Shushan: Extinction

Chapter 279 The Immortal Made Me Kneel and Cry, I Invited the Immortal to Taste Mushrooms

"Resistance is pointless; just accept your fate of being absorbed!"

Dongjun's voice acted directly into Gong Tianwu's ears, like a soul-stealing demonic sound.

However, at this moment, Gong Tianwu, whose face was bleeding, suddenly looked up and grinned at Dongjun. His smile looked ferocious and terrifying, but it also had a kind of madness and triumph!

Have you ever witnessed the explosion of a thousand suns?

A sudden, indescribable sense of foreboding welled up in Dongjun's heart.

The next second, a small box suddenly appeared in front of Gong Tianwu.

The box shattered instantly, and a three-meter-tall elliptical mirror slowly formed in the air.

The mirror shimmered with a strange blue-white light, its surface rippling with light waves. Inside, it seemed like a deep void, with countless tiny points of light faintly visible, twinkling like stars.

This is the Golden Jade Chest!! A powerful item that can store an attack and then replicate it when needed.

Within the void inside the mirror of light, a destructive light, not belonging to this world, suddenly burst forth!

That was the most insane creation of human civilization, the ultimate roar of steel and radiation—that was a nuclear explosion!!
What Gong Tianwu obtained on Earth was actually an AIR-2A air-to-air nuclear missile, also known as the Monster Nuclear Missile!

The temperature of tens of millions of degrees was instantly ignited in a fraction of a second, and the blazing white fireball opened like the eye of divine punishment, engulfing the area within a radius of ten miles.

A mushroom cloud rose from the ground, a column of black smoke carrying the embers of destruction soaring into the sky. The cloud tops churned and rolled, forming a deathly crown that blotted out the sun.

Dark red flames flowed through the clouds, like the gates of hell opened. Radioactive dust fell like snowflakes, shimmering with an eerie blue light in the scorching air.

Before the pure annihilation of matter, Dongjun's imperial flames were as brittle as paper, instantly vaporizing. The shockwave exploded in a ring, tearing the ashen cloud swamp into a vacuum, and the jade floating island melted and collapsed like wax.

The entire decaying Taixu Realm trembled under this terrifying power.

Xu Feiniang didn't even have time to scream before she was reduced to ashes in the bright light. Even a Nascent Soul body is nothing under the tens of millions of degrees of heat of a nuclear explosion!
The flesh and blood of the Zhushan Sect Leader carbonized and disintegrated, leaving only half of his charred bones falling from the sky.

Those disciples were instantly vaporized, their traces between heaven and earth wiped away in an instant.

The Golden Jade Chest certainly has the ability to protect the one who releases it.

Even so, Gong Tianwu staggered backward, most of his robes burned, his skin cracked and bleeding, yet he laughed wildly as he retreated rapidly, watching the dark mushroom cloud pierce the sky—

The air smelled terrible; it was a burnt metallic odor mixed with the pungent, fishy smell of ionized air. Gong Tianwu felt as if he were inhaling red-hot iron filings with every breath he took.

Even his exposed skin began to fester, yet he remained fixed on the cloud of god-slaying power—the fire of a mortal slaying a god!

Not long after Dongjun's incarnation vanished, the dimensional portal opened, and Gong Tianwu flew over with difficulty. He only felt a blur before his eyes and found himself back in the Ancestral Hall of Zhushan, where he fell to the ground in a sorry state.

Seeing his trusted subordinates running towards him, Gong Tianwu felt a sense of relief and immediately fainted.

***
The Great Qian Dynasty launched a surprise attack, feinting to the east while striking in the west.

The Zhushan Sect was razed to the ground, and the surrounding three kingdoms were also conquered in the process.

The world is shocked!

In Jidu, a complex of pavilions was specially built next to the Zangdao Tower, with a magnificent and splendid tower in the center that would shine brightly at night and be visible from over a hundred miles away.

This tower is named Pingtian.

It has also become a landmark building in Jidu.

Importantly, the complex of buildings beneath the Pingtian Tower was named the "Hall of Glory".

It's basically a place to collect and display your spoils.

The problem is that what the Great Qian Empire is showing off are the spoils of war obtained in its war with the Immortal Sect.

When the Hall of Glory first opened, the three most eye-catching items in its collection were:

The Hundred Spirits Immortal-Slaying Sword
Tian Sun Jin (damaged)

Thousand-year-old dragon bamboo!

Of these three items, the Hundred Spirits Immortal-Slaying Sword was intact, clearly a powerful treasure surpassing even celestial artifacts.

The Heavenly Grandson Brocade (damaged) was used by Xu Feiniang to withstand the nuclear explosion, so it was in terrible condition, but you can still vaguely see the original appearance of this treasure from its shape.

As for the Thousand-Year Dragon Bamboo, it is implicitly regarded as the symbol of the Bamboo Mountain School, similar to the Welcoming Pine of Mount Hua, the Golden Summit of Mount Emei, and the Leshan Giant Buddha. It is something that everyone knows and is familiar with.

Moreover, there are more than twenty relics and magical artifacts of the Zhushan Sect cultivators displayed here as a testament to the illustrious martial prowess of the Great Qian Empire.

Following this, the Great Qian Empire announced that it would carry out a formal large-scale development of Dushan, which was previously occupied by the Zhushan Sect. The first phase of the project was called Tomson Riviera, and it was expected that ninety-nine cultivation caves would be developed there, which could be rented or sold.

This news was like a bomb, causing a huge uproar in the cultivation world.

Do you want to know why the Zhushan Sect has occupied Dushan for hundreds of years?

This is because this place is home to the Earth Emerging Spiritual Vein, which is known as the fourth largest spiritual vein in the world!

This spiritual vein not only emanates extremely pure spiritual energy, but it is also considered top-tier in this world.

What's even more unique is that every two or three days, the spiritual energy emanating from this vein takes on a distinctive golden hue and forms illusions of golden lotuses.

This burst of energy can last from the time it takes to drink a cup of tea to an hour. If you cultivate diligently during this burst, it can be equivalent to a month of cultivation at an ordinary spiritual vein.

Now, judging from the Great Qian Empire's intentions, such a precious resource is actually going to be opened up and shared?
In this situation, while a large number of cultivation sects were complaining about its name, they all began to inquire about related matters.

Soon, the posted yellow notices, as well as the newspapers and periodicals published within the Great Qian territory, gave a very clear response:
Of the ninety-nine cultivation caves developed this time, only nine will be sold, while the remaining ninety will be available for long-term rental.

Renting requires two things:
The cost of the God of Wealth silver coins and merit tokens is calculated based on the length of the rental period.

If purchases are required, two items will be needed:

Silver coins for the God of Wealth and golden merit tokens.

The Golden Merit Token is a newly introduced item, issued personally by His Majesty the Emperor, and can only be used by those who have made great contributions to the Empire.

As soon as this news came out, eight cultivation sects quickly submitted to the Great Qian Dynasty:
Some of these sects were located very close to the border of the Great Qian Empire and feared becoming the next target of annihilation.

Some were naturally drawn to the abundant resources of the Great Qian Empire—at this time, the cultivation world generally regarded the Great Qian Empire as a major sect. Since they had already knelt before Emei, Qingcheng, and the Blood God Sect, kneeling before the Great Qian Empire didn't seem like an insurmountable obstacle.

****
Three months later,
Gong Tianwu came to Dushan again.

His face was still somewhat pale, after all, he had also been one of those who had experienced the nuclear explosion at close range.

Although the Golden Jade Box would protect the user and absorb most of the damage, the nuclear radiation still gave Gong Tianwu a severe dose.

Fortunately, he was already at the peak of the Foundation Establishment stage, and the entire nation was able to support him, so he had recovered to about 70-80% of his original strength.

This time, Gong Tianwu's return to Dushan was not because he had forgotten the pain of the past and wanted to test whether there was a trap set by Dongjun. Rather, it was because the Construction Bureau, which was in charge of developing the area, had discovered a secret room during the development process.

And there are some truly astonishing things in this.

After two personal visits by the monk Guangxiao, it can be basically confirmed that the owner of this secret room is Xie Tianyuan, who served as the leader of the Zhushan Sect for a full sixty years, and is now known as Dongjun!

Moreover, this place was surveyed by several experts in formations, who confirmed that there were no traps there before reporting to Gong Tianwu, believing that there were things he needed to see for himself.

So Gong Tianwu readily agreed and came here again.

Although only three months have passed, this place is completely different from what Gong Tianwu remembers.

The once vast bamboo forest has vanished, because these bamboos were exotic species sought out by the Bamboo Mountain Sect, major users of spiritual energy.

Of course, according to the plan, exotic flowers and rare herbs will be planted here in the future to ensure that there are unique beautiful views in all four seasons.

Meanwhile, it can be seen that the southwest of Dushan has become a large construction site, occupying about one-fifth of the area of ​​Dushan.

The terrain here has been significantly altered, transformed into a series of well-arranged platforms.
Upon closer inspection, most of the platforms are under construction, with only a small section of the "model rooms" that were completed earlier already taking shape.

Cultivators have already come to visit in twos and threes.

As you can see, where the sunlight pours in, a sky-blue pavilion hangs between the cliffs—its architectural style inherits the ethereal charm of "simplicity is the ultimate sophistication".

The eaves are outlined with gilded lines, resembling flying swords soaring in the sky, with jade bells at the ends, whose clear sounds cleanse the mind when the wind blows; the exterior is inlaid with sky-blue glazed tiles, which are inspired by "the sky clears after the rain and the clouds break", blending with the spiritual energy of the mountains like flowing mist.

The three cave dwellings are arranged in a "品" shape according to the mountain's terrain, which secretly corresponds to the key point of the Three Powers Formation.

The front yard is planted with Scrophularia ningpoensis and Orchid in the Moon Shadow, connected by a white jade stone path;
The backyard was carved through the mountainside, with the entrance sealed with black iron, and the lintel engraved with the "wind-avoidance" pattern—this was a spirit-protecting array, with square openwork to draw in the wind and gather energy, and gilded edges to suppress evil spirits.

Nearby, an artificial waterfall plunges into a cold pool, where water mist condenses into a rainbow bridge, and wandering monks ride cranes through it, their robes fluttering like clouds rolling and unfolding.

Witnessing all this, Gong Tianwu nodded slightly and said to the deputy director of the Construction Department who was in charge of the project:

"well done."

The deputy director was immediately overjoyed. Then, the monk Guangxiao waved for him to leave and led Gong Tianwu to a construction site that was heavily surrounded.

As can be seen, this should be a large-scale quarry, which should have been built using local materials. Of course, construction has stopped here, and it still retains its appearance from when it was mined.

Deep inside the quarry, a large rock collapsed, revealing a crevice in the mountain that looked only about half a person's height.

The advance guards slipped in, while Gong Tianwu stood before the crevice, seemingly deep in thought, but actually contacting Kang:

Is there a trap here?

Kang immediately replied:

"No."

Gong Tianwu said:

"you sure?"

Kang solemnly said:
"Last time, the main cauldron's spirit tried to devour me, but you forcibly interrupted it by using the Golden Jade Chest, destroying Dongjun's clone and also severely damaging the main cauldron's spirit."

"I seized the opportunity to launch a counterattack, and devoured a part of the main cauldron's spirit. Although my power is still not as great as its, the strength of both sides is now roughly equal, and it can no longer hide what it is planning from me."

Gong Tianwu let out a long breath and said:
"That's really good news."

Kangdao:

"In addition, all my abilities have been enhanced. For example, you can now travel back to Earth in your soul form every now and then. At that time, your body here will be in a dormant state, so you must make proper arrangements."

Gong Tianwu nodded and said:
"That's for the best. I was just wondering how to recharge the Golden Jade Chest."

Kangdao:

"Not only that, but for a fee of 10 causal points, you can also bring your subordinates to Earth—of course, through soul-transmigration."

Gong Tianwu's spirits lifted and he said:

"Oh? That would be even better."

***
After confirming that there were no traps, Gong Tianwu entered and found himself in a deep and long passage. "We have already checked, and the entrance to this secret passage is in the Ancestral Hall at the top of the mountain."

Filial piety.

Hasar, the leader of the Unleashed Guard standing nearby, added:

"To open the entrance to the secret passage through normal means, we must use the special magic weapon of the Bamboo Mountain Sect leader: the Nine-Section Spotted Bamboo Talisman. Since Xie Tianyuan's ascension, no one in the Bamboo Mountain Sect has been able to successfully refine this item."

Gong Tianwu nodded slightly, and then the group continued forward. After walking about fifty or sixty meters, they suddenly discovered a giant gate in front of them.

This massive gate, deeply embedded in the mountainside, is covered with dark green rust spots, which have accumulated a thick layer underneath, like the rotting skin shed by a giant python.

The door knocker was made of two dragon heads holding a lock. The spirit stones embedded in their eyes had long been exhausted, leaving only dark holes staring into the void. A group of Wulou Guards stepped forward and pushed it open with their strength.

When the door was pushed open, the hinges hissed like the dying roar of a dragon, and dust billowed up, tumbling like living things in the dim light filtering through the door.

After a while, the group went inside and found that the space was not large, at most a one-bedroom apartment.

A musty smell permeated the air, and stalactites hanging from the dome dripped with pale blue water droplets, a process that had continued for centuries, carving bowl-sized pits into the blue bricks.

The furniture inside had long since rotted and collapsed, with only the pearls on the walls still emitting a faint glow. Given the previous trap, every inch of this place had been carefully inspected by multiple people, so Gong Tianwu confidently examined it.

Then he came to the front of a stone wall next to him.

As you can see, the stone wall is very smooth and flat, but now it is covered with very messy writing and patterns, as if someone is calculating something, but the calculation is stopped halfway through.

In addition, he also wrote a poem:

His body was encased in the deep furnace of lead and mercury.
Why not transform true fire into yin?

The Dao has always been profound and mysterious.
How can one's heart be tempered by worldly desires?

Gong Tianwu squinted and observed carefully for a while, then looked at another stone wall. What he saw there caused a great stir in his heart:

The first thing Gong Tianwu saw was a hastily drawn pattern.

An oval shape was covered by a square shape.

The key point is that the words "Dongxiao" are engraved inside this oval-shaped thing.

Next to the square object were three more characters: Soul Refining Mirror.

Immediately afterwards, Gong Tianwu saw another line of text beside him:

The Dongxiao massacre required the sacrifice of at least half of the beings in this world, otherwise...
Next to it were several rows of even more illegible writing.

Five major calamities:

Drought: The land is parched for thousands of miles, wells and springs have dried up, drought demons wreak havoc, people lack water, cries of sorrow fill the air, no rain for three years, internal strife breaks out among the human race, and demons eat people.

Plague: A sudden epidemic breaks out, miasma spreads, nine out of ten houses are empty, and the whole village is filled with grief. Seven plagues descend upon the world, reaping lives! (The seven plagues are: smallpox plague, bubonic plague, malignant plague, black plague, leprosy plague, dysentery plague, and malaria plague)

Earthquake: The earth shook violently, the sound was like ten thousand horses galloping, mountains and rivers changed their appearance, cities were reduced to ruins, people were displaced, and bones filled the fields. The severity of the earthquake was unprecedented. There were four earthquakes in one year, and seven consecutive years of earthquakes.

Cold: The harsh winter rages, the land is covered in ice and snow, birds have vanished, beasts have disappeared, houses are dilapidated, and corpses of the starving fill the roads. The tragedy of the cold disaster is a sorrow shared by heaven and earth.

Demons: A sudden demonic calamity has arisen, ghosts and demons are rampant, cities are collapsing, and the common people are suffering!
Looking at these things, Gong Tianwu took a deep breath and then exhaled.

This scene is truly horrifying!
He closed his eyes and after a while said:

"Grand Preceptor, when you met Xie Tianyuan, he wasn't a cultivator yet, was he?"

Filial piety:
"of course not."

Gong Tianwu said:

“From that time on, he had a plan to exterminate you. You were unaware of it at the time and were killed as a result.”

Filial piety:
"Yes."

Gong Tianwu said:

"Now it seems that his plan to exterminate the Eastern Heaven Realm was not a spur-of-the-moment decision, but rather something that was born a long, long time ago."

Guangxiao was silent for a moment before saying:
"He's very good at hiding it."

Gong Tianwu said meaningfully:
"It now seems that the road ahead is full of thorns, and we have a long way to go."

Guangxiao said calmly:

"I can only devote myself to the cause until my dying breath."

Gong Tianwu said, word by word:
"It's fine to dedicate oneself to the cause, but everyone should live well and not die."

***
Three years later,
Jidu

Under the bright sunshine, the waters of Leiheze were calm, and many tourist boats were boating on the lake.

This scene is commonplace, but beneath the boats on the lake, there are eerie black shadows moving about. The enormous figures are terrifying, yet the tourists show no fear whatsoever.

These aquatic demons had been pulling boats on Leiheze for over a year, essentially exchanging their labor for payment, which initially caused a sensation throughout the world.

This is also closely related to the national policy of the Great Qian Empire. The emperor issued an edict three years ago:
All living beings under heaven who possess intelligence and are willing to abide by the laws of the Great Qian Empire, even those who have committed sins in the past, can pay a fine to settle their affairs and will be treated equally after joining the empire.

Since then, a few demons have come to the Hidden Dao Tower out of curiosity.

Soon, two unknown little demons won the prize and their cultivation advanced by leaps and bounds.

One of the little demons is a spider demon named Zhu Qiqi.

One of the little demons is a dog spirit named Hua Manlou.

Last year, an even more astonishing piece of news spread throughout the land: the infamous and notorious Qing Shi Rong Jian, who was rumored to be utterly wicked, had actually agreed to join the Great Qian Dynasty and was living in seclusion near Lei He Ze.

This year, many demons have entered the Great Qian Dynasty to take up various positions.

For example, the dragon and snake demons began to emerge in the Water Conservancy Bureau.

For example, the bird-like demon race performs exceptionally well in rapid message delivery and transportation.

Animals like cattle, rhinoceroses, and pigs, which possess innate abilities related to earth, have a unique potential in construction and building.

At the same time, the imperial court established a special "Suppressing Evil Office" directly under the jurisdiction of Guangxiao Seng, specifically for punishing those who deliberately instigate conflicts between humans and demons within the empire, as well as those who engage in racial discrimination.

Furthermore, the Zhenyi Division wielded immense power, directly using severe punishments to severely punish a group of people, including even more than a dozen members of the Wulou Guard.

Of course, monsters that run rampant among humans and commit crimes will also be dealt with severely.

Not only that, but last year, Gong Tianwu directly married the spider demon Zhu Qiqi as his concubine, which shocked the empire! As the saying goes, what the superiors do, the inferiors follow suit, which accelerated the process of those demons who were willing to submit integrating into the empire.

It was only because Gong Tianwu was the founding emperor, possessing supreme authority among his ministers, and had a powerful prime minister like Guangxiao Seng as his assistant, that these policies were able to be implemented. If someone else had been in charge, there would have been no shortage of chaos.

At this moment, at the top of the Pingtian Tower, Gong Tianwu was also silently observing the harmonious coexistence of humans and demons below, when he suddenly said to the person beside him:
"There seem to be a lot of people at the Hall of Glory today."

At this moment, Xu Runping (template Zhao Pu), who was standing nearby, immediately replied:

"Your Majesty, today the Hall of Glory is officially displaying the spoils of war from the Qingcheng Sect, including the broken sword of the Heavenly Capital Sword, the Haotian Mirror, the Doushuai Fire, and so on, which is why there are so many visitors."

In the past three years, the Great Qian Empire has not stopped its expansion. The destruction of the Zhushan Sect and the killing of immortals like Xu Feiniang have directly terrified many immortal sects, who have flocked to join them.

Of course, there are definitely some sects that don't know how to be worthy of respect. Among them, the Qingcheng Sect is the most high-profile, simply because they possess the Haotian Mirror, which is very effective against Yuan Magnetic Divine Light, and they have also set up corresponding formations to counter it.

It's a pity that Gong Tianwu wasn't even present when they attacked the Qingcheng Sect last year!
Despite the fact that evil sects such as Emei, Blood God Sect, and even Baiman Mountain came to support them with a common hatred, a large number of cultivators and demons have appeared in the army of Daqian this time!

This great war lasted for more than half a year. This was because Gong Tianwu did not want to suffer too many casualties, so he chose a protracted war, eventually exhausting the enemy country's mortal army little by little.

Without soldiers armed with inscriptions to provide support at the front, the remaining cultivators were unable to hold out on their own, and the final result was that the gates of Qingcheng Mountain were breached.

Upon hearing Xu Runping's reply, Gong Tianwu nodded, then said to Jing Yunzi beside him:
"How is the magic array being prepared?"

Jing Yunzi nodded and said:
"Everything is ready."

Yes, this Jingyunzi is the same Jingyunzi from the Great Snow Mountain. In her previous lives, she had many dealings with Gong Tianwu and had a very eccentric personality.

Later, Gong Tianwu learned that his fate had been full of twists and turns, and that he had experienced several tragedies in his life before he became like this.

However, the sudden emergence of Gong Tianwu in this life also changed Jing Yunzi's fate, preventing several of the tragic events that had befallen him from happening, and causing Jing Yunzi's loyalty to skyrocket.

Today, with the abundant resources poured into him, Jing Yunzi is the foremost array master in the entire Eastern Sky Realm.

Gong Tianwu then said:
"We are now at the highest point within a hundred miles. The Master is also ready. Let's begin at noon."

Xu Runping said:

"So, should we call the accompanying personnel in now?"

Gong Tianwu nodded. This was a matter of great importance, and he needed to confirm it with his own eyes before he could feel at ease.

Soon, a graceful young woman walked in, smiling sweetly, and bowed gracefully to Gong Tianwu.

Gong Tianwu then activated his ability to judge people. The first thing he looked at was her loyalty, and after discovering that it was as high as 98 points, he nodded in satisfaction.

Name: Hu Shuang

Race: Celestial Fox

Taoist practice: 200 years

Special skills: Proficient in charm, mind reading, and illusion.

Next to enter was a seemingly ordinary man named Deng Wen, who was also a cultivator with exceptional loyalty and profound knowledge of the soul.

Seeing that the time was approaching, Gong Tianwu and the two of them went to the quiet room next door and quietly lay down on the cold jade bed.

  The area was now completely filled with guards without any gaps in their ranks, and their loyalty had all been screened, with all of them having a maximum value of 100.

With Kang's strength increasing once again, Gong Tianwu now plans to do something even more astonishing: take his subordinates on a soul-transmigration trip to Earth, and then bring them back!
After careful analysis, Kang felt that this was theoretically achievable, but it would require the assistance of a corresponding teleportation array.

To put it simply:
At this moment, Kang is like a powerful motorboat, but there is only one seat on it for Gong Tianwu. It can easily travel back and forth across the Yangtze River hundreds of times without any problem.

Therefore, it wouldn't be a big problem to attach a simple wooden raft to the back of a motorboat, or even toss a few sturdy ropes to the motorboat, and take a few people across the Yangtze River.

Hanging the raft and tying the rope obviously don't require much technical skill.

At this moment, what Jingyunzi was doing was adding more wooden rafts or tying more ropes.

And now, it's time for them to try it for the first time.

(End of this chapter)