CHAPTER 347: CHAPTER 320: TAO ADDICT!

With a light shout from Qi Xiu, the originally serene world instantly became as solemn as iron. It was as if an invisible giant hand had silently flipped the cosmic order, making every speck of dust in the air bear a heavy pressure. The firmament hung low; the stars dimmed! The once peaceable wind now carried a chilling aura. It seemed, at that moment, the laws between heaven and earth were responding to his command.

The Spirit of Night Travel, this Outer Realm Evil God, now felt an unprecedented oppression. A magnificent force surged from all directions, like an insurmountable mountain weighing on her shoulders, making her pace heavy and her breathing difficult. This force was not merely physical pressure but also a repulsion from the deep rules of heaven and earth, as if telling her that this was no longer a place where she could dwell. The surrounding scenery began to warp, as if separated by an invisible barrier. Every leaf, every strand of moonlight, was silently warning her: Leave! This is not your place. The feeling of being forsaken by the world was like cold tides, pitilessly drowning her spirit and washing away her confidence and composure bit by bit.

The Spirit of Night Travel looked up at the young Daoist, whose gaze remained calm but contained an unwavering determination. That was control over the laws of heaven and earth, as well as a firm belief in his own strength. In the face of such power, even she had to temporarily submit, preparing to accept this expulsion from heaven and earth. Her figure gradually faded. Even as an Outer Realm Evil God equivalent to the Primordial Spirit Realm, the Spirit of Night Travel still could not contend with the mighty force of heaven and earth.

Those who obey heaven weep! Those who defy heaven die! This is an ancient and unchanging destiny, one that even the Primordial Spirit Realm cannot escape!

The fate of being expelled was already decided. The Spirit of Night Travel did not resist, but before she vanished, she kept gazing at the enigmatic young Daoist.

"What is your name?" After a while, the Spirit of Night Travel suddenly asked.

Faced with this abrupt question from the Outer Realm Evil God, Qi Xiu was also somewhat surprised. After a moment’s thought, he slowly spoke a name, "Mad Daoist."

He certainly couldn’t reveal his true name to the adversary. This was an Outer Realm Evil God, and even cultivators from his own realm had methods to cast curses based on true names. Although he was protected by Human Path Merit, such methods rarely worked. But that was only against ordinary cultivators. For an existence like the Spirit of Night Travel, a godly level being, it was better to be cautious.

"Good, I will remember you."

No sooner had she spoken than the figure of the Spirit of Night Travel suddenly cracked with countless fissures, like a weathered implement.

「The next second.」

With a CRACK, the Spirit of Night Travel shattered into countless gleaming fragments, then turned into dust carried away by the wind, gradually dissipating. Under the expulsion of the mighty force of heaven and earth, the Outer Realm Evil God was thoroughly erased.

At last, it was over...

Feeling the surging natural force filling his body begin to fade, Qi Xiu transformed into a beam of Escape Light and returned to Zhao Zaiyang and the others, just before the longevity seed’s effect dissipated. He opened his mouth to whisper softly, calling out the final command.

"Command! All past scattered!"

The soft chant rose leisurely, as if touching upon some mystical chord. In an instant, the whole world became hazy and obscure. The contours of everything in this sudden change became blurry and indistinct, like a watercolor painting drenched by droplets, with colors and lines blending, their boundaries vague and indistinguishable.

In this chaotic play of light and shadow, a tangerine hue of immortal light streaked across the sky like a meteor, flickering with a soft yet undeniable glow. It flowed in the void, now visible, now hidden, carrying an aura of transcendence, as if it contained endless stories and secrets. This immortal light was not corporeal, yet it could touch the deepest soul. It circled around Kongwen, Zhao Zaiyang, and Zhou Wen, gently yet firmly touching their memories.

Under the radiance of the immortal light, time and space seemed to lose their original definitions. Past experiences, current perceptions, and even future intuitions were silently altered in this intangible reshaping. Old memories were stripped away, and new understandings began to take root. The gazes of Zhao Zaiyang and the others became vacant as countless glyph-like moments flashed in their eyes.

Qi Xiu erased their memories of him commanding heaven and earth, filling them with new ones.

Originally, facing Zhao Zaiyang and his colleagues, he did not wish to use this method. But this trip to Ten Thousand Caves Mountain was no small matter. He trusted the principles and character of Zhao Zaiyang and his colleagues; they would not reveal his methods. However, they all had Primordial Spirit Bosses standing behind them. It was not certain these worldly paragons wouldn’t have other ways to discover what had happened within Ten Thousand Caves Mountain. The power of the Ling Fu was too fearsome, touching upon the Great Dao of Heaven and Earth! The innocent man is faultless, but the bearer of a jade faces crime; even the most inexperienced novice understands this principle. A cultivator of the Blood-Stained Realm actually possessed such power. Even Primordial Spirit Bosses might be tempted.

Therefore, left with no choice, Qi Xiu had to use his methods to reshape the memories of Zhao Zaiyang and the others, simultaneously erasing all traces of the battle from this realm. After he had done all this, the power of the longevity seed was completely exhausted.

All returned to tranquility!

Having regained his senses, Zhao Zaiyang smiled and patted Qi Xiu’s shoulder. "Qi, you really are Sect Master Dongfang’s treasured darling! Even a Primordial Spirit-level magical treasure has been entrusted to you. They are treating you as direct lineage, protecting and nurturing you."

In the memories Qi Xiu reconstructed for them, he had driven away the Spirit of Night Travel using a Primordial Spirit-level magical treasure bestowed by Dongfang Qing. Because this magical treasure was so overbearingly powerful, the backlash when wielding it was extremely severe, which made it necessary to rely on the power of the longevity seed.

"I truly owe Qi a great debt of gratitude. My treasured piece of calligraphy can remain in my collection for another few years," Zhou Wen said, his heart still pounding as he gently caressed his chest. He smiled as he looked at the calligraphic treasure in his hand. It was fortunate that this precious artifact could be preserved. After all, it was the only remaining piece of calligraphy left by that person.

But just as this Grand Scholar from the Great Righteousness Academy was carefully preparing to store away the calligraphic treasure, the divine calligraphy in his hand suddenly began to tremble slightly. All at once, those silent characters seemed to awaken; they shone with a strange brilliance, like newly risen stars, glittering brightly. Every stroke and every drop of ink scattered scintillating light, illuminating the surrounding darkness.

The light grew stronger, and the characters began to break free of their constraints, leaping from the paper into the air as if endowed with life itself. These characters, like dragons and serpents in a frenzied dance, twisted their bodies and merged into a vast torrent, surging forward, instantly transforming into the waters of the ever-rushing Yellow River. The Yellow River, like a golden ribbon stretched across the horizon, roared with waves, its might awe-inspiring. Each wave contained ancient power, and every roar was an echo of millennia. The river churned, its waves striking the sky, raising a curtain of water thousands of feet high, leaving observers in endless awe. This majestic presence seemed capable of crushing all worldly impediments, demonstrating an irresistible dignity and overwhelming force.

Looking upon the vast Yellow River that spanned heaven and earth, Qi Xiu, Zhao Zaiyang, and Kongwen all turned their heads to look at Zhou Wen simultaneously. But the Grand Scholar could only offer a helpless, wry smile as he spread his hands.

"Don’t look at me; I also have no idea what’s happening. This calligraphic treasure just suddenly started to... wait, hold on!" Mid-sentence, Zhou Wen seemed to recall something. His eyes suddenly focused, only to see that behind the Yellow River, figures with expressionless faces, wielding boundless tides of darkness and exuding terrifying pressure, were tearing through the void and approaching.

"That is..." Zhou Wen’s complexion subtly changed. Having cultivated his spirit for many years, he had maintained his gentlemanly demeanor even when pursued by the Spirit of Night Travel to the brink of death. Now, for the first time, he visibly panicked.

Sensing Zhou Wen’s unusual expression, Qi Xiu felt a heavy premonition and followed his gaze into the distance. His pupils suddenly shrank to needle points.

Within the vast expanses of heaven and earth, fifteen colossal Spirits of Night Travel loomed. So tall they nearly touched the sky, their forms varied, yet they all exuded a profound and heavy aura, akin to the embodiment of night. Their presence caused the sunlight to dim and the stars to lose their luster; even the air seemed oppressive and heavy. Their aura, like dark clouds pressing down, enveloped the land, so heavy it seemed capable of warping space and time, dragging the whole world into eternal darkness. Everything around was subdued by this powerful force; all living beings bowed low, mountains and rivers fell silent. Where they stood appeared to be the center of the world; all light and noise vanished in their presence, leaving only silence and stillness.

The eternal night aura emanating from these Spirits of Night Travel sought to turn the world into an unhatched egg, enveloped in tranquil darkness, where all life could slumber in endless peace. It lured all beings into a dream-like sleep, a place devoid of pain and worry, only eternal calm. However, behind this tranquility lay a suffocating sense of isolation and indifference—the kind of absolute silence only felt in the depths of endless darkness.

"One, two, three, four... fifteen! Fifteen Outer Realm Evil Gods! These Demonic Evil Cultivators... do they wish to destroy the entire Great Xuan?" Zhao Zaiyang exclaimed, his teeth chattering audibly as he, too, spotted the fifteen Spirits of Night Travel.

If counting the one that Qi Xiu had driven away, the Demonic Evil Cultivators had indeed summoned a total of sixteen Outer Realm Evil Gods! Madmen! Those abominations truly are madmen with brains full of excrement!

An endless despair quickly enveloped them. One Spirit of Night Travel had already demanded all their resources and resolve to barely drive away. But now, there were no fewer than fifteen Outer Realm Evil Gods before them! Such a terrifying number. It wouldn’t matter if it were them; even if a Primordial Spirit Boss were here, their face would probably turn as black as the bottom of a pot while they paced with anxiety.

What to do? These three words appeared in all their minds at once.

And as they suppressed the heaviness in their hearts, pondering a strategy, the fifteen Outer Realm Evil Gods had already begun to move.