I have Taoism and can understand other worlds

Chapter 692 Old Friends and Disaster

Suppressing his emotions, Jiang Wen inquired about the whereabouts of Li Yunshang, Lü Shiming, and others.

Upon hearing that this person was acquainted with Princess Shenyun, Li Yunshang, and Senior Brother Lü of the Discipline Hall, Dan Chen's surprise deepened, and his attitude became even more respectful. He recounted all the information he knew.

"Reporting to Senior, Princess Shenyun once appeared in the capital. However, alas, after the upheaval in the capital, the emperor's transformation into a dragon, and the calamity that befell our sect, she disappeared without a trace."

"A fellow disciple once said that he seemed to have seen the princess's figure flash by near the ruins on the outskirts of the capital, which were stained with blood and evil spirits, but there has been no news of her since. We don't know if it's true or not. The princess has a strong personality and was once the emperor's favorite daughter. I'm afraid of her..."

Dan Chen's tone was heavy, and his unfinished words were full of worry.

"As for Senior Brother Su Mu, his cultivation is profound. When the alien races of the Northern Wilderness first came to our aid, he was sent to provide support on a secret order from the palace. He is probably still dealing with the alien races in the harsh northern lands. And Senior Brother Lü Shiming..."

He paused, lowering his voice slightly.

“Brother Lü has a special identity; he is the heir of the Northern Ming King. After the upheaval in the capital, the Northern Ming King used the pretext of ‘punishing the tyrant and pacifying the country’s crisis’ to blockade the entire northern prefecture, allowing entry but not exit. Brother Lü must have already returned to the royal palace, but news from the north is now strictly controlled, and there is no more definite news coming out.”

He sighed and continued to describe the crumbling world order: "The world is now leaderless. Most of the immortal sects are preoccupied with the war in the north and can hardly attend to the interior. In the twenty-four states of the Great Qian Dynasty, powerful figures have risen up and are fighting each other. Behind the scenes, many immortal sects are secretly manipulating and dividing up spheres of influence."

"Our Tai Shen Palace has already closed its main palace. Most of the surviving disciples have followed the elders' last wishes and retreated into the Sumeru Realm to take refuge for the time being, no longer concerning themselves with worldly affairs... As a result, the power to suppress demons and evil spirits in various places has been greatly reduced, to the point that demons and evil spirits are rampant, and the people are suffering unspeakably."

Jiang Wen listened silently. This information corroborated his previous observations, painting a tragic picture of a dynasty's demise and the plight of its people.

He looked at Dan Chen and asked, "What are your plans next?"

A resolute look appeared on Dan Chen's face: "This junior's cultivation is low, and I am powerless to turn the tide, but I dare not forget my master's teachings. This junior is preparing to go to Weizhou in the south. I have heard that some of my Tai Shen Palace's outer disciples and nominal disciples have gathered there, forming a small gathering place for immortal sects. However, recently, the tentacles of the Worshiping Gods Society have also reached out to Weizhou, and their arrogance is rampant. We surviving disciples have discussed and decided to concentrate our strength and find an opportunity to severely punish their arrogance, at least... to let the people know that Tai Shen Palace is not completely extinct!"

His words carried a tragic determination.

Upon hearing this, Jiang Wen hesitated for a moment, then exchanged a glance with Jiang Su beside him. Jiang Su maintained her aloof demeanor, but nodded slightly, indicating that the decision was his.

“In that case, we will go to Weizhou with you.” Jiang Wen made his decision. He had just returned to the outside world and needed to learn more, and joining up with the other disciples of Tai Shen Palace was undoubtedly a good starting point.

Furthermore, the God-Worshipping Society was one of the main culprits behind the chaos in the world, so conflict with it was inevitable. Besides, he also needed to capture a few disciples of the God-Worshipping Society to question them and see what the Society was like now.

Dan Chen was overjoyed upon hearing this: "It is truly our good fortune to have a senior traveling with us!"

With the plan settled, the three of them did not delay any longer. Jiang Wen flicked his sleeve, and a gentle yet powerful magical force swept up Dan Chen, transforming him and Jiang Su into three streaks of light that soared into the sky and sped off towards the south.

For Jiang Wen, whose cultivation had been fully restored, a thousand miles was but a blink of an eye.

However, when they flew over the border area between Sizhou and Qinzhou, their speed unconsciously slowed down.

The scene below was shocking.

The earth was cracked and parched, a barren wasteland stretching for miles, with hardly a speck of green in sight. Scattered across the cracked fields were the withered bones of the fallen, left unattended.

Along the official road, a long, winding procession stretched as far as the eye could see, consisting of countless ragged figures—those were refugees fleeing from war.

They were emaciated and their eyes were numb. Like walking corpses, they dragged their heavy steps toward Qinzhou, where, according to legend, they could still find food.

The air was thick with despair, and the dust was mixed with the stench of rotting corpses.

Every now and then you can see someone walking along and suddenly collapsing to the ground, unable to get up again. People around them either walk around indifferently or have a wolf-like glint in their eyes.

In this drought-stricken and chaotic world, people are sometimes not necessarily not food.

Jiang Wen's divine sense swept across the area and he could "hear" countless painful groans. The faint cries of children, and the silent lament of death.

Sizhou, which should have been a prosperous eastern region, suffered the most from man-made disasters due to its proximity to the capital and has fallen to this state.

……

At the end of this huge fleeing group, there was a particularly thin figure. His name was Gouzi, and he had just turned eight years old.

Dog originally had a not-so-wealthy but warm home in a small village called Qingshuipu in Sizhou.

There were parents, grandparents, uncles, aunts, and several cousins. But all of that disappeared after that strange nightfall last year.

First, the crops withered and died inexplicably, resulting in a complete crop failure. Then, the wells dried up. The government's relief grain was nowhere to be seen; instead, many fierce-looking tax collectors and soldiers arrived and ransacked the last bit of food stored in each household. People began to die in the village—from starvation to disease.

Later, things started to go wrong at night. Someone would get up in the middle of the night and never return. When they were found the next day, only their internal organs were left, with claw marks like those of a wild beast at the wounds, yet they also carried an indescribable evil aura.

Dog's second uncle was murdered one night while searching for wild vegetable roots. When they found him, he was lying on the ground with a huge hole in his back, his internal organs completely eaten, and extreme fear frozen on his face.

Gouzi could never forget his second uncle's unseeing eyes.

Unable to stay in the village any longer, Gouzi and his family, along with other surviving villagers, embarked on this uncertain journey of escape.

Their goal was to seek refuge with a distant relative in Qinzhou. When they set off, Gouzi's family, including the relative, numbered more than a dozen people, but now only his mother, sister, and himself remained.

To save on food rations, Father quietly left one morning and never returned. Grandmother died of illness, and Grandpa was beaten to death by several starving men while trying to protect the only half-eaten bran cake he had in his arms…

The dog was wrapped in tattered burlap sacks whose original color was no longer discernible, and it was barefoot with blisters and calluses on the soles of its feet.

He was so thin he was skin and bones, making his head appear unusually large, and his eyes looked particularly empty from hunger.

As darkness fell, the setting sun, like blood, cast an even more desolate light upon the crimson earth.

The refugees spontaneously gathered together and found a sheltered ravine to rest. No one dared to light a fire, for the light would attract something even more terrifying—whether it be people or "those things."

The dog huddled in the tent that its mother and sister had made up with a few sticks and rags, clutching an empty water bladder tightly in its arms.

Suppressed coughing and a child's weak sobs could be heard outside. And in the distance, the howls of what seemed like humans or animals could be faintly heard.

The faint, cloying, rotten smell of blood in the air seemed to have grown stronger.

He was terrified and clung tightly to his mother's cold body. His sister sobbed softly beside him.

Just then, the dog seemed to hear a faint sound.

"Waaah...waaah..."

It sounded like something was whimpering, or perhaps... the cry of a baby?

How could there be a baby in this desolate wilderness, where the land is barren for miles?

Dog's heart tightened, and a chill ran from the soles of his feet to the top of his head. He remembered the horrific scene of his second uncle's death, and what the village elders had said: some mountain spirits and monsters were masters at mimicking human voices to lure their prey.

The crying was intermittent, as if it were coming from outside the tent.

The dog's hair stood on end, and his heart pounded so hard it felt like it was going to jump out of his throat. Trembling, he couldn't help but peer cautiously through a crack in the tattered tent.

The moonlight outside was dim, and only the shadowy figures of people huddled together could be seen.

suddenly!

The crying stopped abruptly.

A short, dark figure, like a wildcat, appeared silently on a rock not far from the tent.

It was backlit by the faint moonlight, so its exact appearance was unclear; only a pair of eyes were visible.

What a pair of eyes those are!

Like two drops of congealed blood, they radiated a crimson light that sent chills down one's spine. That light was filled with greed, cruelty, and an inhuman coldness.

It sat quietly on the rock, its scarlet eyes piercing through the gaps in the tent, staring intently at the dog that was peeking.

The dog froze instantly, a chilling fear gripping his entire body, even his breathing stopped.

He wanted to scream, but no sound came out. He could only watch helplessly as those scarlet eyes, like deadly flames in the darkness, grew brighter and closer...

(End of this chapter)