Yefutidaolu

Chapter 350 Unexpected Changes in the Situation

There was a soft sound, like a bubble bursting.

The fluid within the man's body, representing the harvest of the living soul pasture, suddenly contracted, as if a power source had been forcibly cut off, rapidly receding and disappearing.

The terrifying fluid disappeared like the receding tide, and the skin, muscles, and bones regained their solid texture.

The man's body went limp, collapsing to the ground like a lump of mud. His eyes rolled back, he foamed at the mouth, and his body continued to twitch unconsciously. He was clearly in great pain, but at least... he was still alive.

Xia Youdu's figure appeared like a ghost in the shadows at the alley entrance, her face blank.

why?
Why save him? An insignificant ant who has nothing to do with her?

Perhaps it was her eyes. Just before the other person disappeared, those eyes, like a mirror, suddenly reflected the unfathomable abyss of fear in her heart when she was abandoned by her master and given to Gao Jian as an object. Weren't she and he just "consumables" that could be sacrificed at any time in the eyes of a more powerful being?

she does not know.

Her heart was in turmoil, like a tangled mess of yarn.

Looking at the unconscious, convulsing man on the ground, with the jade hairpin from his own hair stuck in his chest, who could die at any moment.

The confusion overwhelmed that insignificant sense of shared misfortune.

Almost instinctively, she waved her hand, and the jade hairpin stuck in the man's chest transformed into a streak of black light and flew back into her sleeve.

But after thinking about it for a moment, she threw the jade hairpin down.

This thing... is quite valuable.

In the cold alley, only the unconscious man remained, his body twitching occasionally.

Xia Youdu couldn't care less about what happened after that.

As Xia Youdu walked through the darkness of the alley, the lingering sense of bewilderment in her heart had not yet subsided—

"I'm so sorry for not greeting you properly, Senior Sister!"

A slightly panicked voice rang out from not far behind him.

Xia Youdu turned around abruptly, her icy gaze sweeping over. She saw a middle-aged man dressed in a gray-black robe embroidered with strange beast patterns, bowing deeply with utmost humility.

He had a black beast-head token hanging from his waist, and he was the "shepherd" in charge of harvesting the souls in this area. He had obviously sensed that something had happened here, which was why he rushed over.

A fine layer of cold sweat beaded on the shepherd's forehead. He lowered his head even further, not daring to look Xia Youdu in the eye. His tone was full of confusion and trepidation: "I didn't know Senior Sister was coming, and I haven't been able to greet you properly. Please forgive me! But..."

He glanced quickly at Li Si, who lay unconscious and barely breathing in the alley, his voice filled with confusion, "Senior Sister... has she taken a liking to this soul? This soul's resentment is pure, and its quality is acceptable; it's indeed good 'feeding.' But I don't know why Senior Sister... wants to interrupt the harvesting process? If needed, I will immediately extract and seal its soul, and offer it to you with both hands!"

His words were extremely respectful, yet they carried a chilling indifference.

In his eyes, Li Si was not someone who had just struggled on the brink of life and death, but merely a "feed" whose quality had been assessed.

The only reasonable explanation for interrupting the harvest is that a higher-level being has taken a liking to this "material".

Looking at the shepherd in front of her, who was so fearful and treated human life as a mere commodity, Xia Youdu felt a surge of complex emotions welling up in her chest.

This kind of awe, this attitude of taking the power of life and death for granted, was something she had once been so familiar with, even...enjoyed.

As a true disciple, she could decide the life and death of countless low-level cultivators like the shepherd in front of her, or even the mortals of the entire city, with just a single word.

Her will is the ironclad rule that lower-ranking disciples must follow.

but now……

Even though she was a highly respected disciple, she was merely a "gift" casually given away by the ancestor, a sacrifice who couldn't even control her own destiny.

The shepherd's respect before her was like a cold mirror, reflecting her past arrogance and also highlighting her current humiliation and irony.

"It's nothing." Xia Youdu's voice was unusually dry, carrying a weariness and detachment that she herself was unaware of. "Stay away from me, don't worry about it."

She was too lazy to explain, nor did she need to.

Upon hearing this, the shepherd trembled violently and lowered his head even further: "Yes! It was my fault for being so blind! I disturbed Senior Sister's meditation!"

He dared not have the slightest doubt.

If Senior Sister Xia says not to worry about it, then don't worry about it.

How could a mere shepherd dare to interfere with the actions of a true disciple? The Netherworld is strictly hierarchical, with rules as ironclad as nails. A being of Xia Youdu's caliber could kill him without a trace, or even just by looking at him with displeasure, with his soul to be cast into the Soul Refining Furnace for eternal torment, with a single thought or glance from him.

This fear was etched into the very marrow of every low-level cultivator.

"Go down." Xia Youdu waved her hand, her movements carrying a hint of barely perceptible annoyance.

"Yes! Your subordinate takes his leave!" The shepherd felt as if he had been granted a pardon. He bowed and retreated as quickly as if avoiding a plague. He disappeared into the depths of the alley in a few flashes, as if he had never been there.

In the cold alley, only Xia Youdu and the unconscious Li Si remained. The shepherd's fear receded, but it weighed heavily on Xia Youdu's heart like a stone.

Previously, she had only enjoyed the supreme power and convenience brought by this rigid system. She was used to the awe, fear, and obedience of others, considering it a matter of course. But now, when she herself had become the other party, a "pawn" to be discarded at will by those in power, facing this deep-seated respect based on absolute power disparity, she couldn't help but feel a suffocating sense of bewilderment and...absurdity.

What could she say? What could she possibly say? Accuse the shepherd of disregarding human life? But how much less blood did she have on her own hands than the shepherd? She felt at ease enjoying the benefits, yet felt uneasy when she fell? That was utterly ridiculous.

Regardless, Xia Youdu herself is not hypocritical.

So... why did she just save this mortal named Li Si?
Xia Youdu looked down at her pale fingers. The cool touch of the magic she had been using still seemed to linger on her fingertips.

do not know.

The answer resurfaced in my mind, accompanied by an even deeper sense of powerlessness.

Perhaps it's because we share the same plight.

The man's heavy, suffocating weariness and resentment, that despair crushed by life, reminded her of her own current state—the feeling of being overwhelmed by sect rules, the ancestor's will, and the infighting among fellow disciples, yet even resentment seemed powerless. Her cage was gilded and inlaid with jade, while his was dilapidated and filthy, but the essential sense of suffocation was remarkably similar.
Or was it because of Gao Jian's cold "Look at the difference"? Did she subconsciously want to prove that she was different from these "materials"? Did she have the ability to defy this rule? Even for just a moment?

Looking at the extreme fear of complete annihilation that burst forth in Li Si's eyes before he collapsed, she saw in herself the bottomless abyss of fear she felt when she was abandoned by her master and treated as a gift.

They are all objects to be manipulated at will by a more powerful force.

Li Si's prison was a dilapidated brick kiln and a life of despair; her prison was a magnificent cave dwelling and a twisted sect. But how similar were they, both deprived of their right to choose and treated as expendable commodities? She didn't know.

My thoughts are in complete chaos.

So, you've got a brilliant idea... Did you bring her here just for this?
Xia Youdu walked out of the dark alley and rejoined the false, bustling crowd of people in Anpingli at dusk. She wandered aimlessly, like a lost soul.

Was it to let her see the truth of the netherworld? To see that she herself was no different from these "materials"? To see the cruelty of this "great cause of earth immortals" built on endless sacrifice?

Or... to let her experience the confusion of whether to save or not? To let her see the contradiction in her own heart?

Or perhaps, Gao Jian hadn't thought that far ahead at all? He merely offered a casual remark, like dropping a pebble into a still lake, letting it create ripples in her lifeless heart. As for how those ripples would spread, he didn't care at all.

Looking at the crowds walking on both sides of the street, at those faces living normal lives, Xia Youdu felt a sense of bewilderment she had never felt before.

She saved Li Si, but what then? What could she change? Li Si would still die, perhaps even more painfully. She herself was barely able to save herself; what could she possibly use to fight against this all-encompassing darkness?

The image of Gao Jian, the ordinary profile of him reading in the library in her memory, and his cold words when he left, "Go and see the Living Soul Ranch," intertwined repeatedly.

She didn't know what Gao Jian wanted to do.

She didn't know what she should do.

She didn't even know why she was saving that person.

Xia Youdu walked on, mingling in the numb crowd, like a ghost that couldn't find its way home, feeling lost and helpless.

As night fell, the false lights, symbolizing stability, lit up one after another behind her, but they could not dispel even the slightest chill and confusion in her heart.

"never mind……"

A voice echoed in her heart, carrying a sense of utter surrender.

Like the last thought that flashed through Li Si's mind.

She stopped thinking about why, the consequences, her brilliant ideas, and even the ordinary person she had casually saved and then casually abandoned in the alley.

She just wanted to find a place to stay quietly, to do nothing and think nothing, to let this chaotic world disappear from her sight for a while.

She left the official road and plunged into the cold wilderness outside the city, finding a place to sit.

Thinking? Acting? Meaning? It's all too tiring.

She chose the most radical way to deal with it—to give up.

----------

Seven days later, in the Sutra Repository, Gao Jian closed the last jade slip in his hand, which contained the "Reversal of the Spiritual Pivot".

The warm luster of the jade slip reflected on his slightly pale face. For seven consecutive days, he had been working tirelessly, focusing his mind on absorbing, dissecting, and integrating the profound methods and ideas of the Netherworld. Even he felt waves of exhaustion emanating from the depths of his soul.

He rubbed his throbbing temples. The library was vast and complex; it was impossible to explore it all in just seven days.

What he sought was not everything; in any case... at least what was needed for the current plan had been read through.

He did not use the mysterious "rusty knife" or the power to purify his mind's lake. He relied entirely on his monstrous comprehension and deductive abilities to painstakingly unravel these secrets that ordinary cultivators would struggle to grasp even after a lifetime of study.

He truly deserves the title of genius; he is a genius even without relying on his rusty knife.

"That's about it..." Gao Jian muttered to himself, his voice slightly hoarse.

Judging by the time, it's almost time.

I guess... I'll never have the chance to come back to this place again.

A cold, bloodthirsty resolve flashed in his eyes. The summons from the capital, Yangjing, Yuan Lu's patience, and the carefully laid plan he had devised... all had reached the brink of closing the net or a showdown.

The instant his thought formed—

hum! ! !
The entire Sutra Repository trembled violently! All the doors and windows, along with the heavy black iron gate, were instantly covered and sealed by a layer of solid, dark jade-like light! An overwhelming and terrifying pressure, as if the sky were collapsing and the earth were sinking, suddenly descended, filling every inch of space!
"Splash!" "Ah!"

Exclamations and thuds of people falling rang out one after another. The servants and lower-ranking disciples inside the pavilion, who were already trembling with fear and trying to stay as far away from the experts as possible, were swept away as if by an invisible giant hand. They were enveloped and expelled by a gentle yet irresistible force, and instantly disappeared from their original positions, being moved outside the Scripture Pavilion!

The vast library instantly fell silent, leaving only Gao Jian and the omnipresent, suffocating pressure.

Gao Jian slowly stood up, his face showing little surprise, but his eyes were extremely serious.

He dusted off non-existent dust from his robes, remaining composed as he calmly focused his gaze on the suddenly distorted floor in the center of the attic.

The ground rippled like water, and a figure stepped out from it.

The newcomer was tall and handsome; he was none other than Yuan Lü, the patriarch of the Netherworld and a powerful figure at the twelfth realm!
Yuan Lu wore a faint smile, but it was a smile so cold it was devoid of any warmth.

"Excellent tactic, brilliant idea."

He took a step forward, the invisible pressure making the air seem to freeze: "You split your forces into two groups, feinting to the east while attacking in the west. I was caught off guard and you took advantage of my weakness. That ninth-realm guard was indeed loyal, not hesitating to expose himself, which led me to misjudge the situation."

Before he finished speaking, a crack appeared beside him, and a figure was thrown out by an invisible force, crashing heavily onto the stone ground not far from Gao Jian.

It was Qin Long!

This ninth-realm swordsman appeared extremely disheveled. His clothes were torn, revealing crisscrossing wounds beneath; his face was as pale as paper, and dried blood lingered at the corners of his mouth. Several chains shimmering with dark runes bound his body, clearly indicating that Yuan Lu had used special methods to imprison him for a long time, and even his soul had been severely damaged.

He struggled to lift his head, his eyes filled with guilt as he looked at Gao Jian.

“What a pity…we missed a little mouse.” Yuan Lu’s gaze swept over Qin Long with a hint of disdain, before finally landing on Gao Jian’s face. His smile became somewhat playful, but also carried a chilling anger. “A hamster…that’s quite good at burrowing.”

He had clearly learned that Elder Shujian had arrived in the capital.

Yuan Lu stared at Gao Jian, each word dripping with anger: "I have received a decree from the central government summoning you. Your delaying tactic has worked." His words were filled with immense pressure and resentment. He dared not openly defy the imperial decree and kill Gao Jian directly, but if Gao Jian returned safely to Yangjing, given his demonstrated cunning and potential, he would undoubtedly become a major threat in the future! This was tantamount to releasing a tiger back into the mountains, and one he had personally let go of!

The air seemed to have solidified into lead.

(End of this chapter)