Chapter 199 - Arc 12: Ruyi Xianzhuang | Chapter 199: Recap
Translator: Lynn
Yun Lie noticed that Xu Ziqing was in a better condition, so he settled into a cross-legged position.
Xu Ziqing, recognizing his senior brother’s intention to have a thorough conversation, immediately composed himself and listened intently.
During the events of the Immortal Fruit Conference, the situation had deteriorated into a veritable battlefield. The demonic forces had become overwhelming, involving nearly half of the Blood God Sect’s personnel. The exception was the older, higher-level demons who had chosen not to participate, leaving the weaker ones eager to stake a claim.
It’s worth noting that the participants in this gathering were the cream of the crop from many reputable sects in the Eastern Region. If they fell prey to the demonic forces, it would significantly boost the demons’ power and help accelerate their cultivation progress. This led to the downfall of many geniuses within the righteous forces, caught off guard by the scheme of the demonic forces.
Due to Xu Ziqing’s uneasiness and his overhearing of the conversations between Mu Wuxin and Lang Tianqi, he felt compelled to inform Yun Lie. This information ultimately reached the ears of the Wuling Immortal Sect’s leader, who had an uncanny ability to foresee events. Anticipating the impending disaster, the leader dispatched several Nascent Soul cultivators to protect the sect’s disciples and ensure their survival.
Despite many of the Golden Core disciples possessing communication artifacts that could be used in times of dire need to alert the sect, the demons had managed to intercept the message en route. They strategically placed high-level demon bosses to prevent the news from reaching the sect, causing many to meet their demise within the village.
Thankfully, the Nascent Soul elder of the Wuling Immortal Sect had safeguarded the core disciples, allowing them to employ the psychic mirror to directly inform the sect leader. The leader promptly issued an “Emergency Sect Order,” prompting the leaders of various sects in the Eastern Region to summon their top experts. In a frenzy, these leaders sent their mighty cultivators to aid the sect.
The calamity had incited rage among many sect leaders, both large and small. They disregarded other considerations and immediately rallied the peerless experts within their sects, who arrived on clouds under the guidance of a Wuling Immortal Sect grandmaster.
Upon seeing the severe injuries and casualties within the sect, these experts became even more enraged and mercilessly attacked the demons, embarking on a rampage to eliminate them from Ruyi Xianzhuang. In a matter of seconds, nearly all the demons in the village had been annihilated. However, due to their uncontrolled release of coercion, many lower-level disciples were incapacitated.
Yu Nongqing, recognizing that she couldn’t hold her ground against these formidable adversaries, attempted to flee. Despite her desperate efforts to escape, numerous sects banded together to intercept her. Suddenly, two massive bloody palm prints descended from the sky, overlapping one another, instantly transforming some of the disciples below into blood, effectively ending their lives.
As the situation continued to deteriorate, many sects couldn’t afford any more losses. Consequently, they joined forces to rescue those at risk, creating an opportunity for Yu Nongqing to be seized by one of the enormous blood palm prints.
Before her departure, Yu Nongqing revealed the involvement of Mu Wuxin and Lang Tianqi, further tarnishing the reputation of Ruyi Xianzhuang.
Upon hearing this, Xu Ziqing couldn’t help but sigh. “Daoist Mu Ronghua…” He omitted any reference to Mu Wuxin and Lang Tianqi, as they had acted questionably. Mu Ronghua, on the other hand, was entirely innocent and deserved sympathy, given her exceptional grace and charm.
Yun Lie swiftly interjected, “Yu Nongqing was unaware that Mu Ronghua was their daughter. She simply assumed that she was the product of Mu Wuxin’s later union with someone else.” However, Yun Lie didn’t miss the chance to taunt Lang Tianqi, suggesting that he wore a proverbial “green hat” for willingly risking his life for his old lover and her child.
Perplexed by this revelation, Xu Ziqing furrowed his brow. “Why were Yu Nongqing and Master Mu’s fellow disciples for so many years so malicious?” He found it troubling and was eager to discuss the matter further.
Yu Nongqing and Mu Wuxin had butted heads in the past, yet Yu Nongqing’s extraordinary talent had allowed her to attain the Mahayana stage more swiftly than Mu Wuxin. This positioned her as Ruyi Xianzhuang’s primary pillar of strength. Although Mu Wuxin had held reservations about Yu Nongqing, viewing their interactions as factional disputes within the sect, she had imprisoned Yu Nongqing before her birthday, only demanding that she refrain from any devious acts on the occasion. Mu Wuxin harbored no intentions of harming her. Nevertheless, Yu Nongqing’s ambition knew no bounds, and she held no true allegiance to Ruyi Xianzhuang. While Mu Wuxin may have considered her a member of the sect, Yu Nongqing had never truly regarded Mu Wuxin as her fellow disciple.
Xu Ziqing could certainly understand that the preferences and values of the Yunu Venerable were vastly different from those of the Sunu Venerable. It would be quite extraordinary if they could genuinely see eye to eye. His puzzlement lay in the clear-cut division established when the village was founded. If that hadn’t been the case, many disputes might have been avoided.
Yun Lie, maintaining his stoic expression, continued with the narrative.
Moreover, the reason Ruyi Xianzhuang remained unchanged over the years was due to the comprehensive considerations of its founders and the establishment of ancestral rules.
The founders of Ruyi Xianzhuang were initially two exceptionally talented and beautiful female cultivators who happened to be sisters. Their lives had been marked by hardship and numerous trials. If not for their resilience and a fortuitous encounter, they might not have survived their encounters with demons, let alone established such a prominent family legacy.
It was within this context that two ancestral rules were established in Xianzhuang.
Firstly, the most formidable practitioner from the Yunu faction would serve as the village’s owner in each generation. Secondly, Ruyi Xianzhuang was to remain aligned with the righteous path, never straying into corruption. Otherwise, the sect would face consequences.
The two sisters had taken great care in this endeavor. As a result of their unique circumstances, the younger sister practiced the purest and most upright immortal techniques, whereas the older sister could only cultivate the “Sunu Heart Sutra.”
Those who practiced the former were inherently attuned to the righteous path, while those who practiced the latter had to grapple with the possibility of it leading individuals with unstable minds astray and into dark practices.
However, the founders’ original intent in building the village was to provide shelter for vulnerable women in the world of cultivation. These women often had tragic backgrounds, making it difficult for them to practice many techniques. The “Su Nu Heart Sutra” was the exception—it imposed no restrictions and was exceptionally potent, enabling individuals to defend themselves.
As a result, these two factions persisted through the ages, governed by ancestral rules meant to prevent their decline. The faction of the Yunu maintained the role of village owner, ensuring Ruyi Xianzhuang remained on the righteous path. On rare occasions when the faction of the Sunu strayed, the Yunu faction could intervene to correct their path. While the two factions followed divergent paths, they both considered Ruyi Xianzhuang their home, thus occasional disputes were inevitable.
To secure this position, each village owner inherited a fairy artifact, an immensely powerful item bearing the seal of the ancestor, allowing the owner to wield it freely, exerting control over all matters. However, it came at a cost. Each generation’s owner would merge with the fairy artifact, which would raise their cultivation level to the Mahayana stage. Although their cultivation realm remained unchanged, their power and lifespan would accumulate each year they held the artifact. The artifact allowed the owner to live for an additional thousand years after ten thousand years, but their realm wouldn’t advance until they passed it to the next generation. This practice had concealed the secret from discovery.
Combining with the fairy artifact required being untainted by any demonic energy. Mu Wuxin’s pregnancy with a child of the evil path created an incompatibility. Yu Nongqing was aware of this secret and, over the course of thousands of years, prepared her confidantes, contacted the Blood God Sect, and became a dual cultivator with the Blood God Demon Venerable in secret.
The convergence of Mu Wuxin’s birthday and the Immortal Fruit Conference, which took place once every ten thousand years, presented a golden opportunity for Yu Nongqing to conspire with the demonic forces. Together, they turned Ruyi Xianzhuang into a living hell, resulting in the deaths of countless female disciples. After this battle, Yu Nongqing planned to take the Immortal Sacred Tree and, by making such contributions to the dark path, secure a powerful position that would allow her to lead a contented life.
At this point, Xu Ziqing inquired anxiously, “What about the Immortal Sacred Tree?”
If it were indeed tainted by the forces of darkness, it would spell trouble.
Yun Lie replied, “The Blood God Demon Venerable had intended to take the Immortal Sacred Tree, but the Sect Master intervened and retained the Immortal Sacred Tree.”
In this single sentence, though brief, the intensity and suspense of the situation could be felt. The Blood God Demon Venerable was a titan in the devilish path, more formidable than most Mahayana cultivators. Yet the sect’s leader had managed to take the Immortal Sacred Tree from him. This fact alone indicated the immense power held by the sect’s leader.
Upon hearing this, a spark of admiration lit up in Xu Ziqing’s eyes.
Wuling Immortal Sect, the foremost sect in the Qingyun Great World, was indeed a source of immense pride for him, a humble disciple within this esteemed sect.
However, the matter didn’t conclude with Yu Nongqing’s escape.
Ruyi Xianzhuang convened the Immortal Fruit Conference, but the perpetrators within the village remained concealed. This failure led to the loss of many promising disciples from various sects, including those from the Immortal Sects. Mu Wuxin couldn’t escape the accusation of inadequate oversight.
Furthermore, Mu Wuxin’s unholy relationship with the demonic Daoist Lang Tianqi had tarnished her reputation in the world of immortality.
At that point, Mu Wuxin accepted responsibility for the transgressions and formally apologized to numerous sects, both large and small. Subsequently, she transferred her entire lifetime of cultivation and her Nascent Soul to her only daughter, Mu Ronghua, using an empowerment technique. By fusing with an immortal weapon, she acquired the Mahayana cultivation level, effectively assuming the role of the Immortal Village’s owner.
In Ruyi Xianzhuang, there were no objections to this. Mu Ronghua was promoted forcefully when she wasn’t ready, and this caused latent issues within her body to drain her potential. Becoming an immortal now seems like an unattainable dream!
After completing these actions, Mu Wuxin chose to end her own life as a form of atonement, and Lang Tianqi perished with her.
Observing the tragic fate of the village’s leader, many sects, both large and small, ceased their persecution and departed with the surviving disciples or the remains of their fallen disciples.
The Immortal Sacred Tree remained in the Ruyi Xianzhuang, but after the turmoil, the Sunu faction was nearly wiped out, Yu Nongqing had fled, and most of the Golden Core cultivators in the Yunu faction were either killed or injured. The remaining low-level Sunu disciples were expelled. Out of ten elders above the Nascent Soul stage, only two or three remained. This drastic reduction in power left Ruyi Xianzhuang significantly weakened, hardly comparable to a fourth-rank sect.
Moreover, Yu Nongqing, who had attained Mahayana cultivation, had escaped, and the inexperienced Mu Ronghua, who had been forcibly promoted, was now the only one left. The future of the Immortal Sacred Tree seemed precarious.
Translator’s Notes:
I’m going to make a glossary for easier reading. It’ll help me maintain the quality of the story too. So after this arc, I’ll take a break for a week to edit, look through past chapters, and correct them. It may take a bit longer, but I’ll make sure to update at least once a week.
If you want to help me make the glossary, just hit me up in Discord!
Please let me know if there are typos/mistakes in the chapter.
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