Guarding the Prison for 100 Years, I Emerge to Overwhelm the Demon Venerable

Soon, he seemed to find peace. A faint smile touched his lips as wisps of black qi trickled from his mouth and nose.

The vile, roaring Yin Sha Resentment Qi once again flooded the surroundings, its howls shaking the heavens.

"I have devoured you for millennia, and for millennia, I have endured your gnawing. If you still bear grievances, then feast on my soul, swallow my spiritual light..."

Within the dim Divine Light, Qin Wuliang’s face was marked by the aura of death as he spoke calmly.

His voice was like a divine tone, or a Zen chant, as if he had seen through all matters of life and death.

"Dust returns to dust, earth to earth. All hatred and loathing are but a fleeting cloud of smoke..."

In an instant, the Divine Light, the divine voice, and the Yin Sha Resentment Qi became tangled together like a chaotic mess of threads.

The countless Demon Ghosts let out a ferocious roar.

Tens of millions of Demon Ghosts roared in unison, a hysterical sound that completely submerged Qin Wuliang in a deafening crash.

"Old Mansion Master!"

Cui Yanliang and Jin Yunfeng’s faces changed drastically, and they couldn’t help but cry out.

They watched as the endless ink-blackness and Divine Light slowly merged, as the swarm of Demon Ghosts that blotted out the sky swallowed Qin Wuliang.

Su Bai, however, simply shook his head slightly.

Qin Wuliang was already injured and had been under the Leader of Gui Chen Sect’s Sealing for a long time. Even with Bai You’s help, it was impossible for him to break through from the Feather Transformation Realm to the Ascension Immortal Realm in a single step.

Yet, knowing his breakthrough was hopeless, Qin Wuliang did not descend into hysterics or wail in despair in his final moments.

Instead, he used the remnants of his physical body and Divine Spirit to purify these Demon Ghosts, greatly reducing the Yin Sha Resentment Qi.

For all the Ten Thousand Spirits of the world, this was an exceptionally good thing.

’Fellow Daoist Qin’s act is one of immense merit.’

Su Bai sighed softly and cupped his hands toward the point where the Divine Light was merging.

"Fellow Daoist Qin, may your journey be peaceful..."

In this world, effort does not always guarantee success.

Often, even when you give it your all, you will ultimately fail.

And yet, even knowing this, what can one do?

If you do nothing, not even a sliver of a chance for success exists.

But if you act, you can accept the outcome calmly, even in failure.

He couldn’t help but feel a measure of respect for such a person.

In the instant Su Bai cupped his hands, another change occurred.

The center of the merged ink-blackness and Divine Light instantly dimmed. A ripple of nothingness spread out in all directions, inch by inch.

It wiped away the inky Yin Sha Qi and erased the pure golden Divine Light.

Every last trace in the sky above turned to dust and scattered.

Only a few moments passed. On the barren mountain in the distance, long since flattened by the Divine Light, there was now nothing left.

The Divine Light was gone, the Yin Sha Resentment Qi was gone, and the countless roaring Demon Ghosts were also gone.

And so was Qin Wuliang, who should have been sitting there cross-legged.

"Old Mansion Master!"

Jin Yunfeng was overcome with grief. But alas, in his current skeletal body, he had no expression, let alone a single tear.

He collapsed to the ground, able to manage only a raw, hoarse, tearless wail.

Watching this, Cui Yanliang also felt a pang of sorrow.

’Some people, even if you only meet them once, can leave a deeper impression than those you’ve known for years.’

He had only met the Old Mansion Master, Qin Wuliang, once, and they had spent less than a day together.

But seeing this scene now, he couldn’t help but be moved.

"Xiaojiu!"

From the depths of the Star Sea, a long sigh descended and flowed out in all directions.

The black rod swatted at the lightning snakes, crushing one Thunder Dragon after another. It emitted a mournful cry like a sob, as if seeing Qin Wuliang off.

RUMBLE!

A moment later, with an earth-shattering boom, the black rod vanished.

The sky full of lightning snakes and roaring Thunder Dragons also dissipated at the same time.

Subsequently, the Eye of Heaven propped open by the black rod vanished. The shockwave previously displaced by the immense force transformed into a boundless hurricane. It howled as it poured back into the North Suburb, whipping up endless snow, sand, and stone.

The force was as mighty as a tidal wave, nearly submerging the entire Da Yu Capital City.

WHOOSH!

Amidst the biting hurricane, Su Bai walked on air, striding toward Da Yu Capital City.

The hurricane winds pouring in from all directions gradually subsided as he walked forward.

By the time he stepped into Da Yu Capital City, the blast wave under the starry sky had completely calmed.

Looking up, he saw the boundless starry sky with the bright moon hanging high.

The world had returned to normal, not stirring in the slightest at Qin Wuliang’s departure.

Su Bai looked down. Da Yu Capital City was deathly silent, all its lights extinguished by the fierce winds.

Besides the dust and snow flying in every direction, it seemed as if nothing had changed at all.

The countless common people once under Qin Wuliang’s Shelter seemed completely unaware that the Old Mansion Master, who had protected them for over thirty thousand years, had just vanished beneath the starry sky tonight.

He had dissolved completely into nothingness.

"Qin Wuliang..."

Su Bai walked on air, his gaze fixed on the distance, and muttered to himself.

Deep within his dark, profound gaze, a golden-yellow Spiritual Brand, tinged with faint purple, was slowly taking shape.

This was the last trace left behind by the Old Mansion Master.

It was not Divine Thoughts, nor a remnant soul, but something more like a persistent will.

...

The morning light broke at dawn. The brilliant golden sun pierced the gloom of night, scattering its light across heaven and earth and awakening the Ten Thousand Spirits from their slumber.

Somewhere in Da Yu Capital City, the Copper Bell of the Wansheng Institute was struck. Its peal spread and echoed with the rising smoke from kitchen fires, filling the entire city.

A new day had arrived.

For the many citizens of Da Yu Capital City, it had not been a peaceful night’s sleep.

Many were half-asleep, and even more had not slept at all. Only when they saw the darkness retreat and the light return did they drag their weary bodies to open their doors.

They began their day of hard work.

Sleeping in was a great luxury for the vast majority of people, especially for those in certain trades.

For example, the vendors who sold breakfast.

On a street in the south of the city, Su Bai bought some breakfast from a stall and ate as he walked.

Da Yu Capital City had its own unique food culture. This breakfast wasn’t what one would call delicious, but it had a distinct flavor of its own.

Otherwise, it would be difficult to establish a foothold in the Da Yu Capital City.

At this time, with the sun just rising, the streets were not crowded. It was mostly vendors, and the faces of many were etched with exhaustion.

Su Bai silently chewed his flatbread, sensing the changes in the hearts of the people.

’The human heart is a strange thing. It’s not black and white. Good people can have malicious thoughts, and wicked people can have benevolent ones. A truly heartless person would not be found among common folk.’

’The so-called "Supreme Emotionlessness" and the path of severance from emotion... those mostly speak of Cultivators.’

’But compared to good and evil, emotion and heartlessness, what ordinary people care about most is their own survival and daily lives.’

’This has been true from ancient times to the present, no matter the world.’

WHOOSH!

Just then, a silver light streaked across the street and landed beside Su Bai.

The Silver-White Dog Demon yawned, looking thoroughly bored. "Senior, those remaining Gui Chen Sect Daoists... their Cultivation is low. I could kill ’em with one swipe of my paw. They were terrified and agreed to everything..."

For the past day and night, he had been collecting the Incense that the Gui Chen Sect had accumulated over many years. Although the Gui Chen Sect Daoists were somewhat reluctant, they had obediently handed it all over.

"Not bad."

Su Bai casually broke off half of his flatbread, stuffed it into the Silver-White Dog Demon’s mouth, and spoke nonchalantly.

He was lost in thought.

’The Gui Chen Sect still has tens of thousands of disciples, as well as some Daoists whose sins are relatively minor. It’s not necessary to kill them all.’

’But just letting them go wouldn’t be safe either.’

’Thinking about it now, the best way is to install a puppet Sect Leader to stabilize the situation.’

At this, the Silver-White Dog Demon grew excited and asked with a curious look:

"Senior, who are you thinking of making the new Sect Leader?"

At the same time, he felt a bit of contempt.

’It’s not that I look down on these surviving Gui Chen Sect Daoists,’ he thought. ’It’s that they have no backbone at all. They tremble at the sight of me. None of them have what it takes to be a Sect Leader.’

’They’re worse than dogs.’

’They’re completely unqualified for the position of new Sect Leader.’

Su Bai spoke in a slow, unhurried manner:

"If you want the job, I wouldn’t be against letting you have it..."