Disaster of the Western Wilderness; Sora-Tsuki Appears! (56k)

The sand sea of the Western Wilderness Continent shimmered with golden light under the blazing sun, and the fierce wind swept red sand across the Fenghuo Mountain, turning the vermilion palace walls of Wen Xuan Divine Mountain ochre.

Venerable Heng Lian stood with his hands behind his back on the cloud, the lightning patterns on his black brocade robe flickering with his breath, and hundreds of Immortal Ships beneath his feet pressed down like dark clouds, blocking out half the sunlight of the Western Wilderness Continent.

"Henglian, you brat! Have you gone mad?!"

The Grand Master of the Savage Holy Hall burst forth from the Crimson Flame -shrouded rooftop, shattering three Thunder Spear with a mere wave of his hand. His figure was as imposing as a mountain, a blood-red vertical line between his brows seemingly imbued with boundless Sha Qi, and his voice boomed like a thunderclap:

"How dare you invade my Western Wilderness Continent! Do you really Wen Xuan Divine Mountain is undefended?!"

Suddenly, a melodious camel bell sound drifted from the distant horizon, its tinkling echoing through the swirling sandstorm. A massive, two-humped camel appeared, its back bearing an elderly man clad in vibrant, multicolored silk. Though his face was wrinkled, he was remarkably vigorous; this was none other than the renowned leader of the Western Wilderness Continent Camel Bell Merchant Alliance — the Venerable Sand Camel.

"Venerable Heng Lian, our Western Wilderness Continent has no enmity with Zhongyuan, why are you mobilizing troops?"

Before Venerable Heng Lian could respond, a plaintive melody suddenly rang out. Accompanying the music, a graceful figure floated in. She wore a light orange-red gauze dress, with a ribbon adorned with silver bells tied around her waist. Her steps were graceful, the bells jingling, and the uniquely shaped Spiritual Sound Pipa in her hand shimmered with a strange light. She was none other than Fairy Huanyin, the Pavilion Master of Fairy Illusionary Sound Spiritual Sound Pavilion in the Western Wilderness Continent.

The Fairy Illusionary Sound parted her lips slightly and plucked the strings of her Spiritual Sound Pipa: "Venerable Heng Lian, do not commit further acts of slaughter. Your actions today are unprecedented in the history of the Five Continents."

As she finished speaking, more and more cultivators from the Western Wilderness stepped forward, denouncing the strange bandit who had led a large army to invade their territory. Their overwhelming pressure even caused the sand sea beneath their feet to sink slightly.

Venerable Heng Lian narrowed his eagle eyes, looking down at the group of angry Western Wilderness cultivators as if they were ants, his voice like thunder rumbling across the sand dunes:

"Hand over You Su, and everything will be fine."

These words provoked laughter from the entire mountain. The Mountain Protection Grand Formation of Wen Xuan Divine Mountain suddenly lit up, and seventy-two Pagoda Towers rose from the ground. The precious light at the top of the pagodas clashed with the golden light of the sand sea, making Venerable Heng Lian's face turn as blue as iron.

"I told you long ago, the You Su you're looking for isn't in the Western Wilderness Continent!" The Grand Master of the Savage Holy Hall stepped forward, his sword flashing, followed by three hundred mad swords arrayed like geese. "My Savage Holy Hall's Little Saint Son died because of him, and I want to kill him even more than you do! And with my Ancestor Wenxuan above, how can I allow you to be so insolent!"

Upon hearing this, all the great cultivators from the Western Wilderness Continent echoed their opinions, rebuking them relentlessly, without a single one showing any fear.

This trip by Venerable Heng Lian was clearly premeditated. Not only did he spare no expense to lead a hundred Immortal Ships across the Western Sea, but he also joined forces with cultivators from the Southern Yang Continent. By using the treasure of Tian Qi Divine Mountain heaven, they were only discovered by the various major forces of the Western Wilderness Continent after they directly attacked Wen Xuan Divine Mountain in the heart of the Western Wilderness.

Even though Venerable Heng Lian caught the Western Wilderness cultivators off guard, and even though he arrived with overwhelming force and countless powerful beings on hundreds of Immortal Ships, the Western Wilderness cultivators were not afraid at all! Because their confidence came from the protection of Immortal Ancestor Wenxuan!

Since the birth of the Immortal Ancestor, although there have been frictions among the five Immortal Continents, there has never been such a large-scale invasion. Even the most ambitious and ruthless would only obediently guard their own small territory. The reason for this is that each continent has Immortal Ancestor Temple, and the Immortal Ancestor Temple is dedicated to the various Immortal Ancestors.

Below the Immortal Ancestor, all living beings are like ants, and there are bloody precedents in history to learn from. This Venerable Heng Lian is ambitious and even colluded with the Southern Yang Continent to launch an attack on their Western Wilderness Continent. However, with the Immortal Ancestor Wenxuan present, no matter how much Venerable Heng Lian prepares, he will still be defeated and sink!

This idea appeared in the minds of all the cultivators in the Western Wilderness Continent without prior agreement, becoming their greatest source of confidence.

They thought that bringing up the name of the Venerable Heng Lian Wenxuan would make Venerable Henglian wary, but instead, Venerable Heng Lian laughed loudly, his laughter like rolling thunder, shaking the Floating Pagoda.

"May I ask where the Immortal Ancestor Wen Xuan is?" Venerable Heng Lian suddenly spread his arms wide, his expression utterly mocking. "Where is he?"

The arrogant question posed by Venerable Heng Lian was like a spark falling into a pile of dry tinder, instantly igniting the fury of the immortals of the Western Wilderness Continent.

"You audacious madman! How dare you disrespect Immortal Ancestor Wenxuan! I didn't break your hand a hundred years ago! Do you have a death wish today?!"

The Great Lord of the Savage Holy Hall cursed his former defeated opponent, his anger causing his hair and beard to stand on end. With a flick of his wrist, he unleashed a torrent of sword energy, like a dragon, carrying boundless fury as he thrust it straight at Venerable Heng Lian. The power of this blade seemed capable of cleaving even space itself.

When the old man saw that Venerable Sand Camel beside him had attacked first, his expression changed. The old man instantly focused his gaze on the composed Venerable Heng Lian, and sure enough, he caught a glimpse of a cold, contemptuous light flashing in the Thunder God's eyes. Alarm bells immediately went off in his mind, because he knew that Venerable Heng Lian was waiting for an opportunity to start a full-scale war! And this was Wen Xuan Divine Mountain; if a war broke out here, this core area of the Western Wilderness Continent would inevitably be affected!

But he couldn't possibly stop his own people's attack at this moment. Although he and the Grand Master of the Savage Holy Hall didn't get along, with an external enemy at hand, was this the time to dwell on grudges?

Just as the sword light reached its peak, a golden light, even more dazzling than the scorching sun over the desert, appeared. When everyone looked closely again, they saw that the Grand Hall Master's violent sword energy had vanished without a trace, as if swallowed up by the golden light.

However, the Grand Hall Master was not enraged by the blocking of his sword energy; instead, a hint of wild joy appeared in his eyes.

Because the one who stopped his blade was none other than the Heavenly Listener Immortal Official of the Immortal Ancestor Temple of Wen Xuan Divine Mountain! The first person to bear the will of Immortal Ancestor Wenxuan!

Therefore, his appearance signifies that Immortal Ancestor Wenxuan has noticed the troubles of his people!

Amidst the golden light, the figure of the Heavenly Listener Immortal Official slowly emerged. He wore a white-gold celestial robe and a gilded mask covering his face. Although he was very old, the once howling sand sea became eerily calm at this moment.

Regardless of which continent they were from, all the cultivators present were leading figures in their respective forces, and renowned venerables across the Five Continents. Yet, with the appearance of this Heavenly Listener Immortal Official, they all felt a sense of inferiority towards him, and a deep-seated awe arose within them, as if they were witnessing the true form of the Mysterious Immortal Ancestor.

However, of all the people present, only Venerable Heng Lian remained standing tall, his aura undiminished. He gazed indifferently at the Heavenly Listener Immortal Official, his tone carrying a hint of mockery:

"I thought the Heavenly Listener Immortal Official would stay indoors and not come out."

These words aroused the indignation of the cultivators in the Western Wilderness Continent, but none of them dared to make a sound, for fear of overstepping the majesty of the Immortal Ancestor.

Heavenly Listener Immortal Official simply looked calmly at Venerable Heng Lian and slowly said, "Venerable Heng Lian, please return. The person you are looking for is not in the Western Wilderness."

Venerable Heng Lian sneered and retorted, "Just because the Celestial Official says he's not here, does that mean he's definitely not here?"

The immortals of the Western Wilderness were all furious that this madman dared to question their celestial official. Heavenly Listener Immortal Official remained silent for a long time, then suddenly sighed and slowly removed the gilded mask.

Everyone gasped in astonishment. From the moment the Heavenly Listener Immortal Official appeared, he wore a gilded mask. Even though his physique, voice, and other mannerisms indicated that he changed, no one had ever seen his true face beneath the mask. The Heavenly Listener Immortal Official to have become a mere illusion the moment they assumed the Heavenly Listener Immortal Official; all people needed to know was that he was the messenger of the Celestial Ancestor's will.

Beneath that gilded mask lay a face riddled with wounds. The right eye was empty, the corner of the left eye was covered with spiderweb-like scars, and the corner of the mouth was split to the ear, revealing grim teeth and bones.

"Heavenly Listener Immortal Official, this is..." someone exclaimed.

"I am already very old..." Heavenly Listener Immortal Official said calmly, "This is the price for knowing You Su's whereabouts. If Venerable Heng Lian doesn't believe me, he can ask the people you brought."

Venerable Heng Lian frowned slightly, and from among the surging crowd of immortals behind him, one person stepped forward in response.

The man, dressed in a loose-fitting Daoist robe adorned with seven falling stars and wearing a purple-gold Daoist crown, exuded an air of otherworldly elegance. He was none other than the highly respected Second Elder of the Qiming Sect in the Southern Yang Continent, and also the top expert who used Nanyang's supreme treasure to conceal the secrets of heaven from a hundred Immortal Ships — the Venerable Purple Crown.

He stared intently at the Heavenly Listener Immortal Official's scarred face, and the Heavenly Listener Immortal Official met his gaze from afar. Suddenly, the Venerable Purple Crown bowed deeply in a solemn salute and proclaimed in a clear voice:

"Purple Crown greets Martial Uncle Yunlai!"

Upon hearing this, everyone present was stunned, and the immortals of the Western Wilderness were completely dumbfounded.

None of them expected that the Heavenly Listener Immortal Official in charge of their Western Wilderness Continent was actually from the Qiming Sect of the Southern Yang Continent?

"Venerable Yunlai? Didn't he die unexpectedly two hundred years ago? How did he become Heavenly Listener Immortal Official in our Western Wilderness?"

"What Venerable Yunlai? I've never even heard of that name. How can such an unknown venerable Heavenly Listener Immortal Official? And from our Western Wilderness?!"

Amidst the murmurs and whispers, Venerable Sand Camel roared, silencing the crowd and calming everyone. "Shut up! We've all seen what this celestial official has done! He's a celestial official from the Western Wilderness, not some Venerable Yunlai!"

The Heavenly Listener Immortal Official gave a bleak smile, then slowly closed his mask and said to the Venerable Purple Crown:

"Your martial uncle is long dead. It just so happens that I also know the celestial secrets of Nanyang. Tell them, do I need to prove what I just said?"

The image of the ferocious face of the Heavenly Listener Immortal Official flashed through the Venerable Purple Crown's mind. He felt that the Heavenly Secret Technique must have encountered a great taboo to be used in that way. He was secretly glad that the Grand Elder had warned him early on that the secrets on You Su's body should not be pried into, and that he had not been presumptuous.

"The celestial official did not deceive us; You Su must not be in the Western Wilderness." The Venerable Purple Crown spoke calmly to the imposing figure of the Venerable Heng Lian.

As soon as he finished speaking, all the immortals in the Western Wilderness showed surprise and delight, and even found the old Daoist priest from the Southern Yang Continent who seemed so mysterious to be more pleasing to the eye.

But to everyone's surprise, Venerable Heng Lian advanced instead of retreating, stepping on thunder to climb higher, as if a thunder god who controlled the heavenly tribulation had descended to earth.

He was not content with being on equal footing with the Heavenly Listener Immortal Official, who was second only to the Immortal Ancestor Wenxuan; he insisted on being superior to him.

He looked down at the astonished and bewildered people of the Western Wilderness, his voice booming so loudly it made their eardrums ache:

"The Western Wilderness Continent aids and abets evil! It shelters the Evil Demon You Su! Its crime deserves death!"

As soon as he finished speaking, the immortals of the Western Wilderness were filled with indignation. They hated that this Venerable Heng Lian was utterly shameless. He had clearly confirmed that You Su was not in the Western Wilderness, but he refused to withdraw his troops because of face-saving. Now he even had to fabricate a crime to slander them!

Heavenly Listener Immortal Official in the air, his white-gold robe tinged with sorrow. He bowed and said, "If you want to condemn someone, you can always find a pretext. Venerable Heng Lian, please do not speak carelessly, lest you hurt the feelings of the cultivators of the Five Continents."

Venerable Heng Lian smiled disdainfully, a smile so cold it seemed capable of freezing boiling blood. He suddenly looked up, facing the azure sky of the Western Wilderness Continent, his voice like thunder rumbling across the vast desert:

"If I were to slander the Western Wilderness, why hasn't Immortal Ancestor Wenxuan come to punish me yet! That's because—your Immortal Ancestor Wenxuan has already confessed his crimes and been executed!"

"Impossible!"

"You're talking nonsense!"

The immortals of the Western Wilderness were in an uproar, feeling that the words "Immortal Ancestor" and "confessing guilt and accepting execution" were impossible to connect. But when they looked hopefully at the Heavenly Listener Immortal Official, they saw the old man's body suddenly tremble and his golden light dim.

In that instant, a chilling coldness, like a venomous snake, surged into the hearts of all the cultivators in the Western Wilderness. They looked at each other, their eyes filled with disbelief.

Wenxuan Immortal Ancestor was the pillar of the Western Wilderness Continent, the most solid foundation for their self-identification as Western Wilderness people. He ascended to the heavens and joined forces with the other four Immortal Ancestors to defend the five continents against the Outer Realm Heavenly Demons. However, over the past five thousand years, he has also been recognized as the Immortal Ancestor who has shown the most deference to his people among the five great Immortal Ancestors, helping the Western Wilderness Continent overcome many heavenly tribulations.

But now, Immortal Ancestor Wenxuan is actually dead?

Impossible! Absolutely impossible!

All the cultivators in the Western Wilderness roared in their hearts, but Venerable Heng Lian's words of confessing his crimes and accepting punishment echoed in the air like thunder.

Yes, if Immortal Ancestor Wenxuan were still alive, how could he possibly dare to venture deep into Wen Xuan Divine Mountain?!

The entire arena fell silent. Someone let out a sob, followed by a chorus of desperate cries. One cultivator collapsed to the ground, muttering to himself, "It's over... the Western Wilderness is finished..."

The Heavenly Listener Immortal Official seemed even more dejected. He gently shook his head and said sadly:

"Did the Immortal Ancestor Henggao instruct you to come?"

Venerable Heng Lian merely condensed a lightning ball in his palm and shouted loudly:

"Today, I, Henglian, will act on behalf of Heaven and destroy this filthy and corrupt Western Wilderness Continent!"

"You're spouting nonsense! Even if the Immortal Ancestor is dead, it doesn't mean he confessed his crimes and accepted punishment! We in the Western Wilderness have never harbored Evil Demon!"

A cultivator from the Western Wilderness spoke up indignantly, but Venerable Heng Lian seemed to have expected it, coldly snorting, "Stubborn fools! Kongyue, read the book of sins to them!"

Then, a young man in white flew in from behind him. His face was as handsome as jade, and his eyebrows were as dark as distant mountains. He looked like a celestial being descended to earth, causing many cultivators to hold their breath involuntarily. They had never seen such a man with unparalleled elegance.

The white-clad youth, known as Kongyue, stepped Perfected Person, took out a thick Jade Slip scroll from his sleeve, and spoke in a clear, melodious voice.

"Tiangong Clan, Xuanjizi, Bone-Devouring Evil Lord, Venerable Fang Tian, Fei Xiu, Venerable Yuzhen..."

The young man recited a string of names and titles, some of which were renowned throughout the world and would be remembered for generations; others were infamous and feared; but there were also some ordinary names that these cultivators had never heard of before.

The immortals of the Western Wilderness were puzzled. Could all these people be sinners?

"Alright, Wen Xuan's crimes are too numerous to list, no need to read them aloud." Venerable Heng Lian interrupted the white-robed youth's recitation, but continued to look down at the immortals below. "You may not know the meaning of each name on this list of crimes, but it's actually quite simple. These people all have one thing in common! Regardless of their cultivation level, their origins are shrouded in mystery, and their whereabouts are unknown, yet they have all left a significant mark on the Five Continents!"

The immortals all frowned, feeling even more confused by his explanation. While there were indeed extraordinary figures among them, there were also many insignificant individuals who would never be remembered by history. How could such people be considered significant figures?

Venerable Heng Lian seemed to see through their confusion and continued, "I know that many of the names on this Book of Sins are names you've never even heard of, and neither have I. But let me give you an example: there's one person among them whom you don't know, but Heavenly Listener Immortal Official certainly does."

Upon hearing Heavenly Listener Immortal Official with astonished and doubtful eyes. The official, with his hands behind his back, said with a sigh, "Venerable One, please enlighten me."

"The True Person Qiuling in the Southern Yang Continent, a Water Condensation Cultivator should have died of old age two hundred years ago. In the grand scheme of the Five Continents' history, he was but an insignificant speck of dust, yet he accomplished a great feat. This great feat was to build an immortal tomb for you Venerable Yunlai, as a craftsman!"

Beneath the gilded mask, the Heavenly Listener Immortal Official's single eye suddenly shone brightly, as if unable to conceal the shock in his heart.

"Didn't you all want to know how Venerable Yunlai of the Southern Yang Continent became the Heavenly Listener Immortal Official of your Western Wilderness Continent? This is the answer! It was this True Person Qiuling who personally recruited him for your Western Wilderness Continent! This True Person Qiuling is none other than Immortal Ancestor Wenxuan!"

Venerable Heng Lian glared angrily, with electric pythons slithering behind him, resembling a deity in High Antiquity mythology punishing evil spirits.

"The names on this book of sins are all the same person! They are all Venerable Wenxuan! From being remembered for good to being remembered for bad, from times of peace to times of chaos, Venerable Wenxuan has traversed the history of the five continents, thinking he could use this to deceive the heavens and commit wicked deeds! But little did he expect that none of this could escape the eyes of Immortal Ancestor Henggao!"

Thunder roared as he finished speaking, as if the heavens and earth themselves trembled at this earth-shattering secret. The cultivators of the Western Wilderness staggered backward, their faces deathly pale.

Venerable Heng Lian suddenly Heavenly Listener Immortal Official, "Why is Immortal Ancestor Wenxuan so active in governing the world? It's precisely because he is in the mortal realm! And his identity as the last one is legendary!"

He spoke slowly and deliberately, causing everyone to unconsciously hold their breath. "That is— the True Immortal Zhengyang from the Immortal Island of the South Sea!"

Stunned as if struck by lightning, all the immortals of the Western Wilderness were horrified. The bloody storm stirred up by True Immortal Zhengyang was still fresh in their minds, but how could they have imagined that the instigator behind it all was their own immortal ancestor from the Western Wilderness?

"So, was I wrong to say that the Western Wilderness was protecting the Evil Demon You Su?" Venerable Heng Lian stood with his hands behind his back, looking down at all living beings. "Your immortal ancestor has already confessed his crimes and been executed! Now, it's your turn!"

Despair spread among the cultivators of the Western Wilderness; they seemed to have no more reason not to confess their crimes.

Just then, the Heavenly Listener Immortal Official stepped forward. His figure was imposing, and a divine image condensed behind him as he raised his arm and shouted:

"Before the Immortal Ancestor departed, he conveyed to me his final instructions—"

His gaze sharpened as he swept over the crowd, his voice booming. "Fate is not predetermined by heaven, destiny is determined by the heart!"

The eight words resonated like the sound of metal and stone, causing even the thunder to pause. The cultivators of the Western Wilderness were initially stunned, but then their eyes blazed with fierce fighting spirit.

Yes, it's your own life, so how can you be guilty just because others say so?

In an instant, a mysterious light illuminated the sky, and the cultivators of the Western Wilderness were filled with excitement, unleashing their Law Treasure and ultimate moves.

Venerable Heng Lian regarded their struggles as futile, and he retreated to the background with the white-robed youth beside him. On the hundred Immortal Ships, powerful figures from Zhongyuan and Nanyang stood in rows.

An unprecedented war, the likes of which have never been seen in the history of the five continents, is about to erupt with these eight words of truth!

Venerable Heng Lian ignored him, instead turning to look meaningfully at the white-robed youth, and whispered in a voice only he could hear:

"Zi Yiyi, and an Evil Cultivator Cai Ling, these two are the last disciples of Immortal Ancestor Wen Xuan. Zi Guan calculated that they are not in the Western Wilderness, but in the Eastern Kingdom. Go and find them first. Since You Su is not in Bei Ao, he must also be in the Eastern Kingdom. So after I take over the Western Wilderness, the next target will be the Eastern Kingdom. Whether your sister He Shutong can absolve the sins committed by the He family depends on your performance, He Kongyue..."

He Kongyue was stunned for a moment upon hearing this, then clasped his hands in a salute and said, "Kongyue will certainly live up to the headmaster's high expectations!"

"Very good. If I remember correctly, You Su is your good friend, isn't he?" Venerable Heng Lian suddenly laughed.

He Kongyue gritted her teeth, "It used to be."

"Based on your understanding of him, what is he doing in Japan now?" Venerable Heng Lian's gaze skipped over He Kongyue and instead looked eastward, as if he could see the boy's bright red left eye again.

"Probably..." He Kongyue paused, "... washing their necks and waiting to die."

Meanwhile, in the ancestral land of the snake clan in the Eastern Ying Continent.

The snake tribe lives near volcanoes and has many natural hot springs, You Su did indeed wash herself thoroughly clean.

However, he did not bathe in Ji Lingruo's courtyard, because there are not many courtyards with hot springs in the snake clan, and Elder Hua is one of them.

Perhaps even Venerable Heng Lian didn't expect that as he strained his eyes to gaze eastward, hoping to meet that fateful gaze into the crimson left eye, the owner of that left eye was keeping his eyes tightly shut, unable to look even a glance at the intoxicating spring scenery before him...