Chapter 321
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Chapter 321: Ancestor of the Qiao Family
With books, one grows; without books, one is limited.
Three hundred and fifty years is a very long time, longer than the existence of the Great Yan Imperial Court, and almost half of Qiao Mu’s life before he came into the dream.
Qiao Mu went through hardships from studying countless books, organizing his thoughts, and searching tirelessly, until he finally wrote the "Divine Transformation Technique". The difficulties and challenges he faced in this process were not easy for others to understand.
During the first three hundred years when he was puzzled, Qiao Mu sometimes felt regret, wondering why he hadn’t asked Earth Sword Immortal about the path to take after reaching the superb rank.
At this moment, Qiao Mu felt at peace and even a sense of relief in his heart.
The paths of Earth Sword Immortal or Martial Saint may not necessarily be the right ones.
If Qiao Mu had followed their guidance, he could have saved many years and achieved a breakthrough in internal strength.
Following the footsteps of predecessors is much easier and quicker than blazing a new trail.
But by then, there won’t be the current "Divine Transformation Technique".
As a talented martial arts master with extensive knowledge, Qiao Mu’s martial arts skills are not something that only a few people with strict qualifications can cultivate.
Whether it’s the "Divine Transformation Technique" or the "Human Path Sutra", they are all theoretical solutions perfected by Qiao Mu through countless life simulations in his dreams.
This is not a simple enumeration method, and Qiao Mu is not a brainless AI.
A seasoned electrician with twenty years of experience only needs to touch the wires to know if they are live.
Just like a thousand-year-old martial arts master Qiao Mu, who can assess the strengths and weaknesses of various ideas through his vast martial arts knowledge.
"Practicing martial arts in dreams is just a superficial application," Qiao Mu exclaimed.
"Analyzing martial arts moves in dreams, or even engaging in life-and-death struggles in dreams, that’s the essence."
"The only downside is… being too imprisoned in dreams."
Every long dream feels like a never-ending cycle, like the countdown to a big exam, a loop that we can’t escape, testing our emotions each time.
Perhaps because of this, Qiao Mu’s spiritual growth improved significantly later on, surpassing his energy and strength, making him the number one in the Spiritual Growth Ranking List.
Looking across Jiu Province, the only person who can compare to his spiritual growth might be the Martial Saint who has perfected the Martial Saint Spiritual Technique to an unprecedented level of spiritual growth.
Therefore.
Qiao Mu’s success didn’t just come from his accumulated power over a thousand years, but also from his spiritual growth.
When combined, energy and spirit, internal strength undergoes a transformation.
"Once a martial artist enters the Spiritual Growth phase, their level of spiritual growth mainly affects their intuitive perception abilities."
"Spirit Refining martial artists are stronger compared to martial artists below the 4th rank, but they don’t have a significant advantage in speed and power themselves."
"Even those at the superb level of spiritual refining are the same."
This is the flaw of the Spiritual Refining Method.
Only when the martial artist’s spirit is powerful enough, blending with internal strength to achieve a superb rank transformation, will it be the time of fruition.
"Next, there are fifty more years to go."
Qiao Mu closed his eyes. He spent 350 years achieving the transformation of internal strength, perfecting the Heavenly Dragon Eight Steps, and other accomplishments.
"Accidentally reaching the major goal in just 350 years, it’s a bit challenging to figure out what to do in these last 50 years."
"First, combine all the internal strength from the lower abdomen and Qi Sea with the spirit, then get familiar with this new way of using power."
………………
Linhe City.
Heavy rain poured down, the dense raindrops fell into the flooding river below, and were soon engulfed by the waves.
In the roaring waves, a huge monster made of waves was slowly taking shape. It was an unimaginably massive creature, with a head several times taller than the city walls, and it kept growing as the waves rolled.
A hundred miles away.
On the distant mountains that had not yet been reached by the floodwaters, an eye was silently watching the events here.
Storyteller Clairvoyance opened the third eye in the middle of her forehead. The eye emitted a faint light as she focused on the activities a hundred miles away.
Clairvoyance, who was originally in Linhe City, had left half a month ago using the intelligence capabilities of the Tide Listening Building. She knew in advance about the upcoming big battle and wanted to avoid being caught in it.
"Is that the water spirit of Sky Piercing River?" Clairvoyance frowned, showing surprised expression.
"Such creatures should be naturally born spirits nurtured by the heavens and earth, not artificially cultivated," she remarked.
"Yunxiao Sect truly possesses the inheritance of True Immortals, with profound heritage. They even have methods to cultivate water spirits, which even Jingwei has fallen prey to," Clairvoyance pondered.
With her vast knowledge and experience, Storyteller Clairvoyance could guess the Immortal Gate’s plan and couldn’t help but sigh.
"Clairvoyance, what are you waiting for? Why not hurry up?"
A kind voice came from behind, it belonged to a large and strong man resembling a rock, he was Stone Lei from Tide Listening Building.
"Although you haven’t spied on Immortal Gate cultivators, there is a Nascent Soul Immortal watching over Linhe City. If you disturb him, you won’t be able to leave," Stone Lei reminded.
Clairvoyance hesitated slightly and explained:
"I am weak and unable to stop such a catastrophe. But it’s within my duties as a storyteller to quietly observe and remember what happens in Linhe City from afar."
"….Don’t forget the purpose of our Tide Listening Building," Stone Lei frowned:
"Ever since you went to the Hundred-mile Desert, your humanity has been growing, and your demon side has diminished a bit."
Half-demon beings have both human and demon aspects.
Human nature is self-explanatory, while demon nature refers to animal instincts.
Seeking benefits and avoiding harm is also a part of animal instinct.
"Perhaps." Clairvoyance remained noncommittal, but her eyes kept staring fixedly at the distant mansion.
Seeing that Clairvoyance showed no intention to leave, Stone frowned even more and spoke up:
"The Landlord asked me to remind you of something."
"That Martial Saint is on his way from Nan Province to this Southwest Province. It’s suggested that we leave Southwest Province to avoid being killed by Martial Saint."
Clairvoyance shuddered all over.
The Wuji Association of Martial Saint and the Tide Listening Building had been keeping to themselves, but the situation was now unpredictable.
The Martial Saint who practiced the Taotie Swallowing Heaven Skill might not be the same as before.
A half-demon like Clairvoyance wouldn’t have a good outcome if she stood in the way of the Martial Saint.
"Why did Martial Saint suddenly come to this Southwest Province?" Clairvoyance just had this thought in her mind, when suddenly the pupil in the third eye on her forehead shrank abruptly.
"The Feather King Qin Li has truly transformed into the Jingwei Bird."
In Clairvoyance’s line of sight.
In the sea waves in front of the city gate tower, a large bird suddenly emerged as if from a dream. This bird had a double winged back, a flowery head, a white beak, red talons, and feathers of a light blue color. As it flapped its wings across the vast sky, it seemed to float like a light cloud drifting in the wind.
"Jingwei, Jingwei~" The large bird let out a clear, mournful cry, sounding like a sorrowful wind that swayed through the sky along with the waves of a flood, while its body gradually solidified bit by bit.
"The Jingwei Bird has also transformed, its soul restored, turning from illusion to reality, transforming into a new physical form." Immortal Yu Hua above the clouds showed a satisfied look.
"This Jingwei Bird has a remarkable appearance, quite close to the original Jingwei Bird from ancient myths, clearly reverting to its ancestral form. It seems that the grand plan we have long been plotting is finally coming to fruition."
"The current Qing Li is no longer a half-demon hybrid, but a pure-blooded divine bird reverting to its ancestral form."
"Even if not as powerful as the original Jingwei Bird, in the world today, it can still be considered a unique mythological creature of pure blood lineage."
Jingwei Bird turned into an obsession.
The deeper the obsession, the longer it lived, and the closer it got to the original Jingwei Bird.
The elaborate plan of Yunxiao Sect is actually a reenactment of the myth of "Jingwei Filling the Sea," a highly faithful cosplay performance aimed at making Feather King Qin Li die a gruesome death.
The cultivation method of the water spirit was left behind by a powerful figure of the Yunxiao Sect from thousands of years ago during the Mahayana period.
Jingwei Bird was nearly immortal, while the water spirit was a means left behind by the powerful figure of the Mahayana period, evolving by constantly devouring the souls and bodies of ancient divine birds.
If this could happen.
Then given time, Yunxiao Sect would be able to cultivate a demonic king-level water spirit, known as the "Sky Piercing Demon King."
This Sky Piercing Demon King is extraordinary, embodying the Sky Piercing River that spans four provinces, with immense potential far beyond an ordinary water spirit.
"Senior Brother Yu Hua," Taoist Child Yu Shan asked.
"Should we let the Sky Piercing Water Spirit swallow the Jingwei Bird again?"
"Hold on a moment," said Immortal Yu Hua, carefully observing.
After the Jingwei Bird was reborn, it continuously flew and circled above the water waves, as if searching for something.
After a while, it found a piece of badly damaged human bones on a shallow sandbar, flapped its wings and let out a clear and mournful cry.
"Those are the remains of Qiao Pian who fell into the flood below…" Immortal Yu Hua judged.
"It seems this little Jingwei hasn’t fully awakened its past memories yet, otherwise it should be heading towards us or the Sky Piercing Water Spirit."
"To be safe, before it dies again, let’s stimulate the little Jingwei’s wisdom and determination a bit."
After saying this, Immortal Yu Hua stepped on the clouds beneath her feet, overlooking the raging floodwaters of Linhe City below, as well as the solitary army on the mountains outside the city.
If the flood continues to rage unchecked, whether it’s the remnants of the Feather King Army or Linhe City, being submerged is only a matter of time.
No matter how skilled you are in martial arts, with strong fists and fast legs, it is still difficult to match a Nascent Soul cultivator like Immortal Yu Hua, who has incredible power that no one can resist.
Everyone will die in the flood!
"Feather King Qin Li is dead, the evildoer has been eliminated," echoed Immortal Yu Hua’s voice in the sky and in the city below.
His voice was solemn and majestic, like a celestial being in the sky, exuding a faint power that made ordinary people feel like bowing in worship.
"However, heaven shows mercy." Immortal Yu Hua said solemnly:
"The evildoer has been eliminated, if you repent sincerely, confess the crimes of Feather King here, and pray earnestly, your lives will be spared."
The majestic voice resembling a celestial being echoed in the sky, leaving both the military and civilians inside and outside the city momentarily stunned.
This action of Immortal Yu Hua was actually a spontaneous decision.
He really didn’t lie or deceive anyone.
The Feather King values the Yunxiao Sect more than the lives of tens of thousands of followers.
The Feather King has been reborn as Jingwei, and the goal of the Yunxiao Sect has been achieved. Immortal Yu Hua may not necessarily want to see these tens of thousands of followers perish.
"Whether it’s hatred or determination, it all comes down to obsession." Immortal Yu Hua lowered his eyelids and gazed at the Jingwei Bird hovering above the sea waves below.
"He who is blamed by all will die without illness."
"When all her former subordinates betray her and insult her name; when the people of the city she defended with her life in the past passionately lament her crimes, the immense malice of these tens of thousands of people will surely help her awaken her wisdom, stirring her determination."
Taoist Child Yu Shan’s eye twitched, and he couldn’t help but glance at the Elder with the Nascent Soul.
Cultivating immortality requires letting go of emotions, so the higher one’s cultivation level on the path of immortality, the less human nature they have, and the more immortal nature they possess, approaching the ways of heaven.
Today he truly realized that his Senior Brother at the Nascent Soul Stage had a considerable cultivation level.
Immortal Yu Hua’s voice echoed like thunder in the sky, resonating in the hearts of the people below.
Inside and outside the city, it seems like many people are feeling uncertain.
"What do you want to do?" On the mountain surrounded by floods, Jade Carp fiercely stared at the many soldiers in front of her who seemed hesitant to speak.
"Feather King has treated you well. Just now, you were harmed by inhuman beings, and now you plan to insult your comrades?"
"Feather King treated us well?" Someone in the crowd snorted.
"She is strict with military discipline, always so strong. Finally, this time she gave the order to plunder after breaking the city, so we could loot the wealthy officials and landlords in the city… But what happened? She had no intention to attack the city at all; she was just toying with us like monkeys."
The Feather King’s army has strict military discipline and is impartial. Although it cannot be said that every soldier is disciplined to the highest degree, any officer who violates military discipline will be dealt with fairly. She is known as the "Iron Lady" in the army.
She was incredibly brave and highly respected during her lifetime, able to control the soldiers and officers.
But now that the Feather King is dead, although her influence still lingers, how many people can she really control when faced with life-and-death situations?
How could these ordinary soldiers know about the rebirth of the Feather King as a bird? Most of them view the transformation of the Jingwei Bird from a phantom to reality as some kind of new monster.
"Did you forget why the Feather King Army rose up in arms?" scolded the transformed demon Jade Carp.
"Now, when the spokesperson of Yunxiao Sect speaks, you turn around and insult the deceased general. Can’t you behave like civilized people?"
Many officials showed hesitation on their faces.
But in the distance beyond Jade Carp’s scolding voice, some soldiers and officers began to curse:
"Feather King is a hypocritical impostor!"
"All the good reputation belongs to her, who cares about us foot soldiers!"
"For months, the fires of war have spread throughout the Southwest Province. We thought she cared about the country, but who knew she would risk everything for a personal feud with Qiao Pian, playing these dangerous games of war."
"It’s one thing to be outmatched in skill, but isn’t warfare serious business?"
It wasn’t just the Feather King Army on the hill outside the city.
The soldiers on the city wall being washed away by the flood started talking.
"The Feather King appears to be fighting evil spirits on the surface, but in reality, she just wants to earn a good reputation. She caused chaos in Southwest Province, so why does she still have a good reputation?"
Lord Chen looked at the sky and spoke passionately:
"The Feather King is a traitor and should be punished by all."
"Just like Qiao Pian, who brought upon divine punishment, the source of trouble in Southwest Province. Now dying from divine punishment, it’s just retribution."
"Indeed."
"The Lord is right." The other soldiers also agreed one after another.
Even the Feather King Army was criticizing the Feather King. They, as enemies, were not polite.
Some temporary soldiers from the rivers and lakes frowned when they heard this.
"Did you see the final move of the Feather King?"
"Dragging his heavily injured body, he used all his strength to break through a heavy wave, allowing us to survive until now."
"No matter what, she died for us, it’s a life-saving favor. It’s too early for a change of heart, isn’t it?"
Lord Chen blushed and shook his head, saying:
"Life-saving favor? Did she really save our lives?"
"Now we are facing a flood that threatens the city, our lives are in danger at any moment, where is safe?"
"It is not the Feather King who can save our lives, but the three-foot-high immortals above."
"The Feather King has always been our archenemy, causing the flood. It’s right to accuse the Feather King of crimes, isn’t it?"
"It’s you." Lord Chen frowned as he looked at the man who had just spoken.
"Where is your butt? Talk to Feather King, afraid it is a spy of Feather King Army… Catch him!"
At this moment, whether outside or inside the city, murmurs of prayers could be heard everywhere.
But upon closer listening, it was not prayers to the gods, but low curses and accusations.
These low voices lingered, even overshadowing the sound of the floodwaters.
Soldiers on the city wall were about to catch the spy.
But suddenly, a loud shout came from the side, like thunder on a clear day.
It was a clear and resounding scolding that echoed all around like thunder.
"People are as humble as dust, not twisted like maggots!"
It was unclear when.
On top of the city wall, there appeared a young man with white hair, who looked like he was in his twenties. His skin was rosy, his lips were red, his teeth were white, and his eyes were sharp. He had long hair that looked like frost and snow.
With just one glance, he made the surrounding soldiers instinctively lower their heads, afraid to meet his gaze.
"From the rough mountains and treacherous waters of Southwest Province, have come you fools who don’t know any better?"
Qiao Mu’s gaze swept across, deep and intense.
He didn’t have a good impression of Southwest Province.
Zhao Hu from Xishan Village and the descendants of Spear Saint had already been killed; while Taotie City and Linhe City were full of ruthless and deceitful people.
"The common people in this place are the most cunning and know best how to survive." Qiao Mu’s gaze passed through the soldiers around him as he walked forward step by step.
He brushed past Lord Chen.
For some reason, Lord Chen didn’t even have the courage to confront him. After Qiao Mu passed by, his legs went weak and he almost fell to the ground.
"Ignorant, short-sighted, changing sides easily, filled with greed, full of lies, lacking loyalty and righteousness, only seeking temporary pleasures."
"But… who turned them into such twisted figures?" Qiao Mu raised his head, looking up at the sky.
"The world is filled with suffering and filth… the dirtiest being the fallen immortals who have lost their humanity."
