Is the cultivation world now only populated by demonesses?

Chapter 18, Section 18: The Holy Maiden Bodhisattva

Someone screamed in agony, and the night lights flickered erratically, finally illuminating his unclosed eyes.

thump.

He sank to the bottom of the lake, and a bright red color slowly rose to the surface. But strangely, this blood seemed to be swallowed by the lake water, and soon his remains could no longer be seen on the surface of the lake.

No.

It's not just him.

All the cultivators who died on the lake seemed to have been devoured by some kind of ferocious beast when their bodies sank to the bottom.

Those preoccupied with vying for the Heaven-Mending Pill naturally couldn't see this scene.

Su Luoqiu murmured, "Third Sister?!"

"Ah."

The voice was ethereal, as if it did not exist in this world.

She was a young girl whose hair seemed to have been dyed silver-white by the moon. She was unbelievably beautiful without any makeup. She wore a green dress, as if she were a celestial fruit born from heaven and earth, and she also seemed to have a kind of Buddhist nature, like a holy and compassionate female bodhisattva descended to earth.

But the Bodhisattva, blinded, cannot see the suffering of the world. He holds a black cloth to cover the birdcage, thus imprisoning his own seven emotions and six desires.

Therefore, all sentient beings suffer, and even Bodhisattvas have never shed holy tears.

"Fourth brother, you should go back. If you feel it's dangerous, go stay at the noodle shop. No one there can take your life."

Su Luoqiu's smile froze on her face: "Why is Third Sister here?"

"There was a riot on the lakeside, so I should have come to see it, but... I just went to see it."

The girl was clearly blindfolded, yet she could clearly tell where the person was: "Young master, it's late, you should go back and rest."

Lu Changyuan laughed and said, "As the Third Princess, aren't you going to stop it?"

Su Youwan looked at Lu Changyuan, and for some reason her lips turned pale. Her lips were very pale, as if she were sick, which made her less Buddhist and more pitiful.

She asked, "Why?"

"If we don't stop them, these people might smash up the imperial city?"

The girl stood at the bow of the boat, slowly walked to Lu Changyuan's side, bent down, and looked down at Lu Changyuan: "Some guests have come to the house, and the guests have started fighting. What should the host do?"

Her alluring silver-white hair almost brushed against Lu Changyuan's nose.

too close.

Lu Changyuan stared intently at that pretty face, paused for a moment, and then said, "Watching the show?"

“That’s right. It’s wrong to help either side. Besides, Youwan is just a weak woman who cultivates Taoism. She has no ability to stop it. As for the imperial city, let them smash it if they want. Anyway, Shangyujing has been smashed more than once.”

Lu Changyuan couldn't help but think of the time he had smashed up Baiyujing before.

He's an unreasonable customer too!
Su Youwan looked at the chaotic battle on the horizon with her eyes covered: "Besides, no matter how many cultivators die, most of them are innocent."

Lu Changyuan clearly sensed that Xia Lianxue had tensed up, so he smiled and patted her hair while Xia Lianxue looked shocked: "Madam, your mind is clear, but your heart is disturbed."

A fierce burst of flames shot into the sky as the words fell, like a grand fireworks display, but the raging fire seemed to threaten to engulf the entire Shangyujing.

Xia Lianxue tightened her clothes, lowered her head and stood beside Lu Changyuan, the firelight only illuminating half of her tender face.

~~~~~~~~~~~
"Your Highness, it's time to set off."

Someone in the mansion lowered their head and reminded the Second Prince.

"No rush, wait a little longer, wait a little longer."

He had been pacing around in the room for a long time, ever since he returned from the pleasure boat.

He had been planning this for many years, and it was only when the Blood Demon Palace approached him that it was officially put on the agenda. With his years of planning about to be realized, how could he possibly calm down?

How long until my elder brother returns to the capital?

"The Crown Prince will not be able to return to Shangyujing for at least seven more days. No, Your Highness, the Crown Prince may not even be able to return. If the Blood Demon Palace keeps its word, the Crown Prince is probably already in grave danger."

The Second Prince was quite satisfied with his subordinate's report: "How are the royal family's retainers doing?" "The three retainers have all gone to Liuqing Lake. Now that the elixir has gone wrong, they certainly have no time to attend to it." The advisor said with a smile: "After all, it's hard to say whether those retainers are protecting the safety of the people of Shangyujing or because of the Heaven-Mending Elixir."

The second prince sneered.

The pill that was born tonight is fake; it's a blood pill that Xueyanluo took out and used a strange technique to disguise it as a real pill.

He really wanted to see the final winner's ugly reaction after obtaining the elixir and discovering he had been tricked.

The advisor said, "Your Highness, the Blood Demon Palace may have other motives."

“I have promised them that once the matter is accomplished, the national treasury will be at their disposal.”

The advisor shook his head: "I'm afraid it's more than that. How could the Blood Demon Palace possibly care about our dynasty's treasury?"

The second prince, with his hands behind his back, revealed a confident smile: "You are unaware of this. Our ancestor was also a cultivator, and an extremely powerful one at that. What the Blood Demon Palace is after is naturally related to our ancestor."

"Could Your Highness elaborate?"

The Second Prince scoffed, "That cannot be revealed."

It seems this matter is quite mysterious and cannot be disclosed.

In fact, even the second prince didn't know, because Xueyanluo hadn't said anything at all.

"Besides, this is my only chance. My elder brother has been feigning benevolence and kindness for ten years, and the court and the public are extremely satisfied with him. Even the Imperial Advisor greatly admires him." The Second Prince paused for a moment: "Right, where is the Imperial Advisor?"

The aide explained, "He hasn't left the palace yet, Your Highness. He still has the Hunyuan Mirror in his possession."

Since the emperor fell seriously ill, the imperial advisor has stayed in the palace, concocting medicines to keep the emperor alive.

"It's alright. With the help of the immortal masters from the Blood Demon Palace, it's time to change the position of Imperial Preceptor."

"Your Highness, has His Majesty truly passed away?"

"that's not important."

Whether he was dead or not, the emperor must have been dead when he stormed the palace.

Oh wait, the Imperial Advisor is dead too.

The imperial advisor, in order to preserve the emperor's health, refined elixirs day and night, eventually dying from overwork—what a wonderful reason!

And he, the second prince, had no choice but to shoulder the heavy responsibility of taking over the throne and stabilizing the dynasty when the crown prince was absent from court and the immortals were causing chaos in the Jade Capital. How righteous and awe-inspiring he was!

"The only thing that worries me is my high and mighty third sister."

Someone hurried over and stood outside the door, saying in a deep voice, "Your Highness, everything is in order. The three thousand troops have been assembled, and the three immortal masters from the Blood Demon Palace have also arrived."

The advisor said, "Your Highness, it seems the Blood Demon Palace has arrived. If we don't act soon, it will be too late."

"Summon General Long to open the door."

Horses were already prepared outside the gate. The second prince mounted his horse with great confidence and high spirits.

"Tonight, we must settle the overall situation."

Suddenly, a fire broke out in the quiet night.

Countless torches were lit from the darkness.

This second prince, who was inferior to his eldest brother and third sister since childhood, but was filled with wolfish ambition, finally showed his fangs.

The north gate of the palace opened from there, and the second prince's soldiers filed in.

The flames quickly spread into the attic, and a continuous mist of blood clung to the Second Prince's soldiers, driving them all to hysteria and making them no longer afraid of pain.

The moon in the sky was covered by clouds.

The shouts of battle over the Heaven-Mending Pill mingled with the cries of the Second Prince's coup, making it difficult to discern where even a patch of pure land remained in this Jade Capital.

The blood stained the night, but not the ground.

The blood of cultivators who died and the blood of soldiers who died eventually merged into one, becoming inseparable, and were absorbed by the earth, ultimately gathering at the bottom of the Lake of Lingering Love.

(End of this chapter)