Cultivation: When you take things to the extreme

Chapter 387 - 587: 359: Overcast_2

Chapter 587: Chapter 359: Overcast_2

“Our Demon Path was outnumbered by him, with disunity among our ranks and many cowards fearing his might, hiding and fleeing far away, leading to our tragic defeat in the end, with countless dead or injured, blood flowing like rivers.”

“As of today, in the South Observance domain, it has become his land alone, his decree absolute, with the Calamity Immortal not emerging, there is simply nothing that can be done.”

“We were unable to move several seniors to action, and having heard that he intends to make a move on Ghostly Spirit Ridge, we hastened here to report to the Lord of the Nether!”

“Please, Lord of the Nether, intervene to curb this man and protect our Demon Path!”

“…”

The three of them laid out the whole story, making the Yin Heavenly Lord’s expression turn dark as water, barely concealing his anger.

Even though the three did not lift their heads, they could imagine the expression on the Lord of the Nether, and did not stoke the fire any further, simply waiting for him to state his position.

Their appeal for help was not without reason.

Now in South Observance, with the Dao diminished and demons scattered due to the influence of the Righteous Alliance, many Demon Path cultivators have chosen to move far away, avoiding the edge of Wuzhuang Temple and the Righteous Alliance.

But not everyone is willing to go, nor can they all leave.

Surrounding the Earth Immortal Realm are two regions, each with its own ruler, with East Victorious Divine Continent under the control of Heavenly Court, and West Bovine He Continent as the Buddhist Pure Land, how could demons and evil paths be accommodated?

Even the likes of the Golden-Furred Lion that have relations with Heavenly Court and Buddhism can only find a place to stay and are not free to cultivate various demonic and evil skills as they could in South Observance.

Therefore, they cannot go to the eastern and western continents, leaving only Beiju Thatch Continent and the two domains of monsters, which belong to Monster Nation and Demon Abyss; these South Observance Demon Evil Cultivators, even if they follow the same path, are not from the same group, it’s difficult for them to be accepted once inside, and if accepted, they need to submit their allegiance and be enlisted into the battlefield against Heavenly Court and Buddhism.

They truly do not wish to leave!

But unwilling as they may be, they must travel far away to preserve their lives and property.

Even being able to leave is fortunate; some do not even have the option to leave.

And the Yin Heavenly Lord was among them.

Though he never made it known, rumors circulated that this Lord of the Nether was approaching the limit of becoming a Calamity Immortal. Both Ghostly Spirit Ridge and White Bone Mountain were not just his cultivation grounds, but also the foundation for him to break through realms and face the Immortal Tribulations.

Other Demon Path cultivators, once gone, were just gone, but if he dared to leave South Observance, abandoning Ghostly Spirit Ridge and White Bone Mountain, he would likely have no hope of advancing to the Tribulation Realm in this life.

Even if he could advance to the next realm, without this foundation, he would be unable to withstand the multiple Immortal Tribulations, and ultimately would perish both in body and spirit, a fate of death and dispersion of his path.

Hence, he could not leave, nor did he wish to, faced with the threats of Wuzhuang Temple and Zhen Yuanzi, he could only fight to the death.

The three of them also came seeking his aid with this knowledge in mind.

What kind of person was the Yin Heavenly Lord? The thoughts of the three were completely transparent to him.

But clear as he was about the situation, he was also helpless in the face of it.

He truly could not leave, nor could he give up his base at Ghostly Spirit Ridge and White Bone Mountain, as his advancement would be doomed and crossing the tribulation would mean certain death.

Yet Zhen Yuanzi, with his sheer personal might, invoking the great power of the Righteous Path, had, within a mere two hundred years, scattered the South Observance Demon Evil Cultivators to the wind, and his strong-arm tactics were simply shocking.

Though the Yin Heavenly Lord had divine powers and cards to play, he was also unwilling to go head to head with such a formidable opponent.

Therefore…

The Yin Heavenly Lord’s gaze turned icy, “With such trouble he’s causing, stirring up chaos in South Observance, aren’t there any higher beings taking action against him?”

In his words, there was also puzzlement.

As a colossal figure in the South Observance Demon Path, renowned for more than seventy thousand years, he understood the situation in the South Observance Continent well.

Three Teachings and innumerable schemes abounded, a mélange of characters, and those who could establish a foothold here all possessed some sort of foundation.

Demons and evil cultivators were no exceptions, either connected to Heavenly Court or related to Buddhism, or possibly traitors to Monster Nation and Demon Abyss, each with their own background and mission, planted in South Observance as undercover assets.

Thus, eliminating one or two was fine, but to pursue and exterminate on a large scale – would the forces behind them stand for it?

Was there not a single Calamity Immortal who took action to restrain him, or who came forward to warn and curtly rebuke?

The Yin Heavenly Lord couldn’t fathom.

Hearing this, the three could only offer a bitter smile, “The Lord of the Nether does not know, this Zhen Yuanzi, he’s a stubborn one, as immovable and stinky as a stone in a latrine, he gives no one face.”

“At that time, just to take over Mount Qilin, he not only killed Great Mercy Bodhisattva’s mount, the Golden-Furred Lion, but also captured the Bodhisattva’s treasured Purple-Gold Bell, so Buddhism sent two Arhat Venerables to his Wuzhuang Temple, not to hold him accountable for the Golden-Furred Lion matter, but simply to reclaim the Purple-Gold Bell.”

“Yet, he still refused to give face to Buddhism, directly defeating the two from Buddhism in front of everyone at the Pill Origin Gathering, and moreover declared that unless Great Mercy Bodhisattva provided an explanation for the Golden-Furred Lion incident, there was no hope of getting the Purple-Gold Bell back.”

“It was bad enough not to give face to Buddhism, but he also refused the courtship of Heavenly Court and, two hundred years ago, in pursuit of Mo Yunzi, he caused a huge disturbance in the Dragon Palace of the Southern Sea, fighting alone against six dragons in the Great Void Azure Sea without falling at a disadvantage.”

“`

“In the end, it was only with the personal intervention of the Dragon King of the Southern Sea that he was driven back, but it was merely a retreat, and he failed to keep him within the Southern Sea, as he easily escaped using the Heavenly Gang Five Elements Great Escape Skill.”

“The Dragon King of the Southern Sea, a Four Calamities True Dragon, was unable to detain him, demonstrating the extent of this person’s capabilities.”

“Therefore, even though he caused such a commotion, no Calamity Immortal was willing to take action, for engaging might not guarantee his capture and could instead provoke karma, intensifying the thunder tribulation.”

“Suffering a great loss, the Dragon Palace of the Southern Sea could only report the matter to the Heavenly Court, hoping the Court would intervene and suppress this individual.”

“But the Jade Emperor from the Heavenly Court was in seclusion undergoing arduous cultivation, appearing to be at a critical threshold. He directly declined to attend the grand assembly, and without his approval, the Heavenly Court did not dare to mobilize the Calamity Immortals, and thus could only allow this individual to rampage freely within the South Observance Continent.”

“…”

The three spoke with bitterness, all helplessness.

Without the intervention of Calamity Immortals, that individual could not be restrained.

But with the precedent set by the Dragon Palace of the Southern Sea, ordinary Calamity Immortals were frankly unwilling to intervene. Besides the risk of accruing karma, they lacked confidence in their ability to secure a capture, which could lead to enmity. Given Zhen Yuanzi’s way of handling things, it was likely that the episode with the Dragon Palace of the Southern Sea would be replayed right on their own doorstep.

Which Calamity Immortal would be willing to deal with such an ungrateful task?

To securely capture this individual so that escape was impossible, at the very least, it would require an Immortal of Five Calamities or Six Calamities.

But how could such exalted beings be bothered with such a trivial matter, which could affect their own True Immortal tribulations?

Therefore…

No solution, absolutely no solution!

Upon hearing this, the Yin Heavenly Lord also fell silent, then looked coldly at the three: “If Calamity Immortals cannot contend with this person, what use is there in seeking me?”

“This… We ourselves do not know!”

The three shook their heads and said solemnly, “But when our Demon Path formed our alliance, Blood God Lord once mentioned that if the Lord of the Nether was here, he would surely have a means to restrain this individual. Back then, we wished to request the aid of the Lord of the Nether, but alas, the Lord was in seclusion and could not be met, leading to the situation we face today.”

“Hmph!”

With a cold snort, the Yin Heavenly Lord said, “Old Blood Crow, nothing gets past you. But to end up in such a plight is the result of spending all your days hunting wild geese—only to eventually be pecked by a swallow!”

With that, he didn’t care for the reactions of the three, and instead turned and returned to his cave.

Leaving the three looking at each other, they did not dare to act rashly.

…

“Wuzhuang Temple, Zhen Yuanzi!”

“Hmph!”

“This Venerable has cultivated in seclusion for ten thousand years without courting karma, and yet you seek trouble?”

“Very well, let this Venerable see what skills you possess.”

In the White Bone Cave, Lord of the Nether spoke coldly, approaching a Mana Altar.

The Mana Altar was piled with white bones, and it concealed the curses and spirits of myriad ghosts!

Standing before the altar, the Yin Heavenly Lord waved his large sleeve, and an object appeared on the table.

It was an ancient book, rustic in appearance, exuding an aura of profound mystery, and its cover bore a title of three characters.

It was— the Book of Life and Death!

With a surge of the Yin Heavenly Lord’s netherworldly immortal power, the Book of Life and Death rapidly opened, revealing a blank page.

The page was empty, but as the Yin Heavenly Lord’s netherworldly immortal power began to stir, it seemed as if an invisible pen in the void started to dip into ink and outline nine characters.

Thereafter, the formidable figure of the Demon Path stood before this Mana Altar, starting the incantation and casting the spell.

“Mount Longevity, Wuzhuang Temple!”

“Zhen Yuanzi, you shall abide by fate!”

“The Heavenly Book closes deities within, the Earth Book transforms mountains and seas, the Human Book controls life and death!”

“Judge’s Brush, Book of Life and Death…”

“Nail Head Book, Seven Arrows Curse…”

“Fast!!!”