Chapter 266 - 254: The Age of Chaos Has Arrived

Chapter 266: Chapter 254: The Age of Chaos Has Arrived

「Fifteen minutes later.」

The handful of Longevity Sect disciples who had arrived so aggressively now fled in a panic, their tails between their legs, after being forced to swear a Dao Heart Oath.

Chu Mu hovered in the air, his gaze distant as he watched them flee. His expression had already grown grave.

Based on what the Longevity Sect disciples had just told him...

He had been cut off from the world, secluded in cultivation for years.

The Great Chu Cultivation Immortal World... was already consumed by the flames of war.

More than two years ago, the East Lake Secret Realm had been the eye of the storm, the focal point of conflict for all the powers in Great Chu. Then, it had vanished without a trace.

With the Secret Realm’s sudden disappearance under such tense circumstances...

It was clear that this spark was all it took for the already simmering conflicts to erupt into open warfare.

Headed by five great clans—the East Lake Xie Family, the Langya Wang Family, the Changping Zhao Family, the Nanshan Li Family, and the Vast Sea Chen Family—they announced their secession from the Longevity Sect and formed... the Righteous Alliance. This act tore away the Longevity Sect’s last fig leaf.

Following this monumental shift, the entire Great Chu Cultivation Immortal World was almost instantly plunged into a sprawling, all-consuming war.

However, the war wasn’t one-sided at first. The Longevity Sect and the Righteous Alliance were surprisingly evenly matched, trading blows back and forth.

That is, until a year ago. For reasons unknown, one of the Righteous Alliance’s leading powers, the Vast Sea Chen Family, suddenly betrayed the alliance and rejoined the Longevity Sect!

This sudden betrayal instantly tipped the scales of the deadlocked war.

The Vast Sea Chen Family’s geographical location was particularly critical.

The Longevity Sect was in the far north, while the Vast Sea Chen Family was in the far south.

With one in the north and the other in the south, the Righteous Alliance was caught in between...

A single act of betrayal led to a complete rout.

According to those disciples, the front lines had now reached the East Lake Waters, and the Righteous Alliance had only just begun to recover from the devastating rout.

And East Lake... that had once been the heart of the Xie Family’s territory. The East Lake Xie Family was named after it, after all!

And this scene before him—the shroud of Corpse Qi, the tens of thousands of commoners turned into mindless zombies...

...was merely a footnote in this great turmoil.

They had said that during the earlier fighting outside Xiangyin City, a Xie Family Honored Guest Elder had been hunted down and forced to self-destruct.

That particular Honored Guest Elder specialized in the Corpse Dao, and his cultivation had reached the Foundation Establishment Realm. When he self-destructed, the resulting spread of Corpse Qi was what created this city full of zombies.

With the war raging at the time, no one had the time or inclination to deal with it. Only recently, as the situation stabilized, had this "minor issue" garnered any attention.

Which explained the scene from earlier...

He wasn’t particularly concerned about such minor side effects.

’In a world where power is everything, weakness is the original sin.’

’This city of zombies is damning proof of that.’

But...

’Secluded for years... and the world has fallen into chaos...’

’Even though I predicted something like this would happen... an upheaval of this scale, engulfing the entire Great Chu Cultivation Immortal World... how can I, caught in the middle of it, possibly escape being affected?’

After a long silence, Chu Mu let out a slow breath. He couldn’t help but feel a strange sense of relief.

’At least... I’m a Foundation Establishment Realm Cultivator now.’

’With the world in chaos, I have some ability to protect myself.’

He got his bearings, patted Wangcai, and without another moment’s delay, his Foundation Establishment Magical Cultivation erupted. Without relying on any artifact, he shot through the air.

His Magical Power of Supreme Yang and Firmness circulated, clashing with the Spiritual Qi of the outside world. It manifested as a conspicuous, fiery red light.

He streaked across the sky like a crimson meteor, vanishing in an instant.

The direction he vanished in was precisely toward Water Heaven Workshop, once the territory of the Xie Family.

Only after leaving the Xiangyin County region did the figure flying across the sky slow down slightly.

The chaos of the Cultivation Immortal Realm seemed to have spilled over into the mortal world.

In his past travels, the mortal world had at least maintained a veneer of peace.

Now, however, every place he flew over was in a state of utter turmoil.

The war between the Longevity Sect and the Righteous Alliance in the Cultivation Immortal Realm had clearly affected the mortal world as well.

A new mortal dynasty had already replaced the Great Chu Court within the territory governed by the Immortal Dao Alliance.

’This dynasty... it seems to be called the Great Jin?’

He had only caught a few hurried glimpses and hadn’t paid it much mind.

After all, the true focus was the turmoil in the Cultivation Immortal Realm. No matter how chaotic the mortal world became, it was ultimately insignificant...

...

「Dawn, the next day.」

The Water-Sky Line, a structure seemingly embedded in the lake, came into Chu Mu’s view.

However, the great cities that once surrounded Water Heaven Workshop like a sprawling constellation all appeared to have been destroyed.

There were collapsed ruins, abandoned husks, and some that had been razed to the ground...

The former Water-Sky Line was now a vision of breathtaking, ethereal beauty.

A five-colored radiance enveloped the structure, but amidst the ruins were countless craters and bloodstains.

Clearly, Water Heaven Workshop had been the site of a bloody battle not long ago.

’I just wonder who controls Water Heaven Workshop now?’

’The Longevity Sect?’

’The Immortal Dao Alliance?’

Chu Mu wasn’t overly concerned. Even though he was a wanted man by the Longevity Sect, he held no particular bias toward either side.

’Whoever wins or loses, the final outcome won’t be much different.’

’It’s just like the thousands of years of history from my past life, all endlessly repeating the same story: a contest for supremacy.’

’It’s the same in the Cultivation Immortal Realm. Who wins and who loses merely determines which group of Cultivators gets to set the rules and control access to knowledge.’

However, the current situation seemed somewhat different from what he had anticipated.

’According to my original plan, once the chaos started, I was supposed to head south.’

’To the Sea Border, to the lands of the Vast Sea Chen Family.’

’Given their geographical location, they shouldn’t have been easily drawn into the conflict, even if war broke out.’

’But the reality is that the Vast Sea Chen Family was involved from the very beginning, and then there was that betrayal...’

’It’s obvious the Vast Sea Chen Family is now at the very center of the storm.’

’And the other regions of Great Chu are also in turmoil.’

’There’s no safe haven in the lands surrounding Great Chu, either...’

As his thoughts churned, Chu Mu slowly descended from the sky. He landed on the ground and began walking toward Water Heaven Workshop.

’I’ll have to see and hear things for myself to know the real situation.’

’Whether this is a blessing or a curse remains to be seen.’

’After all, with my current Foundation Establishment Realm Cultivation, I’d be considered a pillar of strength even in the Longevity Sect.’

’In the mortal world, chaotic times are an endless, uncontrollable calamity for the common person.’

’But for those who have ability yet are constrained by circumstances, that isn’t necessarily true.’

’Chaotic times give rise to heroes; they are an era of countless opportunities.’

’In the Cultivation Immortal Realm, that principle should apply as well.’

’When the old rules are broken, things are bound to change. Nothing can stay the same forever...’

...