Chapter 254

In the Eastern Water Lands.

The blazing sun scorched the earth, leaving the land dry and cracked.

The endless drizzle that had followed the fall of Spiritual Master Bai Mu had long since vanished. In its place, scorching fire poison rose from the parched ground.

Then suddenly.

Shortly after noon, the heavens darkened once again. Sand and stones filled the air as violent winds swept across the land.

"This damned weather, half the day it's drought, the other half it's a windstorm..."

Fang Wujiu had just finished taking Fang Shangxuan on a patrol. After returning with a mouthful of sand, he hurried back inside the Mandala City's grand array before finally feeling some relief.

Walking toward him was none other than Yue Mingxue.

"Big Sister-in-law."

Fang Wujiu gave her a meaningful look.

"Come with me."

Yue Mingxue glanced at the nearby Bai Family cultivators on patrol before leading Fang Wujiu and his son back to her cave abode.

Fang Shangxuan remained outside on guard.

Yue Mingxue casually activated a soundproof restriction before speaking.

"What happened outside? Why has the weather changed so drastically? Yesterday it was continuous rain, and today we've had scorching heat since dawn followed by violent winds."

"What else could it be?"

Fang Wujiu sighed.

"The spiritual atmosphere of heaven and earth has changed again. Someone even greater than Spiritual Master Bai Mu must have fallen. He was already a mid-stage Purple Mansion cultivator."

He looked toward the direction of the Blissful Union Sect.

"Judging by the timing, the great war should have erupted long ago. We've hidden ourselves in the rear and enjoyed temporary peace, but sooner or later we'll still be dragged into its aftermath..."

He sighed once more.

"I wonder how that child Tian Youliang is doing..."

"We can barely protect ourselves. What can we possibly do?"

Yue Mingxue could only smile bitterly.

"Fortunately, Vajra Strength Duzi is still here guarding this place."

Before either of them could continue, Fang Shangxuan suddenly rushed inside.

"Outside the array there are... so many... monsters!"

"Hm?"

Fang Wujiu immediately ran to the edge of the Mandala City.

At the distant horizon, countless figures slowly emerged.

They walked like corpses, their movements stiff and mechanical, yet together they formed a tide of bodies that stretched as far as the eye could see.

As they drew closer, everyone finally noticed something even stranger.

Every single one of those walking corpses possessed female features.

There were little girls.

Young maidens.

Middle-aged women.

Old crones.

"This... what kind of monsters are these?"

Fang Wujiu stood frozen in shock.

Almost simultaneously, he and the Bai Family cultivators shouted,

"Quickly! Invite Vajra Strength Duzi!"

Boom!

Wave after wave of walking corpses crashed directly into the Hidden Treasury Mandala Array.

Brilliant light flowed across the array.

The instant they touched it, every corpse was crushed into flesh and mud.

Yet behind them...

The endless horde continued advancing without the slightest awareness.

Forward.

Forward.

An unstoppable tide.

...

Outside Fang Qing's secluded cultivation chamber.

"Praise be to the Indestructible Vajra Body."

"May the Great Radiant Dharma Vajra Strength Duzi shatter the obstacles of the Three Realms."

"Duzi is boundlessly compassionate, saving all suffering beings..."

A large group of cultivators knelt before the cave entrance, continuously chanting sacred mantras.

Yet the great stone doors remained completely motionless.

Still kneeling, Fang Wujiu exchanged a glance with Yue Mingxue.

The same dreadful thought arose in both their hearts.

'Duzi... couldn't have run away already?'

'Doesn't that mean we've all been abandoned?'

'The Mandala City's grand array may be said to rival a Purple Mansion array, but several of those walking corpses already possess Dao Foundation strength. If this continues, sooner or later creatures comparable to Purple Mansion evil spirits will appear.'

Cold sweat streamed down Fang Wujiu's forehead.

Yet he still dared not complain.

He did not even dare utter a word of resentment.

After all...

Both he and Yue Mingxue still had other descendants living on Qingli Mountain.

Even if the Hidden Treasury master ordered him to become cannon fodder...

He could only smile and obey.

And die smiling.

Boom!

The cave abode's massive stone doors suddenly opened.

Beyond them lay a quiet meditation chamber.

It was completely empty.

Fang Qing had naturally fled long ago.

Life in the Qi Refining world was carefree and comfortable.

There was no reason for him to willingly throw himself back into this quagmire.

Still kneeling, Fang Wujiu finally could not resist raising his head.

His eyes drifted toward the empty room.

'He really ran...'

'Forget it.'

'Even generals die after a hundred battles. I answered the summons and have spent years fighting one battle after another. I should have died long ago.'

'It's just a pity about Shangxuan... and all the wealth I've painstakingly accumulated. None of it can ever be sent back to Qingli Mountain now.'

'Wait...'

'If Vajra Strength Duzi had already left... then who opened this cave abode?'

The thought made every hair on his body stand on end.

"Rise."

Only then did a young voice sound from within.

Fang Wujiu and several Bai Family cultivators slowly stood.

Before them stood a single figure.

The person's entire body was shrouded in dense mist.

The voice was deep and magnetic, making it impossible to determine whether the speaker was male or female.

Yet a ring of divine ability radiance surrounded the figure.

Its mysterious aura stirred an almost irresistible urge within every Qi Ingestion and Dao Foundation cultivator present to prostrate themselves in worship.

'Purple Mansion!'

'Another Purple Mansion Spiritual Master!'

Fang Wujiu hurriedly bowed again.

"We await this Spiritual Master's instructions."

"Oh?"

The figure within the mist nodded calmly.

"You are rather clever."

Hidden within the fog, Bai Ziye glanced at the Bai Family cultivators huddled nearby like frightened quails before silently thinking,

'These outsiders are far more capable than my own blood descendants...'

As one of the White Bone Dao's hidden contingencies, Bai Ziye had not accompanied Sangji in the assault on the Blissful Union Sect's mountain gate.

After all, his appearance there would have been difficult to explain.

Fang Qing had already slipped away long beforehand.

After receiving a subtle hint from Sangji, Bai Ziye had happily come to take over the position and deal with the aftermath.

After all...

His divine ability, 'Hidden Forest Bank', still relied upon the Bai Family bloodline to serve as its wings.

The people on the Blissful Union Sect's side, whether the Bai clansmen among the Esoteric Hidden-Treasury monk soldiers or those within the Blissful Union Sect itself, were no longer worth relying on.

The only ones left were this remaining group in the Eastern Waters.

If they were all wiped out, the profundities of his divine ability would be greatly diminished.

With such vital interests at stake, the former Bai Mu Spiritual Master naturally had no choice but to devote himself wholeheartedly.

Fang Qing understood this perfectly, which was why he had entrusted the cleanup to Bai Mu Spiritual Master, Bai Ziye.

After all, Bai Ziye had already betrayed the Blissful Union Sect and was bound by the precepts imposed by the White Bone Dharma King. There was no turning back for him. No one was more suitable to handle the aftermath.

"We await your instructions, Spiritual Master."

The members of the Bai family hurriedly bowed.

Bai Ziye pondered for a moment before speaking.

"The Blissful Union Sect has been broken, but not destroyed. Our mission is complete. It is time to withdraw."

"I will give you half an hour to prepare. After half an hour, the grand array will be activated. Anyone who fails to keep up will be left to fend for themselves."

"Yes!"

Fang Wujiu bowed once more.

Only after the Spiritual Master, whose face and figure remained obscured, departed did he finally breathe a sigh of relief.

"Wujiu..."

Beside him, Yue Mingxue stood in a daze.

"Withdraw? This great war... has finally come to an end?"

"Yes. It's all over."

Fang Wujiu sighed before turning toward his son.

"Shangxuan, gather our belongings immediately. Aside from the important spiritual items, everything else can be abandoned."

He was a clever man.

He knew this was their final opportunity. If they failed to seize it now, they might truly die far from home.

Seeing that the Fang family members were all present, Fang Wujiu's expression became solemn.

"I do not know whether I will survive this retreat. But so long as even one of us returns alive, never forget that the most precious treasure our Fang Family possesses is the great merit we earned for Wusheng Temple!"

"When our Fang Family finally produces a descendant who reaches the perfection of Qi Ingestion, we will receive a Dao Foundation Pill!"

That nonexistent Dao Foundation Pill had already greatly elevated the status of the Qingli Fang Family.

More importantly, it existed only as a promise made by the Duzi. Only members of the Fang Family would be allowed to enter Wusheng Temple to consume it while in secluded cultivation. This alone had spared them from countless covetous eyes.

...

Although Bai Ziye had allowed them half an hour, none of the cultivators below dared make a Purple Mansion Spiritual Master wait that long.

Before long, everyone had abandoned large quantities of supplies, traveling with only light baggage as they assembled and prepared to depart.

"Very well. Let us go."

Bai Ziye cast one final glance toward the Eastern Waters.

There was neither nostalgia nor reluctance in his eyes.

He merely flicked his sleeve.

A wondrous power descended. A veil of hazy water mist spread outward, enveloping everyone.

Hidden within the mist, they were further concealed by swaying shadows of trees.

Boom!

The Mandala Array collapsed with a thunderous crash.

Countless walking corpses surged inside from the outside world. Some even radiated the aura of Qi Ingestion cultivators and Dao Foundation cultivators. They were clearly no ordinary undead.

Yet their eyes remained dull and vacant.

After scanning their surroundings without discovering a single living person, they simply brushed past Fang Wujiu's group.

'So this... is the power of a divine ability?'

Fang Wujiu stared at one of the walking corpses beside him.

The corpse was surrounded by the radiance of [Kui Wood], its Dao aura profound. In life, it had clearly been a Dao Foundation cultivator, and certainly not merely one in the early stage.

Yet despite standing only a few paces away, it remained completely unaware of a mere Qi Ingestion cultivator like himself.

'Dao Foundation cultivators have always been figures of supreme status. Yet before a Purple Mansion Spiritual Master, they are still no more than ants...'

'Wait... Why does this person look strangely familiar?'

Fang Wujiu stared blankly at the female Dao Foundation corpse before him.

For some reason, she reminded him of one of the Dao Foundation experts who had once served among the White Bone Path monk soldiers.

'But... that was clearly a man...'

As though realizing something, he dared not look any longer.

He hurriedly turned his head away.

Only then did he realize his entire body had gone cold, and his face was already drenched in cold sweat.

...

North of the Ancient Shu lands stretched vast grasslands.

Beyond the grasslands, to the west, lay a small nation known as the Nation of Women.

The entire nation worshipped [Wei Moon], and its population numbered only a few million.

On this day.

Howling winds swept across the land as an enormous demon bird descended upon the capital of the Nation of Women.

Opening its beak, it unleashed a terrifying suction force.

In the blink of an eye, hundreds of thousands of citizens from the capital were swallowed whole.

"Demon King Yingzhu! How dare you commit such atrocities! Are you not afraid of bringing destruction upon the Gale Tribe?"

A furious shout echoed through the heavens.

The void split open as a Daoist nun clad in black robes stepped forth.

She held a horsetail whisk in her hand. Murderous intent blazed within her phoenix-like eyes as she shouted in fury.

"Hmph. If you are capable of doing so, then by all means, make your move."

Demon King Yingzhu sneered.

At the same time, several mountain-sized demon figures rampaged throughout the Nation of Women.

To the east, a nine-headed lion radiated dazzling nine-colored light that covered an entire region.

To the south, a six-armed ape wielding a pitch-black staff manipulated both water and fire as it battled a Purple Mansion female cultivator.

High above the capital, the Daoist nun performed a rapid divination. Her expression changed dramatically.

"The Eight Demon Tribes... have actually joined forces?"

"Hahaha! That's right. By the decree of Descending Phoenix Mountain, the Nation of Women must be destroyed!"

Savagery flashed through Demon King Yingzhu's eyes.

"Companion Daoist Banyue... have you still not realized the truth? Even Great Spiritual Master Yaoyue saw that the situation was hopeless and wisely chose to preserve herself."

"You are defying the tide of the age. You are nothing more than an abandoned chess piece..."

Spiritual Master Banyue waved her horsetail whisk.

Compassion filled her face.

"I simply cannot bear to abandon these countless living beings..."

At that very instant, several demon figures emerged from the void, completely surrounding the Purple Mansion Spiritual Master.