect are rather disheartening.
Mu Guibai said in a slightly subdued voice, "According to them, the Trial Path is a completely closed secret realm, and each time it is opened, it takes sixty years to recharge."
The conditions for opening the exit are extremely stringent, making it impossible to retrieve the remains. Shang'er intended to retrieve Zheng Chun's remains when the next trial path opens, but I disagreed. It's a man-eating demon's lair; with his abilities, it would be difficult for him to fight his way out.
"Xing'er still decided to participate in the trial. If he has the opportunity, he will bring back his martial uncle's remains."
"There's no need to put the younger generation on the risk. The path of trials is fraught with danger. Don't let this affect him. We'll bring Zhengchun's body back sooner or later."
"Before heading to the Trial Road, if you need anything, just let me know. It's a place where you have to rely on your resources and strength," Mu Guibai said earnestly.
Song Changsheng shook his head and said, "I found him a portion of [True Phoenix Essence Blood], which should be enough for him. Ordinary things won't have much effect on him."
"【True Phoenix Essence Blood】, comes from the Myriad Manifestations Palace?"
"In that case, you can give this to him to take back." Mu Guibai flipped his hand and took out a jade bottle.
Although it was covered with many restrictions, Song Changsheng could still clearly feel the immense power contained within.
"This is……"
"【Qilin Essence Blood】is similar to 【True Phoenix Essence Blood】. Taking it in advance can form a special essence in the body, which can then be activated to draw upon the power of the Qilin."
This was specially sourced from the black market for Zhengchun, and there just happened to be one left. Both are divine beast essence blood, so they don't conflict and could be life-saving in a critical moment. Song Changsheng's heart trembled slightly. Phoenix, True Dragon, Qilin.
The three most powerful races that once ruled over all races on land, sea, and air have almost no pure-blooded members left, and their essence blood is extremely rare.
To obtain this item, Luoxia City must have paid an unbearable price, especially in places like the black market where the premium was even more severe.
However, to his surprise, he could actually buy a treasure like [Qilin Essence Blood] on the black market.
"Thank you, Master."
Since it concerned Song Qingxing's life, Song Changsheng didn't stand on ceremony with Mu Guibai and accepted it directly.
This item was of extraordinary value, and he naturally wouldn't take it for free. He took out a [Reincarnation Plum] he had obtained from the Chen Clan's small world and said, "I obtained this by chance. It has the effect of reincarnation and can temper one's mind. It should be of some help to my master."
"It's actually the [Reincarnation Plum]." A hint of surprise flashed in Mu Guibai's eyes. In terms of value, this item is even higher than the [Qilin Essence Blood], but it is relatively less rare.
"You shouldn't be far from the late stage of the Golden Core realm, right?"
Upon hearing this, Song Changsheng nodded and said, "I plan to go into seclusion for a while. I have asked the Myriad Manifestations Palace to help me refine pills. There are still disciples of the Reincarnation Li lineage, so Master need not refuse."
“Your Uncle Xiao has already broken through to the fourth-tier low-grade alchemist. If you need anything in the future, you can send it over.”
"Then this disciple will respectfully accept your offer, as there are indeed quite a few spiritual herbs that need to be refined."
After saying that, Song Changsheng took out a storage bag and handed it to Mu Guibai, along with a list of pills.
Mu Guibai took a look and found that it was filled with rare spiritual plants of the fourth-grade low level. Many of them were rarely seen on the market, and even he was seeing them for the first time. He couldn't help but exclaim, "Which herb garden did you plunder?"
"That's about right. I've gained a lot from this trip."
Song Changsheng recounted his experiences after leaving the Great Zhen Immortal Dynasty, and he did not conceal the part related to the Chen family.
"Another rebirth technique." Mu Guibai frowned slightly, took out a jade slip from his sleeve, and handed it to him, saying, "Take a look."
Song Changsheng took it and saw that it clearly stated: "The Heavenly Emperor True Monarch's reincarnation failed."
"True Lord Tianyu, isn't that the founding patriarch of the Wanhua Sect ten thousand years ago? Did he also choose to be reincarnated?"
The Wanhua Sect was a powerful force established by the Heavenly Emperor after the fall of the Great Yu Immortal Dynasty. It inherited a large amount of the Immortal Dynasty's legacy and rose to prominence very quickly, once unifying the chaotic Great Yu Immortal Dynasty.
As a result, at the height of Wanhua Sect's power, Tianyu Zhenjun was severely injured and killed by a powerful enemy, and the once-prosperous Wanhua Sect disintegrated in less than twenty years.
The current Qingyang Palace, Tianxiao Gate, and the now-extinct Luotian Sect each received a portion of the Wanhua Sect's legacy.
Although the Heavenly Emperor True Lord was not as powerful as the Reincarnation True Lord and the Jade Cleansing True Lord, he was a rare Nascent Soul True Lord in the modern era of the four border realms, which is why Song Changsheng had a deep impression of him.
He remembered that this person should have died on the spot, so why was there talk of rebirth, and why was he discovered by Qingyang Palace?
"The information was obtained unintentionally by Yin Sheng's Spider Web, and its credibility is very high. Moreover, the recent actions of Tianxiao Sect have indirectly confirmed the accuracy of this intelligence."
Song Changsheng frowned.
Many people know about the art of rebirth, but very few actually put it into practice. Even a powerful figure like True Monarch Yu Shu, who is only one step away from the Nascent Soul stage and is proficient in related secret techniques, would choose to do so.
It's already rare to encounter two in a row, but now a third has appeared, and the timing is quite close. Furthermore, both Jade Dew True Lord and Heavenly Imperial True Lord are from the four border regions.
This has gone beyond the realm of coincidence, leaving him no choice but to be suspicious.
Are there any further discoveries?
"There's nothing more for now. Yin Sheng is trying to figure it out. We don't know how Qingyang Palace discovered it yet, but one thing is certain: they gained huge benefits and it has aroused the covetousness of Tianxiao Sect."
"You may not know this yet, but the Tianxiao Sect recently gained a new Golden Core cultivator, whose title is Mingxuan."
"Even so, Tianxiao Sect is no match for Qingyang Palace, is it?"
"What if other forces are involved? They've been getting very close to the Ancient God Pavilion lately."
Upon hearing this, Song Changsheng couldn't help but say with some concern, "If the Ancient God Pavilion gets involved, won't the Xuanling Sect also get involved? At that time, it will probably develop into a major war between the two major cultivation worlds of Gusu and Dayu."
"The hundred-year period is approaching, and the demon race is eyeing us covetously. If chaos breaks out in our rear at this time, it will be extremely disadvantageous for us."
Although the Great Qi cultivation world mostly defends against the invasion of the demon race on its own, the Great Yu cultivation world and the Gusu cultivation world also need to provide support for them. If they show signs of weakness, they must immediately step in.
Mu Guibai gazed into the distance and said, "Profits are tempting. How can we stop them in the face of profit? Now we can only pray that the demon race won't arrive so soon."
I've already sent Dazhuang deep into the demon realm to gather information; I hope he can bring back good news.
At this point, Song Changsheng suddenly remembered that his family seemed to have an undercover agent in the Demon Realm. They hadn't been in contact for so many years, and he wondered how the agent was doing.
Perhaps we can get some useful information from it.
If they could find out the movements of the demon race in advance, their defenses would have an advantage, allowing them to deploy targeted defenses.
"In any case, we must prepare for the worst."
"That's natural. The threat from the Twin Islands has been temporarily eliminated, and we can commit our full strength."
By the way, is that piece of [Deep Sea Crystal] still there?
Even though so many years have passed, he still asked, just in case, "What if it's still there?"
"What, you're also planning to build a fourth-tier spaceship?"
Upon hearing this, Song Changsheng raised an eyebrow and said, "A fourth-tier celestial warship, could it be that you..."
"Shang'er has had some good fortune over the years and obtained the method for forging a fourth-tier celestial warship. That piece of [Deep Sea Celestial Crystal] has now been forged into the core of the celestial warship."
...(End of chapter)