Chapter 953: The Brush of Spring and Autumn

The capital of Yu had fallen into devastation, and its citizens suffered terribly.

The city had a vast population. The moment countless ghosts flooded the night, chaos erupted across the city. To hold them at bay, the Imperial Supervisory Bureau activated a grand formation anchored in the four directions. During that time, the city gates were sealed shut. No one was allowed to leave. Opening them would have only thrown the city into deeper panic and turmoil.

Back then, the people still clung to hope. They believed the Imperial Supervisory Bureau could bring the situation under control.

But that hope was crushed the moment Evil Ksitigarbha appeared. In a single instant, the city’s defensive system collapsed. No one could stop the resurrected celestial devil from the upper realm.

Only then did the city gates finally swing open. The people were allowed to flee. However, ordinary mortals could not fly, nor could they tunnel underground. Even with all four gates open, how many could truly escape in time? Panic erupted. Stampedes broke out. Collisions and trampling deaths followed in rapid succession.

At this critical moment, the soldiers of the Yu Dynasty became the city’s final line of defense. Stationed in great numbers along the walls, they had the best chance of escaping. Many among them possessed at least some cultivation. If they had chosen to abandon their posts and flee, they might have survived.

Yet, not a single soldier fled. Every one of them stood firm atop the city walls, holding their positions to maintain order among the fleeing citizens. They fought tirelessly to repel the vicious and seemingly endless horde of ghosts, doing everything they could to prevent people from getting hurt.

Even so, only a small portion of the populace managed to escape. The majority remained trapped within the city, meeting their end in the chaos of fleeing ghosts and the violent clashes between powerful cultivators.

The terror unleashed by Evil Ksitigarbha surpassed any natural disaster.

As he and Lu Jiuwai, who wore the Xuanhuang Battle Armor, rolled and fought across the ground, they crushed buildings, people, and animals in their path. Lu Jiuwai tried to take the fight into the air, but before he could rise, Evil Ksitigarbha grabbed his leg and smashed him into the wall of the imperial city.

A large number of palace attendants who were fleeing from inside were killed by that single strike. Whether they were low-level cultivators or ordinary people, it made no difference in the face of two beings with such overwhelming power.

Evil Ksitigarbha was covered in blazing devil fire. The heat was unbearable, and Lu Jiuwai had to use all his strength to break free and fall back. At that moment, the Pure Yang Ancient Sword came slicing down from above. A surge of brilliant sword qi filled with pure yang energy clashed head-on with the burning flames around Evil Ksitigarbha.

Booooooom!

In the end, it was the ordinary people of the city who suffered the most. The black devil flames merged with the blazing pure yang fire, sending waves of destruction rippling through the streets.

The entire northern part of the city was left in ruins. Under the overwhelming tide of flames, not a single life was spared.

A terrifying gleam of excitement flashed in Evil Ksitigarbha’s pitch-black eyes, as if the death of countless lives filled him with joy.

The surrounding Eminent Ones were completely held back. Not only were they unable to deal real damage to this celestial devil, but every strike they attempted carried the risk of hurting innocent people nearby.

The clouds above churned violently, showing that the other legendary artifacts had arrived as well. But with civilians still trapped in the capital of Yu, no one dared to launch a full-scale attack. Without a treasure like the Celestial Cosmic Ring to seal off a separate space, the Eminent Ones had to fight with caution, especially in a battle as destructive as this.

On the other side, Shentu Yang roared in anger, "If you’ve got the guts, then leave this place and fight us somewhere else! Somewhere no one else will get caught in the crossfire! I swear I’ll tear you to pieces, you damned celestial devil!"

"

Hee-hee-hee...

" Evil Ksitigarbha let out a chilling laugh. "Very well. Are you afraid of hurting these little ants?"

As he spoke, the celestial devil once again pushed his spiritual energy to the limit, summoning a fresh wave of devil flames. But this time, the flames did not rise from his body. They erupted from the ground itself, endless and unstoppable.

Rumble, rumble, rumble...

Suddenly, the entire capital of Yu was swallowed by towering black flames. Some of the flames reached nearly a hundred zhang high! There was no time for screams. The entire city, along with all the lives within it, was wiped out in a single moment!

"You dare, celestial devil?!" the Eminent Ones hovering in midair roared in fury, but it was already too late.

Evil Ksitigarbha only laughed louder. "

Hee-hee-hee-hee...

"

He shot into the sky and turned into a streak of black light, fleeing toward the southwest. Some of the Eminent Ones burned with rage and wanted to give chase, but they feared being picked off one by one if they became separated. In the end, they had no choice but to let the Evil Ksitigarbha go.

In terms of raw combat power, Evil Ksitigarbha surpassed even the Demon God’s life essence from the past. He was an evil entity that was capable of ending the world!

And just like that, Evil Ksitigarbha was gone, leaving behind only the shattered ruins of the capital of Yu.

...

Even after the celestial devil left, the devil flames continued to burn throughout the city. It was not only the living who perished. Houses, pavilions, and city walls were all reduced to ash in the black fire. In just a few breaths, he had destroyed the greatest city of the current age.

If those present had known of what Evil Ksitigarbha had done in the past, they might not have been so shocked. Long ago, a continent far beyond the westernmost lands and nearly as vast as the nine provinces had been wiped out by him alone.

Back then, if the Ancient Nameless Buddha had not slain the devil embryo and broken through to the Dao Attainment Realm in time, Evil Ksitigarbha would have drained the spiritual qi of this world and turned it into a barren wasteland. The entire realm would have become a sacrifice to the celestial devil.

But this time, there was no longer a Nameless Buddha here to save this mortal realm.

Amid the crackling flames, an old man slowly stepped into the ruined city and let out a sigh. "Haaaaa..."

Clad in scholar’s robes with wide sleeves, he looked around the ruins with eyes full of compassion. "The people of the capital of Yu did nothing wrong... And where did this Evil Ksitigarbha come from? The vessel of Ksitigarbha was sealed long ago. In the end, all of this was born from human greed and malice."

Shentu Yang looked at the elderly man approaching and immediately recognized him. He called out in disbelief, "Headmaster?"

It was none other than the headmaster of Shentu Yang’s academy, Gongyang Qi.

Gongyang Qi, the headmaster of the Ascending Dragon Academy, was the master of the Great Dao of Spring and Autumn.

Unlike the Great Dao of Infinity once held by Cangsheng, the Dao of Spring and Autumn was not meant for battle. More often than not, its wielder could only stand aside and bear witness. Because the academy was located near the capital of Yu, Gongyang Qi had seen the entire disaster unfold with his own eyes, yet he had been unable to stop it.

Shentu Yang noticed the look of sorrow in his eyes and suddenly frowned. "Don’t tell me you’re planning to—"

"There were a million lives in the capital of Yu," Gongyang Qi said with a heavy sigh. "Only I can save them now."

Shentu Yang grabbed Gongyang Qi by the shoulder and nearly shouted, "No, not even you can do it! This is beyond what your cultivation level can handle!"

"I can," Gongyang Qi replied firmly.

"You’ll die!" Shentu Yang shouted.

Gongyang Qi drew the Immortal Spirit Brush from his robes, summoning the Four Genuine Immortal Treasures alongside it. "But the people of the capital of Yu can still be saved. If I wait any longer, this calamity might kill me too, and I won’t be able to do anything then."

"No!"

Shentu Yang reached out to stop him, but before he could take another step, Gongyang Qi swept a stroke of golden light through the air. The line circled Shentu Yang where he stood, forming a glowing seal. A Ring of Confinement locked him firmly in place.

Under the watchful eyes of the remaining Eminent Ones, Gongyang Qi raised the brush once more and began to write.

"The celestial devil never came. The capital of Yu was never destroyed. All life remains as it once was."

As his words flowed, it felt as if the voice of the Great Dao itself echoed outward, carried by the wind. Stones began to boil, scorched earth dissolved into light, and amid a haze of golden brilliance, the faint outline of the city began to reemerge. Within it, silhouettes of people slowly took form.

Above them, storm clouds gathered, and howling winds surged in a furious attempt to scatter the illusion. Gongyang Qi stood at the center of it all, swaying as he withstood the mounting pressure. He teetered on the edge of collapse, yet he did not fall. As the apparitions grew clearer and more solid, golden blood streamed from all seven of his orifices.

His voice pierced through the storm. "Brother Shentu, it's one man's death to save a million lives. In this life, I, Gongyang Qi, have not failed the Dao of a Sage."