The next morning, He Lingchuan climbed the mountain to meet Elder Dao once more.
This time, Dong Rui and Zhu Daniang did not accompany him, opting instead to stroll through the town at the foot of the mountain and give He Lingchuan some privacy.
To his surprise, another person was present—a man who looked under fifty, his temples and beard lightly flecked with gray, carrying an aura of detached transcendence.
Standing beside him, Elder Dao looked positively ancient.
"This is our Sect Master Xue."
The sect master of Mount Rong Sect had come to see him in person? Taken aback, He Lingchuan stepped forward and offered greetings as a junior.
Sect Master Xue gave a slight gesture of support and said with a smile, "No need for ceremony, please, at ease."
He had naturally already heard Elder Dao's account. Looking He Lingchuan up and down, he offered praise without hesitation: "A hero born of youth! Splendid, simply splendid."
He and Elder Dao had already discussed the matter, so Elder Dao now asked He Lingchuan, "Sect Master Xue, myself, and Songyuan are all men of Lingshan. Young Master He, do you know what 'Lingshan' refers to?"
The secret code Fang Canran had provided had indeed mentioned "Lingshan," which He Lingchuan had guessed was the name of an organization. Moreover, when fleeing Baizhantian's pursuit within Mount Xu, he had heard a chorus of thousands of rustling leaves as he dashed beneath the Dao-Seeking Tree.
It was as though countless people were watching him and urging him on, but the two words He Lingchuan had heard most clearly were:
"Lingshan!"
Had the Dao-Seeking Tree, Venerable Muling, or one of the other Dahuan Sect forebears who had attained Nirvana beneath it spoken that name to him?
He had later asked Zhu Daniang, but even a spider demon thousands of years old had no idea where "Lingshan" was.
In antiquity, spiritual mountains had covered the world; no single peak would have been singled out by that name.
And afterward? She had never heard of it since, either.
Thus, He Lingchuan hesitated a moment before replying, "I have heard whispers of it, but know little of its depths."
"Lingshan lies deeply hidden, unknown to the world. That Young Master He has even heard of it proves you are no ordinary man," Sect Master Xue said with a chuckle. "Since you come bearing Songyuan's token, we shall speak with you in full candor."
To win him over, the first step was demonstrating sincerity.
Besides, the great feat He Lingchuan and his companions had pulled off was well worth the Mount Rong Sect's respect.
He Lingchuan assumed a solemn expression. "Please enlighten me, Sect Master Xue."
This solemnity was out of respect for the power standing behind Sect Master Xue, Elder Dao, and Fang Canran.
His experiences in Beijia and his actions in Lingxu City had driven home a stark warning:
A lone wolf could hardly accomplish great deeds.
Without the concerted cooperation of Li Qingge and Fang Canran, his Mount Xu Plan could never have succeeded.
While offending Beijia, he had also become more deeply entangled with the organization behind Fang Canran, a reality beyond his personal control.
They likely shared common goals and common demands.
Ever since leaving Lingxu City, He Lingchuan had turned the matter over in his mind. Reason told him that against a colossus like Beijia, he could not fight alone.
By the same token, Lingxu City would treat both of them as one and the same—
Enemies that Beijia ought to crush with a single swat.
"Lingshan is not a specific mountain range, but merely a codename. Like-minded comrades such as ourselves and Songyuan all refer to ourselves as people of Lingshan."
He Lingchuan understood. The organization behind them was simply called "Lingshan."
"Not a single sect or school?"
"Not a single sect or school," Sect Master Xue said softly. "Among us are recluses of the Daoist orders, officials serving in imperial courts, and even—"
He paused briefly. "Even remnant immortals of antiquity!"
Those last words were the true bombshell. Yet he saw little surprise on He Lingchuan's face; the youth merely gave a firm nod. "Just as I thought!"
"Just as you thought?"
"Before we withdrew, we saw a colossal azure bird summon a whirlwind to ravage Lingxu City. That was at least at the level of a demi-immortal or higher."
From that moment on, He Lingchuan had known that the organization behind Fang Canran was likely connected to immortals.
Deploying the azure bird at that particular time was also a declaration to Lingxu City, to the Heavenly Palace, and to the entire world:
The immortals had returned.
Elder Dao let out an "oh" of realization. "That was Lord Dufeng, who fought the Heavenly Fiend in ancient times. The great demon Chifeng was its descendant."
He Lingchuan recalled that Chifeng had perished in Lingxu City. It seemed the azure bird had sought vengeance for its offspring.
"In short, our people are scattered across the world. If Young Master He shares our aims, we can cooperate in earnest from now on."
He Lingchuan asked directly, "May I ask what Lingshan's objective is?"
"To resist the Heavenly Fiend and revive spiritual energy!" Elder Dao said in a deep voice. "As long as the Heavenly Fiend plagues this world, there is no way forward for either of us."
He Lingchuan understood that "either of us" referred to cultivators.
If the Heavenly Fiend were not stopped from plundering nightmare energy, human cultivators would gradually sink to the level of mere mortals, forever barred from the path to heaven.
"Then where have the immortals been for these past three thousand years?"
This was not only He Lingchuan's question, but one asked by all living beings under heaven.
Elder Dao exhaled a long breath. "I can only say they were where they ought to be."
He Lingchuan concealed his true thoughts. "And now they intend to re-enter the mortal world?"
"The thoughts of exalted immortals are unfathomable." Sect Master Xue narrowed his eyes slightly. "However, this disaster striking Lingxu City is wonderful news for the world, as well as for the war in the east."
Indeed, Beijia was currently waging war against the Mou Kingdom to the east. Word of Lingxu City's upheaval reaching the front lines would undoubtedly shift morale between the two armies, perhaps even swaying the decisions of commanders.
It would also let the world know that Beijia was not invincible and unassailable as it boasted.
"How is Lingxu City faring now?" Several months had passed since He Lingchuan had thrown the Heavenly Palace into chaos. He was curious to know how Lingxu City had cleaned up the mess. "And what of Juju, that giant flaming man?"
"On the night of the riot, casualties were piled high across Lingxu City. The official death toll announced was nine thousand, but given Lingxu City's usual habits, we estimate the true figure is more than four times that. In addition, over four thousand people are missing," Elder Dao said. "Looking strictly at Lingxu City, the losses incurred by the government and commoners total roughly eighty million taels—about eighty billion coins."
"Missing" meant they could not be found; living people had simply vanished into thin air.
He Lingchuan raised an eyebrow. "Only eighty million taels?"
Lingxu City had a permanent population of eight million. A death toll of forty to fifty thousand was already appalling, especially outside a state of war.
The chaotic scenes from that night in Lingxu were still fresh in He Lingchuan's memory.
Amid the blazing fires and beneath iron hooves, how many commoners had wailed in agony, and how many families had been torn apart?
Yet the monetary losses of the entire city seemed surprisingly modest by comparison.
"Most of the dead were merely commoners and merchants, and most of what was destroyed were ordinary residences. The noble households were virtually unscathed, with the sole exception of Tiantong Island. The herd of Thunder-Wielding beasts rushed into Tiantong Island via Jinghong Crossing and destroyed half of it, leaving the Ke family to suffer the greatest losses." Elder Dao stroked his long beard. "Of that eighty million in damages, the Ke family accounted for at least a tenth. Over forty members of the Ke clan perished as well, including the fifth son they favored most—Ke Yanjing."
Chapter 752