Chapter 144

Chapter 144: Join Us! Change Everything in This World! (4000 words, two-in-one)

Nine years ago.

“Husband, are we really going to settle down in this place?”

Walking along the streets of Baiwa City, a woman with a refined face asked her husband beside her.

The man named Sheng nodded: “Let’s settle here. This place is located on the border between the Wu Kingdom and a small demon country in the South Realm. It’s an ownerless city, without anyone governing it. Here, you, Qionman, can also avoid being hunted.”

The woman named Zhao Qionman lowered her head slightly, her expression filled with guilt: “I’m sorry, husband. If it weren’t for me…”

“Stop saying things like that,” Sheng interrupted Zhao Qionman. “Anyway, since we’ve come to a new place, let’s live our lives well together.”

“Alright,” Zhao Qionman agreed. “I’ll follow whatever my husband decides.”

Sheng gripped his wife’s hand even tighter: “Don’t worry. Once we’re here, we can live peacefully. No one will be able to find us.”

Zhao Qionman nodded vigorously.

Sheng found a real estate agent and bought a courtyard in Baiwa City large enough for two or three people to live in.

With their own little home, no longer drifting aimlessly, Zhao Qionman’s heart gradually settled down.

Zhao Qionman followed her husband around Baiwa City, purchasing items needed for daily life.

Every time they bought something, Zhao Qionman felt more at home in this courtyard.

After settling in, Zhao Qionman lived with her husband in Baiwa City. Besides practicing cultivation every day, Zhao Qionman and her husband would also hunt some monster beasts nearby to sell.

Or they would take on bounty missions in Baiwa City.

For a cultivator, earning daily living expenses was incredibly easy.

Zhao Qionman and Sheng only needed to complete one or two missions, and they wouldn’t have to worry about expenses for two or three months.

Although Baiwa City was an ownerless city, the order within reached a certain balance, generally managed by the city’s factions, each having their own territory.

These factions included both human and demon races.

The factions of the human race didn’t get along with those of the demon race, which was normal.

But there were demon race cultivators in the human factions, and human cultivators in the demon factions.

Sheng and Zhao Qionman had high cultivation realms, so these factions respected them greatly. Not only did they not bother them, but these factions often sent them gifts, trying to recruit them into their forces.

However, Sheng and Zhao Qionman didn’t join any faction, unwilling to cause themselves unnecessary trouble.

As time passed, Sheng and Zhao Qionman lived a stable life, seemingly forgetting their previous escape.

Zhao Qionman’s once-suspended heart finally stabilized.

Next to Sheng and Zhao Qionman’s house, a lizard demon family hatched a nest of lizard eggs.

Zhao Qionman even helped deliver them.

The lizard names were quite casual; the first one out of the shell was called Lizard Big Brother, the second one was called Lizard Second Brother.

In Baiwa City, the harmony between the human and demon races reached an unbelievable level. But one day, Sheng and Zhao Qionman noticed something strange about Baiwa City.

The flow of spiritual energy inside the city was different from outside, and white light frequently flashed across Baiwa City. The blazing sun in the sky was enormous, as if it was about to fall from the heavens.

At night, the full moon turned into a blood moon, and the demon race in the city couldn’t maintain their human forms.

When Sheng and Zhao Qionman realized that this might be due to a rare treasure appearing, Baiwa City had already formed its own magic array, leaving them unable to escape.

Sheng and Zhao Qionman could only settle down and look for a way out.

A rare treasure capable of forming its own barrier was no simple matter; it was likely something even Nascent Soul Stage cultivators coveted.

Although Sheng and Zhao Qionman wanted to settle here,

It wouldn’t be long before various forces discovered that there was a rare treasure here. Then all sorts of people would come, and this place would be coveted by major powers.

At that time, this place would become very unstable.

Even old enemies might show up.

Despite their reluctance, they knew they had to leave this place.

Moreover, the beams of white light descending from the sky caused cultivators in the city to disappear continuously.

Sheng and Zhao Qionman didn’t know where the disappeared cultivators had gone—whether they had returned to the outside world or had perished, becoming nourishment for Baiwa City.

This uncertainty gave Sheng and Zhao Qionman another reason to leave.

“Do you think we can wait until the red moon appears?”

On this night, Zhao Qionman finally completed the magic array. Exhausted, she leaned on her husband’s shoulder, gazing at the night sky.

The night sky was dotted with stars, beautifully arranged like a scroll.

Sometimes Zhao Qionman thought, if Baiwa City naturally formed a small secret realm and wasn’t discovered by others, then she and her husband could stay here forever.

“Who knows?” Sheng hugged his wife’s shoulders and smiled. “Maybe we’ll disappear tomorrow—it’s not impossible.”

“Then tell me, after we disappear, will someone find what we leave behind? Will what we leave behind help others?” Zhao Qionman asked.

“Who knows?” Sheng was uncertain too. “These things rely on fate. Many powerful figures’ tombs and relics haven’t been discovered for thousands of years.”

“Indeed, it still depends on fate.” Zhao Qionman turned her head and smiled at her husband. “Just like how we met—it’s my greatest destiny and luck.”

Sheng kissed his wife’s forehead: “Me too.”

After Sheng and Zhao Qionman finished everything they could do, they returned to their usual lives.

They were waiting.

And the hardest thing for a person is learning how to wait.

During this idle time, Zhao Qionman, based on the rules of Baiwa City’s secret realm, utilized her lifetime of knowledge to extract a segment of the Dao’s fate rule, then condensed it into a drop of rainwater.

Zhao Qionman didn’t know what use this thing would have. Perhaps she just wanted to create a keepsake.

Until one day, the blood moon didn’t arrive, but the white light did.

The white light enveloped Sheng’s body, but Zhao Qionman calmly embraced him.

Together, they waited calmly for the unknown.

Under the illumination of the white light, they only felt their consciousness grow hazy, their minds blank. This feeling was strange, like being knocked unconscious but still aware of their existence.

When the white light faded and Zhao Qionman regained her senses, she realized they had arrived in the outside world.

But before they could rejoice, they saw dozens of black-robed cultivators nearby.

These cultivators emitted strange auras—like humans, yet not entirely human. However, judging by the spiritual energy emanating from the leader, he was actually at the Nascent Soul Stage.

“Who are you?” Sheng and his wife drew their swords.

“We are the Black God Sect.” The leading man stepped forward and gestured to his subordinates. “Don’t waste time—capture them!”

“Yes!” The members of the Black God Sect approached like brainwashed puppets.

Sheng and Zhao Qionman fought while attempting to escape.

But ultimately, they failed.

Surrounded, they couldn’t escape despite using all their strength.

“You have a pretty decent understanding of arrays,” the leading black-robed man approached. “Judging by your grasp of array techniques, aren’t you a disciple of the Celestial Array Sect?”

Zhao Qionman tightly shut her lips and remained silent.

The black-robed man stared directly at Zhao Qion: “I admire your disciples of the Celestial Array Sect. Our sect leader often praises your sect master as an unparalleled genius. Coincidentally, I need an array master. Serve me, and I’ll offer you sufficient benefits. How does that sound?”

“Never!” Sheng stood in front of his wife, glaring fiercely at the man. “You’ll never make us work for you!”

The leader of the Black God Sect smirked and said to Sheng, “Does it matter whether you live or die? We don’t need you.”

“I’ll never serve you either!” Zhao Qionman shouted at the leading black-robed man.

The black-robed man tilted his head, looking confused at Zhao Qionman: “Don’t you want revenge for your Celestial Array Sect? This world is rotten beyond repair. Join us, the Black God Sect, and together we’ll overthrow this world. Together we’ll overturn this thoroughly corrupt world!”

“Crazy! You’re all crazy! Let us go!” Zhao Qionman refused.

“Alas…” The black-robed man sighed, appearing regretful. “If that’s the case, then I have no choice.”

The black-robed man ordered someone to grab Sheng and drag him forward, placing a sword against Sheng’s neck:

“If you don’t join us, we’ll slice your partner’s flesh off piece by piece. Our branch here needs to accomplish an important task, so we can only threaten you this way.”

“Leave him alone!” Zhao Qionman rushed forward but was immediately restrained by two cultivators next to the black-robed man.

The black-robed man’s sword had already cut through Sheng’s flesh, and blood dripped down the blade: “I’m waiting for your answer.”

“I…”

“Ah!”

Just as Zhao Qionman hesitated and spoke a word, the black-robed man slashed with his sword, causing Sheng to scream in pain as a piece of flesh fell to the ground.

“Stop!” Zhao Qionman shouted, tears streaming down her cheeks.

“Beast! Kill me if you dare!” Sheng clenched his fists, sweat pouring from his brow in pain.

But the black-robed man paid no attention to Sheng, focusing only on Zhao Qionman: “Please consider carefully before answering.”

“I…”

“Ugh!!”

The black-robed man swung his sword again, cutting through Sheng’s body.

Sheng forcibly suppressed his cries, looking at his wife and shaking his head forcefully.

“I agree!”

Just as the black-robed man was about to strike the third blow, Zhao Qionman told him.

“A wise choice.” The black-robed man sheathed his sword and fed Sheng two pills.

“I’ve given your husband two pills. One will heal his wounds, the other is poison. If you ever change your mind, I’ll have to activate the poison.”

The black-robed man turned around, no longer glancing at Zhao Qionman, and issued orders to his companions.

“Take them away.”

The black-robed man led Sheng and Zhao Qionman to the inside of a mountain peak.

Inside the mountain peak, it was completely hollowed out. Below flowed thick molten lava, and around the rock walls roared numerous monstrous beasts.

“What do you think of the concepts of ‘humans, demons, and beasts’?”

The black-robed man asked Zhao Qionman.

Zhao Qionman coldly replied:

“Humans are innately divine beings; some can cultivate, others cannot.”

“Demons arise from animals gaining intelligence; all demons can cultivate and transform into human form.”

“Beasts are born innately, unable to awaken intelligence, savage and brutal, incapable of transforming into human form.”

The black-robed man nodded: “Then how do you view the relationship between commoners and cultivators?”

Zhao Qionman: “Cultivators originate from commoners cultivating; they are the same.”

The black-robed man smirked: “Are they truly the same?”

Zhao Qionman frowned: “What do you mean?”

The black-robed man seemed very patient: “Just the literal meaning. Cultivators indeed originate from commoners cultivating, that’s correct. But do cultivators treat commoners equally?

At least from what I know, cultivators view commoners akin to how demon races view ordinary animals, or how human races view monster beasts.

To cultivators, commoners and themselves are no longer on the same level.

To cultivators, so-called commoners are merely tools.

Some cultivators sacrifice commoners’ blood.

Some use commoners for reproduction; if the child is ordinary, they ignore it; if the child has a spiritual root, they take it back to raise.

Cultivators can destroy a whole city, even a whole kingdom, for their selfish desires.

Cultivators have never cared about the lives of commoners.”

Zhao Qionman: “What exactly are you trying to say?”

“What I want to say is simple.”

The black-robed man turned around, facing Zhao Qionman, removing the hood of his cloak.

Others around the black-robed man also removed their hats one by one.

Upon seeing everyone’s appearances clearly, Sheng and Zhao Qionman were shocked, their eyes trembling.

Some had horns on their heads.

Some had lizards’ scales covering their cheeks.

Some had beast-like pupils.

Each of them had varying features of monster beasts.

“We are ordinary people, and we are also monster beasts! Join us! Change everything in this world! One day, all ordinary people will be able to step on those so-called celestial beings beneath their feet!”

[There will be no more leaves this month.]