Chapter 1280: Wutulu

The aftermath of the Yellow River Meet,which concluded in the seventh month of the 3919th year of the Dao Calendar,lingered on into the eighth month, its ripples still felt far and wide.

The primary cause, of course, was the suspicionthat the victor of the Inner Palace category at this Meethad colluded with demons.This matter stirred up a tempest,drawing in Jing, Qi, Mu, Chu, Mount Yu Jing, and Hanging Temple.With Zhao Xuanyang, a Divine Ascension Tianjiao of Jing,personally taking action to apprehend Jiang Wang in Zhongshan,and then Ji Zhaonan of Qi returning from beyond the Gate of Ten Thousand Demons,brandishing his spear to demand Jiang Wang's release,and the sudden appearance of Chunyu Gui, engaging Ji Zhaonan in single combat...Qi's fierce reaction pushed the matter to its zenith,capturing the world's attention.Chunyu Gui and Ji Zhaonan clashed fiercely in Zhongshan,their battle ignited by true fury. The aftermath of their fightnearly razed half the city before being halted by the angry combined armiesof the Zhongshan cultivators.As for the outcome of this battle, opinions varied,but in the end, both sides retreated.However, after this conflict, both Qi and Jing compensated Zhongshanwith considerable resources.In contrast, the great battle between Pei Xinghe, commander of Jing's Disaster Killing Army,and Shi Mingcheng, commander of Qi's Winter Still Army,above the Nine Towns of the Long River, was not as widely known.There were no spectators during the fight;when it began, when it ended, no one knew.The circulating rumors were mostly vague.It was said that at the height of the battle, the Long Riverwas momentarily cut off for three breaths, but whether this was true or falseremained uncertain.Furthermore, the pursuit of Zhao Xuanyang over a thousand miles by Ku Jue,a True Person of this age and a disciple of Hanging Temple,to rescue Jiang Wang, was another topic of heated discussion.Especially as, after three days of fruitless pursuitand a clear summons back to Hanging Temple,he did not hesitate to leave the sect to continue his chase...This forced people to re-examine the relationship between him and Jiang Wang.Tales of reincarnation and illegitimate sons spread like wildfire...

Speaking of which, throughout the seventh and eighth months,it seemed countless eyes across the entire present world,from every princely state, were fixed upon this Tianjiao named Jiang Wang.Truly a brilliant sun in a clear sky, the focus of the world's gaze.Regardless of his final outcome, he had already earned the right to be proud.With Qi's fierce opposition, the matter of Jiang Wang's alleged collusion with demonshad transformed in the mainstream opinion of the present worldinto a political incident, rather than a simple matter of demon extermination.Regarding whether he had indeed colluded with demons, most people held reservations.Compared to when the Mirror World Pavilion of Jing first publicly announced the news,this was undoubtedly a significant shift in public sentiment.This was also undoubtedly a heavy blow to the credibility of the Mirror World Pavilion.The Mirror World Pavilion remained unexpectedly calm,for reasons unknown, leading to countless speculations.However, no one doubted the strength of Jing.After all, forcing a True Person of this age to leave his sectjust to continue his pursuit was sufficient to illustrate Jing's deterrent power.Had it been an ordinary force, Ku Jue would have pursued as he wished.Why would Hanging Temple expend so much effort to forcefully restrain him,to the point of a True Person leaving the sect?And so, in the days that followed, the topic of conversation after mealswas where Ku Jue had arrived, and how he was measuring his path step by step.But as the days passed, with no progress visible, people's attention gradually shifted.Rather than focusing on the dull and uninteresting thousand-mile trek of a yellow-faced old monk,it was better to read the increasingly stern national missives from Qi.Qi sternly demanded the return of its national Tianjiao,while Jing stated that it would have to await the public trial at Mount Yu Jing.Chu continued to express its concern, hoping that Jing would conclude the public trial quickly,while Jing stated that due to Ku Jue's pursuit, they were currently unable to contact Zhao Xuanyangand thus could not escort Jiang Wang to Mount Yu Jing,and asked their friends in Chu to first find a way to persuade Ku Jue to leave.Zhao Xuanyang and Jiang Wang seemed to have vanished from the present world.It could not be said that Ku Jue was foolish, only capable of searching area by area.There were simply too many possibilities for disappearing without a trace in the present world.From the ancient times until now, the mysteries of the present world are vast like the star sea.How many secrets are hidden within this great world, how many legends lost...No one can know them all.Without a profound understanding of Zhao Xuanyang, it would be difficult to immediatelythink of places like the ancient demon窟 as a hiding place.After all, the great ancient era ended, and then the middle ancient and near ancient eras passed,before reaching the current era with the re-initiation of the Dao Calendar.And though Zhao Xuanyang himself was only in the Divine Ascension realm,he hailed from Jing, and had witnessed the methods of True Persons and even True Monarchscountless times. It was not unusual for him to possess one or two treasuresthat could evade the detection of a True Person.Guesses were fruitless; one could only verify area by area.

On the nineteenth day of the eighth month, in the 3919th year of the Dao Calendar.Four more days had passed since Ku Jue announced his departure from Hanging Temple.A great war erupted, almost without warning!The warring parties were not Jing and Qi,whose diplomatic language was growing increasingly harsh,and where numerous skirmishes had already occurred.Instead, it was Mu and Sheng!Mu, citing Sheng's Vice Minister Meng Wuya's disrespect to the Great Stateat the River Observation Terrace as justification,dispatched its Ula cavalry under the command of Wanyan Xiong Lüe,directing its military might towards Sheng's border city, "Liyuan"!Whether the name Liyuan meant 'leaving the grassland'or 'isolating the grassland' was open to interpretation.But Liyuan City was undoubtedly the first imposing city,like a crouching tiger and coiled dragon, on the southward path from the boundless grassland.Since its completion, countless sons and daughters of the grasslandhad shed their blood before this city.In the eyes of the Sheng people, this time would be no different."Ula" in the language of Mu meant 'brave and fearless'.However, compared to the Cangtu Divine Cavalry and Iron Pagoda,ranked among the Ten Great Cavalry Forces of the world, the Ula cavalry was trulyan obscure unit.The commander of the Ula, Wanyan Xiong Lüe, was renowned for his bravery on the grassland,but compared to world-famous generals like Jin Tandù, he paled into insignificance.Outside the grassland, few knew his name.The famous general of Sheng, Jiang Ruoying, once said,Mu had only three armies: the Cangtu Divine Cavalry, the Iron Pagoda, and the Royal Tent Cavalry!The implication was that he didn't regard any other army of Mu,even though it was one of the six great powers of the world, and the undisputed overlord of the Northern Region.The strength and confidence of Sheng were thus evident.Jiang Limeng, who represented Sheng at the Yellow River Meet,was the daughter of Jiang Ruoying, her arrogance much like her father's.And Xian Nankui, the commander of Jing's Divine Strategy Army, once even saidthat Mu had only one army, named the Cangtu Divine Cavalry!Sheng, backed by powerful Jing, had fought numerous wars with Muand feared nothing.Against this backdrop, Sheng stationed the sharp and formidable general Qi Hong in Liyuan Cityto resist the aggressive Wanyan Xiong Lüe, and a national war erupted.Wars between Mu and Sheng had occurred many times before; both sides were familiar with their opponent.After all, further north of Mu was the border wilderness, and to the west were highly warlike military empire-like states like Jing.To expand their influence, they could only exert themselves towards the Central and Eastern Regions.And Sheng, as the top-ranked Dao-aligned state,received vast resources from the Dao Sect every year.Its primary purpose was to contain Mu.The two sides were like dry tinder and a raging fire; it was impossible for nothing to happen.Therefore, for these two nations, war was truly unavoidable.For the people of these two nations, outbreaks of war were not uncommon occurrences.But this world was not limited to a single region.The influence of the Six Great Overlords had already spread throughout the present world;their every move affected the hearts of all.Mu's sudden initiation of war against Sheng had the most direct impact on the Mirror World Pavilion:the matter of Jiang Wang's collusion with demons could no longer be delayed.Jing must immediately resolve its dispute with Qi!The core reason Sheng could fight Mu back and forth was only one: Jing's full support.Public opinion, deterrence, military equipment, supplies... and even military force when necessary.The conflict between Mu and Sheng was, in reality, a conflict between Mu and Jing.Apart from this, the vigilance of Jing in the west and the containment of the northern border wildernesscould only be considered peripheral reasons.Why were the Six Great Powers called great?Even if an overlord state could only spare one hand, it could easily crush any state outside the Six.Though Sheng was strong, it was difficult for it to be an exception.If Mu's dispatch of troops to Liyuan City was premeditated,then their extremely stern statement regarding the Qi Tianjiao's alleged collusion with demonswas undoubtedly a form of national overture.Jing had to consider a question: if Mu had offered a wooden peach early,would Qi return a beautiful jade?From Ji Zhaonan to Shi Mingcheng, Qi's attitude could not have been more rigid.Taking advantage of the great war between Mu and Sheng, would Qi dare to transgress the border?And once Qi initiated hostilities, would Mu truly be satisfied with sending only the Ula cavalryfor minor skirmishes?This was a vortex that was likely to deepen continuously!Therefore, no matter how the matter of Jiang Wang's collusion with demons was ultimately handled,a conclusion must be reached immediately."Ku Jue pursued too closely, and Zhao Xuanyang was ultimately unable to escape.To prevent the person colluding with demons from being taken away,he acted righteously and killed him with his sword.Zhao Xuanyang's heart for defending the Dao is pitiable, and his sense of righteousness is strong,but in his actions, there were still flaws.Punishing him by sending him to shed blood and atone in the hinterland of the Gate of Ten Thousand Demonscan also be considered an explanation to Qi..."High in the sky, amidst the fierce winds, a voice transmitted:"What do you think of this explanation?"The speaker was a tall, thin man clad in a loose Daoist robe with flowing wide sleeves,appearing to be middle-aged, with eyes like clear mirrors and a face glowing with radiance.Flying beside him was a dark-skinned, strong, and burly man,whose voice was quite rough: "It makes sense, but it wrongs Xuanyang.As for the Jing Tian Mansion... who will go speak with them?"This person was none other than Jing's fiercely renowned True Person of this age, Qiu Tie.In his early years, he fought in numerous battles, always at the forefront.He was always the first to charge in victory, and the last to retreat in defeat,fighting his way up to the Divine Ascension level on the battlefield.Later, he retired from military service, returning to the fields with one person, one house, one piece of land.He lived in seclusion for seventy years, washing away his killing intent,and became a True Person of this age.The one conversing with him was naturally Fu Dongxu, the leader of Jing's Mirror World Pavilion.Fu Dongxu smiled and said: "Of course, we will satisfy Zhao Xuanyang,and then tell him to go and say it himself!"Qiu Tie also smiled: "Then you should be prepared to shed some blood;that kid's appetite is not easy to fill.""We have public funds!" Fu Dongxu said."Since Ku Jue is so unyielding and forced Zhao Xuanyang to kill Jiang Wang to escape,how do you plan to deal with him?" Qiu Tie asked.Fu Dongxu simply retorted: "Why do you think I invited you?""Then let's first expose Zhao Xuanyang's trace.Ku Jue must find the person for this hat to be placed on him.""Precisely!"

But what Fu Dongxu and Qiu Tie did not expect was...Not only could Ku Jue not find Zhao Xuanyang,even they could not contact Zhao Xuanyang.The message specifically left for Zhao Xuanyang in the Qian Tian Mirrorhad never been read again!Even if he was hiding from Ku Jue, even if he dared not reveal the slightest trace,it should not be like this. Hiding from pursuit is not simply digging a hole and burying oneself.Zhao Xuanyang could not hide in one place forever; he also needed to grasp external informationto decide on his next course of action. Reading the information in the Qian Tian Mirrorwas very safe and efficient.As one of Jing's national artifacts, the core treasure of the Mirror World Pavilion,the Qian Tian Mirror had been operating for a long time without fault.With Zhao Xuanyang's strength, no matter where he was hiding,he could take two or three breaths to read the information and then continue to conceal himself.Unless... he no longer needed to, or could not.And Ku Jue's pursuit was still ongoing, and Zhao Xuanyang had not returned to Jingor gone to Mount Yu Jing, so of course he needed to...Only then did the people of Jing realize the seriousness of the problem.Not only had the Qi Tianjiao Jiang Wang disappeared without a trace,their Jing's Divine Ascension Tianjiao Zhao Xuanyang had also disappeared!Who was Zhao Xuanyang?One of the twin pillars of Jing's Tianjiao, before True Person Tai Yu appeared on the River Observation Terrace,he was one of Jing's banners.Moreover, he was not a Tianjiao whose potential had not yet been realized;he was already in the Divine Ascension realm, a high-end combat force for the state.His lifespan of over five hundred years gave him more possibilities and greater value.Furthermore, he was not without background.Regarding the Jing Tian Mansion, even Fu Dongxu was unwilling to visit and communicate.If something happened to Zhao Xuanyang, the loss would be too great, and the trouble even greater!Thus, a decree of prohibition was issued, and within its scope, all regions were silent.At this time, Jing displayed its unparalleled influence in the present world,directly centering on the last place Zhao Xuanyang left,sealing off an area of nearly ten thousand miles.They dispatched a luxurious lineup led by three True Persons of this age:Fu Dongxu, Qiu Tie, and Ji Yan Yue, to thoroughly search this area,vowing to dig three feet deep to find the Tianjiao Zhao Xuanyang.Among these, Fu Dongxu and Qiu Tie need no further introduction.Ji Yan Yue hailed from the Jing royal family; if strictly speaking in terms of seniority,she was the current Jing Emperor's little aunt, though in reality, the blood relation was not that close.However, her weight was no less than the former two.Tianma Plain overlooks the Long River to the south, borders the Kingdom of Harmony to the west,and faces the Renxin Pavilion to the north. Looking to the east, from south to north,are the Kingdom of Wo, the State of Wei, and the Qin Ku Academy.Among these forces, the Renxin Pavilion and the Qin Ku Academy are top-tier sect forces.Although the Kingdom of Harmony is small, its ability to act as the enforcer of the Jing-Harmony Agreement in Tianma Plain,and even add its name to the agreement, naturally indicates its extraordinary backing.The large area forcibly sealed off by Jingwas the vast region surrounded by Tianma Plain, the State of Wei, the Qin Ku Academy, and the Renxin Pavilion.Of course, the boundaries of the封锁 were drawn along the limits of the influenceof the Qin Ku Academy and the Renxin Pavilion, giving necessary respect to the top sects.As for the other large and small forces within this area, they did not receive such favorable treatment...Jing intended to forcefully search through all of them to find Zhao Xuanyang.

In a certain Daoist temple located in the Jing Tian Mansion.Six stone-carved cushions served as seats, and six Daoists were like clay figures.Suddenly, a wisp of wind rolled in, and one of the clay figures spoke:"This time, I shall go.""I feel that is not appropriate," a sculpture with an ancient and strange appearanceimmediately said.The first clay figure to speak remained silent,only twisting its neck in a bizarre manner, staring directly at him.The twisting of the clay figure's neck was as if it had been broken,making one worry if it would fall off.A clay figure, yet it expressed the feeling of "I am in a very bad mood.""Then go if you wish, I am not tying you down..." the ancient and strange sculpturespoke to itself, and then tightly closed its mouth.