Chapter 1013: Growth Amid Disaster

In the realm of the Nine Heavens and the Heavenly River, above the Starlight Celestial Realm, someone paused, pen in hand, and looked down upon the human world. They naturally sensed the extraordinary martial fortune of the Great Zhen Dynasty.

Ji Yuan made no calculations or predictions; relying solely on his intuition, he picked up his wolf-hair brush again. With a flick of his wrist towards the lower realms, he seemed to draw that very fortune as ink. He then began writing on the Heavenly River once more, each passage settling into the Celestial Monument.

After completing a chapter, Ji Yuan paused briefly before resuming his writing. Each time before putting brush to paper, his tip would point downwards, drawing a thread of destiny from the myriad cosmic fortunes to serve as ink.

As the one with the clearest understanding of the current cosmic situation, Ji Yuan did not wander about during the unfolding chaos. Instead, he healed his wounds while continuing to write in the Celestial Realm, tirelessly inscribing his profound Xuanhuang energy through decrees. It was as if he intended to exhaust all his Xuanhuang essence, influencing not only the Celestial Realm but also the entirety of heaven and earth.

As the saying goes, "scholars, farmers, artisans, merchants"—throughout the human world, a similar social hierarchy has been observed since ancient times. Literati were considered part of or close to the "scholar" class, and they rarely involved themselves in the affairs of the other three professions.

However, since the Hundred Schools of Thought began to contend across the human realm, the literary and martial paths fostered increasingly brilliant cultures and insights. Among these, a unique group emerged: the Mohists.

This world naturally does not have a Mozi like in Ji Yuan's previous life's antiquity. The term "Mohists" arose, much like "Strategists" or "Novelists," due to a particular characteristic central to their philosophy: the skillful use of the ink marker by master craftsmen.

The ink marker symbolizes the wisdom of artisans and the ancient human tradition of craftsmanship. The Mohists possess multiple methods for measuring objects, yet they revere human history and respect ingenious earthly techniques. By adopting "Mo" (ink) as their namesake, they also demonstrated their own profound scholarship and extensive knowledge.

Unlike traditional scholars, however, the Mohists not only studied literature but also dedicated significant effort to craftsmanship, disregarding the ancient class prejudices. Furthermore, they sought advice on magical arts and divine abilities from various cultivators. As Mohists, anything that helped advance their path—including but not limited to mechanical contraptions, whether literary or martial, immortal arts or practical techniques—was something they delved into.

In other words, they learned everything useful, but Mohists were not concerned about being generalists without mastery. This was because all their learning and application had a significant overarching goal: to pave their own path. They selected various footholds from numerous schools and methods to forge their unique way.

The Mohists continuously organized and summarized their core philosophy, attracting like-minded individuals. They aspired to discover their own Way, hoping to produce figures comparable to the Literary and Martial Sages. Mechanical arts, at present, were merely one of the Mohist school's most representative abilities.

It was precisely because of mechanical arts that the Mohists began to distinguish themselves in Yunzhou, a land where literary and martial traditions thrived. This also made them the third major school of thought to receive strong official support from the Great Zhen government, following the Confucian and Military schools. Their development became increasingly vigorous, with the Ministry of Works and the Imperial Observatory being particularly active.

While the Great Zhen navy's expedition to Qi Liang brought great renown to its valiant soldiers, the Mohist-designed mechanical warships of the Great Zhen navy were equally famous. As powerful human artifacts, they were even recognized by the cultivation world as a type of human-path magic treasure, inspiring not only all Mohist scholars and the Great Zhen court but also the people and soldiers of Great Zhen.

In Great Zhen and its surrounding regions, two activities kept everyone busiest: conscription and military training, and the Mohists' continuous refinement and construction of mechanical warships. Master craftsmen from across Great Zhen were constantly conscripted, working tirelessly under the guidance of the few Mohist masters and some immortal teachers.

Originally, the Hundred Schools of Thought contended in the human world, and gradually, each school began to develop a supreme Dao Heart akin to cultivation. However, the human realms across the world were now falling into chaos. While the flourishing contention of the Hundred Schools seemed disrupted by this turbulent era, it was also a test for each school and its path, forcing them to advance amidst crisis. The Mohists and Strategists were but a small microcosm of this.

Unfortunately, while these microcosms might have an impact, they currently lacked the power to turn the tide. In the face of the Cosmic Tribulation, very few places could maintain peace in their homelands. They either perished in demonic disasters or transformed into such calamities themselves. The suffering of all beings was unfathomable, like a bitter, boundless sea.

The magnitude and speed of these global changes shattered the balance between heaven and earth, catching all upright cultivators across the world completely off guard.

Many cultivators, whether immortals, demons, spirits, or Buddhas, had only just emerged from secluded training to find that the world, as they sensed it, had already undergone a radical transformation.

At Mount Weimei, since the Devouring Beast completed its breakthrough and was taken back to the sect by the Weimei Sect members, the sect's mountain gate had remained closed. Now, for the first time in years, Weimei Sect cultivators were venturing out because various anomalies had begun appearing on Mount Weimei itself.

Like many cultivation sects, a single mountain could not have two masters. Due to the presence of the Weimei Sect, the majestic Mount Weimei had no mountain god—or rather, no mountain god capable of gaining the Weimei Sect's approval. Naturally, everything within the mountain was under the sect's jurisdiction.

The Weimei Sect could disregard all other places, but they could not neglect Mount Weimei.

As soon as the mountain gate opened, many Weimei Sect disciples emerged, some riding clouds, others controlling wind, to patrol Mount Weimei in various directions.

Jiang Xueling, accompanied by Zhou Xian and several disciples, glided on clouds close to the peaks of Cloud Mountain. They observed that the demonic energy in the mountain was immeasurably stronger than before, and traced some of its paths leading out of the mountain to distant lands. The cosmic fortune between heaven and earth also seemed to lack the circulating energy of the Heavenly Dao that it once possessed.

"Roar—"

On a nearby mountaintop, a creature covered in green fur, resembling a monstrous beast but with the physique of a mountain giant or ogre, suddenly appeared. It roared at the Weimei Sect female cultivators traveling on clouds, unleashing a pungent mix of demonic energy and foul body odor that caused several of the women to subtly frown.

"Foolish creature!"

Zhou Xian raised her hand and pointed forward. Instantly, a swirling blast of icy wind flew towards the unremarkable beast. The wind circled the creature once before departing, leaving the beast transformed into a statue of ice.

The persistent roars in the mountain quickly diminished afterward, but waves of restless demonic and elemental energy continued to pervade Mount Weimei.

"Grandmaster, when did so many unfamiliar demons and monsters appear in the mountain?"

A female cultivator beside Zhou Xian asked Jiang Xueling, who, holding a whisk, turned her head to look southeast, where the distant, sinister star of Evil Sun was faintly visible.

"Perhaps they are native creatures of this region. Let's go out and see."

Although the Weimei Sect's current objective was merely to clear Mount Weimei, Jiang Xueling's status and cultivation level were such that she could act as she pleased, provided it wasn't a major issue that would deeply affect the sect. Even if something was disallowed in principle, no one could truly stop her.

The magical cloud traveled slowly, not rising very high after leaving the mountain—only about forty or fifty zhang. The female cultivators from Cloud Mountain looked in all directions, observing that most of the villages that once dotted the vicinity of Mount Weimei had been destroyed.

The collapsed houses and the occasional piles of white bones indicated the devastation that had occurred there, perhaps a calamity that struck in a single night.

"The work of demons... we failed to protect Mount Weimei properly..."

Zhou Xian frowned as she observed the ruined villages and other places they passed, her voice betraying a hint of compassion. Other Weimei Sect cultivators shared this sentiment to some extent. Although many immortal cultivators in the cultivation world considered the Weimei Sect's female disciples cold and formidable, they still possessed a degree of empathy.

Mount Weimei was no small mountain; its spiritual energy was naturally abundant. Furthermore, due to the Weimei Sect's presence, numerous demonic beasts and spirits had been nurtured within it. Normally, they remained deep within the mountain. However, with the current great changes to heaven and earth, and the awakening of many ancient bloodlines, a significant number of these creatures had undergone drastic personality shifts, with some revealing their inherent malevolence. A considerable number of demons had already emerged from the mountain.

Jiang Xueling and her companions were tracking these demons, knowing that the greatest temptation for them was naturally humanity, the spiritual beings of all creation.

Many people had been afflicted by the demons, as evidenced by the villages and towns they saw along the way. Even where there were local deities like earth gods, the sheer number of demons forced many deities to retreat.

It wasn't long before the Weimei Sect's female cultivators quickly traced the demonic aura and located the creatures.

As demons that had long resided on Mount Weimei, the more powerful ones were not foolish. Even with malicious intentions, they dared not stay too close to the mountain and had already flown far away. Most of those causing trouble nearby were mere beasts or crazed beings affected by the ancient aura.

When Jiang Xueling and her group caught up with a swarm of beasts, they found themselves before a city pass. Hundreds, even thousands, of demonic beasts were assailing the pass, yet the precarious stronghold miraculously had not been destroyed by their attacks. The defenders within the city were still holding their ground.

A general, wielding a ring-hilted broadsword, stood on the city wall, enveloped in the bloody, fierce aura of thousands of soldiers. He slashed wildly, preventing the beasts from getting close.

This, however, was merely a fleeting display of courage. Although the general was a military cultivator, he lacked sufficient elite troops and capable commanders. He could barely凝聚 the martial aura of his soldiers, whose quality varied greatly. Many soldiers were so terrified of the demons that they cried out for their parents and constantly fled, while the brave ones suffered heavy casualties.

The general knew very well that the pass would soon fall. If he wished to escape, there was still a slim chance for a convert to flee, but he estimated all his soldiers would perish there.

"Don't be afraid, don't be afraid! All of you, stand your ground! To fight is to die, to flee is to die. As soldiers, we would rather die fighting forward than perish in a rout. All of you, advance, and kill—"

The general roared, continuously moving at high speed along the city wall, rushing to wherever the danger was greatest. He used water and fire techniques to cut down foes with his saber, and those he couldn't defeat, he endured head-on. The sensation of pain had diminished to its limit at this point. He could no longer concern himself with the demons that had already breached the pass.

"Kill!" "Kill!"

Fewer and fewer soldiers responded to the general's battle cries, their voices sparse and scattered.

The local Earth God, huddled underground beneath the city wall, could only continuously cast spells to prevent the wall from being breached. He could offer little other assistance; his cultivation was not high, and appearing on the wall would only put him in peril.

From a distance, a magical cloud drifted closer, and the female cultivators of the Weimei Sect stood against the wind.

"Grandmaster!"

"Mm."

Jiang Xueling responded, her coiled whisk falling loose. She then gently flicked her right hand, and myriad threads of spiritual light, like extensions of the whisk's bristles, descended upon the earth.

"Swoosh—" "Swoosh—" "Swoosh—"

A whisk, by nature, is an instrument to brush away dust. The demons below were like filth and dust beneath Jiang Xueling's whisk, swept away clean with her gentle motions. Some instantly turned to ash, while others were flung into the air, lifeless by the time they fell.

The immortals had not yet reached the city when most of the demonic beasts were already slain. The pressure on the city wall instantly melted away like snow.

The general, breathing heavily, stood leaning on his saber atop the city wall. Blood slowly dripped or slid from his body and weapon, indistinguishable as his own or the beasts'. He squinted slightly, looking at the immortals hovering low in the sky.

"Are you from the Weimei Sect?"

Jiang Xueling had by now put away her whisk. Although Zhou Xian was surprised by the general's strength, she was more displeased with his attitude and immediately reprimanded him.

"We just saved you, and this is how you speak to us?"

"Hmph! Thank you, immortal masters, for saving us, and thank you, immortal masters, for nurturing a mountain full of demons!"

The general, still holding his great saber, cupped his fist in salute, but his words of thanks were exceedingly harsh. Ninety percent of his subordinates had died in battle, and most of the remaining ten percent were crippled. He also knew countless common people had perished, making his anger difficult to quell.

"You..."

"Enough!"

Jiang Xueling sighed softly, stopping her junior, and nodded at the general.

"You are also a cultivator; you should know that the Weimei Sect, as an orthodox immortal sect, would not wish to harm the common people. This is because a tribulation has arrived, bringing forth countless variables. This is a disaster for all beings, and a cosmic tribulation for heaven and earth. May humanity grow through this calamity."

After saying this, Jiang Xueling turned directly and, with her juniors, ascended into the clouds and departed. The general on the city wall looked at the corpses inside and outside the pass, clenching the great saber in his hand tightly.

Among the departing Weimei Sect cultivators, some looked back into the distance.

"Xian'er, tell me, is it right or wrong for our sect to fully assist Xiaosan in opening a realm within its belly, so that in the future, we all enter its internal cosmos and, using the power of the ancient Kun, wander beyond this world to escape the Cosmic Tribulation, disregarding everything outside?"

"Grandmaster, I can't really say..."

Jiang Xueling looked at Zhou Xian and the other juniors, idly twirling her long hair ribbon, her expression a familiar one of absentmindedness.

"It seems you believe it's wrong."

"Hey, hey, hey, Grandmaster, I didn't say that!"