The Beginning of the Northern Plains' Aristocratic Clans' Collapse

Jinyang Commandery.

Guo Baisheng, seated in the main seat, picked up his teacup and took a sip. "I know the Blood Envoy's intentions, but I'm curious, why is it almost ten days later, and there's still no concrete news?"

Below him stood an elderly man in black robes, his face pale and his eyes bloodshot. Hearing this, he laughed and said, "Patriarch Guo Household, you are overthinking it. This battlefield is located within the Human Emperor Grotto-Heaven, and the Dao Lord has already devised a foolproof plan."

Guo Baisheng was moved upon hearing this and said, "Is it the Human Emperor Grotto-Heaven that appeared several years ago? Wasn't it supposed to have vanished into the depths of the Void? How could the Blood River Dao actually pull this Human Emperor Grotto-Heaven back to the Central Plains from the depths of the Void?"

"Otherwise, how could we lure the Yu Tunzhou?" the envoy said smugly. "It concerns the Human Emperor Grotto-Heaven. The Dao Master's delayed return must mean he has gained something from it. Patriarch Guo Household, there is no need to worry."

Guo Baisheng's eyes flickered; this made sense, but he still had some doubts.

In particular, this person's arrival is in the hope that the Guo Household and other families can increase their share of blood donations.

Seeing his hesitation, the envoy smiled calmly and said, "If Patriarch Guo Household still has reservations, then you may wait a few more days. However, the price will be different then."

Guo Baisheng's expression changed slightly. After a moment's consideration, he finally nodded. "You flatter me, envoy. I acknowledge the strength of your sect. They're just a few death row inmates, after all. Very well, I will have my son send another hundred men to the Blood River Dao."

"Excellent! Once our sect's Blood River True Pool is established, the Northern Plains will eventually be under our sect's control. Patriarch Guo Household will never regret his choice today!"

The envoy from the Blood River Dao, feeling triumphant, laughed and left.

Seeing the man's expression, Guo Baisheng felt somewhat relieved. Since the Blood River Dao was so confident, they must have the situation under control.

Just as he was pondering this, a figure rushed into the hall. It was Guo Shouren, the strongest member of the Guo Household and Guo Baisheng's uncle.

A furious shout echoed through the hall, "Baisheng, you actually partnered with Blood River Dao?! Have you gone mad?!"

Guo Baisheng snapped out of his daze, looked at his uncle, and patiently explained, "Uncle, please don't worry. We and the Blood River Dao are simply mutually benefiting. In the future, the Northern Plains will be inseparable from the Blood River Dao Sect."

Guo Shouren asked in surprise, "What do you mean by this?"

Guo Baisheng's eyes were filled with barely suppressed glee. "To be honest, Uncle, that Blood River Dao Lord has long had his eye on the Northern Plains, and if they want to occupy the Northern Plains, they must eliminate Yu Tunzhou!"

"Ten days ago, Blood River Dao took advantage of Jiang Wenxuan's preoccupation with the Jiang Household's affairs to set a Yu Tunzhou out of Xuanbei Commandery!"

Guo Shouren was shocked. "Yu Tunzhou —he's already been captured by Xue Wuya?!"

"There's no concrete information yet, but the battlefield is that Human Emperor Grotto-Heaven that appeared several years ago," Guo Baisheng said slowly. "But since the one who made the move is Xue Wuya, we should have a shoo-in. Although he's only recently entered the Dharma Aspect, even Yan Huifeng couldn't defeat him."

Seeing his uncle's furrowed brows, Guo Baisheng knew he hadn't been convinced. He continued, "Uncle, even if the Blood River Dao Sect occupies the Northern Plains, they can't operate openly. They still need our aristocratic Aristocratic Clan to do their bidding. But Yu Tunzhou wants to completely overthrow our aristocratic Aristocratic Clan ' rule. Do we even need to calculate the gains and losses involved?"

"----What are you planning to do?"

Although Guo Baisheng's remarks made some sense, Guo Shouren still felt uneasy.

Although Xue Wuya is Martial Dao Dharma Aspect, he has only been Dharma Aspect for less than a year, with few combat achievements. He only managed to survive against Yan Huifeng, not truly contend with the Sword Master.

Can he really keep Yu Tunzhou?

Even the Xie Household couldn't do that!

"It's alright," Guo Baisheng said with a faint smile. "I know what my uncle is worried about, which is why I've been very cautious this time."

"Unless we hear definitively that Yu Tunzhou is dead, the Guo Household will never truly get involved."

"Previously, as long as certain needs of the Blood River Dao were met, such as large amounts of blood and their development of disciples, we could turn a blind eye."

Guo Shouren said in a deep voice, "Isn't a large amount of blood enough to be incriminating evidence?"

"We can simply use death row inmates from the prefecture and surrounding counties as substitutes," Guo Baisheng explained. "I've already made arrangements for this and handed it over to Feibai. He needs some experience so he can take over my position in the future."

Upon hearing this, Guo Shouren's expression softened slightly.

If they were simply handed over to death row inmates, that would certainly be a way to get away with it.

As long as there aren't a large number of disappearances or murders within the country, and things don't seem to go wrong on the surface, no one will bother to make a fuss.

Guo Shouren then asked, "Why did the people from the Blood River Dao come looking for you just now?"

"They want to build the Blood River True Pool in Northern Plains, and they need more blood," Guo Baisheng said with a deep gaze. "This is nothing. The quota will be shared equally among all families. I will have Feibai go to the surrounding counties and capture some lowly martial artists who don't know their own mortality."

"Blood River True Pool?"

Guo Shouren's eyes showed surprise; he had heard about it before.

This is one of the treasures of the Blood River Dao Sect, and it can further enhance the cultivation speed of all members of the Blood River Dao Sect.

"It seems that Daoist Master is truly prepared to establish himself in the Northern Plains, "Guo Shouren sighed.

In just a few months, the situation in Northern Plains has changed dramatically.

After the Xie Household left, Yu Tunzhou and the Northern Dark Sea forces arrived.

Now, Yu Tunzhou is about to die, but at the cost of Blood River Dao's entry.

Guo Baisheng snorted coldly, "It's better for Blood River Dao to have a foothold in the Northern Plains than for Yu Tunzhou and Northern Dark Sea to push their luck!"

"Those people are really going too far!"

"They actually dare to try and overturn the millennia-old order of Northern Plains with just their fists!"

The thought of the humiliating experience he had recently had in Xuanbei Commandery still filled Guo Baisheng with resentment.

It wasn't just Liu Qiandao's despicable nature that was the problem, but also that Yu Tunzhou hadn't received a single one of them in a whole month!

Even the Liaose monk Liaose of Shaolin Temple never put on airs to this extent!

Guo Shouren remained silent for a moment, then sighed desolately, "You decide what to do. Be sure to act cautiously, and tell Feibai to be careful too, so as not to give anyone too much leverage, lest my Guo Household become a model example."

"Uncle, rest assured, Feibai has always been cautious in his actions."

After leaving the Guo Household, Blood River envoy Zhang Jiuming found the sect's contact person.

"So, has the Guo Household made a response?"

Zhang Jiuming said with a faint smile, "Guo Baisheng is a smart man; he has already agreed to our demands."

After saying that, he frowned slightly and asked, "Has any news come back from the Dao Lord's side?"

"Have."

Zhang Jiuming immediately perked up and said, "Confirmed information has already been sent back?"

"The Incense-Smelling Holy Maiden has returned, bringing back the Dao Lord's latest instructions."

Zhang Jiuming was stunned. Why was it that saintess?

Where is the Dao Lord?

Seemingly sensing his doubts, the other said calmly, "Rest assured, the elder has already checked the Dao Lord's soul lamp and confirmed that the Dao Lord is unharmed. Furthermore, An Ruyu has also brought the divine message from the Holy Mother of Blood Spirits."

Blood River Dao's secret stronghold in the Northern Plains.

As the Quasi-Grandmaster of the Blood River Dao Sect, Liang Shuoye scrutinized the woman before him, whose stunning beauty made him feel as if a venomous scorpion was before him, making him hesitant to approach her.

"Saintess An, when exactly will the Dao Master return?" Liang Shuoye voice.

Even though this person carried the divine message of the Holy Mother of Blood Spirits and passed the test, he still harbored doubts.

"Elder Liang still seems to be worried about me."

An Ruyu smiled gently and said, "The Nine Netherworlds Rift has appeared within the Human Emperor Grotto-Heaven. The reason why the Dao Lord has not returned for some time is that, with my help, he has continued to expand the Nine Netherworlds Rift."

"The rift has now widened enough for entry, and the Dao Lord, under the guidance of the Old Mother, has entered the Nine Netherworlds to seek the inheritance of a higher realm."

Liang Shuoye suddenly stood up, his heart pounding, and looked at An Ruyu in disbelief. "Is this really true?!"

An Ruyu smiled faintly and said, "Hasn't Elder Liang been using divine magic to verify what I said? If you don't believe me, fine, but do you not believe in my divine magic?"

A fleeting moment of embarrassment crossed Liang Shuoye's face.

The religion has its own Secret Method for verifying the truthfulness of others' words.

While its accuracy cannot be guaranteed, the information revealed by this woman, considering the current situation, is indeed flawless.

The Dao Lord's soul lamp was not extinguished, but it was somewhat dim, giving people a sense of distant separation. A similar situation had occurred when the Dao Lord went deep into the Heavenly Court.

If the Daoist Master did enter the Nine Netherworlds, then that makes perfect sense!

Liang Shuoye pressed further, "Has the Dao Lord captured the Yu Tunzhou now?"

An Ruyu nodded and said, "Although this person was on guard after entering the cave, we still caught him off guard, and he was immediately at a disadvantage, and then he had no power to fight back."

"However, this guy does have some trump cards; he escaped with half of his Primordial Spirit intact, but it won't affect the overall situation."

Liang Shuoye's expression gradually brightened. He used his divine magic again to verify that An Ruyu's words were not a lie.

Unexpectedly, this trip to the grotto not only solved the problem of the Yu Tunzhou, but also brought the unexpected joy of the Nine Netherworlds Rift!

"I wonder what arrangements the Lord has made for Saintess An's arrival?" he asked tentatively. An Ruyu replied calmly, "Now that the Nine Netherworlds Rift has appeared, the Dao Lord plans to guide it into the Northern Plains and use the Nine Netherworlds Origin to transform the Northern Plains."

"In that case, the Blood River True Pool will be unnecessary, which will allow me to use it to contact the Blood Spirit Venerable Mother and have her send down a divine soul avatar."

"Transform Northern Plains?"

Liang Shuoye could not hide his joy. As an elder of the Blood River Dao, he was well aware of the benefits that the Nine Netherworlds aura brought to them.

This is indeed a decision that the Dao Lord would make!

Then, his gaze toward An Ruyu became strange.

Can the Blood River True Pool be used to contact the Blood Spirit Venerable Mother and summon a divine soul avatar?

It seems the rumors are true. At her peak, the Holy Maiden of the Incense-Smelling Cult was far more than just the Holy Maiden of the Incense-Smelling lineage; she was a Holy Maiden whom all sects, including Daoists, Buddhists, and demons, needed to respect!

Liang Shuoye pondered for a moment, then said, "If Saintess An is not in a hurry, why don't we wait until we welcome back the Dao Lord first?"

An Ruyu smiled and said, "Of course, but if it delays the Blood Spirit Venerable Mother's divine decree, Elder Liang will have to take responsibility."

Seeing that this person was trying to shift the blame onto him, Liang Shuoye immediately laughed heartily, "Then I, Liang, will have someone escort Saintess An to the location of the Blood River True Pool, while I wish to rush to the Human Emperor Grotto-Heaven for an exploration."

An Ruyu nodded slightly. "I will send you the coordinates and the method to enter; you can go there yourself."

Liang Shuoye cupped his hands and said, "Thank you for your kindness, Saintess An."

Not long after receiving the coordinates and method from An Ruyu, Liang Shuoye immediately sent someone to take An Ruyu to the location of Zhenchi.

He himself was preparing to head to the Human Emperor Grotto-Heaven.

Before leaving, An Ruyu jokingly said, "Lairu the Blood River Dao doesn't have much respect left for the Blood Spirit Venerable Mother. The Blood Spirit Venerable Mother is about to descend with her divine soul avatar, but Elder Liang is in a hurry to rush to the Human Emperor Grotto-Heaven."

Liang Shuoye gave a dry laugh but didn't reply.

The Blood River Dao worships more than one deity. Although the Blood Spirit Venerable Mother holds a revered position, she has not issued any divine pronouncements for a long time.

Instead, they chose An Ruyu of the Incense-Smelling Cult.

After Liang Shuoye left, An Ruyu, led by the other disciples, went to the location of the Blood River True Pool.

"Saintess An, this way please."

The disciple leading the way was very attentive, occasionally stealing glances at the stunningly beautiful woman beside him. He found her to be as beautiful as a poem or a painting, yet dared not harbor any disrespectful thoughts.

Even Yu Tunzhou, who had many scandalous affairs with this woman in the martial arts world, was lured out and murdered by her. Who could possibly succeed with such a woman?

The Blood River True Pool is hidden beneath a mine shaft.

The deeper you go, the stronger the smell of blood becomes in the air.

"Saintess An, this is the place."

An Ruyu glanced at the ordinary people and martial artists standing to the side, all shackled and with expressions ranging from numb to grief and indignation, and casually asked, "Are they the blood sources provided by each family?"

The man hurriedly replied, "These are the death row inmates provided by various families; we haven't had time to arrange for them to enter the pool yet."

An Ruyu nodded slightly. "Take them all out. I need to use the True Pool to contact the Blood Spirit Venerable Mother. Don't disturb me during this time."

o

"Understood, Saintess An, rest assured, no one will disturb us during the process!"

Shilin County.

Inside the county government office, Guo Feibai stared coldly at the list of condemned prisoners. "Magistrate Zhang, is this the list you spent three days compiling?"

Although each region was governed by the Aristocratic Clan, the nominal positions of prefect and county magistrate were still retained, and these positions were basically filled by members of local Aristocratic Clan on consecutive terms.

Guo Feibai looked at Magistrate Zhang, whose face was full of bitterness and who seemed to have done his best, and sneered, "I think you don't want to keep your position as magistrate!"

"You better remember this: you're in this position because of the Guo Household's support. If you can't fulfill the Guo Household's orders, removing you from this position is just a matter of a single word!"

Magistrate Zhang's hands trembled as he said, "Young Master Guo, we really can't arrest anyone else. The streets have already been cleared of all the thugs and ruffians who don't deserve to die, and even the beggars."

"Then go to the slums, grab some lowly people who won't survive the winter. Do I need to teach you that? These lowly people might not even make it through the winter. Give some money to their families, and you can buy their lives!"

Guo Feibai said impatiently, his patience with this man surnamed Zhang completely exhausted.

After serving as a county magistrate for so many years, is he now pretending to be an upright and benevolent official?

Haven't we done enough dirty work over the years?

With a thud, Magistrate Zhang suddenly knelt on the ground, trembling all over, his voice mournful. "Young Master Guo, the higher-ups—they've investigated!"

Guo Feibai was taken aback and subconsciously looked up at the ceiling.

above?

With the turmoil in the Divine Capital still ongoing and the capital preoccupied with its own troubles, who would dare to investigate the Guo Household?

"You are Guo Feibai?"

A cold voice came from outside the gate. Guo Feibai looked up sharply and saw a group of people walk into the house. They were dressed in the clothes of the Northern Dark Sea people. The person in the lead had a deep aura and seemed to have reached the level of External Scenery!

Guo Feibai's heart sank instantly. How could a External Scenery appear in this small county town?

The leader glanced at the county magistrate beside him and coldly waved his hand, saying, "Caught red-handed, take them all back to Xuanbei Commandery."

"You are from Luo—you are from the Northern Dark Sea?" Guo Feibai instantly realized, rising in shock and anger. "I am from the Jinyang Guo Household! Are you trying to start a war against our Guo Household?"

The leader remained unmoved, coldly replying, "Your Guo Household doesn't even deserve it!"

Guo Feibai was about to speak when a martial artist knocked him unconscious and dragged him out of the house.

Magistrate Zhang, who was standing to the side, kowtowed repeatedly on the spot, not daring to put up any resistance, as he was already aware of the methods these men used.

"My lords, I have successfully coerced Guo Feibai into saying that this matter has nothing to do with me; it was all due to coercion by the Guo Household— "

The leader's eyes were icy. "Birds of a feather flock together, take them all with you."

"Yes!"

After the county magistrate was also dragged away, the leader looked in the direction of the Jinyang Guo Household and said coldly, "The Guo Household?"

"They'll be gone soon."

Shilin County, East Fortune Street.

Liu Qiandao walked alone on the empty street. There was not a single person in sight. On both sides were low mud-brick houses with windows blocked with licorice. Compared to other places, this place could be considered a slum in Shilin County. Now that the end of the year was approaching and the weather was cold, no one went out on the street. They could only stay at home and see if they could survive the cold winter.

Liu Qiandao stopped in front of a mud house that had collapsed halfway.

An old man was squatting in front of the door, wrapped in a tattered coat covered in patches, cooking something in a blackened pot.

A pot of murky broth was boiling, with a few unknown grass roots floating on top.

A four- or five-year-old child squatted beside the old man; he was dark-skinned and thin, his eyes fixed intently on the pot.

Liu Qiandao glanced at it and knew that the pot contained wild vegetables and fern roots.

Having long been accustomed to the hardships of the world, Liu Qiandao remained unmoved and silent.

This almost indifferent silence, however, terrified him.

He suddenly remembered Huaiqing had once said: the Central Plains are vast and fertile, with enough resources to support ten times the current population.

However, the reality is that many ordinary people in the Central Plains still freeze or starve to death over the years.

These poor people, who see no way out from birth, are seen by the Aristocratic Clan who control most of the resources as mere codling material to be produced in the ground.

We're all human beings, how can you not treat us like human beings?

What made Liu Qiandao feel most powerless was that he could help this family, or even this street, for the time being, but he couldn't help them for life, let alone help the poor people of the whole world.

The reason he followed Huaiqing was because he believed Huaiqing could accomplish all of this.

And now, he seems to have truly seen a way to turn everything around.

That is what Yu Tunzhou aims to promote—making martial arts accessible to everyone.

However, Liu Qiandao also harbored doubts: would everyone practicing martial arts ultimately be more beneficial or detrimental to this world?

For example, if everyone in the world practiced martial arts, then who would do the most basic jobs, like farming and weaving?

Martial artists are destined for a life of luxury; why would they do such mundane and basic work?

With more martial artists, will those who cannot become martial artists face even more oppression?

He tentatively asked Yu Tunzhou whether his desire to promote Martial Dao was merely a spur-of-the-moment decision or something he had carefully considered.

Yu Tunzhou's answer was quite direct, "Why not let martial artists be in charge of clearing land and farming? Compared to ordinary people, their efficiency should be doubled."

At that time, Liu Qiandao found it absurd; how could a martial artist possibly farm and weave cloth?

Yu Tunzhou gave him a strange look and said something he couldn't understand, "If you ask me, it's just not rolled enough!"