Chapter 520

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Chapter 520: The Scholar Blocks the Way

The capital city of the Ten Thousand Demon Kingdom is Xiangyang City in the Ba State.

There is no need to mention the repeated situation in Ba Xia. Just know that its attitude determines that Ba State exists as a buffer zone. Essentially, it can be seen as part of the Qiongqi Country, connected by land. However, its internal governance is quite chaotic. After being annexed, the original structure is still largely maintained, except for the military authority. The internal administrative organization can be described as chaotic.

Without central control, and with Xiangyang City being a thousand-year-old ancient city, it already has a large number of aristocratic families who form the officials. They imitate the bureaucratic institutions in the history of the Ming Dynasty, barely maintaining the basic operation of Ba State. However, their internal policies still don’t extend beyond a hundred miles from Xiangyang City. Each place still has autonomy, lacking a sense of belonging and hierarchy.

Many officials in small cities essentially derive their governance powers from the support of the Garrison Commander, which is the military.

It can be said that Lord Ba Xia is very clever, and the advisory group also has some effect. By relying on the people to support the army, it relatively eases the consumption by decentralizing power.

But this approach easily nurtures parasites among the lower ranks, so he has always been very strict with military appointments.

This has also led to a prevailing martial arts culture here.

Ba State’s martial arts world is the liveliest, and Xiangyang City is the center of it.

Generally speaking, Lord Ba Xia is in charge in Xiangyang City, as one of the feudal lords. Who dares to disrupt the legal system here?

That’s not entirely wrong, but the people in the martial arts world also don’t completely dislike rules. What they dislike is being restricted, not rules themselves. The more respectable martial artists like various rules in their world, and when rules are established, they can walk freely. Xiangyang City is the same. These kinds of martial artists tacitly accept the rules, and Lord Ba Xia is also a warrior. He has always valued many skilled martial artists in the past and directly takes them under his wing. It’s like a dog ascending to heaven.

"Murong Nu mentioned before that the martial arts world of the Ten Thousand Demon Kingdom is more active in Ba State. In other places, most of them are stagnant. However, because of this, the highest number of martial artists who die is in Ba State. She has comfortably ranked fourth on the Black List for so long, but in the past six years, more than thirty people in the top ten of the Black List have been replaced. There are not many sudden drops in rankings; most of them have died."

Bai Wei said, "I don’t really feel anything about the world of martial arts, but I remember there used to be a saying in the Ming Country. It said that only one person can reach the very top, just like sitting on a chair. Whoever can grab the seat gets to sit securely. If you can’t grab it, then you have to patiently wait below, just like being a good boy or girl. You wait until the person above you dies. Even if there’s no one immediately ready to take over that position, someone will appear soon."

The curious little snake girl asked, "Is there really such a saying?"

"Yes," nodded Chao Lu, "I’ve heard about it too. It’s actually somewhat true. In a clan, usually there won’t be a second Demon King. Most of the time, there’s only one. It’s not because they don’t want to, but because they can’t… This world has its limitations, even in the vast Great Wilderness. In a clan, there’s usually just one extremely powerful individual, like Kua Fu."

"Kua Fu？"

"The Kua Fu clan. When one of them died while chasing the constant sunrise, another bloodline-awakened Kua Fu appeared among the Kua Fu people. This Kua Fu joined the army of Chi You and was eventually killed by Geng Chen." Chao Lu tapped her forehead, these were all Bai Ze’s inherited memories, and they were mostly correct.

"So, it’s the same for the Dragon clan. Each of the Four Seas Dragon Palaces has a true dragon… Even if the previous true dragon falls, a replacement quickly appears." Bai Wei asked casually, "Is your father also a Demon King?"

Chao Lu shook her head helplessly, "If he is, he wouldn’t be powerless. In fact, only about seventy percent of the feudal lords have the power of a Demon King, and the Demon Kings themselves are also divided into different levels. You’ve already witnessed the destructive power of a top-tier Demon King, like the mountains and rivers in the Ten Thousand Demon Kingdom being shaped by their battles."

"But why can there only be one Demon King?" The snake girl still didn’t quite understand.

"Because of mysterious limitations," said Bai Wei.

"Mystery?"

"The bloodline of the Yao clan, martial arts techniques, and magical methods… all these powers that can be enhanced after birth are essentially a kind of mystery. And there is a limited amount of mystery in the world. Mystery on a certain path has its limits – it can be full or depleted. No matter how you evenly divide the water in a bottle, it will never increase or decrease out of thin air."

Bai Wei said, "The magical system in Europa is a typical one. Holy Domain, legendary, demigod – once a demigod appears, there will no longer be any legends. If a legend wants to ascend to demigod, they must compete for the mystery from the other two legends. This means forcing the other party to lower their rank. And if their own strength is already declining, it is even easier to directly descend, going from a legend to a pseudo-legend."

"By the same token, the Eastern martial arts world is no different. There are only so many positions available. When one master dies, the next one emerges. It seems that they will never be completely eradicated."

Yubing tilted her head and said, "This also needs to be fought over. It seems… so troublesome."

"In an era of great struggle, how can there be no fighting?" Chao Lu said helplessly.

"Actually, there is." Bai Wei said, "In the system that I am aware of, the immortal cultivation system doesn’t belong to this level. The goal of immortals is to ascend and eventually reach the immortal realm or heaven realm."

"But being part of the immortal class… does that mean there are no limitations?"

"At least not in this realm. As for what lies above, it’s unclear. If you want to find out, you have to go to West Kunlun and see for yourself." Bai Wei remained undecided.

"Go up there?"

"As long as I want, everything in the sea and the sky is possible," said Bai Wei lightly, then feeling that his words were too deliberate, he added, "After all, I have many friends."

"Cultivating immortality is boring," frowned the snake girl, "Is there anything else?"

"There… is something mysterious that is exclusively owned and not influenced by anything," said Bai Wei.

"Heroic Spirit Principle," recited Chao Lu, "Golden Power."

"You’ve heard of it too?"

"I studied at the Tulip Academy, of course I know and I have seen the golden tree," Chao Lu said curiously, "If you say that the mystery doesn’t just disappear out of thin air, but keeps transferring, then where did the Golden Power go when the last emperor, who possessed it, died?"

…Where else can it go, it’s in the very essence.

Bai Wei shrugged, "Who knows?"

Near Xiangyang City, they naturally talked about Xiangyang City. They talked about the Jianghu’s affairs and intentionally or unintentionally overlooked Nalan Qingshu’s departure. No one mentioned Little Green Pepper and Bai Wei didn’t inquire either. He guessed that something would happen, but chose to ignore it.

It’s a good thing that Nalan Qingshu left, so she wouldn’t get involved in this turmoil. Although her enthusiasm would inevitably bring a series of troubles later on, Bai Wei had already dreamt of the Battle of Chibi and beacon towers. But… what else could he do? Just like life, when you can’t stop it, you just lay down.

Regardless of whether it’s a snowstorm or heavy rain in the future, lying down now at least allows for a moment of relaxation.

Bai Wei drove the carriage and regained the feeling of wandering around the Ten Thousand Demon Kingdom in the beginning days.

Now he had to manually control the whole journey since the Pansilk Cave Lord was taken away. After all, there was only one carriage, which could be changed here, but on the other side, one could only sit on the back and endure the bumps. With one less scheming spider monster, Bai Wei didn’t have to worry about his teammate betraying him. He drove the carriage forward calmly. About a day later, they arrived at the foot of Jiuding Mountain outside Xiangyang City.

The Ten Thousand Demon Kingdom inherited the culture of the Ming Country. The origin of Jiuding Mountain is a bronze tripod. Dayu cast nine tripods to pacify the Nine Provinces. These tripods disappeared into the river of history. It was rumored that one fragment of a tripod was here, thus Jiuding Mountain came into existence. There was also a Taoist temple on the mountain, and business was good.

The Taoism here was different from the Taoism of the Ming Country. Many people practiced Taoism in order to seek longevity. For example, Emperor Jiajing from history was obsessed with Taoist practices and elixirs, and ended up poisoning himself.

However, most demons have a long lifespan and don’t need elixirs to extend their lives. Their demand for cultivation is not that high. But having a long lifespan doesn’t necessarily mean living long for weak and vulnerable demons. They sought the protection of faith. However, the immortals in the Taoist temple were just statues and had no effect. They had to rely on themselves. So the Taoists who came here chose to practice Qi cultivation and self-cultivation from the Taoist tradition. The Taoist temple on Jiuding Mountain worshipped the True Martial Emperor, which was also related to Wudang Mountain, but it wasn’t officially recognized here and had already developed into a different system.

The Taoists in the Ming Country had a good life, practicing martial arts and cultivating the body. But here, the Taoists couldn’t rely on incense money alone. They needed status in the Jianghu and had to recruit disciples. As for faith itself, it had become secondary. The area near the foot of Jiuding Mountain was crowded with people. A large number of people from the Jianghu gathered here. What was their purpose? Some were moved by rumors, others just followed the crowd.

A crowded little town is still bustling with people even in the winter. Some people with sharp eyes can easily spot a few famous martial arts experts among the crowded crowd. Some have entered the inn. On the left table sits a well-known expert named "Over the River Dragon," and on the right table sits someone called "Outside the Clouds Sparrow." In front, several renowned hermits sit at a table, who are said to be skilled both inside and outside. There are even people quietly boasting that they have seen the top ten of the elusive "Black List" dragons.

Master Yingzhou’s skills are rare, even in the Ten Thousand Demon Kingdom. Mo Taozhong is a rising star among the younger generation, but the ones who truly dominate the martial arts world are the experienced veterans and master experts.

"They’re just a bunch of ordinary people," Little Snake Girl made a sharp comment.

"Is it appropriate for you to say that?" Chao Lu asked curiously.

"I’m speaking on behalf of our lord!" Little Snake Girl proudly raised her head, causing Bai Wei to shake his head in disbelief.

However, Chao Lu praised her, saying, "You should write a book with your way of speaking."

Bai Wei said, "Never underestimate the world. There will always be someone better."

"Yes, this Jiuding Mountain may not be as tall as your mountain, but we’re just not concerned about it," Chao Lu added.

Bai Wei thought to himself that although this was the truth, it felt surprisingly good to be praised in such a serious manner. Fortunately, he didn’t have any flatterers around him, as the witches had already said all the good things. Otherwise, he would have quickly become a worthless person.

He coughed lightly and said, "I am a tire that can’t handle praise. Not only do I have thick skin, but I also easily get inflated. Let’s stop in this town for a while… or should we just go directly to Xiangyang City to settle down?"

Chao Lu was about to answer, but Bai Wei suddenly pulled on the reins. In the middle of the narrow road, which could only allow a few riders to ride side by side, there was a scholar standing with his hands outstretched, blocking the way.

"…Is there something wrong?" Bai Wei asked.

"Yes, something important," the scholar said.

"Do you know who I am?"

"Yes, I know."

"Then why should I concern myself with your matters?"

"Because I am the person you are looking for," the scholar introduced himself. "I am the Fourth Prince of the Ten Thousand Demon Kingdom."