Chapter 94: The Truth Revives the Cultivation World (94% complete)
The task participants, deprived of the system, were like souls ripped from their bodies; they sighed and groaned, their expressions vacant.
Xiao Tingyuan brought the dishes to the table.
"Too salty." The ever-picky Helian Yi frowned, then sighed, "Never mind."
He ate it anyway, but his brow remained furrowed.
"You'll settle for less?" Su Xiaoyao found it somewhat intriguing.
“If 1818 were here, he would probably say, ‘The host should use the best of everything. Why should you compromise yourself for a mere dish?’” Helian Yi lowered his eyes, his fingertips lightly tapping the rim of the bowl, a rare look of melancholy on his face.
After the system was unbound, he thought nothing would be different, but when he realized there was no voice in his ear, he felt uncomfortable in every way.
A knock sounded at the door, and everyone looked towards the entrance. Dai Kui, who was being watched, smiled shyly, walked in, and placed several storage bags on the table.
"Here are some pills. After graduation, everyone will have their own things to do, and we probably won't have many opportunities to meet again, so I made extra to leave for everyone."
Su Xiaoyao didn't refuse, handing over the magical artifact she had prepared beforehand, and then glanced behind her: "Where's Xiaomian? Why didn't she come with us?"
Huangfu Mian and Dai Kui were always inseparable, but today she was nowhere to be seen.
Dai Kui's cheeks flushed, and her eyes darted away slightly: "Xiao Mian went to say goodbye to Senior Brother Lin."
"I went to confess to Brother Lin." Before the words were finished, Huangfu Mian strode in, sword in hand, and said frankly.
Shen Suqi, who was feeling down about the system leaving, was instantly awakened by her gossip-loving nature. She quickly moved closer and asked, "How was it? What was Senior Brother Lin's reaction?"
Huangfu Mian spread his hands, looking relaxed: "I've said everything I've been keeping in my heart. Although I was naturally rejected, my wish has been fulfilled, and that's enough."
Recalling Lin Ming's gentle, smiling face and always tender words, she waved her hand gracefully: "But who can say for sure what the future holds? Maybe one day I'll ascend to the upper realm and our fates will be rekindled."
"So carefree!" Shen Suqi gave a thumbs up.
Su Xiaoyao asked her, "By the way, what are your plans after graduation? Wu Ji was acting mysteriously the other day, buying a lot of spiritual artifacts and talismans from us. He must be planning something big."
“We’ve discussed it and decided to return to the Flowing Cloud Sect,” Huangfu Mian said. “Wu Ji’s point is that the punishment we received for leaving the sect shouldn’t be for nothing; we have to get it back.”
Dai Kui chimed in softly, "Many disciples of the Liuyun Sect have good foundations and decent character, but their morals are too corrupt. Wu Ji wants to promote Senior Brother Xu as the sect leader to clean up the sect's atmosphere."
Su Xiaoyao wasn't very familiar with Wu Ji, but after a brief interaction, she could see the courage and shrewdness beneath his honest appearance.
"Understood. Fighting back is the same as returning, and rebelling is also a form of rebellion. Are kings and nobles born with special privileges?"
"No wonder I bought so many explosive talismans." Shen Suqi suddenly realized.
Su Xiaoyao raised her hand and cupped her chest: "With your grand ambitions back then, everyone now has a rebellious spirit. It's incredible. Fellow Daoist Shen is leading the change of the times."
Shen Suqi said without any modesty, "That's right, don't you know who I am?"
Su Xiaoyao nodded repeatedly and said in a serious tone, "As expected of the number one talisman cultivator in the world, the only creator of holy-grade spirit talismans in a thousand years, the leader of the new era, and the future master of the Holy Prayer Palace."
Shen Suqi quickly added, "We're still missing a Pure, Clear, Void, and Steadfast Dao Lord."
Su Xiaoyao met her bright eyes and couldn't help but laugh: "Are you sure you want to give yourself such a long Taoist name?"
Normally, only independent cultivators without a master would choose their own Daoist name, but their situation is special. Tianyan Academy has a large number of students and does not follow those old rules.
Shen Suqi whispered in his ear, "Delay the time for greetings before making a move, distract the other side, and create an opportunity to draw spells and arrays."
“That makes sense.” Su Xiaoyao winked and bowed. “Greetings to Daoist Qingjing Mingxu Shouding.”
"Oh dear, greetings, Daoist Xiaoyao." Shen Suqi returned the greeting in a perfunctory manner.
"Are you going to the Holy Prayer Palace?" Huangfu Mian caught the key words.
Su Xiaoyao smiled and said, "Yes, yes, it's a pity that Liuyun Sect is far away, so you can't see the scene. But don't be disappointed, the memory stones will be sold all over the four continents soon after it ends."
Huangfu Mian narrowed his eyes: "Sell it all over?"
Su Xiaoyao nodded firmly: "Sell them all."
"Among weapon cultivators and talisman cultivators, the most profitable are still the most business-savvy." Huangfu Mian took Dai Kui's arm, feigning a tone of disappointment, "After all, medicine cultivators are recognized as the third most profitable. Rise up, Kui."
Dai Kui said shyly, "I will try my best."
Shen Suqi reminded him, "Once we take over the Liuyun Sect, let Xu Lingyou promote your elixirs."
She continued to ponder: "Once I take over the Holy Prayer Palace, all my disciples must spread the deeds of the Pure, Bright, Void, and Steadfast Dao Lord. I'm not afraid of anyone imitating me. After I ascend to immortality, the Holy Prayer Palace will be filled by capable individuals. Even my disciples cannot sit back and enjoy the fruits of others' labor. They must all be brought under control!"
"Roll it up!" Su Xiaoyao shouted, raising her arm.
"What about the future Sect Master Xu of the Flowing Cloud Sect?" Shen Suqi became more and more excited as she spoke. "Let's discuss the exchange between the disciples of the two sects in advance."
“He went to find Wenren Juan.” Huangfu Mian knew where he went. “They became close after the Hundred-Man Thunder Tribulation and often discussed swordsmanship together. This time, Wenren Juan and Nan Rongjiao are going back to the mortal court to guard the emperor for at least a hundred years. We don’t know when we will meet again.”
"Are they really willing to give it up? The mortal realm is lacking in spiritual energy; going back would be equivalent to giving up a hundred years of cultivation time," Helian Yi said.
He tried to win over Wenren Juan and Nan Rongjiao, but was rejected.
“Everyone has their own ambitions, which shows that I haven’t forgotten my original intention.” Thinking of the mortal world, Su Xiaoyao’s thoughts drifted away. “The emperor is very good. Women in the mortal world are not allowed to show their faces in public, but the emperor said that the imperial tutor is a woman, so there is nothing wrong with it. That’s how I found the opportunity to build my business empire.”
All that happened before seems like a dream. From an unloved concubine's daughter to the carefree Daoist master she is today, she has lived a legendary life. How can this not be considered a protagonist's comeback story?
“My teacher told me the Taoist name of his enemy,” Xiao Tingyuan said abruptly, snapping out of his reverie.
They had just started talking about Taoist names when he remembered this.
"What's your name?"
Upon hearing this, everyone curiously gathered around.
They had heard of Xiao Fei's deeds to some extent. He was the first person to enter the Dao through cooking. Although he did not truly ascend to immortality, later generations respectfully called him the "God of Cooking." His fall was not a secret—he was betrayed and ambushed by a friend when he was caught off guard.
The God of Cookery once led the Xiao family to prosperity, but shortly after his fall, traitors attempted to eradicate him completely. The Xiao family suffered repeated suppression and nearly perished several times. Only through multiple family divisions and relocations was Xiao Tingyuan's lineage preserved.
Two thousand years is too long; even the descendants of the Xiao family no longer know who their enemy is.
Under everyone's watchful eyes, Xiao Tingyuan slowly uttered two words:
"A lingering dream".
Before he could explain further, the other people's heads were already bumping together.
Dai Kui said softly, "The sound of the pestle pounding away at the dream is that he is a medicine cultivator."
Jiang Yun pondered: "To be able to kill a Mahayana cultivator two thousand years ago, one's strength must have been extremely strong. Even if it wasn't a Mahayana cultivator, it wouldn't have been too weak back then."
A thoughtful look flashed in Helian Yi's eyes: "I've never heard of this Taoist name. I'm certain that this person's name will remain unknown for at least several hundred years."
Su Xiaoyao chimed in, "Logically speaking, someone this strong should have left some traces even after two thousand years, but Old Xiao said before that even their own family doesn't know who their enemy is."
Shen Suqi tapped the table lightly with her fingertips: "This kind of person wouldn't be willing to fall quietly. Even Helian Yi hasn't heard of him, which means he's hiding very well... someone is helping to cover up his existence."
Shui Fan frowned slightly: "To be able to erase all traces and still fool the Helian family..."
Huangfu Mian blurted out, "He is the patriarch of the Nine Sects!"
Another voice calmly interjected: "He is also the culprit for the decline of the cultivation world to this day."
Huangfu Mian was startled. He turned his head and saw a familiar face. He said speechlessly, "Wu Ji, why didn't you say anything when you came? It's kind of scary."
Wu Ji chuckled and scratched his head: "I didn't want to disturb you because you were having such a lively conversation."
"There's one more thing." Despite his honest and simple face, his words sent chills down one's spine. "Five years ago, demonic energy appeared in the cultivation world. Senior Brother Lin said that someone wanted to sacrifice living beings to force the luck to rebound from its lowest point. The Demon Well is guarded by the Merfolk for many years and is perfectly sealed. It would take a hundred years of planning to steal the demonic energy silently."
Su Xiaoyao had a flash of inspiration: "Two thousand years ago, the cultivation world was beginning to decline. There was one person who had the potential to ascend to immortality, but another person, feeling resentful, launched a sneak attack. Even so, he still couldn't reach the path to immortality."
"Perhaps a hundred years, perhaps a thousand years later, he realized that this couldn't go on." Helian Yi continued her analysis, "He finally discovered that it was because the fortune of this world had dissipated that he had no hope of ascending. At this time, he thought of the era when the fortune of the cultivation world was at its peak ten thousand years ago, and he thought of how the spiritual energy of the cultivation world surged after the demon dragon's rebellion was quelled, and how it flourished for a long time."
Su Xiaoyao paced back and forth, carefully deducing: "So he retreated behind the scenes, plotted for a long time, and guided the younger generation of the Nine Sects to steal demonic energy to create a new 'demon dragon'... which is the little octopus!"
“No.” Jiang Yun suddenly interrupted, his gaze sharp and his expression cold. “It’s me.”
His tone was calm, yet it carried a chilling undertone: "I was the 'dragon' chosen at the beginning, and the little octopus was just a second choice. We both have obsessive desires; I want revenge, and it wants to break free from the fate of its kind."
After belatedly recalling Jiang Yun's past, Su Xiaoyao felt that everything made sense.
If it weren't for the system that suddenly appeared, Jiang Yun would not be able to cultivate normally due to his cursed fate. However, he has exceptional talent and extraordinary destiny. At that time, a demonic cultivator would probably "accidentally" pick him up, transfer his demonic energy to him, pass on his cultivation techniques, and then let him gradually discover the "truth of the massacre" that the person behind it all wanted him to know, thus becoming an enemy of the righteous path.
With the appearance of a demon, countless lives are lost, and the world needs a savior. Even if fortune doesn't ultimately rebound, even if this world falls into complete ruin, that savior can still ascend to heaven through great merit.
After sorting everything out, Su Xiaoyao tilted her head and raised an eyebrow at Jiang Yun: "You said yesterday that you were going home to send your family members to be reincarnated, it seems that the itinerary will have to be changed."
Jiang Yun chuckled lightly, his tone laced with sarcasm: "Xuantian Sword Sect, Kunpeng Mountain... what a feng shui treasure land! It's been hiding filth and corruption for a thousand years, it's time to see the light of day."
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