Farewell in the Sky-Filling Yellow Sand

No one noticed that when the Xiling Divine Temple's Guardian Cavalry charged into the square, a middle-aged scholar had also arrived at the scene, silently approaching the high platform at some unknown point. The middle-aged scholar was dressed plainly, weather-beaten and weary, covered in sweat, with a tightly bound bundle on his back. He reached the platform, and with the fastest speed, untied his bundle, taking out a wooden tray from within. The wooden tray, made of an unknown type of wood, had extremely delicate grain, yet gave one a feeling like metal and stone, a very peculiar sensation. The tray was covered with a layer of extremely fine yellow sand.

This was a sandbox. The most famous sandbox in the cultivation world: the Rivers and Mountains Plate.

When the Rivers and Mountains Plate appeared, the entire world entered the Rivers and Mountains Plate. The fine yellow sand danced in the air, then fell, dyeing the colors of heaven and earth yellow, and immediately transforming everything into yellow sand. The hard bluestone ground turned into soft, loose desert. The warhorses, charging at high speed, let out terrified neighs and collapsed to the ground, their front hooves tragically broken. The Divine Temple cavalrymen on their backs directly fell unconscious. In an extremely short time, hundreds of Divine Temple cavalrymen fell from their horses. In contrast, the New Teachings believers, who were panicking and dodging, though finding it difficult to move, were not harmed by this yellow sand. The yellow sand was sometimes like water, winning over hardness with its softness, thus showing compassion for the weak.

Long Qing's feet also sank into the yellow sand. He clearly felt the suction force coming from beneath the sand, his expression becoming extremely grave. He lifted his right foot with great difficulty, wanting to take a step forward. Suddenly, a wind rose, carrying yellow sand that blocked his path. His gaze passed over the dancing yellow sand, falling upon the middle-aged scholar beside the platform.

Chen Pi Pi looked at the middle-aged scholar and exclaimed, "Fourth Senior Brother!"

The middle-aged scholar did not respond, only met Long Qing's gaze. Long Qing frowned slightly. Today, he had come by order to kill Ye Su and massacre the New Teachings. He had anticipated that the Academy might have preparations, but he hadn't expected the person to arrive not to be that iron arrow, not the First Master, but this person.

Fan Yue, the Fourth Master of the Academy. Among the interesting and terrifying figures in the Academy's back mountain, Fan Yue was a relatively low-key individual. He entered the sect very early, his seniority was very high, but he only remained at the peak Profound Cave Realm, completely not on the same level as Li Man Man or Jun Mo. Although Third Senior Sister Yu Lian's performance in those years was always said to be only at the Profound Cave Realm, when she crippled the Xiling Divine Temple's Abbot Xiong Chu Mo, everyone knew that was merely a pretense. He was the true Profound Cave Realm cultivator.

Of course, this wasn't important. Master always taught his disciples without discrimination, not caring about their cultivation talent, but everyone in the back mountain had their most specialized domain, and in that domain, they could achieve the best. For example, those Fifth, Sixth, Eighth, Ninth, Tenth, and Eleventh ones, only Fan Yue appeared relatively weaker. He was skilled in Talisman Dao but not as gifted as Mo Shan Shan and Ning Que in this field; he was good at strategy and calculation but not as good as Yu Lian; he was skilled in design but in this aspect, he couldn't even compare to Sixth Junior Brother, let alone Professor Huang He in the front courtyard of the Academy. In terms of true strength, perhaps it was only in abacus calculations.

In these years, as the Academy's back mountain gradually revealed itself to the world, he remained just as inconspicuous, without too many astonishing displays. Only his fellow disciples in the Academy's back mountain knew he was very important—in these years, the Academy's external strategic arrangements, and even those of the Tang Kingdom, came from the calculations of Yu Lian, Ning Que, and him. Moreover, he possessed one of the most precious magical treasures in the current cultivation world, which was the Rivers and Mountains Plate. That year, before Qing Jia Pass, it was thanks to the Rivers and Mountains Plate that everyone in the Academy was able to avoid that sword strike from the Abbot. He exhausted his heart and soul to trap that sword strike, which then gave Jun Mo the opportunity to display his divine might. To be able to trap the Abbot's sword, one can imagine how powerful he and his Rivers and Mountains Plate were. Today, he brought the Rivers and Mountains Plate here.

In reality, he shouldn't have appeared here. The Xiling Divine Temple's attitude towards Ye Su and the New Teachings was very clear to the Academy, but regardless of whether it was First Senior Brother, Yu Lian, or Ning Que, they always believed that the Abbot could be persuaded. Because killing Ye Su would bring no benefit to the Daoist Gate, the Abbot would definitely not do it. As long as the Abbot remained silent, then Tang Xiao Tang and the Sword Pavilion would be enough. Only Fourth Senior Brother felt something was amiss. He continuously calculated for a long time, unable to deduce a different outcome, but he still felt a strong unease. He believed that his Senior Brother, Senior Sister, and Junior Brother's judgment was wrong, but he couldn't find evidence, so he came himself. He packed his bags, embarked on a solitary journey, left the back mountain, and brought the Rivers and Mountains Plate, traveling thousands of miles to save Ye Su's life.

This was the true style of the Academy's conduct: one could strive for common goals, but also maintain differences; one must bear responsibility for the sect, but first, one must bear responsibility for oneself, one must leave no regrets. Fourth Senior Brother finally arrived in time. Although it was difficult for him alone to change the situation at the scene, he could represent the Academy in making his utmost effort. No regrets, that was good enough. He raised the Rivers and Mountains Plate, pouring all his Thought Power into the tray. In an instant, his Snow Mountain Qi Sea showed signs of depletion, manifesting externally. His face became extremely pale, and he even seemed to have lost a few pounds.

Within the Rivers and Mountains Plate was yellow sand, and even more, rivers and mountains. Every grain of sand was a scene within the rivers and mountains, either a small bridge, or a flowing stream, or a pavilion, or green mounds, or a sedan chair on a bridge, a boat on the water, people in a pavilion, trees on green mounds. Today, these yellow grains of sand were merely yellow sand. Because the most fundamental was also the most powerful. Fourth Senior Brother activated his Thought Power into the Rivers and Mountains Plate. The yellow sand danced wildly, then gathered and fell. The world immediately turned yellow, becoming a barren desert, where one could not find direction. The Xiling Divine Temple cavalrymen behind, fortunate enough not to die from falling, desperately pulled on their reins to stop their mounts, then dismounted, leading their mounts and trying to find a way out, but how could it be so easy?

Fourth Senior Brother carried the Rivers and Mountains Plate and stepped onto the platform. Long Qing silently watched him. The yellow sand covered the ground but could not completely pull him into the illusory Rivers and Mountains. His body was within the yellow sand, yet his eyes could see the truth, see his opponent. For some reason, Fourth Senior Brother felt a sense of unease looking into Long Qing's eyes, just like when he was making calculations in the Academy's back mountain, feeling that something bad might happen. So he blew a breath into the Rivers and Mountains Plate. The fine yellow sand was ruffled, and some grains flew up with the wind, dancing in the air. On the square, which had turned into a desert, a fierce gale suddenly arose. Countless yellow sands swirled up, obscuring everyone's vision. Heaven and earth became dark and hazy. More terrifyingly, the desert, which had been as flat as a plain, suddenly rumbled, giving rise to countless layers of sand dunes. Who knows how many cavalrymen were swallowed by the shifting sands! Even Knowing Destiny Realm powerhouses like the South Sea's Little Fish were unable to withstand the power of the Rivers and Mountains Plate. Divine Official Deacons from various Daoist temples perished one after another, and she too fainted amidst the yellow sand.

Long Qing's steps still could not fall. His face was a little pale. After being injured by Tang Xiao Tang and then severely wounded by the Rivers and Mountains Plate, he hadn't expected the opponent's cultivation realm to be ordinary, yet this sandbox was so terrifying. However, was this enough? The next moment, his foot finally landed, but it still fell on the yellow sand. He could not step out of the Rivers and Mountains Plate, but so what? The scar on his face glowed brightly, not ugly at all; instead, it resembled a somewhat peculiar makeup, combined with his gray eyes and straight hair streaked with silver, it even looked beautiful. He was so powerful, and he still hid truly powerful methods. He was waiting for Ning Que's iron arrow, waiting for Li Man Man. Even so, he was not afraid, let alone a sandbox?

He took a book from his chest and held it out into the hazy sandstorm. He recalled those years when he was the Second Division Head of the Thunder Judgment Division, leading black deacons to hunt down the remnants of the Demonic Sect and heretical sinners everywhere. At that time, he was justice, and believed himself to be justice. His expression turned cold. He looked at Ye Su and the others on the other side of the sandstorm, silently repeating the very familiar words from back then: "Sinner, accept Hao Tian's punishment." Last night at the Thunder Judgment Divine Temple on Peach Mountain, the middle-aged Daoist priest used a book to break Ye Hong Yu's Fan Long. That was the Heavenly Scroll of Falling Characters. At this moment, Long Qing also held a Heavenly Scroll, the Heavenly Scroll of Sand Characters. The Abbot had made that most important decision, no longer caring about the two words "blasphemy." The Daoist Gate's most sacred Heavenly Scrolls, in his plan, became artifacts, very powerful artifacts. The middle-aged Daoist priest had accompanied the Heavenly Scrolls for countless years in Zhishou Temple. Long Qing always carried the Heavenly Scroll of Sand Characters with him. Only these two had the ability to treat the Heavenly Scrolls as weapons.

The morning city was covered in yellow sand, no longer finding the cold, fresh breath of winter, only dryness. And when Long Qing raised the Heavenly Scroll of Sand Characters, that feeling became even clearer. The cover of the Sand Character Scroll transformed with the wind, turning into countless tiny grains of sand, which then began to dance. Immediately after, the second page of the Sand Character Scroll also completely turned into sand grains, then the third, fourth, fifth... Billions of sand grains transformed into a river of sand, flying straight from Long Qing's hand into the sky, receiving an ineffable profound meaning in the deepest part of the sky, then bombarding the sky-filling yellow sand. The Heavenly Scroll of Sand Characters recorded almost all cultivation methods in the cultivation world. This was absolutely not something human power could accomplish. Like the Sun Character Scroll, besides the collection by the Daoist Gate, much of it was Hao Tian's divine power. The Daoist Gate considered cultivation a gift bestowed by Hao Tian upon humanity. This Heavenly Scroll was a catalog of gifts, with countless, vast entries, like sand at the bottom of the sea, impossible to count. Each grain represented Hao Tian's grace and humanity's reverence. Today, the Sand Character Scroll truly turned into sand grains. The ink characters recording cultivation methods melted on the paper, then dissipated, turning into the smallest particles. Each particle seemed to contain the power of that cultivation method.

Billions of sand grains, billions of cultivation methods, thus fell into the sky-filling yellow sand, falling into the Rivers and Mountains Plate. The Rivers and Mountains Plate possessed ten thousand miles of rivers and mountains, but it was ultimately a product of cultivators. How could it contain such vastness and near-infinite complexity? In an instant, the sky-filling yellow sand abruptly stopped. In some corners, pavilions and towers even faintly appeared, about to lose their most fundamental form and turn into illusory images within the Rivers and Mountains Plate. Fourth Senior Brother's arms, holding the Rivers and Mountains Plate, trembled uncontrollably, as if he would throw the Rivers and Mountains Plate to the ground the next moment. He felt the terrifying impact force coming from the tray, discovering it was even more powerful than the illusory sword strike the Abbot had thrown before Qing Jia Pass that year. His face instantly turned pale, and blood began to spill from the corners of his lips.

"Disperse." Long Qing said emotionlessly. As his voice fell, the sandstorm in the square slowed down countless times. The small bridges and flowing streams that had just appeared were covered by the sand grains spilling from the Sand Character Scroll. Eyes full of yellow sand, covered by seabed sand, no need to find a way out. I use my world to cover your world, then I can move freely, going wherever I want. Long Qing took a step forward. If there were truly intelligent life in that piece of rivers and mountains, they might have seen a footprint larger than a mountain under the sunlight, trampling clouds, crushing the wilderness, falling at the horizon. The Rivers and Mountains Plate, ten thousand miles of rivers and mountains, he stepped out of it in just one stride.

Long Qing appeared on the platform, appearing before Ye Su. Between the two, only yellow sand remained. Fourth Senior Brother continuously coughed up blood, still struggling to hold on, but it was unknown how much longer he could last. Long Qing held the dissipating Heavenly Scroll of Sand Characters in one hand, and with the other, he clawed towards Ye Su. A figure broke through the sandstorm and rushed over. It was Tang Xiao Tang. She used an iron rod to support her exhausted body, collapsing in front of Ye Su, raising the rod with both hands, using her last strength to block a blow. Long Qing's hand landed on the iron rod. With a "pfft," Tang Xiao Tang spat fresh blood and fell, unable to get up. Long Qing took another step, passing her, and again clawed towards Ye Su. At that time, the Sand Character Scroll he held in his left hand was still resisting the last vestiges of scenery in the Rivers and Mountains Plate. More and more fresh blood flowed from Fourth Senior Brother's mouth, soaking the front of his robes. The blood he spat out grew darker and darker, eventually even looking like ink, sending shivers down one's spine.

Chen Pi Pi stood by, watching, and finally felt despair. His body began to tremble with anxiety, anxious for the plight of his two Senior Brothers and his beloved; with fear, fearing that his two Senior Brothers and his beloved were about to die. He was truly terrified. That trembling sensation spread from his limbs to his chest and abdomen, then deeper into his body, finally settling behind his waist. Thus, his Snow Mountain Qi Sea also began to tremble! His Snow Mountain Qi Sea had been crippled, to be precise, completely sealed by Sang Sang that year, long since turned into a dry, dead sea and monotonous black rock peaks. Yet now it trembled! Trembling was movement, and to move meant to be alive. His Snow Mountain Qi Sea had actually revived in his most desperate moment! Chen Pi Pi had no time to feel this sudden change, nor could he feel ecstatic. He merely followed that trembling sensation, completely instinctively, waving both hands continuously towards Long Qing. Ten fierce and traceless streams of force, like clouds drifting in the sky, hard to grasp, shot out from his ten fingertips, fiercely piercing Long Qing's chest and abdomen!

Having just gone through a bloody battle with Tang Xiao Tang, who was favored by Hao Tian, and then comparing cultivation with Fourth Master Fan Yue of the Academy holding the Rivers and Mountains Plate, Long Qing was already severely injured. Chen Pi Pi's Under-Heaven Creek Divine Finger arrived so unreasonably that even holding the Heavenly Scroll of Sand Characters, he couldn't avoid it. With a series of dense thudding sounds, all ten strikes of the Under-Heaven Creek Divine Finger landed on Long Qing's chest. Ten blood holes immediately appeared on his thin clothes, and fresh blood gushed out. Long Qing's face became even paler. He looked down at his chest with a hint of confusion, then looked up at Chen Pi Pi behind Ye Su, frowning slightly. Then he understood. Hao Tian was so weak now that she could no longer protect those she had once promised to protect, such as Tang Xiao Tang. So, she naturally also could not punish those she had once wanted to punish forever—the Abbot had descended from Peach Mountain, and Chen Pi Pi, sharing a similar fate, naturally also had his time to rise again.

Long Qing coughed twice in pain. Each cough made the blood on his chest flow a few parts faster. "Still not enough." He said to Chen Pi Pi, his face emotionless. The Sand Character Scroll he held in his left hand transformed into howling sand grains. In an instant, countless tiny bloodlines appeared on Chen Pi Pi's body. Each bloodline came from an extremely small wound, each wound a grain of sand. The sand grains were deep within the wounds, aching to the bone marrow, like ants continuously burrowing inward. What kind of pain was this? Chen Pi Pi was in extreme pain but did not cry—he didn't want to cry because it would be too humiliating—so he forced a smile, but he didn't know that smile was as ugly as crying. Seeing his ridiculous appearance, Tang Xiao Tang wanted to laugh but was heartbroken to the point of tears. Long Qing glanced at Fourth Senior Brother, tightening his grip on the Sand Character Scroll. Fourth Senior Brother sighed, sat down powerlessly, and then began to continuously vomit blood.

A moment of silence. Long Qing looked at Ye Su, at Chen Pi Pi, at Tang Xiao Tang, at Fan Yue, his gaze slowly sweeping across their faces. He took a deep breath, looking utterly satisfied. These people, some he could only look up to in those years, some made him instinctively afraid to the point of humiliation, some were geniuses far surpassing him, some he yearned to be fellow disciples with but was rejected. Now, none of these people were stronger than him. Even combined, they were not his opponents. Perhaps the cultivation method he practiced would one day, many years later, turn him into a monster who lost his reason, or directly cause his body to disintegrate into billions of sand grains, but those were all matters for later. He was currently very satisfied, more satisfied than ever before. His chin was raised, not intentionally arrogant but beginning to be arrogant, as if returning to the day he entered Chang'an City many years ago. That day, countless flowers were scattered in Chang'an's streets, and he was in the imperial carriage.

Just then, a voice rang out on the platform: "Please allow me to borrow it for a moment." Ye Su said this to Fourth Senior Brother, yet it also seemed to be addressed to this world. The almost shattered Rivers and Mountains Plate flew into his hand. Long Qing looked at him and said, "You have abandoned Hao Tian, how can a miracle occur?" Ye Su's Snow Mountain Qi Sea was destroyed by sword intent in the battle with Jun Mo before Qing Jia Pass, unrelated to Sang Sang, so he could not recover like the Abbot and Chen Pi Pi.

"Miracles, or perhaps, are created by humans." Ye Su said. This statement was the foundation of the New Teachings, and perhaps also the epitaph of the Daoist Gate. Long Qing shook his head and said, "That requires power. You have no power." The sandstorm had died down. Only between the few people on the platform was there still the lingering effect of the resistance between the Rivers and Mountains Plate and the Heavenly Scroll of Sand Characters. The square was filled with dead bodies. Who knows how many Divine Temple cavalrymen fell in pools of blood, and many New Teachings believers also died. As for the surviving believers, even if severely injured, they were rushing towards Ye Su. They wanted to save Ye Su, even at the cost of their lives. —Was this stubborn belief faith? Was this power?

Ye Su looked at those devout followers, a complex emotion in his eyes. He said, "I believe this is power. This is the power of faith." Long Qing said, "You should be very clear that the power of faith can only be used by Hao Tian." Ye Su didn't look at him, looking at the clear blue sky, he said, "Then what about the Buddha?" Long Qing said, "This kind of power... how is it used?" Ye Su said, "I don't know... I want to try and borrow it."

Please allow me to borrow it for a moment—not only borrowing that Rivers and Mountains Plate from the Academy, Ye Su wanted to borrow power from his followers. That, or perhaps, truly was the power of faith. A vast, pure stream of power was born at the scene. That power came from the believers in the square, its aura slightly mixed, numbering over a thousand streams. Then it entered Ye Su's body, and when it emerged, it became like this... carrying a solemn aura. Ye Su poured this power, or rather, this aura, into the Rivers and Mountains Plate, looking towards Long Qing. This was an invitation. Long Qing's expression became extremely grave. The dissipation speed of the Heavenly Scroll of Sand Characters suddenly accelerated. He sat down in front of Ye Su. The sandstorm rose again. Ye Su swayed precariously, barely managing to sit upright. Long Qing's face was emotionless, simply watching him.

Ye Su said, "You all go first." The two were not sitting opposite each other playing chess. He naturally wasn't letting Long Qing make the first move, but rather, while Long Qing was trapped by him, he wanted Chen Pi Pi to lead the others away first, to escape on their own. Long Qing stared at his face and said, "You cannot leave." Ye Su didn't intend to leave. He only wanted to keep Long Qing at the scene so that others could leave. If not for this reason, he would rather die than try to use this kind of power. He founded the New Teachings, originally wanting to tell humanity not to believe, but he hadn't expected to ultimately become an object of belief himself. This left him a little dazed, a little sad. What gave him some comfort was that today was the first time he used the power of faith, and it seemed it would also be the last. He founded the New Teachings, but he was ultimately not Hao Tian. Even if he was willing to accept the incense and offerings of believers, he could not compare to the Daoist Gate, which had received countless years of incense, offerings, and faith. The Heavenly Scrolls were sacred artifacts of the Daoist Gate, their divine might unfathomable. Ye Hong Yu, using the entire Thunder Judgment Divine Temple, could not stop them. How could he, borrowing the will of his followers and the Academy's Rivers and Mountains Plate, stop them?

In the sandstorm, Ye Su gradually grew tired, his eyes slowly becoming serene. Chen Pi Pi still hadn't left. Ye Su lowered his head, saying somewhat weakly, "Go." At this moment, everyone at the scene was severely injured. Only Long Qing could continue fighting. Only Ye Su could hold him back for a little longer, but the ray of morning sunlight falling on him had faded. "Go" and "go then," only one word different, but adding a few layers of pleading. Chen Pi Pi was silent. He struggled to his feet, helped Tang Xiao Tang and Fourth Senior Brother up, stepped down from the high platform, reunited with the last surviving Sword Pavilion disciples, and walked towards the edge of the square. From beginning to end, he never looked back. He didn't speak to Ye Su, didn't cry, didn't laugh, didn't shout, just walked silently, enduring the pain from the myriad blood holes on his body, supporting his companions forward. Because whether it was crying or laughing, speaking or shouting, it was all a form of farewell. He didn't want to bid farewell to Ye Su. It was as if by not doing so, it wouldn't be a permanent goodbye.

He walked like this for a very, very long time, finally far away from the battlefield. The Xiling Divine Temple cavalry did not pursue them. They simply survived. Chen Pi Pi said nothing, continuing forward, getting into a carriage, rushing out of the city gate, entering the wilderness, and traveling dozens of miles away. Then he began to sob uncontrollably. Fourth Senior Brother sat by the carriage window, looking at the passing scenery outside, wanting to say something but unable to articulate it clearly. Nothing had changed, so why had he come all this way, weather-beaten and weary? The Rivers and Mountains Plate was destroyed, people had died. He really wanted to go back to Chang'an and ask Ning Que, what was all this about?