CHAPTER 422
Ruling the Mortal Realm
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Following Guo Ce and his master's wife, Su Cheng and his companions also arrived at the location of "that person."
"We're here?"
"Mhm. He resides within the mountains."
"Oh, lead the way."
"…Alright."
Guo Ce and the beautiful woman walked ahead, now truly resembling traitorous guides. They cautiously maintained forced smiles, occasionally glancing back over their shoulders. Their overly cautious demeanor looked quite ridiculous.
Avoiding the couple, Su Cheng spoke slowly.
"Mu Chan, what kind of place is this?"
Now possessing the cultivation of a Nascent Soul, Su Cheng was no longer the same as before. With his dual divine senses, the entire mountain held no secrets from him.
There was no one on this mountain.
But Su Cheng wasn't in a hurry to expose them just yet. He wanted to see what they intended to do.
"We saw Ao City on the way here. This mountain must be the Mother-Child Mountains. I heard a powerful demonic cultivator resides within. Could it be that demonic cultivator who stole Master's painting?"
Su Cheng smiled. He trusted his own investigations. Perhaps the great demonic cultivator had simply stepped out for a stroll?
Regardless, it didn't matter to Su Cheng.
His extreme caution stemmed not from fear that this fellow would refuse to speak, but because the Void Blueprint was incredibly precious.
Compared to the positioning anchor points, this Void Blueprint was incredibly fragile!
If those deranged fools damaged it, it would be disastrous!
Now that Xun Ye was dead, even though Xiao Ai had inherited the authority over the space, she still fell far short of Xun Ye's mastery of that power…
If this Void Blueprint were damaged, no one could repair it, let alone replicate it.
The so-called Iron Cauldron Project was conceived to develop weapons against the gods, though its very nature was so utterly unfathomable that most dismissed it as impossible.
It was like an ancient artifact preserved through the ages—its creator long gone or lost to history, leaving it as the sole surviving treasure.
Following the two into the mountains, Su Cheng walked while listening to Su Muchan tell jokes to Dongfang Jue.
The only amusing part of the joke was that neither Su Cheng nor Dongfang Jue laughed—only Guo Ce did.
"Is Youwei also in the Eastern Realm?"
"Hm? Wasn't it you, Master, who asked her to go and help?"
【Huh? Did I ask her to go to the Eastern Region?】
"Yes. How is she doing?"
Su Cheng mentioned he hadn't seen Chu Youwei these past few days—turns out she'd gone off to the Eastern Region to play…
Su Cheng hadn't expected Chu Youwei to volunteer her assistance.
The disciples were all progressing in a positive direction: Qinghan was growing increasingly steady, Shiyao's reactions were becoming quicker, and Dongfang Jue's actions were more and more prudent.
It seemed that as he nurtured these disciples, Su Cheng was the only one left playing the villain…
"Thanks to Miss Youwei, we likely avoided heavy casualties."
"So what happened after Youwei arrived?"
Dongfang Jue fell silent. She had only intended to brush the question aside, but hadn't expected her master to press further. She didn't know how to describe the current state of the battle.
"Jue'er, I thought you would seek your master's help."
Dongfang Jue was overcome with shame. "I'm sorry, Master. The situation is dire. Jue'er has failed to meet your expectations…"
Though she didn't wipe away tears, Dongfang Jue's sense of injustice was written all over her face.
Still, Su Cheng was satisfied. At least Dongfang Jue hadn't questioned him about why—this was a vast improvement over the past.
"It matters not. Your master can certainly intervene. But you must understand, Jue'er: the casualties will only multiply. When people grow accustomed to relying on others, disaster will find them helpless—left with no choice but to sit and await their doom."
"Jue'er, the reason I haven't personally intervened is simple: not enough have died yet. It's still insufficient to awaken everyone."
"I can imagine many are still hoping to profit from this, or to rise to prominence amidst the calamity."
"Others see this as an opportunity—a chance to rise above the rest."
"If this is the mindset, this world is destined for nothing but destruction."
"You understand the principle of teaching someone to fish, Jue'er."
"You may think your master is cold-hearted, but as your teacher, caring for you is my duty. Yet the fate of all living beings… that is beyond my concern."
Hearing this, Dongfang Jue hurriedly defended herself.
"No, Master! Jue'er never thought that way!"
"Jue'er, if you ask, I can help you escape this deadly predicament. No one else needs to die; no more lives will be lost."
"No, Master. Jue knows this is your test. Please grant me more time. I will turn the tide."
Su Cheng merely smiled. From the very beginning, this outcome had been predestined. He never expected to alter the situation itself—what truly mattered was changing people's minds.
Merely paying lip service to cooperation was meaningless. Only by uniting their strength could they alter the current situation.
"Master believes that beyond altering the situation, what matters most now is changing mindsets. This is no natural disaster one person can withstand alone. Even I must rely on the strength of those around me."
"The black mist is merely the beginning. If we cannot even handle this, then when the true calamity arrives, the masses will have no choice but to face certain death."
Indeed, her master always saw further than she did. That was because she knew too little.
"Master, Jue'er understands. I know these people all harbor their own agendas. Hearts are hidden behind faces; it's inevitable that some will pay lip service while harboring ulterior motives."
Su Cheng pondered for a moment, yet still voiced the solution that had remained unchanged from the very beginning.
"They simply believe that when the sky falls, someone taller will bear the weight. My approach is to stand by and watch. Only when they feel the pain and fear will they be willing to act."
"This is easy to understand. Though they appear united now, aside from you three sisters and the Heavenly Dao Pavilion, the forces sent by their factions are hardly combat-ready."
"I believe this first attempt ending in failure holds greater significance than ending in victory."
The immortal sects and clans remain utterly oblivious to the true horror of this death trap. Though they rush to join the fray, they treat it as no more than an ordinary calamity—like a rampant beast—that will naturally be dealt with by the great powers.
Dongfang Jue looked stunned, yet his master had indeed acted this way. If that were the case, then Chu Youwei volunteering to help made perfect sense.
"They say you can't wake someone pretending to sleep, but I believe that's only because the method is wrong. If one blow doesn't work, try two. Before death, they'll wake up—and scream."
Dongfang Jue couldn't agree, but he couldn't say so outright—after all, this was his master.
"Um… Master, is there no other way? Even if there are villains, the common people are innocent. So many ordinary citizens—they've done nothing wrong."
"There are ways, of course. But Jue'er must understand: now, only dozens or hundreds die. But as time passes, when the black mist engulfs the city and claws and fangs crush its walls—then far more will perish."
"You could lead by example, rallying the people to resist this calamity. With your two senior sisters' aid, it should not prove too difficult."
"Even if we fail and divine punishment falls, your master can protect you from harm."
"But while Jue'er herself may not be in a hurry, how much time remains for the common people?"
A look of deep sorrow clouded Dongfang Jue's delicate features. Was she truly to stand by and watch these people rush headlong into destruction?