NOVEL WEB Chapter 17 The Dilapidated Qingxu Holy Land, Fifty Thousand Years Ago
“Heh, thousands of spirit stones, tens of thousands? Do you think Qingxu Holy Land still exists? It’s thirty spirit stones, don’t be ungrateful. Giving you these spirit stones is already giving you face.”
The young man in fine clothes before her sneered mockingly, looking impatient and even starting to threaten.
“Then… you… you can just rob me if you have the guts. I won’t sell for thirty spirit stones, no matter what.”
The young woman remained stubborn, her eyes full of defiance. Though frail, she showed no fear.
“You’re courting death…”
Hearing this, the young man in fine clothes was instantly enraged, ready to act.
However, his companion suddenly pulled him back, shaking his head, “The patrol team is watching; don’t cause trouble in Nanque Sacred City. After all, Qingxu Holy Land…”
He didn’t finish his sentence, seeming a bit apprehensive.
But the young man understood, his face changing slightly before he cursed under his breath, threw the raw stones down, and walked away.
The young woman silently picked up the raw stones they had thrown, carefully wiping off the dirt.
This kind of thing happened daily; she was used to it.
But…
She let out an almost imperceptible sigh.
Since the catastrophic event fifty thousand years ago, Qingxu Holy Land had fallen apart.
The elders and disciples who could leave had left, and now only two or three people remained.
At its peak, Qingxu Holy Land, though not matching the immortal Daoist sects and supreme great sects, had a long heritage.
With resident saints and numerous saint artifacts, they even had an invincible figure on the verge of becoming a quasi-supreme.
But after the disaster fifty thousand years ago, the Qingxu Holy Master went mad and rushed into the depths of the Divine Ruins, never to be seen again.
Other elders faced various problems, from going mad to drastic personality changes, with none meeting a good end.
The entire Qingxu Holy Land seemed to have been cursed, rapidly declining and collapsing.
Even the ruins of the holy land were divided and seized by other forces, not to mention other resources. Now, only this remote stone gambling shop in Nanque Sacred City remained.
With the city’s ban on fighting among cultivators, it was somewhat peaceful.
“Master…”
The young woman, after gathering the raw stones, walked into the stone gambling shop and glanced at the drunken, legless old man sleeping against the threshold, sighing softly.
The interior was even more dilapidated, with overgrown weeds reaching half a person’s height.
Busy dealing with the shop’s troubles, she had no time for cultivation, let alone clearing the weeds.
“Younger brother…” After setting down the raw stones, the young woman noticed something different about her usually dazed younger brother who often stared at the sky.
Though his eyes still appeared vacant, they seemed a bit clearer.
She rubbed her eyes, wondering if she was seeing things.
“Sister Hongdou…”
Suddenly, the boy’s voice was clear and calm, very clean.
The young woman named Xiao Hongdou widened her eyes in disbelief.
“Younger brother… are you better?”
“Yes, I’m better.” The boy nodded, tall and clear-eyed, no longer vacant.
Though simply dressed, he exuded an extraordinary aura.
“That’s great, that’s great…”
Xiao Hongdou covered her mouth, nearly crying with joy.
A drunken, legless master and a mentally impaired younger brother were all that remained of Qingxu Holy Land.
She was an orphan, picked up by her master as a child, growing up in this stone gambling shop.
Her knowledge of Qingxu Holy Land came from her master’s occasional lucid moments.
Her younger brother, named Xiao Yan, was also picked up by her master.
But he had a mental illness since childhood, with even the famous doctors of Nanque Sacred City unable to help.
“Though I’ve been dazed these years, I remember everything. Thank you, Sister Hongdou, for taking care of me…” Xiao Yan said calmly, looking at the dilapidated shop.
In his memories, Xiao Hongdou had always cared for him like a mother and sister.
“Younger brother, you…” Xiao Hongdou sensed a change in her brother, an indescribable aura.
An aura she had only seen in disciples of great sects and notable figures.
Xiao Yan seemed to understand her thoughts and said softly, “Sister, don’t worry. From now on, leave everything to me.”
Xiao Hongdou nodded, somewhat understanding. With her limited perspective, she couldn’t grasp what her brother’s change meant.
Boom!!!
Suddenly, a commotion erupted in the distant sky.
A massive ancient warship sped towards the depths of Nanque Sacred City.
“That’s… the Jiang family of the hidden immortal clan…”
Xiao Hongdou looked up, shocked, knowing what it signified.
In Nanque Sacred City, only a force like the hidden immortal clan could disregard the city’s rules and descend directly.
A level she could never reach.
“Hidden immortal clan…”
Xiao Yan also noticed, his expression slightly changing.
***
The Jiang family’s arrival in Nanque Sacred City caused quite a stir.
Though Nanque Sacred City was often bustling with notable figures, the presence of a massive force like the hidden immortal clan was rare.
Such forces rarely made such brazen appearances.
Cultivators and beings speculated about who from the hidden immortal clan was on the warship.
“Based on the black-robed elder’s memories, the Book of Death should be in this area…”
In a grand palace in the depths of Nanque Sacred City,
Jiang Minghan examined a sheepskin map, tapping the table lightly.
The Jiang family had properties in Nanque Sacred City, including pharmacies, stone gambling shops, and weapon stores—almost everything.
So, Jiang Minghan chose to come directly to Nanque Sacred City for convenience.
“Mm?”
“From this map, the Book of Death is in a mining area near the Divine Ruins, a notorious forbidden zone…”
“The territory belongs to… Qingxu Holy Land?”
Jiang Minghan raised an eyebrow.
According to information, Qingxu Holy Land was destroyed fifty thousand years ago, for unknown reasons, possibly due to a curse.
Rumors said they found buckets of blood-red soil in the mining area. What they found afterward remained a mystery.
Based on the black-robed elder’s memories, the Book of Death being buried there matched the timeline.
The question now was whether Qingxu Holy Land had unearthed the Book of Death fifty thousand years ago.