Chapter 85

Under the lead of Xiefengzi, everyone soon met a Qingping Gate disciple near a village to the east. The disciple informed Zhang Chenglong that the Qingping Gate had already left the area yesterday, led by a big-mouthed monk who was guiding some of the Qingping Gate disciples to Mount Tian. Mount Tian was the location of Shengyin Temple. There were over ten ordinary people in the Qingping Gate, mostly dual-cultivation disciples under nine years old, and two women who were also ordinary. The Qingping Gate had dispatched Sword Sect disciples to escort them. The main force of the Qingping Gate would enter Qingzhou to rebuild the Qingping Gate.

When asked about how they offended the court and why they did not resist, the Qingping Gate disciple replied, "The emperor of Beizhou is licentious and dissolute. A few years ago, he took a new concubine named Yu Fengtang, also known as Concubine Yu. This woman is not an ordinary person; she is a scorpion demon with two thousand years of cultivation. This scorpion demon has a sister with one thousand two hundred years of cultivation. They have been cultivating in the desert of the Cangmang Wasteland. Twenty years ago, the scorpion demon sisters envied the prosperity of the Twelve Provinces and found cultivation tedious, so they entered the Twelve Provinces. One of them transformed into an ordinary woman and fell in love with a scholar in Beizhou, eventually marrying him."

On their wedding night, the scorpion demon got drunk and, lacking experience, transformed back to her original form after entwining with the scholar. The scholar woke up in shock and fled in a hurry, seeking help from a Shengyin Temple monk who was practicing asceticism in a land temple outside the city. The scorpion demon chased him to the wilderness, where the monk persuaded her to let the scholar go and return to the Cangmang Wasteland. The scorpion demon begged the scholar, but he was even more afraid. In a fit of anger, the scorpion demon tried to capture him, and the monk stepped in to stop her. Although the monk was well-cultivated, he was no match for the scorpion demon. At this moment, Zui Daoren, a Qingping Gate elder, happened to pass by. Seeing the demon causing trouble, he immediately came to the monk's aid and eventually killed the scorpion demon.

Upon hearing of her sister's death, the two-thousand-year-old scorpion demon was enraged and sought out the Qingping Gate, where she was injured. The Qingping Gate's leader allowed her to leave. However, knowing she was no match for the Qingping Gate and fearing that her excessive killing would bring down heavenly tribulations, she submitted herself to the emperor of Beizhou. She then colluded with the eunuchs to fabricate charges, leading to the execution of the scholar's entire family and the extermination of nine generations. Later, she privately released the scholar's twin daughters, who were eighteen years old, and had them seek refuge with the Qingping Gate.

The Qingping Gate's leader knew that Zui Daoren had acted rashly and should not have killed the scorpion demon without discernment. Thus, the Qingping Gate took on this karmic debt and led the scholar's daughters and the disciples away from the Qingping Gate, allowing the army to turn it into a sea of fire.

Lin Fan frowned, "If Concubine Yu knows that the main force of the Qingping Gate is heading to Qingzhou, and a few disciples and the scholar's daughters, along with the Qingping Gate's children, are going to Mount Tian, will she intercept them and kill them to vent her anger?"

Hearing Lin Fan's warning, the Qingping Gate disciple was startled, "I will take my leave first."

The four people looked at Zhang Chenglong, who said, "Let's go and see."

"Hmph, a two-thousand-year-old scorpion demon," Xiefengzi said coldly. "Just the five of us?"

Leizhenzi said, "A gentleman knows what to do and what not to do."

Lin Fan was a bit afraid. He had seen a thousand-year-old dragon in the East Sea, and although the dragon was part of the dragon lineage, a scorpion could not compare. However, two thousand years was indeed a lot. Nevertheless, Lin Fan strongly supported Leizhenzi's principle of knowing what to do and what not to do. He also opposed the idea of being a gentleman, believing that even a villain should know what to do and what not to do.

...

The Qingping Gate disciple pursued the main force of the Qingping Gate, while Lin Fan and the other four headed towards Mount Tian.

The Cangmang Grassland stretched endlessly. After an hour of pursuit, they could see several carriages traveling on the grassland from a distance. Above the clouds, there were four or five Qingping Gate Sword Sect disciples guarding the area. And there was the monk, who could be none other than Jueshe.

Jueshe, unusually tense, let out a sigh of relief upon seeing fellow cultivators. Seeing Lin Fan, he smiled, "Buddha knew you wouldn't die."

"If the Daoist is about to die, you don't need to say that," Lin Fan replied.

Jueshe laughed and then said seriously, "I am deeply grateful for your assistance, but Yu Fengtang is extremely powerful. I have always felt her presence nearby, but I cannot pinpoint her location. You are not involved in this matter and do not need to get entangled in this mess."

Zhang Chenglong, well-versed and knowledgeable, said, "I think the scorpion demon has not caught up yet, but she has already discovered our journey to Mount Tian and will eventually catch up. The Qingping Gate reinforcements will likely arrive by dusk tomorrow."

Jueshe nodded, "The experts from Shengyin Temple will also need at least fourteen hours to arrive. This is a karmic debt between Shengyin Temple and the Qingping Gate. You should leave as soon as possible."

Zhang Chenglong laughed, "Our demonic sect seeks the Dao through the body. How can there be cowards among us? Although my cultivation is low, I still have some backbone." Zhang Chenglong was already over fifty, having completed the Golden Core stage, but he was unlikely to reach the Yuan婴 stage in his lifetime.

Leizhenzi said, "The Lei Mountain also has courage."

Xiefengzi smiled bitterly, "Can you not drag the sect into this? If you mention the sect, you might want to leave, but the Li Huo Sect will be labeled as cowards. When one is unlucky, even drinking cold water can cause a toothache. I originally came to Beizhou to investigate whether there was a person named Bai Buyi in the Qingping Gate, but I didn't expect to be dragged into this mess. Fine, I'll see how much courage you righteous people have."

Meng Wan responded, "It doesn't matter." Whether to go or not, whether to care about the sect's reputation, since everyone else was going, she would go too.

Everyone looked at Lin Fan. Xiefengzi, who held grudges, had suffered a loss in the Great Snow Mountain and had some understanding of Lin Fan. This guy had some cunning, but unfortunately, cunning people were often afraid of death. Lin Fan said straightforwardly, "I will do my best, but if everyone in the carriages dies, there's no need for us to die as well."

Although these words were harsh, they made sense. They were protecting the people in the carriages, and if those people died, the best choice in a hopeless situation would be to flee. Hearing this, Zhang Chenglong laughed, "I am a patrol envoy of the Xunlong Palace, and I can run very fast. Well... Xiefengzi, what about you?"

"Go? Why not? It's just a two-thousand-year-old scorpion demon," Xiefengzi replied calmly.

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