The story of the Sublime Bright Sect might seem to have started with the boy in Rainwater Commandery, but in reality, it began even earlier, several years before that. A few years ago, the start of that story was also a young teen.
It was more than one youth.
Perhaps it was a group of youths.
Actually, it was two youths.
Chen Chao squatted down and started digging a hole seriously. As he dug, he thought of a rather amusing youth.
Unfortunately, that youth was already dead.
Shaking his head, Chen Chao cast away the feelings of sadness from his mind and dug a deep hole. He then dragged the young man's body into it and buried him.
"I wonder if you have any family left. But this is all I can do."
Chen Chao hastily buried the corpse and stood up, continuing to walk towards the distance, still holding the broken saber in his hand.
As he continued forward, Chen Chao remembered many things. The first time he had been forced into this place, facing the unknown white mist, he had been incredibly afraid. Back then, every time he entered the white mist, he wondered if he would make it out alive. At that time, they were just ordinary teenagers. After spending too long inside the white mist, they would feel exceptionally weak. The white mist looked ordinary, but it was definitely not normal. Every time they managed to leave this place alive, it was not an easy feat.
After several trips, his body had become incredibly weak.
He remembered that day when he took the pill provided by the Sublime Bright Sect, but Chen Chao's complexion was still pale, and he had no strength left in his body. Even in this condition, he knew that he would have to enter the white mist again the next day. At that moment, Chen Chao felt despair. He knew that if he entered in this state, there was no way he would be coming out alive. From Wei Prefecture to Cang Prefecture, he had endured a lot of hardship, almost not making it through several times. He had faced despair many times, but that time, he felt it was the last.
"Here, take it."
In his despair, Chen Chao looked up. In the gloomy and cold room, a robust youth handed him half of his pill. Before Chen Chao could react, the youth stuffed the half-pill into Chen Chao's mouth before saying on his own, "I've been watching you for a while. You're from Wei Prefecture, right? Your accent gives it away. I'm Wang Liang, also a refugee from Wei Prefecture. There aren't many people from Wei Prefecture left here, so you can say I helped you because of that."
Chen Chao quickly swallowed the half-pill and felt his body recover considerably. He then asked, "What about you? What are you going to do?"
"Look at my body, isn't it better than yours? What are you worried about?"
The youth called Wang Liang poked his own chest and laughed heartily.
In the days that followed, they became friends. Every time they entered the white mist, they would always walk together consciously or unconsciously.
He remembered that it was the last time they walked together in the white mist ruins. Suddenly, Wang Liang said very seriously, "Little Chen, I'm definitely going to die."
Chen Chao was very shocked at that time and asked, "How do you know?"
Wang Liang covered his mouth and nose. After a moment, black blood flowed out from inside, which looked terrifying. He wiped it away and said, "Everyone's limits are different. That day, I heard them say that if this kind of black blood starts flowing one day, then there's no more hope."
Chen Chao lowered his head, feeling rather sad. In this strange place, he had no other friends but the one in front of him.
"Little Chen, don't be sad. You have to try to survive. If one day you manage to leave this place, remember to avenge me, kill all those wicked daoists!"
Wang Liang's eyes flickered with ferocity. But at this moment, that fierceness appeared pale and laughable.
But, Chen Chao nodded vigorously, "If there ever comes such a day, I will definitely avenge you by killing all those wicked daoists!"
Wang Liang nodded in satisfaction but immediately said worriedly, "You're so frail, you definitely won't live much longer. But you must stay strong and keep living! That's the only way you can avenge me and yourself!"
Chen Chao did not know what to say, so he just nodded vigorously.
After that, they stayed in the white mist for a long time. But in the end, Wang Liang really failed to make it out of the white mist. He lay under a withered tree, black blood continuously flowing from his mouth. He mumbled vaguely, "It... really hurts!"
And Chen Chao crouched beside him just like that, wanting to use his hand to cover Wang Liang's mouth and prevent the black blood from flowing out. But somehow, he never reached his hand out.
"Little Chen... Actually, whether you help me avenge or not... doesn't matter... surviving... is the most important..."
Wang Liang struggled to turn his head and looked at the slender youth before him. In his eyes, there were many emotions – reluctance and nostalgia. These emotions were naturally not directed solely at Chen Chao, or to put it differently, they were not just for Chen Chao but for the entire world.
He was a youth too, having lived for only a little over a decade. Naturally, he wanted to keep living.
But how could it be that easy?
The great flood of Wei Prefecture had claimed countless lives. During that great disaster, many people perished. The handling of the flood had always been regarded as one of the most sluggish and disastrous incidents during the reign of the Great Liang Dynasty. Although there were conflicts in the North at the time and the Great Liang Emperor had to make choices, the response afterward was abysmal. The food that was supposed to be sent to Wei Prefecture arrived much later than anticipated. Despite countless officials losing their heads subsequently over that incident, triggering a political earthquake, for the victims, the number of lives lost did not matter. Because the food arrived too late, many had already starved to death, and countless others were left homeless.
Those who managed to survive and make their way to Cang Prefecture were considered lucky, though this 'luck' was not necessarily true.
Regardless of luck or misfortune, these days were finally coming to an end.
"I will avenge you."
Chen Chao looked at Wang Liang and said firmly, "I'll definitely do it!"
"I wish I could be buried under the date tree at the entrance of my house. But the flood must have washed it away..."
"I miss home."
The look in Wang Liang's eyes began turning lax, his voice becoming softer and softer too.
Every person on the brink of death longed to return home, to die in the comfort of their own home. But did they still have a home?
Not anymore.
That great flood had destroyed the homes of many.
At this moment, Wang Liang could no longer speak. He just looked at Chen Chao. Then, he coughed up the last of his blood before closing his eyes.
The death of one youth might not seem significant. But to the other youth, it might have been another dark cloud cast by the heavens over his world.
Chen Chao sat there, crying for a very long time.
Later, he began digging a hole with his bare hands. It took him a long time to dig a deep pit into which he buried the youth.
"I can't take you with me. If I bring your body out, they'll just leave you in that place. You definitely wouldn't want that. So, stay here, right here..."
……
……
Chen Chao stood on the spot, looking at the youth in front of him struggling to bury the other youth. Then, he saw himself start to cry, crying heartbreakingly...
He shook his head and the scene before his eyes scattered. There was nothing special around him again. The white mist still lingered all around, as if he had just awakened from a dream.
That was not a dream, it was something that had once happened. Yet, in a certain way, it might have been a dream.
Chen Chao walked forward in silence. He had fulfilled his promise to Wang Liang. Although the Sublime Bright Sect still existed, the Sublime Bright Mountain was no longer theirs, and there would be no more youths dying here in the future. Now, he had returned here not to see Wang Liang again, but for another secret.
Exhaling the white mist from his mouth and nose, Chen Chao soon came across the second corpse, followed by the third, and the fourth.
All of them had died recently and were left unattended.
Chen Chao dug deep pits one by one and buried the youths who had already died.
Whether was it returning to the earth or finding peace in death, these were things that many people could not change. Such things had persisted for centuries, who could say they did not matter?
The main difference between martial artists and cultivators might be that martial artists still considered themselves a part of the numerous living beings, while cultivators thought that they were existences who were no longer humans.
Chen Chao did not dwell on such thoughts. He was thinking about digging and burying them because he was one of them too, not for any other reason.
However, as he buried another body, Chen Chao stopped his movements and reached for the pouch at his waist.
Dozens of yards away, he discovered two figures.
Then, a voice sounded out.
"We are from the same Dao lineage, why must we act like this? Fellow Daoist Tang, this item was discovered by me first, why must you come and snatch it?!" "Who's there?!"
"Fellow Daoist, your words are incorrect. This object was clearly discovered by me first. How can you accuse me of seizing it?"
A voice sounded, the tone rather flat. He had repeated what the previous person had said.
Chen Chao took a few steps forward and saw that in the distance, the white mist had dispersed. Two young cultivators wearing daoist robes stood at both ends of a withered tree. Their robes were similar, with only a slight difference in color.
They were not from the same sect.
The young cultivator who had spoken first was from the Ancient Pine Daoist Temple, he was called You Sheng. This daoist temple was not some major sect, and its disciples were few. Their temple master was just a cultivator at the initial-stage of Great Beyond Realm. Because they were of the Longevity Dao lineage and were relying on the Infatuation Daoist Temple, this large tree, they had not been involved in anything over these years.
The second cultivator to speak was from the Great Peace Dao lineage, a disciple of the Evergreen Daoist Temple named Tang He. The Evergreen Daoist Temple was much larger than the Ancient Pine Daoist Temple and had many powerhouses. It was a major sect of the Great Peace Dao lineage. So when that Ancient Pine Daoist Temple disciple opened his mouth and said that, he was not the least bit afraid.
You Sheng gave a cold laugh, "Normally, your Great Peace Dao cultivators spread rumors in the mortal world, claiming that only your Great Peace Dao lineage is the Daoism orthodoxy, while our Longevity Dao lineage has lost its way. Each and every one of you act so self-righteous and sanctimonious. Hearing such talk is nauseating. Now, I finally witnessed the true nature of you people."
Tang He had a tall and slender physique, looking rather elegant. But he was much worse compared to that Song Changxi who was similarly renowned for his bearing. Hearing You Sheng say so, he did not get angry either and just said calmly, "Inside this place, it doesn't matter whether it's the Longevity Dao or Great Peace Dao. Putting aside that you're not a disciple of the Infatuation Daoist Temple, even if you are, so what?"
You Sheng's expression remained unchanged, but he did not speak immediately. Outside, as a member of the Longevity Dao, other cultivators would not dare to provoke him. However, in this place, why would anyone care about this?
"Fellow Daoist, your cultivation realm might be higher outside, but what's the difference here."
You Sheng said indifferently, "Unless Fellow Daoist is the same as those uncivilized martial artists who love to temper your body every day, I can't imagine how Fellow Daoist can win."
As he spoke, he reached out and pulled out a peach wood sword.
In just a moment, he took a step forward and swung the sword fiercely, displaying a swift and fierce strike.
Tang He furrowed his brows and a magic sword suddenly appeared in his hand too. Holding it in front of his chest, he blocked this dangerous strike.
It was not just sword cultivators who knew sword techniques. After learning the rudiments, these daoist cultivators would have their own sword techniques too. It was just that because they lacked sword qi within their bodies, it was very hard to possess the killing power of sword cultivators.
However, the other party also did not have cultivation right now. There was naturally no need to care about anything when competing in sword techniques.
The two had already lost their cultivation. But no matter how one looked at it, they would be stronger than the average person. When swinging their swords, it would create faint sounds of wind, slicing apart the surrounding white mist.
But after losing their cultivation, these two would definitely have to spend more time in order to determine a victor using these sword techniques.
However, they were the immortal masters in the eyes of those ordinary people after all. These two people's fight was vaguely special too.
Chen Chao was watching from not far away. After losing his cultivation, he did not need to hide himself intentionally. As long as others were unable to see him, they naturally would not know about his existence.
But, just as Chen Chao was about to move further away, a noise suddenly sounded right in front of him.
"Who's there?!"
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