Chapter 45

Bai Qingqing has not had any contact with Hu Moting since she entered Tahuahe City.

It’s strange to say, why didn’t their Humoting set up a base in Tahuahe City?

Looking at the sky pressed down by the huge waves, the whole city seemed to be shrouded in the shadow of panic and oppression.

A wall of water, as high as a hundred feet, blocked out the sky and the sun. A strange black spiritual light surged from the crest of the wave, devouring everything in its path and shattering all the beams and tiles that were swept into the water. Even more terrifying was the violent spiritual power emanating from the huge wave.

She could feel the spiritual power in her dantian starting to become disordered just by standing there and watching.

Bai Qingqing couldn't help feeling anxious, but her first reaction was to organize the information about this huge wave in her mind.

By the way, they had discussed the "prophecy" of the flood before.

There have been many speculations about the causes of the flood, most of which are that a monk cast a spell or used some spiritual weapon to cause a large-scale flood. Even the blood demon has been mentioned.

After all, the Blood Demon, one of the Five Demon Lords, is famous throughout the continent for his blood sea magic that can engulf cities. If this is a disaster that ordinary cultivators cannot resist, then perhaps only cultivators of this level can do it.

It can’t be a real flood, Bai Qingqing thought.

There is indeed a Taha River in Taha River City, but it is just an ordinary river and is not deep enough to submerge the entire city.

Because there were too many possibilities, they gave up after discussing it for a short time. She never expected that the "prophecy" that they all unanimously judged to be false would suddenly come true.

Bai gently suppressed his other thoughts. The knuckles of his fingers, which were pinching the communication jade talisman, turned white, but the hot jade talisman still did not receive any response.

Gu Yun, Tu Changxing, Fang Qian, any one of them will do, where are you?

While the outside world was in panic and Bai Qingqing was in a state of panic, Jiang Wan and the others were still trapped in this chaotic space, trying to figure out the ins and outs of the immortal weapon in front of them.

Tu Changxing roughly explained the origin of the magic weapon to the two of them. Jiang Wan lowered his eyes in thought, and a strange sound of water echoed in his ears, coming from nowhere in this dark space.

There are ripples on the ground and the sound of water... Could it be that this ancient formation is set up under the river?

Tu Changxing guessed that the sound of water should be a sign that the ancient formation was operating abnormally, but he had no idea who was behind it.

Judging from the look on the demon cultivator's face just now, it was clear that he wanted them to die in this space.

Jiang Wan held up his chin and speculated, "Could it be that Xing Xuan Xianzun is behind all this?"

"There is no way this is possible! / Impossible!"

Tu Changxing and Lin Xubai said in unison.

"You said it yourself, this is the immortal weapon of Xingxuan Immortal Venerable." Jiang Wan suppressed the corner of his mouth and pointed at the green jade ruler, "Physical evidence--"

"We have witnesses too." Jiang Wan pointed at them again, "We have both witnesses and physical evidence."

Tu Changxing: “…”

Lin Xubai: “…”

"No matter what his original reason was, after all, he was the one who placed this immortal weapon there. It's not an ownerless thing." Jiang Wan puffed up her cheeks and spread her hands, "Ah, Xingxuan Immortal Venerable is even more suspicious."

Lin Xubai felt a sudden tightening of his chest. He felt a sense of unease at being blamed for no reason. Even though he had spent years cultivating his character in Guiyuan Sect, that didn't mean he was a good, patient person. Did he really think he'd changed and couldn't be killed?

"There's no way the Immortal Venerable could be involved in this!" Tu Changxing explained excitedly, "Thousands of years ago, the Immortal Venerable used the Xuantian Ruler to mobilize the power of the Star Sand, suppressing all evil and purifying the resentment and remnants of the Immortal-Demon battlefield. The ruler is also engraved with 360 Taiyi Demon Sealing Talismans. How could it be used to steal the secrets of heaven and change fate?"

Jiang Wan was curious and couldn't help but want to take a few steps forward to see the jade ruler more clearly, but Lin Xubai grabbed her shoulder and led her back into the darkness.

"Don't get close," Lin Xubai said in a deep voice. "Although we can see it, that doesn't mean we're in the same space with it. The Xuantian Ruler, the centerpiece of the formation, is used to guide the souls of fallen immortals and demons back to their destiny, purify their resentment, nourish this scorched earth left devastated by the war, and restore its spiritual energy."

At this point, a cold gleam flashed in his eyes, and his voice unconsciously became even colder. "I'm afraid those thieves, after discovering the immortal weapon, wanted to take it for themselves, but found that they could neither shake the formation nor subdue the immortal weapon. So they had to settle for the next best thing and steal the power of the immortal weapon."

"So, they tampered with it..." Lin Xubai's eyes grew colder. "No, it should be said that they stole the power of the Immortal Artifact of Suppressing Evil."

"Look at the causal snake chain on that ruler. The twin snake heads are the medium they use to steal the power of the immortal artifact. The red snake holds luck, the black snake spits out disaster. What a trick of grafting, forcibly seizing others' good fortune and transferring it to their own, altering their fate and intercepting their fortune to evade the scrutiny of the heavens."

The smile on Lin Xubai's face deepened, but the coldness in his eyes became more and more biting. The gentle and lazy temperament on his body was restrained. The indifference revealed by the fading gentleness made people inexplicably feel a bit of dangerous murderous aura.

The souls of those whose fates were changed disappeared after their death, not because their souls were scattered, but because their souls were connected to each other through secret methods and sucked away by the power of Zhen'e Xuantian Ruler.

"So you must never get close. Otherwise, you will be like those whose fates have been altered, and have your soul forcibly taken away."

"It's so dangerous?" Tu Changxing turned pale with fear and retreated hastily, not forgetting to pull the two people with him. But it was obvious that compared to this, the fact that the immortal weapon of the dignified Immortal Venerable was desecrated and used by villains made him more angry. "It is indeed the work of villains. They even dared to covet the immortal weapon of Xingxuan Immortal Venerable! How audacious! How hateful!"

He clenched his fists and said angrily, "The person behind this who was able to tamper with the Immortal Lord's immortal weapon is definitely not an ordinary cultivator. I'm afraid... he has something to do with the new Demon Lord in the Demon Realm!"

Especially when he thought about the recent series of events caused by the "Demon Lord", he said, "Even his demon envoys have come to investigate. Do you think the Demon Lord really knows nothing about Tahua River City?"

Jiang Wan: “…”

So it's all her fault?

"Huh?" Jiang Wan's eyes suddenly widened. No... How could the blame be placed on her again? "Everyone says that the Demon Lord is a fake. The real Demon Lord is obviously..."

Tu Changxing raised his hand to interrupt her, his expression extremely serious.

"This matter is of great importance and cannot be resolved by us. Anyway, I have already sent a message to my eldest brother. This concerns the Immortal Venerable. I am afraid that the elders and the head of the sect will be alarmed. All we need now is—"

"Wait!" Jiang Wan raised her hand to interrupt, "I almost forgot, Senior Brother Tu, did you know that all your requests for help were sent to me?"

Tu Changxing took out the jade talisman with a puzzled look in his eyes, and his face instantly turned red: "!!!"

Jiang Wan sighed inwardly. Well, even the jade talisman for communication can be controlled. Those high-ranking people in the immortal sect are even more suspicious.

but...

"What are you doing?" Jiang Wan looked at Tu Changxing with a tragic look on his face as he took out a booklet and wrote frantically. She was a little confused as to what he was doing, so she leaned over to take a look, "Uh... a suicide note...?"

"No matter what, we must let those who come after us know what happened." Tu Changxing buried his head in writing frantically, as if he was about to sacrifice a heroic death.

He also slipped a copy into Jiang Wan's hand and asked her to write as well, "I can't guarantee your life, but I can guarantee that your suicide note will be intact."

Jiang Wan, who was in a daze with his hands stuffed, said: ...?

So you are assuming that we are all going to die here, right?... But there is no need to be so pessimistic.

Jiang Wan looked at the jade ruler in the distance, and a faint blue light flashed in the depths of his eyes.

Lin Xubai also sighed silently in his heart. At the same time, he looked at the green jade ruler in the center with a serious look.

The sound of water gradually grew louder, the ripples on the water became disordered, the light on the jade ruler flickered, and some of the runes began to disappear.

What Lin Xubai didn't say was that judging from the current state of the Zhen'e Xuantian Ruler, the outside world might have been turned upside down.

As a magical tool used to suppress evil, even the shift of a single rune on the ruler would cause unimaginable consequences, let alone now that it has been forcibly tampered with, reversing cause and effect...

Spreading the news is no longer the priority. The most difficult thing right now is how to get the Zhen'e Xuantian Ruler back on track while reducing external influences.

A string that has been kept taut for years will eventually break.

Outside, there was a massive flood.

Wang Qianya didn't care about her image and turned around to escape as fast as she could. Unfortunately, the barrier covering the entire city was like an upside-down clock, trapping her inside.

This barrier could not stop the huge waves from swallowing them, but it locked those who wanted to survive under death.

"Get out of here! Get out of here!" Wang Qianya screamed hysterically, throwing all kinds of magical weapons for self-defense and life-saving at the huge waves. The defensive ones melted as soon as they touched the water as soon as they put up the barrier, and the offensive ones hit the water wall and shattered into powder.

In desperation, she even threw in the people closest to her, trying to stop the huge waves from advancing.

But it's all useless.

When the wave of death spiritual power flooded the entire city, everyone's face was filled with the same despair.

Wang Qianya once thought that she was going to die in the flood. She held the talisman stone tightly in her hand and did not let go until the flood receded.

When the water level receded, two bodies were revealed in the mud.

After seeing the two corpses clearly, everyone finally understood where the city lord and his wife had gone, who had been out of sight since the huge waves.

Their knuckles were interlaced in a casting stance.

——They died trying to suppress the flood.

Everyone who saw this scene couldn't help but think so.

Wang Qianya's eyes were filled with horror. She was stunned for three seconds in disbelief, then staggered forward, hugging the two corpses and crying bitterly despite her disheveled appearance.

The survivors were in tattered clothes, covered in mud, and stood there in a daze, when they heard Wang Qianya's heart-wrenching cry.

The miserable crying attracted many people to drag their tired bodies closer to check.

When the crowd saw the city lord and his wife in the mud, they suddenly became agitated.

Seeing more and more people around her, Wang Qianya suddenly stopped crying, sorted out her grief and slowly stood up: "Everyone... you all saw it. My father and mother sacrificed themselves to save the people of the whole city and suppressed the flood..."

Wang Qianya looked at her parents with a ruthless look in her eyes. No matter who calmed the flood, she must take the credit for it, otherwise...

"Someone," her voice suddenly rose, "give the city lord and his wife a proper burial."

As the guards rushed forward in a hurry, Wang Qianya wiped away her tears and walked in front of everyone.

He cried out to the gathered people in a mournful voice: "The city lord and his wife risked their lives to save the people of the city and suppress the flood—"

"You lie—"

A cold voice suddenly interrupted her.

Jiang Wan suddenly appeared in the open space, holding a photo stone in his palm.

Wang Qianya narrowed her eyes. "What do you mean, fellow Daoist? My father and mother sacrificed their lives to save the people of the entire city in front of everyone. This is an indisputable fact!"

Jiang Wan didn't comment, but just glanced behind him.

Lin Xubai coughed twice at the right time, and walked out with a pale face, supporting Tu Changxing beside him, and said weakly:

"Miss Wang is right... ahem... if the City Lord and his wife hadn't sacrificed themselves last night, we would have been..."

Wang Qianya saw his breath was unstable, and her eyes were filled with contempt. She could not help but return to her original nature, raising her chin proudly: "It's all because of that demon cultivator! If that demon cultivator hadn't set up a barrier in the city, why would my father and mother have toiled day and night to remove the barrier, wasting their energy? If it weren't for this, how could they have exhausted their spiritual energy in suppressing the flood, and thus..."

"Really?" Jiang Wan suddenly laughed, waving her hand and releasing the stone tablet they had taken away. She pointed at the tablet and said, "But doesn't the prophecy say 'Flood is coming, goddess will come to the rescue'? Why are you, a goddess, just crying and begging here, and not doing anything at all?"

Wang Qianya's face froze, but she quickly regained her composure. "The secrets of fate are unpredictable, and slight deviations are common sense. If it weren't for me, how could my parents have sacrificed all their energy and energy? If it weren't for me, how could you have been saved?"

"Oh?" Lin Xubai suddenly straightened up, no longer showing any sign of weakness. The corners of his lips curled up slightly as he pulled out a secret letter from his sleeve. "Then how do you explain the contents of this letter? It clearly states: The flood-inducing formation is ready, waiting for the opportunity."

Tu Changxing: "The evidence is irrefutable. The city lord and his wife staged a flood themselves. What else do you have to say?"

As he spoke, he distributed a pile of papers to everyone present.

"You—" Wang Qianya was horrified and couldn't help but take a step back. "You're talking nonsense! My father and mother found a way to break the barrier and left Tahuahe City a long time ago. They haven't been in the city for several days. How could they have given the order last night!"

"Oh~ It turns out the city lord and his wife have been away from the city these days!"

Jiang Wan and Lin Xubai looked at each other, the fish was hooked.

Wang Qianya suddenly froze.

"You're trying to trick me?" Wang Qianya's heart skipped a beat, her face livid. She knew full well that these people were deliberately trying to trick her. She shouted, "Stop talking nonsense! Without me, you would have been drowned in the flood!"

"Come here! Take down these traitors who are talking nonsense!"

Unfortunately, she said it was too late.

Not only did the guards not move at all, but even the people looked at Wang Qianya with extremely strange eyes.

It turned out that those papers were talismans for transmitting memories, which not only clearly recorded the false prophecy made by the Lord of Tahuahe City, but also recorded how they exchanged the fate of ordinary monks and used them to ward off disasters.

It immediately caused an uproar.

“It turns out that natural disasters are all man-made!”

"What goddess prophecy? It's all a hoax!"

"My son's death... was caused by you taking away his life disk?!"

"You actually took away our good fortune and gave us our bad luck?!!"

The angry voices surged like a tide.

"No! That's not the case!"

Wang Qianya screamed like crazy: "It's me! I am the savior! I saved you——"

"If you tell a lie for so long, do you think it's true?"

The cold voice suppressed all the noise like a shadow, and everyone couldn't help but shiver.

A man in black who Jiang Wan was very familiar with came walking in the air, and a water mirror unfolded in the air like a scroll.

"You must be confused, right? They clearly exchanged fates and took over the horoscope, but your good parents...how did they still die?"

The man in black approached Wang Qianya slowly, and suddenly laughed softly at the end of his speech.

"It's simple, because...I killed both of them myself."