Longzang

Chapter 1140 What the People Want

As the divine light in Lü Changhe's eyes vanished, many intangible things in the world suddenly shattered, while some things that had already collapsed reappeared. Cause and effect were severed, and everything in heaven and earth was in complete chaos.

Countless immortals were stunned. For a moment, everything before their eyes was shrouded in mist. The complex cause and effect were changing in an instant, and even immortals could not grasp the slightest possibility.

A moment later, the heavens and the celestial realms, throughout history, began to stir.

Many powerful beings no longer concealed their presence and turned their gazes toward them. Unseen celestial radiance rose from beyond the void, indicating that they were about to make their move.

In an instant, layers of immortal light rippled out around Wei Yuan, and figures appeared one after another, with several immortals directly showing themselves.

Wei Yuan stood atop the azure sky, calmly gazing upon the assembled immortals. The immortals fell silent, also watching Wei Yuan.

In their eyes, Wei Yuan was like a black hole, with no cause and effect to be seen, and nothing could be discerned from him.

This is a unique sign of immense karma, which the immortals naturally all know. Wei Yuan's sudden killing of Lü Changhe is bound to have karma so immense that even powerful beings behind the scenes cannot see the karma surrounding Wei Yuan at this moment, let alone ordinary immortals.

Although the cause and effect were unclear, all the immortals could clearly see that Wei Yuan had lost all his luck. Some immortals immediately became furious, their immortal power surging, ready to attack at any moment.

However, beneath Wei Yuan's feet lay the Azure Netherworld, a bustling metropolis teeming with life—a scene of unprecedented prosperity, unseen by any immortal. Straight avenues crisscrossed the land, cities dotted the landscape, and skyscrapers rose in abundance; the fields stretched to the horizon, where numerous large steel golems and countless domesticated spirit beasts were cultivating the land. And those piloting these golems were all Foundation Establishment cultivators.

At this time, the population of Qingming was growing rapidly, and now it had reached nearly 200 million people.

Many immortals appeared fierce, but in their hearts they were secretly calculating how many mortals would be implicated by this move, and how they would be burdened with karmic debts, which might actually benefit their enemies.

Among the immortals who had already appeared, Cui Zhengxing and Xu Youyi were naturally present, while Zhao Li Immortal stood on the outer edge in the back row. Cangwu stood at a distance, his gaze towards them somewhat peculiar.

Lu Changhe's body did not fall, but floated around Wei Yuan.

Cui Zhengxing said solemnly, "The seven clans and thirteen noble families are of one blood and one lineage. Each family is of vital importance. It was through the painstaking efforts of our Immortal Ancestor that we have the opportunity to break the deadlock today. Wei Yuan, you have betrayed your promise and gone back on your word. You attacked and killed Lü Changhe in full view of everyone. Your sins are too grave! No one can protect you today!"

Wei Yuan simply said, "Since Mr. Cui has spoken first, please make your move first."

Cui Zhengxing's face turned pale and then red; he never expected that Wei Yuan would embarrass him in front of everyone.

All the immortals witnessed Wei Yuan's killing of Lü Changhe clearly, but there was something strange about it: no one knew how Lü Changhe's true spirit disappeared.

Everyone only saw the true spirit flash briefly before vanishing into thin air. This method was truly bizarre, and without understanding it, no one dared to easily provoke Wei Yuan.

Moreover, Wei Yuan and Qingming are currently one, so attacking Wei Yuan is tantamount to attacking Qingming. Although Qingming currently has less than two hundred million inhabitants, it is extremely wealthy, with cultivators as numerous as hairs on a cow. Therefore, a strike from an immortal would inevitably trigger a natural disaster. If tens of thousands of people in Qingming were to die as a result, the resulting karmic burden would likely be equivalent to the slaughter of millions outside.

Even a true immortal would not want to be entangled in such karmic consequences. Moreover, as a true immortal, one has many means to kill, and can easily borrow someone else's weapon; why would one want to personally incur such karmic entanglement?

The recent case of Liu Miao is a perfect example. She somehow picked up a lot of resentment, and as a result, at a critical moment, the cause and effect manifested, and she suffered a full blow from Wei Yuan and died on the spot.

Cui Zhengxing's face was gloomy, and he made no further move. But an old man walked out of the void, his immortal light exuding a distinct gray-black decaying aura, leaving a faint stench wherever he went.

A halo of light flowed around him, revealing countless flowers and trees rapidly withering and decaying; even the rocks and soil were weathering and rotting, eventually turning into ashes.

This was the first time Wei Yuan had ever seen an immortal nearing the end of his lifespan. This immortal was so old that he was losing control of his celestial world, revealing only the decaying state of its interior.

He looked at Wei Yuan with a pair of cloudy eyes, his gaze filled with undisguised complexity. There was hatred, jealousy, ferocity, and resentment in his eyes. Wei Yuan couldn't understand why he would harbor such malice towards him.

The immortal's voice carried a distinct phlegm-like sound as he slowly said, "I am Xu Shuhe from Northern Qi. Although I am old, I am still strong enough to kill you!"

Wei Yuan's eyes narrowed.

There was also a Xu family in the Northern Qi Dynasty, but they lived far away and had kept a low profile in recent years, so they were not well-known.

The immortal ancestor of the Xu family in Northern Qi was Xu Shuhe. Many years ago, it was rumored that his lifespan was nearing its end. However, no one in the Xu family had emerged who was capable of ascending to immortality. Therefore, for nearly a hundred years, the Xu family of Northern Qi had been very low-key and had been keeping a low profile.

Unexpectedly, Xu Shuhe has come out of seclusion today, and he immediately revealed his murderous intent.

Wei Yuan's mind raced, and in an instant he understood the other party's contingency plan. Clearly, none of the immortals from the aristocratic families wanted to sacrifice themselves and drag Wei Yuan to his death. Therefore, Xu Shuhe, whose lifespan was nearing its end and whose family had no successor, became the best choice. Since he was about to die anyway, he could just drag Wei Yuan down with him, without having to worry about harming mortals or being burdened with karma.

Wei Yuan hadn't expected his opponent to have this trick up their sleeve. Even Yan Shi hadn't anticipated that Xu Shuhe was still alive and capable of striking. However, Wei Yuan hadn't shown any murderous intent at the time, and even Yan Shi didn't know that Wei Yuan had decided to assassinate Lü Changhe. Only in this way could he deceive the mastermind behind the scenes.

Xu Shuhe stretched out a hand covered in age spots, and a dark light emerged from his palm. He grinned maliciously and said, "When people get old, they can't stand looking at young and small things. Little guy, do you have any last words?"

Wei Yuan's divine sense was lightning fast; he made a decision in an instant. He then issued numerous commands through the myriad realms' prosperity. In a flash, countless images floated into the minds of countless cultivators in the Azure Netherworld. In the blink of an eye, a vast amount of information was infused into their minds. As long as one was a strong and healthy mortal, even without having achieved physical cultivation, this information would naturally appear in their mind.

The scenes included all the immortals who appeared above Qingming, as well as those who, although they did not appear in person, had attacked Qingming openly or secretly. They also included Lü Changhe's previous actions and his current corpse.

Countless people instantly felt a splitting headache, but they also understood the cause and effect of the matter, and the reason why the immortal wanted to kill Wei Yuan.

Suddenly, everyone seemed to hear the rattling of chains, as if something that had been hanging high in the air on someone had now been removed.

Suddenly someone shouted: "The Realm Lord has broken the karmic bond with us!"

A Confucian scholar-cultivator paused for a moment, then subconsciously said, "The Realm Lord doesn't want the immortals' attack to extend to us, so he's loosened the realm's defenses?"

"Cause and effect have also been severed!" This voice was exceptionally loud and carried for dozens of miles; it belonged to a Golden Core cultivator.

Within moments, all the mortals understood what had happened. Wei Yuan no longer used the power of the Azure Netherworld to defend himself, thus preventing the immortal's attack from affecting the Azure Netherworld and causing natural and man-made disasters.

Xu Shuhe was somewhat confused and subconsciously asked, "Young man, what are you doing now?"

Wei Yuan stood atop the Azure Sky and said calmly, "It's nothing much, just letting the people of the Azure Sky know what happened and to see the true colors of you aristocratic immortals."

Xu Shuhe flew into a rage and shouted, "Mere mortals, nothing but ants! How dare they know our faces? They deserve to die!"

Wei Yuan smiled faintly and said, "The people of Qingming have been enlightened. I am only letting them know the whole story and the true nature of the immortals. As for what they do in the future, that is their own choice. Perhaps a few hundred years from now, one of them will be a genius who will uproot your Northern Qi Xu family."

Xu Shuhe sneered repeatedly, his face twitching, and wisps of black energy emanated from his age spots. He then said, "Trying to bring down my Xu family? Wishful thinking! Today I sacrifice my crippled body to rid the world of a scourge, and my old friends will surely protect my Xu family's descendants. Moreover, it won't be long before someone from my Xu family ascends to immortality again. You can die in peace; the future of the Xu family is none of your concern."

Having said that, he pointed out with one finger, and a point of dark light instantly struck Wei Yuan!
This was also a strike from a true immortal. Xu Shuhe was a powerful true immortal in his youth, and although he was old now, the power of his strike was still no less than that of Lü Changhe.

Wei Yuan was instantly sent flying hundreds of feet backward, only to be pulled back by several invisible chains. His body froze, and he immediately took the full force of Xu Shuhe's attack. Even with his physical body, he couldn't withstand it, and he immediately spat out a mouthful of blood, which sprayed onto the ground below.

Amidst the bustling prosperity of the myriad realms, dark clouds gathered, and a black wind swept across the heavens and earth. In an instant, countless mortals were sent flying into the sky, some fell into the sea, some crashed into tall buildings, and many more simply vanished in the wind.

Wei Yuan had just killed Lü Changhe, using up almost all his trump cards. Now, he had voluntarily abandoned the defense of the Azure Nether Realm, leaving him only able to defend with his physical body and his own Dao power. As a result, he was severely injured by Xu Shuhe's attack.

At this moment, high above in the celestial realm, Master Gu, holding a treasure worthy of a near-sage, stared intently at Yan Shi's courtyard from afar. Celestial light flickered within the courtyard, while Yan Shi stood at the gate, confronting Master Gu.

Yan Shi remained expressionless and said, "Are you really going to stop me?"

Master Gu remained calm and composed, saying, "How dare I stop you? But you have the Ancestral Immortal Sword, and I have the treasure left by the Quasi-Sage. I won't stop you from leaving, but what will happen to Abbot Zhu Yan inside is hard to say."

Yan Shi looked to the side and said, "Come out, stop hiding."

A Buddhist chant echoed in the void, and an elderly monk stepped forward, bowing and saying, "Greetings, Palace Master Yanshi. Your wisdom is as sharp as a torch, and I could not have been deceived. If you do not leave, it is as if you have left both of us here. Upon reflection, it is quite a bargain."

At this time in Qingming, apart from a few aristocratic immortals, no other immortals appeared.

Wei Yuan was quickly struck a second time, coughing up blood once more. Xu Shuhe's lifespan was nearing its end, so each attack directly burned a portion of his life force, even using the decaying cave as fuel, making it incredibly powerful.

Despite his severe injuries, Wei Yuan's gaze remained clear and resolute as he patiently awaited his opponent's weakness.

Xu Shuhe sneered, "You might as well use your domain power. Killing you like this is no fun at all. Stop pretending to be benevolent. I'm cleaning up some mortal ants for you before I die. Shouldn't you thank me properly?"

Wei Yuan didn't answer, but looked at him carefully, searching for any possible flaws.

At that moment, from the azure sky, a mortal suddenly leaped onto the low wall by the street and shouted, "The Realm Lord would rather die than implicate us. But we are all educated and understand some of the principles of sages! I, Zhang San, am not talented, but I am not afraid of death! I am willing to share the burden for the Realm Lord with my own body. This oath is witnessed by heaven and earth!"

As his voice echoed, a thin causal bond was created between heaven and earth, reattaching itself to Wei Yuan, and a faint light, imperceptible even to immortals, immediately shone from Wei Yuan's body.

But in the blink of an eye, more and more mortals and cultivators shouted, "We are willing to share the burden for the realm lord!" Their voices converged into a torrent that swept across the entire Azure Netherworld!
Even though immortals dominate the world, countless mortals and low-level cultivators, who are like ants, all chose to stand up after understanding the whole story.

Even if death is the only option, they intend to die standing, right beside the Lord of the Realm.

In the blink of an eye, countless tiny lights appeared on Wei Yuan's body. Although each light was weak, when they gathered together, they were so bright that Xu Shuhe had to close his eyes halfway and turn his head away. The dark light he had just unleashed also vanished in the intense light!

As Wei Yuan sensed the billions of points of light surrounding him, he finally realized: This was the will of the people.

(End of this chapter)