Dust to Dust
"What you say, fellow Daoist, has truly enlightened me."
After a long pause, Yunzi finally spoke with a hint of emotion.
The emotion expressed in his words was genuine.
Just as Fellow Daoist Fang said, the way of man is to take from the poor and give to the rich, which means to exploit the people to benefit those in power.
As a result, what is lacking becomes even more lacking, which leads to the gradual weakening of the dynasty, ultimately leading to its demise.
Thinking back to when she was still a cultivator, during her trials in the mortal realm.
At that time, the dynasty was not yet the Northern Liang.
During her travels, she encountered many powerful figures who treated the people like livestock, completely disregarding their lives.
After witnessing so many events, she felt that it would be better to destroy such a dynasty.
Listening to Fang Zelin's words now, and recalling these events again, I feel even more deeply moved.
"Fellow Daoist, you flatter me. I'm sure you all understand the reasons behind this."
Fang Zelin shook his head upon hearing this.
Leaving aside these fellow Daoists, how could the emperors of previous dynasties not know how their dynasties would fall?
However, for the emperors of these dynasties who wanted to make changes and avoid repeating past mistakes, it was easier said than done.
The dynasty had many Aristocratic Clan clans, gentry, and high-ranking officials.
If their interests are threatened, then this dynasty will be in danger.
Throughout history, emperors have made numerous efforts to prevent such events from occurring.
In the end, nothing changed.
By giving what is in abundance to the world, one can attain enlightenment.
Such people are all cultivators, so why would they become emperors in a dynasty?
None of the fellow Daoists Fang Zelin met had any desire for power or position.
Yunzi simply smiled upon hearing this; they knew about it, that's all.
However, speaking in the way of heaven and earth, as Fang Zelin did, was beyond their reach.
In particular, they found the teachings in these Daoist scriptures to be of great benefit.
It's no wonder that Zhenke had such high regard for Fang Zelin before.
He then added that Senior Fang only needed to give him a few pointers to enter the Seeking Dao Mountain.
Now, recalling those words, they were completely convinced.
This senior's understanding of the Dao has long surpassed that of these people.
He was even somewhat inferior to his own master.
This was the conversation between their master and the other party that had just taken place, giving them a general idea of what was going on.
"Speaking of this dynasty, the Northern Liang has been around for over 180 years now, hasn't it?"
Fang Zelin spoke of this with a touch of emotion.
Dynasties rise and fall, their rise and fall as fleeting as a passing cloud.
Sometimes, just looking at it makes you realize how quickly time flies.
Yunzi thought about it carefully after hearing this, and then nodded.
It seems that it has indeed been more than 180 years.
If the dynasty were a person, the Northern Liang would now be in its old age.
If things aren't too bad, then the Northern Liang dynasty's fate is also nearing its end.
"Does fellow Daoist believe that this is the Human Race Karmic Fortune of Northern Liang attracting the attention of these demons?"
The dynasty was about to fall, which attracted evil spirits to cause chaos.
This is something all cultivators know.
Hearing Fang Zelin mention this, Yunzi subconsciously connected the two events.
However, Fang Zelin shook his head upon hearing this, saying, "That's not what I meant. If any demons coveted the Human Race Karmic Fortune and wanted to cultivate through it, they should do so secretly."
"In the past, many demons primarily engaged in theft. When has this ever happened so openly, prioritizing the attack on cultivators over the Human Race Karmic Fortune?"
This is the most problematic part.
If the demons were truly after the Human Race Karmic Fortune, they would never have done such a thing.
By doing this, wouldn't it be signaling to the monks that they have arrived?
This is hardly beneficial for fairies.
Upon hearing this, Yunzi thought about it and agreed that there was some truth to it.
"However, although such speculation is unlikely, we should still be on the safe side."
Fang Zelin felt it was unlikely, but before the matter was fully clarified, Fang Zelin dared not draw a conclusion.
Upon hearing this, Yunzi smiled and said, "Fellow Daoist, you can rest assured about this matter. We have already sent disciples to the capital of Northern Liang to investigate. If there is anything unusual in the Northern Liang, we will find out as soon as possible."
Fang Zelin nodded upon hearing this.
The group walked forward, while the disciples around them tried their best to explore their surroundings.
Fang Zelin also saw a map in their hands.
Upon noticing Fang Zelin's attention to the map in their hands, a disciple from Rising Tide Valley explained.
"This is a rough map that we drew ourselves when we went down the mountain before."
"The map shows the locations of powerful demons, so it's a precaution."
Fang Zelin was taken aback by the words of the Rising Tide Valley disciples; he hadn't expected them.
The cultivators of Northern Liang are so meticulous in their work.
This is somewhat different from the Great Qian Dynasty.
But thinking about it, it's actually quite normal.
After all, the fellow cultivators on the Great Qian side were already somewhat exhausted from dealing with this matter.
It seems like having this map doesn't make much difference.
"There were quite a few fox spirits here, which I suppose you had noted on the map, but I wiped them out some time ago."
"The fox spirits here constantly bewitch passersby and merchants; to date, they have probably ate at least three hundred people."
After walking for a while, the group soon arrived near the fox spirit's lair.
Looking at the houses in front of him, Fang Zelin spoke.
This indicates that this area doesn't need to be checked.
Upon hearing this, the female cultivators glanced at the map in their hands and then shook their heads.
"This place isn't recorded on our map. It seems this was a fox spirit who moved here later. If that's the case, then it makes sense."
"No matter how foolish those fox spirits are, they wouldn't have set such a trap in a place known to us, to kill passersby."
More than three hundred people!
Upon hearing Fang Zelin's words, all the cultivators couldn't help but frown.
That's a lot.
There was no record of it.
Upon hearing this, Fang Zelin glanced at the wooden house in front of him, thought for a moment, and then flicked his finger, causing the wooden house to burst into flames.
Since we can't expect to find any fairies here, we might as well just burn it down.
There were quite a few piled-up bones inside, which could be considered a way of sending them off on their journey, as dust returns to dust, and ashes to ashes.
Otherwise, leaving this place here will frighten other passersby in the future.