Dao Equaling the Heavens
Chapter 183 - 142: The Death of Qingcang, The Prosperity of the Human Race

Chapter 183: Chapter 142: The Death of Qingcang, The Prosperity of the Human Race

Gu Wen did not know the situation outside of the heavens, but the division of the Immortal Land into separate domains for humans and demons indicated that their relationship was not good.

Humans and demons are different species; humans from different villages can come to blows, let alone a group of beasts clad in fur and scales?

In the Daqian Country, the curse is simply, "Son of a bitch." The opposition between humans and demons is almost inevitable. Otherwise, Gu Wen would have to marvel at how broad-minded the Cultivation World really is.

Yet tacitly allowing the Devil Clan to cross the border, he needed to clarify what this meant.

"If the Devil Clan normally crosses the border, what would happen?"

"Men stand proud between heaven and earth, while demons crawl and scrounge to survive, anyone may execute them on sight," Jun Yan answered, "and now the actions of the major sects are even more deserving of being cursed as heretical and deviant than our Demon Path."

Perhaps fearing that Gu Wen was not born outside the heavens, he added, "It’s like the Emperor Daqian passes away, and the Prince invites barbarians to help him vie for the throne."

Gu Wen understood, but the difference was that demons also needed to rely on humans because the most numerous and powerful large-scale animals in the Immortal Land were humans.

Other animals such as elephants, jackals, tigers, leopards, and so on couldn’t compare to the erect apes.

It’s widely known that barbarians beyond the borders form their tribes around shamans who worship gods and spirits; presumably, the demons also needed to depend on humans. So the crossing of the Devil Clan seemed more like an alliance than an act as treacherous as inviting the enemy into the gates.

No matter how the barbarian soldiers and the Devil Clan ravaged, as long as the sects of the Human Race remain, this land will ultimately belong to the Human Race.

But what does it have to do with us? They are all coming to block us.

Are they really that afraid of Immortal Qingcang?

Gu Wen couldn’t help but glance at Yu Hua, whose eyelids were fighting a battle of their own. Ever since the battle at Heavenly Spring Mountain, Yu Hua had been in a state of drowsiness.

Extreme drowsiness in the human body is a kind of self-protection mechanism, which should apply to cultivation as well, though the issues of mortals are not quite the same as for Cultivators.

He said softly, "You go back and rest first, we can handle anything that comes up."

Yu Hua nodded and then returned to his room.

The four people left at the scene, Ao Tang lamented with his head down, "Little guys, I’m afraid this old man’s favors wouldn’t count for anything now, not even if I went out to sell my ass. From now on, it’s up to you. If it doesn’t work, we’ll run. As long as it’s not a Demi Immortal in person, I can take you away."

Jun Yan suggested, "Why not just make a detour to Fire Cloud Cave? It’s vast enough to hide for a long time."

Chi Yu Zi said, "We’d have to be able to get in first. The Grotto Heaven of Fire Cloud Cave is indeed vast, but there’s only one entrance, and it’s not guaranteed they haven’t set a trap for us there. Moreover, I still need the secret realm of the Nanshui sect for Body Refinement, and Red Dust needs the Nine Revolutions Golden Pill."

Everyone immediately turned their attention to Gu Wen, who, implicitly, had the decision-making power bestowed upon him.

Gu Wen pondered for a while, hiding was not a cure for the root cause, their goal was the Immortality Pill. Going to Fire Cloud Cave meant they had the Immortal Sword and the Immortality Pill, but the problem was there was likely to be an ambush.

"Act opportunistically, rather than hastily. Jun Yan, you go first to Fire Cloud Cave to scout the situation. If there’s no danger, we can move, but if there is danger, we continue to keep our composure and wait for the right time."

Situations change rapidly, and the best strategy for the moment is to remain unchanged in the face of a thousand variations.

Just like in the business battle at Dragon Bridge, one must pay attention to the actions of the opponents, but one should not react wildly to the slightest hint of trouble. You can’t just slash prices and undercut others because your opponent opens a shop across the street; doing so would only exhaust your funds prematurely.

If one considers the opposite position, what would the other forces think if he consistently did nothing? They don’t even know where the Immortality Pill is, why would it be certain they won’t turn up at Nanshui?

If they could find it, Gu Wen believed that most of the Human Race sects would not chase after him to bite him.

Jun Yan nodded and then added, "Heavenly Girl is currently best suited to strike only at Demi Immortals, and you, with your fifth and fourth Dao foundations, Immortal Qingcang is not adept at fighting with magic, and Chi Yu Zi may find it difficult to cope alone."

"I can bridge two stages without a problem, but I can only strike twice."

Gu Wen estimated the power of the Immortal Sword; with one stroke, he could kill an enemy two levels higher than himself, but the problem was he couldn’t sustain a long battle.

The remnants of the Immortal Sword, the Immortal Sword scabbard, and the True Sword Dao, when used together, are immensely powerful, but the consumption is three times that of any single item. He could swing a single one about a dozen times, but not all three together.

As a Cultivator progresses to higher levels, the means become more numerous, and he couldn’t guarantee that what he would strike would be a life-saving magic treasure or some other tactic, so he made the safest estimate.

Moreover, physical strength and mana consumption are not like a blue bar in a game that decreases; too much one-time expenditure would inevitably cause damage to the meridians and flesh.

This was also why Cultivators would implicitly reduce their lifespan after a magical duel; dueling was a form of attrition, and a Cultivator’s life was spent fighting with people, fighting with the heavens.

"This should be sufficient; I’ll go ahead."

Jun Yan had just come back and then once again disappeared into the night, and after a few breaths, came back again, pointing at his own chest and saying, "First give me a stab, then leave a small wound with the Immortal Sword so I can use it to suppress the Demon."

Thud!

Gu Wen stabbed Jun Yan again, and the almost moaning sound that reached his ears made it extremely difficult for him to maintain his composure.

"Don’t make a sound in the future."

"Understood."

Then Gu Wen lightly slashed Jun Yan’s arm with the Immortal Sword, the mere remnant of the Sword Qi consuming one-tenth of his mana.

-----------------

Lin Chuan County, the encampment force of the imperial guard of the Daqian Dynasty suppressing a rebellion.

The night was pitch-black, with dense clouds above, but within the encampment, fires burned brightly every ten steps, and sentries were posted every hundred steps, the defense was extremely strict.

The soldiers’ gaze was cold and expressionless, unlike normal humans.

Wenren Wu leading the troops, who had joined the army as bandits and wielded weapons as fierce soldiers; even the most cowardly among the people would transform into fearless killing machines once in the military formation.