Chapter 170 Tian Di Yu Xiao Tao Zhi was truly his brother's destined one. ...
Bitao and her entourage advanced inch by inch. The banished immortal, having nowhere else to go, piled the mortals at the entrance, while they huddled in a palace that was still relatively intact.
Both elders were severely injured by Dongjun during the battle, yet they were still protected by their subordinates. By this time, the protection was no longer based on loyalty.
Instead, once the two elders die, these banished immortals will become a truly leaderless "rabble".
These two elders now serve only as flag bearers.
But as long as Bitao says, "You killed the elder, I will let you go,"
These two elders will be stabbed into a pulp by the longsword in no time.
Unfortunately, Bitao wouldn't let any of them go.
In particular, they actually used ordinary people as "human shields".
Many of the "meat shields" were stubborn and unyielding, always fighting on behalf of the elders.
Only now do we realize who is truly on the side of "justice".
Only then did I realize that what these people said about the elders living such a glorious life by absorbing their life force was actually true!
They only gave them that little bit of money to buy their lives!
Moreover, they are expected to be extremely grateful to the elders!
Now they've been dragged out again to serve as human shields.
They wept, they repented.
They pleaded helplessly with Bitao's group.
"Please, please, all you immortals, stop hitting us! They'll kill us!"
"Shouldn't immortals be compassionate?! You're forcing them to kill us!"
"My child is gone! My child is gone! What more do you want?"
"Your dispute has nothing to do with us mortals. Didn't you come to rescue us? Let us go first!"
"Please save us... Make them let us go first, then we can fight..."
Yes, their "repentance" and weeping indirectly helped these wicked immortals to drive away Bitao and the others.
Tempted by gold and silver, they did not believe that the elders who gave them money and provided them with good food and drink were harmful "devils".
Even when their lives are threatened, they refuse to give those willing to save them any chance to attack.
Many in Bitao's group had already lost their minds from killing. When they heard these mortals say that they "didn't know what was good for them," they began to rebel against these people who were only trying to protect themselves at this time.
Even murderous intent.
Some people eagerly stepped forward, pointing their swords at the civilians.
He said to Bitao, "Leave this to me, Fairy. You all just focus on the attack. Anyone who dares to block our way or hinder us on behalf of those elders will be killed without mercy!"
Anyway... anyway, killing them and suffering the backlash of karma can still allow us to continue our immortal lineage!
Upon seeing this, the mortals cried out in grief and pleaded endlessly.
When immortals fight, these mortals are as fragile as a sheet of paper, easily torn apart.
If neither side pays any attention to them, they will die as easily as a breeze.
The crowd dared not move forward or backward, but began to gather, pile up, and squeeze towards the center—like a flock of lambs surrounded by wolves, bleating wildly and disregarding the lives of their companions, they were the first to trample each other.
Everything was on the verge of spiraling out of control.
Bitao couldn't let her subordinates make a move; they had been completely aroused by the Five Yin Blaze, and most of them had lost their reason.
Once the fighting starts, there will definitely be no distinction between friend and foe, or even civilians.
Bitao sternly rebuked the subordinate who was trying to clear a path regardless of the lives of ordinary people, and made him return to the team.
He stood before the crowd, the first to draw his sword, but instead swept past the common people, slashing at the immortal who kept shouting, "Come on, take one step forward, and I'll kill one of you!"
Bitao moved so fast that it was impossible to catch the naked eye. The immortal who had just killed a child had already been turned into a mortal by the backlash of karma.
His five senses rapidly deteriorated, and his reaction time became extremely slow. In an instant, Bitao chopped off his head.
Bitao suddenly charged into the encirclement, and the immortals who were already terrified immediately retreated when they saw their companions splattered with blood in the sky.
As for the people, because Bitao rushed into the crowd, they were like a flock of "lambs" being driven out.
Right now!
Using her longsword and body, Bitao temporarily drew a narrow "boundary" between the common people and the banished immortals.
Before the immortals could react, Bitao shouted to those behind her, "Jichun-jun, shield!"
Ji Chunjun had already been instructed by Bi Tao to wait here for a long time.
In an instant, solid ice spread from the feet of the people, like a high wall rising from the ground, enveloping the "boundary" drawn by Bitao alone from all directions, including Bitao herself.
"Crack crack crack crack—" The crisp sound of the ice shield came from all directions, closing in inch by inch under the bright lights.
The entire group of people was encased in an ice shield.
Just then, Bitao, standing inside the shield, revealed a bloodthirsty smile to the banished immortals who had reacted and were about to swarm forward to break through the shield and plunder the people.
After a night of fierce fighting, her hair was disheveled and her robe was torn, yet she was as vibrant and beautiful as a red spider lily blooming eerily, soaked in blood.
"Everyone, listen to my command! Kill! Burn!"
At Bitao's command, all the fire spirits, thunder spirits, and metal spirits, along with a special attack squad led by Dongjun, immediately bypassed the solid ice shield and charged into the hall—
Those immortals were completely like ants after being overthrown and gnawed; their "giant" feet trampled over them, leaving no trace of their remains.
Dongjun had never killed so many people in one night, and they were all immortals.
He fought so hard that the base of his wings began to ache and itch unbearably. To relieve the ache and itch, he had no choice but to frantically pour out his spiritual energy, fanning his wings, which were enveloped in heat waves, and releasing spiritual fires everywhere that could not be extinguished by ordinary water.
The others who assisted him were responsible for hunting down the scattered immortals.
In less than a quarter of an hour, the last two elders embraced each other and were burned to death in the magnificent palace that symbolized their status and identity.
It's cooked until crispy on the outside and tender on the inside, making it hard to tear your eyes away.
The spirit fire continued to burn, spreading all the way down to the palace below the Nine Heavens Palace.
Up to this point, none of the groups of banished immortals residing in the Nine Heavens Palace, including those from the Nine Heavens Palace itself, sent anyone to rescue the elders of the Nine Heavens Palace.
They spent a sleepless night, fearing the powerful magic of the Eastern Lord, fearing the invincible force of the Peach Blossom Clan, and fearing the murderous aura and evil spirits that disregarded cause and effect. They could only watch from afar in the high palace of the Nine Heavens.
No one dared to step in, for fear of getting burned.
The divine fire was like a grand "spring breeze," uprooting the "wild grass" hidden throughout the palace wherever it passed.
Bitao's subordinates, in teams and wielding swords, swiftly eliminated every threat.
At this moment, a hint of dawn finally appeared on the horizon.
The ice shield melted as Ji Chunjun could no longer hold it, and the mortals beneath it, barely surviving, mostly collapsed to the ground.
Most of Bitao's men have returned, and Dongjun has also quietly returned to the ranks.
His wings were itching so badly he was secretly furious, thinking that Bitao must have overused his skills!
When he was fighting those elders, Bitao was afraid that her subordinates would be no match for him and would die, so she let him go up by himself!
She has been controlling him with some kind of "meat lingzhi" that she doesn't know what it is, making him work like a donkey that pulls a millstone without being fed grass!
Fortunately, Dongjun never needed to clean up the battlefield, search for the hidden immortals, or collect gold, silver, and immortal pearls.
Dongjun watched as Bitao walked back with her sword, and thought to himself, surely she couldn't have burned down Xu Xingshen's palace as well, could she?
Now that it's all over, it's one thing for him to be controlled, but at least he can see his younger brother now, right?
Mingguang stood not far from Dongjun, encased in his own unique ice shield by Jichunjun. Despite the intense battle, he hadn't opened his eyes, perhaps because he was feeling unwell.
Bitao walked up to the people, and Dongjun was about to speak.
A mortal who had been lying limply on the ground behind Bitao suddenly got up, stepped forward, and grabbed Bitao's shoulder.
Bitao was wary of these mortals.
After all, their own people had been attacked by mortals many times that night.
But the elders were all dead, and they knew who was right and who was wrong. Unless they had gone mad, they would never help the elders attack them again.
Therefore, Bitao kept her sword hanging down and did not adopt any defensive posture.
Bitao didn't sense the murderous intent of the mortals around her. She turned her head in confusion because of the hand on her shoulder, and was slapped hard across the face by a mortal.
The force was so great that even Bitao staggered before regaining her balance.
Bitao's subordinates reacted even faster than she did. By the time she was slapped across the face, several longswords, still stained with blood, were already at the neck of that mortal.
In the blink of an eye, this mortal who dared to lay a hand on Bitao will be beheaded!
Bitao immediately stopped them: "Stop! You can't kill people!"
Fortunately, even though her men had been killing all night and were somewhat confused, they still obeyed Bitao's orders very well, but they did not remove the long sword that was held to the neck of that mortal.
The mortal spoke, his eyes bloodshot, his voice ripped out: "Bah! You are all the same kind of beasts!"
"Those beasts who disregard human life and don't care about human survival—"
This mortal, disregarding the several blades across his neck, not content with hitting Bitao, pointed at her, cursed her, and charged at her.
Bitao looked at her.
—She was the commoner woman whose child's head was chopped off by the banished immortal who resisted the Peach Blossom Clan.
She didn't look very old, and she must have lived quite well in the palaces of these elders before, wearing brocade skirts that only "nobles" could afford in the mortal world.
But at this moment, she was covered in filth, her silk dress was soaked with blood, and her eyes were filled with despair and she looked incredibly old. She pointed at Bitao and cursed her: "If it weren't for you, all of you!"
"They won't kill my eldest son!"
“My youngest sons are also missing.”
"They're all gone!"
"They're all dead!"
"Kill me! What's the point of me living?!"
"Why didn't you kill me too?!"
The woman cried out and tried to kill herself by ramming her neck against the sword blade. Fortunately, the crowd quickly withdrew their swords, preventing her from bleeding on the spot.
Ignoring her burning face, Bitao stepped forward and pressed on her sore and numb acupoints to temporarily calm her agitated emotions, causing her to collapse back to the ground.
The woman crawled to her dead child's side, embraced the headless body, and wept terribly.
Bitao's eyes showed sadness.
However... even though she was a celestial being with extraordinary abilities, she had no way to reattach the head of a dead child.
Dongjun looked at Bitao's face, which had turned bright red like a ripe peach in the blink of an eye after being whipped, and he was extremely gloating.
He sneered, "How is it? Does it hurt?"
His question had a double meaning; he was asking whether Bitao's face hurt, and also whether her heart ached.
"These are the people you risked your life all night to save. Who's grateful to you? They're more likely to hate you for ruining their pipe dreams."
"A bunch of mortals blinded by greed." Even if they were saved, they would be a bunch of short-lived ghosts.
Ordinary people certainly felt no gratitude towards them whatsoever.
Because those mortals had already started walking, supporting each other, towards the opposite direction of the elders' palace—the direction of the mortal realm.
They are going home.
Moreover, as the battlefield was cleaned up, countless ordinary people who had been hiding in various corners emerged, covered in dust and dirt.
Some people broke down in tears, while others looked completely numb.
They were all going against the soaring spiritual flames, heading in one direction.
Like a group of soulless ghosts crawling out of the underground purgatory.
The woman who had slapped Bitao also stood up.
He looked around blankly, his expression anxious.
Soon, she let out a scream and ran towards a collapsed doorpost.
Bitao followed.
He quickly summoned his men and had them lift the doorposts.
Two children were pulled from under the collapsed doorposts by the crowd. Most of their hair was singed by the spiritual fire, but fortunately, they did not have any fatal injuries.
The woman's heart-wrenching cries drowned out the raging fire and reached the heavens.
"Second treasure, third treasure! Ah—ah—"
She held her two children, unable to stop herself from crying out in pain.
Bitao stood not far from her, directing her subordinates: "Use your spiritual energy to quickly search everywhere for any mortals trapped like them inside the collapsed palace."
"Gather the mortals who are unable to move, inconvenient to travel long distances, and willing to be sent away in one place. They will be sent back to the human realm in a spirit boat later."
His subordinates immediately obeyed and dispersed.
Bitao returned to Mingguang's side.
Ji Chunjun removed the ice shield, and Mingguang opened his eyes to look at Bitao.
Look at her disheveled appearance, look at her swollen left cheek from being slapped.
Bitao didn't feel anything when she was slapped, but after Mingguang looked at her twice, she felt like crying.
She finally felt the burning pain on her face.
But she felt she hadn't done anything wrong.
She had done her best to save people, but for mortals to get involved in the disputes between the banished immortals was like a herbivorous rabbit trying to stop a fight between tigers.
Casualties are unavoidable.
Mingguang didn't say anything, but when Bitao hugged him and removed the restraints on his body, he pretended that he couldn't move and didn't push her away.
Mingguang lowered his eyes to look at the top of Bitao's head, his eyes filled with heartache hidden beneath his long eyelashes.
Little Peach Branch must be very sad.
She was resented by her people and was even beaten.
Throughout the heavens and earth, so many people wanted to kill Bitao, and they used all sorts of schemes and tricks, but no one dared to slap her in the face.
As dawn broke, the first rays of warm yellow light shone from the east onto the palace complex where fireworks still burned brightly.
Bitao's subordinates had already rescued most of the mortals. They gradually gathered in front of the Nine Heavens Palace, on a vast open space in a palace area that had been used for ascending to immortality over the years.
Their spirit boats were brought to the ground, and people began to organize mortals to board them.
Bitao stood far away from the mortals, close to Mingguang, and didn't lift her head from Mingguang's arms for a long time, as if she had fallen asleep against his chest.
Dongjun could see that Bitao was aggrieved, but he was angry that she still wouldn't release her control over him and wouldn't let him get close to her younger brother. He kept calling out to Bitao.
"The battle is over, why haven't you released me yet?"
"Bitao, don't go too far!"
"Bitao! Just wait until my master arrives, and I'll expose all your cunning schemes!"
"Bitao! You deserve to be beaten by those ungrateful mortals!"
Bitao ignored him and changed her position in Mingguang's arms, pressing her other cheek against Mingguang's soft chest when it wasn't tense.
But soon Dongjun called out to Bitao again: "Hey! Bitao...look!"
"Tsk! Bitao! Look!"
Bitao finally turned her head.
Following Dongjun's gaze, Bitao saw in the distance that the woman who had slapped her earlier was kneeling down in her direction, holding a small child in one hand.
She pressed her palms against the two children's slender necks, the frantic, suicidal red in her eyes had faded, leaving only a sense of relief.
Her voice was soft, but that didn't stop the immortals present from hearing it clearly: "Kowtowing to the saviors. Without them, you would be dead, just like your older brother."
After the woman and her two children knelt down and kowtowed...
The surrounding people seemed to be suddenly "awakened," and one after another, they all knelt down.
We bowed in gratitude to the nearest deity who had helped us.
The dawn light completely bathed the earth.
Voices of gratitude rose and fell among the mortals, whispering and then booming.
Most mortals bow towards the side of the peach blossom.
Bitao was stunned for a moment, her face burning with pain, only a little heat remained.
She looked at these people for a long time before finally showing a slight smile, the grievance in her eyes dissipating in the warm morning light.
The Dongjun, who was being worshipped by the people, initially had a strange expression.
He heard someone shout, "Thanks to that birdman! That birdman is incredibly powerful! He was the main force attacking the elders! He must be a demon, hmm, a good demon indeed!"
He had been mocking Bitao for a long time, but now the situation had suddenly reversed, and he was a little embarrassed.
You're the one who's a jerk.
Your whole family are bird people.
You're the fairy.
Your entire family has been demons for generations!
But soon, he couldn't care less about that.
He felt an unbearable itch on the tips of his wings, and a sharp pain as if his wings were being torn apart, so intense that his vision blurred.
Then, the heat wave spread uncontrollably from Dongjun's body, carrying the golden spirit fire that could burn everything—and it was about to affect these mortals who worshipped him!
Bitao looked astonished and was about to call on Jichunjun to release the Ice Shield to protect the people when Shangyuan Shenzhen, who had been hiding his figure, suddenly appeared, grabbed Dongjun by the back of his collar, and flew into the air with Dongjun in tow.
Just as it reached mid-air, with a "hum", Dongjun's battle of the night revealed only a part of its Dharma form - completely detached from human form, standing tall and majestic in the sky.
The golden crow, symbolizing the rule of the nine heavens over the entire race, stretched its neck and cried out, its sound echoing across the heavens. In the instant the sound waves spread, the dazed souls of mortals, wounded by the chaotic battle of the night, were all cleansed of their confusion by the cry of the golden crow, which carried the sound of dispelling illusions.
And huge, sky-covering wings unfurled above everyone's heads, eclipsing the dawn on the horizon.
The heatwave caused the temperature in the air to rise rapidly. The immortals, not knowing what was wrong with Dongjun, could only quickly erect barriers to block the mortals around them from the heatwave that could incinerate people.
Dongjun's Dharma form was five or six times larger than the Mingguang Dharma form that Bitao had seen before. When his Dharma form spread its wings, they stretched to the very end of the sky as far as the eye could see.
At the very end, where the tip of the golden crow's wings had been blank, something suddenly emerged, dripping with blood.
The thing was so bright that everyone couldn't open their eyes. When they finally saw it clearly, they saw a huge feather formed from golden light, which had filled the tip of Dongjun's wings.
The moment the feathers grew, Dongjun's Dharma form roared and howled once more, and in an instant—the heat wave surging between heaven and earth transformed from scorching heat into a warm, nurturing golden light.
All the immortals were shocked to find that their cultivation techniques were rapidly increasing under this golden light.
Those mortals whose life force had been drained by the elders of the Nine Heavens Palace felt an unprecedented comfort under this golden light.
Their dejected expressions and cloudy eyes due to the five signs of decay in the celestial beings were soothed by the golden light, and their eyes became clear and bright.
Amidst the dazzling golden light that filled the sky and earth, Bitao turned her head to look at the bright light.
She smiled, a slight curl to her lips.
The image of Dongjun (the God of the East) proudly spread its wings in the sky. The mortals who were already kneeling on the ground all bowed to the magnificent image and called him "True God".
"This isn't a demon, this is a true god!"
They thanked the "true God" for His protection and for His divine light that healed their long-standing ailments.
After a long while, until Dongjun's Dharma form completely dissipated, he regained his human form from mid-air, and his unconscious state was taken away by his master.
The people then rose one by one, and were still reluctant to leave as Bitao's subordinates continued to guide them onto the spirit boat.
Bitao looked at Mingguang happily and said, "Brother has advanced!"
“He was originally a spirit immortal, but now he should be a divine immortal like his master.”
"As the gods advance, the spiritual energy they give back to the mortal realm is so abundant. I feel that I am about to advance as well."
Are you feeling any better?
Bitao was truly delighted, because of the people's understanding and because of Dongjun's advancement. The spiritual energy he received would surely heal Mingguang's injuries completely.
Mingguang's eyes remained fixed on Xiaotaozhi for a long time, feeling no pleasure whatsoever. He felt as if his insides had been hollowed out, his chest empty.
Because the event happened so suddenly, there was no bloodshot look of collapse or pain in his eyes, only a hazy, bewildered look.
His brother had been an adult for hundreds of years, but his "Heaven and Earth Feathers" showed no sign of growing.
Without the Heavenly Feather, the Golden Crow clan is unable to rule over all living beings.
The Golden Crow is formed from the essence of the sun, a spirit of primordial fire. Its feathers shine like the golden light of the sun, and its eyes contain a radiant spirit. Only by growing "feathers of heaven and earth" can it ignite the true fire of the sun with the flapping of its wings. ①
Only when feathers are born from heaven and earth can one transcend the mortal realm and enter sainthood, thus bearing the laws of heaven and earth with every flap of one's wings.
It was the little peach branch that made Dongjun understand what "common people" meant.
Only then can he grow feathers that symbolize heaven and earth.
Mingguang has always felt that the idea of a "destined person" is utter nonsense.
But now he understands the meaning of the proverbs about the destined person in the Golden Crow clan's heritage.
"The common people are like a zither and lute, united in heart they ignite a golden fire; life and death reveal their true forms, and heaven and earth naturally give birth to feathers." ②
Only the destined one can help the Golden Crow clan grow feathers that embody the heavens and earth.
Xiao Taozhi was truly his brother's destined one.
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