Longevity Chronicles-Chapter 69 - 67 Outside Seeking Immortal City, Commoners Seek Survival

The first sentence nearly made Tao Qian lose his composure.

And the third sentence made him desperately wish he could bare his heart and spill all he knew.

It was only when that familiar throbbing feeling suddenly surged in his mind, and he, right in front of this resplendent female cultivator, shuddered with a chill that bordered on irreverence.

Having come to his senses, Tao Qian also immediately realized what he had done.

To avoid being killed by a slap from this evidently terrifyingly powerful female fairy, Tao Qian hurriedly spoke to change the subject,

"True Master, I indeed have a way to inquire about the situation inside the Demon Cave of Iron Buddha Mountain, and I'm quite confident that I can find out about the condition of that Immortal Infant."

"However, there are too many people here, it's not a good place for serious discussion. Why don't we..."

Before Tao Qian could finish, the female fairy raised her hand ready to cast a spell, creating a secluded space for the two of them.

At this moment, the leader of the Changchun Society who by chance did not die under Tao Qian's Sacrificial Sword Intent suddenly knelt and paid his respects, while loudly saying,

"Master Xiao, do not be fooled by the nonsense of this demon spy."

"How could a loose cultivator in the Energy-Introducing Realm know the internal situation of the Demon Cave in Iron Buddha Temple, something even you cannot fathom? And how could he manage to find out the secrets of the Great Demon, Beautiful Corpse Bodhisattva?"

"This thief must be trying to deceive true master with lies to seize an opportunity to escape."

"Now that the hundred thousand people of Seeking Immortal County are protected and entrusted to true master's care, please do not be deceived by this crook."

"The demonic aura of that sword he released just now is the clear proof."

These logical and justice-entwined words nearly made Tao Qian laugh out loud.

The leader had previously been cunning and venomous, and Tao Qian wondered if, having nearly died from a touch of his Sword Intent, his mindset had cracked, to dare throw such derogatory threats at a clearly Great Cultivator.

Even those with a better temper would have had enough of this man's nonsense.

As expected, right after he finished speaking, the originally infinitely gentle "Master Xiao" suddenly narrowed her eyes coldly.

Without even glancing at the Changchun Society and Demon-suppressing Soldiers below, she stated indifferently,

"I know you all belong to that Qin Military Advisor, thinking you can do whatever you please in this Mortal World, exercising unrestrained power."

"What you plan to do, I don't care to meddle."

"However, if you think you can extend your reach over me, you are badly mistaken."

"In consideration of Ji Xianxian, I will not kill you this time but will punish you severely as a warning."

As she spoke, Master Xiao suddenly made her move.

Waving her splendid sleeves, a milky white radiance passed, and all the Changchun Society cultivators and the Demon-suppressing Soldiers in the street shook uncontrollably, visibly shrinking and reverting to infancy, transforming from strong, mature men into babies.

They involuntarily cried and tumbled to the ground, their clothes no longer fitting, leaving them bare-bottomed.

Had it been just this, it might have been bearable, but Master Xiao, although she had broad tolerance, did not have a very kind heart.

The bodies of these cultivators had been changed into babies, and their minds reverted to an infant state, but their faces remained unchanged.

Thus, all over Seeking Immortal County, many people saw the familiar faces of Changchun Society cultivators each wearing a wrinkled old face, with the bodies of infants, running around naked and crawling all over the streets.

Some unlucky ones were surrounded by dog feces, chicken feces, human excrement, and other filth, grabbing them and shoving them into their mouths.

When the punishment ended, Tao Qian and Master Xiao both disappeared from the air before the eyes of the crowd.

Everyone knew this was the doing of the True Master creating a secluded space.

Tao Qian, now unable to see anyone else and only Master Xiao, also acknowledged this.

Master Xiao, who had appeared endlessly gentle in front of others, like a mother, now gazed at Tao Qian with a profound look.

Clearly, the recent demonstration served as a warning: kill the chicken to scare the monkey.

Tao Qian felt a chill on his scalp under her gaze, and deep within, he compared the strength of this True Master to the "Beautiful Corpse Bodhisattva," wondering who was stronger.

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He concluded that perhaps the Beautiful Corpse was a bit stronger, but this one wasn't far behind.

Whenever Tao Qian encountered supernatural beings or objects, whether living or non-living, he had an impulse to reach out and touch them to trigger insight.

But he had no such impulse towards either the figure before him or the Beautiful Corpse Bodhisattva.

Don't dare touch, don't dare touch!

Tao Qian's thoughts began to drift, but he dared not show any neglect on his face. After thinking for a moment, he decided to speak some degree of the truth.

He bowed respectfully before speaking:

"Replying to True Master, I currently do not know the situation of that Immortal Infant, but it's not that I'm deceiving or fooling you. It's just that I hadn't accepted this task before, hence I didn't make inquiries."

"Due to a fortunate coincidence, I planted an undercover agent in the Demon Cave of Iron Buddha Mountain."

"Although I cannot directly ask the Beautiful Corpse Bodhisattva, I can easily make contact with the high-ranking demons within the Demon Cave and safely gather reliable news."

"As long as the Immortal Infant is still alive, and the Beautiful Corpse Bodhisattva has not deliberately hidden her, give me some time, and it won't be hard to find results."

Tao Qian said everything in one breath and then waited with an earnest look for Master Xiao's judgment.

And so, at that time, a Great Cultivator and an obscure nobody locked eyes for several moments.

During that time, Tao Qian felt an extremely bizarre aura sweep across his Divine Soul; it was as if it could unearth all the secrets in his mind, leaving his Sea of Consciousness naked and exposed before Master Xiao.

A moment later, Master Xiao showed a faint look of disappointment and said, "You haven't lied."

Immediately as her voice fell, the secluded space vanished, and the two reappeared before everyone's eyes.

Without waiting for Tao Qian to say anything, Master Xiao had already arranged a plan.

She didn't even have to turn around; four fairy-like female cultivators appeared behind her, silently obeying her orders.

"Take this Daoist friend to my residence," she instructed, "and also bring the abandoned disciple of the Heavenly Talisman Sect lying on the ground, that Taisui Baby, and that monster of an alien species with you."

"Make sure to treat them well, no negligence is allowed."

"Yes!"

Although her tone contained no arrogance and could even be described as very thorough and polite,

Tao Qian knew that he, along with Lin Xiaohua and the others, were destined to be taken away.

Not until he communicated with his Puppet Body did he find out the situation of the Immortal Infant, Tong Dudu.

However, compared to the fate of clashing with Forbidden Immortal Hall and the Demon-suppressing Army, ending up slain on the spot, or being pursued, this was already a most favorable outcome.

Just as Tao Qian was comforting himself, planning to catch up with Lin Xiaohua, and to inquire about the cultivation technique he had long been obsessed with,

another calamity suddenly erupted within Seeking Immortal County.

Moreover, this time, it was a development so fantastical that even Tao Qian was taken aback.

Boom!

Without any warning, accompanied by a thunderous roar, the city wall on the south side of Seeking Immortal County collapsed explosively.

Amidst the dust-filled skies, numerous shouts could be heard.

One could see that from those low shanties and densely-packed houses in the south city, suddenly a multitude of civilians, carrying bundles, along with their entire households, rushed out through the breach in the wall as if they were fleeing for their lives.

Although the current guards in Seeking Immortal County were strict, allowing entry but not exit, the sudden surge of people was too much for the few constables in the area to stop.

Neither did those few dare to halt the flood of people, lest they be trampled to a pulp.

The tide of humanity surged forth, and within a few breaths, perhaps thousands had rushed out.

None of the cultivators present were fools; after a few moments of thought, they understood this was definitely a long-planned operation.

However, it was not for rebellion, not for sedition.

It was for… survival!

The dire situation within Seeking Immortal County, although it hadn't deteriorated to the point of unspeakable occurrences yet,

the civilians had guessed after a painful three-day wait that the county government and those lofty immortals were powerless to resolve the "Human-faced Worm Disaster."

With the insect rain coming daily, and each time adding more victims,

a panic-stricken atmosphere spread wildly, forcing these lower-class civilians to embark on a bid for self-rescue.

Everyone knew that to stay in Seeking Immortal County was almost no different from waiting for death.

The south city of Seeking Immortal County was full of mixed characters; it was normal for some brave and smart low-level heroes to help the civilians plan this operation.

The sudden blasting open of the city walls and the thousands of civilians swarming out was something the guards simply couldn't stop.

Yet, if this operation was just as it appeared, it seemed to lack significance.

Because the surroundings of Seeking Immortal County, having been nearly wiped clean by the Iron Buddha Temple demons, left the civilians nowhere to go even if they escaped. They wouldn't get far in the wilderness, and soon the army and the constables would catch up to them and escort them back one by one.

If they were not brought back, an even worse fate awaited them, likely to become blood food for the roaming demons and fierce beasts in the wilderness.

The dozen or so young disciples from the Great Sect at Forbidden Immortal Hall also thought of these possibilities.

Among them, the heroic female cultivator holding the "Divine Fire Stone Cover," from the great Daoist Fire God Temple sect, looking at the blasted city wall, said with a furrowed brow:

"Friends, although the civilians acted out of desperation for survival, the outside of the city is even more dangerous now."

"If those demons from Iron Buddha Mountain discover that so many mundane humans have escaped, they will undoubtedly come to capture them as blood food."

"We should take the trouble to bring the civilians back, pacify them, and then think of another plan."

Upon finishing, the rest of the disciples nodded in agreement.

As they spoke, the group was about to employ their Escape Skill and then cast spells to wrap up the thousands of civilians and bring them back.

However, it was at this moment that Tao Qian seemed to hear a weird sound, something he hadn't heard for a long time, but which lingered deep in his memory.

Whoo Whoo Whoo!

When the sound of the steam whistle roared from afar to near, Tao Qian's expression froze.

A steam train?

At this moment, Tao Qian finally vaguely remembered that the two bosses, Li Sanyu and Jia Qiang, had mentioned in passing that as the external trade port of Southern Yue, Seeking Immortal County not only had steam iron ships on the full river but also had a railway line to the provincial city outside the city.

Even when the route was being laid out, it had encountered conflicts with the local villagers, who believed that such a monster, whistling wildly and belching black smoke, would disrupt the feng shui of their village.

Just now, everyone was saying that the civilians' plan was not well-thought-out, that once out of the city there was nowhere to go.

Who would have expected that their comeuppance would come so swiftly.

As people with keen ears and sharp eyes, the cultivators could see far beyond what ordinary humans could perceive.

And at this moment, they all observed an incredibly bustling, yet somewhat absurd and magical scene.

Upon the long railway tracks, a train, like a monstrous steam beast, roared towards them, slowing down as it approached the Seeking Immortal County area.

Thousands of civilians, with families in tow, took this opportunity to scramble aboard the train.

Clearly, the timing of the wall's demolition was not chosen haphazardly but was aimed to coincide with the train's passage.

The planner indeed possessed both courage and wisdom.