CHAPTER 492: CHAPTER 239 COMING (VOTE FOR MONTHLY PASS)

"Reporting to the Lord Defenders," Xing Yi stated truthfully in the Council Hall, "last night, flaming meteors fell upon various locations. This led to the deaths of numerous commoners and created many disaster victims. However, all cities are currently providing full relief to those affected, and so far, no unrest has occurred."

Mu Qing remained silent.

With Ji Tianlu emerging from seclusion, any decisions within the Demon-Subduing Division of Mountain-Breaking City were made by him and Shen Changqing. There was no need for Mu Qing to say anything more.

Once Xing Yi finished, Shen Changqing, with a calm expression, asked, "Have you ascertained the source of these flaming meteors?"

Xing Yi shook his head. "No news yet."

Although Shen Changqing’s expression remained unchanged upon hearing this, his thoughts drifted far away. The sudden appearance of the flaming meteors clearly wasn’t an ordinary natural calamity. Such an event must have been provoked by something or someone. The Heavenly Inspection Guard has no news. That can only mean that the other party is very well-hidden.

At this thought, he turned his head to look at Ji Tianlu. "Defender Ji, do you have any opinions on this matter?"

The previously silent Ji Tianlu, upon being asked, slowly began to speak. "The arrival of the flaming meteors must have been instigated by someone; there is no doubt about that. For now, let us focus on aiding the victims. Additionally, we should closely monitor other areas in South Nether Prefecture to see if any other disasters continue to emerge. If there are others, then we’ll make a decision!"

Shen Changqing’s expression shifted slightly. "Does Defender Ji believe other disasters will occur?"

Ji Tianlu nodded. "The last time flaming meteors fell was over three hundred years ago. After that event, not only did Demon Evils emerge, but other disasters followed as well. This time, I can’t be absolutely certain that there won’t be other related disasters. Investigating could uncover some clues and enable us to prepare countermeasures in advance."

"Then let us proceed as Defender Ji suggests," Shen Changqing finally decided. "Moreover, the Heavenly Inspection Guard must hasten their report to the Capital City."

After Xing Yi received his orders and left, Shen Changqing once again looked towards Ji Tianlu. "Defender Ji, who do you think is capable of causing such celestial disasters?"

"I don’t know either." Ji Tianlu sighed deeply, his expression filled with worry. "Right now, I just hope these disasters are confined to South Nether Prefecture. If flaming meteors are falling everywhere, then we will be dealing with a much bigger problem."

If a disaster occurs in just South Nether Prefecture, it could be considered a localized issue. But if calamities are befalling the entire world, then the issue becomes severe. That implies something terrible might soon affect the whole world. By comparison, local disasters in South Nether Prefecture might be caused by human actions. But a disaster affecting the entire world, if induced by humans, is simply not possible.

Shen Changqing nodded slightly, understanding Ji Tianlu’s concerns. He also wished the disasters wouldn’t spread too far. After all, South Nether Prefecture was now his foundation, and heavy losses from a disaster would be detrimental to him.

However, in the face of a disaster, Shen Changqing himself might not be afraid, but the commoners had no way to remain unafraid. What he could do now was ensure that the Demon-Subduing Division worked with the cities to fully support the disaster victims. Even if they couldn’t resist the calamity, they had to minimize the losses after it occurred to prevent the victims from revolting.

「In the three hundred and eighty-fourth year of Great Qin, mid-May.」

Flaming meteors fell during the night in South Nether Prefecture, lighting up the sky as if it were daytime. This continued for several hours before the flames dissipated.

「Three days later.」

Vibrations and collapses occurred in the mountains, suspected to be an Earth Dragon’s Turnover.

Plains turned into deep abysses and ravines, swallowing numerous lives.

Reports spread one by one, continuously reaching Shen Changqing via the Heavenly Inspection Guard.

After destroying the scrolls sent by the Heavenly Inspection Guard, Shen Changqing’s eyes turned somewhat icy. "South Nether Prefecture is truly devastated! Defender Ji’s prediction was correct—the flaming meteors were indeed accompanied by other calamities!"

First, the flaming meteors. Then, the Earth Dragon’s Turnover. Followed by plains turning into abysses that claimed many lives. If a single event could be called a coincidence, Shen Changqing was certain that all of these occurring together was not. He was sure these three events were related.

Putting other things aside, the Earth Dragon’s Turnover alone, according to South Nether Prefecture’s records, had only happened a few times in a thousand years.

Reviewing the contents of the scrolls in his mind, Shen Changqing took a deep breath. Let’s hope this is the end of it. If new disasters appear, the trouble will be even greater.

Disasters were occurring all over South Nether Prefecture. Even if he wanted to stop them, he was powerless to do so, lacking the means to be everywhere at once. He had no choice but to watch the disasters unfold and then respond accordingly.

Originally, Shen Changqing had planned to convene the Assembly of the Hundred Sects to settle the matter of Demon Evil sustenance and then deal with the Heaven Alliance. But now that unforeseen disasters had struck South Nether Prefecture, he felt that confronting the Heaven Alliance would have to be postponed.

「A Fierce Beast spread its wings, hovering in the sky.」

Shen Changqing sat on Tiankui’s back, looking down below.

What was once a plain now resembled a gaping maw; a vast fissure had suddenly appeared, cleaving the entire expanse in two.

A cursory glance revealed the crack was at least a hundred miles long and several miles wide. Its depth was completely unfathomable. To call it an abyss was no exaggeration.

Seeing this, he was certain it was not man-made. After all, even a Great Grandmaster at full power couldn’t split a plain in half, much less create a hundred-mile-long abyss. Therefore, the abyss must undoubtedly have been formed by the forces of Heaven and Earth.

His gaze swept across the scene. Hardly anyone was around. The commoners who had lived here were either swallowed by the abyss when it first formed or had fled to other areas after its emergence.

Naturally, no one would remain here at such a time.

After observing for a moment, he patted Tiankui’s back, signaling it to take him elsewhere for another look.

Over three days, Shen Changqing traversed all the disaster-stricken areas.

Then, he returned to the Demon-Subduing Division.

He had ventured to the disaster-stricken areas primarily to search for any traces or signs. But after long observation, all he could see were the workings of Heaven and Earth. With no discoveries made, Shen Changqing chose not to waste further time and decided to return.

The issue of the disaster victims would be resolved by the Demon-Subduing Division and Imperial Court personnel; there was no need for him, the Defender Envoy, to intervene personally.

「One day later.」

As natural disasters ravaged South Nether Prefecture, leaving it devastated, some good news finally arrived.

In the hall, a rare smile appeared on Shen Changqing’s face as he looked at Beiming Wang and Wang Xiao before him. "Have the two of you kept me waiting long?"

Behind the two men were coffins similar to those the Demon-Subduing Division used to seal Demon Evils. Strong Yin Evil Auras emanated from them, considerably chilling the hall’s temperature.

Beiming Wang smiled faintly. "I don’t go back on my promises. After reporting to the Liang Emperor, I immediately escorted the Demon Evils here. The five high-ranking Demon Evils are all present. But I wonder, where is the item we’re trading for?"

"Dayue’s items are all here as well," Wang Xiao added.

The purpose for both was the breakthrough method for the Great Grandmaster. It was evident that both Great Liang and Dayue placed great importance on the Great Grandmaster breakthrough method. Otherwise, they would not have delivered the Demon Evils in less than two months.

Hearing this, Shen Changqing wasted no words. He directly took out two scrolls, prepared in advance, and sent them toward the two men with his True Yuan.

"Gentlemen, this is the breakthrough method for the Great Grandmaster. With this, our trade is complete."

"Thank you." Beiming Wang nodded. He reached for the scroll before him, his eyes burning with intensity, and without any attempt at concealment, he opened it in front of Shen Changqing and carefully read its contents.

Wang Xiao, on the other side, did the same.

Both nations had paid a great price to obtain the breakthrough method, and they needed to verify it personally, no matter what. Moreover, both were at the Grandmaster Ultimate Summit, and their greatest hope was to break their limits and enter the ranks of Great Grandmasters. With the breakthrough method now in hand, they would certainly not let the opportunity slip by.

The content recorded in the scrolls was not extensive, but it took both men about an hour to finish reading. When they finally set down the scrolls, their faces were filled with shock.

"So this is the method to break through to Great Grandmaster! No wonder... no wonder no one could break through before—this is where the problem lay!" Beiming Wang muttered to himself. When he looked at Shen Changqing again, his gaze held a new trace of reverence.

According to the scrolls, the method to break through to Great Grandmaster was simply a union of three aspects. However, Grandmasters worldwide generally knew of only two paths: the Spiritual System and the Physical System. True Qi in the Dantian, once one entered the Grandmaster Realm, was no longer the main focus of cultivation. It was precisely this lack of True Qi cultivation that explained why no Great Grandmasters had emerged before Shimohe and Shen Changqing. Their successful breakthroughs were not by chance; they were also due to their exceptional talents.

After all, for anyone, reaching the ultimate summit of even one system in a lifetime was the limit. For those with exceptional talent, reaching the pinnacle of two systems was their utmost limit. Gongyi Fei of that era was renowned as a genius, yet even he had failed to reach the ultimate summit of both systems.

Now, breaking through to Great Grandmaster required all three systems to be at their absolute summit. Only then might one have a chance to break into the Grandmaster Realm. From this, one could see just how difficult it was to achieve the Great Grandmaster level.

Nevertheless, even though breaking through to Great Grandmaster was immensely challenging, for Beiming Wang and Wang Xiao, at least they now had a goal in sight. As long as there was a goal, there was hope.