Yefutidaolu

Chapter 410 Excessive Indulgence in Wine and Women
Hell, somewhere desolate and broken plains.

A small team was trekking through the deathly silence and eerie winds, but despite the trek, everyone seemed quite relaxed and unaffected by the sandstorm.

Leading the group was a boy who looked to be only sixteen or seventeen years old. He had red lips and white teeth, delicate features, and wore an immaculate light blue robe, which made him stand out from his surroundings. However, the indifference that had been weathered by life and the occasional glint of shrewdness in his eyes revealed that he was not as simple as he appeared on the surface. He was none other than Shui Wuyai, the patriarch of the Shui family.

Following him were more than ten cultivators with imposing auras and terrifying cultivation levels. They were all dressed in luxurious clothes and had extraordinary bearing, but at this moment, their brows showed an undisguised weariness.

These people are the top combat forces of the major families in Cangzhou. At the very least, they are at the eighth level, most of them are at the ninth level, and there are even two top figures at the tenth level whose aura is as deep as the ocean and seems to blend into the surrounding environment!
One of them was Wang Gang, the patriarch of the Wang family. He looked like a strong man in his forties. His bulging muscles made his tight-fitting clothes bulge. His eyes shone brightly when he opened and closed, and there was an invisible force field distorting around him. He was obviously a tenth-level martial artist who had cultivated his physical body and martial will to the extreme.

The other person at the tenth realm was Shui Wuyai himself, an unfathomable tenth realm Qi cultivator.

Such a lineup, with more than ten experts at the eighth or ninth level and two patriarchs at the tenth level, could be considered a super force that could do whatever it wanted in Cangzhou and even the entire Divine Dynasty.

If they could add another Earth Immortal, even in the capital city where hidden talents abound, a force with such a configuration would definitely be considered a top-tier power. Many long-established top-tier powerhouses in the capital city might not be able to gather more than a dozen Ninth Realm cultivators.

The Nine Realms represent the absolute middle and upper echelons of power in the Divine Dynasty.

Shui Wuyai's gaze swept over this desolate, lifeless land, where everything seemed cold and distorted, and his heart was filled with countless emotions.

In order to reach this legendary hell, he used the vast favors and merits accumulated by the Shui family over generations in the central government of the Divine Dynasty to obtain that crucial treasure. With its power, he was able to barely protect everyone as they crossed the boundary between life and death and arrived here.

What they saw and heard here constantly challenged their understanding. The wandering imps, the dilapidated ruins, and even the occasional sense of terror all spoke of a world that was once incredibly glorious, far beyond their imagination—a mythical era where the gods had never left and the Shenzhou spacecraft "Red Land" traversed the heavens.

"Truly... like a frog in a well, so narrow-minded." Shui Wuyai sighed inwardly, but what surged up next was not frustration, but an even stronger desire and motivation.

The more one understands one's own insignificance, the more one yearns for that supreme realm and scenery. After becoming an Earth Immortal, he will possess a near-infinite lifespan to pursue these ancient secrets.

This trip to hell to capture the elusive "Three Thousand Year Cicada" is merely a smokescreen; the real purpose is to seize a crucial opportunity for the Great Dao hidden within this place!
The opportunity has now quietly arrived. All that's needed is to find a relatively safe place to cultivate in seclusion for a few days, and breaking through to the eleventh and twelfth realms will be a natural outcome.

At that time, with his extraordinary abilities, he will be able to return to Cangzhou and suppress the dragons and unicorns that Li Jun obtained from who-knows-where, and directly confront the pressure brought by Li Zoufang. All of this will be a piece of cake.

Cangzhou ultimately fell into the hands of the Shui family.

Everything is going according to plan.

A barely perceptible smile curved the corners of Shui Wuyai's lips.

Just then, his gaze suddenly sharpened as he looked into the distance.

Not far away, a pure and bright pillar of light rose up, piercing the dark sky of hell!
But the beam of light seemed to lose momentum, and it stopped at a height of about forty feet above the ground, like a solitary lamp in the darkness, not dazzling, but extremely conspicuous.

"Divine light?!" Shui Wuyai's pupils contracted slightly. With his vast knowledge and keen understanding, he naturally knew of the concept of "divine light"—the light of the mind and spirit, a radiance possessed only by the living!

Those with profound knowledge, unwavering will, or ultimate understanding of a certain path will naturally radiate divine light. Ancient texts say that the divine light of ancient sages could reach ten thousand feet, illuminating a region.

The forty-foot-long divine light before us, though not comparable to that of a sage, is by no means to be underestimated, signifying that its master's mental cultivation is far from ordinary.

Most importantly—this is hell!

Besides them, how could there be any other living people?! Without powerful protective treasures, how could they have survived such a perilous ordeal to reach this place?

At this moment, Wang Gang, the patriarch of the Wang family beside him, also noticed the divine light. He raised his thick eyebrows and said in a deep voice, "There is martial arts intent in this divine light. It is condensed and does not disperse. It is full of sharpness and soaring spirit. It speaks out against injustice. It is a martial artist with a good character."

As a martial artist at the tenth realm, he is more sensitive to the aura of his own kind.

"Speaking out against injustice?" Shui Wuyai repeated softly, his tone unreadable. "Such a temperament may not be compatible with us. But... just who is this person? How did he end up here?"

"Go and see for yourself." Wang Gang's words were concise, and his actions were even more decisive. As a martial artist, he believed in seeing is believing. With one step, he had already swiftly moved towards the place where the divine light was rising, as if shrinking the distance between them.

Shui Wuyai's eyes flickered, and he nodded: "Alright."

He too was filled with curiosity and doubt. The others, of course, dared not object and followed suit.

The group possessed profound cultivation and moved with incredible speed, arriving at the location where the divine light emanated in a short time.

It was a narrow fissure extending deep into the earth, from which a chilling, deathly aura emanated. And the pure, forty-foot-long divine light shone precisely from the depths of this fissure!

The crowd gathered around, their gazes fixed on the depths of the crack.

A person covered in blood and riddled with wounds was trapped in a cold crevice like a rag doll, his breath extremely weak, as if he might be extinguished at any moment.

But even such a dying person radiated an undeniable, pure, and unwavering divine light!

In his tightly clenched right hand, he seemed to be holding a rusty, broken knife.

Shui Wuyai stared intently, and when he clearly saw the face, somewhat blurred by pain and blood, yet still recognizable in outline, his usually calm face revealed an expression of disbelief and astonishment for the first time: "Gao Jian?!" Gao Jian. Shui Wuyai was naturally familiar with this name.

This young man, who rose to prominence like a comet, stirred up a storm in Cangzhou in just a few months.

I still remember when he first arrived in Cangzhou, he was only at the first realm of cultivation, like an ant.

However, when he left, he had already boldly stepped into the fifth realm! Even more astonishingly, he only took a few months to go from the first realm to the fourth realm! Such an astonishing speed of progress was unheard of in Shui Wuyai's long life.

Moreover, in this short period of time, he was like a dragon crossing the river, uprooting the Zuo family that had been entrenched in Cangzhou for many years! Of course, the Shui family secretly helped him and used his strength against him, but Gao Jian's ruthlessness, decisiveness, and unbelievable "luck" still made Shui Wuyai feel a little scared, so he left a very deep impression on him.

To be fair, the Zuo family is arrogant and ambitious, and they even want to replace the Shui family. The major families in Cangzhou are already dissatisfied with them, and the Shui family regards them as a thorn in their side.

Secretly manipulating events and eliminating them is a common practice among powerful families during their power struggles, and it's only natural.

The Shui family's original plan was simply to use Gao Jian as a pawn to disrupt the situation and draw attention away from the enemy.

But to everyone's surprise, this chess piece was too sharp! He charged forward and actually managed to borrow all sorts of unexpected "momentum" to cut the Zuo family, a great tree, to pieces, and in the end, even the Zuo family's patriarch, Zuo Lang, was killed by his hand!
Heaven has mercy! Shui Wuyai's original plan was only to suppress the Zuo family and force Zuo Lang to submit. He never thought of really taking the life of a tenth-realm shaman. After all, there was no need to push him too far!
Gao Jian's actions, with their extreme murderous intent, completely exceeded the Shui family's expectations and control.

Later, Gao Jian was sent to the capital city of Yangjing to study at the Imperial Academy. Shui Wuyai thought that the matter was over and that the two sides would not have any further contact.

A young man with immense potential but excessive ruthlessness was thrown into the deep waters of the capital. Whether he became a dragon or turned into mud was no longer relevant to Cangzhou.

But ironically... in this hell far removed from the world and extremely dangerous, he actually saw a brilliant insight!

Moreover, it was in such a bizarre state—severely injured and on the verge of death, yet radiating a forty-foot divine light that should not be underestimated, stuck in this rift in hell!

"How could this person be here?" Wang Gang, the patriarch of the Wang family beside him, also recognized Gao Jian. His thick eyebrows were furrowed, and his tone was full of doubt and vigilance.

Gao Jian destroyed the Zuo family, and the Wang family was one of the beneficiaries, so he was also deeply impressed by Gao Jian. However, when they were at the Imperial Academy, the young people of the Wang family were badly beaten by Gao Jian, so he also had no good feelings towards Gao Jian.

"You're asking me? Who should I ask?" Shui Wuyai suppressed the turmoil in his heart, his voice returning to its usual indifference. "In short, let's find out and ask him. His appearance here is no accident. It may involve some secrets about hell that you and I don't know."

A barely perceptible glint flashed in his eyes.

"What if he doesn't say?" Wang Gang asked directly, his tone carrying the directness characteristic of a martial artist.

Shui Wuyai shook his head slightly, his handsome face with red lips and white teeth uttering words that seemed completely at odds: "If it's a good thing, considering we both come from Cangzhou, and you both attended the Imperial Academy with Cangcang, and you also have some connection with Li Zoufang, perhaps we could make friends. More friends mean more opportunities. If it's not a good thing..." He paused, his voice completely flat, "This is hell, where the dead are the least of our worries. Soul-searching and spirit-stealing may turn him into a fool, but we can still get some information. Afterwards, we can just kill him."

“Heh,” Wang Gang chuckled, but showed no objection. “But it’s fine, secrets are the most important thing in hell. Knowing more might give you a better chance and help you avoid a calamity.”

Having said that, Wang Gang no longer hesitated. He extended his right hand, which contained terrifying power, and made a grasping motion towards the depths of the crack!
Shui Wuyai glanced at Wang Gang.

What seemed like a simple action contained profound meaning in the eyes of a Qi Refining master like Shui Wuyai.

He clearly felt that Wang Gang's blood and qi were surging slightly, and a strange energy that was extremely pure and combined the sharpness of Geng metal and the resilience of Ren water was emanating from the Laogong acupoint in his palm. It was not a simple external suction force.

Exhalation is from within to without, inhalation is from without to within. In the beginning of heaven and earth, exhalation was spring, and when exhalation ceased, it was summer; thus, all things grow with exhalation. In the beginning of heaven and earth, inhalation was autumn, and when inhalation ceased, it was winter; thus, all things are stored away with inhalation. Exhalation is the rising of yang energy, which governs growth; inhalation is the descending of yin energy, which governs completion.

Exhaling brings warmth, hence spring and summer; inhaling brings cold, hence autumn and winter. It's just a matter of exhaling and inhaling.

Wang Gang's "absorption" was actually the refining of the mutually generating energy of metal and water into his entire body, so that with every move he made, every pore and acupoint on his body could become a pivot for "absorption," drawing upon the chilling and desolate energy of autumn and winter! His physical cultivation had reached a state of perfection, and he was probably only one step away from the eleventh realm!

Tsk, this old guy is no simpleton either.

Shui Wuyai's deep thoughts did not affect the outside world; all that could be heard was a buzzing sound!
An invisible yet overwhelming force instantly acted on Gao Jian, pulling him out of the tightly lodged crevice like a radish being pulled, and he landed lightly on the open ground in front of everyone.

Gao Jian remained in a deep coma, completely unaware of everything happening around him. He was covered in blood, his injuries were horrific, but the forty-foot-long divine light still stubbornly enveloped him, and he still gripped the rusty longsword tightly in his hand.

His breathing was weak, and his eyes were closed; he seemed to still be in a deep coma.

All eyes were on him, filled with curiosity, scrutiny, greed, indifference... and so on.

Shui Wuyai was not in a hurry.

He stepped forward, squatted down, and extended his slender, jade-like fingers, as if trying to probe Gao Jian's condition.

Shui Wuyai's slender fingers did not directly touch Gao Jian, but hovered above his wrist. A wisp of extremely pure and gentle water elemental energy probed out and carefully entered Gao Jian's body to examine his condition.

In just a moment, his brows furrowed slightly, and he muttered to himself, “The Five Yin Hurting Officer, the cold and damp Qi invades the six internal organs, the fire loses its proper place, thus causing evil heat... This is a sign of Yin injury, as if the root has been eroded by the power of extreme Yin cold, and the false fire has been stirred up.” He sensed the traces of the cold and lifeless power belonging to the Night Wanderer remaining in Gao Jian’s meridians.

But soon, the doubt on his face deepened: "No...it's not just that." His perception went deeper, touching on Gao Jian's depleted essence and blood and damaged internal organs. "Looking at his symptoms of typhoid fever, which is attacking the exterior and interior, the yang deficiency has already turned into spasm! This is clearly...excessive drinking and sex, first damaging the true yin of the five internal organs, this is the root of the disease! Then, due to internal and external strain, and further aggravation, the vital energy is depleted, the strength weakens, the qi and blood are about to leave, and the accumulated damage leads to decline, this is the cause of the disease. In the end, yin is deficient in the front, yang is damaged in the back, yin sinks in the lower body, and yang is lacking in the upper body, so yin and yang are out of balance, essence and qi cannot communicate, which is why he fainted and collapsed, unconscious."

Even he himself found this diagnosis utterly absurd!
(End of this chapter)