Chapter 1865: Qinglian Immortal Couple Arrives, Quelling the Turmoil

At the summit of a majestic peak, a square covered in green moss stretched out. A towering azure pagoda, over a hundred zhang tall, stood proudly in the center of the square. The words "Furious Wind Pagoda" were carved onto its body, glowing with spiritual light and flickering runes.

On the second floor, Fairy Ziyue sat cross-legged on a circular stone platform, over ten zhang in diameter. Her face was pale. The ape puppet beast beside her was motionless, and a light-blue barrier enveloped the stone platform.

The puppet beast's energy was depleted. Fairy Ziyue had no spiritual power left and couldn't retrieve high-grade spirit stones from her storage ring to replace them.

If no one came to her rescue, Fairy Ziyue would inevitably die of old age in this place.

Fairy Ziyue was filled with despair. A Nascent Soul cultivator without spiritual power was no different from a mortal.

A formidable figure appeared in her mind, but she quickly shook her head, and the image dissipated.

"I wonder if anyone will come to rescue me." Fairy Ziyue sighed. She had never imagined she would be trapped here; with her own power, escape was impossible.

Outside the secret realm, Wang Qingjing, Guandong Ren, and True Lord Xuanling sat around an azure stone table. On the table lay a piece of green beast hide, which depicted True Lord Xuanling's travel route within the secret realm.

They were analyzing where Wang Qingshan and Fairy Ziyue might be trapped, hoping to send someone to rescue them.

Unfortunately, this secret realm was too vast. Given the presence of fifth-order demonic beasts, Wang Qingjing and the other two did not enter themselves. They sent Core Formation cultivators, but the losses were severe; only Wang Huayang returned alive.

"It seems we can only wait for Father and Mother to arrive. I wonder if our clan members have managed to contact them?" Wang Qingjing sighed, her face clouded with worry.

Wang Qingshan had been missing for over half a year. The longer he was gone, the greater the danger he faced.

"What? Still no news of Qingshan?" A deep male voice suddenly resonated.

As soon as the words fell, Wang Changsheng and Wang Ruyan entered, followed by over a dozen Nascent Soul cultivators.

These dozen-plus Nascent Soul cultivators hailed from the Thousand Gourd Realm. After Wang Changsheng and Wang Ruyan displayed a bit of their strength, they willingly pledged allegiance to the Wang family. In exchange, their sects and families would receive the Wang family's protection.

In addition to the Nascent Soul cultivators, there were over fifty Core Formation cultivators, all from the Thousand Gourd Realm, whom Wang Changsheng had subdued along the way.

Exploring an unknown secret realm was time-consuming. The longer it took, the more dangerous Wang Qingshan's situation became. The Wang family didn't have many high-level cultivators in the Thousand Gourd Realm; even if all of them entered the secret realm, they couldn't thoroughly explore it in a short period. A secret realm with fifth-order demonic beasts was too perilous. It was better to let outsiders explore it; if they met with an accident, Wang Changsheng could offer some compensation.

"Father, Mother, you've finally arrived. Seventh Brother and Martial Uncle Tian disappeared while exploring this secret realm. Considering the presence of fifth-order demonic beasts, we only sent a few Core Formation cultivators in, but we suffered heavy losses." Wang Qingjing recounted the events in detail, her voice heavy.

"Master, please return to Xuanling Sect to oversee things. Issue orders in our name, strictly prohibiting cultivators from the East Reaching Realm from wanton slaughter. Our primary approach to the forces in the Thousand Gourd Realm should be appeasement. Those individuals have gone too far in their exploitation, inciting resentment among the Thousand Gourd Realm cultivators." Wang Changsheng instructed Guandong Ren. On their way back, they had witnessed numerous cultivators fighting for cultivation resources.

The Thousand Gourd Realm had been ruled by demonic tribes for over a millennium. While there were indeed many staunch adherents among them, most forces were pragmatic. However, cultivators from the East Reaching Realm and the Sky-Blue Realm had gone berserk, attacking forces throughout the Thousand Gourd Realm. This had provoked fierce resistance from the Thousand Gourd Realm cultivators, which was not a good development.

"This will likely be very difficult. Those people have gone completely mad with killing. Earlier, three Nascent Soul cultivators even attempted to attack Huayang and his group." Guandong Ren looked troubled. Wang Changsheng's decision was sound, but cultivators from the East Reaching Realm and the Sky-Blue Realm were already consumed by their bloodlust. Other Spirit Transformation cultivators were busy plundering cultivation resources, completely disregarding the lives of the Thousand Gourd Realm cultivators. Even True Monarch Thousand Gourd was preoccupied with seizing territory, eager to rebuild his sect as soon as possible.

"I can't control others, but within the territories controlled by our Wang family, all cultivators must abide by three rules: those who indiscriminately kill will be executed without mercy; those who plunder wealth will be executed without mercy; and those who commit sexual assault will be executed without mercy. If any force wishes to join us, they are welcome, but they must not kill or seize treasures under the banner of our Wang family. From the day this order is issued, all cultivators within our controlled territories, including those from the Wang family and Zhenhai Sect, must comply with these three regulations." Wang Changsheng's tone was stern. They had delineated territories beforehand, but saying it was one thing, enforcing it was another.

For example, if cultivators from the Sky-Blue Realm trespassed into territories allocated to the Wang family, attacked cultivation forces there, and seized large amounts of wealth under the pretense of "acting on behalf of Heaven," Wang family cultivators might, in anger, follow suit and plunder cultivation resources from other forces' territories. In this way, everyone would mimic each other, and no one would be blameless, making it difficult to discern right from wrong.

The immediate priority was to quickly quell the unrest. Too many cultivators in the Thousand Gourd Realm had already perished. After finally expelling the demonic tribes, they could not become a second demonic presence.

"Understood, I will attend to it immediately." Guandong Ren agreed and departed with Wang Huayang and dozens of other cultivators.

"Senior Wang is truly wise. I, your junior, am willing to serve you like a loyal dog and horse." A fawning elderly man in a green robe said obsequiously. His name was Yang Fengming, a mid-stage Nascent Soul cultivator.

The other Nascent Soul cultivators all agreed, adopting expressions of unwavering loyalty.

These individuals were opportunists. They pledged allegiance to the Wang family simply to seek shelter under a mighty tree, protecting their own clansmen and disciples. As for justice or fairness, they couldn't care less.

Even if Wang Changsheng ordered them to kill, they wouldn't hesitate for a moment. They too had their own clansmen and disciples to protect. As the saying goes, 'better for a fellow Daoist to die than for me to perish.' As long as their own people remained safe, the casualties among other cultivators were of no consequence.

"No need for flattery. Just do your jobs well, and I will not treat you unfairly. However, if you slack off or act perfunctorily, I will punish you severely. Listen, the two individuals you are to find are very important to me. Discover their whereabouts, and I will reward you handsomely." Wang Changsheng's voice was stern. The dozen-plus Nascent Soul cultivators he had subdued were self-serving; only profit could motivate them.

"Yes, Senior Wang." Yang Fengming and the dozen or so Nascent Soul cultivators responded in unison, their expressions respectful.

Wang Ruyan looked at True Lord Xuanling and instructed, "You will lead the way for us. Qingjing, you take three Nascent Soul cultivators and guard outside, ready to assist us." True Lord Xuanling and Wang Qingjing agreed. With two Spirit Transformation cultivators for protection, True Lord Xuanling's courage significantly increased, and he led Wang Changsheng and the others into the secret realm.