Wait a minute, where is my master?

Gusu City.

Although the resentment had been cleared away by the little Taoist, there were still no few matters that needed tending to.

Cultivators who took advantage of the chaos, ruined buildings, sacrificed city guards and civilians, ordinary people who committed evil under the influence of resentment, and some remnants of the Demon Sect, etc.

Fortunately, these matters were left to Li Mi and City Lord Su to worry about, which had nothing to do with Jin Xu.

At this moment, he was leading two women toward the watchmen's station, rescuing some still alive people along the way.

The broken streets were littered with collapsed buildings and dead bodies, yet there was no stench of blood in the air.

It hence appeared particularly incongruous, with an unreal sensation, actually because the stench of blood had been purified away.

The trio of the little Taoist threaded their way through, with Little White in his Husky form, carrying on his back a Bronze Gate that kept insisting it had never harmed anyone.

This was the spoils of this battle.

The three looked upon the devastation along the way, their expressions varied.

Jin Xu had never seen such a scene before, his eyes revealing an unbearable expression. Thinking of the main culprit behind this scene, his animosity toward the Demon Sect rose another level.

Little White, having been raised in the Demon Realm, was accustomed to such sights and wasn't particularly disturbed, only feeling contempt for the Demon Sect's actions of indiscriminate killing.

In the Demon Realm, battles between tribes were always for survival.

Yu Yaoer was keenly aware and sensed the little Taoist's unsettled emotions, taking the initiative to break the silence.

"Young Master, did you really perform the Body Purification Skill on the entire city?"

Little Fish Demon asked with her clear, curious eyes.

"Hmm."

Jin Xu nodded calmly, continuing to walk forward while his Spiritual Sense swept over the streets, trying to find some people who were still alive.

Yu Yaoer's expression turned indescribable upon hearing this.

"The Young Master's Body Purification Skill is so special... and to cast it over the entire city... Hiss, I mustn't think about it."

The little Taoist was unaware of what Yu Yaoer was thinking at the time; otherwise, he would have certainly knocked hard on her head.

"Oh, this is for you."

As he spoke, Jin Xu took out several Spirit Fruits from his storage treasure beads, which Little Yu had entrusted him to bring before leaving the city.

"Ah!"

Yu Yaoer, surprised and delighted, happily accepted them, having thought that their young master had forgotten about them.

Actually, these items were not something the little Taoist had sought out deliberately—they just happened to grow near the cave he had moved to, so he picked them on a whim and brought them back.

...

Just now, outside the city, Jin Xu had an epiphany after purifying Gusu City.

If even resentment could be purified, why not try to see if the black aura connecting the Bronze Gate and Zhao Qian could be purified too?

Upon trying, he found it indeed worked.

Then, the Bronze Gate very actively opened itself up.

All that talk about paths aside, staying alive was most important.

Hall Master Xia, upon seeing the little Taoist dissolve the city's resentment with a peculiar method and then effortlessly open the Bronze Gate, was inexplicably shocked and felt she might follow in the footsteps of Zou and Huang.

However, Jin Xu didn't kill her. Instead, he handed her over to Li Mi. He was curious about what the Demon Sect ultimately sought to achieve with such a grand scheme.

It couldn't just be for the sake of destroying Gusu City.

For Demon Sect disciples of the Twelve Halls' level, unless they were like the deceased muscular man who actively requested it, they wouldn't have any strange things inside their bodies.

At that level, what bound them more were magic, Spiritual Medicine, treasure, longevity, etc.

After handing Zhao Qian over to Zhao's father, Jin Xu went to the watchmen's station to leave Hall Master Xia with the Three Friends of Suihan. Then he took the Bronze Gate to the west of Gusu City, to pick up the three women.

Upon arrival, he found only Yu Yaoer left; apparently, after he had performed the Body Purification Skill, Xia Yunzhao received a message and hurriedly bade farewell to the two before leaving.

The little Taoist was speechless. What about the promise to inquire about his master from the Empress Mother on the fifteenth of July?

But it was no matter, as he had Xia Yunzhao's contact method.

He could always get in touch in the future.

...

Two days later.

Gusu City, at noon.

Order within the city had largely been restored; with a high-level Cultivator from the Void Refinement Realm in charge, no further chaos ensued.

At this moment, inside the watchman's quarters, still the same room, Jin Xu sat at the desk, carefully reading a publication that Tingfeng Building had just released temporarily.

It had just been delivered by someone sent by Li Mi.

It was because the little Taoist had previously shown curiosity about and disgust for information regarding the Demon Sect.

"Young master/temple master, we are back."

Their voices arrived before they did.

Yu Yaoer and Little White, carrying a basket of steamed buns, walked in from outside the door; there was no need to ask where the two had gone—they must have visited the snack stall in the west of the city again.

Ever since saving the life of the little girl, the two had grown fond of the sensible young maiden and had been frequently visiting there the past few days, often bringing back some food for Jin Xu.

Of course, they had paid for it.

"Mmm."

Jin Xu responded with a hum and did not look up.

"Temple master, what are you looking at?"

Little White curiously came over, holding a steamed bun in her hand and bringing it to the little Taoist's mouth while inquisitively asking.

"Yes, young master, what are you looking at?"

Yu Yaoer also leaned in closer.

"You can see for yourselves."

Jin Xu bit into the snow-white bun at his mouth and placed the publication on the table; he had finished reading it.

The two women leaned curiously over the table.

"Great Xia Calendar, year 2305, July 14th.

In two provinces of the Great Xia Dynasty, four county cities were attacked by the Demon Sect. The least damaged was Gusu City, which was said to have been saved by a mysterious savior, sparing the lives of an entire city's people.

The most severely affected was Ling City, which was destroyed.

On the same day, the Demon Sect, in collusion with the remnants of the Shang and Jin Dynasties, launched an assault on Xia Xuanmin, the founder of the Great Xia, aiming to shatter the fate of Great Xia, capture its Dragon Energy, and use it for their own purposes.

However, Xia Xuanmin was already aware of the Demon Sect's plans and set a counter-trap, using the four cities as bait to lure the Demon Sect and the two dynasties' remnants.

He hoped to take this opportunity to eliminate future troubles once and for all.

Regrettably, at the moment of near success, the current Prime Minister and Princess Consort Zheng suddenly switched sides. Even Medicine King Valley, which had been friendly with the Xia Dynasty for generations and was rumored to have been supported by Xia Xuanmin, also joined the side of the Demon Sect.

Because of this upheaval, several members of the Great Xia Imperial Family were slaughtered, and its founder, Xia Xuanmin, was mortally wounded.

At the critical moment, the Wanbao Temple's big-bellied monk, who had not appeared in the world for a thousand years, took timely action, saving the crumbling fate of Great Xia, causing the Demon Sect and the remnants of Shang and Jin to temporarily retreat.

After this battle, the royal family of Great Xia is in a precarious state.

Additionally, important news to be announced: the head of Kunlun Immortal Palace personally visited Tingfeng Building to entrust it with issuing a warning to all righteous Cultivators in the Cultivation World.

According to his divinations, a great calamity is coming to the Nine Provinces.

It is not just the Demon Sect causing disturbances, but also factors inherent to the Nine Provinces themselves.

Therefore, the Kunlun Immortal Palace has decided to convene a gathering of the great forces of the Immortal Sects at Kunlun in half a year to discuss this matter.

Additionally: All Cultivators are sincerely invited to provide intelligence, with generous rewards offered."

— Tingfeng Building's Important News for the Cultivation World · Special Edition.

After reading, the two women exchanged glances.

"Abba abba..."

Not only were they shocked at how suddenly such a big event had happened, but the little Taoist was also very worried.

Is Nine Provinces really this unsettled?

And more importantly, where exactly has my master gone!