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

Chapter 351 The Divine Court (4k)

Before the flashbacks in his mind had subsided, and before he could even hear the phrase he often uttered, the evil spirit saw the chessboard that had been on the table suddenly enlarge in front of him, instantly filling his entire field of vision. Then everything went black, and his mind was thrown into turmoil.

After overturning the chessboard, Du Yuan weighed the heavy chessboard in her hands and couldn't help but say with delight:
"I'm so fed up with all this red tape! This is the only way to use it properly!"

When I put away the chessboard, I always feel like I can sense my friend's slightly resentful gaze, as if to say—that's not how you use a chessboard.

Just then, the evil spirit, still barely breathing, struggled to squeeze out a sentence for Du Yuan:
"Who taught you to play chess like this?"

Upon hearing this, Du Yuan couldn't help but laugh:
"Yes, a man surnamed Liu taught me this method. It's quite popular in my hometown!"

Upon hearing this, the evil spirit gritted its teeth in anger: "This is truly an insult to civility!"

In its view, although Go is a minor game and not a mainstream game, it should not be used in this way under any circumstances.

It wanted to say more—such as who it was in the past and what great deeds it had accomplished—but as soon as it finished speaking, it suddenly felt as if something had shattered in its heart, and subconsciously looked down.

The chest that had been pierced was now completely hollow. Its very foundation had been shattered.
But after only a fleeting glance, it had no chance to utter another word and died on the spot.

At this point, those refugees who had previously been controlled by evil spirits finally broke free from their invisible shackles.

They staggered and fell to the ground, panting heavily. After recovering from the dizziness of exhaustion, they hurriedly kowtowed repeatedly in Du Yuan's direction, their foreheads hitting the ground repeatedly, while expressing their gratitude.

"Thank you so much for saving my life, chivalrous hero!"

"If it weren't for the chivalrous hero's intervention today, we would probably already be innocent victims of evil spirits!"

"Thank you so much, hero! Thank you so much for saving my life!"

Du Yuan couldn't help but smile when she heard the very chivalrous "hero" address. In the past, people would call him "Master," "Immortal," "Living Buddha," or "Little Master," so this straightforward and frank address was something she had never heard before.

He chuckled softly, raised his hand to indicate that everyone didn't need to be so polite, and then took out a new roll of cloth from his pocket, carefully wrapping it around the old sword in his hand.

Just as he was intently winding the sword around his neck, an urgent shout suddenly came from behind him:

"Please, sir, wait a moment!"

Du Yuan stopped what she was doing and slowly turned around. She saw the magistrate of Taotu County respectfully accompanying a scholar in a blue robe, followed by a large group of officials and gentry who were quickly approaching.

As soon as the group approached, the scholar in the blue robe hurriedly cupped his hands and bowed, speaking respectfully:

"I am Zhang Fei, a staff member of the Prince Xin's mansion. I had a brief encounter with you on the Broken Bridge. I wonder if you remember me?"

Du Yuan glanced at the scholar for a moment, a fleeting glimpse of him by the broken bridge vaguely appearing in her mind, and then slowly nodded:

"I remember, of course I remember."

After saying that, he lowered his head and continued to gather the sword in his hand.

Zhang Fei glanced back at himself, but the expected figure never appeared. He grew anxious and quickly cupped his hands again, speaking earnestly:

"Now that you have saved countless people in Taotu County, your kindness is like giving them a second life. Although I have no official position, as a disciple of Prince Xin, I dare to humbly request on behalf of the court that you stay for the time being, so that I may host a banquet to express my gratitude!"

The county magistrate, Tao Tu, quickly chimed in, adding with a broad smile:
"Indeed! Indeed! I have already ordered a banquet to be prepared immediately to welcome you and wash away the dust of your journey. Moreover, the people of Taotu County are all eager to see your esteemed presence and express their gratitude in person!"

On the outskirts of the crowd, the young master who had been saved by Du Yuan earlier looked at Du Yuan, who was surrounded by the crowd in the center, and a complicated feeling welled up in his heart.

This was the scene he had longed for, but now it had all fallen on others, and he himself had lost face in the previous chaos.

This disappointment left him feeling terrible, but after thinking it over, he could only blame himself for his lack of ability and his overestimation of his own capabilities.

Du Yuan glanced at the crowd gathering around her, gently shook her head, and spoke in a calm tone:
"No need. Upholding justice is my duty, and this is nothing more than a small favor for me. There's no need to trouble the people. I'm leaving Taotu County now."

He knew in his heart that now that such a commotion had occurred, he could no longer return to the inn where he had stayed, otherwise the trouble that followed would be endless.

Seeing that Du Yuan was determined to leave, Zhang Fei became even more anxious. He glanced back again, but still couldn't see her. He could only grit his teeth and say frankly:

"Please, sir, stay a moment longer! To be honest, I've stopped you not only to express my gratitude for saving my life, but also because the treasure you left at the broken bridge is of great importance. Whether it's me, Your Excellency, or the officials of the court, we all have many questions we'd like to ask you!"

The wondrous nature of the Ruyi Stone, coupled with the strength Du Yuan had just displayed, far exceeded their expectations.

In today's turbulent and unpredictable world, they are eager to secure all possible allies. Especially since the Ruyi Stone has indicated it "cannot succeed," they are even less likely to let Du Yuan leave easily.

Faced with this earnest plea to stay, Du Yuan simply replied with a faint remark:
"Since I have left behind the Ruyi Stone, your questions should naturally be answered by it, not by me."

Having said that, he had finished wrapping the old sword, raised his hand to put the sword behind his back, and took a step forward.

When he reached the young man's side, he suddenly stopped and turned his head to say:
"Brother, would you mind walking with me for a while?"

The young man, having just received Du Yuan's life-saving grace and deeply grateful for her magnanimity, dared not show the slightest disrespect. He immediately cupped his hands in greeting and bowed, hastily replying:

"Nature! Natural!"

So Du Yuan and the young man turned and left together. Zhang Fei wanted to stop them, but couldn't think of a suitable reason. He was also wary of Du Yuan's unfathomable nature and worried about offending her.

He could only watch helplessly as the two figures gradually disappeared into the distance, his heart filled with powerlessness and regret.

Not long after Du Yuan and his companion left, the old man who had been waiting by the broken bridge finally arrived, looking somewhat anxious. Upon seeing Zhang Fei and Magistrate Tao Tu, he hurried forward and asked anxiously:

"Where is that master? Is he still alive?"

Zhang Fei, looking helpless, quickly stepped forward, cupped his hands in greeting, and reported truthfully:

"My lord, that master has just left. I tried my best to persuade him to stay, but his mind was made up and there was nothing I could do to stop him."

"How come it's almost there again!" Upon hearing this, the old man's face was filled with frustration, and he couldn't help but mutter to himself, "Is our dynasty truly destined to be without such a master?" The magistrate of Taotu County, who was standing to the side, couldn't help but admire him in his heart when he heard this—as expected of a high-ranking official from the capital, how brilliantly he spoke.

With a casual remark, he cleverly attributed his late arrival to "the court's lack of opportunity," leaving no trace of responsibility on himself.

He had previously worried that the old man would pin the blame for failing to retain the expert on him and Zhang Fei, since the reason of "failing to do his best to retain" was readily available. Now it seems that he had worried too much.

The old man and Zhang Fei were both so preoccupied with the disappointment of "missing out on a master" that they were completely unaware of the magistrate's little scheme. They felt a deep sense of bewilderment at the current treacherous situation and the uncertain future.

On the other side, the young master accompanied Du Yuan, and they had already walked quite a distance.

He glanced back, but Zhang Fei and the others were nowhere to be seen in the direction of Taotu County. Composing himself, he stepped forward and respectfully asked:
"Senior, I am Cheng Wu, a disciple of the Haotian Sect. With your cultivation level, you should be a renowned figure in this region. However, after much thought, I cannot recall any master from any sect who matches your name. May I ask who you are?"

Upon hearing this, Du Yuan simply smiled faintly and casually replied:

"I consider myself a free spirit, I don't belong to any specific sect."

A wandering cultivator? Isn't that what's called a hermit cultivator?

Cheng Wu was startled, his face filled with disbelief—could there really be such a powerful figure among the rogue cultivators?

The so-called "wild cultivators" are those who, despite possessing a destiny for immortality, have no sect, no school, and no one to rely on.

Most of them were either of mediocre talent or from humble backgrounds. Although they were able to embark on the path of cultivation, they were ultimately unable to join a prestigious sect.

The matter of spiritual practice depends entirely on one's own exploration. There is no famous teacher to guide one's way, and the spiritual practice books in hand are mostly incomplete or pieced together and haphazardly by oneself.

In such circumstances, the path of spiritual practice is often fraught with difficulties and half the results, which is largely due to luck.

Even worse, if one is not careful, one may go astray and either fall into evil ways or be completely destroyed.

It is already a great fortune to be able to cultivate safely to a certain level. To be as powerful and capable as Du Yuan is simply unheard of!

After a moment, Cheng Wu suppressed his astonishment and spoke again respectfully:
"Senior, is there something you wish to ask this junior?"

Du Yuan nodded:

"I have lived in one place for a long time, and only recently have I truly set foot in the world, so I want to ask you, how did the world become like this?"

Evil spirits were rampant everywhere, a sight he had never seen before.

Moreover, since there are cultivators like Cheng Wu, the major sects in this world must still exist.

Why do they stand idly by while evil spirits wreak havoc? Is it because they are unwilling to intervene, or are they already in dire straits themselves?
Upon hearing this, Cheng Wu's face showed a complex and extremely helpless expression, and he sighed softly:

"Senior, with your cultivation level, it's no wonder you're unaware of the state of the world these days. It seems that only now can you finally be active. But the world has become what it is today because of the sins we ourselves have created."

"Oh? What do you mean?" Du Yuan's curiosity grew even stronger.

Cheng Wu raised his hand and pointed to the distant, rolling mountains and rivers:
"As for how these evil spirits came to be, I am of lowly status and shallow cultivation, so I really can't say for sure. But I can tell you the reason why they can run rampant in the world with such impunity."

"Logically speaking, even if the major sects cannot be selfless and save all living beings, even if they only sweep the snow in front of their own gates and guard the territory around their own sects, they should not allow evil spirits to spread to this extent!"

He paused and continued:
"While there are a very few truly formidable beings among the evil spirits, the vast majority are nothing to us cultivators who have survived the previous great calamity and whose foundations are solid. It is precisely for this reason that my master felt at ease letting me travel and gain experience outside."

If the major sects were willing to intervene, eliminating these indiscriminate evil spirits would be no difficult task, and the situation in the world would certainly be much better than it is now. But unfortunately, they don't even have the capacity to "sweep the snow from their own doorstep"!

Under Du Yuan's probing gaze, Cheng Wu turned and pointed southeast, a hint of melancholy in his eyes:

"Senior, look, from this direction there is a vast, boundless, giant lake, like an ocean. In the center of the lake stands an ancient divine court, sealed for eternity."

"Several years ago, led by the Kunshan Sect, cultivators from all over the world gathered outside the Divine Court, joining forces to try to break the Divine Court's restrictions."

"This dragged on for several years, during which countless human resources, material resources, and even the lives of cultivators were lost. We were all trapped outside the Divine Court by this excessive investment, unable to advance or retreat, and unable to spare any attention for the world!"

Cheng Wu wasn't surprised that Du Yuan didn't know.

After all, Du Yuan said that he was a rogue cultivator, a self-reliant cultivator. Since he was a self-reliant rogue cultivator, it was perfectly normal that they couldn't find this master back then.
Hearing this, Du Yuan finally understood.

The reason why no one in the world has come out to deal with this chaos caused by evil spirits is because all the cultivators are eyeing the treasure in the Divine Court and flocking to it to plot against it. As a result, they are stuck in a dilemma, unable to move forward or backward. So much so that they can hardly care about the safety of the mortal world, let alone the snow in front of their own door.

"What kind of thing is this?" Du Yuan couldn't help but blurt out.

Upon hearing this, Cheng Wu lowered his head even further, his heart filled with indescribable shame.

"What the senior said is exactly what is meant by greed—like a snake trying to swallow an elephant. That's exactly what we are like."

His tone was filled with deep regret:
"At the beginning, we were all blinded by the enormous benefits represented by the Divine Court. We only thought about seizing the initiative and invested more and more manpower, resources, and cultivators. Later, even though we knew the situation was difficult, we could only grit our teeth and persevere."

"After all, no one can afford the huge loss of abandoning the project halfway."

At this point, both Du Yuan and he shook their heads repeatedly. After a long while, Du Yuan asked:

"Where exactly is that divine court located?"

Cheng Wu pointed to the specific location and said:

"Senior, if you follow this direction, you will see the majestic and boundless Divine Court. You definitely won't miss it!"

Du Yuan looked over and nodded to indicate that she understood.

Looks like I'll have to go check it out!
(End of this chapter)