Chapter 65: Outside Lumen City Lies the Deer Platform (3)
The Hall of Affairs was located halfway up the back mountain, an ivory-white tower with red tiles and green pillars. The walls were painted with colorful depictions of birds and beasts. These creatures were imbued with spiritual energy, and every time one looked at them, they would move differently, as if they were still alive within the world of the painting.
Along the way, they didn’t encounter a single person.
—Which made sense. After Tianqing Sect suffered such a calamity, its past glory had become nothing more than a scent that attracted hyenas and flies.
Not to mention those unlucky ones who died tragically—disciples who had barely escaped with their lives and held no sense of belonging to Tianqing Sect had likely already given up on the idea of returning to help rebuild. They probably hoped everyone in the sect would die off quickly, so no one could recognize them and bring disaster upon them.
Hm?
Bai Chunsheng clicked his tongue softly and transmitted a message to Yan Yi: “Strange. Tianqing Sect was once the number one sect. Even though they lost Daoist Changping, who was at the Tribulation Crossing Stage, their reputation in the cultivation world had always been decent. Anyone who had a grudge against them had long been wiped out. There weren’t any real victims left. How did it come to this—being besieged and completely losing their foundation that had lasted for thousands, even tens of thousands of years?”
“You have to consider, Tianqing Sect must have preserved plenty of methods to counter enemies. Their disciples are scattered across various worlds, secret realms, and spiritual domains. Once they recovered from the blow of Daoist Changping’s death and began gathering strength again, even if they lost some resources, there’s no way they should’ve fallen this far.”
“The risk was too great,” Bai Chunsheng said with deep feeling. “You know, once Tianqing Sect regains its footing, it won’t spare a single one of those who kicked them while they were down.”
The cultivators who made the final decisions couldn’t have missed this point—they must have considered it too. So when they did strike, they united all available forces and crushed Tianqing Sect with overwhelming might.
The real question was: how did these people manage to unite? And why?
What if Tianqing Sect struck back in desperation? Who would bear the consequences?
Bai Chunsheng couldn’t figure it out. Unfortunately, during the height of the chaos, he and Yan Yi had been obediently recuperating in the Shattered Stone Mortal Realm. The only news they had came from the Immortal Spirit Register—it was all secondhand, filtered through a sheet of paper. They couldn’t grasp what the actual situation had been like.
Yan Yi raised an eyebrow and casually speculated, “If someone wanted the top sect to fall, it had to involve the help of the remaining clans and sects.”
“These various powers must have had countless small conflicts with each other. To unite them all would require a benefit so great it could compel even the most unlikely cooperation. But based on what’s publicly known, the risks outweigh the benefits. That alone shouldn’t have been enough for these people to risk everything. So it must have been the interests behind Tianqing Sect that made them act so recklessly.”
—If it’s something behind the scenes, then it must be a secret that couldn’t be revealed openly.
And if it was a secret, there should’ve been people who didn’t know.
But looking at the state of the world now, it didn’t look like a secret at all.
The two of them exchanged a glance: “Someone orchestrated this.”
Bai Chunsheng wondered aloud, “Who could be so vicious?”
His thoughts drifted to himself and Yan Jingqiu. Theoretically, setting aside Bai Jianghan who died during her tribulation due to exhausted lifespan, Yan Jingqiu and Daoist Changping had both met their end around the same time.
If there truly was some grand conspiracy behind all this, Bai Chunsheng couldn’t figure out who had such power or what exactly this person wanted to achieve.
He quietly glanced at Yan Yi.
Yan Yi wore a mask, so his expression couldn’t be seen.
A pity.
Once they stepped into the Hall of Affairs, there were finally a few people around. Given the circumstances, none of them wore Tianqing Sect’s standard uniform. Around them floated a massive light screen displaying lines of incomplete mission notifications.
A few people sat on a high platform directly ahead. Behind them towered a wooden shelf so tall its top was hidden from view. These people also didn’t wear uniforms but had iron masks covering their faces. Bai Chunsheng knew they were Tianqing Sect’s stewards. Recalling what Jiang Ji had told him, he led Yan Yi forward and handed a token to the man seated in the center.
The steward in the middle accepted the token and, upon seeing the markings engraved on it, smiled. “Ah, someone entrusted by Yuhan Peak Master—I remember.”
He stored the token in the drawer beside him and pulled out a jade slip to hand to Bai Chunsheng. “Take a look, both of you. These are all tasks for elders to demonstrate their strength. I heard from Fairy Yuebai that you two want a piece of land that used to belong to the Xu family? I don’t know which area you’re after or how large a piece. It’s not difficult for someone with a Dao stage cultivation to become a guest elder, but if you’re aiming to claim a large, fertile territory… well, that won’t be so easy.”
The steward was clearly fishing for more information, but Bai Chunsheng answered smoothly with a pre-prepared response: “I only want a plot of land for my cave residence, something that can hold my parents’ remains and live up to the expectations of my ancestors—that’s enough.”
He shook his head. “As for anything else, I haven’t thought much about it. The world’s in chaos right now. I don’t want much. As long as I can get by, that’s fine.” In truth, Bai Chunsheng just wanted an excuse to sneak into Tianqing Sect’s current territory to search for an entrance. Once he found it, he planned to retreat into seclusion. As for land—why would he need so much? He wasn’t a farmer.
The steward burst out laughing. “Well said—‘as long as I can get by.’”
While they talked, Bai Chunsheng had already activated the jade slip and taken a quick look. The steward hadn’t lied—these were indeed tasks suitable for someone at the Dao stage.
Bai Chunsheng skimmed through them quickly without much thought. To him, they all looked the same: catching some creature, finding someone, or escorting a person somewhere.
Yan Yi remained silent for a long time. He stood behind Bai Chunsheng and looked at the light screen projected by the jade slip. Then he noticed something odd. He asked the steward, “Why are all these tasks located in the Bibo Spiritual Realm?”
Note: previously known as Azure Wave Spirit Realm.
The steward smiled and said, “Isn’t this already widely known? Right now, the disciples of the Tianqing Sect are being hunted everywhere in the world. Except for the Southern Region, they can hardly go anywhere. Fortunately, before Daoist Changping passed away, he left behind a teleportation array within the sect that can independently reach the Bibo Spirit Realm. This is the only independent teleportation array we still have in our possession… No wonder, I heard that half a year ago, the fox lady from the Hanyu Pavilion pointed at the Bibo Spirit Realm on the star map while smiling at the Sect Leader during the Heavenly Palace meeting.”
According to this person, it seems that the remaining members of Tianqing Sect would be sent to the Bibo Spirit Realm for cultivation, which is why they needed to clear the dangers and gather information in advance.
Bai Chunsheng couldn’t help but feel a bit confused. “Isn’t the Bibo Spirit Realm one of the relatively safer realms among the major spirit realms?”
Did they really need to investigate further?
Bai Chunsheng remembered this because several beasts from the Ten Thousand Demon Sect came from the Bibo Spirit Realm. Sometimes, they would receive spiritual pearls and delicacies offered from the Bibo Spirit Realm.
The steward looked at Bai Chunsheng, frowning, and said, “You don’t know? Something must have gone wrong. Several years ago, the spiritual energy in the Bibo Spirit Realm began to erupt, becoming extremely violent. Over time, the creatures there gradually lost their sanity and turned into vicious beasts. Eventually, even the dragon clan that lived in the Bibo Spirit Realm found it hard to adapt. In the end, they all migrated to the Water Abyss Realm.”
“If it weren’t for this, the dragon clan of the Water Abyss Realm wouldn’t have become so powerful. They were originally from the dragon clan’s homeland, but after they accepted the dragons fleeing from the Bibo Spirit Realm, they became incredibly prosperous. Even… sigh.”
The steward steered the conversation back: “If all the dragons hadn’t left, we wouldn’t dare send our disciples to the Bibo Spirit Realm for cultivation.”
Yan Yi asked, “Even the dragon clan, known for their tough skin and powerful bodies, can’t cultivate in the Bibo Spirit Realm now. Wouldn’t it be counterproductive if the Tianqing Sect disciples went there?”
The steward knew that these two weren’t from the Tianqing Sect and didn’t want to say too much. He simply replied, “Just do it. We have our ways.”
He then asked Bai Chunsheng, “Have you chosen?”
Bai Chunsheng casually pointed to one. “This one will do.”
The screen displayed the following information: In the southwest corner of the Bibo Spirit Realm, there is a spiritual plant called the Lingfu Flower.
The guarding beast was suspected to be a single-horned Jade Fu Dragon, in the late stage of Nascent Soul realm. It had lost its sanity and was hard to communicate with now.
The steward glanced at it. “This one is good.”
A wooden drawer behind him opened with a sound, and the steward took the jade slip. He then retrieved a new one from inside and handed it to Bai Chunsheng. “There’s more information in here, more detailed. You can take a closer look. Once you decide, I’ll give you the mission seal, and you can go to the back hall’s teleportation array with the wooden puppet.”
The new jade slip contained the same information, except that the word “suspected” was removed, which made Bai Chunsheng quite speechless. He casually shoved the jade slip into Yan Yi’s arms and said to the steward, “This one will do.”
After receiving the mission seal, a wooden puppet painted with black lacquer stepped out from the shadow of the high platform. It had only a pair of white eyes painted on its face, with no mouth. Bai Chunsheng and Yan Yi quietly followed it to the back hall.
As they walked in silence, Bai Chunsheng sent a voice transmission, “I remember we got a pair of spirit crow puppets from the Bibo Spirit Realm back in the Shattered Stone Mortal Realm.”
Yan Yi asked, “Do you think it could be related to the spiritual energy eruption in the Bibo Spirit Realm?”
Bai Chunsheng was taken aback. “Of course not, how could it…” The spirit crow puppet looked like it had been around for many years. If the spiritual energy eruption had started recently, it wouldn’t have started here.
What he meant to say wasn’t that, but Bai Chunsheng quickly realized he had been sidetracked by Yan Yi’s question. He immediately returned to what he had been trying to say: “What’s your point? I’m just saying, since we’re going to the Bibo Spirit Realm, my cultivation has recovered a bit. Why not take the opportunity to check it out?”
Bai Chunsheng was thinking about whether he could break through to the Dao realm or achieve the Mahayana realm soon. The inheritance represented by the spirit crow puppet was not simple, and he had long been itching to explore it. Since he had a lead now, and Yan Jingqiu hadn’t recovered his memories, he could be used as labor. It was the perfect time to investigate.
Seeing that Yan Yi didn’t answer, Bai Chunsheng chuckled twice, straightened his chest, and said, “Are you scared? I’m not afraid. My cultivation is higher than yours. If we encounter danger, you can hide. I’ll handle it.”
He completely forgot how, during their journey to the Southern Region, he had been worried and wondering why Yan Yi was so much stronger than him.
Right now, Bai Chunsheng was like a frog puffed up to boast, and thankfully he wore a mask; otherwise, Yan Yi would have seen the sparkle in his eyes.
Yan Yi was lost in thought, but when he heard Bai Chunsheng’s words, he couldn’t help but look at him twice. After all, such sincere confessions from Bai Chunsheng were rare.
Yan Yi turned his eyes away. “If the Tianqing Sect is facing this crisis because someone orchestrated it, then the incident with Daoist Changping, and your injury and my memory loss, could it be related?”
Bai Chunsheng’s tone was slightly strange as he replied, “Do you really think you, like Daoist Changping, who’s at the Tribulation Crossing stage, can change the course of this world’s situation?”
He almost outright asked Yan Yi, “Do you think your face is so big that only a Nascent Soul expert like you can compare to a mighty being of the Mahayana stage?”
He had been thinking that Yan Jingqiu and Daoist Changping had faced their mishaps at the same time, so Bai Chunsheng had carefully analyzed the situation. If Yan Yi also realized this… Ugh, narcissist!
Although Bai Chunsheng knew this was a fact for Yan Jingqiu, he awkwardly didn’t want to admit it in front of Yan Yi.
Why should he? Yan Yi was just a mere sword cultivator in the Nascent Soul stage, how many Mahayana stage cultivators had he seen? Had he ever witnessed the power of someone who transcended the Tribulation? Yet he could still be this confident.
Bai Chunsheng was dissatisfied and unwilling to admit it, but he had no choice but to acknowledge it.
After a while, Bai Chunsheng exaggeratedly said in a sarcastic tone, “Hmph, if you think you can do it, then I don’t think I have anything to do with this matter. Just the two of us, we’re still far from those Tribulation Crossing and Mahayana stage cultivators. You’re here dreaming beyond your capabilities, but I’m going to focus on proper cultivation.” One day, I’ll step on you!
Yan Yi looked at Bai Chunsheng for a while and calmly said, “If I can do it, so can you.”
Bai Chunsheng, following the wooden puppet’s steps, stopped in his tracks. He hadn’t expected Yan Yi’s response, and he froze. “Thump, thump,” Bai Chunsheng suddenly shoved Yan Yi aside, then quietly took a step back.
“What’s wrong?” Yan Yi asked in surprise.
Bai Chunsheng turned his head and angrily said, “It’s all your fault, saying strange things!”
He pulled his head down and continued walking, pretending like nothing had happened. Yan Yi sent a voice transmission asking what had made him angry
this time, but Bai Chunsheng ignored it.
When they were almost at the back hall’s teleportation array, Bai Chunsheng quietly opened his hand, noticing his fingertips and arms were flushed red.
He quickly hid his hand in his sleeve.
Ah, being a human is so inconvenient sometimes. Luckily, he could wear a mask.
Author’s note: Bai Chunsheng—Backlash King.
PS: Just came back from paying my New Year’s respects, might make some more changes tomorrow. If we break down the emotions, it could be explained that Bai Chunsheng subconsciously really wants Yan Jingqiu’s approval. (Some details might require the next map to be revealed.)
In other words, Bai Chunsheng actually admires Yan Jingqiu very much, and his extreme hostility comes from his extreme admiration.
Huge shoutout to @_nyanmaru_ on Discord for commissioning this! The chapter will be posted regularly, show your support for Ciacia at Kofi.
