Dao Equaling the Heavens
Chapter 186 - 143: Blood Feud of Man and Demon

Chapter 186: Chapter 143: Blood Feud of Man and Demon

Nanshui, Jiang Family Village.

Three families had hung up white cloths, their sons of the Jiang family joined the Nanchun Army and died on the battlefield. Jiang Jucai, carrying a fortune in silver, had had their remains returned, which heightened the enthusiasm for military service among the families.

In ancient times, a fortune generally referred to brass, but a thousand catties was already quite a lot—it was worth the lives of three people.

Moreover, the Nanchun Army had recently conquered four cities, almost swallowing up a third of Nanshui, and their ranks were swelling dramatically. In just a few days, their numbers had soared from less than a hundred thousand to a proclaimed three hundred thousand strong.

When Gu Wen heard this, he didn’t think the number was exaggerated, because in chaotic times, there were plenty of people willing to rebel for a bite of food.

In peaceful times without starvation, even if emperors like those of the Qin or Han dynasties came along, no rebellion would occur; conversely, even a pig leading an army would draw followers in times of chaos.

Jiang Fugui was overjoyed, completely changing his previous demeanor, repeatedly praising Jiang Jucai together with Gu Wen.

"Mr. Wen, I see that rebellious son seems to have some talents. He might indeed be capable of great achievements. What about the ten thousand taels of silver, could you spare some..."

Jiang Fugui was ultimately an ordinary person, seeing opportunity but forgetting the risks; now surrounded by enemies, I had no heart to protect him.

Gu Wen had a thought and countered, "Did I ever say I would give you those ten thousand taels? Why ask again?"

Jiang Fugui slightly bowed and said with a chuckle, "Well, while taking a meal from a bowl, one must not forget one’s father. Everything is from Mr. Wen, naturally, I should consult you."

"You sly old fox."

Seeing no way out, Gu Wen sighed helplessly, his earlier thought dissipating, "Why do you support him? For the world? For fame and fortune?"

"For the prosperity of the family, to honor our ancestors. Generations wearing official hats, owning fields spanning thousands of acres."

Jiang Fugui spoke frankly, knowing he couldn’t deceive Gu Wen, nor did he dare to play such clever tricks.

"I’ve heard that in Youyun County, there’s a precedent where rebel righteous armies accepted surrender and were appointed as Prefectural Governors. Now, there are three generations of their family in office. But compared to my son’s merits, I’d rather know, Mr. Wen, do you think this method is feasible?"

"If there is a precedent, then naturally it is feasible, but it’s a path where you could die nine out of ten times. If you trust me, when trouble comes, grab your family and flee."

Gu Wen arched an eyebrow and examined his old friend, who, despite wearing fine silk, didn’t seem that unfamiliar.

"To survive in this chaotic world, I’ll grant you land extensively; you’ll wear a crown, sit upon that ornamental position in Bianjing."

"You are the true emperor, not a loach in the mire. Even if it’s possible to sit there, it should be you, not me. Me becoming merely a Minister of Revenue would suffice."

Jiang Fugui thought he was jesting but went along with it anyway.

"Or perhaps when I’m old, I’ll carve it out for you to serve in the palace as the chief steward."

This made Gu Wen burst into laughter, "You old shameless man, the body is given by one’s parents; to flatter, would you go as far as castrating yourself?"

"When you, Mr. Wen, become the Emperor one day, I’d immediately do the deed," Jiang Fugui shamelessly said, "Tonight I’ll take some medicine, be with my wives and have a child, have more so I won’t fear dying out. As for my manhood, my father was also born of a courtesan, not of noble flesh."

"Get out, get out, get out, spouting such nonsense, go back and watch over your precious son."

After sending off Jiang Fugui, Gu Wen’s relaxed expression quickly darkened as he looked up at the murky sky.

Just then, Chi Yu Zi had packed his things and stepped out; it was time to move, as various forces were closing in.

Although their location had not yet been exposed, staying in one place was bound to blow their cover. Gu Wen didn’t want the Jiang Family Village to get into trouble, nor did he want to inadvertently weaken himself, so leaving was necessary.

He needed to quickly secure the resources from the secret realm of the Sword Control Sect, enhancing Chi Yu Zi’s capabilities. Once she achieved the undying Taoist body, becoming an Immortal, no ordinary Venerable could touch her. Further cultivating to the Eighth Level of Dao Foundation, she could even contend with a Demi Immortal.

And Gu Wen also needed these resources to upgrade his Golden Core, possibly directly advancing from the Sixth Transition to the fulfilled Fifth Level, then progress to the Sixth Level of Dao Foundation.

Chi Yu Zi asked, "Once Heavenly Girl wakes up, we’ll leave. Aren’t you going to say goodbye to this old man?"

Gu Wen shook his head, "No need, farewells are pointless. Even without me, he could survive, as long as his son doesn’t drag him down."

Jiang Fugui was clever enough, already beginning to transport grain and build houses in the deep mountains and forests nearby, opening up farmland. Should war break out, hiding there for a year or half wouldn’t be a problem.

The only issue was Jiang Jucai, but family affairs are hard to manage, and Gu Wen had no desire to interfere further.

Suddenly, a strand of divine thought flew in front of Gu Wen, hanging silently. Identifying it as Jun Yan’s aura, he accepted it into his Primordial Spirit.

The Daoist Sect was blockading the entrance to Fire Cloud Cave, the Devil Clan was invading, unresolved grievances between humans and devils, and Qingcang’s death.

Almost instantly, Gu Wen’s ire was raised, a frosty light flickered in his eyes. He was only aware of the friction among various factions, not expecting there to be so much filth.

It was no longer about interest; it was a vendetta.

He was not a native, but since he was human, he should consider matters from a human perspective, otherwise, how was he different from a beast?

Moreover, he was not only a human but also a true disciple of the Sanqing Taoist Sect, and he had learned the Daoist techniques from Yu Hua.

"What’s wrong?" Chi Yu Zi looked puzzled, as Gu Wen rarely showed anger.

Then Gu Wen handed over the intelligence that Jun Yan had sent back to her. After reading it, her fiery temper flared, and she cursed out loud:

"These ungrateful old bastards, how could there be such shameless people, no different from beasts?"

Chi Yu Zi was not yet a hundred years old; naturally, she was not aware of events from thousands of years ago.

But if everything inside was true, then Chi Yu Zi felt that her own Sword Control Sect wasn’t worth anything.

With her simple beliefs, humans and devils were irreconcilable; devils eat humans first, and then humans kill devils. This was the natural order of things.

Now that the devil race had crossed the boundary again, the sect not only failed to unite against the external threat, but instead surrounded and besieged the Immortal lineage that had once saved the human race from fire and water. This was utter ingratitude.

They should be killed, killed, killed!

Gu Wen took it to Ao Tang for confirmation. Transformed into an old donkey, Ao Tang gave it a glance. Having experienced that era, he remained very calm.

"This matter is no secret, it’s just that you young people don’t know about it."

The Sanqing Taoist Sect dominated the human race, all the Three Religions and myriad schools had no ability to resist. This era was not glorious for the major sects, and they certainly wouldn’t tell their disciples about it.

The Sanqing Taoist Sect would not promote that they had once ruled over the major sects.

Chi Yu Zi asked, "What if all this is true?"

"Of course." Ao Tang nodded slightly, his eyes filled with reminiscence, "It was an era where the Way was revered above all else, the Sanqing was supreme, and the human race thrived. Unfortunately, Qingcang was too rigid, insisting on repaying blood with blood and tooth for tooth, otherwise he would not have fallen, nor would we be in the situation we are today."

"Discussing this now is meaningless. What we need is to find the Immortality Pill. If Qingcang revives, all problems will be resolved. Otherwise, all is lost."

Gu Wen composed himself and nodded slightly, "Talking about righteousness now really is futile."

"No, aren’t the beasts of the Devil Clan here?" Chi Yu Zi clenched her fists, her body rolling with fierce flames, and said fiercely: "They still have the face to seek revenge? I will surely scatter their souls!"

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

In the early morning, the first ray of sunlight shone into the house which was now empty.

Ao Tang transformed into a white-haired giant ox, walking without a trace or shadow, and Yu Hua curled up on the side without feeling a single shake.

Gu Wen and Chi Yu Zi walked in the front, leaping over mountains, rivers, and lakes, searching for the location of the secret realm.

The secret realms of the major sects were all refined by demi immortals; their locations were constantly changing and hidden, and one could only rely on a special aura to approximate their position.

It was said that they were originally intended as places for becoming Immortal, just like Heavenly Spring Mountain, first as a place where the Immortal Sword went through its transformation and then as a place of opportunity for the disciples. Each year, the disciples could gain only a fraction of the benefits available.

Like Gu Wen, who plundered several thousand spiritual swords at once, it was a special case.

But due to some unstoppable factors, it had been transformed into a secret realm of opportunity, generally categorized into demi immortals, failing halfway in their journey or choosing the wrong location.

The latter situation was the most complex; due to the different types of Immortal Skills, for instance, the Sword Control Sect initially planned to occupy the whole Nanshui area, using multiple secret realms as the foundation to gather the Earth Extreme for their ascension.

However, the Earth Extreme did not form, as Chi Yu Zi said, ’Earth, vast and expansive.’

In theory, the Earth Extreme is the entire Nanshui area, making it nearly impossible to gather it into a single realm for ascension. The same applies to the other Five Elements Extremes: Wood Extreme spans thousands of miles in Lin Chuan, Water Extreme occupies the water veins of Bianjing, Fire Extreme covers thousands of miles of Fire Cloud Cave and subterranean regions, Earth Extreme spans the vast lands of Nanshui.

Only the Gold Extreme of Heavenly Spring Mountain forms its own mountain, which was the capability of the Sword Immortals.

"So annoying, so annoying, where exactly is it?"

Chi Yu Zi scratched her head and looked around the mountains with a frustrated expression, occasionally bursts of fire shot from her back burning through her vestment robe.

Angri True Fire was the source of her impatience, and she was not someone who could remain patient for long.

"Don’t rush, let’s keep looking."

Gu Wen could only placate her, otherwise, her own Angri True Fire would also flare up.

Chi Yu Zi understood the importance and gradually calmed down, continuously scorched by the fire in her heart but still tirelessly using her Divine Thought to probe the secret realm.

"Found it."

The second secret realm of the Sword Control Sect, located in a mountain hollow.

Gu Wen and his group landed at the mouth of the cave, and Chi Yu Zi suddenly stopped at the entrance, her nose twitching as she smelled a faint trace of smoke and fire.

"Someone has already gone inside."