Rain Falls in a Raging Torrent of Darkness (Part One)
You Su was very grateful to Qianhua Venerable for 'lending' him the sunglasses.
He even suspected that the shrewd and self-serving woman had long ago discovered his ability to see under special circumstances, but she had never brought it up.
Because she was a servant forced to submit, her cunning meant she would never boast about seeing through her master's secrets.
Therefore, You Su couldn't tell whether these gold-rimmed sunglasses were a treasure she had owned before, or a custom-made item to reassure him and allow him to freely experiment.
But that doesn't matter. These sunglasses do allow him to see the world with those dark eyes without any worries, and that's enough.
You Su looked up at the sky. It wasn't evening yet, but the sky was a dark, leaden gray. Then, a thunderclap rang out, and thousands of tons of water crashed down onto the earth, as if a dam in the sky had opened.
When You Su quietly reached the outer edge of the crowd, she discovered that the encircling Evil Tide was not some strange, malevolent spirit at all.
They were individuals, people who had become evil.
Surprisingly, they all looked very young, and many were dressed quite luxuriously.
However, the faces of these handsome men and beautiful women were covered with black blood lines resembling tree roots, and their eyes were as cold as the bottomless sea.
You Su didn't recognize these people's faces, but he could guess that they were all other cultivators from the outer perimeter of the island. Whether they had smuggled themselves in or been invited to the island, they had all been corrupted by Evil Demon.
Even more terrifying was that You Su had never seen such corrupted people before. They seemed to have lost their minds; not one of them could speak. They simply moved silently toward the center of the island where the living people gathered, and then tore apart everything living things they could see.
You Su had seen such a being before. When he was appointed as the Divine Child in the Hall of the Evil Warding Department, the Evil Puppet that had 'luckily' escaped from the Evil Warding Department's Heavenly Prison forced him to show his prowess in front of everyone.
In fact, Evil Puppet are the most common form of corruption for the vast majority of people. Even low-level flesh-eating familiars are still familiars.
The vast majority of people don't even qualify to become followers of Evil Demon; they can only lose their minds in the presence of Evil Demon and become walking corpses sent to their deaths.
These Evil Puppet, a vast and swarming mass, were like the shadows of dark clouds in the sky projected onto the ground, completely surrounding the cultivators gathered at Three Yuan Mountain.
"What exactly do you want to do..." You Su gritted her teeth and sighed silently.
Such a major event has occurred on Heaven Awakening Island that outsiders may not be aware of, but it's impossible for True Immortal Zhengyang to be completely unaware of it. Yet, his assistance has not appeared so far.
Are we really willing to coldly watch so many cultivators fall into the abyss of Evil Demon just to find that so-called successor?
You Su squeezed the Universe Bag containing the heirloom in his arms through his clothes, then gripped the Ink Pine Sword tightly.
Beside him, another cultivator who had attempted to plunge into the Evil Tide was swallowed up. You Su watched as a fist-sized wound was bitten into his neck, a thick, black liquid covering the blood that should have flowed out. Then, he numbly turned around and became a member of the Evil Puppet army.
You Su was powerless to do anything about it. He suddenly felt a strong aversion to this position of succession. If it weren't for that glimmer of Heavenly Awakening Spiritual Light, he would have completely disregarded the succession of the True Immortal Zhengyang.
The dark sword light flashed in the rain, You Su's frustration transformed into an even stronger killing intent. These mindless Evil Puppet were no match for him.
Their movements appeared as slow motion to You Su, who had activated his Black Eyes. You Su could see the flow of the dark liquid clearly, along with the crisp sound of flesh and bone being shredded by sharp blades.
Ji Xueruo stood on the high ground, staring blankly in the direction You Su had left.
With her limited eyesight, she couldn't possibly see You Su weaving through the Evil Tide, let alone with the torrential rain obscuring her view.
'He will take the legacy off the island, if he so chooses.'
Ji Xueruo silently recited in her heart.
Despite her aloof demeanor, she trusted You Su far more than You Su trusted You Su.
She had witnessed You Su's behavior since arriving on the island. Apart from not believing You Su's words like "not enough" or "not good enough" in the cave, she had long since placed 100% trust in this blind man.
It's not just that I trust him to be one of us, but that I trust him to be capable of anything.
What she needs to do now is to protect the last sanctuary and hold on until You Su finishes this trial.
The situation on Sanyuan Peak is also changing rapidly. The small hill in the center of the island has long since crumbled under the ravages of the giant serpent, and this prison guarding the giant serpent is their last stronghold.
Many still regard the inherited artifact in Zi Xun's possession as the only key to survival in the Evil Tide, and they fight for it like madmen, leaving the Xuanxiao Sect members with no choice but to resist.
Fortunately, the howling and wailing sounds outside Sanyuan Peak awakened these people who were in despair. They were busy fighting among themselves, which caused more and more cultivators who could not squeeze into the center to be swallowed up by the Evil Tide.
The first person to stop the infighting wasn't even Fu Heng, but Long Chiyu from the Northern Ao Continent.
She displayed the composure and courage expected of a prodigy of the human race. She did indeed want to compete for the inheritance, but in this situation, survival was clearly the key.
"How could a True Immortal not have noticed the Evil Demon invasion of the Immortal Island! He did it on purpose! How could we possibly stop the Evil Tide? The only thing we can do is seize the inheritance!"
Tong Hui was covered in blood, her face contorted with rage, and her aggressive gaze made Si Han, who was hiding behind the Xuanxiao Sect members, hesitant to look directly at her.
"Madman." Long Chiyu merely glanced at him indifferently. "For the sake of a legacy, are you going to make people neither human nor demon? I think you've been on the island too long; you really think you're a madman."
Tong Hui was naturally furious at Long Chiyu's mockery and retorted that the other party had attacked Zi Xun first, and now he was pretending to be high and mighty.
Surprisingly, Zi Xun stepped forward and spoke up for Long Chiyu. It was true that Long Chiyu had forced her to hand over the inheritance, but she could tell that if it hadn't been Long Chiyu who 'protected' her and Si Han on their way to Three Yuan Mountain, they might have suffered even more violent treatment.
Long Chiyu pursed her lips, gave Zi Xun a deep look, and then flicked her sleeve, saying:
"The inheritance is no longer with her; prepare to ward off evil."
These words shocked everyone present, and Tong Hui couldn't help but ask:
How do you know it's not on her anymore?!
"I personally witnessed someone leave with the inheritance," Long Chiyu replied.
Tong Hui's eyes darted around, and as if he had remembered something, he immediately began to scrutinize the Xuanxiao Sect's group. Sure enough, as he expected, You Su was nowhere to be seen!
"It was that blind man! You let him get away first!" Tong Hui was furious and made a move to demand an explanation.
A cold, long chain suddenly stuck into the ground in front of him, startling Tong Hui.
Long Chiyu turned around, her eyes so cold they seemed to want to kill:
"Whoever wins the Three Yuan Purple Gold will inherit the legacy; that's the agreed-upon rule. He won, so it's his turn."
Tong Hui gritted her teeth upon hearing this, "He didn't get the Three Yuan Purple Gold at all!"
"The legacy is no longer here; there's no point in continuing to fight for it. I saw it with my own eyes as it entered the Evil Tide below the mountain. If you want it, go and pursue it yourself."
Long Chiyu silently sheathed his Chain Blade, his mind replaying the move he had used against You Su.
That sword strike should have severely injured her, sending her sprawling into the filthy mud. But the young man didn't unleash his full sword intent; perhaps he wasn't trying to save face for her, but simply wanted to rush towards the altar. Yet, she truly remembered the kindness of that sword strike.
Therefore, she paid more attention to the boy, which is how she discovered the subtle actions of the Xuanxiao Sect members. Instead of exposing them immediately, she deliberately concealed it until now, so that those who still had an obsession with the inheritance could give up.
"I believe in the True Immortal Zhengyang. What he truly wants to see is us united in fighting against external enemies, not endless infighting over a vague and illusory inheritance. Cultivators of the Northern Ao Continent, follow me!"
At her command, the group of cultivators from the Northern Ao Continent, dressed in distinctive attire, followed her and set up a defensive line on the north side of Three Yuan Mountain.
Tong Hui remained unconvinced, believing that it was tantamount to suicide for the person carrying the legacy to enter the Evil Tide alone. She did not believe that Zi Xun would really hand over the legacy to someone else, and thought that Zi Xun's move was just a smokescreen.
Zi Xun then swiftly lifted her skirt, revealing her beautiful long legs encased in ripped stockings. In the dim rain, the purple stockings were the only striking sight, drawing the attention of many.
This was a very bold move, but Zi Xun didn't flaunt her jade feet like those openly beautiful Fairy. She pointed to a slit in the hem of her skirt and said:
"To avoid being searched, I sewed the Universe Bag into my skirt so you wouldn't find it. Now the seam is torn; believe it or not."
As she spoke, the brave girl put down her heavy dress, which was soaked by the rain. The beautiful scene was brief but memorable.
The girl turned her back as if in a huff, but her face was actually burning with rage.
Although it was far from the stunning and breathtaking scene she had envisioned, she still managed to achieve her goal of showcasing Bihua Pavilion stockings to everyone in a unique way.
'Why am I so excited...? Do I have some kind of weird fetish?'
Zi Xun clenched her fists, her heart pounding, her uncontrollable excitement causing her to let her mind wander.
'If I manage to get back alive, I'll definitely make You Su write a story about this one move. Zi Xun, the Fairy, lifts her skirt, and the cultivators of the Five Continents are pacified! Ahhh, Bihua Pavilion has a new advertisement!'
Because Zi Xun was very proactive in promoting Bihua Pavilion, he was privately appointed by You Su as the "Advertising Minister." The young girl was deeply grateful to You Su for "entrusting her with this important task," and thus learned this novel term.
Whether the morale of the troops was stabilized or not is unknown, but the fact that a woman dared to suddenly lift her skirt at such a critical moment certainly shocked many people, even though she didn't reveal anything except her legs.
After calming down, many people chose to believe. Long Chiyu's words still resonated in their ears, and it seemed that their conscience and self-restraint as righteous people were also awakened.
Even if there is still a lingering attachment to the things passed down, there are things more important than the future, namely, survival in the present.
Fu Heng stepped forward and emptied his coffers to set up talisman arrays in all four directions of Three Yuan Mountain. His actions, which not only protected the people of the Xuanxiao Sect, won the trust of many. More and more people brought out their best Law Treasure and skills to face this life-or-death moment, and even Tong Hui was no exception.
Many people regarded him as the leader of the surviving cultivators of the Southern Yang Continent, which inspired his fighting spirit to protect everyone, as if he had forgotten his own injuries.
Ji Xueruo felt secretly gratified as a vague memory surfaced in her mind—an event that occurred during the thousand cycles of dreams she shared with You Su.
At the time, they were debating whether human nature is inherently good or evil, but ultimately concluded that human nature is neither inherently good nor evil; it is the surrounding environment that pushes them toward good or evil.
People exhibit different levels of good and evil at different times.
This is a mad trial, a test of everyone's heart.
This commotion at least temporarily stabilized the situation. The cultivators from the five continents each took charge of a different direction, and together they formed a solid fortress on this small mountain.
The biggest destructive factor has become the crazed giant serpent in the center of the fortress. What Ji Xueruo needs to do now is to calm this serpent that has just awakened and fallen into a frenzy, and pray that the Serpent Ancestor can help them fight against the Evil Tide.
She was absolutely certain that this was the ancestor of her Japanese snake clan. Her momentary daze was because she felt the call of her bloodline.
The Serpent Ancestor discovered her and has been calling to her ever since. Although she couldn't understand what the Serpent Ancestor was trying to say, she could sense that his intentions were very gentle and without hostility, like a kind and benevolent old man calling to his granddaughter.
In the past, she was the one who summoned the wild snakes in this way, and they obeyed her every command, because her bloodline had an absolute suppressive power over snakes.
The situation is the same now, except that she is the one being suppressed.
Many Demon Race Humanoid Transformation their true forms to repel the Evil Tide, and she was no exception.
This enormous white snake, both sacred and alluring, was breathtakingly beautiful, but her figure paled in comparison to the giant snake, like a pretty little eel before a real snake.
She slowly swam towards the giant snake, and the snake indeed calmed down. It no longer frantically thrashed about, but instead flicked its scarlet tongue and watched Ji Xueruo approach with its black agate-like snake eyes.
Ji Xueruo could no longer tell whether she had actively wanted to approach the Serpent Ancestor, or whether she had been passively drawn here by the call of her bloodline, or perhaps both.
Suddenly, she stopped.
She realized that snakes only flick their tongues silently when they see their prey.
Boom--
Another clap of thunder ripped through the sky, tearing a huge gash in it, and the sudden burst of white light was immediately swallowed by darkness.
You Su was taking a break to breathe in the air on a tall tree when he was suddenly struck by the lightning and froze.
He seemed to see a scene in his the Unseen, a scene that was very far away: a pure little snake being swallowed by an ancient and weathered giant snake.
Looking at the surging Evil Tide beneath the tree, You Su suddenly realized that he was God.
God is the ancestor of all evil, but He did not come to help evil; He came to devour His own people.
Human worship of ancestors is often blind.