The more you believe me, the more real it becomes.

Chapter 229 So it was never going to work out in the first place (8k)

Having unloaded the burden, I feel exhausted, but coincidentally, the place I am in is enough to make me let down my guard and rest peacefully.

Given these circumstances, one can naturally let down their guard and fall into a deep sleep—especially since Du Yuan had been waiting for this rare rest for far too long.

When he first arrived in the southwest and started refining elixirs, he wanted to take a good rest.

But it wasn't possible then. The disaster in the southwest was only just beginning to subside, and as the only one with any hope of turning things around, he couldn't stop there.

Du Yuan sometimes doesn't know why she has to go.

After much thought, perhaps it's simply because I don't want to have any regrets.

After all, his hometown, where he grew up, may have the imperfections of ordinary life and various aspects, but the thoughts that nurtured his childhood and supported his growth are as bright as the most brilliant stars in the night sky, shining indisputably!

Everywhere was filled with sorrow and bloodshed, all for the sake of saving the common people.

Du Yuan didn't really want to become a saint, because he knew he had always been doing what he could within his capabilities.

So what he really wanted was to prevent the thoughts of his homeland from falling into darkness.

This time, he slept very well, and his thoughts slowly drifted into the mist.

Finally, his feet touched solid ground.

It was the mountaintop. The wind was cool, but not biting; it merely brushed against the stray hairs at my temples, carrying a hint of crisp pine needles. Above me were shattered clouds. Below, I could see a sea of ​​clouds below, surging and overflowing the distant sunrise.

Du Yuan couldn't help but take a second look, a hint of curiosity spreading in her eyes—she had never stood in such a high place before.

But just then, the wind suddenly stopped, and a familiar voice drifted over slowly, carrying a hint of helpless mockery:

"You're always causing me trouble."

It was my friend's voice.

Du Yuan turned around in surprise, but did not see her friend. Instead, she saw a rattan chair hanging under an ancient tree, swaying gently in the breeze.

Du Yuan was certain that her friend was on that woven rattan hanging chair.

So Du Yuan asked with a smile:

"What does it mean?"

But after a moment, the smile on his face slowly faded, and a hint of surprise appeared in his eyes, as if he had suddenly realized something, and he tentatively asked:

"The person she was talking about earlier, was it you?"

In a daze, another arrogant voice rang in her ears, tinged with a hint of gritted teeth—"Mind your own business! When I get out, I'll definitely tear that bastard's territory apart!"

Du Yuan had indeed entertained such thoughts, but she always felt it shouldn't be such a coincidence. The two people's personalities were too different; one was as gentle as a still mountain, and the other as unrestrained as flowing water. They didn't seem like they would collide with each other, let alone fight to such an extent.

But the wicker chair was still swaying gently, and her friend's voice drifted over slowly, confirming Du Yuan's guess:

"Yes, it's me. We've been locked in a battle for a long time."

Finally, the voice added a touch of sarcasm, along with a sincere warning.

"So you absolutely mustn't let her find out that you helped me, or you'll be in big trouble!"

Du Yuan was a little bewildered by what was said. Although it wasn't entirely accurate, he truly understood what it meant to be stuck in the middle, caught between a rock and a hard place.
After hesitating for a long time, Du Yuan could only say:

"You... don't seem to blame me?"

Although my friend was in a much better situation when I encountered it, that was only relative. In a true comparison...

Both of them were half-dead and hanging by a thread, so it wouldn't be surprising if one of them died first.

Given this, his friend has every reason to blame himself for saving his enemy.

Yet here, the wicker chair under the old tree still sways gently, and my friend's voice remains warm, without a trace of resentment:
"No. After all, there's no real grudge or hatred between us. It's just how things are, an inevitable destiny."

One is a mountain, the other is water; they are naturally complementary and indispensable. Having figured this out, Du Yuan looked at the swaying rattan chair, and the doubts that had been swirling in her mind gradually faded and dissipated with the newly rising breeze.

"I see."

But her friend's voice was still full of admonition, and along with it, a hint of sarcasm that seemed to be directed at no one:
"However, she might not think that way. So, you absolutely must not let her see through your act. Especially now that she's here."

As soon as the words were spoken, the swaying of the wicker chair noticeably lessened at first, as if it was considering the nuances of the words; but after a moment, it began to sway slowly again, and even the tone of his voice softened with a hint of uncertainty.
"However, it's possible that things will be better for her precisely because she is who she is now."

Du Yuan was completely confused, so she raised her hand in a gesture of respect, her tone full of bewilderment: "I don't quite understand."

His friend didn't answer immediately, but instead said to him:
"No need to rush, I will definitely tell you, but before that, you should rest here for a while. You must be very tired from the trip to the Southwest, right?"

The voice didn't tell Du Yuan how difficult it had been to get him here. It only offered a few words of advice with a hint of a smile:

"It would be much better for you to rest here! At the very least, it would be more comfortable than her dilapidated little temple."

The last half of the sentence was noticeably higher in pitch.

Du Yuan thought to herself: Well, it seems you're not as carefree as you say.
Du Yuan didn't say anything more after that. She just looked around and then quietly sat down under the old tree with the wicker chair hanging from it.

It's very close to my friend, and there's even a perfect rock to sit on.

For some reason, there was such a perfectly placed rock under an old tree. Especially after sitting on it, you realize that the rock seems to have been specially adjusted for you, even its height and curvature, making you feel comfortable and relaxed instantly.

His friend didn't disturb him any further. The wicker chair swayed gently in the mountain breeze, keeping him company as he sat quietly. He watched the clouds gather and disperse overhead, and the sea of ​​clouds surge and roll beneath his feet.

The years are quiet and good, nothing more than this.

After an unknown amount of time, Du Yuan noticed that the clouds below the mountain were slowly turning into wind and rain.

Although it remains gentle, it does have a more unusual feel to it.

Needless to say, Du Yuan knew it was time to leave.

Du Yuan slowly rose, cupped her hands in the direction of the wicker chair, and was about to say goodbye, and casually ask about the question she hadn't explicitly asked earlier, "Is she actually feeling better now?" But when her gaze fell on the suddenly stopped wicker chair, for some reason, her mind went blank, and she blurted out a nonsensical question:
"Um, I'd like to ask, are you also a girl?"

The rattan chair that had been gently swaying in front of Du Yuan stopped for the first time.

"."

Du Yuan didn't notice anything amiss, but after glancing at the increasingly fierce storm clouds, she pressed on with the question:
"And what exactly did you mean by what you said earlier?"

After a long while, my friend's voice finally came, but it lacked its previous gentleness:
"I've changed my mind. You can guess for yourself!"

"Huh? Why is that?" Du Yuan was really stunned, her clasped hands motion froze in mid-air—everything was fine just now, how could she change her mind so suddenly?

But my friend said:

"you guess"

Then, without waiting for Du Yuan's reply, he fell into the high sky just as he had come.

Then he returned to the human world.
-
The moment Du Yuan closed her eyes in relief, almost instantly, all the families in the southwest were in an uproar.

"The great calamity has passed, now is the time!"

The patriarch of Fenglian Sect stood on end, his beard and hair bristling, the hem of his long robe billowing like a sail in the wind as his spiritual energy surged around him. As he made a hand seal with his right hand, the jade chime at his waist rang out on its own. Amidst the clear and melodious sound, he touched the ground with his toes and transformed into a streak of azure light. Wherever he passed, the clouds were torn open by spiritual energy, creating narrow rifts, and he headed straight for the place where the sky had just been turned upside down.

"Fellow Daoists, let's make our move! Don't be afraid of that person who is crossing the river; he is about to pass away, and even if he recovers, he will still be on his last breath!"

After shouting, the cave master of Hetian Cave took the lead and rode off. Behind him, nearly a hundred figures from the Five Mountains, Niu Kuyuan and other forces responded to his call.

Among them, a swordsman drew his longsword, its gleaming light reflecting the sky, exuding boundless killing intent. A pill cultivator offered up his ancestral treasure pill, its light as blazing as the sun; with each gulp, his aura surged. A weapon cultivator manipulated a bronze cauldron, suspending it in mid-air, the chains hanging from its mouth stirring up a relentless gale.

Dozens of streaks of light intertwined into a net, rushing towards Du Yuan's location.

"Very good, very good! I've been lying low for so many days, all for this moment!"

The Lord of Fuyue Mountain laughed wildly three times, slammed his hands on the ground, and several jet-black iron chains shot out from the cracked rocks. As soon as the chains took to the air, they automatically wrapped around the giant tree beside him.

He used the force of the chains to lift himself into the air, and the golden light emanating from his body shattered the surrounding rocks. Every step he took left a light golden footprint in the void, and his speed was even three points faster than that of an ordinary sword-wielding cultivator.

"A swift and decisive victory is crucial; do not delay. Once the attack is complete, everyone should flee!"

The old ancestor of the enemy family didn't delay either. After shouting, dozens of semi-transparent afterimages appeared around him, each holding a different magic weapon.

His true form was hidden in the afterimage, his feet stepping on a light blue escape talisman. The smoke from the burning talisman transformed into two blue birds, pulling him across several miles in an instant, chasing after the group.

Such a grand spectacle was heard almost everywhere in the southwest. When ordinary people looked up and saw the sky filled with light, heard the clanging of chains and the humming of magical artifacts, they thought it was a sign of immortals descending to earth. They were so frightened that they bowed down and prostrated themselves, their foreheads hitting the ground with loud thuds, not daring to even breathe.

Such a display of force was truly overwhelming—everyone had revealed their most trump cards, daring not to hold back even the slightest bit. Yet, even as new comrades arrived from all directions every moment, their escape lights weaving a net and encircling the same spot from all sides, the pressure on these cultivators did not lessen in the slightest.

The ambush and killing of one of the elder ancestors was something they wouldn't have dared to even dream of in the past. If anyone dared to put such a thing out in public, they would probably be laughed at by all the cultivators in the world.

But now that the arrow is on the bowstring, there is no room for retreat. They can only grit their teeth and rush toward that lone figure.

Success is my fortune, failure is fate.

"kill--!"

As soon as someone spoke, the various families from the southwest who were rushing to the place where the sky was upside down also shouted in unison:

"kill--!"

The sound waves surged in layers, from dozens, even hundreds, converging into a deafening torrent. The sound caused the clouds to churn and even the ground where the mortals knelt in worship below trembled slightly.

Looking at the earth-shaking commotion in the southwest.

The other gods and immortals from various places were first taken aback, and then they were all shocked.

"They've gone mad! They're trying to ambush and kill such a powerful figure?"

"Aren't you afraid of being beaten to death? Aren't you afraid of being reprimanded by the Taoist ancestral court?"

"They've gone mad! They've all gone mad!"

With such a small force in the Southwest, how dare they touch a Taoist patriarch who holds a high position?

If these words had been said half an hour ago, everyone would have laughed at their overestimation of their abilities. But after a moment of astonishment, many immortals and gods began to twitch their fingertips, and their eyes stirred with ambition—they had witnessed the rise and fall of this great calamity in the southwest, and naturally knew what these madmen relied on to dare to act.

I have to say, that's really promising!

After only a brief observation, they decided to stay put, either because the southwest was too far away and the situation would have already settled by the time they arrived, or because they were wary of Da Xiu's desperate counterattack before his death and feared being caught in the crossfire and losing their own lives.

After all, aside from that Taoist master, isn't there another great cultivator who should have already crossed over?
Even though the southwest omens suggest that this person is about to pass away, the combination of these two factors makes it difficult to say that everything is going smoothly!

Therefore, they kept their eyes fixed on the southwest direction, their breaths catching in their throats as they watched the movements on that horizon—they wanted to see whether this gamble-like madness would ultimately lead to their desired outcome or utter ruin.

In an ancient tomb, a bronze coffin in a side chamber trembled for a moment before a withered hand suddenly pushed open the lid and grabbed the edge.

The next moment, the person in the coffin, supporting himself against the coffin wall, slowly walked out.

In the blink of an eye, the spiritual energy that had been condensed into liquid and dissipated into the air as he left the coffin was pulled by an invisible force, turning into strands of silver, which he inhaled entirely into his nasal cavity.

Not only that, the spiritual energy within a hundred miles outside the tomb suddenly became chaotic: the spiritual light condensed on the grass and trees in the mountains and forests, and the spiritual veins hidden in the rock layers underground, all surged wildly along the tomb passage, flowing into his body like hundreds of rivers flowing into the sea.

As spiritual energy flowed in, his originally emaciated body, almost nothing but skin and bones, gradually regained its color.

In the blink of an eye, he transformed from a withered skeleton on the verge of decay back into a slightly thin man, but with a hint of vibrant life force emanating from him.

After stretching a few times, the man knelt before the main hall and addressed the matriarch residing there:
"My lord, I beg you to bestow upon me the Heaven-Turning Seal!"

After a moment of silence, the voice of the principal wife rang out:

"What are you going to do?"

"I wish to travel to the southwest on behalf of my lord to wipe out the villains and protect the friendship between our Taoist ancestral home and our lord's family! However, the evil forces are too numerous, and I am worried that I will not have the strength. Therefore, I request that my lord bestow upon me the Heaven-Turning Seal to deter the evil forces!"

"Hehe." A low chuckle suddenly came from inside the hall, the laughter containing a clear-sighted understanding. "You speak so grandly, but are you truly devoted to the public good, or are you half public and half private?"

The man suddenly lowered his head:

"The Buddhist and Taoist traditions have always been at odds, and I do indeed have my own selfish motives!"

Laughter rang out again in the main hall.
"You've proclaimed yourself the Western Paradise; that's truly extraordinary. Go, go!"

The next moment, a black and gold seal emerged from the main hall and landed in front of the man.

After respectfully bowing to the precious seal, the man headed straight for the southwest.
-
After seeing the scenery of the southwest from the bronze palace buried deep underground, I entered the underground palace.

Several voices echoed from the several grand halls standing before the massive bronze gate:

“Your Majesty, the various schools in the southwest are trapped in the mountains and have lost sight of the overall situation. Now they even dare to try to forcefully challenge the Taoist giant. Your humble servant is willing to go to the southwest to maintain the friendship between the two schools for Your Majesty. I dare not fail you.”

"Your Majesty, the situation in the southwest is of utmost urgency. I request permission to go to the southwest. No need for anything else; just let me lead three thousand Fish-Dragon Guards!"

Hearing several senior officials speak in turn, the muffled voice behind the massive bronze gate did not immediately answer them. Instead, it looked towards a large hall that had remained silent and asked:
Why aren't you saying anything?

The person in the side hall hesitated for a moment, then lowered his head and spoke:
"Your Majesty, I believe that regarding the situation in the southwest, we should either remain inactive, or if we are to take action, Your Majesty must personally go there!"

These words immediately caused an uproar in the other side halls, with shouts of condemnation filling the air:
"Absurd! The Heavenly Law has not been resolved. Even you and I can barely move, let alone Your Majesty?"

"The southwest is nothing but a bunch of petty scoundrels; why would Your Majesty need to go to such great lengths?"

"You're not a traitor, are you?!" The voice from behind the bronze gate wasn't angry; the deep voice merely asked with curiosity:

"Why do you say that?"

The man stood respectfully at attention and said:
"The matter of the evil forces in the southwest is minor, but since the drought in the southwest has drawn such a person to this place and has even shaken the world, it must be of utmost importance even to the ancestral home of Taoism."

"Therefore, I am certain that the evil forces in the southwest will not succeed. Either this Taoist master possesses a foolproof method, or he has already received backup. In any case, if we rush there, we will not even be able to add anything to their already splendid situation."

"It might even expose your intentions out of nowhere, putting you at a disadvantage!"

"Therefore, I believe we should not go!"

Upon hearing this, the other halls fell silent.

The voices behind the bronze gate fueled my growing curiosity:
"Then why did you say I have to go in person? If that's the case, shouldn't it be a joke if I go?"

The person in the side hall hesitated even more, and whispered:
“Since our going is the ‘lowest option,’ while Your Majesty’s personal visit, though still not the ‘best option,’ is at least the ‘middle option’—this move is intended to show our intentions! After all, Your Majesty should not act rashly at this moment.”

The dull laughter behind the bronze gate carried a hint of pleasure for the first time:
"Hahaha, you and I are as in sync as ever! It's just a pity that I can't touch you now."

Upon hearing this, everyone was greatly surprised, except for the man from before, whose eyes lit up as he said:

"Your Majesty, I congratulate you on your enlightenment and imminent ascension!"

These words left the other halls utterly astonished, and the voice behind the bronze gate grew even happier:
"You clever eunuch! You're the only one who understands me! Hmm, how about this, my son, you go, you go in my place. What do you think?"

The man immediately knelt down and said:
"The Crown Prince is the foundation of the nation and the heir apparent; naturally, he can succeed the emperor!"

The voice shook its head and laughed:
"What country? My home and country are gone. I just couldn't leave, so I sent my son."

Upon hearing this, all the halls fell silent.
-
Outside that small temple, in the place where the southwestern sky is turned upside down.

The gods and immortals from all over the southwest have arrived together.

All of their eyes turned to the dilapidated little temple.

"Is this the source of the severe drought in Southwest China?"

Apart from that sentence, no one else spoke, but it was indeed the question that puzzled them all.

This doesn't match the scene in the Southwest at all!

Even if you don't mention the birth of a great treasure or the grand occasion of a powerful being, at the very least you should be radiant with precious light and magnificent appearance!
How could it be a small and dilapidated temple?

After a long pause, someone whispered:

"Have we fallen for their feint attack?"

"How about one of you goes down and check it out?"

"Who's going?"

After hesitating for a long time, someone finally couldn't hold back and stepped forward to speak:
"A bunch of cowards! Damn it!"

He was a pill cultivator from Wulian Mountain, and he had consumed his ancestral golden pill for this moment.

This pill is exceptionally potent; according to his father, consuming it can enable one to cross borders and fight!

But the downside is that it doesn't last, so he can't wait.

Let's just go down first and take the lead.

Even if something goes wrong and the pills don't work out in the end, it's still considered a contribution, and you can still have some say in the matter.

"Well done, fellow Daoist! You are truly awe-inspiring!"

"Fellow Daoist, rest assured, we will lend you our support!"

Watching the alchemist fall alone, both the old white ape and the patriarch of Yiqing Mountain became inexplicably nervous.

They were really afraid of something going wrong.

The descending cultivator approached the small temple with utmost caution.

I did not feel any pressure or fluctuations in magical power.

They also failed to notice any similar formations arranged around them.

What is this?

Just as he was wondering about this, his gaze involuntarily fell on the dilapidated temple that was half-buried in the ground.

In that instant, a sudden, intuitive thought occurred to him:
Whose temple is this?

He subconsciously followed the dirt path that Du Yuan had dug earlier, and as soon as his gaze entered the shadow of the temple gate, the blood in his body suddenly froze.

The first thing you see is a plain robe without any pattern. The hem is covered in mud and ash, but it doesn't look dirty or messy at all. Instead, it adds a touch of life to the scene. When you look up, you come into view of the face: the eyebrows are clear and sharp like distant mountains, and the pupils are as dark as cold springs.

She was clearly very beautiful, yet her coldness was such that one glance was enough to tell that she was forever a thousand miles away.

Under normal circumstances, such stunning beauty would be enough to make any cultivator lose their senses, but Dan Xiu's pupils suddenly contracted the moment he saw it clearly—not because of its beauty, but because of its familiarity!
How could he not recognize this face?
A statue of a deity has always stood on the banks of the Dadu River directly opposite the Ancestral Hall of Wulian Mountain. Since its erection, incense has been burned continuously for three thousand years.

Ordinary believers must fast for three months and walk a hundred miles just to catch a glimpse of it from afar; even those disciples of Wulian Mountain who have entered into spiritual practice and renounced worldly life still need to prostrate themselves before it daily to show their respect. This is true for everyone on and off Wulian Mountain!
So, he knew that extremely beautiful face all too well!
But at this moment, this face, which should only be enshrined in the clouds and carved on statues, is sitting alive in the ruins of a dilapidated temple, its eyes raised, calmly looking at him, the uninvited guest who is sneaking around and spying!
Therefore, in an instant, he fell down in terror.

Then he made the biggest and quickest decision of his life, which was to shout towards the sky behind him:

"He is in the temple, on the verge of death. I have been struck by magic. Quickly cast your spell and strike him with the speed of thunder!"

Upon hearing this, no one in the southwest dared to delay even the slightest.

Countless methods, supernatural powers, and magical treasures, like thunderbolts, crashed down on the temple one after another.

As for the alchemist, he seized this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity, his mind collapsing as he scrambled to his feet and fled into the distance!
"Ah——! Ah——!"

He cast aside all ambitions and greed.

The face that had caught his eye in that fleeting glimpse had already etched an inescapable despair into his heart—he knew all too well that, faced with such an existence, his group of people had no chance of resisting, let alone "winning."
Among the crowd, the sharp-eyed ones were the first to spot the strange escape. They reacted and tried to warn others, but it was too late!
They had just unleashed all their long-prepared killing moves, with magical treasures, sword energy, and supernatural powers all swirling down in a dazzling display of light. But the next moment, a cold snort suddenly rang out:
"Noisy!"

As soon as the words were spoken, a breathtakingly powerful surge of water energy suddenly erupted within the temple, sweeping out like a tidal wave. Those fierce killing moves, upon encountering the water energy, failed to even create a ripple before being completely swallowed up and vanished without a trace!

The cultivators from various factions who had made the move were severely shaken by the backlash of this force. They clutched their chests, their faces ashen, and staggered backward, barely able to stand.

Then everyone looked at the temple in great shock:

"Who is this extraordinary person here?"

They couldn't help but be terrified, because it wasn't even a supernatural power, a magic spell, or a magical treasure; it was simply the overwhelming power of the water that had 'swallowed' everything!
A figure in a plain white robe slowly emerged from the temple, covered only in mud and grime from sitting down while holding someone, a stain the robe's owner paid no heed to.

She simply glared angrily at the surrounding houses.

"How dare you come here and make such a racket! You have some nerve!"

When she walked out, everyone in the southwest was instantly stunned.

How could this person be the one to cross the river ahead of schedule?!
How could I possibly save you, sir?!

If it is this person, how could he be trapped only in the southwest?
No, this is not right!!!
In utter terror, someone finally couldn't hold on any longer and shouted:
"Run!!!"

His shouts were laced with sobs, and the sound of his teeth chattering almost drowned out his words.

It was with this statement that they, who had been hesitant and indecisive until now, finally ran away.

Who still remembers the imposing manner they displayed when they arrived? Back then, they rode on swords, their robes fluttering in the wind, their magical treasures gleaming together, obscuring half the sky.

Its momentum was as scorching and intense as the setting sun, as if there was nothing in the world that could rival it, determined to wipe out everything that stood in its way.

But what about now?

All his previous arrogance has been shattered into pieces.

Some people didn't even have time to put away their magic tools, frantically trying to perform escape incantations, but in their panic they even made mistakes in their hand gestures.

Some people's legs gave way, and they fell to the ground, only to scramble to their feet again, completely unaware that their shoes had fallen off.

Even worse, some, not daring to ride the wind and attract attention, could only land on the ground. In their panic, they stepped on the hem of their companion's clothes, causing both of them to fall into the mud. They didn't even utter a word of argument, only pushing and shoving each other as they fled forward.

Their faces were as white as paper, their eyes unfocused, and they didn't even have the courage to look back. In such a state, they had no semblance of the dignity of cultivators.

Like stray dogs, they tucked their tails between their legs and scurried to safety.

The same was true for the old ancestor of the enemy family. His many phantoms had long been terrified and collapsed. At this moment, he himself was also holding his head and trying to burrow in one direction.

However, in a daze, he suddenly turned around and saw that the old white ape and the Yiqing Mountain Patriarch were kneeling in front of the temple!

'This is? ’

The next moment, the old patriarch of the enemy family, realizing what was happening, felt his blood surge and almost vomited blood.

It wasn't the bear that sold them all out, it was those two bastards!

But at that moment, he couldn't care less about anything else and could only grit his teeth and keep charging forward. But then, at a certain moment, he suddenly crashed into something, his head bleeding profusely, and he felt dizzy and disoriented.

This was followed by a chillingly murderous voice:

"You actually think you can run away?!"

When he came to his senses, he realized that he had been blocked by a curtain of water! He hurriedly looked around, only to find with sorrow that everyone around him was in the same situation.

They were all trapped in this tiny space by a curtain of water!
This made him pound his head and stamp his feet, shouting in grief and indignation:

"I regret it so much!!!"

But the next moment, realizing something, he suddenly looked around and saw the crowd still frantically trying to break through the water curtain and escape.

'Where is Prince Wei? Where is Prince Wei!'

"Ah—! You bastard!"

Of the three, one had already fled, another had already surrendered, and only he, a proper demonic cultivator, was completely left here foolishly!
With a loud "whoosh," the old patriarch of the enemy family vomited three liters of blood.

Who exactly is the evil sect here?!
But before he could feel extremely remorseful, he heard several trembling apologies coming from the sky above him:
"We, from the Cicada's Shedding Grotto, pay our respects to the Supreme God!"

"This humble servant has come on behalf of my father, the Emperor, to pay my respects to the Supreme God!"

"We, the residents of the Blessed Land of Yihua, pay our respects to the Supreme God!"

Hmm, Cicada's Escape Cave and Flower-Shifting Blessed Land, these are truly powerful forces.

Why are there people here too?

The old patriarch of the enemy family looked up in astonishment.

The owner of the plain white robe also looked on coldly and said:

"Are you all waiting for him to fall from grace?"

The murderous intent within him far exceeded that of his previous questioning of these scoundrels.

Clearly, in that person's eyes, they were just a bunch of noisy insects from the beginning, while these few were the ones who were truly likely to succeed.

These words immediately startled the newcomers, who fell to the ground and bowed down in shock.

"Your Majesty, I was worried that some scoundrel might disturb your divine presence, so I specially asked my lord for the Heaven-Turning Seal to come and help you!"

"My lord, please calm your anger. I have come on behalf of my father to inquire whether you are in good health, and I am carrying the imperial artifact to guard against any villains!"

"We are no different from lesser demons. How dare we touch the Taoist immortals? We are here only to uphold the friendship between our respective families and the ancestral temple of Taoism!"

The newcomers were also confused about what went wrong.

They came to help, so how did they almost turn into thieves?

And why was this person chosen to cross the river ahead of schedule?
The aura of the southwest is indeed magnificent, but it is not worthy of this person's status!
Although none of them knew the final outcome back then, as far as they knew, shouldn't this person have fallen within the thirty-six heavens of Taoism?
Strange, strange, strange, there are just too many bizarre things about it.

Looking at these people, the old patriarch of the enemy family, who had just been filled with remorse and shame, suddenly smiled with relief.

"Hahaha—! So there was never any chance from the very beginning!"

Yes, yes, the other families are all large and powerful, how could they possibly stand by and watch these people cause trouble in their territory?

Why not take this opportunity to strike and kill, killing two birds with one stone!
It's pathetic that I, who's been so shrewd all my life, couldn't even understand such a simple truth!
What good is it to understand something?

I was singled out by the Taoist priest, so I had no choice at all!

In despair, the old patriarch of the enemy family collapsed to the ground.

Then I looked up at the sky.

'Should I not have succumbed to the allure of pleasure and entered the path of evil?'

(End of this chapter)