Chapter 76 The Only Change in the Gatebreaker

Warm blood seeped into the floor, slowly flowing along the cracks to the door, but then seemed to be absorbed by something, disappearing without a trace.

"He... he's alive again! But wasn't his chest and abdomen just now cut open?" Qiu Tong exclaimed, covering her mouth in shock.

Wei Changzai frowned and looked at the market: "It's not just him. The fishy smell in the wind has dissipated. All the flower farmers in this market should have come back to life."

After the bell rang, the cultivators under the ever-burning lamp stood up, shook off the blood that was no longer on their swords, their faces expressionless, as if they had just cut a blade of grass. They did not disturb each other, placed the flowers they had picked into the chart, and then hurriedly moved on to the next location.

Seeing someone walk past him, Wei Changzai raised his hand to stop him. His expression showed neither resentment nor joy, only a cold calm: "Fellow Daoist, the flower farmer has reappeared. Aren't you going to guard the flowers anymore?"

"You are, Fellow Daoist Wei?" The man glanced at him, and after recognizing his identity, he suddenly relaxed his guard. His expression became more familiar, and he asked with a hint of doubt, "Don't you know? After taking the flower once, you have to wait four hours. You can take the flower a maximum of three times a day."

Before Wei Changzai could speak, Qiu Tong exclaimed, "This...this is murder!"

The man sized her up and was about to retort, but remembering that she was a friend of Wei Changzai, he swallowed his words and only frowned and said, "Fellow Daoist, think carefully, is it really possible for someone to come back to life? Is it really possible for someone to have flowers bloom on their body?"

They felt no pain or sensation, unable even to engage in simple conversation, repeating the same few sentences over and over. They were clearly not real people; it was either an extremely realistic illusion or incredibly lifelike puppets, but definitely not real people. There was no need to worry about them. If they were to honestly and diligently complete the trials, when would the Flying Flowers Festival end?

Qiu Tong was speechless for a moment. She really couldn't tell whether they were real or fake. Such power of resurrection might be the work of a sage.

Wei Changzai's eyes appeared indifferent, but he was actually carefully observing him, judging the truthfulness of the man's words and the extent of his good and evil from his expression and gaze. Although he did not know much about good people, he was very familiar with evil people.

"We accidentally entered the secret realm while trying to obtain the flowers, which took quite some time, so we are not very familiar with what's happening in the city. We wonder when this method of obtaining flowers with flesh and blood began?"

The man was slightly taken aback. A look of surprise flashed across his eyes, followed by understanding. Wei Changzai, a genius of his stature, would naturally not be willing to use such a bloody method to obtain the flower. He himself possessed the power to break through the barrier.

Thinking of this, a sense of shame suddenly arose in his heart, but he quickly suppressed it; they were just using different methods.

He said in a clear voice, "It probably started around the time of the second and third nights. The method to break through the barrier was too difficult. Many people could not get the flower, and they could not advance in the rankings. So they became anxious and tried to snatch the flower token."

In the chaos, someone claimed to have witnessed a method of growing flowers from the flesh: killing one person could produce a flower. Some believed this and wanted to try it, while others opposed it. In the ensuing conflict, a flower farmer was caught in the crossfire… After his death, a flower indeed grew from his bloodline, and then…”

It turns out that the so-called flower growers are not flower sellers, but rather people who use their own flesh and blood to create soft, rotten soil, and nurture famous flowers through the connection of their veins.

Wei Changzai lowered his eyelashes and glanced at Lin Feiran out of the corner of his eye. He was not interested in the method of making flowers grow on the body; he was just afraid that Lin Feiran would "meddle in other people's business."

Judging from the situation just now, there must be quite a few people who used this method to take the flowers. If she wanted to intervene, it wouldn't be easy for just one or two people to stop them.

After saying this, he didn't linger any longer, bowed to the group, and hurriedly left.

Ru Xian composed herself in thought, then suddenly looked at Lin Feiran, only to see her leap onto the roof without saying a word, looking at the list of names in the sky.

The top spot on the leaderboard still belongs to "Chen Feng," but the rankings below have changed dramatically. Previously, most of the top twenty were cultivators listed on the Azure Cloud Ranking, but now they are all unknown figures. Moreover, the rankings change extremely quickly, almost every second, just like the situation in the city.

She watched quietly, seemingly lost in thought. After a moment, she walked toward Wei Changzai and Qiu Tong, summoned the genealogy chart, and took out six peach blossom tokens from it.

"This is your reward. I only included it in the genealogy in a moment of haste. I had no intention of keeping it for myself."

Qiu Tong's eyes widened as she reached out to take the item and immediately said, "We didn't suspect you at all!"

Lin Feiran nodded calmly and said, "I know you two wouldn't be easily provoked. After we take back these Peach Blossom Tokens, we'll go our separate ways."

Wei Changzai's eyes flickered, but he didn't speak. Instead, Qiu Tong asked in confusion, "What are you going to do?"

In fact, it wasn't just Wei Chang who was having doubts; even Ru Xian and Qiu Tong were pondering whether Lin Feiran was going to make a move. But unexpectedly, Lin Feiran's gaze changed, not out of resentment. She said, "I'm going to get the flowers."

This flower festival is truly bizarre; if we want it to end soon, we must collect all the flowers as soon as possible.

The other three remained silent, but Qiu Tong suddenly asked again, "Are those flower farmers real people or illusions?"

Lin Feiran shook her head: "I don't know either."

There is no way for the dead to be brought back to life in this world. She could not explain such strange phenomena. Moreover, she could not understand the reason why the sage did this.

At the same time, too many people were using the method of growing flowers from flesh and blood to obtain flowers. In addition, there was a restriction on spiritual power here. Without the blessing of the flower token, whatever she wanted to do would be like a mantis trying to stop a chariot.

She looked up again, and none of Wei Changzai, Qiu Tong, Shen Qi, or even herself were on the list. Could it be that breaking through the gate honestly was not as fast as killing? Was the crooked path always the shortcut?

She glanced at the gloating onlookers and unconsciously gripped her sword tighter.

"The city is no longer peaceful. If I'm not mistaken, after several nights, many sects and independent cultivators have formed alliances to fight the enemy together. I wonder which sect you belong to? It would be best if you returned to your alliance as soon as possible."

Lin Feiran turned to look at Wei Changzai and the other two, giving them no further chance to speak. She simply bowed slightly and then left with Ruxian.

Within the city of Kunming, a brief and feeble peace was taking place, a tranquility that followed a period of rest after constant killing.

Four hours later, a new round of killings began.

She has four hours.

...

Many cultivators participated in the Flying Flower Gathering. Since the discovery of the method of flesh and blood blooming into flowers, the cultivators in the city have been divided into two factions, with no room for negotiation between killing or not killing.

At first, there were naturally more people who did not kill. Such a bloody and cruel method was not something most people could bear. However, as their rankings on the list dropped, everyone could almost imagine the outcome of failing to be selected for the Flying Flower Gathering and being barred from entering the Sacred Valley.

The opening of the Pilgrimage Valley is a once-in-a-century opportunity for all cultivators. Moreover, this time the cultivation level is restricted. As long as one is at the Illumination Sea Realm or the Questioning Heart Realm, there will be no high-level cultivators to suppress or compete for them. If they can enter the valley, not to mention spiritual treasures and artifacts, even just picking a handful of spiritual herbs in the valley can save them more than ten years of detours.

With profit at the forefront, who could resist temptation?

Just as everyone was hesitating, the flower farmer who had been killed earlier suddenly came back to life. In an instant, it was like a raging fire, boiling and churning. Most of those who hadn't killed him turned against him and started wielding their knives.

Even if you act faster, the number of flower farmers is ultimately limited. A flower farmer can only provide three flower tokens a day. If you are late or slow, you will have nothing left.

Even now, very few people still insist on breaking through the barrier to obtain the flower. The distinction between killing and not killing, breaking through the barrier and slaughter, has become clear.

The slaughterers would swarm out when the time limit was up, leaving a bloodbath. Those who broke through the barrier would then obtain the Flower Token during the four-hour respite. In an instant, the competition became more than just a contest between individuals; it escalated into a debate on doctrines and scriptures, where they attacked each other with actions rather than words.

However, due to his limited talent, breaking through the barrier will ultimately be much slower.

Four hours later, the slaughterers disappeared into the darkness and divided the spoils once more. The one who broke through the barrier sighed as he rose from the threshold and looked at the flower farmer slowly getting up inside the house. He couldn't help but feel a little dazed.

Is it right to insist on this approach?

He's clearly alive again. Is it wrong to kill a puppet?

Why give up entering the Valley of the Sacred Heart and meeting the saint for a puppet?

"Junior, are they real people or puppets?" a student from the Imperial Academy couldn't help but ask.

Shen Qi remained unmoved, holding the old pen in his hand, and said with pursed lips: "Senior Qin, what is the difference between a real person and a puppet? No matter what is in front of us, even if it is a flower or a blade of grass, when we obey and succumb to our selfish desires and raise the butcher's knife, we have already broken through the realm."

The white-robed cultivator blushed slightly, raised his tablet, and said shyly, "Junior brother is right. I was confused. With such great benefits in front of me, it was hard to guard my heart... Even if I can't enter the Pilgrimage Valley this time, I will accept it. But look at that list. Why can they be on it? My cultivation level is not high enough. I still feel frustrated!"

“I feel so frustrated too, the more I look at the list of names, the worse I feel!” another disciple said indignantly.

They were all disciples of the Imperial Academy. They gathered together on their first night in the city and helped each other. Later, when the incident of flesh and blood blooming into flowers occurred, they repeatedly advised other cultivators not to follow suit, simply because this method was inconsistent with the righteousness they had learned.

However, very few people are willing to heed advice.

"That's right! As cultivators, how can we use our human bodies to cultivate flowers and go down the wrong path!" someone echoed loudly.

Shen Qi and his group turned to look, only to see five or six purple-robed cultivators arriving at the same spot, their faces equally displeased.

Shen Qi had never seen them before and did not recognize them, but the senior next to him lit up and bowed to the leader, saying, "Fellow Daoist Paotang, fellow Daoists, how have you been?"

The girl at the head of the group, holding a long sword, softened her slightly cold expression and nodded in return, saying, "Senior Qin, how have you been?"

Senior Qin turned to look at Shen Qi and introduced him, saying, "Junior brother, these are all disciples of the Taiji Immortal Sect. This is the beloved disciple of True Person Yin Hai, Fellow Daoist Pao Tang."

His question was abrupt, but Paotang didn't mind. He explained, "One person's strength is too weak, so we pool our wisdom and efforts, divide into several groups, and search for flowers separately. Any extras can be given to each other, so that all disciples can enter the valley."

Senior Qin said with a hint of shame, "Your sect's disciples are exceptionally skilled in both strategy and agility. We can only write and draw, and can only cast spells by dipping our brushes in gladiolus juice. Therefore, we have no choice but to travel together..."

Pao Tang shook her head: "Senior Qin, there's no need to overthink it. It's extremely difficult to break through the barriers and obtain flowers at this Flying Flower Gathering, otherwise so many people wouldn't have defected. We're here to form an alliance with the disciples of the Imperial Academy and exchange our surplus flower tokens. What do you think, Senior?"

Senior Qin was taken aback, seemingly not expecting them to come for this reason, and hesitated for a moment: "This..."

Pao Tang said solemnly, "If Senior Qin has any concerns, he can use the Peach Blossom Token as a talisman to pledge his heart. We will never kill or rob indiscriminately!"

Senior Qin immediately waved his hand: "That's absolutely not what I meant. We trust both your sect and Fellow Daoist Paotang. But, will it be of any use?"

Pao Tang was startled and followed his gaze upwards, just in time to see the list of names in the sky.

Senior Qin sighed, "Whenever it's time for recuperation, the ever-changing rankings stop fluctuating. This means that apart from the top-ranked 'Chenfeng,' everyone else is a slaughterer. Fellow Daoist Paotang, even if our two sects cooperate, what good will it do?"

Pao Tang's eyes darkened slightly. She herself realized this, and it was probably not just her; all those who had broken through the barriers were well aware of it.

As everyone gazed silently at the list of names, a strange name suddenly appeared, landing at the very end.

Thus, a striking change appeared in the otherwise stagnant list of names.

Shen Qi's breath hitched, and he murmured, "...Wen Ran?"

After saying his name, a smile suddenly appeared on his lips, one that he himself was unaware of.

Almost as soon as a cup of tea was brewed, "Wenran" jumped to seventy-eighth place.

As Paotang watched, her eyes gradually brightened. During this time of recuperation when the flower farmer could not be killed, only those who had broken through the barrier could move up the rankings.

Her voice rose considerably: "Wenran? Does anyone know her?"

Senior Qin shook his head: "I've never heard of it."

"What's their background?"

In an instant, not only those who had broken through the barrier, but even the killers who were resting in the shadows stood up, looked up at the sky, and frowned.

All eyes in the city were focused on the list of names, watching this one and only change—a leap forward.

In less than half an hour, the name "Wenran" had already reached the age of sixty.

The once quiet city of Kunming was suddenly thrown into an uproar.