By that time, it wouldn't just be two hundred thousand people, perhaps even two million could be slaughtered by Gao Zhan to accompany his grandson in death.
But if we're talking about taking them away, Tao Qian would also find it difficult.
Surely he couldn't just pack them all into the Holy Embryo Bag and take them back to the Mountain Gate, could he?
Ascending Immortal Island could indeed accommodate so many people.
But what about sustaining them?
Even with the Valley God Gui, it might work for a day or two, perhaps even months, or possibly years, but as time went on and the population grew like a rolling snowball, eventually Master Tao would be overwhelmed.
Besides, he had no desire to become Emperor, nor to vie for the Central Plains; why would he want to care for so many mortals?
Previously, Tao Qian had been worrying about these issues.
But now, it was as if he had thought of something, and the furrowed brows suddenly relaxed.
"These people from all around, they've actually come at the right time."
"Putting on the armor, I, too, can indulge in the whim of an 'idle expert', while conveniently offloading this burden."
"Fortunately, it seems the patrons behind these four teams are all reliable, not the likes of Zhu Qi or Zhang Jiudeng who are just there to make up the numbers. Even Zhang Mazi, whose reputation is the worst, is said to run his territory well in both order and living standards; twenty thousand souls could be entrusted to him."
"But who to give them to, will still depend on the sincerity of these four parties."
Muttering to himself, Tao Qian made his move.
First, he asked Lian Jing'er, Little Age, Shan Jiu, and Yunrong to return to the Holy Embryo Bag.
Then he had the various Demons retreat into the Demon Gourd.
He also sheathed the Red Dust Sin Sword in his hand and dispelled the Sword Intent and killing intent from his body.
During the Demon City incident, although their actions were rather covert and did not attract too much attention, they were certainly noticed by those with intent.
Notably, after "Xiu Zhonglin's" loud proclamation, the entire Cultivation World now knew:
The disciple Duobao True Monarch brought back from Southern Yue quickly became the Spirit Treasure True Inheritor, then went to Demon City to stir up trouble, sequentially making a fool of Taishang Demon Sect, Demon Buddha Temple, Zhang Jiudeng, Alchemists, the Xiu Family, and many other major forces.
Following the great disaster in Southern Yue, he then caused the Demon City incident, and even more so, was behind the "Yang Sui Uprising," an event unseen for over two thousand years.
It could even be said that the current situation of the Longevity Heavenly Dynasty was entirely carved out by Tao Qian himself.
The title "First Heavenly Pride of Daoist" might be pretentious, but indeed, many acknowledged it.
Tao Qian was actually very aware of his own fame.
During the nine days he hung the Heavenly Lantern, he grew tired of hearing the name "Tao Qian."
Naturally, he was also very aware that the many traits associated with him had spread throughout the land.
A little carelessness could expose his identity.
If that were to happen, he wouldn't be dealing with offloading a burden anymore; he would be hunted to death.
Alchemists, Great Freedom Temple, Demon Buddha Temple, the Xiu Family, Taishang Demon Sect, Evil Sect... tsk tsk, just thinking about his list of adversaries made Tao Qian shiver without cold, let alone the part that involved his Master, which would probably be even longer.
"Keep a low profile, low profile indeed."
In a moment, Tao Qian concealed all traces of his distinctive features.
Fortunately, he had never revealed his true form in front of the two hundred thousand people before, only appearing as a shadowy figure of an expert. This made it convenient for him to act now.
Before deploying the Secret Demon Transformation Technique, a figure that had already fallen and disintegrated flashed through Tao Qian's mind.
A figure appeared atop the mountain of corpses with a flash of light.
It was a middle-aged man, unassuming in appearance, full of vicissitudes, not too tall or too short, wearing a tattered green shirt, with short hair half black and half white, looking partly like an old farmer and partly like a scholar.
"Ancestor Spirit Daoist!"
"I'm borrowing your body to do some good deeds; surely you won't mind."
While speaking, Tao Qian seemed totally oblivious to the uninvited guests entering the city gates from all four directions.
Holding the Valley God Gui with one hand, he walked down step by step.
During the process, all flesh in Gao Ren City, as if called and attracted, simultaneously flew into the Valley God Gui.
Within moments, the city's putrid blood and filth completely vanished.
Accompanied by an incredibly dazzling array of lights, an intense aroma of grains, tempting to the taste and causing stomachs to grumble, began to waft from the Valley God Gui.
When Yang Tingjian, Li Fulian, Xie Lingzhu, and Zhong Ziyang led their people into the city and saw this scene for the first time, their eyes were captivated.
They watched as the cultivator, half old farmer and half scholar, waved his hand, and from the treasure emerged two hundred thousand cooked bundles of grains, steaming and fragrant, landing in the hands of two hundred thousand disaster victims.
Each of the four parties also received a rice ball.
"Demons saw the people of this city as Gao Ren, food to be consumed. I took the body of a Demon, cleansed it of impurity, and turned it into food as well."
"This is karma, the cycle of heaven's laws."
"Please help yourselves, no need to be polite."