TFOD Chapter 86
by VolareThe bloodbath at Nightless City, a legendary battle where the Yi Ling Patriarch, Wei Wuxian, single-handedly massacred three thousand cultivators who had gathered for a pledge of war that night.
Some say it was more than five thousand. Whether it was three thousand or five thousand, one thing remains unchanged: on that night, the ruins of Nightless City were transformed by Wei Wuxian into a blood-soaked hell.
And the murderer, despite being surrounded and attacked by the masses, managed to escape unscathed, returning to the Burial Mounds. No one knew how he had accomplished it.
The various sects suffered greatly from this battle. After nearly three months of recuperation and planning, the four major clans finally succeeded in encircling the demonic lair of the Burial Mounds, returning the word “massacre” to the remaining remnants of the Wen clan and the insane Yi Ling Patriarch.
Wei Wuxian looked at the cultivators in front of the Demon Subjugation Cave. Their expressions were identical to those of the cultivators who had pledged to crush him and the Wen clan remnants to ashes on that night. Some were survivors from that night, some were descendants of those cultivators, and most were “righteous people” who shared the same beliefs.
The middle-aged cultivator, Yi Weichun, who claimed that his leg had been cut off by Wei Wuxian and was forced to wear a wooden prosthetic, said, “The blood debt of three thousand people, you cannot atone for it even if you die ten thousand times!”
Wei Wuxian interrupted him, “Three thousand people? There were indeed over three thousand cultivators present at Nightless City that night, but there were also the leaders of several major families and elites from each sect. With these people present, could I have really killed all three thousand? Are you overestimating me, or underestimating them too much?”
He was merely stating a fact calmly, but the cultivator felt belittled and insulted, and angrily said, “What do you think I’m discussing with you? Can blood debts be bargained over?”
Wei Wuxian said, “I am not trying to bargain on this matter, but I don’t want to have my crimes arbitrarily doubled just by someone else’s words. I don’t want to bear what I didn’t do.”
One person said, “Not what you did? What is not what you did?”
Wei Wuxian said, “For example, it wasn’t me who dismembered Chief Red Peak by five horses. It wasn’t me who forced Madam Jin to commit suicide at Golden Carp Tower, and the walking corpses and fierce corpses you encountered on your way up the mountain are also not under my control.”
Su She smiled, “Yi Ling Patriarch, I have only heard of your arrogance, but I never expected you to be so modest. If it weren’t you, I really can’t imagine who else in the world could control so many walking corpses and fierce corpses, forcing us into such a miserable state.”
Wei Wuxian said, “It’s not hard to imagine. As long as you have the Yin Tiger Seal, anyone can do it.”
Su She said, “Isn’t the Yin Tiger Seal your magical artifact?”
Wei Wuxian said, “Then you have to ask who loves it so much. Just like Wen Ning, some families are clearly terrified of the Ghost General, crying for his death, yet secretly hid him away for over a decade. Strange, who said they had crushed him to ashes back then?”
Everyone couldn’t help but look at the disciples of the Lanling Jin Sect present. After all, the two leaders who were fully responsible for this matter, who had confidently claimed to have incinerated the Wen clan remnants and had even led the scattering of ashes at Nightless City, were the heads of the Lanling Jin Sect. Su She immediately said, “You don’t have to stir up trouble.”
Just then, rustling sounds and strange croaking noises came from the forest.
Lan Qiren said, “Everyone be careful! A new wave of fierce corpses is coming!”
Upon hearing this, half of the people turned to face them, while the other half remained vigilant, pointing their swords at the group of “misfits” in front of the Demon Subjugation Cave. Wei Wuxian said, “I told you, these fierce corpses are not under my control. Instead of looking at me, you should be watching them.”
There were many renowned cultivators present, as well as several clan leaders and elders. Dealing with a group of fierce corpses was naturally not a problem. Immediately, swords flashed and guqin melodies soared. Not many people paid attention to Wei Wuxian’s group. Jiang Cheng whipped three fierce corpses into shreds with one stroke of his whip, then turned his head and shouted at Jin Ling, “Jin Ling! Do you still want your legs or not!”
He meant that if Jin Ling didn’t come over, he would break his legs when they got back. However, Jin Ling had heard this threat countless times without it ever being carried out. Therefore, he glanced at Jiang Cheng and still didn’t move. Jiang Cheng cursed, then flicked his wrist, changing the direction of his Purple Lightning Whip, preparing to wrap it around Jin Ling and forcibly pull him back. Who knew, the purple light flowing on the Purple Lightning Whip suddenly dimmed. After a moment, it went out.
The long whip quickly turned back into a silver ring, which had returned to his index finger. Jiang Cheng was immediately stunned. He had never encountered a situation where the Purple Lightning Whip automatically retracted. Still looking at his palm, suddenly, two drops of blood landed on his palm.
Jiang Cheng lifted his hand and wiped it, smearing his hand with red. Jin Ling cried out, “Uncle!”
A series of exclamations also came from the crowd in the midst of their chaotic battle with the corpses. Looking around, it turned out that the sword lights of eight or nine out of ten people had dimmed, and nearly half of them had two trails of red, dripping with blood down their faces. That was nosebleed. Others had blood flowing from their mouths and noses at the same time!
One sword cultivator panicked, “What’s going on?!”
“My spiritual energy is gone!”
“Senior Brother, give me a hand! Something’s wrong on my side!”
Bichen was unsheathed, killing the two fierce corpses chasing the cultivator who was asking for help. However, the cries for help were increasing, one after another. The crowd also gradually gathered together, retreating toward the Demon Subjugation Cave.
These cultivators who had come to the Burial Mounds to kill, had all suddenly lost their spiritual energy! Not only did their sword lights dim and talismans fail, but even the guqin and xiao music played by the disciples of the Gusu Lan Sect and the Moling Su Sect became ordinary sounds, losing their ability to dispel evil.
The situation had suddenly turned!
Lan Wangji took the guqin off his back, and the strings resonated, shaking the heavens. However, no matter how exquisite his Barrier Breaking Sound was, it was only the power of one person after all. Wen Ning leapt down from the Demon Subjugation Cave, helping him drive away the fierce corpses, while also silently enduring the slashing, stabbing, and kicking from these cultivators. Fortunately, he had no pain, so he was unaffected. In the midst of the chaos, Lan Sizhui suddenly rushed out and shouted, “Everyone, come here, come into the Demon Subjugation Cave! There’s a big formation on the floor of this hall, some parts are missing, but we should be able to fix it and use it. It can block them for a while!”
Some cultivators, their minds clouded with bloodlust, immediately tried to rush in. Su She hurriedly shouted, “Don’t go in! This must be a trap to catch us all in one go! There must be more dangerous traps waiting for us inside!”
Hearing his shout, everyone suddenly woke up and hesitated. Wei Wuxian flung out over sixty Celestial Maiden Scattering Flowers Talismans and said, “Dying outside is also death, dying inside is also death, either way you’re going to die. Going inside you can at least delay it. What do you mean by being so eager for everyone to die together?”
Although what he said made sense, because it was him who said it, everyone was even more reluctant to go inside, continuing to struggle bitterly against the fierce corpses. Others had lost their spiritual energy, but they could barely hold on for a while longer. However, Nie Huaisang could not wait any longer. Everyone knew that he was timid and fearful, with poor talent, and that he was not hardworking, never cultivating well. Being forced into this sudden change of events, he was flustered and miserable. He was relying on a few close guards for protection, so he wasn’t injured. Seeing that the number of corpses was increasing, with no end in sight, he hurriedly said, “Are you going in or not? If you don’t go in, I’ll go in first, sorry, let’s go, go, go, everyone quickly come in!”
Before he finished speaking, Nie Huaisang led a group of Qinghe Nie Sect disciples straight into the Demon Subjugation Cave. He really looked like a dog that had lost its home, a fish that had escaped from the net. The others were stunned by his frankness. At this time, Ouyang Zizhen also called out, “Father, stop fighting! Trust me, go in! We just came out of that cave, there’s no trap inside!”
The other young men also shouted, “Yeah, there really is a large formation on the floor inside!”
Jin Ling said, “Uncle, come in!”
Jiang Cheng thrust out his Three Poisons, which had lost its sword light, and said fiercely, “Shut your mouth!”
After cursing, more blood flowed from his nose and mouth. Jin Ling rushed down the steps, grabbed him, and forcibly dragged him into the Demon Subjugation Cave. Jiang Cheng had lost all his spiritual energy, and on top of that, he had been fighting for half a day. Exhausted, he was dragged in like that. The Jiang family cultivators hurriedly followed their leader inside as well. Nie Huaisang’s overjoyed voice echoed from the empty hall, “Everyone hurry and come in! It’s very big inside! Which senior can come in and help fix the formation on the floor? I can’t do it, I don’t know how to fix it!”
Hearing his last words, everyone had two big words in their hearts: “Waste!”
Lan Wangji’s fingers never left the strings, and he looked up and said, “Uncle!”
Lan Qiren had not wanted to enter the hall originally, preferring to fight alone outside until the last moment. However, he was not alone now. There were also many Lan family cultivators and Jin family cultivators under his command. And he wasn’t the main force in the battle either. He didn’t want to disregard the lives of these disciples. If there was a glimmer of hope, he would seize it. Without looking at Lan Wangji, he raised his sword and shouted, “Be careful when you go in!”
At this point, the four major clans of Lanling Jin, Gusu Lan, Qinghe Nie, and Yunmeng Jiang had all entered the hall. With them taking the lead, the rest of the people immediately decided to stop fighting. Even if there were really any monsters or demons lurking in the hall, the four big guys in front would be the ones to bear the brunt. They rushed in. In the end, only the group from Moling Su Sect hadn’t moved. Wei Wuxian said, “Oh, Sect Leader Su, are you not coming in? Very good, then you can stay outside. But isn’t everyone without spiritual energy? You’re just courting death by staying out there. How admirable.”
Su She glanced at him, his gloomy eyebrows twitching constantly. He also led his disciples into the hall.
The Demon Subjugation Cave easily accommodated this crowd of over a thousand people. The sounds of panting, hurried words, and panic echoed endlessly in the empty main cave. Lan Qiren walked straight to Nie Huaisang upon entering, checking the damaged areas of the formation on the ground under his eager gaze. The formation was indeed ancient. He cut open his palm and used his blood to fix the formation. Wen Ning stood guard on the steps, throwing away the fierce corpses that got too close. As soon as the formation was fixed, the walking corpses seemed to be blocked by an invisible barrier, unable to rush in for the time being.
Wei Wuxian waited for Lan Wangji to put away his guqin before slowly entering the hall with him. The cultivators, who had just breathed a sigh of relief after entering the hall, immediately became tense again when they saw this black and white pair coming down the steps.
No one had expected things to turn out like this. They had clearly come to besiege the Yi Ling Patriarch, but now they were the ones being besieged, forced to hide in the Yi Ling Patriarch’s main hall just to catch their breath for a moment. Lan Qiren, having finished fixing the formation on the ground, stood in front of the crowd, blocking the path of the two, holding his head high, almost opening his arms to stop them. His stance said he would rather die trying than let Wei Wuxian break the formation.
Lan Wangji said, “…Uncle.”
Lan Qiren’s disappointment had not passed yet. He still didn’t want to look at this prized disciple that he had taught since childhood, looking only at Wei Wuxian and coldly saying, “What exactly do you want.”
Wei Wuxian sat down on the steps and said, “I want nothing. Since everyone’s already here, how about we chat…”
Yi Weichun shouted, “We have nothing to talk about with you!”
Wei Wuxian said, “How can we have nothing to talk about? I don’t believe you don’t want to know how you suddenly lost your spiritual energy? I swear by heaven and earth, I don’t have the ability to make all of you lose your abilities so quickly and silently.”
Yi Weichun spat in disgust. Nie Huaisang said, “Yeah, I think what he said makes sense.”
Everyone glared at him.
Wei Wuxian continued, “I guess you didn’t have time to gather for a meal before coming to besiege, so it can’t be poison.”
Lan Sizhui said, “It definitely can’t be poison. I have never heard of any poison that can make people’s spiritual power suddenly collapse. Otherwise, this kind of poison would have been sought after by many cultivators at high prices, causing a huge uproar.”
There were many doctors among the cultivators who came this time. They grabbed a few people for examination, and those people asked in a low voice, “How is it? How is it? Is this loss of spiritual energy temporary or permanent?!”
This question immediately attracted the attention of many people, leaving them no time to be vigilant about Wei Wuxian. After all, if their spiritual energy collapsed completely and could never be recovered, it would be equivalent to becoming a useless person, which would be even more terrible and painful than dying here. After discussing for a while, the doctors finally said, “Everyone’s golden core is safe and undamaged, so don’t worry! It should be temporary.”
Jiang Cheng breathed a sigh of relief when he heard it was temporary. He took the handkerchief that Jin Ling handed him and wiped the blood off his face. He then asked, “Temporary? How long is temporary? When can it be restored?”
One of the doctors said, “…I’m afraid… at least two hours…”
Jiang Cheng’s face turned terribly black, “Two hours?!”
Everyone looked up, gazing at the dense, airtight mass of fierce corpses outside the hall. Their numbers were no less than the living people who had come. Each one was staring straight at the inner part of the Demon Subjugation Cave, where heads were bobbing and yang energy was surging. They were reluctant to leave even half a step, wandering and squirming outside, as if they would rush in at any moment. The stench of decay was thick and pungent.
At least two hours to recover their spiritual power? It was uncertain if the broken, abandoned formation that was temporarily fixed on the floor could even hold out for two hours!
Moreover, the Yi Ling Patriarch was in the same space as them right now. Although they didn’t know why he hadn’t attacked yet, perhaps he wanted to play with them like a cat with a mouse, scaring them enough before crushing them. But no one could guarantee that this Wei Wuxian wouldn’t suddenly erupt.
Their gazes returned to Wei Wuxian. Wei Wuxian said, “I told you not to look at me. Now, in this Demon Subjugation Cave, there are only two groups of people with spiritual power left. Me and Hanguang-Jun, and this group of children who were brought up the mountain a few days ago. The rest of you, it wouldn’t be an exaggeration to say you are as weak as a chicken. If I wanted to do something to you, could these children stop me?”
Su She scoffed, “Enough nonsense, if you want to kill us, then kill. If anyone here cries out, they are not a hero, and don’t expect anyone to beg you for mercy.”
Hearing this, many people began to have doubts. Among the thousands of people, only about twenty had a real vendetta against Wei Wuxian. The rest had simply joined the siege without thinking, because they believed it was the right thing to do. It could be said they were only righteous bystanders, who came to fight together out of a sense of justice. These people just wanted to follow the main group and go with the flow. They thought it would be impressive to kill one or two of Wei Wuxian’s lackey corpses. But if they were asked to really pay the price, few would be willing to get into this mess.
Wei Wuxian looked at him and said, “Sorry, allow me to ask, who are you?”
Su She’s forehead twitched slightly. Just as he was about to open his mouth, Lan Jingyi shouted loudly, “Then what? It’s not poison, then what?”
Wei Wuxian immediately forgot about Su She, saying, “Then, people won’t suddenly lose their spiritual energy without reason. There must be a channel or opportunity. Before you came to the Burial Mounds, or along the way, you must have all come into contact with something or done something. These children were captured a few days ago, so their time is different. And Hanguang-Jun and I didn’t come up the mountain on the same road as you, so our paths were different. Is there anyone who is willing to think about what you all have done?”
In the silence, one person said blankly, “What did we do? When we were going up the Burial Mounds, did we all drink water? Sigh, I can’t remember, I don’t know.”
Who would be so clueless as to respond positively to Wei Wuxian at a time like this, doing whatever he wanted, thinking whatever he wanted? It could only be that “I don’t know anything” Nie Huaisang. Someone couldn’t help but say, “No one drank water on the way up the mountain! Who would dare to drink water from this mountain of corpses?”
Nie Huaisang guessed randomly again, “Then was it because we all inhaled the fog in the mountains?”
If there was something strange about the fog in the dark forest, it would make sense. Immediately, someone agreed, “That’s possible!” But Jin Ling immediately said, “That’s impossible. The fog is thicker on the top of the mountain, but we were tied up on the top of the mountain for two days, and our spiritual energy was still there, right?”
Su She seemed to be unable to bear listening any longer, saying, “Enough is enough, everyone is actually discussing with him, letting the enemy lead you by the nose, isn’t it interesting? He…”
Suddenly, his expression changed, his words stopping abruptly. Wei Wuxian said, “Speak. Why did you stop?”
The disciples of the Moling Su Sect all stood up, “Sect Leader!” “Sect Leader, what’s wrong?!”
Su She shook off the disciples who tried to help him. He raised his arm, first pointing at Wei Wuxian, then directly at Lan Wangji. The closest disciple said angrily, “Wei Wuxian, what demonic trick did you play again?!”
Lan Sizhui said, “This is not a demonic trick! This is… This is…”
Lan Wangji, who was sitting upright to the side, pressed his five fingers of his right hand on the seven strings, stopping the trembling of the strings. The group of disciples who had been talking all at once were instantly silenced, like a group of ducks that had been choked.
The Lan family members present silently said in their hearts: This is the Gusu Lan Sect’s silencing technique…