Chapter 161
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Chapter 161: Coming Back Alive
Having once witnessed the vast ocean, Wang Chen felt that other waters paled in comparison; having seen the clouds of Wu Mountain, he thought that other clouds appeared dim.
Even amidst a sea of flowers, he felt too indifferent to look back.
Perhaps it was due to his cultivation, or perhaps it was because of you!
This poem, "Parting Thoughts," was composed by Wang Chen when he was deeply moved by the profound emotions etched into the inscription on the stone pavilion’s tombstone.
He transformed his sentiments into a talisman poem as an offering, expressing his remorse for inadvertently intruding into the valley and disturbing the deceased!
Little did he expect to be seen by Changchun.
When the Purple Palace master inquired about it, Wang Chen dared not take it lightly and promptly replied, "Disciple once heard a wandering Daoist who called himself ‘Yuan Zhen’ recite it when I was young."
Such a poem was not something someone of his age and status could possibly create.
Changchun clearly didn’t believe Wang Chen had written it either.
Wang Chen wouldn’t dream of telling such an easily disprovable lie in front of the Purple Palace master!
Moreover, he had no desire to be a copycat.
In the world of cultivation, strength is paramount, and few value literary talent.
"Yuan Zhen."
Changchun nodded: "He must have been a remarkable person; it’s a pity I never had the chance to meet him."
He sighed, "I know of the vast ocean, but I don’t know Wu Mountain, nor have I seen the splendor of its clouds."
The Purple Palace master exhaled deeply, reaching out to pluck a peach blossom.
He clenched his fingers, and the flower branch instantly transformed into a peach wood talisman.
Then he tossed it to Wang Chen: "If you can return alive in half a month, come back here to see me."
Huh?
Wang Chen blankly caught the peach wood talisman—what did it mean to return alive?
Before he could ask, Changchun waved his robe sleeve, conjuring a gentle breeze that swept Wang Chen out of the valley!
Effortlessly, without a hint of worldly concerns.
He entered the stone pavilion, sitting cross-legged beside the tombstone with the long flute resting on his knees.
Gently, he brushed his hand over the tombstone, and Changchun softly spoke, "Little Qiu, it was you who brought him here, wasn’t it?"
"This poem is truly wonderful, half for cultivating the Dao and half for you. My cultivation is indeed because of you."
"It’s a pity you are no longer here."
"Do you know? Your sister is about to tear down my cave!"
"I don’t blame her because she is your only family."
The Purple Palace master murmured on, his eyes softened and his tone gentle, as if the cold tombstone next to him was not just stone, but a living, breathing person.
After a long while, a soft flute melody filled the entire valley.
Hundreds of peach trees bowed their branches, and countless petals fell like rain, as a song about the ocean’s tides conveyed endless emotions.
Where the person once stood is unknown, but the peach blossoms still laughed in the spring breeze.
…
Wang Chen was swept out of the valley by the wind.
When he returned to the stream, sprinkled with peach blossom petals, he picked up the water bucket he had put down earlier, but he no longer felt like fishing.
He was deeply pondering Changchun’s words.
This Purple Palace master would not speak to Wang Chen without reason; his words must have had a purpose.
The question arose.
What would happen in the next half month?
As Wang Chen returned home filled with confusion, he had just set down the water bucket when he received a letter of crane paper.
It was a sect summons.
The letter instructed him to head immediately to Sunset Peak; failure to arrive on time would result in sect punishment!
Wang Chen realized this was likely related to what Changchun had said.
He never expected it all to come so quickly!
After taking off his spirit beast bag and settling Little Yuan Yuan, he left home once again.
He summoned the Willow Leaf Flying Boat, heading for the peak of Sunset Peak.
Upon reaching the venue, he saw streams of light descending as inner sect disciples, alerted by the news, arrived one after another.
More and more cultivators gathered in front of the debate stage!
They clustered in groups, whispering quietly to each other, many showing signs of nervousness.
Many were inquiring about what exactly had happened.
Typically, the Yunyang Sect only issued summons for significant events.
With the truth unclear, it was no wonder everyone felt uneasy.
The answer would be revealed half an hour later.
At that moment, nearly two thousand inner sect disciples filled the venue, a dense crowd.
Then, one of the three elders, Mo Yangping, took the stage to announce that three days later, Sunset Peak would participate in the "Clearing the Demons" operation, and all disciples who received the letter of crane paper were to be conscripted.
This conscription was mandatory; refusing or trying to escape would be punished as treason!
After Elder Mo’s declaration, the crowd erupted in murmurs.
Especially those from the Purple Palace family found it difficult to accept.
The suddenness of the situation left everyone unprepared, and the forced conscription caused anxiety about being used as cannon fodder.
Usually, outer sect disciples were seen as cannon fodder, while the Sunset Peak branch was a minor part of the inner sect.
No one wanted to be a sacrificial pawn!
Next, Mo Yangping informed all disciples that this Clearing the Demons operation would be personally led by Golden Core true master Mu Qingqiu, with the Yunyang Sect deploying seventy Purple Palace members and fifteen flying ships to assist.
Hearing about the Golden Core true master and so many Purple Palace members and flying ships, the disciples’ anxious hearts were instantly set at ease.
Mu Qingqiu was known as the "First Sword of Tianyun," and her swordsmanship was so powerful that it overshadowed the entire Tianyun Mountain range, with no one daring to challenge her skill.
With her command and the core strength of the Yunyang Sect gathering, it seemed the role of these inner sect disciples would mostly be to cheer and clean up the battlefield.
It is known that within a radius of one hundred thousand miles, there were no opposing forces that could compare to the Yunyang Sect!
That would guarantee safety.
Finally, Mo Yangping stated that the primary target of this operation was the Evil Spirits, urging all disciples to prepare for battle against them.
Additionally, there would be rewards for contributions, and they were quite generous!
After the meeting ended, the disciples of Sunset Peak dispersed.
Wang Chen also returned to his estate.
The first thing he did upon getting home was to take out all the talismans and Spiritual Ink from his storage bag.
He went all out to make Exorcism Talismans and Protection Talismans!
When dealing with Evil Spirits, Exorcism Talismans and Protection Talismans were essential. Moreover, since the Yunyang Sect was clearly preparing for war, the demand for these two kinds of talismans would undoubtedly be high.
In this situation, the prices of Exorcism Talismans and Protection Talismans would surely rise.
Wang Chen planned to seize this opportunity to earn some spirit stones.
Last time at the Tianyun Immortal Gathering, while selling talismans at his stall, he met an Outer Sect Disciple who specialized in trading talismans and magical tools. This way, the talismans he made wouldn’t be subject to the city merchants’ exploitation, yet he could still make a reasonable profit.
Notably, the other party could also procure materials for talisman-making at relatively low prices.
With this back and forth, Wang Chen felt that if he didn’t earn a thousand or eight hundred spirit stones this time, he would be doing a disservice to his perfect mastery of the talisman-making technique!
Three days later, Wang Chen returned to Sunset Peak once again.
And at the venue, he boarded a Yunyang flying ship.
