A Hundred Things Await Renewal

Qingyunzi stood aloft in the void. The space around him collapsed and shattered continuously, and a terrifying, destructive aura permeated heaven and earth, causing every being present to tremble in instinctive dread.

The wounds upon his body were steadily healing, but one hideous, ferocious scar refused to mend, cleaving cleanly through both his flesh and his soul.

Qingyunzi took a step forward. Unable to withstand his terrifying might, the void cracked apart like a spiderweb, and his overwhelming pressure surged toward every horizon!

"A mere junior at the second turn of the Profound Core realm thinks he can punish this old man?"

His voice was raspy and chilling, brimming with absolute fury.

He had been at the critical juncture of his breakthrough when Zhao Yuanmu forcefully interrupted him, causing the heavenly laws to reverse and trigger a brutal backlash. Though he had managed to shield his soul and physical form in time, the Dao wound he sustained was severe. His path was severed; there was no longer any hope of advancement.

To sever a cultivator's path to the Dao was no different from murdering their kindred. How could he not be enraged?

Zhao Yuanmu's armor erupted with a brilliant, blood-red light-a murderousbaleful aura condensed from slaying countless demons and monsters. He barked coldly:

"Your cultivation has altered the celestial phenomena of Nanyang Prefecture, turning a thousand li into scorched earth and bringing ruin to its living beings. You have committed a heinous crime. By His Majesty's decree, I am here to escort you to the Southern Wilderness to guard the borders for five hundred years, that you may atone for your sins against the myriad citizens of Nanyang!"

"A joke! Those ants died, so what?" Qingyunzi sneered. "If this old man had achieved the Tongxuan realm, I would like to see if that Zhao Xu would dare utter such words to my face."

Zhao Yuanmu flew into a violent rage. "Presumptuous! How dare a criminal official like you speak His Majesty's name so lightly!"

"Six years of time, yet you could not take that final step, only inflicting misery and poverty upon the people of Nanyang. Old villain, your crimes deserve death, yet you still dare bluster? Die!"

With a roar, he thrust his long spear, charging straight toward Qingyunzi. Behind him, a golden-armored Dharma form of a slaughtering god manifested, towering over a thousand zhang tall. It shook the heavens and split the earth, radiating a terrifying, absolute power.

Seeing this, the countless cultivators gathered below trembled violently, their minds gripped by sheer terror.

"Ignorant fool. Today, I shall slay you and see what that Zhao Xu can do to me!"

Qingyunzi snorted coldly. His sleeves whipped and howled in the gale as a massive cloud of fire manifested between heaven and earth. The temperature plummeted into an oppressive, scorching heat; flames ignited out of thin air, burning the ground and incinerating everything in their path.

"Not good."

Below, Qingxuanzi's expression shifted drastically. He hastily swept his sleeves, stowing countless palaces and pavilions into his spatial robes, before leading the disciples of the Azure Cloud Sect into a swift retreat.

He knew all too well that if a battle of this scale truly erupted, the centuries of heritage and foundation of the Azure Cloud Sect would be reduced to ashes by the mere aftershocks.

Only when they had fled a great distance away did his racing heart settle slightly. Yet, as he gazed at the two speck-like figures clashing against the firmament, he remained silent, ultimately letting out a long, weary sigh.

On one side was his Senior Brother, the Supreme Elder of the Azure Cloud Sect; on the other was the emissary of the reigning Emperor.

He did not wish to intervene, nor did he dare to.

"Senior Brother... the Azure Cloud Sect needs me more."

His Senior Brother's attempt to break through to the Tongxuan realm ought to have been a grand blessing for the sect and a fortunate event for the Zhao Kingdom. However, his Senior Brother cultivated the path of fire; in drawing upon the great Dao of heaven and earth, his leaking laws had locked the world in a vice, causing the six-year drought that plagued Nanyang Prefecture.

How could the Azure Cloud Sect have been blind to the tragedies unfolding across Nanyang Prefecture? How could the court of the Zhao Kingdom have been ignorant?

Yet, the addition of a Tongxuan grand master was simply too advantageous for the whole of the Zhao Kingdom. Thus, the Emperor had tacitly permitted his Senior Brother to continue his breakthrough, even if it meant the common people suffered and died.

But six years had passed, and his Senior Brother had still failed to break through. He had long missed the golden hour; his hopes were now virtually nonexistent.

Naturally, the Emperor would no longer tolerate Qingyunzi's wasteful consumption. He demanded that the man atone for the suffering of Nanyang's citizens by guarding the Southern Wilderness, slaying demons, and expanding the frontiers for humanity and the realm.

If Qingxuanzi stepped forward to aid his Senior Brother, it would be deemed a defiance of imperial orders, and he would be punished alongside him. If both Profound Core cultivators of the Azure Cloud Sect were exiled to the Southern Wilderness, the sect would be left defenseless. How could they maintain their footing in the Zhao Kingdom then?

Above Azure Cloud Mountain, the Dharma form and the fire cloud locked in fierce confrontation. Watching the members of the Azure Cloud Sect retreat into the distance, the auras of the two combatants finally erupted in full, causing the void to shudder.

How could Qingyunzi not know that this was his rightful punishment? He was simply filled with resentment over his damaged Dao and wished to vent his spite upon Zhao Yuanmu. Furthermore, this was the Azure Cloud Sect's domain; if Zhao Yuanmu acted so brazenly and he, the grand ancestor, offered no resistance, it would cause the disciples to lose faith and heart in their own sect.

Besides, since he was already deemed a criminal, it mattered little if he roughed up Zhao Yuanmu a bit. As for actually slaying the general, Qingyunzi was merely blustering.

After all, despite causing the deaths of countless mortals in Nanyang, the Zhao Kingdom was only exiling him to the Southern Wilderness. This was because the Four Seas and Eight Wastes were still teeming with fierce beasts and primordial demons; the human race needed powerful cultivators to hold the lines and carve out territory.

Yet, the moment he recalled the brutal, horrifying reputation of the Southern Wilderness, even a cultivator of Qingyunzi's caliber could not help but sigh in inward trepidation.

In the next instant, the fire cloud blazed across the heavens, unleashing a torrential might that blotted out the sun, intending to refine the golden-armored Dharma form by force.

However, the Dharma form gripped its long spear, its killing intent surging like an oceanic tide. The thick, bloody aura shot straight into the clouds, piercing through the fire cloud and rending the very sky apart with tyrannical ferocity.

Boom!

A world-shaking battle erupted instantly. The void fractured, and Azure Cloud Mountain was battered and broken; countless boulders cascaded down the slopes as the mountain peak was sheared clean off.

Before long, a figure plummeted from the void, crashing into the earth and creating a massive crater. His armor was shattered to pieces, his long spear snapped in two-a truly wretched sight.

Mangled flesh and blood splattered onto the soil, instantly dissolving into dense vital energy. Blood grass sprouted rapidly from the dirt, rich with spiritual energy yet carrying a harsh, martial aura.

Qingyunzi stood high in the sky, looking down coldly at the fallen Zhao Yuanmu. His gaze was frozen and detached. Were it not for the terrifying weight of the imperial clan backing the man, he truly would have slaughtered Zhao Yuanmu to vent his grievances.

Zhao Yuanmu struggled to his feet, his severe wounds knitting together at an astonishing speed. He could not help but let out a bitter smile. Even though Qingyunzi had failed his breakthrough and was severely weakened, he was still not an opponent he could match. Though both were at the Profound Core realm, the disparity in their strength was as vast as a celestial chasm.

Reaching into his robes, he drew out a golden imperial decree and roared toward the sky.

"By the law of the Emperor, Qingyunzi is sentenced to guard the Southern Wilderness for five hundred years!"

Instantly, a blinding golden light erupted. A majestic, towering phantom manifested between heaven and earth, radiating the absolute, supreme aura of a sovereign ruling over the mortal realm, suppressing all creation.

Even the Azure Cloud Sect cultivators who had fled over a hundred li away felt an instinctual urge to submit and prostrate themselves in fear. Some grew so terrified that they dropped to their knees, bowing their heads toward the phantom.

Qingyunzi's expression changed. He felt a vast, boundless spiritual pressure rushing toward him from all sides like a tidal wave, pinning him immovably in midair.

He had not expected the current Emperor's cultivation to have reached such a terrifying height; a mere imperial decree carried enough power to completely suppress him.

With a quiet sigh, he lowered his head and clasped his hands.

"Your criminal official, Qingyunzi, accepts the decree."

The phantom looked down upon Qingyunzi with cool indifference. The golden decree then transformed into a speck of spiritual light, sinking directly into Qingyunzi's Sea of Consciousness and forming a powerful seal.

Only after Qingyunzi fulfilled his five hundred years of service in the Southern Wilderness would this restriction naturally dissolve.

The beating Zhao Yuanmu had endured prior was not in vain; it was the imperial family's way of giving face to the Azure Cloud Sect, allowing the old ancestor to vent his frustration before submitting.

The phantom then cast its gaze across the land, as if witnessing the tragic plight of the myriad suffering citizens of Nanyang Prefecture. A trace of sorrow and compassion flickered in its eyes. It turned toward the distant Azure Cloud Sect cultivators and commanded:

"The living beings of Nanyang have suffered greatly; a hundred things await renewal. Do not be negligent in your duties."

The voice rolled through the heavens like thunder.

Qingyunzi bowed lower. "Your subjects understand."

With that, the imperial phantom dissolved into the air, and both Qingyunzi and Zhao Yuanmu transformed into streaks of light, shooting rapidly toward the south.

Back at Azure Cloud Mountain, the remaining cultivators of the sect finally moved, utilizing their spiritual arts to stabilize the chaotic earth veins and turbulent Qi of the shattered peaks. Wood-attribute cultivators raised their hands, causing lush vegetation and ancient trees to sprout instantly, cloaking the ruined mountain in a mantle of vibrant life.

Throughout Nanyang Prefecture, the oppressive, scorching heat that had locked the land in a vice began to quietly recede. Clouds and rich moisture from neighboring prefectures began to roll across the borders, gathering in the skies of Nanyang, brewing a life-giving rain that would soon rejuvenate the parched earth.

Yet, this scorched, pockmarked hell of Nanyang Prefecture was currently a wasteland of scattered bones. The living resembled skeletal ghosts, and the dead had been reduced to ash. One could only wonder how many years it would take for this land to truly recover its former prosperity.

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