Chapter 72 Adulterer Xiao Huaiyuan! Which side are you on? ...
After the sunlight disappears, there are no longer four seasons, and every day is extremely cold.
A light snowflake drifted in the darkness.
The Tianfu Society members, dressed in long robes, stopped and placed the oil lamp on the snow.
He knelt on the ground and murmured a few prayers. Before he could finish, he looked around and shouted, "Who's there!"
A gust of wind blew by, but there was no sound.
Only amidst the blood, mud, and white bones, faint, eerie blue ghost flames flickered.
Fu Ming, who had concealed his aura, remained hidden behind the broken walls and ruins, completely undisturbed by this provocation.
He wove his divine sense into a fine net and laid it across the ruins of the Sunflower Palace, able to capture the slightest movement. The groups of immortals had also arrived. Fu Ming paid special attention and noticed that Xiao Huaiyuan was standing on the western hilltop, quite easy to spot.
The last time they gathered in a certain place was back when the righteous path was hunting him down; what a coincidence.
A hundred years ago, on a similarly cold and gloomy day, Fu Ming was ordered to deliver a message to Rihua Palace, but he did not return for a long time.
A few days later, disciples from Qingyue Palace, who were on good terms with Rihua Palace, came to visit and discovered that the entire Rihua Palace had died, with no one surviving.
Only Fu Ming, a disciple of the Tianyan Sect, knelt in the pool of blood, his cultivation level, which was originally only at the early stage of the Nascent Soul realm, had mysteriously risen to the middle stage.
The hundred or so corpses left behind at Rihua Palace were shriveled up, with only a thin layer of human skin remaining. This was the work of the Devouring Technique, and only Fu Ming in the Three Realms had ever practiced this method.
With witnesses present, there is no way to deny it.
Thus, Fu Ming went from being a highly regarded prodigy to a heretical cultivator who devoured human flesh to advance his cultivation. The Tianyan Sect expelled him, and prestigious sects issued arrest warrants, ordering everyone to kill him.
When news of his fall from grace reached the celestial realm, his former sparring partners cursed him, and even the elders who had praised him watched coldly, having long seen that this boy was wicked and would surely bring disaster to all.
If someone were to ask Fu Ming what he thought about this, he would simply shrug and smile.
"I don't remember."
It wasn't to deceive or cover up anything.
He truly remembered nothing, except for the bloodshot, wide-open eyes of the Palace Mistress of Rihua Palace, which resembled his mother's in his previous life and often appeared in his nightmares.
Did he kill them with his own hands? But why would he slaughter an entire sect for no reason? Could he be controlled by a demon? But his cultivation has been smooth sailing, so when did he develop a demon?
At that time, he was in a daze and fled hastily. In desperation, he grabbed the lifeline thrown by the old demon lord. One wrong step led to another, and he eventually fell into the abyss.
Snow piled up atop the black veil. Fu Ming took a deep breath of the cold air, a strong, metallic taste of blood rising in his parched throat. Returning to this place after a century, the demonic thoughts that had been suppressed within him for so long stirred up once more.
He actually missed Xiao Huaiyuan a little.
Even doing that kind of thing day and night is better than dwelling on the past.
On the other side, after confirming that there was no ambush, the members of the Tianfu Society continued the ceremony.
The man poured a basin of steaming blood onto Yang Huan's grave, then drew a formation in front of the grave. After kowtowing several times, a raging fire suddenly broke out on the blood formation.
A grotesque human face emerged from the flames, its lifelike features contorted and twisted in what appeared to be extreme pain. The shadowy face rose amidst the ever-burning fire, gradually turning from black to white, and finally transforming into a phantom smiling face in the air.
This was nothing unusual for Fu Ming, who had traversed the Netherworld Spring and the Sea of Blood. Those souls in the blood that were used as firewood were those that had been bound to the mortal realm by secret techniques.
But mortals don't understand these things; they only think that these suffering souls have been freed and are going to live a good life.
Someone shouted something, and the slogans of the Heavenly Restoration Society rose and fell.
"Follow my lord!"
May you attain eternal bliss!
However, Fu Ming seemed to hear some commotion near Xiao Huaiyuan. It was probably the younger sister of the Palace Master of Rihua Palace who couldn't sit still anymore. Practicing evil magic at someone's grave was too disrespectful to the deceased.
The Tianfu Society members nodded and opened their arms to the people shivering behind them: "The heavenly fire has been lit for all of you brothers and sisters. After a short while of pain, you will all ascend to the Land of Bliss. Success or failure hinges on this moment. Do not ruin our great cause by avoiding temporary pain."
Upon hearing this seemingly righteous lie, Fu Ming finally remembered the man's identity. Wasn't this Master Sun from a village in the Eastern Continent? His promotion had been so rapid that he was now in charge of such an important matter as opening a divine palace.
Ordinary people are worn down by the degenerate age and have lost all their strength, but not everyone will cooperate. Suddenly, a child cried out in a sharp voice.
"Waaah, Mom, I want to go home..."
"Take the younger one in first," Master Sun instructed. If the younger one doesn't go and the older one doesn't want to go either, then everything will be in chaos.
Two adults grabbed the child's thin, bony arms, shook him back and forth a few times, and were about to throw him into the fire.
"Wait a minute."
A swordsman silently blocked Master Sun's path, his face completely hidden by a black veiled hat.
He really can't stand hearing people say they want to go home.
Fu Ming tightened his veil and deliberately lowered his voice: "The way of Heaven is to take from the surplus and give to the deficiency. The Imperial Palace is the turning point of the calamity. Must a child be sacrificed to open it?"
Master Sun actually possessed some minor cultivation, yet he couldn't harm him at all: "Does Your Excellency insist on opposing our Tianfu Society? If the Imperial Palace doesn't open, dying sooner or later is the same as dying anyway."
Fu Ming was speechless: "Then why don't you set an example and go in yourselves?"
He single-handedly stopped hundreds of people, and any fanatical believer who attempted to immolate himself was grabbed and thrown back by Fu Ming from afar. But were these really the only mortals bewitched by the Heavenly Restoration Society?
Master Sun remained silent, and after a long stalemate, he suddenly raised the stiff corners of his mouth.
"Senior brother, we've fallen into a trap."
Just as Xiao Huaiyuan's telepathic message arrived, a corner of a mountain fire lit up in the distance. No, that wasn't a mountain fire, but what the Tianfu Society called "heavenly fire."
The place where the Tianfu Society truly intends to organize mortals to self-immolate is not the Rihua Palace!
Before Fu Ming could even use his lightness skill, having fallen for the diversionary tactic, he saw Yang Pei, the Palace Master of Qingyue Palace, rushing towards him.
Fu Ming instinctively raised his knife to block.
But Yang Pei didn't come in his direction at all.
Instead, Xiao Huaiyuan, who arrived later, grabbed his wrist, and with a gentle but firm touch, pulled him back to reality. Only then did Fu Ming realize that his own hand was trembling violently.
They didn't say a word. Xiao Huaiyuan pressed his left hand on the back of his head, urging him to look behind him.
The white soul flowing within the flames merged into one, transforming into a female cultivator sitting on a tombstone. In the blink of an eye, she grew into a giant over a hundred feet tall, and her face became increasingly clear.
With arched eyebrows and downcast eyes, possessing a compassionate and gentle demeanor, this was Yang Huan, the mistress of Rihua Palace.
She walked gracefully toward the sunless and moonless east, like the most dignified fairy in folk tales.
"Sister!"
Yang Pei called out with a sob in her voice, and followed closely behind.
Even Fu Ming had heard about the past of the two sisters, Yang Huan and Yang Pei. Yang Huan became famous earlier and took good care of her younger sister, Yang Pei. The two relied on each other and had a very close relationship. In the end, they grew up to become the leaders of their respective sects.
It is somewhat similar to the relationship that Fu Ming and Xiao Huaiyuan once had.
Unfortunately, fate played a cruel joke on them. After the Rihua Palace Incident, the lives of the four fell apart and could never return to what they had been before.
Yang Huan's robes trailed slowly on the white jade steps in front of the imperial palace. With each step she took, the imperial palace was tinged with a new hue.
With its vermilion roofs and green tiles, red pillars and carved rafters, ethereal music drifted through the air, and even the lion-like creature at the entrance seemed to become kind and friendly, blinking its lively eyes.
They waited for a long time, and finally the gates of the imperial palace opened.
But the thought that this magnificent palace was built with human lives made Fu Ming feel that it was somewhat sinister.
His own Devouring Dao is often criticized for eating others to fill his own pockets. Doesn't the Heavenly Dao also eat people?
Fu Ming sneered at the Suanni.
Xiao Huaiyuan and Fu Ming, who had the highest cultivation levels, were still observing, but Master Sun, who had only recently established his foundation, ran forward. His robes fluttered in the darkness, and he crashed into the Imperial Palace's barrier, being blasted back hundreds of feet.
Master Sun was greatly alarmed as he flew, tracing an arc in the air: "Why... wasn't it agreed that we could enter the Imperial Palace and seize the opportunity for immortality?"
Xiao Huaiyuan explained, "The Imperial Palace was opened to select those who could become immortals. Not to mention those with poor talent, even mediocre talents are not allowed to enter."
Fu Ming teased Xiao Huaiyuan, "Why do you talk about the Imperial Palace like it's your own home?"
Xiao Huaiyuan shook his head: "It is recorded in the classics, not something I made up."
What do you mean? Are you taking advantage of his dislike of classical Chinese?
Fu Ming sensed the sarcastic undertone in those words, lightly punched Xiao Huaiyuan, and then walked side by side with him into the gates of the imperial palace.
To prevent them from separating during the transfer, the two held hands tightly.
Having gained such an advantage, Xiao Huaiyuan, who had been punched, was not angry at all. Instead, his tense expression relaxed a little: "Senior brother, Yang Pei has already seen through your identity. You should be careful."
So Yang Pei really did want to kill him back then, right?
Before changing direction, Yang Pei seemed to have uttered a harsh threat: "Fu Ming, you just wait, I'll deal with you later."
However, even if Yang Peixiu's cultivation level were one small realm higher, he still couldn't defeat him, not to mention Xiao Huaiyuan was also there. How could they possibly lose in a two-on-one fight?
Before their eyes, a dazzling light swirled, as if they were amidst shooting stars, with abundant spiritual energy nourishing every inch of their bodies. Just standing there motionless, Fu Ming could feel his cultivation level increasing. Staying in the Imperial Palace a little longer would at least allow him to break through to the Great Ascension stage.
If he had those conditions back then, wouldn't he have been able to advance in rank simply by eating and drinking?
Fu Ming exclaimed, feeling like Granny Liu visiting the Grand View Garden.
There's no way around it; aren't all protagonists destined to turn the tide when the world is on the verge of collapse?
He quickly accepted this premise.
Fu Ming scanned the teleportation channel flowing with stars, trying to comprehend the spatial laws hidden within. Xiao Huaiyuan, standing to the side, kept his eyes fixed on his senior brother's relaxed expression.
There was no hatred, no weariness, no worries.
It all seemed like a dream.
The discordant noises in Xiao Huaiyuan's soul began to stir again.
"What's the point of keeping him now? He'll leave you eventually."
"In my opinion, it would be better to..."
"Um?"
Fu Ming turned his head. He had been wielding swords for many years, and his palms were covered with calluses. Unfortunately, someone would often scrape the weak spot on his palm in certain situations, which made him develop a conditioned reflex.
Xiao Huaiyuan is up to his old tricks again.
Fu Ming, with a stern face, scolded, "What are you doing?"
Before he could even withdraw his hand, he saw the world transformed.
arrive.
The scene before them brightened up for the first time in a long while, but it wasn't particularly bright; it was probably dusk. The dim twilight set off the tranquil and beautiful landscape, and a line of egrets flew overhead, like a faded and yellowed ancient painting.
There is no one.
This place is quite... quiet.
Fu Ming had a very mysterious premonition. If the Grand Competition Secret Realm was a world of its own, but time was still in sync with the outside world, then the world of the Imperial Palace was a world where even time had frozen, like a piece of amber sealing away insects.
As expected, he and Xiao Huaiyuan walked for a while longer, but the setting sun, which was hanging on the mountaintop, did not move at all, and only the egrets continued to circle.
If there's any good news, it's that with each breath, Fu Ming's cultivation level is rising rapidly, and he'll soon be able to break through the barrier of the Mahayana stage.
Xiao Huaiyuan even broke through to the late stage of the Nascent Soul realm while chatting and laughing.
If things continue like this, it's not impossible for them to ascend to immortality within a month.
Fu Ming ran two fingers along his meridians, and after discovering that he was at the late stage of the Nascent Soul realm, he asked in surprise, "Won't there be a tribulation lightning here when advancing to the next level?"
"No……"
Xiao Huaiyuan paused, carefully considering his words.
"Fu Ming!"
A loud shout interrupted their conversation.
Upon catching a glimpse of Fu Ming, the chief of all evil, Yang Pei immediately drew her sword, the blade reflecting her resolute profile.
Yang Peibai's soft sword, as white as silk, moved to the side again, pointing directly at the adulterous couple.
"Alright, Xiao Huaiyuan! Which side are you on?"
Standing smiling beside her was Yang Huan, who had come back from the dead.
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