3542-chapter-26
Chapter 26
“Brother, have you ever heard when the Soul Sect first appeared?” Xu Manman asked.
Demon Lord Lang Yin replied indifferently, “I can’t quite remember. I heard someone mention it about four or five hundred years ago.”
The Tianlu Palace recorded ten thousand years of history. It was impossible for her to start searching from the beginning, so she had to narrow down the scope first and then expand it.
In this world, all sects, when establishing themselves, must be registered in Tiandu City with the Daoist Alliance for inspection.
Otherwise, they would be deemed heretical. Since Xu Manman became the Daozun, she had reviewed all the records of the Daoist Alliance and was certain she had never seen the name Soul Sect.
In the eyes of orthodox Daoists, any sect involving blood, flesh, soul, or spirit was forbidden.
Orthodox cultivation drew on the spiritual energy of heaven and earth for one’s use, while heretical practices involved seizing others’ lives, using cruel and despicable methods.
Although the Daoist Alliance had many prohibitions, they couldn’t control every corner. There were always evil cultivators attempting shortcuts, committing heinous deeds.
Especially in the wildlands, some evil cultivators would deceive the ignorant populace, establishing fake sects and exploiting them for wealth and lives.
These misdeeds and rumors were all recorded in the Heavenly Punishment Scroll.
The Heavenly Punishment Scroll was categorized by time, and Demon Lord Lang Yin directed Xu Manman to begin searching from four hundred years ago.
Xu Manman glanced at Demon Lord Lang Yin, smiling flatteringly, “Brother, help me flip through the books.”
Demon Lord Lang Yin frowned slightly, lifted a finger, and with a flick, a green light shot to the ground, rapidly sprouting long leaves.
It quickly grew to half a man’s height, its two long leaves waving joyfully like arms, its thin body swaying side to side.
“Leaf, help her flip the book,” Demon Lord Lang Yin said.
The leaf gave him a deep bow, then happily bounced over to Xu Manman’s side, waving its leaves at her.
Although the leaf had no face, Xu Manman clearly felt its cheerful and eager energy.
This was unlike Demon Lord Lang Yin’s usual style… nor like Immortal Lang Yin’s leaves…
Xu Manman floated to sit opposite Demon Lord Lang Yin by the glazed pearl lamp. The leaf obediently followed her, extending its thin green leaves to help her move and flip through the books.
Demon Lord Lang Yin lazily propped his chin with his hand as he flipped through a book.
He glanced briefly at Xu Manman, then lowered his head again to read the Heavenly Punishment Scroll.
Xu Manman couldn’t help but wonder—why was Demon Lord Lang Yin so interested in the Soul Sect?
But she didn’t have time to think further because the leaf had already opened the pages of the Heavenly Punishment Scroll, Volume 13,700.
Xu Manman skimmed through its contents at lightning speed.
-Year 2,873 of the Hongdao Era: A sacrificial case at Bin City of Qing state, 108 boys and girls were burdened with heavy stones and thrown into the river to pray for rain. It was confirmed to be the work of the Tongling Sect…”
-Year 2,872 of the Hongdao Era: In Fan city of Wei state, 56 young men went missing and were later found with their internal organs hollowed out, their corpses abandoned in the wilderness. It was confirmed to be the work of the Heart-Eating Sect…”
-Year 2,872 of the Hongdao Era: In Liang state, 49 young women were brutally murdered. It was confirmed to be done by their parents under the influence of the Yin-Yang Sect…”
-Year 2,872 of the Hongdao Era: In Shu state, a hundred elderly men immolated themselves in their homes. It was confirmed…”
Thin pages, heavy with the weight of countless lost souls and grievances.
The more Xu Manman read, the more shocked she became, her brow furrowing deeply.
Years ago, while wandering the human world, she witnessed many evil acts by heretical cultivators.
But in such a vast world, how many people could she alone save?
After a long conversation with Xu Shenzhi, lasting three days, they reached many agreements, from the reform of the Daoist Alliance to the well-being of all under heaven.
The most important point was…
“Whether by the strength of one or many, what we can do is always too little.”
“There is no eternal sun. The night will eventually fall.”
“We only need to light the lamps in people’s hearts, and they will walk into the night fearlessly.”
The original fourteen Cardinal towers were merely torches.
She and Xu Shenzhi had envisioned ninety-nine such towers, thinking they would have a thousand years to complete them.
But midway, they had to stop.
Fortunately, Xu Shenzhi and Ning Xi were there, giving her some peace of mind.
She only hoped that this insignificant spark could one day become a wildfire, dispelling the darkness that shrouded the continent.
“Hmm? This is strange…” Demon Lord Lang Yin suddenly spoke, as if something caught his attention.
Xu Manman raised her head to look across the room and heard Demon Lord Lang Yin read aloud: “Year 2,662 of the Hongdao Era: A massacre occurred in Tiandu City. Thirty-six people from the Prince Mo residence were killed in one night. Prince Mo and his consort were decapitated, and thirty-four guards were brutally murdered, including four Nascent Soul cultivators and thirty Golden Core cultivators…”
Xu Manman was startled.
“To kill so many cultivators in a single night, and in Tiandu City no less, this couldn’t have been done by an ordinary heretical sect. If it wasn’t a powerful force, then it must have been a Dharma Aspect.”
Most heretical sects only dared to act in remote areas to avoid detection by the Daoist Alliance.
However, Tiandu City was the emperor’s city, filled with the powerful and influential. Not only were there elders with Dharma Aspect, but Nascent Soul cultivators were also everywhere.
Ordinary forces wouldn’t dare stir up trouble there, let alone attack a royal residence.
Before Demon Lord Lang Yin could finish, Xu Manman floated over to his side to read the record for herself.
“According to an informant, Prince Mo fell out with a woman, leading to her revenge. Upon investigation, this woman was found to be from the Blood Sect.”
A figure flashed in Xu Manman’s mind.
She blurted out, “Could it be the soul-reaping envoy?”
Among the high-ranking female cultivators of the Blood Sect, she only knew of this one.
If the Soul Reaping had been involved, with her level of cultivation, killing four Nascent Souls and thirty golden cores in one night wouldn’t have been difficult.
“No,” Xu Manman quickly dismissed her own guess.
“If it were the soul-reaping envoy, she wouldn’t have left behind those thirty-six corpses, especially with four Nascent Soul cultivators among them. She would have turned them into puppets.”
The Blood Sect always had a clear purpose for their actions and never committed unnecessary killings. Even if they were seeking revenge, they wouldn’t have left the bodies behind. Demon Lord Lang Yin’s suspicion matched Xu Manman’s—it didn’t align with the Blood Sect’s usual behavior.
Xu Manman examined the scroll closely, saying, “The autopsy of the 36 bodies is clear. They all engaged in fierce combat with the killer before they died. The wounds are identical, indicating there was only one assailant. For one person to kill thirty-six others, even if they weren’t a Dharma Aspect, they must have been close to it. With such power, they wouldn’t remain unknown. If this wasn’t the work of the Blood Sect, then who framed them? And who was the real culprit?”
Demon Lord Lang Yin said, “This case is over four hundred years old. Back then, the Blood Sect was already notorious as a heretical sect in the Daoist Alliance. If they couldn’t find the real culprit, they simply blamed the Blood Sect. It wasn’t uncommon.”
“After four hundred years, perhaps some witnesses are still alive. It’s worth investigating,” Xu Manman mused.
“To live for more than four hundred years, they would have to be at least a Nascent Soul cultivator. Prince Mo’s residence might have some connection with the Tiandu royal family. There might still be elders in the imperial city who know about the old events, but they may not be willing to speak about it,” Demon Lord Lang Yin said.
“If brother personally asks, they wouldn’t dare hide anything!” Xu Manman smiled flatteringly, turning her head toward Demon Lord Lang Yin.
Their eyes met, and Xu Manman realized her soul had somehow passed through Demon Lord Lang Yin’s arm, and she was now encircled in his embrace.
When she turned her head, she was so close that her lips almost brushed against his.
However, since she was just a soul, without a physical body, neither of them felt anything, leaving them staring at each other.
Demon Lord Lang Yin stiffened momentarily before opening his lips slightly and blowing a breath of immortal energy, sending Xu Manman’s soul flying far away.
“Brother, I-I-I was wrong…” Xu Manman felt her face flush, floating back with an apologetic expression.
Demon Lord Lang Yin propped his chin up, coldly gazing at her, “Are you harboring improper thoughts about me?”
Xu Manman’s heart skipped a beat, and she quickly replied, “Absolutely not! My heart belongs to Manman!”
