When faced with a massive gap in Realm, numbers were useless.
Whatever these people had in mind, the moment the Purple Bamboo King appeared, all their plans went up in smoke. They considered themselves lucky just to have kept their lives.
As everyone else was leaving, Yu Changsheng gave it a moment’s thought before suddenly waving over one of the Loose Cultivators from the Martial Continent. He projected his voice in a focused line, saying:
"Wait. You, come here for a moment."
The Loose Cultivator froze, turning to look at Yu Changsheng in astonishment before pointing at himself.
"Yes, you. Come over here," Yu Changsheng said with a nod.
The Loose Cultivator’s expression soured, but he didn’t dare entertain any thoughts of resistance. He walked meekly toward Yu Changsheng, glanced at the Purple Bamboo King standing beside him, and bowed respectfully with a cupped fist salute.
"This junior, Yuanmingzi, greets you, Seniors."
In the Cultivation Realm, strength reigned supreme. Even though Yu Changsheng appeared much younger than him, Yuanmingzi still addressed him respectfully as a senior.
The Purple Bamboo King merely glanced at Yuanmingzi, paying him no mind. He turned to the side, hugged the Zi Ling Emperor, and rubbed his nose, smiling as if they were the only two people there.
"Ling’Er, how are you? You weren’t scared, were you?"
The sight stunned Yuanmingzi, and the last shred of any foolish ideas he might have harbored was utterly extinguished. His attitude became even more respectful and restrained.
’The Sword Spirit in Yu Changsheng’s Spirit Treasure is the son of a Divinity Transformation Great Power... Just this news alone would be enough to make the countless Cultivators with greedy designs on the Purple Spirit Emperor Sword back off.’
"Hmm," Yu Changsheng nodded. He thought for a moment before asking, "Tell me. What major events have happened these past few days, since the Celestial Slaughter Secret Realm closed?"
"Yes." Yuanmingzi gathered his thoughts for a moment, then began to speak in a low voice.
Yu Changsheng listened intently, his brow furrowed in thought.
Ever since the Celestial Slaughter Secret Realm closed, Qingzhou Province, which had long been watching with predatory eyes, seized the opportunity to drop all pretense and launch an all-out war against the Martial Continent.
The Master of the Dark Stream, Tong Yuanzheng, even presented stolen border defense plans to the high command of the Qingzhou Military, openly colluding with them to wage war on the Martial Continent.
Their initial thrust was aimed at the Southwest Border, seeking to use it as a gateway to fully invade the Martial Continent. Compounding the issue, the Yang Family, who was guarding the southwest, suddenly turned traitor. Coordinating from within and without, their joint attack swiftly put the Southwest Border in critical danger, pushing it to the brink of collapse.
At the critical moment, had the Profound Yin Sect’s Divinity Transformation Ancestor, Xue Xuan True Venerable, not arrived in time and used the Divine Weapon, the Blood Profound Bell, to force Qingzhou’s army back, the Southwest Border would have been completely lost. His intervention barely secured the border; otherwise, the situation would now be far worse.
Even so, the situation remained grim. Although the other border regions were in a slightly better state than the Southwest, they too were at constant risk of collapse. The three major sects had taken the lead in the defense, with the other Six Sects providing support.
The simultaneous betrayal of the Yang Family, the Dark Stream, and the Spirit Dragon Sect, all acting in concert, was the main reason the crisis was so intractable. It had caught the Martial Continent completely off guard and inflicted enormous damage.
And the turmoil wasn’t limited to the borders; the situation within the Martial Continent was just as grim. Since the close of the Celestial Slaughter Secret Realm, the returning parties of gifted young Cultivators from the Six Sects had all been ambushed.
Take the Wanxiang Sect, for example. You luring away three Peak Golden Core Cultivators greatly reduced the pressure on Ruan Hao and Lu Ruikai. After they recovered, they managed to lead most of the disciples back to the sect.
But things didn’t stay quiet for long. The Spirit Dragon Sect launched a full-scale assault. Their Sect Leader, Jiang Tiancheng, gathered the Spirit Dragon Sect’s leadership, along with allies from the Dark Stream and the Yang Family—a total of five Purple Mansion Cultivators—to attack the Wanxiang Sect together.
The Wanxiang Sect is now in mortal peril. They’ve called for aid, but Qingzhou’s offensive has left the other sects of the Martial Continent too overwhelmed to help themselves, let alone others. There is no hope of reinforcements arriving anytime soon.
In short, the Martial Continent is plagued by threats both internal and external. After all, the Yang Family, the Spirit Dragon Sect, and the Dark Stream each possess resources and power on par with any of the Six Sects, and that’s without mentioning the covert support from the Qingzhou Military...
Under these circumstances, the Martial Continent is in an extremely precarious position, its future hanging by a thread.
...
"That, more or less, is what has been happening on the Martial Continent lately."
As Yuanmingzi finished his report, Yu Changsheng’s expression was grave. Even the Purple Bamboo King, despite his outward nonchalance and lack of direct concern, felt his heart stir slightly at the news.
"I see..."
After a long moment, Yu Changsheng let out a deep breath. He looked at Yuanmingzi and finally waved a hand, not making things difficult for the man.
"You can go now."
’This civil war on the Martial Continent... even if the continent is breached, it’s the Sect Disciples who will suffer most. For Loose Cultivators like him, the impact wouldn’t be that great. That explained Yuanmingzi’s natural, detached tone. Yu Changsheng hadn’t expected them to help anyway.’
’To be frank, in a crisis with threats from both inside and out, it was rare enough that these Loose Cultivators were keeping to themselves and not trying to profit from the chaos.’
...
"Thank you for sparing my life, Senior!"
Yuanmingzi let out a long sigh of relief. He bowed to the two of them once more, and after confirming there would be no further trouble, he quickly flew off into the distance.
He couldn’t afford to provoke either of the two. In fact, when he had approached, he had already prepared himself for death. It was a great relief that Yu Changsheng hadn’t been merciless. This pleasant surprise left Yuanmingzi overjoyed, and a faint sense of gratitude toward Yu Changsheng bloomed in his heart.