Chapter 139: To Cut the Grass, One Must Pull Out the Roots
The sky was overcast, with a fine drizzle falling.
As countless robber cultivators were dragged out, Tianxuan City became lively.
“These robber cultivators, I heard, were all bewitched by the Palace of Blazing Fire.”
“Damn it, these people really brought us endless suffering.”
“Who says otherwise? On the surface they pretended to be with us, but in secret they had long since thrown themselves into the arms of the Palace of Blazing Fire. Bah!”
“Hurry and go see, I heard that even the Chen Family, who had two Foundation Establishment cultivators, has fallen into misfortune.”
“All descendants and clansmen of cultivators who colluded with the Palace of Blazing Fire are to be expelled.”
Some were delighted while others were worried.
After all, when greed arose, many cultivators had at one time played the role of a robber cultivator just once or twice.
This time, however, Tianxuan City had struck hard.
The two corpses of cultivators from the Palace of Blazing Fire, provided by Lin Changan, were now hung up inside the city.
In addition, countless robber cultivators, after being soul-searched, had their family members and descendants who had taken part locked in cages, hung up, and subjected to painful wails.
For so many years, robber cultivators had disturbed Tianxuan City.
This purge was so thorough that countless rogue cultivators were left stunned.
There were as many as seventeen Foundation Establishment cultivators among those eliminated.
One must know, these were Foundation Establishment cultivators who stood high above others—existences revered as ancestors in small places.
……
Outside the city, drizzle fell unceasingly, a gust of chill wind blowing past, making the autumn mood heavier.
“Yingying, tell me, why did Father and the others have us follow Uncle Lin out here? With our cultivation level…”
Shen Fan scratched his head in confusion.
Meanwhile, Lin Changan, riding on a broken-horned Green-Horned Ox, squinted his eyes and leisurely rested with them closed.
Wei Yingying, being clever, seemed to have already guessed something.
Her expression was a little unnatural, and she lowered her voice as she whispered:
“Brother Fan, stop asking. Uncle Lin is in a bad mood. Later, just remember, whoever he tells you to kill, you kill.”
Hearing this, Shen Fan scratched his head in puzzlement.
Riding calmly atop the ox, Lin Changan did not open his eyes.
Listening to the two youths, he teased:
“Your Uncle Lin is not so narrow-minded. Bringing you two juniors this time was simply because your parents wanted you to experience the way of survival in the world of cultivation.”
Beneath Lin Changan’s calm voice, Shen Fan was bewildered, while Wei Yingying smiled awkwardly, secretly pouting in her heart.
And yet he said he wasn’t narrow-minded.
With the ox’s broken horn, and Lin Changan on its back quietly wiping the chipped Green Bamboo Sword, Wei Yingying vaguely guessed the truth.
This scene, of course, did not escape Lin Changan’s eyes, though his expression remained calm.
When the trouble with robber cultivators broke out in Tianxuan City, Shen Lie, Lu Qingqing, Erniu, and Wei Buyi all came to question him.
But they happened to notice the Green-Horned Ox’s broken horn.
And just as Lin Changan was preparing to head out, the four, each already of considerable age, were far from foolish.
It was Lu Qingqing who proved the cleverest.
She gritted her teeth and actually suggested sending her two juniors to help lead the ox.
Hearing this, Wei Buyi’s heart ached with distress.
Yet he also knew that Lu Qingqing was doing this for their own good.
“This Junior Sister Lu is truly willing to let go.”
Lin Changan chuckled softly and shook his head.
Within his ability, he could look after these two juniors.
Today was a lesson, to teach them the survival path of the cultivation world.
“However, this Fellow Daoist Song has quite a good character.”
Lin Changan cast an inconspicuous glance toward a mound opposite them.
There, upon the mound, Song Tingfeng looked back and smiled.
“This Fellow Daoist Lin indeed lives up to his reputation for escaping from the hands of robber cultivators.”
Song Tingfeng chuckled softly.
Behind him, a Foundation Establishment cultivator nodded and said:
“Among rogue cultivators who manage to endure, there is always a streak of ruthlessness. This Talisman Master Lin is not simple.”
“Indeed, to escape from that Poison Demon’s hands was no simple feat.”
Behind them was a squad of Tianxuan City’s elite, led by several Foundation Establishment cultivators, each nodding in praise.
There were many rogue cultivators who had escaped the hands of robber cultivators.
It was natural that they would come seeking revenge now.
Song Tingfeng, his expression calm, nodded.
“Later, keep a close watch. Make sure our fellow Daoists of Tianxuan City come to no harm.”
“Yes!”
Although Tianxuan City spared the families and descendants of robber cultivators, when it came to the victims’ clans and descendants, that was beyond their control.
No! It was their responsibility to protect the cultivators of Tianxuan City.
After all, these were the ones who bore deep hatred against the Palace of Blazing Fire.
They were their own people.
At this time, many bound robber cultivators, looking down through the drizzle, had pupils filled with regret and countless complicated emotions.
Among them was Chen Wen.
……
On the opposite mound, Lin Changan already knew the truth clearly.
He had long been placed on the Palace of Blazing Fire’s bounty list.
Not to mention, with the cultivation method he practiced, even if he fled to other nations, there was no way he would ever join the Palace of Blazing Fire.
“They are here.”
Seeing the figures in the distance stumbling forward through the rain curtain, Shen Fan nervously spoke, especially when he saw that among the group were both elderly and children.
He was honest and simple in nature, but not a fool.
With Wei Yingying’s reminder, he had also guessed the truth.
The autumn rain was thin and cold.
Before the mound, Lin Changan gazed calmly at a bent figure approaching slowly.
“Fellow Daoist Lin.”
A hoarse and powerless voice echoed.
The newcomer was none other than Chen Qing, his head full of gray hair.
He had once basked in glory upon reaching Foundation Establishment.
Yet now, merely two decades later—
“Fellow Daoist Chen, the autumn air is chilly. Drink this cup of wine to ward off the cold on your journey.”
At this moment, Lin Changan seemed as though he had come only to send him off.
The hunched Chen Qing gave a hoarse, lifeless smile, his voice full of plea:
“Fellow Daoist Lin, must you truly show no mercy at all?”
“Fellow Daoist Chen, you and I have not just started as rogue cultivators today. Tell me, how did we make it this far? Was it by speaking reason? Or by being soft-hearted?”
Lin Changan’s calm voice reverberated under the autumn rain.
In the distance, the Chen Family were driven out desolately, waiting in place.
“Damn you, Chen Wen!”
“Ancestor must have been blind. Why didn’t he choose Chen Feng back then…”
The Chen Family clansmen, having lost everything, were filled with resentment.
Yet in this turbulent cultivation world, they still had to rely on their Ancestor.
At the head of the crowd, Chen Feng stared nervously into the distance.
He could only pray that his grandfather might carve out a way for the family to survive.
However, beneath the autumn rain, a flash of blood-red sword light swept past, adding another layer of chill.
“Fellow Daoist Chen, farewell.”
At this moment, Lin Changan calmly lifted his wine cup and slowly poured it onto the ground, as if sending off his neighbor.
Meanwhile, the hunched figure of Chen Qing had his gaze gradually dim.
At the very last moment, he erupted with the ruthlessness of his youth.
Yet it was already too late.
If back then he had continued advancing bravely, perhaps he would not have ended up without the strength to resist.
If back then he had not chosen Chen Wen, things might not have been like this…
But there were no such things as “ifs.”
Chen Qing, the Foundation Establishment cultivator, lost all signs of life.
This scene had a great impact on Wei Yingying and Shen Fan.
In their minds still echoed the moment just now.
This hunched and gravely injured elder had suddenly erupted with a fierce aura, but in the blink of an eye, he was slain.
“Ancestor!”
As Chen Qing’s body collapsed, the Chen Family clansmen in the distance cried out in grief.
Some, panicked, scattered and fled.
When the tree falls, the monkeys scatter.
With the loss of their last support, the Foundation Establishment cultivator, the Chen Family had lost its pillar.
“Brother Fan, let’s go!”
Wei Yingying reacted first.
Without hesitation, she directly dragged Shen Fan forward.
Under the autumn rain, sword lights flashed, and in an instant, a late-stage Qi Refining cultivator of higher level was slain.
Before his death, Chen Feng fell into the muddy rainwater.
Recalling his life, he muttered:
“Grandfather, perhaps I was wrong. If I had fought for it, then the Chen Family would not have…”
At that moment, Chen Feng suddenly realized.
The cultivation world was a place where one had to fight.
He did not fight.
The Foundation Establishment opportunity fell to Chen Wen, and as a result, the Chen Family faced disaster.
He, however, had no strength at all.
This scene was clearly seen by those on the mound.
Chen Wen’s face was full of grief and regret, painfully kowtowing on the ground again and again.
“Grandfather, Brother Feng, Uncle, Little Dou… everyone, I was wrong! I destroyed the Chen Family…”
His despairing cries tore his throat, but it was all too late.
The cause of yesterday bore the fruit of today.
……
Juxian Tower.
With each autumn rain came more chill, and outside, cold winds blew harder.
“Brother Lin, you don’t know how many rogue cultivators Tianxuan City arrested today. Who would have thought that my neighbor, Old Li, had colluded with robber cultivators.”
Hu Jin spoke endlessly, especially when he mentioned that some were even his friends.
At that, his face showed sorrow.
Such was the cultivation world.
One moment you were friends, the next, greed for some treasure turned one into a robber cultivator.
“Old Hu, with this, the robber cultivators outside Tianxuan City will quiet down for a while.”
“Exactly.”
Lin Changan chatted and laughed with Old Hu.
There was no need to worry about such people.
They all had to keep moving forward.
“By the way, Brother Lin, you should go take a look at the trading marketplace recently. Many demon-hunting squads have had great harvests.”
Knowing Lin Changan needed Crystalline Cores, Old Hu brought up this matter.
Lin Changan’s expression grew serious.
Before Huang Shaohai, when he went to hunt demon beasts, he had already noticed something unusual.
For example, the spirit insect he had never before seen that could unleash divine sense attacks.
After trading at Many Treasures Pavilion, he learned that this spirit insect actually came from deeper within the Yunwu Mountain Range.
“Old Hu, if you hadn’t mentioned it, I would have almost forgotten. Earlier, when I was hunting demon beasts, I encountered a spirit insect that could launch divine sense attacks. Later, I found out from Many Treasures Pavilion that…”
Hearing Lin Changan’s words, Old Hu also nodded solemnly.
“When demon beasts leave their original territory and migrate outward from the depths of the Myriad Beasts Mountain Range… it goes against normal patterns.
Usually, it’s because demon beasts have bred too much and are fighting each other for territory, so they seek new grounds.
Or perhaps a new third-rank Demon King has been born in the depths of the mountain range, driving out other demon beasts.
Of course, it might also be that some unknown turmoil has occurred in the depths of the Yunwu Mountain Range.”
Hearing Old Hu’s words, Lin Changan casually glanced at him.
This Old Hu’s knowledge was deep, not like someone from an ordinary rogue cultivator background.
He hadn’t noticed it before.
But after Huang Shaohai generously passed down all he had learned in life, Lin Changan sensed something.
Still, every cultivator had secrets.
“In that case, none of the possibilities are good.
This could very well mean a beast tide.”
Lin Changan interjected.
At the same time, he thought of Huang Shaohai’s memories.
Aside from causing chaos and gathering resources for Huang Tianxiao, Huang Shaohai had also been monitoring the unusual movements of demon beasts in the Yunwu Mountain Range.
“According to the intelligence Huang Shaohai knew, Master Lu’s lifespan is nearly over.
The Palace of Blazing Fire and the Divine Sword Sect seem to be moving within the depths of the Yunwu Mountain Range…”
After all, Huang Shaohai was of a branch bloodline.
The intelligence he knew was limited.
But this concerned Lin Changan’s own interests.
After analyzing, he suspected that the unrest in the Yunwu Mountain Range’s depths could not be separated from the Palace of Blazing Fire and the Divine Sword Sect.
Still, in his earlier message, everything that should have been revealed had already been revealed.
The rest was no longer something he could worry about.
“Hopefully, the turmoil was caused only by Demon Kings fighting within the Yunwu Mountain Range’s depths.
But we must not be careless.
We should make early preparations.”
Lin Changan shook his head and still gave Old Hu a reminder.
Old Hu nodded gravely upon hearing this.
“Indeed. Better safe than sorry.
We rogue cultivators can only survive long if we are cautious.”
“But such worries are for the higher-ups.
Today, Brother Lin, let us drink well together.”
Old Hu laughed heartily as he raised his wine cup.
After that one time Lin Changan had saved him, their bond had grown closer.
They were no longer just ordinary friends.
Lin Changan also smiled and nodded.
Having a friend of good character was not bad at all.
……
Meanwhile, beneath Juxian Tower—
Shen Lie, Lu Qingqing, Wei Buyi, and Erniu sat in a private room, listening as Shen Fan and Wei Yingying recounted today’s events.
“Father, Mother, Father-in-law, Uncle… this time, the Chen Family…”
Shen Fan spoke hoarsely, his emotions heavy as he described the day’s events.
It seemed this incident had affected him greatly.
Even Wei Yingying, usually lively, had fallen into silence.
However, Shen Lie, Lu Qingqing, Wei Buyi, and Li Erniu, after hearing this, all shook their heads.
“Fan’er, you are no longer a child.
Since birth, we have shielded you from the wind and rain, and your cultivation resources have always been abundant.
Though you are also a drifting cultivator, even among drifting cultivators there are differences.
Your father and your Uncle Lin both started from absolutely nothing, even having to earn a single Spirit Crystal with their own hands…”
Lu Qingqing shook her head and spoke with emotion.
Even she, in this regard, was not as strong as the others.
For she had also lived under the shelter of her father.
After his death, she wisely found Yun Yao as a backer just in time to survive her weak period.
“Yes, you two are far luckier than us.”
Even Li Erniu spoke enviously as he shook his head:
“The Bamboo Mountain Marketplace—you’ve both been there.
The spiritual energy is so thin there.
We cultivated for twenty years and only reached the fourth level of Qi Refining.
But your foundation was in Tianxuan City, where the spiritual energy is so dense.
At such a young age, you have such cultivation.
This is not only because of good aptitude, but even more because of abundant cultivation resources.”
Even Wei Buyi, who normally doted on his daughter most, now spoke with a grave expression:
“The reason I agreed to let you go this time was so that you would understand one thing.
The cultivation world has always been a place where the weak are prey to the strong.
Do you really think your Uncle Lin needs to cut the grass and pull out the roots?”
The clever Wei Yingying’s face turned pale.
Being smart, she naturally thought of the truth.
“I know.
Uncle Lin is alone.
If there is retaliation, we will be the first targets.”
Although the Chen Family had been expelled, who could guarantee that no new Foundation Establishment cultivator would arise from them?
Chen Feng was at the late stage of Qi Refining, and they still had so many clansmen.
“To cut the grass, one must pull out the roots.
If you are ever careless, you will bring disaster upon your family, friends, and even descendants.”
Shen Lie glared fiercely at his disappointing son, Shen Fan.
If they had not secretly followed and taken care of the aftermath, this brat might have left behind serious hidden troubles.
“I…”
Though Shen Fan and Wei Yingying had experienced cultivator battles before, they had rarely encountered such naked cruelty of human nature.
Their faces turned pale.
Especially Shen Fan, who suddenly thought of something and admitted aloud that he had let some people escape.
What greeted him was only the silence of his parents.
In the end, it was Wei Yingying who firmly held Shen Fan’s hand.
“Brother Fan, as long as we work hard together and cultivate diligently, once we become Foundation Establishment cultivators, we won’t need to fear revenge.”
Looking at the two young ones, after experiencing the cruelty at the very bottom of the cultivation world, everyone sighed in their hearts.
Who would willingly let their children face such a cruel reality?
But the problem was, they had no choice.
Li Erniu gazed enviously at Wei Yingying.
What a good girl!
This mischievous lass had probably already figured it all out.
Now she was deliberately putting pressure on Shen Fan to force him to grit his teeth and cultivate.
“Just like now.
Although your Uncle Lin has never looked down on us and has even always cared for us, there is still a divide between cultivators.
The circle of Foundation Establishment cultivators is not one we can step into.”
Even the usually honest Li Erniu pointed toward the roof and, with a smile, revealed a harsh reality.
“The difference in cultivation, as time goes on, means that more and more friends will no longer keep pace with your steps, and they will gradually drift apart—even between husband and wife.”
“Foundation Establishment cultivators have a lifespan starting at two hundred years.
Some with profound cultivation can live three hundred.
By then, you are already withered and old, while they are still in their prime.”
Wei Buyi, heart aching for his daughter, saw how her thoughts were already leaning toward someone else, and coldly sneered as he looked at Wei Yingying and spoke these words.
“Father!”
Wei Yingying glared at her father for pouring cold water on her, though in her heart she was also moved.
Indeed, she too had to cultivate diligently.
She could not bear to see herself grow old.
Truly, how pitiful are the hearts of parents in this world.
Only Li Erniu scratched his head awkwardly.
When it came to caring for children, he seemed to be the least worried, always letting things develop freely.
Meanwhile, Shen Lie, Lu Qingqing, and Wei Buyi all used their own experiences to help guide the juniors, so they would walk fewer crooked paths.