Rise and Fall

The fastest update to Seeking the Dao in the Mortal World!

On the shores of the East China Sea, the sun sets in the west.

The sunset over the sea cast a golden glow on the water.

In the quiet fishing village, the men return to their boats with their day's catch. Elders dry their nets outside, smoke curls from chimneys, and the aroma of food wafts through the air. Children collect seashells on the beach, their laughter echoing in the distance.

There seemed to be streaks of light on the horizon, like stars passing by.

An old man knelt down and prayed to the stars.

The Great Qianlong era has been in chaos for several years... I've heard that a rebellion has broken out in the county ahead, and government troops are suppressing it. Hopefully...

Just then, the sound of chaotic footsteps and shouts came from afar. The old man turned around in horror and saw a group of bandits rushing towards him with disheveled hair, accompanied by blood and wild laughter.

Without a word, the broadsword slashed down. The old man closed his eyes in despair, hearing the sounds of someone breaking down the door and a woman screaming and crying.

A brilliant silver ray paused amidst the streaks of light on the horizon.

"Whoosh!"

Like a divine arrow from outer space, it pierced the sky, crossed the vast sea, and its fierce beam swept past the old man before slamming into the bandits who were attacking him.

A smear of blood appeared on the forehead of the bandit, and he fell backward.

The old man touched his neck; the large knife had grazed past, but he wasn't hurt...

Did my prayers move the immortals?

The chaos in the village paused for a moment, and the bandits who were burning, killing, and looting all turned to look at the sky.

A silvery light swept across the sea, and the woman arrived in an instant, riding the Gale Wind.

The silver spear flashed, its cold glint seemingly able to bend, and subtle Gang Qi accurately penetrated the rampaging bandits inside the house.

The noise stopped abruptly.

The villagers bowed and prayed, "Fairy..."

The woman calmly shook her head, held her silver spear level, and swept it past the remaining dumbfounded bandits, her eyes once again filled with murderous intent.

"Junior sister, no!" A streak of light fell beside her, and someone grabbed her gun. "You've been meddling in national and military affairs; the consequences are severe."

"National affairs and military matters? I've been involved in them my whole life, what can't I get involved in?"

Several young men landed on either side and advised, "Perhaps the rebels here are actually Dragon Following Subject; there are precedents for this. This is not our business; the rise and fall of dynasties are predetermined."

"And what about them?" Li Qingjun pointed at the villagers. "Did they deserve to be bullied?"

The young men hesitated for a moment, then said, "It is destiny."

"Destiny is determined by human actions. If you don't do it and I don't do it, it becomes destiny. But if I do it, it ceases to be destiny. This matter is unrelated to my Senior Brother. If there is any karmic consequence, I will bear it myself!"

The young man stamped his foot. "Junior sister, why must you be like this?"

"What's the point of learning immortality if it's not for slaying demons and monsters, or for helping the weak and oppressed?" Li Qingjun said softly. "My Senior Brother are all focused on the sword path, so they can go and seek it for themselves. As for me... I have someone who shares my path and will acknowledge me."

Several young men glared at her. "Junior sister, what are you saying! How can we not agree with you? We also want to slay demons and monsters, you know!"

Immediately, someone drew their sword. "You traitors, come and face your death!"

The bandits. "..."

The sound of horses' hooves rose in the distance, and Li Qingjun looked up and saw the banner of the Great Qian Dynasty.

"The government troops are here..." someone else said. "Since the government troops are here, you and I really don't need to get involved."

Li Qingjun nodded, agreeing with the government troops' handling of the situation. With a flick of her hand, she struck all the dozens of bandits with acupuncture points, then turned and drifted away.

The old man on the ground hesitated, then sighed.

The government troops arrived quickly and, seeing the bandits standing frozen in place, exchanged bewildered glances. After a moment of silence, the leading officer gave the order, "Tie them all up!"

The phrase "all tied up" meant that all the villagers were tied up.

Then a villager shouted, "Why are you tying us up?"

The officer sneered, "Peaceful coexistence with bandits must be suspicious. Or is this their hideout? Search them!"

The old man shouted, "They were subdued by a passing immortal, not meant to coexist with us!"

In fact, the officers were well aware that these people had been acupunctured by a master.

It was just that a master acupunctured them, and they got away with it. How could they claim any credit?

Of course, it must be under my command that I can completely annihilate the bandits... Thinking of this, a sinister look appeared in the officer's eyes, and he secretly made a decapitation gesture.

He was going to kill all the villagers here. The pots and pans belonged to the bandits, but the valuables and women were his own. No one knew yet that the bandits had already been subdued.

The soldiers understood and drew their swords.

The child's cries came again, and the women inside the house were pushed outside so that the officers could choose their favorites.

The women and children wept, while the men, held aloft in anger, their eyes bloodshot, were powerless to do anything.

The old man's eyes once again showed despair.

I knew it; the government troops were coming, and they might be even more ferocious than the rebels. That Fairy certainly hadn't considered that...

The soldiers raised their swords.

Just then, a loud roar came from above, and it seemed as if some enormous force was binding the soldier's hands, preventing him from cutting any further.

The officer looked up instinctively and was stunned.

A ship floating in the air?

A man and a woman poked their heads out of the ship. The woman said, "A human army?"

The man hummed in response.

The woman then asked, "Are those flesh people?"

"No fleshy people!"

"So what are you doing?"

The man didn't know how to answer, so he angrily waved his hand.

Countless giant hands floated up from the void, slapping wildly at all the soldiers. Another hand yanked an officer off his horse, then transformed into a giant foot, stomping the officer into the ground with all its might. "Disgrace to humanity, damn it..."

The scene was instantly filled with the soldiers' cries of agony, leaving the villagers dumbfounded.

What day is it today? Immortal Gathering Day?

Was the prayer just now very effective?

Of course, Qin Yi and Cheng Cheng were on the boat. At this moment, Qin Yi was very embarrassed. The current chaos in the Great Qian Dynasty made it seem as if the human world was not even as good as the demon realm. Cheng Cheng saw this and felt extremely ashamed.

He sighed, "I bear some responsibility for what happened today..."

Cheng Cheng asked curiously, "Hmm?"

Qin Yi said, "I did contribute to the chaos of the Great Qian Dynasty... At that time, the Great Qian was infiltrated by the evil monks of the Great Joy Temple, the whole country was in chaos, the emperor was incompetent, and national collapse was only a matter of time. In that situation, even without my help, it would have only taken a few more years. My intention in helping was to destroy the Da Qian Kingdom and rebuild the country quickly... But now it seems that the Great Qian is like a centipede that doesn't die easily, and it won't be that quick..."

Cheng Cheng smiled and said, "So, you didn't do anything wrong, why blame yourself?"

Qin Yi shook his head and said, "It's understandable to feel superior when I haven't seen it, but it's painful to witness it firsthand. My cultivation is still not enough."

Cheng Cheng said, "Judging from the appearance of the government troops, they are used to being arrogant. Even if it weren't a chaotic world, these people wouldn't necessarily have a good life, so it has nothing to do with you."

Qin Yi sighed, "Yes. When a dynasty prospers, the people suffer; when a dynasty falls, the people suffer. It has always been so."

Cheng Cheng pondered for a moment, "In the end, they have to rely on themselves, just like the humans in the Demon City. Waiting for your help is useless; they have to cultivate themselves."

"Not everyone can cultivate." Before Qin Yi finished speaking, the scene below changed.

The villagers, who had been subdued by the soldiers, broke free. A burly man snatched a soldier's knife and swung it down at the officer, shouting, "Bandits come like locusts, but the army is stronger than bandits! Why not rebel?!"

Cheng Cheng smiled and said, "This is cultivation."

"If we kill the government troops, they won't be able to stay here either." Qin Yi thought for a moment, then leaned forward and said, "Let's join a reliable Rebel Army. I don't believe there aren't any that don't harm the people. Or... let's choose a good lord and fight to end this chaotic world."

The burly man kowtowed. "Thank you Benefactor... We are interested in joining the army, but what about the elderly and weak in the village?"

Qin Yi said, "I just came from Southern Li. At this time, General Xie Yuan is leading the army to protect the people. The Nanming Lihuo Army is disciplined and is a peaceful place for the time being. You can move there, or you can even Southern Li army... It's just a bit far."

The old man said, "Since we have been guided by an immortal, we should head Southern Li immediately. Even if it's far away, it's better than hell."

Qin Yi pressed down on the bow of the boat. "Never mind, I'll give you a ride."

Cheng Cheng said helplessly from the side, "How many of these things will you see on your journey? How many can you actually help?"

"I'll help as many as I can." Qin Yi looked up and thought for a long time. "After sending them to Southern Li, I still need to go to Dragon Abyss City to see how my little apprentice is doing."