Volume 14, Chapter 899 – The Approaching Death Calamity

Qi Huang roamed the Immortal Realm with her wife and maidservant in tow, on one hand searching for the relatives of those evil spirits, and on the other observing the various sects and factions within the realm.

Just as An Xuan had said, after a prolonged period of indoctrination by the Immortal Alliance, the cultivators of the Immortal Realm had completely lost all awareness or inclination to defy the Heavenly Dao. Their minds were filled with thoughts of servitude, striving to appease the Heavenly Dao in hopes of avoiding the coming Death Calamity. Naturally, wiping out the evil spirits had become the most commonly accepted method.

Influenced day by day, Qi Huang gradually came to terms with the burden in her heart. Given the current state of the Immortal Realm, a major purge was clearly long overdue.

“Young Mistress, these immortals and cultivators don’t know about the upcoming purge. They’re dead set on eliminating all ghost clans from the Immortal Realm. Even if you don’t lift a hand, they’re bound to bring about their own destruction. It’s just a matter of time.”

An Xuan continued her patient persuasion from the side.

“What if I tell them the truth? What would happen then?”

Qi Huang asked, suddenly struck by a whimsical thought.

“You’d be labeled a heretic and hunted by the entire Immortal Realm.”

An Xuan replied mockingly, then added, “This maid has seen quite a few immortals who tried to defy the heavens. They were relentlessly pursued by the Immortal Alliance until death, with nowhere to escape, neither in the skies nor on the earth. That’s one of the main reasons why cultivators today dare not rebel against the Heavenly Dao.”

“Don’t be naive. You think people would believe you? Who do you think you are, the Immortal Alliance’s leader?”

Cheng Hongling chimed in.

Qi Huang quickly let go of that naïve idea and continued her aimless drifting through the Immortal Realm with the two women.

Day after day passed, and Qi Huang still couldn’t find a single cultivator or immortal with a backbone. Disappointment grew in her heart, and her resolve to act solidified.

One day, Qi Huang and the two women arrived at the capital of the Fengming Immortal Kingdom. She immediately noticed that something major had happened. Rumors were spreading like wildfire throughout the city, and the people were filled with panic and unrest.

“Do you think what Master Tianjizi said is true? That June 18th, nineteen years from now, will be the end for all cultivators and immortals in the Immortal Realm?”

“Who knows?”

“I think it’s real. What would he gain from lying?”

“How would I know? I’m not him.”

“Come on, think about it. How could that be true? This is the Immortal Realm! Who has the power to bring about such an end, apart from the Celestials?”

“Then maybe it is the Celestials. June 18th, nineteen years from now, is exactly the deadline they gave the Immortal Alliance. Didn’t they say that if we couldn’t eliminate all the evil spirits by then, punishment would descend?”

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“How dare you slander the Celestials like that! If the Immortal Alliance hears you, your entire family won’t escape punishment.”

All throughout the streets and alleys, people whispered to each other, and every conversation revolved around the name “Tianjizi”.

“Looks like there’s some excitement to watch.”

Unable to contain her curiosity, Qi Huang led the two women into an inn.

“I listened closely just now. It sounds like this nation’s Tianjizi predicted that twenty years from now will be the date of the Death Calamity for all cultivators and immortals in the Immortal Realm.”

An Xuan said after sitting down.

“Nineteen years from now? Isn’t that the exact deadline given to the Immortal Alliance by the Celestials?”

Qi Huang reminded.

“If the Immortal Alliance truly manages to wipe out all ghost clans before then, the Immortal Realm will undoubtedly undergo a massive purge. Calling it the ‘Death Calamity’ for all cultivators and immortals wouldn’t be an exaggeration. Seems this Tianjizi does have some insight.”

Cheng Hongling, rarely showing surprise, had a flicker of astonishment on her face.

“This doesn’t make sense. If I go through with the plan and take all the evil spirits away from the cultivation world, then that purge would come long before those nineteen years are up. Does that mean our plan will fail?”

Qi Huang suddenly realized something was amiss.

The two women furrowed their brows as well, expressions visibly heavy.

“If we know we’re going to fail… should we even continue with this plan?”

Qi Huang questioned, her voice bearing the weight of her soul. For Cheng Hongling’s sake, she truly wanted to give it all up.

“No, that’s not it!”

An Xuan shook her head slowly and said, “Young Mistress, this so-called Tianjizi doesn’t actually foresee the future. He’s simply obtained some information from the Celestial Realm through special means. If by then the evil spirits in the Immortal Realm have already been cleansed by the Immortal Alliance, then a major purge from the Celestials is certain. That much is obvious.”

“That’s right. This just means that someone with access to the Celestial Realm knows their future plans. It doesn’t mean he saw the future.”

An Xuan quickly followed up.

“I see now.”

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Qi Huang finally understood.

The three women continued their observations. At this moment, hidden currents surged within the palace at the heart of the capital.

Inside a grand study, the stunning Empress of the Fengming Immortal Kingdom, in her thirties, stared at the handsome, silver-haired young man before her. Her brows were deeply furrowed, words on the tip of her tongue, yet unsaid.

“National adviser, you really will go to any lengths for your freedom, won’t you?”

After a long pause, the beautiful Empress finally spoke.

“Your Majesty jests. In my current condition, even if I were to leave the palace, how many more years could I even live?”

The white-robed young man replied neither humbly nor arrogantly. He was none other than Fang Yuan, the Tianjizi of the Fengming Immortal Kingdom.

Fang Yuan was still young, but he had burned too much of his essence blood for the sake of the nation, which had turned his hair white.

“Then why spread such rumors?”

The Empress probed without revealing her emotions.

“Your Majesty, I have not spread any rumors. This is information passed down to me by the ancestors of the Celestial Realm. Nineteen years from now, on June 18th, all cultivators and immortals in our Immortal Realm will face their Death Calamity.”

Fang Yuan explained politely.

“Do you know where we are? This is the Immortal Realm!”

The Empress laughed. “The Immortal Realm is the only high-level world under the Five Elements Heavenly Dao. Who has the power to doom all cultivators and immortals here?”

“That I do not know, Your Majesty. But for the sake of the Immortal Realm’s future, I had to share the truth I was given, hoping to alert everyone and prepare for that day in advance.”

Fang Yuan replied earnestly.

“You must know that June 18th, nineteen years from now, is the Celestials’ final deadline for the Immortal Alliance. By spreading such claims, you’re implying that the Death Calamity is tied to the Celestials. Do you realize what consequences that could bring?”

The Empress enunciated each word.

“Your Majesty, as I said, I’m doing this for the future of cultivators and immortals. What consequence could outweigh that?”

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Fang Yuan responded with a question of his own.

“I don’t know whether what you said is true or false. But even if it is true, you don’t even know where the danger is coming from. What do you think we could possibly do? All this will do is stir up panic and provoke the ire of the Immortal Alliance. If I’m not wrong, they’ll come knocking very soon.”

The Empress’s expression turned solemn. “There’s still a chance to fix this. I’ll declare publicly that this was all a misunderstanding, and you’ll go out to clarify as well.”

“That’s impossible, Your Majesty.”

Fang Yuan firmly shook his head.

“You…”

The Empress grew furious, but bound by the young man’s status, she could not take strong measures and could only let it go with frustration.

“What do you two think?”

Qi Huang turned to the two women beside her.

“This Fang Yuan has quite the sense of justice.”

Cheng Hongling, unusually, offered praise.

“Too bad in this upside-down world, having a sense of justice isn’t always a good thing. By spreading such a message, he’s essentially slandering the Celestials. The Immortal Alliance won’t let him off.”

An Xuan saw straight through the situation.

Qi Huang thought for a moment and said, “Let’s save him. To know oneself and one’s enemy is the key to victory. We need someone who knows the general situation in the Celestial Realm.”

“When should we act?”

Cheng Hongling asked.

“No rush. The most precious form of kindness is help in times of crisis. We’ll wait until he’s pushed to the edge of the cliff. If we step in now, it’ll look like we’re fawning over him for no reason. He won’t appreciate it.”

Qi Huang made a rational decision.

Soon after, the message spread by Fang Yuan had swept through the entire Immortal Realm.

In the Immortal Alliance’s Grand Hall of Deliberation, a steward reported the situation to Yin Wan.

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“This Fang Yuan is completely spouting nonsense! Even if our Immortal Alliance fails its mission, would the Heavenly Court really wipe out all cultivators and immortals in the Immortal Realm?”

Yin Wan cursed angrily.

“Alliance Leader, have the Grand Elders received any such intel?”

Yan Yi asked cautiously.

“Of course not. If he had, I would have known long ago.”

Yin Wan suppressed his fury as he answered.

“Alliance Leader, everyone in the cultivation world knows what June 18th, nineteen years from now, means. Fang Yuan spreading this kind of rumor is clearly trying to turn people against the Celestials. His intentions are criminal.”

One elder warned.

“Exactly. Our Immortal Alliance has spent countless years correcting public opinion on the Heavenly Dao. We can’t let this be ruined by him. We must act.”

“Just arrest him as a traitor and execute him. We can’t treat him differently just because he’s a Tianjizi. Otherwise, how will we maintain authority in the future?”

“Not just Fang Yuan, the Empress of Fengming must be punished as well. Without her approval, how could this news have spread?”

Several upper echelon members gritted their teeth.

“Alliance Leader, I don’t think we need to be so extreme. There’s still room to salvage this. If we can pressure him into publicly clarifying, that should be enough.”

Yan Yi offered a different view.

“Grand Elder, wouldn’t that make us look too weak?”

Someone questioned.

“You don’t understand. Fang Yuan is still a Tianjizi. It’s better to make use of him than to kill him.”

Yan Yi rebuked.

Yin Wan thought for a moment, then turned to Yan Yi. “Grand Elder, I’ll leave this matter to you. Go to the Fengming Immortal Kingdom. If Fang Yuan is willing to clarify, give him another chance. If he remains stubborn, kill him as a warning. Show no mercy.”