The reborn policewoman's dog solves numerous major cases, shocking the nation.

Chapter 209 The Tragedy of the Cultivation World in the End of Dharma
Tainan Valley is the main valley.

The Dharma-ending Age Cultivation Conference has reached its fifth and final day.

The term "grand assembly" can mean both a gathering and a meeting. The first four days are gatherings, and this last day is the real grand assembly of cultivators.

When Chu Sheng, Su Yueling, and Ling Yun arrived at the main valley, it was already crowded with people, numbering in the hundreds. These cultivators included men, women, and children, some gathered in twos and threes, others alone.

"Wow, this is the first time I've ever seen so many cultivators."

Su Yueling looked around, never having imagined that there were so many reclusive cultivators in this world.

There were no assigned seats at the conference; everyone could stand wherever they wanted. A temporary platform was erected at the very front of the main valley.

Chu Sheng and the two men found a place to stand, and his ears twitched slightly, taking in the entire conversation at the bottom of the valley.

"Look!"

"That looks like the 'Old Man of the Withered Bamboo' from Zhongnan Mountain. He's still alive!"

"Really? Wasn't it rumored that he had already passed away peacefully?"

"He's still alive now, so he must be over two hundred years old. I heard he was alive during the Qing Dynasty, and he was apparently a royal master back then."

"How is that possible? He's over two hundred years old. Could he have broken through to the Golden Core Realm? Otherwise, how could that be?!"

Old man with withered bamboo?

Chu Sheng's gaze searched and soon spotted a white-bearded old man wearing a bamboo hat standing silently on a cliff face. Was this old man over two hundred years old? And possibly a Golden Core cultivator?
More importantly, can this cultivation really prolong life and increase lifespan?
Chu Sheng stared blankly at the old man with the withered bamboo, and the old man seemed to sense it, turning his head to look at him. Although the old man with the withered bamboo looked very old, his eyes were not cloudy like those of an elderly person; on the contrary, they were very clear. He looked sharply in Chu Sheng's direction, only to find that it was a somewhat comical husky. So, his sharp eyes immediately turned into doubt.

People like the withered bamboo old man had been resting in the VIP residence for the past few days, so this was naturally the first time they had discovered this. When did dogs become allowed to participate in the cultivators' gathering?

……

Chu Sheng made a comical gesture toward the old man withered bamboo. Suddenly, a sharp, malevolent aura descended, startling everyone in the valley.

A black figure descended from the sky and landed domineeringly on the ground. Wherever he passed, people gave way, as if afraid of angering him.

"It's 'Fierce Blade' Li Qing. This fiend has actually come too."

"I heard that the knife in his hand is a spiritual treasure passed down from the ancient cultivation world!"

"Shh, don't say anything, or he might chop you up later. That guy is no pushover."

Under everyone's gaze, Sha Dao Li Qing walked straight ahead, seemingly oblivious to everyone else, until he reached the foot of a stone wall. Standing beneath this stone wall was a woman wearing a veil.

Li Qing stopped, looked at the woman before him, and said in a hoarse voice:

"Hehe, Luo Qinglian, we meet again. How are you? Did you miss me?"

The woman named Luo Qinglian remained unmoved, her cold voice emanating from beneath her veil:

"You're still alive? That's disappointing."

"Hahaha! Still so sharp-tongued, I like it!" Li Qing laughed a few times, then leaped up and landed on a cliff, waiting for the meeting to begin.

Next, the arrival of some "big shots" attracted everyone's attention and discussion.

For example, there was a monk wearing a kasaya and holding prayer beads. This monk looked dignified and imposing, but Chu Sheng's dog nose could smell that his hands were covered in grease. Damn it, it's one thing for a monk to eat chicken legs, but he doesn't even wash his hands. How disgusting.

For example, there is a young man dressed in white, carrying two swords on his back, who is said to be the current guardian of the Shu Mountain Sword Tomb. Why a Sword Tomb instead of a Sword Sect? Because the Shu Mountain Sword Sect no longer exists, leaving only a sword tomb and generations of lonely guardians.

What caught Chu Sheng's attention most was a little girl, less than 1.6 meters tall, carrying a huge coffin on her back, yet she seemed to do it with ease. No one at the scene knew her origins; only a few people speculated, based on her clothing, that she was from Lingnan.

……

In short, there were quite a few impressive people present, and judging from the reactions of the crowd, this year's Cultivation Conference seemed to be much more grand than previous ones.

"coming!"

Not long after, an elderly man in a long robe quietly appeared on the high platform. This man was none other than Qin Hegui, who was in charge of hosting this cultivation conference.

Qin Hegui's appearance brought silence to the valley, and everyone turned their attention to the high platform.

Qin Hegui also slowly scanned the area below, then slowly spoke:
"Fellow Daoists, another ten years have passed. Thank you all for coming from afar! It is truly remarkable that we can gather here in Tai Nan Valley again."

"The Way of Heaven is difficult to fathom, and spiritual inspiration is increasingly scarce. In this Dharma-ending Age, our path of cultivation is as precarious as walking on thin ice. At this conference, I will first report to you all on the changes in the cultivation world over the past ten years."

"First, there is a decline in intuition, even more so than before."

Qin Hegui, this old man, spoke in a very formal and scholarly manner, which Chu Sheng was too lazy to listen to, but the general idea was:
In recent years, spiritual energy molecules have become increasingly scarce.

On the one hand, the results were obtained through some special testing instruments. The Qin family sent people all over the country to collect data on the concentration of spiritual energy molecules. The results showed that the spiritual energy molecules were 20% thinner than they were ten years ago.

On the other hand, the reason why places like Tainan Mountain have a slightly higher concentration of spiritual energy is because there are miniature spiritual springs here.

Similar sacred springs exist throughout the country, representing the last remaining source of spiritual energy in the world. However, according to investigations, these springs are gradually drying up or even disappearing.
Considering both of the above, at this rate and trend, the spiritual energy between heaven and earth may be completely exhausted in less than 60 years!

That would also mean the end of the Dharma era for cultivation, and even the very concept of cultivation itself would cease to exist!

Qin Hegui's words caused a complete uproar at the scene, and many people showed despair on their faces.

However, Qin Hegui seemed not to hear him and continued to report one "bad news" after another:
"In addition to the trend of declining spiritual energy, in the past ten years, the number of fellow cultivators whose lifespan has been reduced due to declining cultivation has increased by 30% compared to the previous decade, and many sects have been completely lost and extinct."

"for example."

Every time Qin Hegui called out a name, a commotion and ripples would erupt in a certain part of the crowd. With each statement he made, the expressions on people's faces would turn paler.

In the end, the once bustling Tainan Valley fell completely silent.

Unlike the initial silence, this time it was numbness and grief.

……

(End of this chapter)