From a Zhengyi Taoist Child to a Master of All Laws

Chapter 628 Fire Crow Daozi
The cold, gray moonlight shone on the branches and leaves of the grass and trees, casting dappled light throughout the courtyard.

As Erniu spoke, her wailing grew louder and louder, and she couldn't stop it no matter what she did.

"Immortal, please save Lanling Village! Save the village chief and Wang Yue! They are all good people, please!!!"

As Erniu was speaking, she suddenly knelt down on the ground with a thud. Her dark face was soaked with tears, making her look extremely ugly. It was hard to imagine that this was a young girl in the prime of her life.

Li Yang pursed his lips and remained silent. After a long while, he slowly raised his head and looked at Erniu, whose face was streaked with tears, and asked:
"You mean, two months ago, a person dressed in red flew down from the sky, could faint with a flick of their finger, and could also set fires. With a simple wave of their hand, the entire Lanling Village was engulfed in flames?"

"Mmm-hmm-hmm!" Erniu nodded vigorously, her eyes seemingly recalling the tragic scene of the day when the fire raged and the entire village resembled hell, and her body trembled uncontrollably again.

Li Yang slowly got up and began to pace back and forth in the courtyard.
"Did the person in red say anything?"

Erniu's crying subsided slightly, and she frowned as if trying hard to recall:

"He seemed to say that he hadn't found what he was looking for, but his intuition told him that something must have happened in our village, and then... and then he started setting fire to and massacring the village!"

"Some villagers tried to go up and explain, but the man in red simply raised his hand, and the village chief became a charred corpse..."

As she spoke, Erniu's tears began to flow uncontrollably again, and the entire white of her eyes was covered with red blood vessels.

Li Yang remained calm, and after a moment's thought, continued, "What are the distinguishing features of this person in red?"

"A man in a red robe, with a wave of his hand, countless red crows flew out of his body. He had red hair too!!"

Erniu responded through gritted teeth, then looked at Li Yang, who was standing in the courtyard, with hopeful eyes.

When did he appear in your village?

"Just two months ago!"

How many people are still alive in Lanling Village?

"I...I don't know. I was knocked unconscious by a huge, black tree that had been burned down. When I woke up, the entire Lanling Village was black. I shouted desperately, but no one answered me. Then I suddenly remembered you, Immortal, and I kept rushing towards Jianruo City..."

Erniu spoke and cried, then repeatedly kowtowed on the ground until her already blackened forehead was covered in blood and flesh, and her voice grew louder as she spoke:
"But I searched the entire village and couldn't find the village chief, Uncle Zhao, or Wang Yue's bodies! They're definitely not dead yet! Just like me, they were trapped inside the fan by that person in red! If you, Immortal, were to intervene, you could definitely save them!!"

Her sobs grew louder and louder, but she didn't notice that Li Yang's expression had remained calm ever since she came in.

As calm as moonlight.

However, outside the courtyard, some people were the first to become restless.

With a "bang," the wooden gate to the courtyard was pushed open from the middle, and Bai Yingluo, dressed in palace attire, stepped in.

"Deng Erniu from Lanling Village, Dahao County, stop having any illusions. Lanling Village has been completely destroyed and will never exist again."

Bai Yingluo's voice was cold and almost decisive.

"No! No way! You're lying to me! You've been lying to me from the very beginning!"

Erniu seemed to have her sore spot touched, and roared at Bai Yingluo like an enraged little beast.

"I am the eldest princess of the Great Li Dynasty! I am the supreme commander of the Chongxuan Army of the Dynasty! All matters, large and small, of the ten prefectures and two hundred and thirty-six counties of the Great Li Dynasty are submitted to the court for my review first! The news of the destruction of Lanling Village had already reached the capital before you even arrived in Jianruo City!"

Bai Yingluo's voice was cold, and she spoke slowly and deliberately: "After receiving the news, I dispatched elite troops of the Chongxuan Army and people from the county government to Lanling Village multiple times to check the situation, but all we found was a wasteland of smoke and fire!"

"No, you're lying, you must be lying! Who said that if the village chief, Uncle Zhao, and Wang Yue couldn't be found, they were dead?! If their bodies haven't been found, they're not dead!!"

Erniu gritted her teeth, and in her rage, she, a commoner, actually roared and howled at the dynasty's eldest princess.

"madness!!"

Bai Yingluo let out a loud shout, her sharp eyes suddenly turning to Erniu, her imposing aura instantly overshadowing the fierce Erniu.

"Who do you think you've encountered? It's the direct descendant of Purgatory Valley! The Fire Crow Daoist of Purgatory Valley, hailed as the most promising third-generation disciple to attain Celestial Immortality! Under his Golden Crow True Fire, what mortal could possibly leave behind a corpse? They would have long since turned to ashes!"

"Do you think Fire Crow Daoist is a good-for-nothing like Luo Wuji? He cultivates the Golden Crow True Fire, and ordinary women would burn to death even if they touched him, let alone had intercourse with him! He has never even bothered to refine a furnace!"

Erniu's expression froze; she stood there, as if her entire being had been emptied, leaving only an empty shell.

"No, no, it can't be, Village Chief, Uncle Zhao, and Wang Yue, they can't be dead... they can't be dead..."

Erniu's voice was like a dream, mechanically repeating itself. At this moment, it was less for Li Yang and Bai Yingluo to hear, and more for convincing herself.

Bai Yingluo didn't stop. She frowned and continued, "Don't say they're all dead! Even if there are survivors, so what? You came to my brother because you want him to avenge you and seek revenge on that Fire Crow Daoist!"

"But that's the Fire Crow Daoist! It's the Purgatory Valley, one of the Nine Great Sects! It has countless Human Immortals, Earth Immortals, and even Celestial Immortal giants who have lived for countless epochs! Do you want your brother to make an enemy of the Purgatory Valley and go to his death for the sake of your village?!"

Bai Yingluo's voice rose a notch, like the sound of metal shattering. Erniu froze on the spot, her body rising and falling with each sob.

"No, that's not it. I didn't mean to harm the gods, I didn't..."

Erniu lowered her head and kept shaking her head, trying to explain.

At this moment, Bai Yingluo was not paying attention to Erniu; all her attention was focused on another person in the courtyard.

Li Yang had remained silent ever since Bai Yingluo entered, standing with his hands behind his back in the moonlight, calmly watching the two of them.

Bai Yingluo's words were less of a persuasion to Erniu and more of a message to Li Yang.

Seeing that Li Yang remained unmoved, Bai Yingluo frowned slightly and began to feel uneasy.

She was extremely worried that Li Yang might impulsively charge into Purgatory Valley in a fit of rage. Although she didn't know how Li Yang had covered up the Fire Serpent Erosion Mark after killing Luo Wuji, Bai Yingluo knew that such a method must have its limits.

At this moment, Li Yang's identity was too special and too sensitive. If he impulsively exposed his whereabouts, he would face far more than just the terrifying Purgatory Valley.

You have to know what a huge uproar those Ancestral Star cultivators who crossed over from other realms caused in the Nine Great Sects. At least five Celestial Immortal giants graced the teleportation platform with their presence!

Bai Yingluo was certain that her younger brother was far more valuable than those cross-realm cultivators from the ancestral star.

Fortunately, Li Yang remained calm, which, although unfathomable to Bai Yingluo, did not reveal any impulsive anger, which eased Bai Yingluo's anxiety somewhat.

At the same time, Erniu's eyes also focused on Li Yang. She knelt down with a thud and then tightly hugged Li Yang's legs, like a drowning person grasping at the last straw.

"Immortal, the village chief, Wang Yue, Uncle Zhao, and the others are still alive! They must still be alive, right? Please, you have great supernatural powers and magic, please save them!" Amid Erniu's cries and Bai Yingluo's anxious waiting, Li Yang, who had been silent all along, finally spoke.
"Feel sorry."

Those two simple words made Erniu's heart sink as she cried, and Bai Yingluo felt a complete sense of relief.

With a moment's distraction, Li Yang broke free from Erniu, then calmly looked at her.

“When I first arrived in Lanling Village, you saved me. That is the debt I owe you. Later, Luo Wuji appeared in Lanling Village because of me. I killed him, and that is why I was targeted by the Celestial Immortal of Purgatory Valley. That is the result I am repaying you.”

“Now that the cause and effect have ended, I have no reason to take action. The burden I carry is much, much greater than the burden of Lanling Village that you carry, so I will not take any risks.”

"Feel sorry."

He apologized again, a phrase Bai Yingluo had never heard from Li Yang in the months they had known each other.

Li Yang's voice was very soft, but the courtyard was very quiet at the time, so Er Niu and Bai Yingluo could hear it clearly.

Erniu stopped crying and tried to say something, but the words she tried to say were weak and powerless. She stood up unsteadily and swayed.

Bai Yingluo looked at Li Yang with surprise, but just as she was about to speak, she found that Li Yang was also looking at her with a very cold gaze.

"Sister Wang, I know you mean well, but I don't want to see something like this happen a second time."

Bai Yingluo knew that Li Yang was unhappy that she had kept the matter of intercepting and killing Erniu a secret from him. She didn't argue, but nodded solemnly after a moment of thought.

"It's getting late, Sister Wang, could you please take her downstairs to change her clothes and get some rest? I need to start practicing my martial arts."

"it is good!"

Once she was certain that Li Yang wouldn't act rashly and take any risks, Bai Yingluo readily agreed and immediately pulled Erniu out of the courtyard.

Erniu's body felt as light as a child's, and coupled with her exhaustion and shattered hopes, how could she possibly break free from Bai Yingluo? She was dragged all the way to the outside of the courtyard.

For a moment, the only thing in the courtyard besides the cold moonlight was Li Yang standing there, feeling the presence of Er Niu and Bai Yingluo fading away, gazing at the moon and sighing.

"Fire Crow Daoist... So Purgatory Valley has noticed this place after all..."

"Besides Fire Crow Daoist, are there any other experts?"

How much time do I have left?

Thinking of this, Li Yang frowned, feeling as if a storm was brewing, but he was far less composed than he had been on Earth.

He certainly wouldn't act rashly and go after Fire Crow Daoist of Purgatory Valley; that wasn't his style.

A few months ago, when he and Bai Yingluo traveled from Lanling Village to Jianruo City, they saw countless mortal villages like Lanling Village being slaughtered by powerful cultivators. If he had to intervene in every single one he saw, he wouldn't need to cultivate anymore; he could just watch Blue Star perish.

Moreover, based on what Bai Yingluo and Erniu just said, there is actually a very obvious doubt about the whole incident.

Under the Golden Crow True Fire of the top-tier immortal master, Fire Crow Daoist, how was Erniu, a mortal, able to survive?

Moreover, as an ordinary woman with no strength to even kill a chicken, how did she manage to travel thousands of miles alone, passing through many dangerous places, to reach Jianruo City?
There were too many doubts, so Li Yang chose to remain silent and observe the situation.

"In the end, it's still a matter of insufficient strength. If something similar happened on Earth, I could just call Wang Shuhuan or Li Ling'er over. Why would I need to worry about it?"

"If I have already reforged my Earth Immortal Dao Fruit and restored my strongest combat power, why should I wait and see?"

With a long sigh, Li Yang shook his head, casting aside all distracting thoughts, and sat cross-legged on a futon in the courtyard. With each breath, the moonlight, like willow catkins, seemed to come down in abundance, completely covering his figure.

The moonlight flowed like water, and the night passed without incident.

At dawn, after Li Yang had finished breathing in the morning sun and moon, he pushed open the courtyard gate and found Bai Yingluo waiting alone at the door.

The tufts of hair on her smooth forehead were still slightly damp, tinged with mist, indicating that she had been waiting for a long time.

"Brother, the final results from the teleportation platform are in!!"

Li Yang's heart skipped a beat.

Upon entering the courtyard, before Li Yang could even speak, Bai Yingluo spilled all the news like beans.

"It's now confirmed that there's only one person who crossed over from the ancestral planet this time!"

"The Nine Great Sects have already conducted a soul search on this person. It is said that a Celestial Immortal giant personally took action. Now, the entire Nine Sects should know about the news of the Nine Sects Allied Army's crushing defeat and annihilation on the Ancestral Star! The Xuanhuang Palace has issued a message to rebuild an army, led by a Celestial Immortal giant, to completely conquer the Ancestral Star and annihilate all cultivation traditions and civilizations there!"

"The Nine Sects not only started collecting boys and girls from mortal kingdoms half the time, but also doubled the number!"

Bai Yingluo spoke quickly, and only after finishing did she realize her mouth was dry. She went to make herself some tea, leaving Li Yang standing there with a furrowed brow.

"Half of the time ahead of schedule... which means I only have a year and a half left..."

"It would probably take a year and a half to even recover the Earth Immortal Dao Fruit, let alone advance further and confront an even stronger being..."

Li Yang looked bitter. It was early in the morning, and he had to admit, this was terrible news.

Taking a sip of tea, Bai Yingluo smiled and said:

"Brother, this is a good thing. The bigger the commotion on the ancestral star, the less likely we are to be discovered by the Nine Sects. This way, you can cultivate more safely!"

"But what's the point of me being invincible by then?"

Li Yang shook his head, no longer as composed as before.

Upon hearing this, Bai Yingluo's voice suddenly rose: "Of course it's meaningful!! You are invincible in the world, you can avenge all the dead! You can change this world, change the Great Li!"

Li Yang remained silent, only shaking his head.

"By the way, what about that ancestral star cultivator who crossed over from another realm? Was he still alive after his soul was searched by a celestial immortal expert?"

Bai Yingluo sat down, frowned, and thought for a long time before saying uncertainly:

"It seems he's still alive. I heard that the Holy Maiden of Yaochi Immortal Fortress, who had just awakened, and the Daoist of Xuanhuang Palace intervened at the same time to save his life. He was captured and taken to Yaochi to be enslaved..."

(End of this chapter)