192: Their Evil Deeds Are Too Numerous to Record! Every Cause Has Its Effect; Fate Is Decreed by Heaven
Inside Brocade Workshop, a chilling atmosphere of panic pervaded the area, as if the end of the world was imminent.
Many Rogue Cultivator began to panic and flee, leaving the Brocade Workshop, which they had always felt was incredibly safe and which they had desperately wanted to enter, and heading straight for the dangerous wilderness.
Because they could see from afar that the powerful cultivator, radiating astonishing spiritual might, was rapidly approaching like the sun hanging in the sky, carrying an intense pressure.
This scene is terrifying.
I fear that even Brocade Workshop will be lost, becoming collateral damage in the wrath of this powerful cultivator.
They had already seen from afar that Golden Core True Person were engaged in a fierce battle.
The light and flames generated by the collision of the Law Artifact resembled streaks of aurora cutting through the Sky Dome and parting the clouds.
The overwhelming Flying Head Sorcery like a turbid torrent soaring into the sky, inspiring awe and fear. The distant roar was like thunder gathering its strength, producing a deafening sound that shook the earth and made people's eardrums tremble and their hearts pound with terror.
Compared to the many Rogue Cultivators, the Lin family cultivators, who were usually arrogant and domineering, were all pale-faced, feeling as if the sky was about to collapse.
Because they had observed from a great distance that one of the two combatants appeared to be their own ancestor.
But now, it seems the patriarch has been defeated, and his fate is tragic; he couldn't even escape.
Instead, the mysterious expert charged forward aggressively, radiating murderous intent.
"Retreat! Retreat! We cannot fight them head-on! Prepare to disperse and evacuate immediately!"
One of the Lineage's retainers was the first to regain consciousness. He immediately shouted that he would not put up any resistance and would be the first to retreat.
The Dao Heart Contract immediately backfired, causing his whole body to tremble violently, blood spilling from the corners of his mouth, staining the white hair hanging down his chest red, yet he still continued to fly away.
Immediately, other retainers followed suit, each fleeing for their own lives when disaster struck.
Upon seeing this, some of the Lin family cultivators were so frightened that they couldn't help but follow, while others trembled all over but were unwilling to leave.
The Brocade Workshop and Lin family mansion were instantly thrown into chaos, with countless people scrambling around like ants on a hot plate.
At this moment, Chen Dengming descended from the sky amidst a burst of sword light. He ignored everyone else and landed directly inside the Lin family's ancestral home.
With a mere sweep of his Divine Sense, he instantly locked onto the group of Lin family cultivators who were still scrambling for the Lineage's wealth. Just as he was about to shout coldly, his gaze suddenly sharpened, and his Divine Sense abruptly swept into the depths of the Lineage's underground interior. A clear image instantly appeared in his mind.
Deep beneath the Lin family's ancestral home lay a chilling and terrifying scene of countless bones and a sea of blood.
The corpses of numerous Rogue Cultivator lay scattered in a blood-soaked ditch, where many large and small Green-backed Water Spider were gnawing and tearing at them.
Hanging from the surrounding rock walls are numerous raised, slimy cocoons, some containing human corpses, creating a horrifying and eerie scene.
Chen Dengming immediately recalled the various scenes he had encountered in the Ten Thousand Mile Frontier.
I vividly remember the first time I saw the Demon Spider in the forest using living people to raise its eggs.
I vividly remember the scene of the black-feathered demon bird hunting cultivators on the plains.
For many years, the Lin family has used the Ten Thousand Mile Frontier as their hunting grounds and low-level cultivators as their prey. They have even created such a heinous and bloody slaughterhouse right in the depths of their Lineage's underground territory.
This is a system where humans raise Demon Beast, and many Rogue Cultivators, including himself in the past, have suffered from its devastation.
"He deserves to die!"
Chen Dengming's eyes hardened with coldness. He strode forward, suddenly summoned the Soul Banner, and summoned his brother Zhu Xun from within the banner. Then, he patted his waist pouch and summoned Lin He's head.
The moment Lin He's head appeared, many members of the Lin family cried out in alarm.
"Go! Kill anyone who is tainted with strong resentment!"
With a flick of Chen Dengming's finger, Zhu Xun instantly darted into Lin He's head, opened his mouth and cackled, his eyes gleaming with a ghastly green light. He then pounced on a nearby Lin family cultivator at the Qi Cultivation Eighth Level.
A piercing scream rang out, then quickly ceased.
In an instant, an incredibly terrifying scene unfolded within the Lin family's residence.
A sparse, skull-like head flew around, leaping up and down in the crowd.
Anyone targeted by its malevolent gaze lacked even the strength to escape; they stood frozen in place, or collapsed to the ground as if their spines had been broken, as if possessed.
This is like using the mouth of one's own ancestor to bite one's own evil offspring to death—an eye for an eye!
Chen Dengming's face was ashen. After leaving Zhu Xun deal with the Lin family, he went straight to the depths of the Lin family's ancestral home.
Zhu Xun, who is extremely sensitive to resentment, will not kill a villain by mistake, nor will he wrongly kill an innocent person.
Under the influence of the Fierce Ghost spirits and demons at the Foundation Establishment Middle Stage, the entire Lin family ancestral home was instantly filled with Evil Qi aura. How could these Lin family cultivators, whose strongest strength was only at the Qi Refining Stage, possibly escape?
"Roar!--"
As soon as Chen Dengming rushed into the underground entrance of the Lin family's ancestral home, a huge Green-backed Water Spider with extremely strong Demon Qi rushed out. It was so frightened by the terrifying spiritual power emanating from Chen Dengming that its eight legs trembled and it was about to retreat.
The blade flashed with a clang!
The enormous spider's head was instantly severed from its neck by the large blade, and crimson blood gushed out from its head and neck like a scarlet ribbon, splashing onto the forehead and face of a nearby Lin family cultivator. The spider's head rolled to the ground, its hideous mouthparts still wriggling.
"Freeze!"
As Chen Dengming made a hand seal, a massive Golden Gang Spirit Venerable instantly condensed within the dense and dazzling Metal Elemental Spiritual Energy.
A massive body, over two zhang tall and as tall as a building, rose up from behind him.
With a single grab of its golden hand, it twisted up the Great Demon's body and tossed it aside.
Then, following Chen Dengming's command, he took steps, crushing the stone bricks with a clanging sound, and crouched down to crawl into the underground blood pit beneath the ancestral home.
A series of booming sounds, accompanied by the miserable howls of the Demon Beast, immediately spread from below, and the ground trembled violently as if piles were being driven into it.
Within the underground world, the two-zhang-tall Golden Gang Spirit Venerable roamed freely, easily killing one Green-backed Water Spider after another with a single punch.
Even though numerous spider silks gushed onto its body, they were quickly torn apart by its brute force.
Sharp, pointed spider legs pierced its body, but didn't even leave a small dent.
This is a master-level Golden Gang Spirit Venerable summoned by Core Power; even an ordinary Foundation Establishment cultivator would have to kneel down if cornered by him.
Chen Dengming stood expressionless at the entrance of the Lin family's ancestral home.
With a casual hand gesture, the Myriad Gold Pearl expanded and transformed into a golden gate, sealing off the entrance to the Blood Cave below and preventing any Demon Spider from escaping.
Having done all this, he walked leisurely with his hands behind his back, strolling through the chaotic and bloody Lin family compound, and soon arrived at a magnificent golden house in the deep ancestral home.
Several Lin family cultivators were huddled in a corner, trembling with fear.
Upon seeing Chen Dengming approach, they were all so frightened that they fell to the ground, banging their heads against the ground repeatedly, kowtowing and begging for mercy, pleading with the senior to spare their lives.
Chen Dengming calmly said, "Your ancestor offended my South Mountain Sect, and his death was truly deserved."
However, I never wrong an innocent person, nor do I let a bad person go unpunished.
Put your things down, and you can leave now.
The three of them were stunned. They immediately threw the Storage Bag they had hastily filled on the ground and then scrambled away from the ancestral home.
Chen Dengming kept his word and did not stop them, but outside the ancestral home, the brothers in the banner camp, Zhu Xun, would distinguish right from wrong and good from evil.
If these people don't harbor much resentment, they can leave peacefully; if their sins are grave, they will inevitably face death.
What is good, what is bad, what is black, what is white? There has never been a precise standard for these definitions of good and evil.
Is it bad for humans to eat Demon Beast, and bad for Demon Beast to eat humans?
Is it good for a person to save Demon Beast and then kill someone? Is it good for a person to save another person and then kill Demon Beast? There is no definite definition depending on different perspectives and viewpoints.
Chen Dengming considered himself no good person; he believed that if someone had to kill, they would kill without hesitation.
He was by no means a bad person; he would save people when they needed to, without batting an eye.
What he refuses to let go of are those who have lost their humanity and prey on and torment the lower classes for their own selfish desires.
The law of the jungle, where the strong prey on the weak, is indeed an age-old truth, and Chen Dengming agrees with this.
But the law of the jungle doesn't mean we have to completely lose our humanity and become beasts.
He treats people the way people treat people, but he treats beasts who have lost their humanity the way he treats beasts.
Soon, several familiar screams came from outside.
This proves that what just stepped out the door was still a beast in human skin.
Chen Dengming couldn't help but recall the miserable situation he and Jiang Qiang had endured when the beast tide broke out in Brocade Workshop. He feared that these beasts in human skin were also responsible for it.
These beasts probably never imagined that among the rogue cultivators they used to Rogue Cultivator at will, someone would come back to settle scores.
"It's a pity I can't cause trouble outside as a disciple of the Longevity Sect, otherwise it would be good to let these evil Lin family members know that I am the former fishmonger!"
Chen Dengming shook his head, then picked up the Storage Bag on the ground to examine it.
Several of the Storage Bag were filled to the brim with spirit crystals, mostly of medium to low grade.
There are a few High-grade Spirit Crystal.
A rough estimate puts it at several hundred High-grade Spirit Crystal.
The other Storage Bag contained numerous first-tier Law Artifact and talismans, with a few being second-tier mid-level or lower Law Artifact and talismans.
Upon seeing the last Storage Bag, Chen Dengming's eyebrows furrowed, and a cold glint flashed in his eyes as he scanned it with his Divine Sense.
This last Storage Bag contained numerous land deeds, ledgers, and other items.
One of the ledgers, however, recorded numerous misdeeds.
"In the battle against the beast tide, we hunted Rogue Cultivator over a thousand rogue cultivators, harvested 40,367 Low-grade Spirit Crystal, and used the Demon Beast to precisely hunt down thirteen unrecruited Qi Cultivation High Level cultivators. We also recovered thirteen land deeds, eight residences, and five shops, which can be sold after being vacant for several months."
"During the second battle against the beast tide, over 800 rogue cultivators were hunted Rogue Cultivator, yielding 2,243 Low-grade Spirit Crystal. Six unrecruited Qi Cultivation High Level cultivators and key members of the Merchant Alliance were also precisely hunted down using the Demon Beast."
Chen Dengming glanced at the time of each major event recorded in this unique ledger, his face darkening.
"What a clever tactic! By using Demon Beast, they launch beast tides every ten years or so to hunt down low-level cultivators, amass wealth, and reap human lives."
Not only do they raise Demon Beast with humans, but they also exploit the wealth of lower-level cultivators, using methods akin to raising pigs and then slaughtering them. The land deeds they sell are reclaimed every few years.
No wonder that in the past, Demon Beast ravaged the Ten Thousand Mile Frontier, and even though the Zhu Family and Luo Family Lineage possessed the power to exorcise them, they refrained from doing so. They were probably well aware of the complexities involved.
Chen Dengming took a deep breath, "The Lin family's evil deeds are too numerous to count!"
He then pulled out another ledger that only contained a single sheet of paper and looked through it.
"When the Ancestor first set up the cultivation array, it consumed 37,942 Low-grade Spirit Crystal, 2,758 Mid-grade Spirit Crystal, and 83 High-grade Spirit Crystal."
"The Ancestor has set up the cultivation array for the second time."
"The ancestor set up cultivation arrays three times, and was pleased to restore the false elixir."
"After setting up cultivation arrays four times, the Ancestor finally recovered his Golden Core!"
This ledger contains only four entries about Lin He, the patriarch of the Lin family, with a starting time span of sixty years, each entry more shocking than the last.
Each of Lin He's cultivation sessions consumes an enormous amount of spirit crystals.
Every spirit crystal is built upon the life of a lowly, Rogue Cultivator.
After four cultivation sessions, Lin He spent a total of nearly ten thousand High-grade Spirit Crystal in order to restore his Golden Core cultivation.
Chen Dengming compared the time Lin He cultivated with that, and it happened to be after each beast tide launched by the Lin family.
This was truly terrifying; in order to create a Golden Core cultivator, the entire Ten Thousand Mile Frontier was engulfed in a sea of corpses and blood for sixty years.
"It seems that not only the Lin family here at Brocade Workshop, but also the Lin family at Lüojia Mountain, I will have to ruthlessly eliminate them!"
Chen Dengming snorted coldly, waved his sleeve, turned around and soared into the air. His figure floated in Rogue Cultivator of the scattered Brocade Workshop fleeing in all directions, his Divine Sense transformed into a torrent that swept out, and his voice clearly reached the ears of the many panicked Rogue Cultivator.
"The Lin family has committed numerous evils, building a blood pit to Rogue Cultivator on you lowly cultivators."
Today, South Mountain Sect Zhu Xun behalf of Heaven to destroy the Lin family, without implicating anyone else. Fellow Daoists, there is no need to panic! You will soon be able to return to Brocade Workshop for your lodgings, without any overnight fees."
"What? No overnight stay fee?"
"Zhu Xun of the South Mountain Sect? Who is this master? Why have I never heard of the South Mountain Sect?"
"The Lin family has established a bloodbath? They're preying on us? This person is acting on behalf of Heaven? How come we didn't know?"
The large number of panicked and fleeing Rogue Cultivator were all astonished and in an uproar when they heard the Divine Sense transmission.
Some people gradually slowed their pace and looked towards the location of the Lin family's ancestral home.
Only a few of the Lin family's retainers managed to escape, while the rest of the Lin family members perished in the mouth of a gruesome flying head.
Many Rogue Cultivator were bewildered and completely unaware that the Lin family had ever exploited and enslaved them, or even murdered them for their wealth.
Looking at the throngs of people and their bewildered faces outside the city, Chen Dengming couldn't help but shake his head and sigh inwardly.
Many of these low-level, Rogue Cultivator were just like him when he first arrived at the Gathering Place.
They didn't even know that many of the Demon Beast were kept by the Lin family, and they thought that the Lin family established the Brocade Workshop to protect many cultivators, so it was understandable that they had to charge a fee.
In fact, it is precisely because of the threat of the Demon Beast that the safety of Brocade Workshop is highlighted, the authority of the Lin family is consolidated, and the Lin family can make money by raising pigs.
He said no more.
Seeing that Zhu Xun had finished his work and was floating in mid-air, he could no longer find any more resentful members of the Lin family.
He immediately leaped down to clean up the Battlefield.
Inside the Lin family ancestral home, there was no movement at this time.
The Golden Gang Spirit Venerable strode out with thunderous footsteps, his body covered in blood, many of the Demon Spider already dead under his iron fist.
Chen Dengming immediately stopped and activated the Ghost Jade Bracelet in his hand, sealing off the entire Lin family compound.
Then, carrying Zhu Xun, Blade Control and headed straight for the distant Lüojia Mountain.
The Lin family had already occupied Lüojia Mountain a few years ago, and there was still a Foundation Establishment Middle Stage family head leading some of the Lineage's branch disciples to cultivate on Lüojia Mountain.
Chen Dengming has no intention of letting the tiger return to the mountain.
However, this massacre of the Lin family, while also venting his own anger and that of the many Rogue Cultivators who died unjustly in the past, also seemed to avenge the Luo Family in the Unseen, as if corresponding to the cause and effect when he first entered the Cultivation World, forming a closed loop of cause and effect.
The cause begins here, and the effect ends here.
Thinking of this, Chen Dengming felt a pang of sadness.
For thirty years I've searched for the swordsman, through countless cycles of falling leaves and sprouting new branches. But ever since I saw the peach blossoms, my doubts have only deepened.
Things have changed, but his original aspiration remains unchanged.
Every sip and every bite is preordained by fate; some unfulfilled fruits will eventually bear fruit at certain times.
For him now, eliminating the Lin family at Lüojia Mountain would be an effortless task.
However, it was no easy task for Jiang Qiang alone to simultaneously control Brocade Workshop and Lüojia Mountain, and establish another ideal, harmonious, and orderly small cultivation world.
(I've written 10,000 words today, please vote with monthly tickets!)