Chapter 581 - 542: The Human Race’s Great Tribulation Is the Demon Race, the Demon Race’s Great Tribulation Is the Human Race
Chapter 581: Chapter 542: The Human Race’s Great Tribulation Is the Demon Race, the Demon Race’s Great Tribulation Is the Human Race
「Demon Suppression Pass, Grand Governor’s Mansion.」
Guo Wanjun reached out and took a bright yellow silk scroll. It was a personal reply from the Emperor.
He carefully unrolled it and quickly looked at the end, only to see two words written in fluid, vermilion strokes of the Imperial Brush: Duly noted!
Guo Wanjun stared in disbelief. He hurriedly read it again from beginning to end and finally confirmed that the Emperor’s reply was, indeed, just those two words!
’What’s the difference between this reply and no reply at all?’
A breath caught in Guo Wanjun’s throat, and his voice grew hoarse. He blurted out, "Grand Governor, what... what does His Majesty mean by this?"
The old man traced the mottled marks on the edge of the stone table with his hands. His gaze drifted to a flowering tree to the side as he said slowly, "For the Dynasty, the greatest threat has always been the demons. Everything else is a minor detail."
Seeing the disapproval on Guo Wanjun’s face, the old man continued, "Right now, the founding Martial Saint has failed in his Deification and passed away completely. The Three Immortals of Kunlun have an unclear stance and are watching covetously. On top of that, the Chaos Bell Fragments are stirring up trouble all over the Nine Provinces. Wanjun, you are the Grandmaster at Demon Suppression Pass with the best chance of becoming the next Martial Saint. His Majesty also places great hope in you. Do not let your focus waver."
Guo Wanjun was about to say more, but the old man raised a finger and tapped lightly on the stone table. A peculiar hollow sound cut him off.
Zhou Lingtao suddenly asked, "That tenth-ranked Celestial Pride is now a Six-star Medical Cultivator and has gone to the Ancient Divine Palace. Are you not worried?"
At the mention of Xing Lan, a smile appeared on Guo Wanjun’s face. He immediately replied, "I gave Xing Lan a Martial Arts Token. With her abilities as a Medical Cultivator and her talent as a Celestial Pride, she shouldn’t be cooped up within the pass, developing in isolation."
Zhou Lingtao nodded and also smiled. "For you to care for her so attentively is a matter of fate for you both."
As they spoke, the topic shifted, and the two chatted idly for a few more moments.
Guo Wanjun, however, brought up the Lingshu Jade Mushroom they had discussed before. He asked, "Grand Governor, are we really not going to send anyone to contend for this Lingshu Jade Mushroom?"
Zhou Lingtao shook his head. "We won’t contend for it. It’s an item that can extend one’s life by two hundred years. Several of my old friends are all eyeing it covetously. Unless I go myself... but why start a conflict and damage our bonds as comrades over such a thing?"
The old man’s words were casual, as if he wasn’t nonchalantly speaking of giving up a Seven-star Marvel that could extend a Martial Saint’s life by two hundred years, but merely some wild thing in the mountains that could be easily ignored.
One must understand that Martial Saints were not a long-lived species; their original lifespan was only five to eight hundred years!
A two-hundred-year life extension was equivalent to three lifetimes for an ordinary mortal.
Such magnanimity, reflected in the old man’s white brows and aged eyes, caused a pang of sorrow to swell in Guo Wanjun’s chest.
A thousand persuasive words surged in his throat, but in the end, not a single one could be spoken.
「At the same time, atop Wanhua Snow Mountain in Qingqiu.」
Today, the peak of Qingqiu was different from its usual solitude. Today, lying prone on the summit, besides the Nine-tailed Fox with its mottled fur and ancient appearance, a tall and elegant Six-tailed Demon Fox had also come to this land of eternal ice and snow.
With the arrival of this young fox, for a moment, the entirety of Wanhua Snow Mountain seemed a little less desolate.
This young Fox Demon was none other than the Saint Heir of the Fox Race, Tushan Jing, ranked first on the Ten Thousand Spirits Celestial Pride List!
The Nine-tailed Fox lay prone, only her head slightly raised. She looked at the young Tushan Jing with a benevolent gaze and said in a gentle voice, "Ah Jing, on this trip to the Merfolk Abyss, you must remember that contending for the Lingshu Jade Mushroom is not your top priority."
"What is important is that on this trip, you might be able to witness a battle between Demon Saints. Whether you can break through to Seven-Tails will hinge on this journey. But..."
The Nine-tailed Fox’s gentle voice now carried a hint of remoteness. "Your life is always the most important thing. Do not try to force matters. Also, if you encounter any human or demon Refining a Golden Core, kill them all."
As she spoke the final three words, "kill them all," the Nine-tailed Fox’s tone became somber, as if she had been reminded of something terrible.
A faint sigh escaped her lips, scattering into the cold, icy wind of Wanhua Snow Mountain. For some reason, at that moment, it was as if the entire sky had darkened.
Tushan Jing was young and powerfully built, with smooth fur, and he appeared even larger than the Nine-tailed Fox.
But at this moment, he knelt on his forelegs, pressing close to the Nine-tailed Fox with deep reverence. He looked up nervously and asked, "Ancestor, are the Demon Race and the Human Race truly going to war?"
The Nine-tailed Fox replied, "I had no intention of participating, but the momentum of the Demon Saint Palace is unstoppable. The Shangyang performed a divination in its slumber and passed down an Ancient Saint’s prophecy: in this great calamity, first, kill the Emperor of the Human Race!"
Tushan Jing’s Six-Tails immediately flicked up, sweeping through the air as if their fur was standing on end, before silently falling back down.
He immediately asked, "Ancestor, it’s only a Longevity Pill that grants two hundred years. It should be of little use to the Demon Saints. Is this trip to the Merfolk Abyss actually a pretext for the Demon Saints to ambush the Human Race’s True Immortal Martial Saints?"
It was a question, but it was also a statement of fact.
The Nine-tailed Fox said faintly, "Yes. There must always be struggle, a victor and a loser. They must first probe one another. What else can be done?"
The mountain wind blew past, and the Nine-tailed Fox’s mottled fur swayed gently, revealing age-old scars beneath the white hairs.
The dark red scars twisted and bulged like a knot of writhing serpents, a truly ferocious and terrifying sight.
Song Ciwan knew nothing of the outside world. She was hidden on that towering Ice Crystal Giant Tree. She had also deployed her Han Guang Glaze Residence, activating its Invisibility and shrinking the Treasure Residence to the size of a single-person tent.
Then, Song Ciwan silently slipped into the Han Guang Glaze Residence.
The icy wind blew past. It was as if there was nothing on the tree, as if she had never been there, had never even existed.
Song Ciwan sat in the small Cultivation Room, finding the experience quite novel.
She thought for a moment and decided to make some last-minute preparations. First, she took stock of her various life-saving items, such as the Peach and Plum Puppets and the Golden Cicada Jade Exoskeleton.
She now had three pairs of Peach and Plum Puppets. Two of the pairs had been crafted during her Qi Transformation Stage and now only possessed the Death Substitution Function.
As for the last, most recently crafted pair of Peach and Plum Puppets, she had buried the Peach Wood Puppet with the Teleportation ability in a secluded corner of the Xun Wind Camp at Demon Suppression Pass.
It was buried thirty feet deep. If she were to activate this Peach Wood Puppet, Song Ciwan would instantly appear underground at Demon Suppression Pass.
Her life-saving items were in order, and she had cultivated her Thunder Fire Body Devouring Technique to the Fourth Layer of Opening the Universe, so there were no issues there either.
Furthermore, Upright Shadowless was a Rule Strange Skill, and Song Ciwan had now cultivated it to the realm of Masterful Skill.
Even with all these preparations, she still felt a sense of crisis, which just went to show how dangerous the Ancient Divine Palace must be right now.
As Song Ciwan pondered, she decided to first try selling off one of Grand General Guo’s human desires.
’No specific trade. I’ll just ride this feeling and open a blind box!’
Of course, before opening the blind box, she first used a Dust-removing Talisman to cleanse herself, then summoned a basin of Spirit Water and washed her hands thoroughly three times. Finally, she even lit a stick of Sleeve Glow Incense, meant to calm one’s qi and improve luck.
Only then did she open the Heaven and Earth Scale.