I have Taoism and can understand other worlds

Chapter 691 Changes in the World
Seeing their companion's wrist shatter and him fall to the ground screaming in agony, the other two members of the Worshiping Gods Society changed their expressions drastically and instinctively took a half step back, their eyes filled with fear.

The pressure exerted on them by that floating sword was like that of a mountain.

However, their long-standing arrogance and blind trust in the forces behind them quickly suppressed their initial panic.

One of the cultivators, whose face bore a sword wound, forced himself to remain calm and shouted, his voice trembling with fear, "Where did this blind fool come from! How dare you interfere in our worship ceremony's affairs! If you know what's good for you, get out of here, or else..."

Another short, stout monk immediately chimed in, trying to intimidate the other party with his reputation: "That's right! In this world today, who doesn't know the prestige of my God-Worshipping Society? If you offend us, you'll have nowhere to hide in heaven or on earth!"

As he spoke, his eyes flickered as he discreetly observed Jiang Wen's expression, while his feet involuntarily took another half step back.

Jiang Wen was not angry. Instead, he seemed to have heard something interesting, and a smile appeared on his lips.

His gaze swept over the two men, carrying a scrutinizing tone: "Oh? A worship ceremony... sounds impressive. I've been away for so long, I'm quite ignorant. Tell me, what has become of the Great Qian Dynasty? That it allows cowards like you to commit violence in broad daylight?"

His tone was calm, yet it carried a condescending sense of scrutiny, which greatly humiliated the two members of the God Worship Society. However, intimidated by the unfathomable strength of the other party, they dared not retaliate immediately.

The scarred-faced cultivator, his neck stiff, raised his voice even higher to bolster his authority: "Hmph! Looks like an old relic hiding in the mountains, oblivious to the world! I might as well tell you! The world is in chaos now, which is the perfect time for our Holy Sect to rise! That muddle-headed emperor held some kind of spirit-summoning ceremony in the capital, playing with fire and getting burned. Now he has transformed into a monstrous dragon, occupying the capital and causing widespread suffering! Those barbarian tribes and monsters in the Northern Wilderness have also taken the opportunity to knock on our gates. All the cultivators of various sects are too busy to help themselves and have all rushed to the Northern Frontier to quell the chaos! This world is no longer the world it used to be!"

Seeing that Jiang Wen seemed to be intimidated, the short, stout cultivator grew bolder and sneered, "Did you hear that? This is the domain of my Holy Sect! Anyone who dares to offend my God Worship Society must die! If you kneel down and beg for mercy now, and offer up that brat from the Supreme God Palace, perhaps we grandpas will be in a good mood and spare you..."

His voice stopped abruptly before he could finish speaking.

Jiang Wen had lost patience with their nagging.

Without him making any move, the Sky Sword floating beside him trembled slightly.

"Tsk! Tsk!"

Two thin yet incredibly sharp sword energies appeared out of thin air, faster than the limits of visual perception, slicing through the necks of the two members of the God Worship Society as easily as cutting tofu.

The sneers and arrogance on their faces froze instantly, their pupils dilated, filled with unbelievable terror.

They opened their mouths, but no sound came out. Then a thin line of blood appeared on their necks. The next moment, their heads separated from their bodies and rolled to the ground. Blood gushed out like a fountain. The headless corpses swayed and fell heavily to the ground.

Even the life-giving fire within his body couldn't escape before turning into nothingness.

The monk from the Worship Society, whose wrist was shattered, was so terrified by what he saw that he forgot to scream. His crotch was instantly soaked, and a foul stench filled the air.

He struggled to beg for mercy, but another sword strike followed, ending his fear and his life.

The scene fell silent instantly, with only the strong smell of blood lingering in the mountain breeze.

The Tai Shen Palace disciples, who had survived the ordeal, stared in disbelief at everything that had happened in the blink of an eye.

The three skilled members of the God-Worshipping Society who had driven him to the brink of defeat were easily slaughtered by this mysterious man in blue robes, like chickens and dogs. This level of strength was probably beyond even the reach of the palace elders.

He forced himself to stand up despite his weakness, took a few steps forward, and bowed deeply to Jiang Wen, his voice trembling with relief and heartfelt gratitude: "I am Dan Chen, a disciple of the Tai Shen Palace. Thank you for saving my life, senior! If it weren't for your help, I would surely be dead today!"

Jiang Wen slightly raised his hand, and a gentle force lifted Dan Chen up. "No need for formalities. I have some connection with the Tai Shen Palace; saving you was just a matter of lifting a finger." His gaze fell on Dan Chen's tattered moon-white Daoist robe and pale face, and his brows furrowed slightly. "The Tai Shen Palace is the state religion of the Great Qian Dynasty, with a prestigious position. How did its disciples fall to such a state, being hunted down by these petty villains from the Worshiping Gods Society?"

Upon hearing Jiang Wen mention the former glory of the Tai Shen Palace, a deep and overwhelming sorrow and grief immediately appeared on Dan Chen's face. He took a deep breath and began to recount the events in a hoarse voice, his words choked with emotion:

"Senior, you may not know this, but my Tai Shen Palace is now merely a name in name only..."

He composed himself and continued, "All the trouble began a year ago. The Emperor and those traitors from the God-Worshipping Society held a grand spirit-summoning ceremony in the capital."

"That was not a grand ceremony to pray for peace and prosperity for the country at all, but rather, a horrifying conspiracy. The emperor, having obtained some evil magic from who knows where, actually attempted to sacrifice the flesh and souls of hundreds of millions of people in the capital in order to gain superhuman cultivation and immortality."

As he said this, Dan Chen's eyes were filled with anger and fear, and his body trembled slightly.

"On the day of the grand ceremony, the evil array was activated, and the capital city instantly turned into a hellish inferno. Countless people turned into pus and blood amidst their wails. Although the core of the array was ultimately destroyed by some unknown master, preventing the emperor from achieving complete success, more than half of the capital's inhabitants had already perished, and the overwhelming bloodlust and resentment soared into the sky. Unable to withstand the terrifying backlash and resentment, the emperor instantly transformed into a monstrous dragon that knew only slaughter and destruction!"

Jiang Wen listened quietly, his expression calm, but his eyes became more profound.

Standing beside him, Jiang Su, who had been silently holding Wen'er, also had a barely perceptible ripple in her cold eyes. As she was one with Jiang Wen, she naturally knew about the past events in the outside world. Hearing such a dramatic change, she was also not at peace.

Dan Chen, lost in his grief, failed to notice the subtle change in Jiang Su. He continued speaking, his voice growing increasingly low:
"The evil dragon has taken hold of the capital, and the Blood Fiend Land, which gathers the resentment of countless innocent people, has become the origin of one of the three great calamities ravaging the Great Qian Dynasty. The evil dragon and the Blood Fiend nourish each other, and their influence continues to spread, giving rise to monsters and causing widespread panic..."

"The elders of my Tai Shen Palace, along with our sage master, Master Zhen Yangzi, gathered in the capital to suppress the evil dragon and purify the blood evil, in order to prevent the man-made disaster from spiraling out of control and spreading throughout the entire Da Qian." Dan Chen's voice was choked with sobs. "As a result, almost all of our sage master and elders perished in the capital. Only Elder Chang Mingzi, after being seriously injured, returned to the palace and declared that the mountain would be sealed off and the palace closed for quiet recuperation."

"Although the power of our grandmaster and elders has barely managed to confine the man-made disaster to the capital and several surrounding states, the emperor's transformation into a monstrous dragon and the resentment he has generated with the blood demon have already affected the entire Great Qian. The land of the twenty-four states is in turmoil, the mountains and rivers have lost their color, and the spiritual energy is in chaos."

"Just when my Tai Shen Palace was severely weakened and its elites were all gone, the monstrous group of the Worshiping Gods Society, who had been lurking in the shadows, seized the opportunity to launch an attack. They not only spread rumors everywhere to win people's hearts, but also gathered their followers and directly attacked the outer gate of my Tai Shen Palace!" Dan Chen clenched his fists so tightly that his nails almost dug into his flesh.

"The palace is in ruins, and the outer palace disciples who remained behind suffered heavy casualties. We surviving disciples can only scatter and flee, hiding here and there. We can only wait for the main palace to reopen before we can make any further plans."

"Now, the power of this group of demons who worship gods has grown greatly. They not only secretly control many prefectures, but also openly occupy Youzhou, one of the twenty-four prefectures. Using this as a base, they act perversely and wreak havoc on the world. I was discovered by them while fleeing, which is why I am being hunted down..."

By the end, Dan Chen was in tears, his voice choked with sobs. The once glorious Great Qian State Religion had fallen to such a tragic state: the sect destroyed, the masters perished, and the disciples scattered. The sorrow was beyond words.

After listening to Dan Chen's account, Jiang Wen remained silent for a moment.

Although he didn't feel much belonging to the Great Qian Dynasty, upon hearing of the tragic deaths of millions of people, the destruction of the righteous pillar Tai Shen Palace, and the calamity that had plunged the world into chaos, he couldn't help but feel a surge of emotion.

After all, he had some feelings for the Tai Shen Palace. What he didn't expect was that a year had passed, and he didn't know how his old friend was doing.

It is truly lamentable that the chaos of the Great Qian Dynasty has brought about such turmoil, just as Chang Mingzi once said: "It is difficult to survive in the human world, and it is difficult to defy the will of Heaven."

The emperor transforms into a monstrous dragon, the Tai Shen Palace collapses, the God Worship Society rises, and alien races from the Great Wilderness invade.

The world is indeed in great chaos.

(End of this chapter)