Chapter 92: This Venerable One Revisits Butterfly Town

Everyone present was shocked by his words.

Especially the Bitan Sect disciples, their expressions flipping as if struck by lightning!

In the cultivation world, the average cultivators memorize spells, the better cultivators understand spells, and the top-notch cultivators adapt spells.

But far above and beyond the average, the better, and the top-notch stands still another tier of cultivators—those who have no need for memorization, have long since understood, and are unsatisfied with adaptation, those who have grasped the final step:

Creation.

These are the masters who refine unique pills and elixirs, the experts who craft unparalleled arms and armor, the geniuses who draft unprecedented spells and talismans, people whose skill commands the title of "Zongshi."   To the common cultivators, these zongshi were only a name in a scroll, or else a seal on a magical treasure. Those young disciples from Bitan Sect never could have even imagined that the individual they dared try to arrest and bring to Tianyin Pavilion for interrogation was one such god-like person.

Li Wuxin's forehead was already covered in a sheen cold sweat, but as the leader of the sect, he had no choice but to put up a front and keep at it. He forcibly squeezed out a smile, his waxy yellow face the color of rice shells gleaming with a layer of grease.

"What a coincidence that this Mark of the Returning Billows was created by Chu-zongshi himself, this one has truly… ahaha, truly misunderstood Chuzongshi. However, while fighting with the vengeful ghost of Luo Xianxian at Butterly Town, this one also obtained another item. I wonder if this item might have something to do with Chu-zongshi." Chu Wanning furrowed his brows: "What item?" Li Wuxin waved his hand, and "Very Smart" quickly brought over a brocade box.

"A weapon." Chu Wanning gazed silently at the box for a while before suddenly speaking:

"Is it a willow vine?" "!!!!" This time, everyone including Mo Ran's eyes opened wide in disbelief.

Li Wuxin's voice shook as he spoke: "H-how did you know——unless it really was you, but… just what exactly is happening!?" A golden light burst to life in Chu Wanning's palm, lengthening inch by inch until it coiled onto the floor, and as the glow dimmed down, a length of willow vine, leaves unfurled, appeared before the onlookers.

Chu Wanning was unfazed. At this point, he was already certain that the incident at Butterfly Town was done by the same person as those at Jincheng Lake and Peach Blossom Springs, so he said: "Li-zhuangzhu, the weapon in the box is this one, yes?" "Y-yes." Li Wuxin's voice nearly gave out on him.

The brocade box was opened, and inside was indeed a length of willow vine, exactly the same in every way.

Chu Wanning narrowed his eyes.

He was already suspicious when that "Jiangui" that was used to kill the feathered tribe folkes and frame Mo Ran appeared at the Peach Blossom Springs; this confirmed his suspicions.

"Li-zhuangzhu, mind if I take a look at it?" Li Wuxin mulled it over; things weren't exactly going his way right now, it'd be best not to offend Chu Wanning any further. So he said: "Chu-zongshi is too polite, I'm only here to ask about the situation in the first place. Please feel free to look all you want, I'd be only too thrilled to get your thoughts on it, why would I ever refuse?" But Chang-gongzi was less than thrilled to hear this; he came here to pick a fight and spent so much money getting Bitan Sect to back him up, what was this damned old man trying to do, switch sides now that he'd met some pushback?

He threw one meaningful look at Li Wuxin after another, each and every one an angry glare.

Li Wuxin paid him no heed, but Mo Ran noticed those looks from the side and mocked: "Chang-gongzi, are your eyes okay? You've been squeezing them an awful lot!" Meanwhile, Chu Wanning took the willow vine from the box and looked over it in detail Sure enough, although it was no different from Tianwen and Jiangui in appearance, its life force was extremely weak, nothing like that of a holy weapon with a master—this was clearly a "dead thing." "Heartpluck Willow…" Xue Meng and his sharp hearing froze at these words: "What?" "This piece of vine, and the ones used to kill the feathered tribe folks back at Peach Blossom Springs as well, they were all broken off of the Heartpluck Willow." Chu Wanning replied.

"Ah!" Shi Mei called out, surprised, "So that's what it is?" "Back then at Jincheng Lake, before the old dragon passed, he said the fake Gouchen had a certain spell that required a strong wood elemental spirit to maintain. He had in all likelihood taken some branches from the holy tree before destroying Jincheng Lake. Although the spiritual power therein will gradually fade after the holy tree fell, it should still suffice for some time." Chu Wanning's slender fingers traced the golden leaves.

"He even made full use of these ones that have been practically depleted of spiritual power, either as fake evidence in a set up, or else giving them to his puppeteered pawns as weapons." A flame ignited in his hand as he spoke. He held the vine that was a mirror image of Tianwen to the flame, and it caught fire instantly, the blaze reflecting in the eyes of the onlookers, some shocked, others stupefied.

"This is not my weapon." Chu Wanning let it scorch the tip of the branch before closing his palm around the flame, extinguishing it. He tossed the willow vine aside and said, mildly, "Tianwen is possessed of abundant spiritual energy.

Even the Sanmei True Fire couldn't hope to burn it, much less an ordinary fire spell." Li Wuxin opened his mouth, then closed it. But then didn't want to give up that easily, and opened it again.

"I've also heard about the Peach Blossom Springs incident. Word has it that Sisheng Peak's Mo-gongzi murdered the Great Immortal Lord of the feathered tribe…"

"Oi, I didn't kill anyone." Mo Ran waved his hand.

Xue Zhengyong, visibly displeased, was unyielding on this matter: "As I've already explained to all the sects, that was not done by my nephew. Lizhuangzhu, I won't be this polite the next time you bring it up."   His reaction seemed to have stirred something in Mo Ran's mind; he stilled,

a flicker of something indiscernible flashing past those habitually smiling eyes.

He muttered: "Uncle…"   Chu Wanning spoke: "The incident at Peach Blossom Springs was a set-up.

The situation being what it was, I had no chance to defend my disciple's innocence at the time. But since you of Bitan Sect came all this way seeking the truth today, I can certainly tell you the whole story."   In the flickering light of the candle-lit lamps, Chu Wanning gave a concise summary of the events of Jincheng Lake and Peach Blossom Springs. By the time he finished, the disciples of Bitan Sect were all stunned speechless, and Li Wuxin was sweating so much his clothes were soaked through. He dithered for quite a while before saying: "Does Chu-zongshi mean to say that there's someone in the world at this very moment who has practically mastered the 'Zhenlong Chess Formation' of the three forbidden techniques?" "That's correct."   "How could that be! That's a forbidden technique! E-even the leader of the number one Rufeng Sect couldn't hope to acquire the scroll for a forbidden technique——"   Chu Wanning cut him off: "I spoke nothing but the truth. Whether or not you believe it is up to you."   "Impossible." Li Wuxin insisted with a pale face, and he laughed loudly through trembling lips, as if he could convince himself it was only a joke if he just laughed it off as one. "If there really is someone out there who has mastered the Zhenlong Chess Formation, the world will get thrown into disarray and everything in the upper and lower cultivation realms alike will be rewritten!"   Ex-Emperor Taxian-Jun Mo Ran was a little miffed: "That guy only 'knows' it,

he hasn't 'mastered' it. If he had, do you really think things would still be this peaceful right now?"   Li Wuxin's whiskers quivered, and he was just about to say something when all of a sudden a sword flashed through the door and a Bitan disciple, covered in blood, stumbled off from the sword. The disciple threw up a mouthful of blood before turning his tear-streaked face up to Li Wuxin and crying: "Zhuangzhu, it's awful! The barrier you set around Butterfly Town broke! Vicious spirits rushed out, and my seniors used their own bodies to block them from escaping for the time being, but...all thirty of my shixiong who were guarding the barrier sacrificed themselves in order to hold back the vicious ghosts, leaving only me to come report…" He drew in deep, shuddering breaths, and then suddenly started wailing.

"Zhuangzhu! Hurry and notify all the sects of the upper cultivation realm! All the dead people in that town are being controlled! It's a forbidden technique! A forbidden technique!!" "What!!!!" Li Wuxin stumbled backwards into a pillar, looking pale and haggard like a corpse dumped out of its coffin.

"There's no way we can hold it off with just us…" That disciple cried miserably, his tears washing the blood off his face, "Zhuangzhu!!" Then, suddenly noticing Xue Zhengyong, he turned to grovel toward him as well.

"Xue-zhangmen, I'm begging, please go as well! All of my shixiong… I… how can I face them…" He continued rambling incoherently for a few moments, then suddenly closed his eyes and howled toward the sky in grief.

"They're all… all dead!!!!!" The hall was deathly silent for a moment before bursting into an uproar.

Xue Zhengyong was level-headed in the face of disaster, immediately telling Madam Wang to go send messages to the other eight great sects of the upper cultivation realm, and sending Xue Meng to go gather the elders.

"Chu Wanning?" "There's no time to waste, I'll head over first." "But you don't know how to ride swords…" Before Chu Wanning could respond, Mo Ran rushed over, eager to meet that "master" of Zhenlong Chess Formation.

"Don't worry Uncle, I'll take Shizun there."   Chu Wanning threw him a glance but said nothing, a silent assent.

The two of them walked out of the hall together. Shi Mei stood frozen in place for a while, pale-faced, before suddenly snapping out of it and saying: "Mme too…" But by the time he ran outside Loyalty Hall, they were already gone. Just then, Xue Zhengyong called him back, saying not to go running off alone, so he could only go find Xue Meng and wait to head off together with the second group.

    As for Bitan Sect, Li Wuxin had lived a life of luxury all this time and never once ran into anything this big, but the old guy still wanted to save his face, so he drew in a breath to collect himself, then set about instructing people to take care of the messenger disciple and contact the elders of his own sect, gathering forces as well in preparation to make a good showing at Butterfly Town so as to regain some dignity.

The assembly set off grandly from Sisheng Peak, rushing through the sky toward Butterfly Town like hundreds of shooting stars. Standing on his sword at the head of the fleet as they flew through the clouds, Li Wuxin couldn't resist stealing a sidelong glance at those disciples of the lower cultivation realm's number one sect.

He never could have expected that he would one day head into battle alongside such rabble, the very people he had always looked down on, and his feelings were a bit complicated for a moment.

Travelling by sword, they crossed a thousand miles in no time, and as the clouds before them parted ways to reveal a stream of demonic light the color of blood shooting straight up into the sky, Li Wuxin had no more thought to spare for matters of the upper or lower cultivation realm—— Because floating in the sky was an enormous, flickering array of crimson light the size of the town itself, delineated neatly into the checkered pattern of a chessboard. And on that chessboard, like so many carved figurines, hovered the silhouettes of all the dead townsfolk; five hundred households, over one thousand people, looking like a dense forest of human flesh.

Li Wuxin cried out despite himself: "I-it really is… Zhenlong Chess Formation!"

Xue Zhengyong, expression dark, addressed Li Wuxin: "Li-zhuangzhu, I'll take my people to the southeast side, but we'll have to trouble you and yours to take care of the northwestern side. The other sects aren't here yet, we'll have to hold out for now." There were more pressing matters right now than his use of the term "we",

so Li Wuxin nodded: "Got it, got it." Xue Zhengyong cupped his fist in his other hand toward him in a gesture of respect and led the disciples of Sisheng Peak down to land on the southeast side of Butterfly Town. The defensive barrier made of the flesh and blood of Bitan Sect's guarding disciples was already on the verge of collapse, the field of its spiritual energy barely holding out. And on the other side of the translucent barrier roamed masses of walking corpses.

"Chu Wanning!" Seeing a man in drifting white robes beside another in blue-silver light armor standing in front, Xue Zhengyong called out: "What's the matter? Is the barrier irreparable?"   Chu Wanning had already been here for a while. Xue Zhengyong couldn't understand why the barrier was still in such a sorry state with the number one zongshi of barriers standing right there.

But he got no response from Chu Wanning. Xue Zhengyong was just about to call again when Mo Ran turned around and gestured at him to not.

"Uncle, shh. Come over here." Xue Zhengyong walked over: "What is it?"   "Don't disturb him." Mo Ran pointed at Chu Wanning.

Although standing, his eyes were closed and his hands were held pressed together, and his lips were completely colorless.

Xue Zhengyong started and reached out to feel the pulse at the side of his neck, then asked in alarm: "Soul Projection?" "Yeah. It's all ghosts in there, couple thousand of them, but we couldn't find Luo Xianxian, so she's probably in the deeper parts of the town. We don't know what exactly is happening yet, or what the guy behind all this is plotting this time,

so he went to go find Luo Xianxian to ask." "She's already a vicious ghost gone berserk, what even is there to ask!" Xue Zhengyong smacked his leg in anger, "Reinforcing the barrier is more important right now!" "Don't!" Mo Ran said sharply, "Shizun temporarily cast his soul out using Soul Projection precisely because it's all dead people in there, and this way he can go in covertly without alarming the enemy. If the barrier gets reinforced now,

it'll get Shizun killed!" "WHAT?!" Xue Zhengyong exclaimed in a panic, "You stay right here and keep an eye on him, I'll go tell Li Wuxin!"   Mo Ran nodded, then added: "I'll send up a blue colored signal as soon as Shizun's soul returns, then we can start mending the barrier from all directions.

But before then, Uncle must absolutely not allow them to mend it, or it'll cause the thousands of ghosts to begin devouring in a frenzy, Shizun only has his soul in there, he won't be able to defend himself against that."

"I know, I know already!" Xue Zhengyong was already a distance away before he'd even finished his reply.

Mo Ran lifted his eyes toward that barrier on the brink of failure.

"There's not much time left. Shizun, you've found Luo Xianxian by now,

right?" He spoke in a quiet voice as he turned to look at him, and in his worry,

reached out without thinking to close his hand around Chu Wanning's ice-cold one, wholly unaware of his own actions.

"Almost…" Just then, Shi Mei touched down nearby alongside Xue Meng and the rest,

but unexpectedly, when he looked up from the crowd, the sight that greeted him was that of the pair before the barrier with their hands entwined. He froze, color draining from his face, then bit down on his lip and slowly turned his head away.

Author's Notes:

🚨 Warning!

The content that follows will uncover the first wave of truths from the previous timeline, and will develop a crucial, climactic plot event. Both mains will be facing the important turning points in their lives in this lifetime, to give a weak hint, the last huge wave of knives for Shizun, and the first wave of knives for Mo Ran are coming. In order to keep the pace of the novel unaffected, until this arc ends, there won't be any mini theatres.

Promise me, that no matter what you read next, do not perform the dangerous stunt of voring Meatbun alive, thank you! Thank you! If you're unhappy about anything please vent it on 1.0 dog QAQ or form a dog-beating squad with Mengmeng...Meatbun is innocent = = Thank you CEOs!!! Running away fearfully….