Chapter 2749 - The Huaihuang Empire

This too was a mundane nation, but it was more than twice the size of Su Yi’s birthplace, the Great Zhou.

The Huaihuang Empire was an adherent of Daoism. Its nineteen provinces and hundred-plus cities all had Daoist temples.

Southern Current City was the oldest in the empire.

It was spring, and the air was misty with rain.

A group of cultivators appeared outside the city, near a dense thicket. There were about thirteen of them, a mix of men and women.

The strongest was an Immortal King, a man in black robes.

They’d only just risen to their feet when a group of armored soldiers rode in on horseback. There were over one hundred of them.

The general leading the army shouted, “Fire!”

Over one hundred arrows arced through the air, falling like rain, their sharp tips glinting with cold light. They were headed straight for the cultivators.

The first round killed nine of them and injured three others. Only the Immortal King in black emerged with only light injuries.

He was shocked and furious. “Do you have any idea who we are? How dare you...”

But before he could finish the sentence, the general rode in on horseback and ruthlessly thrust his spear at the Immortal King.

He struck deftly and with immense force. It was obvious that he’d experienced numerous battles.

The man in black tried to circulate his cultivation base, only to realize that he couldn’t. Even the power of his physique had been sealed, leaving him no different from a mortal. He was barely strong enough to truss a chicken.

The failed attempt to draw on his typical strength distracted him just long enough for the general’s spear to pierce his skull, sending the top half of his head flying with a spray of blood.

The other three cultivators, those who’d been injured, turned to flee, but they didn’t get far. Other soldiers surrounded and killed them.

Whap!

An older soldier slapped a younger soldier and cursed him out. “That wench was such a looker! Why kill her? It’s no wonder you keep failing to find a bride!”

The young soldier’s face flushed red. “The boss said that we’ll receive merit for every sky devil’s head we claim. The more merit we accumulate, the more we’ll be rewarded, and... I don’t want a sky devil for a wife!”

A burst of uproarious laughter followed.

Some of them teased the young soldier for his lack of experience, saying he didn’t understand the delights of the bedroom. One insisted on taking him to a brothel to broaden his horizons.

But the general waved his hand through the air and said, “Cut the crap. Gather the sky devils’ belongings, then get ready to move!”

The soldiers dismounted, then deftly gathered everything the “sky devils” had on them: swords, talismans, gourds, and seals...

They gathered it all into a pile, but here, the treasure was as ordinary as could be, devoid of spirituality, like a heap of scrap iron.

“Boss, what are these things even good for?” someone asked in confusion.

“Who knows? All I know is that the state preceptor, grand general, and Divine Stratagems Manor have commanded that we offer up anything and everything the sky devils leave behind. They’re worth considerable merit, too.”

The general took off his helmet, revealing a steelly middle-aged face.

His name was Ma Yu, and he was the general charged with protecting Southern Current City. He’d been in the military for forty years, and he had an abundance of experience.

But not even he knew where the sky devils came from, or why they were so weak.

He just knew that it wasn’t just the imperial court; even the warriors, sects, and factions of the Jianghu were out hunting the sky devils, all for the sake of accumulating wealth!

“March!”

After gathering the spoils, the group set off once more.

Earlier, they’d seen numerous dazzling white lights descend from the distant skies, like meteors shooting into the mountains.

Ma Yu dared say with certainty that the sky devils they’d just killed weren’t the only ones here.

Along the way, Ma Yu’s thoughts raced.

This time, I’ll accumulate enough merit for a promotion!

......

Bang!

Pu Xuan stood before a mountain and slammed his fist into a tree.

The tree didn’t budge, and his hand bled as it scraped against the rough bark, making him wince.

“My cultivation is gone, but that’s not all. Even the usual strength of my blood and flesh is gone. I’m really no different from an ordinary mortal,” whispered Pu Xuan.

Su Yi laughed. “We’ve grown accustomed to the presence of the Grand Dao, and to gazing down on the world from on high. Now, we’re mortals again. It’s hard to adjust, right?”

Pu Xuan laughed. “The disparity really is enormous. In the past, I could sense every shifting of the grass at will, and when I ran into danger, I could dodge instinctively, but now...”

He took a big step forward and sighed. “It’s not just my divine sense. I can’t cover even ten feet per step, and my hands barely have the strength to truss a chicken.”

He patted the sheath on his back. “This little trinket’s basically scrap iron here. Outside, it can cleave through the curtain of heaven, but now, it could at best slaughter a duck.”

Pu Xuan drew and twirled his sword. “Fortunately, some of my swordsmanship remains. Give me three to five years, and I could become a wandering swordsman of the Jianghu.”

Su Yi couldn’t help but laugh.

He still seems quite relaxed. He isn’t the least bit bothered after becoming mortal.

“You’re right. The Huaihuang Empire might lack a connection to the Grand Dao, but it has the Jianghu, martial artists, and qi gong,” said Su Yi. “If you want to cultivate anew, you really have a chance at becoming a hero of the Jianghu.”

Pu Xuan sheathed his sword and stroked his jaw, then said with apparent longing, “Becoming a wandering mortal swordsman roaming the world of red dust freely actually sounds rather decent.”

“Sure,” said Su Yi. “But that’s on the precondition that no one kills you. Do you think the warriors of the Jianghu have it easy?”

As they conversed, the two of them continued on their way.

But then, a woman in white suddenly dashed toward them. “Fellow Daoists, might you take me with you?”

She was an extraordinary beauty with skin as fair as snow and generous curves. Her eyes were so expressive that they almost seemed capable of speech. All in all, she was a moving sight.

Pu Xuan paused, then looked at Su Yi.

Su Yi looked at the woman. “Give me a reason. If it passes muster, very well. We can travel together.

The woman pondered briefly, then said, “First, we’re both cultivators from the outside world, and we share a common goal. We can look out for each other.

“Second, I currently have no cultivation base, and I’m entirely unarmed. There’s no way I’m harboring ulterior malicious intentions; it just wouldn’t make sense.

“Third, my name is Tao Zhi, and I’m from Six Harmonies Immortal Mountain, one of the Blue Peak Continent’s immortal factions. My master is the leader of our sect. When we return to the outside world, I’ll give you immortal treasures in gratitude!”

“Immortal treasures?” The corners of Pu Xuan’s lips twitched, and his gaze was strange.

The Divine Dao was above the Immortal Dao.

The Undying Realm lay at the far end of the Divine Dao.

And the Eternal Dao lay beyond the Undying Realm.

As an Eternal, the idea that someone would reward him with immortal treasures left Pu Xuan unsure of whether or not to laugh or cry.

But Su Yi nodded. “Very well.”

The woman in white, Tao Zhi, instantly looked relieved. “Thank you, Fellow Daoists!”

Pu Xuan was a bit stunned.

He agreed, just like that?

He was just about to transmit a question to Su Yi when he realized he couldn’t, so he could only force the words back down.

But Su Yi seemed to see right through him. “Did you forget what that calligraphic scroll taught you? Be kind to others, the kinder the better.”

Pu Xuan nodded.

So what if they were Eternals? They were mortals now, too, just like the woman in white. No matter their cultivation base outside, here, they were all on the same level.

The group promptly set off.

Tao Zhi asked Su Yi his name, and he casually came up with a pseudonym: Su Good Guy.

Pu Xuan followed his example and called himself Pu Kind Guy.

Tao Zhi couldn’t help but laugh. These pseudonyms weren’t at all convincing, and she could see through them at a glance.

As they walked, Tao Zhi was meek and obedient. When she saw that Su Yi and Pu Xuan didn’t want to chat, she kept quiet.

But when they did ask something, she told them everything she knew.

𝗳𝗿𝐞𝕖𝘄𝗲𝕓𝗻𝚘𝚟𝕖𝐥.𝚌𝕠𝕞

Along the way, Pu Xuan couldn’t help but sigh.

She’s an immortal who fell back into the red dust of mortality, yet she’s managed to adjust so quickly. She’s obviously different from those brainless immortals who don’t know how to do anything but cultivate in seclusion.

Su Yi said nothing along their journey. He just continued ahead calmly, stopping from time to time to look at the sky. Most of the time, he just walked in silence.

About fifteen minutes later, a group appeared in the distance. Their leader was a man in teal.

When he saw Tao Zhi, he visibly sighed in relief, then smiled. “I finally found you, Senior Apprentice Sister!”

Tao Zhi looked delighted, too. “I thought we’d lost each other after arriving in the Huaihuang Empire. So, you were in this stretch of wilderness all along!”

She then introduced everyone.

“Want to come with us, you two?” asked the man in teal, clasping his fist. “In this blasted place, all of us have been reduced to mortals. We’ll be stronger together, and we’ll be able to look out for each other.”

Several of his companions frowned imperceptibly. They were from the same faction, and they all knew each other. They naturally didn’t want to travel with strangers of unknown origins.

Su Yi noticed, then politely shook his head and refused.

The man’s invitation was obviously just out of politeness. If he took it seriously and agreed to travel with them, who knew what kind of unpleasantness they’d have to deal with?

Just as Su Yi expected, the man made no further attempts to persuade him. He just led his allies away.

Pu Xuan sighed. “And here I thought Tao Zhi was clever. Who’d have thought she was so heartless and ungrateful?”

When the man in teal invited them to join their group, Pu Xuan said nothing. All she did was wave to Su Yi and Pu Xuan before she left.

She’d been so agreeable on the way here, and the contrast was stark.

Su Yi laughed. “We just happened to cross paths, and we traveled together for less than an hour. There’s nothing to criticize about her decision.”

But then, his smile faded, and his brow furrowed.

“What is it?” asked Pu Xuan.

Su Yi shook his head. “It’s nothing.”

With that, he changed course and went off in a different direction.

Pu Xuan was surprised; he could tell that Su Yi was heading in the same direction that Tao Zhi and the others had left in.

“Is something wrong?” he asked.

“Soon, you can ask her that directly,” said Su Yi.

Pu Xuan mulled that over.

Enough time to brew a cup of tea later, a plain came into view.

The sound of drums and hoofbeats emanated from afar, followed by startled cries.

Pu Xuan could tell that one of those voices belonged to Tao Zhi!

Pu Xuan couldn’t help but look at Su Yi.

Don’t tell me he sensed this coming earlier?