Chapter 248:

Words : 2348 Updated : Oct 14th, 2025

Our Discord Server: .gg/PazjBDkTmW In the market square, King Qin once ordered the city to be closed off and sent the Copper Clad General and his soldiers to kill people and keep the news from leaking out. The order was given not long ago, and the massacre had just begun. Therefore, besides the many deaths and injuries around the market square, there were still many survivors in the rest of the city. Especially in the more remote suburbs. The old man of the arsenal was among the first group of people to arrive at Great Qin Prefecture. He was the younger brother of the former general Li Changge. However, after forty years, the Li family no longer existed, leaving him alone without a home to return to. After arriving at Great Qin Prefecture, Qiao Mu and Hai Siyuan, along with other old soldiers, split up and went their separate ways. Qiao Mu tried to assassinate King Qin, while the other old soldiers attempted to relocate women and children from the past. However, what surprised Qiao Mu a bit was… "Why is he still here?" As Qiao Mu walked along the road in the outskirts of the city, he immediately saw the old man of the arsenal holding Stone City in his hands. Beside the old man of the arsenal stood Hai Siyuan, who had now become a general. Only the two of them were present at the moment, as the other old soldiers who usually accompanied Hai Siyuan were not around. seaʀᴄh thё ηovёlFire .net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. It would have been expected that the old man of the arsenal should have already left the troublesome Great Qin Prefecture along with the women and children of the city. "Qiao… Mr. Qiao Miao." The old man of the arsenal and Hai Siyuan nodded to each other from a distance, showing a hint of restraint. The Qiao family member died suddenly, and now there was a new stranger… who appeared to be a middle-aged man with no wrinkles on his face, making it hard to determine his exact age. Qiao Mu spared King Qin’s life on purpose, using him as a negotiator, and King Qin cooperated to save himself, thinking he could deceive Qiao Mu. Therefore, after the dust settled, Hai Siyuan and the others learned what had happened at the market square, and that Qiao Shui and Qiao Gui from the Qiao family had tragically died. "I’ve heard about this from our clan brother Qiao Shui… General Hai, why aren’t you leaving yet?" Qiao Mu asked directly. Now, Qiao Miao is a stranger to Hai Siyuan and the others, while Qiao Mu, although familiar with them, has no intention of catching up, and gets straight to the point. The old man from the arsenal spoke, "I have already sent away the women and children of the deserted city, and there are a few old brothers outside the capital aiding us." "Since we know that this Great Qin Prefecture is a dangerous place, it wouldn’t be wise for us to just leave." "The women and children of the deserted city are human beings, and the other common people in this place are also human beings." The tired-looking old man from the arsenal, with half of his face remaining, relied on the Stone City left behind by the Earth Sword Immortal to evade Taoist soldiers in the Great Qin City, occasionally rescuing ordinary people, experiencing dangers and escapes. Qiao Mu remained silent, feeling a bit nostalgic in his heart. Having lived a lifetime in a dream before, when Qiao Mu realized his mind was clouded and not clear, the first thought that came to him was of the old soldiers of the deserted city like Hai Siyuan and the old man from the arsenal. Reflecting on the deeds of the old soldiers, though it didn’t provide Qiao Mu with the sought-after answers, it didn’t stop him from holding them in high regard. "General Hai, I have something very important that I hope you can leave immediately and deliver to your father." After Qiao Mu finished speaking, he hastily took out the "Human Path Sutra" that he had written. Hai Siyuan only glanced at the book cover, and he was immediately shocked. "He widened his eyes in surprise." "Actually, my ancestor from the Qiao family was a naturally talented person. He was truly exceptional." Qiao Mu turned around, hands behind his back, white hair fluttering in the wind, leaving Hai Siyuan with an impressive image. "This is a martial arts technique that my Qiao family ancestor just developed, although it’s not perfect, only half complete, but it’s still not bad." Like practicing martial arts, showing off gradually became ingrained in Qiao Mu’s memory over hundreds of years. "Qiao family ancestor…" Of course, Hai Siyuan knew what the "Human Path Sutra" pursued by his father Hai Wuya was all about… This Qiao Miao, who could easily defeat King Qin, a superb martial artist, even he had to acknowledge the exceptional talents of the Qiao family ancestor… one could only wonder what kind of extraordinary person he must be. Since this Qiao family ancestor dared to name this technique with the title "Human Path Sutra," does it imply that this newly developed technique… Thinking of this made him shiver all over, and he unconsciously got goosebumps. "General Hai, stay alive and go on." Qiao Mu said lightly. At this moment, he had reached the top rank of Spiritual Refining Period, his perspective and vision were completely different from before. From Qiao Mu’s perspective, including Hai Siyuan, the three hundred old soldiers at Jiu Province had been holding the most intense battlefield for forty years, they were all seeds of spiritual refining. No, not just them. Qiao Mu glanced at the old man named Li Changshi who was standing quietly beside. The old man’s real name was Li Changshi, he was actually older than Hai Siyuan in terms of age and seniority, belonging to the same generation as Li Changge and Martial Saint. Besides the three hundred old soldiers, there were more than ten elderly people in the old city like Li Changshi with the same seniority. Whether due to physical disabilities or old age with weakened blood and qi, they were no longer able to go to the battlefield. If the "Xumi Mountain King Sutra" can help the three hundred old soldiers walking out of the desert, they can stay strong as long as they have enough food. So, Qiao Mu’s "Human Path Sutra" may be able to help the old men from the arsenal… "They are the first group of practitioners of the ‘Human Path Sutra’…" Hai Siyuan sensed Qiao Mu’s hidden meaning: "And what about you, Mr. Qiao Miao?" "This matter is not completely resolved yet, we can talk about it later on." Qiao Mu said casually. This time, let’s try our best to survive. Although he said no regrets before, being in jail is a different story. Haha, does anyone really like being in jail? After finishing reading the "Human Path Sutra," Qiao Mu turned around and left. Nowadays, "Qiao Miao" is just a stranger to the old soldiers, there’s not much to talk about. Although he had disabled King Qin and left him with a faint consciousness, barely able to control his body, Qiao Mu still kept a close eye on him. It would be a joke if he managed to escape. After wandering through several streets, Qiao Mu casually entered a small teahouse next to the market on Caimen Street. This teahouse, located by the market, had its owner passed away in the previous turmoil, leaving behind an empty teahouse which Qiao Mu now used as a temporary resting place. In the backyard of the teahouse, there were two corpses, one belonging to Qiao Mu and the other also belonging to Qiao Mu. "These two bodies are too damaged, there’s no thought of using them again." After inspecting the bodies, Qiao Mu abandoned that idea. Looking down, Qiao Mu noticed a calico cat lying by Qiao Shui’s body, as usual with its tongue hanging out of its mouth in a silly manner. "It’s been eighty years." Qiao Mu casually picked up the calico cat and gently pet it, feeling a bit relieved. In his dream, he could imagine the unpredictable, but that was different from a real cat. Gently stroking the increasingly silky fur of the unpredictable cat, he felt a strange sense of calm in his heart. ……………………. King Qin’s attempt to capture the city failed, and the incident was halfway interrupted. The recently closed city gates opened again, and refugees fleeing out poured out like a tide. Hai Siyuan and the old man of the arsenal, Li Changshi, followed the crowd, heading quickly towards a farmhouse outside the city. Around this newly built city, there were many villages and towns of all sizes scattered not too far apart. The women and children who came out of the deserted city were temporarily settled there, and all the remaining soldiers, except for Hai Siyuan, were also waiting there. "Brothers, it’s time to go." Hai Siyuan held the "Human Path Sutra" in his hands, feeling an inexplicable excitement, eager to return to the Imperial Capital immediately. However, as they entered the room with Li Changshi, the veteran soldiers inside didn’t rise or show any intention to leave, their expressions somewhat unusual. "Captain Hai, are you back?" Several old soldiers sitting by the door looked over and secretly signaled to Captain Hai. Hai Siyuan’s expression changed slightly as his hand rested on the sheath at his waist, then he heard a soft sigh. A flash of golden light, a phantom of a golden clock appeared out of thin air, ripples of sound waves spread out, causing Hai Siyuan and the others to feel dizzy and almost unable to stand, let alone draw their swords. A young Taoist priest in Taoist robes emerged from the shadows in the room, looking somewhat familiar, with a calm and expressionless face. "How did a cultivator manage to hide?" Hai Siyuan was suddenly shocked. On the other hand, Li Changshi’s gaze fell on the face of the young Taoist priest, carefully trying to recognize him, vaguely forming a guess. "Are you…Gu Zhen?" the old man of the arsenal asked tentatively. "My current name is Dao Zhen," said Dao Zhen, looking down at the many veteran soldiers in front of him. Hai Siyuan and the old man of the arsenal exchanged a glance and fell silent for a moment. Dao Zhen, a disciple of the Great Dao Sect, was originally named Gu Zhen in the secular world. Decades ago, he was the only person to walk out of the Hundred-mile Desert’s lonely city. To be precise, Dao Zhen was not the one who walked out of the lonely city but was taken away by the cultivators of the Great Dao Sect. He possessed the Heavenly Spirit Root, which was one of the top spiritual roots, even catching the attention of the Great Dao Sect’s Immortal Gate. "Back then, your elder brother Li Changge thought highly of your extraordinary talent. If you can join the Immortal Gate, it would be a good thing," Li Changshi said deeply. "The people and soldiers of the lonely city are trapped in the Hundred-mile Desert, unable to escape. Even if one person can walk out of the desert, it would be considered a good thing… But you…" The old man of the arsenal didn’t continue with what he was going to say. The original storyteller Clairvoyance briefly mentioned Elder Qingyi’s disciple Dao Zhen. After leaving the desert, they tried to find out some information… but it turned out to be better not knowing anything. "Since you have entered the Immortal Gate, you are now in between the mortal and immortal realms," said the old man of the arsenal. "The path to immortality is long, we don’t expect you to bear the heavy responsibility alone to rescue us from the desert… so why have you come today?" "I just want to talk with you," calmly replied Dao Zhen. "Is this how you talk?" Hai Siyuan sat down gasping for breath, his face filled with anger. Whether it was him or the other elderly soldiers in the farmhouse, they were all subdued by Dao Zhen using some kind of spell, unable to fight back. "It’s better to be safe than sorry," said Dao Zhen calmly. "I have become what you call ‘inhuman’ now," he added. "Since we have different beliefs, if we don’t do this, how can you be willing to talk to me?" Dao Zhen’s expression has always been very calm. After many years of not seeing each other, there was no excitement on his face, no intense emotions, just a faint… curiosity? "If you consider yourself inhuman, then what is there for us to talk about?" Hai Siyuan said angrily. "The idea of being inhuman is actually nonsense," Dao Zhen shook his head. "There is no such thing as inhuman in this world. We come from the same origin." "So…" Dao Zhen lowered his head, looking at the old man Li Changshi. "Grandpa Li, actually I’ve been wanting to ask for many years…" Dao Zhen’s voice sounded slightly puzzled. "Why do you insist on fighting? Why do you resist?" "You—" Hai Siyuan was momentarily speechless, and angrily said: "The Immortal Gate looks down on us, treating us like pigs and dogs…" "Before you hastily refute me, you have already crossed the desert, and witnessed firsthand the current decline of Jiu Province in the past few months," Dao Zhen continued: "The Immortal Gate may be aloof, but isn’t the Great Yan Imperial Court also high and mighty?" "The Immortal Gate only seeks incense offerings, while the Great Yan Imperial Court imposes heavy taxes and exactions. What is the difference between the two?" Hai Siyuan widened his eyes, unable to speak for a moment, just staring intently at Dao Zhen’s face.

Chapter 248:

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