Chapter 1864: Different Treatment

Some things are best left to dissipate with the end of this great war.

As He Lingchuan had suggested, since they were "things of the past," why not "turn them into amusing anecdotes"?

Liu Qingdao was silent for a long moment before finally letting out a difficult breath:

"No wonder Senior Brother entrusted his final wishes to Island Lord He. No wonder!"

This statement seemed like praise for He Lingchuan, but how much unspoken complexity did it truly contain?

The former Sect Master had always been thorough in his actions, but Island Lord He didn't even need threats or negotiations. With just two sentences, he could plug the gaps and quell the unease in Liu Qingdao’s heart.

A cold wind blew, rustling crisply, carrying the heavy scent of gunpowder smoke. Liu Qingdao unconsciously looked around. Was this still the blessed land he recognized?

Silver Pearl Island was no longer the Silver Pearl Island of old, and the Illusory Sect was no longer the Illusory Sect where powerful figures once gathered.

They could no longer return to the days before the Heavenly Demon invasion.

He Lingchuan conveniently poured him a cup of hot water.

"I have stated my intentions, Elder Liu. What are your thoughts?"

Elder Liu took the cup, staring at the slightly rippling surface of the water within.

"Island Lord He, your considerations are thorough. I, too, must act with the larger picture in mind."

The current situation, his own injuries, and He Lingchuan's words had, in fact, pushed him into a corner.

The dead are long gone, but the living... the living must continue to live.

Perhaps the Sect Master Senior Brother had seen Island Lord He's capabilities, believing that the Illusory Sect would not suffer by following him, and that was why he left his last will, urging Liu Qingdao to abandon past grievances.

He Lingchuan, of course, understood his meaning.

"Very well, I, Liu, am willing to pledge a soul oath and lead the Illusory Sect in joining Yangshan. However, the decision for disciples to stay or leave must still be their own." Then, he raised the cup and drank it all.

He Lingchuan was delighted: "Naturally."

This was also one of the soul pact agreements he had made with Xiao Wencheng.

So Liu Qingdao took a blood oath, sealing the vow within a blue pearl, which he then handed to He Lingchuan.

Should the oath be broken, the pearl would change color. If He Lingchuan then crushed it, Liu Qingdao's vital energy would surge back, causing him to suffer a qi deviation.

Cultivating in the human realm was no easy feat, so Liu Qingdao would naturally be cautious in his words and actions.

This Elder Liu was perceptive, taking the initiative to dispel He Lingchuan's doubts through his actions; otherwise, the latter would remain suspicious, which would not be good for either Elder Liu or the Illusory Sect.

Afterwards, Elder Liu had Ji Bin gather the Illusory Sect disciples. Ji Bin first explained the current state of the Upside-Down Sea and the Illusory Sect, and then Elder Liu announced the new decision:

The Illusory Sect would strictly adhere to Sect Master Xiao's dying wish, joining the Yangshan Archipelago and leaving the Upside-Down Sea before the storm circle closed.

Disciples could leave with their families; those who genuinely did not wish to follow could withdraw and continue to reside there.

This decision was largely anticipated by most Illusory Sect disciples, so the reaction it provoked was not intense.

Everyone exchanged glances, unable to immediately decide whether to stay or leave.

Most of them originated from local families in the Upside-Down Sea and naturally felt a strong attachment to their homeland; their first reaction was to not want to leave.

The outside world held too many unknowns and challenges.

However, there was a fundamental difference between immortals and mortals, or rather, cultivators and mortals. With their sect about to relocate and only commoners remaining in the Upside-Down Sea, would these cultivators, who had already stepped onto the grand path, willingly return to an ordinary life and become fishermen, farmers, or artisans?

Furthermore, the spiritual energy concentration in the Upside-Down Sea would soon be on par with the outside world. Cultivating here without spiritual resources would be less advantageous than leaving with Island Lord He and the sect.

The entire scene fell silent, with everyone finding it difficult to make a choice.

However, someone soon stepped forward, walking directly to He Lingchuan and Elder Liu, stating firmly:

"We are willing to follow Lord He to the Great Thousand World!"

It was Luo Xie and a few of his companions.

He Lingchuan patted his shoulder, his eyes filled with satisfaction:

"Good!"

After enduring successive battles, this young man was still alive; it seemed he was quite resilient.

Not only resilient, but also intelligent.

Excellent, his army needed people like this.

Since someone had taken the lead, other Illusory Sect disciples also needed to make a choice, but He Lingchuan spoke first:

"Don't rush your decisions, everyone. There's still plenty of time to consider. The immediate priority is to avenge the Immortal Venerable, Sect Master Xiao, and all the elders!"

The words "avenge" immediately captured everyone's attention; even the heavily injured Elder Liu leaned slightly forward.

"The Heavenly Palace forces are still fleeing," He Lingchuan said, summoning the Haoyuan Golden Mirror and pointing a finger. "I think it's time to put an end to this."

The scene in the mirror immediately shifted to the Heavenly Palace forces.

Their expressions were dejected, unlike anything seen before.

No matter how brutal or bloody the previous battles had been, they had never appeared so dispirited.

Even the White Guards beside Bai Ziqi looked disheartened. Dong Rui clicked her tongue:

"It seems they already know that Miaozhantian has fallen."

Their homes destroyed, their loved ones suffering, and they themselves about to wander the mortal realm, all thanks to the Heavenly Palace! At this thought, the Illusory Sect disciples picked up their weapons, their eyes turning red.

Everyone looked at He Lingchuan, awaiting his command.

Even someone as compassionate as Lingguang did not believe He Lingchuan would show mercy.

The battle of the Upside-Down Sea was destined to end with the victor taking all. Showing leniency to the enemy now would be cruelty to themselves later.

He Lingchuan raised his right palm and made a downward cutting gesture:

"Kill!"

As the sole survivor of the brutal Battle of the Sea of Consciousness (excluding the Blood Demon), from this moment on, a single word from him could determine the fate of everyone here!

Only blood could bring the chapter within the Upside-Down Sea to a final close.

The final battle between the Illusory Sect and the Heavenly Palace was a complete rout, utterly one-sided.

The Heavenly Palace forces were reduced to only sixty or seventy people, while the Illusory Sect, six times their number and fueled by a burning desire for revenge, had no suspense in the outcome.

Shimeishen and another demon immortal were both gravely wounded. They had little power to resist Mother Zhu and Dong Rui's demon puppets and were ultimately killed.

He Lingchuan stood by the lakeside, observing the battle in the mirror. It no longer required his direct command.

The Soul-Capturing Mirror in his arms asked him, "They both surrendered, so why are you so courteous to the Illusory Sect but so harsh with the Blood Demon?"

It knew that He Lingchuan would defeat and absorb more and more factions in the future. The power of an overlord was accumulated little by little.

But weren't both sides surrendering now? Why did its master treat them differently?

"Who said they surrendered? There's a huge difference," He Lingchuan said, speaking freely as there was no one else nearby. "The Blood Demon had no choice but to surrender; it had no other option. Why should I be courteous to it?"

The Blood Demon, now a cloak, responded, "..."

That really made it angry. "Never mind," it thought, "I'll just ignore it and focus on healing my soul injuries first."

Just now, He Lingchuan had given it three Juluo White Flowers to help it recover from its injuries.

He Lingchuan also took two small white flowers for himself and let out a long yawn. Truth be told, the soul injuries he sustained at Panlong Solitary City were not light either; they manifested as splitting headaches and an overwhelming desire to sleep indefinitely, but he had no time for that now.

The important matters weren't even finished yet.

"Hey, hey, don't stop halfway," the Soul-Capturing Mirror pressed. "What about the Illusory Sect, then?"

"The Illusory Sect received the blessings of Qianhuan and Xiao Wencheng."

"Huh?" The mirror was confused.

"Xiao Wencheng knew my methods and feared I would slaughter the Illusory Sect afterwards, which is why he made a soul pact with me."

The mirror understood quite clearly: "Yes, with this pact in place, Master cannot treat the Illusory Sect too poorly."

"It's more than just that," He Lingchuan chuckled. "My ultimate victory was established by the self-detonation of Qianhuan and Xiao Wencheng's divine souls; I also owe my survival to Xiao Wencheng. For this alone, I must treat Liu Qingdao and the Illusory Sect with utmost courtesy and respect. Otherwise, if they spread the word outside, who would be willing to pledge allegiance to me in the future?"

The next few years would be precisely the time for him to recruit talent and expand his influence; he absolutely could not afford to be labeled as ungrateful over a small matter.

"The Illusory Sect's integration with me is a 'joining,' an 'affiliation,' but absolutely not a surrender!" He Lingchuan pressed his temples. "Qianhuan's divine soul self-detonation was frustrating, but Xiao Wencheng genuinely exchanged his own death for these advantages for the Illusory Sect."

The Soul-Capturing Mirror snorted, "For the Illusory Sect, he was indeed very considerate."

"After living for thousands of years, how could he not understand these worldly matters and human relations?" He Lingchuan said. "Of course, I could also use other methods to bypass the oath and kill Liu Qingdao, but Xiao Wencheng didn't know me well enough; he could only take a gamble."

In cultivation and in life, who hasn't taken a few grand gambles?

Just then, Wanqifeng reported through the mirror:

"My Lord, we've caught Bai Ziqi."

He Lingchuan also saw this through the Haoyuan Golden Mirror, then adjusted his attire and stepped through the mirror.

Coincidentally, the place where Bai Ziqi was captured was the location of Yu Village in the Upper Realm.

This place had once been home to a village established by ghost inhabitants, but it had been razed to the ground during the fall of Shenxitian.

When He Lingchuan arrived, Bai Ziqi was securely tied up by Mother Zhu, and two injured guards, Bai Shi and Bai Shi Qi, were also held nearby.

All other Heavenly Palace personnel had been eliminated, not one left.

It was almost dark again, and Bai Ziqi gazed blankly at the setting sun.

He repeatedly pondered why the Heavenly Palace had suffered defeat on this trip to the Upside-Down Sea.

Was it because the Great Celestial Miaozhantian was not powerful enough, or because his own plans and command were not superior, or perhaps because his opponents were too cunning?

How had he ended up in this situation? What exactly had he done wrong during this process?

Here, who exactly was the opponent of the Heavenly Palace and himself?

Two people, from who knew where, brought a table and two bamboo chairs, placing them in the open space at the village entrance.

Both were clad in black armor, different from the Illusory Sect disciples.

Bai Ziqi knew these were the Black Armored Army.

The two pressed him into a chair and then withdrew.

There were no idle people present, except for the Queen of the Cavern Spiders, who found a large rock nearby and comfortably lay down.

Bai Ziqi did not move; he knew someone had arrived.

As the setting sun cast its light from the west, a figure arrived amidst the afterglow, his steps steady.

Dressed in black robes with a jade crown, he had long brows and handsome eyes.

He Lingchuan.

He sat opposite Bai Ziqi, took out a flask of wine and two cups from his storage ring, placed them on the table, and greeted him calmly:

"Envoy Bai, long time no see."

The last time the two had drunk together across a table was at Yongquan Mountain Villa, in the suburbs of Yaodu.

Back then, Bai Ziqi was arrogant and swaggering, while He Lingchuan was cautious.

Three months later, Bai Ziqi, once an honored guest of the Yao Kingdom, had now become He Lingchuan's prisoner.