Chapter 204: Graveyard Libation Praising the Scriptures

This season, while late autumn in Seven Blood Eyes, was already deep winter here in Purple Earth.

Wind and snow fell, blanketing the ground and covering this ancient city, thousands of years old. From a distance, the deep red palace buildings appeared embedded in a vast, boundless sea of snow, as heavy snow fell. The entire land was layered with snow. Few pedestrians were on the streets, all bundled in thick clothes. Yet, the persistent snowfall could not be brushed away, making it seem as if everyone was walking towards old age, their hair turning white.

A sense of decline and widespread repression gradually merged with the environment, becoming the prevailing atmosphere of the place, carried by the snowflakes and the numb expressions of the pedestrians. The exposed tiled roofs of all the city's buildings looked like lonely islands in a sea of snow.

This was Purple Earth. It was also the former imperial capital of the Southern Phoenix Continent.

Ten thousand years ago, within the Southern Phoenix Continent, there was a kingdom called the Purple-Green Upper Kingdom. It once unified the Southern Phoenix Continent, using the Flaming Phoenix as its totem. However, it could not endure in that brutal era of turmoil. It collapsed due to internal strife, burying the Purple-Green Upper Kingdom in history, making it a thing of the past. As for the former royal family and its inherited wealth, they were all divided among the rebels of that time. Their bloodline suffered the same fate, dwindling to almost nothing by the present day. After seizing everything, the rebels ironically became the new orthodoxy, forming eight great clans who occupied Purple Earth, becoming the prominent clans of Purple Earth and continuing to this day. They also worshipped the Flaming Phoenix totem, regarding it as their deity.

Looking across, the entire imperial capital of Purple Earth was larger than the main city of Seven Blood Eyes, roughly three times its size. It was divided into eight regions, which belonged to the eight great clans. Within each region, there was a palace-like structure, serving as the ancestral home of that clan. Some clan palaces were surrounded by emerald green ponds, covered with duckweed, exuding clarity. Dragon and phoenix carvings adorned the upturned eaves, with golden scales and armor, appearing incredibly lifelike. Other clan palaces featured golden glazed tiles that glittered brightly under the winter sun. From afar, their double-eaved roofs appeared exceptionally magnificent.

Compared to Seven Blood Eyes, their styles were completely different. In contrast, Purple Earth resembled an old man in luxurious robes, yet stubbornly rigid. Everything adhered to strict rules, emphasized bloodlines, and prioritized family tradition above all else. This was their way of survival in chaotic times, unlike Seven Blood Eyes. It was hard to say which was better.

However, it was clear that Seven Blood Eyes, as a branch of the Seven Sects Alliance, was initially somewhat inferior to Purple Earth. Yet, over the passage of time and through development, they gradually achieved equality. Now, with the breakthrough of Old Ancestor Blood Refiner, they had surpassed Purple Earth, even having the courage to declare war on foreign races.

But Purple Earth would not act in this manner. They preferred to be self-isolated, disliking external interference. While they revered the Sky Remnant, they also disdained all outside forces, even the Vast Ancient Continent. They believed their own bloodline was the most noble and did not consider themselves narrow-minded. Therefore, most people living here who lacked an inherited bloodline had no future. They lacked vitality, and a servile nature slowly permeated their souls, continuing for generations.

Master Bai was one of the few remarkable individuals in Purple Earth over the past ten thousand years. He was also the first to want to break family traditions and seek alliance with external human forces for common development. His ideas were contrary to Purple Earth's, and for this, he paid a price, becoming a mortal. Yet, he did not give up. With unparalleled talent and mastery of the Way of Herbs and Plants, he forged another path within his limited lifespan. He also developed numerous elixir formulas. In the Way of Herbs and Plants, he surpassed cultivators through his own mortal efforts. To some extent, he was already the foremost expert in alchemy in the Southern Phoenix Continent. Even the Peak Lord of Seven Blood Eyes' Second Peak, a Nascent Soul cultivator, held Master Bai in great admiration. Figures like Seventh Master also referred to him as "Master." All of this demonstrated Master Bai's unparalleled achievement in alchemy.

Despite this, within Purple Earth, he remained constrained by numerous rules, powerless in many situations—all due to his bloodline. Master Bai was not a direct descendant of the Bai family; he was from a collateral branch.

At this moment, the wind and snow intensified. As snowflakes scattered, more than a dozen people stood silently in the public cemetery within the Bai family's district. In front of them lay a crystal coffin. Master Bai's body rested inside, the wound on his forehead concealed. Although his body was imbued with spiritual power and sealed within the crystal coffin, a closer look still revealed that Master Bai's body was decaying and turning black. This was a sign of poisoning. The poison was exceptionally potent, accelerating decay. Therefore, the body could not be preserved for long and had to be buried that day at dusk, beneath the dim sunset of the snowy sky.

Due to his diluted bloodline, Master Bai was not eligible for burial in the family's imperial mausoleum after his death. However, Master Bai himself had disdained this during his lifetime; years ago, he had instructed that he be buried in a public cemetery upon his death. Most of the crowd was silent, and Bai Yun-dong was among them. Those who came were either Master Bai's juniors or those close to him. Their number was not large, but in a person's life, perhaps not many friends are needed; three to five close confidants are enough.

As the coffin was lowered, the oppressive atmosphere around those gathered at the grave intensified, until a young girl could no longer control herself, and her cries broke the oppressive silence. It was Ting Yu who wept. Two years had passed; she had grown into a graceful young woman, a time when she should have been as carefree as ever. However, with Master Bai's death, her world had collapsed. She knelt before the grave, tears falling one by one, overwhelmed by grief.

Beside her stood a youth of eighteen or nineteen. He was tall and dignified, his robes incredibly luxurious. The jade pendant tied to his waist emitted the light of a magical artifact. This was Chen Fei-yuan. He was also the eldest legitimate grandson of the Chen family in this generation. The teleportation blockade imposed after Master Bai's death was actually achieved through his full efforts. At this moment, he clenched his fists tightly, breathing rapidly, his eyes burning with an intense, overwhelming murderous intent.

Amidst their sorrow and rage, they did not notice a middle-aged man standing silently in a distant alley of the cemetery, gazing towards the site. The middle-aged man, dressed in a coarse linen robe, appeared unremarkable, his face somewhat sallow. Yet, endless sorrow gleamed in his eyes. His body trembled slightly as his right hand gripped the nearby wall, crushing it.

After a long time, the sky gradually darkened. As the sun slowly set and dusk began to fade, those gathered at Master Bai's grave silently departed in the lingering twilight. The last to leave were Ting Yu, Chen Fei-yuan, and a few of Chen Fei-yuan's attendants.

The middle-aged man remained silent and walked forward. He did not look at the departing crowd but approached the public cemetery. He passed by Chen Fei-yuan and Ting Yu. Chen Fei-yuan, supporting the deeply grieving Ting Yu whose tears still flowed, noticed Xu Qing. However, consumed by sorrow, he paid no mind. The cemetery was vast, and many people came to mourn daily. This also fueled his rage and indignation; his master was actually buried here, and he was powerless to do anything about it.

"Do you think he'll come?" Ting Yu, wiping away her tears amidst her grief, whispered weakly.

"Him? Humph, if he were coming, he would have been here already. The fact that he hasn't arrived by now means he's probably just like everyone else—an ungrateful wretch!" Chen Fei-yuan knew instantly who Ting Yu was referring to, and he spoke through gritted teeth.

Ting Yu fell silent.

The middle-aged man walked silently past them. Once the others had moved further away, he arrived at Master Bai's grave. He gazed at the tombstone, his eyes rimmed with red.

"Teacher..." the middle-aged man murmured, his voice hoarse, as he knelt before the tombstone. He was Xu Qing, who had teleported to Purple Earth!

After teleporting to Purple Earth, Xu Qing immediately learned of Master Bai's burial and rushed over. However, he knew his Daoist robe would be too conspicuous and hinder his investigation into the murderer. So, he changed his appearance and came here. As he looked at the tombstone, Xu Qing felt a sharp pain in his chest, a pain that deepened and began to spread throughout his body. In his life so far, he had only knelt before two tombstones: that of Captain Lei and Master Bai.

"Teacher, I will find the murderer and uncover those behind this," Xu Qing murmured bitterly. He then kowtowed to the tombstone and took out a wine gourd from his robe, placing it before the grave. "Captain Lei said you enjoyed drinking, Teacher, so your disciple will keep you company." Xu Qing said, taking a sip from the gourd, then gently sprinkling some onto the grave before placing the gourd aside.

"Teacher, I have memorized all the herbal scriptures you left before you departed. I will recite them for you."

"The Way of Herbs and Plants, one of myriad phenomena, can align with the Great Dao, understand the nature of things, and comprehend the principles of Heaven."

"The first herb, Golden Knotweed, also known as Three-Leaf Pearl or Cold-Dispelling Grass, is the whole plant of the Cyperaceae family's *Kyllinga monocephala*. It is a perennial herbaceous plant that grows on forest slopes and in damp wild areas, distributed in Lingyou and Guangling provinces in the southern part of Southern Phoenix."

"The second herb, Rhino Fire Flower, also known as Cloud Dream Silk, is a spiritual plant of the Spirit Fire family. It is a perennial spiritual herb. Its effects include clearing the lungs and relieving coughs. It also clears heat, detoxifies, dispels blood stasis, and reduces swelling, with remarkable efficacy against venomous snake bites and bruises."

"The 137th herb, Soul-Melting Mist, also known as Heaven's Closed Eye, is a rare spiritual herb of the Mist-Born family from the Great Spirit period. Its effect is to melt soul marks, making them hard to detect and remove. It is the primary ingredient of the Twelve-Hour Decay-Dispelling Elixir."

Xu Qing softly murmured, reciting the herbs he had memorized from the herbal scriptures. In a trance, he seemed to see Master Bai's figure reappear before him, drinking wine, smiling as he watched Xu Qing. There was dignity in his eyes, but also an unconcealable sense of relief and satisfaction.

"Night Corpse Morning Glory, also known as Poison Mountain Root or Dove Daisy, is the stem and root of *Vernonia subsessilis* from the Asteraceae family. It is a woody vine that grows in shady corpse valleys, cold stream banks, or forests. Its taste is astringent and pungent, slightly warm upon entry, with a sensation of decay. It has remarkable efficacy in dispelling wind and releasing the exterior, but it is toxic in excess, a typical yin-yang polarized herb."

A cold wind blew, and snowflakes fell one by one. Xu Qing's voice echoed before Master Bai's grave until night fell. A ripple of emotion emanated from his shadow, as if telling him: "Found it!"

Xu Qing abruptly looked up, silently gazing at Master Bai's tombstone. He kowtowed three times heavily. The moment he stood up, his entire body emanated astonishing murderous intent, and he vanished into the night.

Not long after he left, several figures quickly arrived from a distance. At the forefront was Ting Yu, followed by Chen Fei-yuan and several of his attendants.

"Ting Yu, are you mistaken? How is it possible? He's a prominent figure in Seven Blood Eyes now; why would he remember Teacher's place?"

"No mistake," Ting Yu said, "I recognize his eyes. I'll go back and recall carefully. It must be him!"