Chapter 103: Purity and Turmoil Envelop the World, Cataclysm Shakes Heaven and Earth

I am not alone!

At this moment, Qing Hong truly understood the feelings of those ancient sages when they met kindred spirits.

The overall atmosphere within the Demon Sect was dismal, having developed into a twisted path. To rise within the Demon Sect, one had to descend into degradation, completely crushing their conscience, becoming worse and more ruthless than the worst villains. Ultimately, they struggled endlessly to grasp the faint glimmer of hope set by the Demon Sect’s Earth Immortals.

This cycle had continued for thousands of years. Perhaps some had objected, but under the violent suppression of the Earth Immortals, dissent was extinguished one by one. Now, Qing Hong shouted out again—not to follow the Demon Sect’s rules, but to follow his true heart.

He had thought this path would be a solitary and arduous one. Unexpectedly, here he found someone sharing the same ideals.

“I am willing.”

Upon hearing this, a smile spread across Qing Hong’s face, and his heart suddenly calmed. Looking at Yuan Chuping felt like seeing a long-lost friend.

“Having someone like you makes my rebellion against the Demon Sect’s system worthwhile; it justifies my obtaining the Nine-Xiang Jade Tree.”

It was said that the Nine-Xiang Jade Tree could overturn fate, break blood oath curses, and was one of the most taboo spiritual treasures within the Demon Sect—hence the destruction of the Lingwei Sect, much like the former Yunxiao Pavilion—simply because they bore such a treasure. Their existence threatened certain interests.

When blood oaths could no longer bind the Demon Sect’s members, more people like Qing Hong and Yuan Chuping would emerge. They would raise new voices within the Demon Sect and change its landscape.

At the very least, they offered an alternative for those unwilling to serve the Demon Sect but forced to join it.

Not a path of corruption and decadence, nor a contest of evil within the Demon Sect, but a brand-new cultivation path—one where they could practice freely, without exploitation or suppression from superiors, following their own will.

Qing Hong reached out, summoning the dark cyan treasure tree into his hand. The Nine-Xiang Jade Tree branched into nine limbs, its entire body shimmering with a dark cyan Daoist hue. Yet, he had never quite understood how to use it.

Communicating through the Mitian Talisman with Tushan yielded no definitive method, only a temporary suggestion.

Qing Hong pondered, then snapped off a branch of the Jade Tree. The treasure was not invincible; as he tore off the branch, he thrust it into Yuan Chuping’s heart.

Suddenly, Yuan Chuping felt something missing within him. When the branch pierced his chest, a nameless restraint vanished from his body. The branch transformed into golden light and merged into his body without leaving any wound.

“A blood oath barrier?” Qing Hong sensed that the blood oath had not disappeared but was severed by the special power contained within the Jade Tree, preventing the external curse from contacting Yuan Chuping.

“If used this way, it might not only block blood oaths but also Dao fruit vows? Dao fruit represents the fusion of heaven and man; severing this connection could potentially shatter the immortal and demon realms’ states.” Qing Hong’s eyes gleamed, seemingly having found the Jade Tree’s purpose.

Yuan Chuping moved his body; indeed, the blood oath’s presence was gone. Yet his thirst remained—the demonic cultivation within him had not yet dissipated.

“Come with me. I’ll help you discard your demonic cultivation later and switch to another path.”

Yuan Chuping was about to speak when a surge of turbid evil energy erupted within him, transforming into a line of cause-and-effect bursting out of the sea of blood.

Qing Hong was struck by this force and immediately exposed his hidden presence within the blood sea.

“Trouble!” Qing Hong acted swiftly, pulling out two rice-sized pearls. “Embed these in your teeth. When you feed on blood in the future, the blood will be sealed in these spirit pearls to ensure you won’t become addicted. When you pretend to feed on blood normally, use these.” He then handed Yuan Chuping a jade bottle filled with three-light divine water. “Get through this first. As long as you don’t feed on blood, I’ll find a way to save you from the blood sea later.”

Outside, blood sea servants moved about. Qing Hong transformed into a ray of light and hastened to another place, sealing Wang Wenbo and several children into the Bichao Pearl, then quickly escaping the blood sea.

On the way, he saw Xiuhun and Weichen also emanating turbid energy, forming a red thread flying out of the blood sea.

However, upon noticing Qing Hong, the two immediately gave chase.

“Where do you think you’re going!” Xiuhun and Weichen caught up. The demons within the blood sea activated killing formations, and dark red waves rolled forward.

Qing Hong summoned the Yin-Yang Dragon-Whisk Fan in his hand. With a gentle wave, he split the blood sea to create a path, then scattered shimmering three-light divine water as he slipped away through water escape technique. “Farewell, everyone!”

“Let me see you off!” Ahead, blood shadows surged. Song Shaoming struck Qing Hong with a palm, knocking the Shoutian Jade Leaf from his hand.

But Qing Hong’s eyes shot forth dark light; two dragon whiskers turned into scissors to fend off Song Shaoming. He twisted his body and slipped away like a fish escaping the blood sea.

Clutching the Shoutian Jade Leaf, Song Shaoming did not pursue. A cause-and-effect thread emerged from him as well, linking his internal evil energy to the dark and mysterious sky.

“Qing Hong, this scattered immortal shows no anomaly. Could it be that this cause-and-effect summons is ineffective on him?”

Having escaped the Blood Spirit Demon Pool, Qing Hong saw Qin Wu and two others with solemn expressions. Like Song Shaoming, strands of cause-and-effect thread entangled them, but these threads drew their pure energy into a clear-turbid Taiji Diagram floating in the sky.

“What is that?” Qing Hong was puzzled, then, remembering he had lost Liu Zimo’s Shoutian Jade Leaf, hurried over to apologize.

Liu Zimo ignored him, staring blankly at the clear-turbid Taiji Diagram in the sky. “Immortal-Demon calamity?”

At Chenghuang Mountain, Tushan’s face changed suddenly when he saw the turbid evil energy emanating from Tianchengzi. Above, more evil energy intertwined with purity and turbidity.

“Someone’s triggering the Immortal-Demon calamity?” Tushan leapt down from a rock and conversed with Qing Hong.

Qing Hong now understood. “Is the Three Palaces acting prematurely?”

“The clear-turbid Taiji Diagram covers the sky. Elders in my clan spoke of this: centuries ago, it appeared once during the Immortal-Demon War, reflecting back the vital energy absorbed from the world over the past fifteen hundred years, a method for immortals and demons to settle their cause and effect.”

At the Taiyuan Palace’s mountain gate, a pillar of pure energy shot skyward like a heavenly column, covering the heavens. Under clear skies, stars shifted and changed.

Elsewhere, the blood sea silently seeped into the Xuanzheng Prefecture’s ley lines. Deep in the earth, streams of evil energy writhed like dragons and snakes, altering the veins of the earth and causing spiritual caves to burst forth.

Heavenly killing machines shifted stars and changed lodgings; earthly killing machines stirred dragons and snakes.

Together, the two forces forged the clear-turbid Taiji Diagram, using great divine powers to bring all immortal and demon cause-and-effect in Xuanzheng Prefecture under their control.

Within Taiyuan Palace, celestial immortals shielded by auspicious clouds and immortal light gathered. In the Taiyuan Golden Pavilion alone, forty-nine Earth Immortals assembled—this was the foundation of Taiyuan Palace’s dominance over the immortal path.

Among these Earth Immortals, a talisman rose skyward and transformed into the Yang fish eye in the clear-turbid Taiji Diagram, resonating with the power of Yin within Yang in the distance.

From the blood sea headquarters, a majestic voice emerged from the depths, accompanied by a talisman being cast. “Everyone, begin!”

“With Taiyuan Palace so confident, our blood sea must respond! Let’s see how this calamity ends—if the immortal path loses, how will they recover!” The laughter of Jie echoed through the blood sea, while surges of Earth Immortal energy exploded.

Seventh-grade Blood Lotus, Nine-Blood Lion, Seven-Tusk Blood Elephant, and other Dao fruit manifestations appeared one after another.

Blood Sea Earth Immortals numbered in the double digits, also sending their talismans to the Yin fish eye of the clear-turbid Taiji Diagram, forming Yang within Yin.

Qian Yang represents immortals, Kun Yin represents demons; the two transform into each other, ultimately controlling all immortal and demon cause and effect in the world, allowing all immortals and demons to witness the extraordinary event from five hundred years ago.

“Has the calamity begun?” It’s been less than five hundred years! Tushan, as a heavenly fox cultivating vital energy, was immune, but immortal and demon cultivators across the land sensed problems within their bodies.

As the clear-turbid Taiji Diagram appeared in the sky, they seemed restrained by a special force on their Dao fruits, unable to continue their cultivation. Each immortal and demon was entangled with strands of cause-and-effect thread, sensing their corresponding calamity opponent.

“Why now?” Major sects trembled, but they appeared to understand something.

“To resist the revival of Qi Refiners a millennium later?”

At the Dao De Sect, the sect master sighed and went to the back mountain to observe the sect’s guardian fruit tree.

This treasure was called the Yellow Zhong Li, a spiritual root of Dao De Sect that suppressed the sect’s fate. Now, the tree was shrouded in a gray cloud; its spirit waned, and the sect’s fortune began to slowly drain.

The same phenomena occurred across all major caves and heavens. Treasures and spiritual roots suppressing fate underwent mutations.

“Master!” Several transcendent cultivators of Dao De Sect hurried over, pale-faced upon seeing the change in Yellow Zhong Li.

The mysterious Xuanji murmured, “Could our sect be facing a calamity of destruction?”

“Not exactly destruction. This calamity isn’t severe; it’s meant to resolve five hundred years of cause and effect disputes. Think of how many conflicts arose in those five centuries,” the master replied. “Moreover, Taiyuan Palace is acting unilaterally, likely aiming to settle cause and effect early, preventing future turmoil.”

If they foolishly waited a thousand years for Qi Refiners to return, combined with the Demon Sect’s threat and the revival of the demon clans, the immortal path would be thrown into chaos.

“But this move is ruthless!” The master smiled bitterly. “The major sects are caught off guard; it’ll take effort to cope.” He stood silently beside the tree, contemplating the heavenly mechanism.

After a while, the heavenly mechanism conjured by dozens of Taiyuan Earth Immortals gradually appeared. Any immortal or transcendent who had attained Dao fruit gained insight.

This calamity aimed to reduce centuries of cause and effect disputes, using the rise of the Lingwei Immortal Mansion as a trigger, employing dynastic changes to incite the immortal-demon calamity.

“So it’s not a calamity born from nowhere but one pushed along by the currents?” Qin Wu opened his eyes, looking at Qing Hong with complex feelings.

Qing Hong showed no abnormalities; he had no cause-and-effect threads absorbed by the Taiji Diagram.

“The immortal-demon calamity doesn’t affect ancient Qi Refiners,” Liu Zimo frowned and said to Qing Hong, “Looking at this now, your noble lineage is enviable.”

“Though we face no human calamity, the heavenly calamity is severe, so it’s not all good,” Qing Hong said, looking up at the Taiji Diagram. “Is this immortal-demon calamity controlled by Taiyuan Palace?”

“No,” Qin Wu explained. “Each of the Three Palaces’ sacred places holds a Yang Immortal Spirit Talisman, a treasured immortal artifact that can activate the great Dao within immortals, used to govern the immortals and lead the Daoist world. Normally, during the immortal-demon calamity, these talismans aren’t needed. When the time comes, the clear-turbid Taiji Diagram will automatically trigger the immortal and demon Dao fruits, forcing them into battle. But now… Taiyuan Palace has used that talisman.”

“Using that talisman means it can’t be triggered again for hundreds of years. They really went all out.”

Qing Hong pondered, then nodded firmly. “I’ll travel overseas later; better to avoid this matter.”

“Yes, avoid it if you can. But only you can,” Qin Wu said, gazing at the Taiji Diagram as newly ascended immortals and demons attempted to escape to the overseas realm.

Yet, when they tried, a force resisted them. One foot stood on the land, the other in the sea, but they couldn’t step down.

Wu He, irritated, suddenly asked, “Speaking of which, there are cultivators overseas. Don’t they have to face calamity?”

Qin Wu glanced at Qing Hong. “Overseas, mostly ancient scattered legacies remain. Plus, with the Sea Dragon King there, the Three Palaces can’t interfere.”

But immortals and demons in Xuanzheng Prefecture must face the calamity. If calamity isn’t resolved, the Taiji Diagram in the sky won’t dissipate, and no one can continue cultivating.

“No, there seems to be another kind of person,” Tushan said through the Mitian Talisman to Qing Hong. “At Chenghuang Mountain, I didn’t see Senior Peng’s cause-and-effect thread.”

Qing Hong’s heart stirred. “You mean the Three Corpses Dao?”

“To sever the three corpses, one must forge three corresponding avatars, perfecting both pure and turbid Dao within oneself, thus avoiding the calamity.” Tushan noticed immortal light arriving from afar—Senior Peng had detected Tianchengzi’s trail.

He immediately took Tianchengzi away. “Ji Feichen, I must return to my clan first. With the immortal-demon calamity rising, I fear trouble at home! As for your convenient senior brother, send him to join you!”

Tushan could not help but worry. Although he cultivated the Heavenly Fox Dao, his clan’s fox immortals who cultivated pure spiritual energy were also caught in the calamity.

(To be continued.)