Return to the Mountain Stronghold

"What a cautious sheep! He didn't even mutter an explanation of his reasons for killing after he committed the murder!" Looking at Pan Wu, who still had a gentle smile on his face after the murder, I don't know if he was used to it, or if he was just cautious, or if he didn't take it seriously at all.

Yang Ning wasn't in a hurry; he'd just keep tracking them slowly. If there were any clues, they'd be exposed sooner or later.

It doesn't matter if there are no clues. After all, it's just a Pangu Particle that's been targeting you. I can afford to wait it out.

Pangu Particle aren't as precious as Sophon; I can make a huge pile of them in no time!

However, Yang Ning could also imagine some of the reasons why he killed people.

First, Luo Yun's body displays an excessively high level of talent. He advanced to the True Immortal Realm in just three months after his ascension. Anyone who can see through Luo Yun's cultivation level would not spare his life.

Not to mention that Luo Yun is a human and Pan Wu is a sheep.

People say that those Non-Self our kind must have different hearts, but how do you know that sheep don't think that way?

Secondly, Pan Wu believed that the Divine Ability of [Innate Dao Body] was involved in a conspiracy.

It's normal to think that way, because there's no such thing as a free lunch. No human would be so kind as to teach you Divine Ability for free, without asking for money or Immortal Stone!

Even if Yang Ning himself said it wasn't true, Pan Wu wouldn't believe him.

The normal approach would be to use torture to extract information about the conspiracy behind it all.

But Pan Wu discovered Luo Yun's talent and learned that Luo Yun had only ascended less than three months ago—the scent of the lower realm hadn't even completely dissipated yet!

The former proves that Luo Yun indeed possesses the ability to invent Divine Ability and devise conspiracies on his own.

The latter proves that Luo Yun has no one backing him.

Considering various factors, the number of viable options is limited.

For example, taking care of Luo Yun.

If we eliminate Luo Yun, then whatever schemes he may have will fall apart.

The executors of the conspiracy behind the [Innate Dao Body] are all dead, so even if this Divine Ability had problems, it has become problem-free.

From then Divine Ability, the Demon Race could cultivate this supernatural power with peace of mind!

What? You're saying you can take Luo Yun as your follower?

What are you talking about?!

I've cultivated for 300,000 years, only reaching the True Immortal Realm from the Heavenly Immortal Realm. You want me to recruit a genius who ascended to the True Immortal realm in less than three months?

What if they reach the Mystic Immortal realm next month?

How can you know whether he will receive support or setbacks after his cultivation breakthrough?

Oh, you mean it can be controlled with Divine Ability?

He can create his own Divine Ability! What if he manages to crack those Divine Ability with that kind of abnormal talent?

Luo Yun is like Lu Bu; Pan Wu knows he doesn't have the ability to subdue him.

Oh, there's also the option to make friends!

But what right does a mere hairless monkey have?

This option never even existed in Pan Wu's mind!

After reviewing his entire operation, Yang Ning nodded in satisfaction.

Although Luo Yun is dead, an ascendant like Luo Yun can create countless others in the blink of an eye. The death of one Luo Yun only consumes a little energy, which can be recovered ten thousand or even a hundred thousand times in a single breath.

After all, it's a technological civilization disguised as a cultivation society; anything can be mass-produced once the principles are understood.

The Divine Ability created by Ke Luo Yun, called [Innate Dao Body], which is actually a [Human Dao System Installation Package], has indeed been passed down.

Moreover, Yang Ning created the [Innate Dao Body] using Luo Yun's body. Even if a powerful being were to deduce it, they could only deduce that Luo Yun was already dead.

Even if a person is alive and teaches every day and spreads his teachings everywhere, his Divine Ability may not necessarily spread.

Because the original owner is alive, whoever cultivates this Divine Ability is only benefiting the original owner.

But if he dies, his Divine Ability, as long as they have some use or value, will be widely spread.

Because this method has become open source, without an owner, and no one will hold you accountable for the sin of learning this Divine Ability, since the original victim is gone.

The reason why an artist's work becomes highly valuable after their death, and a philosopher's ideas spread widely after their death, is the same: the person who could reap the greatest benefit has died!

[Innate Dao Body] is certainly a useful Divine Ability, and even a cultivator like Pan Wu is willing to cultivate it!

Moreover, Yang Ning's gains went beyond the widespread dissemination of the [Human Dao System Installation Package].

He also confirmed the official stance of the Myriad Spirits of the Immortal Dao towards the human race.

They are hostile!

The reason is quite simple.

Because humans were once slaves to the Myriad Spirits of the Immortal Dao.

Since they were once slaves, no Myriad Spirits of the Immortal Dao wanted to see humans on equal footing with them, let alone humans later surpassing them.

Because humans have come from behind and surpassed us, they may retaliate against the Myriad Spirits of the Immortal Dao, and may even turn the Myriad Spirits of the Immortal Dao and enslave them.

That's what they did, so of course they'd assume humans would do the same.

Of course, there could be many other reasons, such as interests or hatred, but in general, they are all pretty much the same.

Now that the attitude of Myriad Spirits of the Immortal Dao has been determined, Yang Ning can naturally launch a war between humans and demons without any worries.

After all, you fired the first shot!

In the blink of an eye, a newly minted Earth Immortal Realm cultivator appeared in the Immortal Realm.

Moreover, the location where this cultivator appeared was not elsewhere, but on that same desolate mountain.

"Having been to the Human City, you can immediately feel how barren this mountain is!" Yang Ning, residing in Yuan Jian, sensed the scarce immortal Immortal Qi in the air.

That's right, this earth immortal is still Yuan Jian.

Yuan Jian did not descend the mountain and did not create the Immortal Slaying Sword Formation version.

He felt the concentration of Immortal Qi here was quite good when he was cultivating here before; it was much richer than in the lower realm.

But after spending one night in the Human City, I suddenly felt like it was a desert!

This is hardly a place for humans to live; how could a true immortal be raised here?

But it's true, isn't Lin Qing one of them?

But how did this true immortal come to be?

A quick glance around revealed that all the cultivators in the entire Mountain Stronghold were either in seclusion or testing their skills in the training grounds.

There were indeed some who were extravagant and licentious, but after sensing them, Yang Ning discovered that they were actually practicing a dual cultivation Cultivation Method.

Very few people are simply lying flat!

It's quite obvious how this True Immortal came to be: the concentration of Immortal Qi was low, so they relied on time and hard work!

Yang Ning then thought of the Demon Beast in City of Ten Thousand Yuan, who slept all day long and had very little time for cultivation.

The concentration of Immortal Qi in City of Ten Thousand Yuan is high. Even if someone's cultivation time is only one-tenth or one-hundredth of yours, their cultivation growth rate is still faster than yours!

"I think I did something wrong!" Yang Ning regretted killing the Earth Immortal in the Mountain Stronghold; these were the future of humanity.

Lin Qing deserved to die because he tried to seize the Divine Ability, but those earth immortals were truly innocent!

But then he shook his head, realizing he couldn't really blame himself.

At the time, Yuan Jian Yuan Jian was in charge, but he didn't know the situation below. If you only look at the map of the Mountain Stronghold, Yuan Jian's actions were actually correct. This Mountain Stronghold was definitely a den of demons and a thief's lair!

Well, it's Lin Qing's fault again. After all, the way a faction behaves depends on its leader, so isn't this Lin Qing's problem?

"I will resurrect them!"

Yuan Jian moved swiftly, leaving the room first. Then he took out a jade sword and threw it into the sky. He then activated his Divine Ability, and the sword exploded into countless pieces, creating a dazzling firework in the night sky.

The Sky Azure Sword had already been burned by the Seven Nether Poison Spring. This jade sword was made by him using the Primordial Creation Technique. Destroying it would conveniently cover up the fact that his Sky Azure Sword was lost.

The next second, a dark figure leaped over the wall and vanished into the void.

"Who goes there!" A long spear shot out, but missed its target. Then, a young man in white appeared on the wall.

He first extended his Divine Sense to scan the surroundings, then looked down and saw that Yuan Jian below had a large hole in his chest, and his breath was already as weak as a thread!

"An assassin!" The white-robed youth's expression changed drastically. He shouted loudly as he descended the city wall, immediately pulling out a medicine bottle from his robes. He first applied a small amount of blood to stop the bleeding, then stuffed a pill emitting a strange and fragrant aroma into Yuan Jian's mouth.

Sensing that Yuan Jian's breathing was gradually stabilizing, the young man finally breathed a sigh of relief.

First came the fireworks, then the shouts; even the most oblivious person should have gotten up by now.

In no time at all, the walls of Yuan Jian's small courtyard were already packed with people!

"What's going on?" someone asked. "Old Zhao, who sent the signal?"

"The signal was sent by this newcomer. He encountered an assassin, but the assassin had already left by the time I arrived. Fortunately, he wasn't dead; I saved him with the Mysterious Gold Pill!" the white-robed youth said. "Has Fairy Susu arrived?"

"I'm here!" A beautiful young girl dressed in a green dress with patterns of green forests and bamboo flew over from afar. She did not stop on the wall but landed directly in the courtyard.

She supported Yuan Jian with one hand and pressed the other against her chest wound, then frowned. "Such fierce and sharp metal energy! The assailant is an assassin proficient in metal-based swordsmanship! Quickly move him to my place; I need to remove the Sword Qi from his body before I can treat him!"

"Alright!" The young man nodded, then glanced at the wall, suddenly sensing something was amiss, and asked, "By the way, where's the Village Chief?"

"Huh?" Everyone was taken aback.

Yes, such a big thing happened in the Mountain Stronghold, why isn't the Village Chief here?

"The Village Chief says he's going into seclusion!" A female cultivator stepped forward. She hadn't wanted to speak, but seeing that Lin Qing's prestige was about to be affected, she had no choice but to stand up.

She was Lin Qing's dao companion, named Wen Xu.

Old Zhao remained silent. Since he was in seclusion, it was understandable that he didn't come. Some people are in seclusion in places where they don't even feel earthquakes or tsunamis.

However, being the first to notice the Village Chief's absence, he looked around and realized that it seemed the Village Chief wasn't the only one missing!

And all the local immortals in the Mountain Stronghold!

Thinking of Yuan Jian's ordeal in his arms, Old Zhao's face turned pale. "No way!"

A moment later, a row of thirty-three corpses was laid out.

Old Zhao's guess came true!

Is that all?

No!

Wen Xu, who had just spoken, cautiously said, "Um, there's something else, but I'm not sure if I should say it!"

"At this point, what can't we say?" Old Zhao said.

"Uh..." Wen Xu immediately lost his temper and quickly said, "The Village Chief said he would only be in seclusion for one day, but now, almost ten days have passed!"

!!!!!!

Sigh, I was actually quite conflicted when I was writing it.

Now I'm even more conflicted.

It's like that story where you think you've wiped out a bandit stronghold, only to find out after you descend the mountain that the people below are suffering under oppressive rule, and the people on the mountain are actually a righteous army, good people.

I wonder if you can feel this kind of struggle.

It could actually be written better.