The copy has 0 error tolerance, and the last words on the ground are all wrong for me.

Chapter 463 The Glimpse of "Perfectionism"

Wu Chang could have notified Shuanghu City as soon as he left the Demon Realm, so that the cultivators in the city could prepare a teleportation array.

The reason he didn't send a message and suddenly returned to Shuanghu City was to catch the cultivators of Shuanghu City off guard.

The fastest way to get from Zhenyue City to the Demon Realm is to teleport to Shuanghu City and then enter the Demon Realm from Shuanghu City.

Long-distance teleportation arrays consume a large amount of spiritual energy each time they are activated, so they are not commonly used tools and can only be activated in emergency situations.

If the human cultivator who tipped off the Azure Feather Bird was acting alone, his actions would certainly have left a record on the teleportation array.

If the cultivator who tipped them off colluded with the cultivators of Shuanghu City, their informants in Shuanghu City would definitely report Wu Chang and the others' return and try to erase the record of the traitor using the teleportation array.

His tactic of "beating the mountain to scare the tiger" was intended to see what kind of demons and monsters he could attract.

Ten minutes later, the shadow beneath Wu Chang's feet began to wriggle, and a shadow emerged from it.

He asked, "Did you find it?"

The shadow said, "The handwriting on the roster is clean, the ink color is neat, and there are no signs of deletion, alteration or subsequent additions. Including us, the teleportation array was activated three times today."

"The first two times the formation was activated, it was at midnight last night. The first time, the passengers were from the Elder Council, a total of four cultivators, whose purpose was to monitor the Demon Realm and take turns."

"The second passenger was a bit strange. He didn't leave his name or the reason for activating the formation. His column was blank. The cultivator in charge of recording the list seemed not to see the blank space and directly recorded our passenger's entry on the next line."

"Should we ask the cultivators in Shuanghu City later and see what they have to say?"

After hearing this, Wu Chang shook his head and said, "No need. I roughly know who activated the formation the second time."

The shadow asked curiously, "Who is it?"

Wu Chang said, "Painter."

He had just experienced a scene last night where he was so inconspicuous that he was subconsciously forgotten and moved around like a transparent person.

Excluding cases where the monks responsible for recording the names don't even bother to pretend, only the painters could go to this lengths.

Could the traitor that the blue-feathered bird was referring to be him?

But if the traitor really was the painter, he wouldn't think that their group was weak. Although Wu Chang had never seriously fought the painter, judging from what the painter had done, it wouldn't be a problem for the painter to take down the Azure Feather Bird.

With the painter's perspective, he wouldn't think that even with two Earth Immortals, he couldn't handle a mere Blue Feather Bird.

Either the painter's entry into Shuanghu City was a coincidence, or he deliberately tricked Qingyu Bird, wanting Wu Chang and the others to kill more of the Wind Demon King's subordinates.

Although Shadow is not a member of the four major organizations, the nature of his abilities makes it easy for him to gather intelligence.

As an intelligence-driven player, he naturally knew who the artist was.

He couldn't help but gasp when he heard those two words.

"Should we go up against the painter?"

Wu Chang said, "It's not clear yet. Maybe it will, maybe it won't."

"However, in my opinion, the traitor that Qingyu Bird mentioned is more like the first team. I'll take care of this matter."

After returning, he went to the Xuancha Division to look through the list of rotating cultivators and checked them one by one.

He could assume the Xuancha Division was incompetent if they couldn't find the painters, but if they couldn't even find a list of rotating cultivators, then he would have to take action.

While the shadow infiltrated the array hall, Wu Chang's main body also took action.

The time spent preparing the formation is a time when you can openly slack off.

Since entering the world instance, Wu Chang has been rushing to make the most of the early exploration phase and hasn't had a chance to take Eileen around yet. Now is the perfect opportunity.

Wu Chang's true form said to Eileen:
"The teleportation array is still a long way off. Would you be willing to tour Twin Lakes City with me, my lady?"

Eileen was already used to being addressed as "Madam," and she smiled and nodded, saying:
"Okay."

This time alone for the two of them should have been warm and peaceful, but unfortunately, some clueless guy developed a third wheel thousands of years in advance in a different instance.

Just as the two were about to leave the Humanitarian Alliance stronghold in Shuanghu City, An Rong came up to them and said warmly:
"Sect Leader Tang and his wife mostly operate outside of Tianlan Province and are not very familiar with Shuanghu City. I came from Huaigu Village and have been living in Shuanghu City ever since, so I'm here to be your guide."

Wu Chang clicked his tongue inwardly, thinking to himself that An Rong had such a brain; no wonder he was still single despite being the youngest Earth Immortal in the Great Xuan Dynasty.

One cannot refuse a smiling face; given An Rong's initiative, Wu Chang could not refuse and could only say:
"Then I'll have to trouble you, young brother An."

An Rong was practically a local of Shuanghu City and was very familiar with the city. He led Wu Chang and Eileen to the most bustling area in the city, the area that best represented Shuanghu City.

In An Rong's description, Twin Lakes City is a slow-paced place.

As one of the three major cities in Tianlan Province, Shuanghu City is not like Zhenyue City, which is an important place of worship with strict rules and a repressive atmosphere; nor is it like Liuyun City, which is full of businessmen from all over Daxuan, with bustling traffic and every inch of land being extremely valuable.

Shuanghu City is primarily an agricultural and fishing center, serving as the granary of Tianlan Province. It also acts as a hub for waterway transportation and logistics, ensuring that the city's residents enjoy a "just right" standard of living, both in terms of their mental and physical well-being.

An Rong's words were well said, but unfortunately, the Shuanghu City at this moment was far different from his description.

It wasn't that An Rong was using a beautifying filter, but rather that the emergence of the Demon Realm had changed the entire landscape of Tianlan Province.

If we're talking about which city in the area controlled by the Humanitarian Alliance has undergone the most changes, it's undoubtedly Twin Lakes City.

At this moment, Shuanghu City, as the first line of defense against the expansion of the demon realm, has transformed from a slow-paced, lazy city into a heavily guarded military fortress.

The atmosphere in the city was tense, with soldiers in full armor patrolling everywhere.

Besides the extra soldiers, there were even more disaster victims everywhere.

The demon realm suddenly appeared and expanded to the size of half of Tianlan Province within seven days.

With the rampage of demons, more than 70% of the humans who originally lived in the demon realm were killed or injured. In particular, in Liuyun City, where the incident occurred, apart from the initial message of seeking help, there was no further news.

Even the Grandmaster-level city-guarding cultivators were unable to escape Liuyun City.

In other cities, some people did not believe that the Demon Realm could expand so large and so quickly; others were reluctant to leave their homeland and believed that the Human Alliance must have a way, so they chose to stay in the city and hold on.

Only the elderly, women, and children, led by some cultivators, chose to flee beyond the demon realm. However, many of these people were unable to escape in time and were caught up by the demons, becoming their victims.

Most of the refugees who successfully escaped the demon realm are in Shuanghu City, as only Shuanghu City can accommodate so many refugees.

Most of these refugees who escaped from the demon realm were ordinary people. Even if they had travel money, they didn't have much, and it was difficult for them to find relatives to rely on in Shuanghu City.

They lacked food and clothing, were destitute and helpless, and most of them were physically weak, making it difficult for them to work and make a living.

Shuanghu City is the granary of Tianlan Province, but the city is also home to a garrison army, which incurs huge expenses every day. The relief grain that can be distributed to the disaster victims is very limited, and can only ensure that they do not starve to death to the greatest extent possible.

Wu Chang and his two companions walked through the city. He and An Rong possessed a divine destiny, making them appear like immortals to ordinary people. Although Eileen did not have a divine destiny, her temperament was even more ethereal than the two of them.

Such a combination appearing in Shuanghu City is beyond being described as merely outstanding; wherever they go, they instantly become the center of attention. Many disaster victims even kneel down and pray to them, begging them to drive out the demon race as soon as possible.

Eileen couldn't bear to watch, but there was nothing she could do.

She is the goddess of light and can be considered half a goddess of order, but she is not the goddess of land and harvest, and cannot conjure food to feed the refugees in the city and alleviate their hunger.

There's no way to bring their deceased loved ones back to life or soothe their grief.

She felt even more powerless in the face of the disaster victims than she had in Grimland.

Just then, Wu Chang grasped her hand.

Wu Chang calmly surveyed his surroundings and said to Eileen:

"As long as we can break free from the demon realm, everything will be alright."

An Rong, who was leading the way, noticed their movements and turned around to say:
"Madam Tang's concern for the common people is truly admirable. However, as Sect Leader Tang said, although we cannot relieve the suffering of the common people in the short term, we can prevent today's events from happening again after we break through the demon realm."

Wu Chang sensed that An Rong's words had a hidden meaning, so he asked;

"Brother An seems quite confident in completely breaking through the demon realm."

An Rong said, "I can't do it alone. If we have the help of Sect Leader Tang and Madam Tang, we might have a better chance."

As An Rong spoke, Wu Chang's title "Perfectionist" flashed, and the hints for hidden side quests appeared and disappeared in front of him.

In the past, his "Perfectionism" would always be triggered quickly when he entered a dungeon, but this time he had been in the world dungeon for almost two days and had encountered two hidden side quests in the dungeon, but "Perfectionism" still hadn't moved.

He initially thought his "perfectionist" reputation was ruined, but it turned out that An Rong, who possessed a hidden side quest, had been keeping it a secret and hadn't revealed it. He solemnly said:

“Those who cultivate themselves should be true to the path in their hearts. The path in my heart is to clear away the abnormalities in this world and restore it to its right track.”

"As long as it can help eliminate demons and uphold justice, I, Tang, will do my utmost to assist!"

An Rong's expression also became serious after hearing this, and he said:

"It's not the right time yet. I'll ask Sect Leader Tang to take action when the time is right."

Wu Chang frowned slightly, revealing a hint of displeasure, and said, "Young Brother An, you don't trust me, Tang?"

In the past, dungeon natives who could trigger "perfectionism" were not as fussy as An Rong when issuing quests.

Seeing this, An Rong quickly said, "I wouldn't dare. Everyone knows the integrity of Sect Leader Tang, how could I not believe him?"

"To be honest, the so-called 'the time is not right' has nothing to do with Sect Leader Tang. It's because I haven't fully grasped my destiny and don't know where to go next."

With An Rong's words, Wu Chang's reputation for being dazzling faded once again.

Wu Chang seemed to understand something; the hidden side quest given by An Rong should be related to the altar in Calabash Mountain.

An Rong must have seen something in it, and the scene he saw was related to his destiny with immortality, but he had not yet completed his destiny mission and could not understand its meaning.

Wu Chang sighed and asked:
"What opportunity is Brother An's destiny to become an immortal waiting for?"

An Rong said, "The Ziwei Exorcising Array is complete."

After hearing this, Wu Chang said, "Then I, Tang, will await news from Brother An."

An Rong said he wanted to ask Wu Chang and Ai Lin to visit the clinic that had taken him in before he left.

The renowned physician Li, who works at the clinic, has always admired the leader of the Tang Clan. He has praised Wu Chang to him more than once, and even said that all sects should emulate the Tang Clan.

Unfortunately, Doctor Li has never had the chance to meet Wu Chang, so this time he wants to invite Wu Chang back to meet his old fan.

Wu Chang naturally wouldn't refuse such a small matter. He and Eileen followed An Rong toward the center of Shuanghu City, where the clinic was located.

Shuanghu City has been transformed into a military fortress, with the central area of ​​the city vacated to accommodate cultivators from all over Daxuan, as well as the Demon-Slaying Army of the Human Alliance.

Unlike the desolate city outside, the city center was thriving, even more bustling than Zhenyue City, which was unaffected by the demon calamity.

Cultivators from all over gathered together to discuss, learn from, and exchange experiences in dealing with demons.

Upon seeing Wu Chang and the others appear, many young cultivators recognized An Rong. They seemed to be quite familiar with An Rong and, without any fear of the Earth Immortal's majesty, surrounded him with smiles, asking if An Rong would be giving a lecture this time.

An Rong said that time was tight and Zhen Yuecheng couldn't get away, so he gave a few casual pointers before continuing on with Wu Chang.

Wu Chang asked in confusion, "Where do these cultivators come from?"

An Rong's description of languor and slow pace was something he hadn't sensed in Shuanghu City, but he could clearly feel it from the cultivators he had just encountered.

An Rong explained:
"Most of them are core disciples of various sects. Every time they fail the test in the Immortal Mansion, they come to Shuanghu City to kill demons."

Wu Chang recalled everyone's expressions and said:

"They don't look like cultivators who frequently fight against demons."

As the leader of the Tang Clan, he had fought almost all the sect's cultivators to the death. No one knew better than him what cultivators who fought against demons year after year looked like.

The group of cultivators lacked not only killing intent but also any sense of tension; anyone who didn't know better would have thought they were on a study tour.

An Rong understood Wu Chang's meaning, and he said:
“They do not fight the demons head-on. Usually, when the demons attack the city, they fight the demon-slaying army defending the city. When the demons’ offensive weakens and the demons responsible for attacking the city are injured and ready to escape, they will then attack from the flanks to finish off the demons.”

Wu Chang asked, "Are they after military merits?"

An Rong shook his head and said, "It's not about military achievements, but about killing demons."

"Even before the seven array eyes were activated, the Ziwei Exorcising Array was only in its embryonic form, but it was already able to exert some of its effects."

"As one of the key points of the great formation, Shuanghu City killed a large number of demons. The demonic energy of the dead demons will directly transform into spiritual energy and flow into the bodies of all cultivators on the battlefield."

“Each time we defend the city, the spiritual energy we obtain from the demons is equivalent to several months of their arduous cultivation.”

An Rong paused for a moment and said:
"I used to think it was compensation for the protectors of the Dao after the fate of humanity triumphed over the fate of the demonic path. But now it only reminds me of..."

Wu Chang said, "It's a ritual to worship Heaven."

An Rong nodded and said, "That's right."

Eliminating calamities and transforming disastrous influences into auspicious omens is clearly a means of a ritual to worship Heaven.

No wonder those core disciples of major sects are willing to waste time guarding Shuanghu City; it turns out they use it as a training ground.

These core disciples possess high cultivation levels and excellent magical artifacts, making it easy for them to hunt down fleeing demons. The spiritual energy generated from killing demons is also shared with the Demon-Slaying Army, which thus tolerates and even encourages their actions.

Wu Chang recalled the scene he had seen at the altar of the Heavenly Sacrifice, where the calamity of the Heavenly Sacrifice was transformed into auspiciousness. Of the auspiciousness, 30% surged into the high mountains where the hidden sects were located, 30% fell into the magnificent city, and 30% was absorbed by the altar of the Heavenly Sacrifice.

The last portion was distributed throughout the world.

Whether it is the Four Calamities or the Demon Calamity, it is a disaster for ordinary people, but an opportunity for some.

Guided by An Rong, they arrived at a clinic with three characters written on its signboard: Ji'an Hall.

The owner of the clinic is Li Kang, the second elder of Renxin Pavilion who adopted and taught An Rong.

When spiritual energy revived, Li Kang was already nearly seventy years old. Even after he began cultivating, he was unable to regain his youth and still looked like an old man. However, compared to ordinary old men, his eyes were clear and bright, full of divine light.

When they arrived, there were three young monks inside the shop, talking to Li Kang.

Upon seeing An Rong enter, the three cultivators immediately fell silent, looking at him awkwardly.

Li Kang scoffed dismissively and said, "The main character has arrived, so why is everyone mute?"

The three cultivators bowed to An Rong, then hurriedly ran away with their heads down.

An Rong first introduced Wu Chang and Eileen to Li Kang. The reputation of the Tang Clan leader in the cultivation world is polarized. Those who dislike him think he is hopelessly stupid, while those who like him admire him greatly for his chivalrous spirit.

Li Kang belonged to the latter group. Upon learning Wu Chang's identity, he immediately took out his treasured spiritual tea and offered it to Wu Chang as a toast instead of wine.

While making tea, An Rong asked:

"What did those three little guys do to upset Uncle Li?"

Mentioning the three of them, Li Kang became furious and said:
“Those three good-for-nothings are spoiled rotten by my senior brother, the sect leader. They’ve hit a bottleneck in their cultivation, and instead of working hard to improve, they want me to ask you to go to the Demon Realm and lure a large number of demons to attack the city, so that they can break through before they attack the Demon Realm.”

"If you had arrived even a moment later, I would have broken their legs."

An Rong shook his head slightly after hearing this and said:
"Li Bomo, I will not agree to their request. Breaking through in this way would only harm them."

Li Kang snorted coldly and said:

"They wouldn't dare approach you directly, but they'd probably find someone else to do it. And they're not the only fools with such thoughts. If you see them committing evil, don't hold back."

"Fortunately, I was the one who taught Zhihan back then. If she had stayed in the sect, she would probably have been ruined by them."

Li Kang brewed tea for everyone, then looked at An Rong and said:
"Boy, you came back this time not just to fulfill my wish and meet the Tang Clan Master, right?"

"I can tell you have something on your mind. Just say what it is. Headmaster Tang has other things to do, so don't waste any more time."

An Rong smiled and said frankly:
“I knew I couldn’t hide it from Uncle Li. I really do have something I’d like to hear your advice on when I come back this time.”

“I want to do something that I think is right, but I’m not sure what the consequences will be. I only know that it might hurt some people, including those I don’t want to hurt, so I’m hesitant.”

"I would like to know……"

Li Kang raised his hand to interrupt An Rong, and asked:
"Tell me, did you do this out of self-interest, and do you have a clear conscience?"

An Rong said, "I did not do it for personal gain, and I have a clear conscience."

Li Kang laughed and said, "Then go ahead and do it. You are my apprentice, and I believe you will be right."

(End of this chapter)