Chapter 434
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Chapter 434: Wu Qizheng
The next day, dawn broke.
The morning light pierced through the faint mist; under the sunlight, the Green Lotus Immortal City remained grand and magnificent, filled with an indescribable fairy-like atmosphere.
Dong, dong, dong——
The melodious sound of the bell echoed in the clouds.
"Come, come, come, follow me."
The Flying Fish Guard Chen Feng walked in front of the crowd, leading Qiao Mu and others, who had changed into servant clothes, as they walked down the streets of Immortal City, finally entering a hall that looked like a temple.
Although it was called a temple, once inside the courtyard walls, it was divided into several large empty rooms, each filled with rows of statues and countless cushions.
In the open space in front of the statues, hundreds of worshippers stepped forward, found a cushion to sit on, and closed their eyes to pray.
The murmurs of their prayers echoed around, and a gentle light filled the area, creating a truly magnificent sight.
Upon closer inspection, some worshippers were shabby, with clothes that had yellow and black stains, but they seemed unaware, quietly sitting on the cushions.
"They must be very devoted believers," said the old ascetic, initially surprised, but soon lost interest after watching for a while.
"Brother Chen, how long will they pray?" one of the ascetics couldn’t help but ask.
"There’s no set time. They just pray when they wake up, and that’s it," replied Flying Fish Guard Chen Feng casually.
"Look at these worshippers; aren’t most of them young people in their twenties and thirties?"
The old man and the others focused their eyes and discovered that it was indeed true.
This group of ascetics had both young and old members, with some even in their sixties, their hair already gray.
But the believers praying in this large tranquil room were clearly much younger, with hardly any middle-aged people over forty.
"Because these are the people born in Immortal City in the last forty years."
"The last forty years?" Wu Qizheng was particularly sharp.
"So, this Immortal City has existed since just after the Inhuman War ended?"
"That’s right." Chen Feng turned to look at Wu Qizheng and said lightly:
"The Blood Lotus Sect’s way of doing things is very different from other Immortal Gates; it is much simpler and more direct."
"The last couple of generations born here in the past few decades have spent their lives in Immortal City, knowing only to burn incense and pray, completely unaware of the outside kingdoms, whether it’s the Great Zhou or Great Yan, living as if in a well. They live and die under the control of the Blood Lotus Sect."
Wu Qizheng fell silent for a moment.
At this time, Flying Fish Guard Chen Feng led them on, entering a quiet room next door that was completely empty.
This quiet room was just like the previous one, almost empty except for a statue and some cushions; it looked quite simple.
Only some leftover food was on the floor, making it look a bit messy; the room was filled with a mix of sweat and the aroma of food, which was somewhat overwhelming.
"A handyman does all kinds of jobs, right?" Flying Fish Guard Chen Feng commanded the old ascetic and the others to start moving.
"If you want to live in this Immortal City, you must follow the rules here."
"As long as you are sincere, you can one day become a follower like them, with someone to take care of your food, clothing, and shelter. You can skip the hard work, but the followers in this Immortal City cannot go outside and must pray every day…"
The old man and the others were taken aback, feeling a bit disillusioned.
To be honest, doing some handyman work was nothing compared to the suffering they had endured while nearly walking across half of Western Province.
But this is exactly the Blood Lotus Immortal Kingdom they dream of day and night… and not the suffering-filled world of mortals.
The ascetic has faced many hardships, hoping that one day he can enter Immortal City and enjoy a peaceful and joyful life that is not found in the mortal world.
"The immortal beings have great powers; they can call the wind and summon the rain, turn beans into soldiers, and indeed they have many Taoist soldiers under their command… so why do we still have to do these chores in Immortal City?" the old man could not help but ask.
This time, the answer did not come from Chen Feng, but from Qiao Mu.
After personally walking through the Qingming Medicine Valley in Nan Province, he already knew the answer in his heart.
Qiao Mu replied coldly, "Do you think too highly of yourself? A mere mortal, does it really deserve the Immortal Masters up in the clouds to expend their powers, use spells, and control Taoist soldiers to make things easier for you?"
In the Qingming Medicine Valley of Nan Province, there are actually many Taoist soldiers available.
However, the believers’ labor is not valued, and Taoist soldiers require cultivators to expend their power and focus; who would be willing to do such a thing?
Even a Qi Refining Stage cultivator is seen as a "great immortal" in the eyes of ordinary people.
Cultivators live long lives, but they eventually come to an end. Who would want to tire themselves out for ordinary people seeking blessings?
"What? You don’t want to?" Flying Fish Guard Chen Feng seemed happy to shatter the dreams of the ascetics.
"Don’t worry; most of the followers kept in this meditation room are common folks born in the area."
"Ascetics like you have only reached this Blood Lotus Immortal Kingdom after going through great hardships."
"Most of you are very devoted; just one person is worth many followers, so you wouldn’t have fallen so low."
About half an hour later, Chen Feng led the group of helpers to finish cleaning the meditation room and continued up the mountain with everyone.
"This time, we water the flowers."
Chen Feng brought everyone to a spiritual pond in the mountain, where the water shimmered with a blue hue. Along the shore, complex magic circles glowed softly, and a gentle spiritual light covered the water’s surface, clearly not an ordinary pond.
A soft breeze rose, creating ripples in the water, and the white flags along the shore fluttered in the wind, making a rustling sound.
In a spacious room by the spirit pool, hundreds of slender vases were neatly arranged.
"Be careful not to drop it; if you break it, it will be a big problem," Chen Feng warned.
Watering the flowers is much simpler; just take the spirit water from the pool and pour it in.
This task is not difficult, simple and boring, but what makes everyone wonder is that there is no sunlight in this room; they don’t know what kind of flowers they are growing.
The old man became suspicious, so he leaned closer to the neck of the vase and carefully peered inside.
Suddenly, he saw a pale, thin face inside, with closed eyes; the short beard was wet from the water, and the head was floating on the surface.
"Ah?!" The old man stumbled, almost knocking over the vase.
Luckily, Flying Fish Guard Chen Feng had anticipated this and came over to gently catch it, steadying the tipping vase, and with a half-smile said, "I told you not to break it; if you do, it will really be a problem."
"What is this?" The old man felt both surprise and fear, his heart racing, but after calming down a little, he couldn’t help but peek inside.
"I was right! Is that Old Chen?" the old man exclaimed.
The other ascetics instantly looked worried.
Old Chen, mentioned by the old man, was actually a member of their ascetic group. When they first entered Immortal City, he was the one who spoke at the alley entrance and was eventually taken away by the Paper Man Taoist Soldier.
Little did he know that after saying goodbye yesterday, they would meet again today.
"So, it’s an old friend meeting," Flying Fish Guard Chen Feng said coldly.
"But don’t worry; he is not dead yet."
"He is just in a dream, entering the Blood Lotus Immortal Kingdom, freed from the hardships of the human world, enjoying eternal peace and happiness."
"This—-"
The old man and the others felt shocked and confused, looking at the room full of tall vases and feeling a wave of inexplicable fear.
Suddenly, he pushed open the door and ran straight to the edge of the spirit pool, leaning against the white flags, panting heavily.
At that moment, the white flags began to twist, revealing dozens or even hundreds of distorted faces with bared fangs and claws.
"What is this strange thing?" The old man fell to the ground in fright, his legs felt as heavy as lead, and he couldn’t move anymore.
"That’s different; what’s inside is truly dead," Flying Fish Guard Chen Feng said calmly as he caught up.
"This is the Thousand Soul Banner." He looked up at the edge of the spirit pool, where the flags stood like a forest, swaying in the wind.
"Inside, there are a thousand devoted souls who cannot be freed."
"This is a privilege only the most devoted and steadfast followers can enjoy," Chen Feng continued, his expression unchanged.
"These most devoted people see suffering as a test from the immortals, and thus they find sweetness in suffering."
"Even without their physical bodies, turned into the souls in the Thousand Soul Banner, they still see this as a challenge and remain persistent."
At this point, Chen Feng ignored the ascetics’ gloomy faces and looked up into the distance.
"In the Blood Lotus Immortal Kingdom, there are nine Immortal Cities like this."
"In the forty years since the Incense Symbol of Divine Fire appeared, the Blood Lotus Sect has long figured out how to extract the willpower of incense from their followers as much as possible."
"Sometimes it is to help those in need."
"Sometimes it is a disaster from the heavens."
"Sometimes it is a combination of both, as they set up different Nine Immortal Cities to find the most efficient methods."
"The Nine Lotus Immortal Cities are just nine mortal mines," he sighed softly.
At this moment, the old man and the other ascetics had lost their focus and sat helplessly on the ground.
The fairyland they devoted their lives to chasing is just a dream, a fleeting illusion, and they are nearly breaking down.
"Accept the reality," Wu Qizheng said calmly.
"There has never been any fairies, gods, or saints in this world."
"Living in this world are simply people!"
"Where are all these fairylands?"
Flying Fish Guard Chen Feng turned his head and looked at Qiao Mu and Wu Qizheng behind him, saying:
"This is the message I tried to convey to the outside world, but unfortunately, when I arrived in this deep Immortal City, I became trapped and couldn’t get out."
Just as Qiao Mu was about to respond, he suddenly felt a change and looked into the distance.
There, on the peak of the back mountain of the Immortal City, stood a person facing the wind, holding several long-necked vases with a cold expression, looking down and throwing the vases down.
It was the bearded swordsman Old Hu that I saw when entering the city.
A powerful force appeared, causing the vase to twist. With a loud crack, the vase shattered, spilling its faint liquid and brain matter all over the ground, leaving behind a dry and withered head.
"How dare you, common man?!"
Several beams of light broke through the sky, transforming into Blood Lotus Sect cultivators, who fought against swordsman Old Hu at the top of the back mountain.
Martial Saint, resembling Old Hu, had clearly made quite a commotion, attracting the cultivators guarding the Immortal City.
"Martial Saint? Why do you look like this, and what trick are you playing…?"
Qiao Mu bent his legs slightly, his body leaped into the air like an arrow, using the Heavenly Dragon Eight Steps, and quickly flew away with piercing sounds.
According to Flying Fish Guard Chen Feng, there is more than one Human Demon… it would be best to capture one alive to uncover the truth.
Wu Qizheng was about to follow when suddenly Flying Fish Guard Chen Feng walked up beside him.
"Wait, I have something to say," Chen Feng said.
"You? What more could you possibly say at this time?" Wu Qizheng frowned.
"Just now, I showed you the different ways cultivators control ordinary believers in Green Lotus Immortal City," Chen Feng continued.
"These ordinary people are under inhuman control from birth to death."
"Mr. Wu Qizheng, do you know which of the believers here is the most pitiful?"
"Is it the believers who were born and raised in Immortal City, spending their lives sitting in a well, only knowing how to burn incense and pray?"
"Or is it the devoted followers who know about the vast world outside but are lost in a dream of a peaceful existence?"
"Or perhaps, are they the devoted believers who have been brainwashed by inhuman teachings, seeing suffering as a test?"
Wu Qizheng furrowed his brow and said:
"I heard that the Flying Fish Guard of Great Yan are the emperor’s eyes and ears and hunting dogs."
"They are there to help the emperor solve puzzles and answer questions, not to make people guess."
At this critical moment, Chen Feng suddenly threw a riddle at him, which must have been strange.
Chen Feng smiled slightly and continued speaking to himself:
"In my personal opinion, the saddest are the followers of the Thousand Soul Banner."
"They are the most devoted and steadfast followers, viewing suffering as a test, with minds as strong as steel."
"However, even with strong minds, they seem to have free will, but they are actually brainwashed by inhuman teachings, still turning over in the hands of the inhuman."
"Wu Qizheng, what about you?"
Chen Feng’s expression gradually became serious. He looked directly into Wu Qizheng’s eyes and said slowly:
"Wu Qizheng, you were born to be a saint."
"The innate sense of justice and compassion is just a product of what has been shaped."
"Martial Saint named you ‘Qizheng,’ a name that holds both expectation and a hint."
"So, even though you truly despised Martial Saint in your heart, you were willing to die in his place at the Nan Province Xuantian Sect."
"Because at that time, you knew very well that Martial Saint was the greatest hope for martial arts in this world."
"If Nine Heavenly Immortal Gates were the cold winter over Jiu Province, then Martial Saint is the fierce sun."
"Though fierce and scorching, he is the only light."
"Putting the big picture first, you can give up your own life and become Martial Saint’s scapegoat."
"But why, after you clearly escaped Martial Saint’s grasp and were reborn, do you now choose to return to the same path?"
Wu Qizheng narrowed his eyes.
"You know, there are quite a few."
At this point, he understood that Chen Feng’s identity was probably not as simple as the Great Yan Flying Fish Guard.
He turned his head and glanced at Qiao Mu, who was running away in the distance, and shook his head.
It seems that his being alone was not a coincidence.
"You say to return the way you came; that’s truly a joke."
Wu Qizheng shook his head and said,
"I have long been free from Martial Saint’s control; I can swim in the wide sea and fly high in the sky."
"For the past few years, I have traveled through Jiu Province, no longer shackled by Martial Saint, and all my actions come from my heart."
"And so now, I have come to this place."
As Wu Qizheng spoke, he suddenly felt a gentle breeze.
The soft wind passing through the woods stirred the Thousand Soul Banner by the Spirit Pool, making it flutter and resonate. Faces appeared on the banner, and a soft whimpering came from the wind.
The faithful believers inside this Thousand Soul Banner are just as Chen Feng said earlier.
They seem to have sincere thoughts and strong hearts, but they have long been brainwashed by teachings, dancing in the hands of the inhuman for their entire lives, unable to break free from the inhuman’s control.
And Chen Feng means that…
"I am different," Wu Qizheng said calmly.
"You say I am a ‘born saint’ who has been shaped."
"So in the past, I would die for Martial Saint; but now, I would send Martial Saint to his death."
"Today, leading a member of the Qiao family to the Western Province to seek to kill Martial Saint is also something Martial Saint expected?"
Wu Qizheng frowned tightly.
He has been acting with the goal of killing Martial Saint for several years. This is not a sudden impulse.
While in the Southwest Province, he witnessed the disaster caused by Wu Qiankun’s loss of control.
In the Peach Blossom Villa of Nan Province, he saw Wu Mingkong, the second-ranked martial arts genius among the seventy-two wise men, and guessed that Martial Saint must already have plans for a successor…
Therefore, he came here.
So, what if this was all part of Martial Saint’s plan?
His character was shaped by others; it seemed he escaped Martial Saint’s control only to return to the path that Martial Saint had originally plotted for him because of his innate saintly heart?
Wu Qizheng looked at the ascetics who had lost their spirit, sitting helplessly on the ground next to the Spirit Pool, then glanced at the white soul banners, feeling a chill run through his body.
It seems like a heart of iron, but in reality, even the personality is shaped by others, dancing in Martial Saint’s hands for a lifetime.
"Think carefully," Chen Feng said calmly.
"Wu Qizheng, your name is your path."
"Inhuman like the cold winter covering Jiu Province, Martial Saint is the fierce sun."
"So, will you follow your ‘personal nature,’ choose the path laid out for you, and seek to kill Martial Saint?"
"Or will you break free from the shackles Martial Saint has set for you and seek more possibilities?"
Wu Qizheng listened quietly as Chen Feng finished speaking.
He was also quite curious about who Chen Feng really was… but that no longer mattered now.
At first, he felt a moment of confusion, clearly showing hesitation and doubt on his face.
But later, these expressions faded away, returning to the usual calmness and determination.
"No matter what you say, whether my mind and mood are influenced by others…"
"The path to kill Martial Saint is my personal choice; it is what I believe is right."
"That’s enough here!"
Wu Qizheng twisted his neck a couple of times, and a cracking sound came from his joints.
"Sweet talk will not confuse my mind!"
"But speaking of this, I am really curious about one thing…" Wu Qizheng said.
"What? Do you want to ask me something? Do you want to know who it is?" Chen Feng looked up at Wu Qizheng.
"Who asked you? You sneaky little rat," Wu Qizheng replied calmly.
"According to you, I brought Qiao Qijin here to plot to kill Martial Saint, which Martial Saint actually expected."
"So, why does Martial Saint want to do this?"
Chen Feng did not respond for a moment.
A gentle breeze passed through the mountains and forests, creating ripples on the surface of the water; the lake’s edge swayed like a forest, and faint cries echoed in the air.
