Chapter 1537: Blowing Out the Lamps, All is Moonlight

At the age of eight, Jiang An'an's birthday, Jiang Wang missed it while cultivating.

On the fifteenth day of the ninth month, when the Blessed Land Challenge dropped him onto Mount Sima Mei, he still remembered this matter.

But then, immersed in the world of cultivation, it passed in a blur.

Only when the Blessed Land Challenge began on the fifteenth day of the tenth month did he realize that Jiang An'an's birthday on the twelfth day of the tenth month had already passed several days ago...

He knew he would miss it again.

But he didn't know how much more of Jiang An'an's growth he would have to miss.

No matter how difficult his circumstances, he would find at least one opportunity each year to visit An'an. But the Secret Realm of Lingxiao was no pure land; if he wasn't strong enough, there was no safe place in this world.

The world was in upheaval, and he too had briefly stood at the crest of the wave.

But he had to realize that whether on the Horizon Stage or at the Yellow River Assembly, his glory was built upon the existing order, upon a foundation of fair competition among peers... He himself did not possess the strength to resist the collapse of order, nor did he have the right to establish order.

So do not relax.

Not for a moment.

Not for a breath.

A erupting volcano may have been dormant for a thousand years.

A silent gray reef may have once been heard.

Daoist arts, sword arts, divine abilities.

The path he treads, the heart he seeks.

In a daze, time in the cave flows like no year, truly unaware of how many years have passed in the world.

Until a fat paper crane flew into the Blessed Land within the Grand Void Illusionary Realm.

On the letter were only two words—

"Return quickly."

In the continuous volcanic mountain range of Wu Yandu, birds were absent, and the color green was nowhere to be seen.

At a certain ordinary, dim moment.

Rumbling, rumbling...

Amidst rolling black smoke, dark red magma surged out, and the immense sound seemed to shatter the very heavens and earth!

Splashing, fiery red rocks flew like streaking light, leaving painful gashes in the painting shrouded by smoke and ash.

Volcanic eruption!

A black-gray, unusual reef also leaped and soared in this violent eruption.

In the raging flow of magma, it was merely a helpless projectile.

But after flying high, it did not fall back like other stones; instead, as if it had grown invisible wings, it continued to ascend, ascending continuously.

It soared into the sky.

Its black-gray color gradually peeled away, revealing an azure hue encircled by flowing light.

"Its" outline slowly became distinct, gradually extending limbs.

This was a person.

Having a human form, a human appearance... gradually recovering a human aura.

Amidst the smoke and flames, his flowing golden-red eyes could still be seen.

In the world of smoke, ash, and fire, he brought a clear gleam of light.

Piercing through heaven and earth!

In an instant, all the light, flames, sounds, and colors were annihilated. A person in green stood alone, and the sky-filling red flames parted around him.

He said nothing, but the long sword in its sheath cried out, its sound shaking a thousand li, as if tearing apart the roar of the volcano!

He flew past.

Like the green bird of legend carrying a letter, sweeping through the human world.

Whichever volcano he flew over, that volcano began to erupt.

In the desolate and uninhabited Wu Yandu mountain range, volcano after volcano erupted, as if adding to his journey.

As he flew over a certain volcano, Jiang Wang's gaze swept across, and he saw a solitary old tree standing on the bare volcano.

He remembered that when Zhao Xuanyang brought him here, this tree did not exist.

With gnarled branches and wrinkled bark, its old roots intertwined.

This old tree grew very strangely, and also very sadly.

Jiang Wang reached back and pressed from afar—

Rumble, rumble, rumble, rumble, rumble, rumble, rumble.

The volcanoes that were erupting, one after another, fell silent!

Like divine lamps placed on the earth, extinguished one by one.

At that time, the heavens and earth were silent, only a fleeting silhouette could be seen, and it quickly disappeared.

There is a city in the world named Liyuan, preventing the northward advance of horses' hooves.

Of course, that saying is now in the past.

At this moment.

Yuwen Duo, with his head full of small braids, stood on the city wall, looking into the distance, only to see the sky canopy hanging low, with diffusing heavy clouds. Black shadows mixed with sharp light, surging like a tide, the Qianglong flag of the Jing Kingdom fluttered in the high sky, carrying a suffocating sense of oppression.

That ancient, mysterious, and dominant nation in the Central Domain, which ushered in the era of the great rise of the state system and was the strongest nation in the world, had arrived on horseback!

Drawing his sword to challenge the Northern牧.

Yuwen Duo felt his blood boiling.

He felt it was scorching hot.

Now, if he were to cut with a knife, he believed his blood could burn through stone!

"Yi Gai, it is time to prove ourselves as children of the grassland!" he said with impassioned fervor.

The Qingtian Shen Tu banner fluttering high above him gave him infinite strength.

The Divine Crown Preaching Great Priest sitting in the city made his faith as firm as a rock.

Yi Gai standing beside him, and the comrades standing in this war-torn city, made him fearless and full of courage!

Standing beside him, looking into the distance with him, was a man wearing a bronze evil ghost mask.

If the name Zhao Rucheng burst forth at the Yellow River Assembly, letting the world know that the former Emperor Huai of Qin still had descendants,

Then during the more than a year of defending Liyuan City, all the牧 Kingdom soldiers stationed here remembered this general with the bronze ghost mask.

Leading every battle, shattering every enemy, the scene of him drawing the Son of Heaven's Sword from blood and fire was almost a harbinger of victory.

He refused the appointment of the牧 Kingdom Princess Helian Yunyun, and refused the promotion from the true-blooded Yuwen family.

He joined the army alone.

Participated in the battle to attack Liyuan City.

Participated in the more than a year-long defense of Liyuan City that followed.

Starting as a Decurion, he had now become a general leading an army, a功勋 earned through battle after battle!

He broke through enemy formations seventeen times, intercepted reinforcements three times, beheaded nine enemy generals, and personally killed countless enemies.

He was known as the Green Ghost!

Those who heard this name on the battlefield were all struck with fear.

Unlike the boiling-hot Yuwen Duo, and unlike the war-loving and bloodthirsty lunatic many牧 Kingdom soldiers imagined him to be, at this moment, Zhao Rucheng pressed his hand on the city wall bricks, his eyes as cold and calm as the bricks.

He silently observed the surging Jing Kingdom army, his heart devoid of any other emotions.

To him, participating in the war in the牧 Kingdom was only to gain strength.

To gain stronger strength... to gain the strength to no longer have regrets.

It was no different from fighting in the borderlands back then.

He had a certain degree of identification with the牧 Kingdom, but it was very limited, at most based on his closeness with Yuwen Duo and Helian Yunyun.

His feelings towards the Jing Kingdom were also very indifferent.

To him, the outcome of this war was not the most important thing.

The most important thing was to gain enough功勋,功勋 that could not be questioned, in order to quickly reach a high position in the牧 Kingdom.

He no longer wanted to passively endure bad news!

The surging military might of the Jing Kingdom before his eyes would never be inferior to the armed forces of the Great Qin Empire.

It was the undisputed edge of a hegemon.

If he could repel them, he could also repel Qin.

After a long while, Zhao Rucheng said, "When Jing Kingdom doesn't move, it doesn't move. When it moves, it is like thunder. The ferocity of its military edge is unmatched in the world."

In the past year or so, the main force defending Liyuan City was Uuturu, a cavalry army whose name meant brave and fearless. It could be considered an elite army of the牧 Kingdom, but not a world-renowned powerful army that could sweep through all sides, far incomparable to the Iron Cavalry.

The main force of the Sheng Kingdom was also just a few of their elite forces, plus some Daoist affiliated kingdom troops mobilized by the Western Heavenly Master Yu Xu.

The intensity and severity of the war were definitely not low, but they were limited to a certain degree.

Zhao Rucheng and Yuwen Duo could thrive in it and repeatedly gain功勋.

But in the coming war, could they still do so?

At this time, the Sheng Kingdom's attitude was no longer important.

Or rather, ever since the牧 Kingdom's army broke through Liyuan City and the Western Heavenly Master Yu Xu personally went to the Sheng capital, everything was no longer under the Sheng Kingdom's control. The so-called first affiliated kingdom, in the final analysis, could not escape the word "affiliated."

Of course, the Sheng Kingdom had not been without effort in the past year or so.

As an enemy, fighting on the front lines, Zhao Rucheng could clearly feel the struggle of the Sheng Kingdom's top brass in the deaths of countless soldiers.

But no matter how they struggled, what they could not gain on the battlefield could not be gained through diplomacy.

Moreover, the Sheng Kingdom's struggle, had it not been happening for more than just this past year? Even earlier, longer ago, so many outstanding figures in the Sheng Kingdom, from top to bottom, young prodigies like Sheng Xuehuai, True Monarch powerhouses from the imperial clan like Li Yuanshe... Had anything changed by today?

Zhao Rucheng understood very well.

From beginning to end, this game of chess had been evolving under the control of both the Jing and牧 sides, never deviating from the will of the Jing and牧 upper echelons. Jing and牧 clashed, Sheng Kingdom bled, until today, the true great war erupted!

This might be the largest and most intense war in nearly a hundred years!

This war was very likely to change the world's格局, and Yuwen Duo was still only immersed in the local advantage that the牧 Kingdom had firmly held in the past year.

There were many people like Yuwen Duo...

Jing Kingdom used Sheng Kingdom as a knife, wanting to wear down the锐气 of the牧 Kingdom, or perhaps there was also the intention of warning Sheng Kingdom. The牧 Kingdom, on the other hand, used the war of the past year or so to awaken the blood of the grassland people, and also to build confidence against Jing, simply using the blade of Sheng Kingdom's Daoist steel knife to sharpen their edge.

Zhao Rucheng had no access to the will of the highest levels of both sides.

But based on his personal feelings, the牧 Kingdom soldiers were in an unprecedentedly high morale, and some had even shouted the slogan of stepping on the Heavenly Capital City – it could certainly be said that the army's morale was usable.

But if they were blindly confident and plunged headfirst into this mountain of corpses and sea of blood, who could guarantee that they would be the one standing on the dry bones of ten thousand armies?

In a war of this scale, let alone Yuwen Duo, how was he, Zhao Rucheng, not a grain of dust?

"Of course, Jing Kingdom is strong, otherwise how could they use one Sheng Kingdom to hinder our divine radiance for a thousand years?" Yuwen Duo grinned and said, "But it will pass. They are too old, and they should pass."

Zhao Rucheng's heart stirred.

Yuwen Duo was not entirely a blindly confident brute; his words clearly contained some reliance.

The Yuwen clan was a top-tier true-blood family in the牧 Kingdom, and Yuwen Duo was a true-blood descendant, so it was indeed possible for him to hear some secrets, but he couldn't tell them outside. This level of hint was already the limit.

So what exactly was the牧 Kingdom's reliance that they were so almost recklessly following Jing Kingdom's lead, determined to re-establish the boundary between the Northern and Central Domains?

"No matter how this war goes," Zhao Rucheng said slowly, "I only hope we can still drink together after the war."

After saying this, he turned and walked down the city wall.

Zhao Rucheng, who had always treated people coldly, said such words...

Yuwen Duo stood on the city wall, only patting his chest.

The sound was loud and clear.

There are two sacred places of medical Dao in the world, one is Dongwang Valley, and the other is Renxin Hall.

Dongwang Valley cultivates both medicine and poison, and is well-known in the Eastern Domain. It has many affiliated sects, such as the Green Wood Immortal Gate, and also secretly supports countries like Shen Kingdom, enabling them to maintain independence in the face of the powerful Qi, so its roots are widespread.

Renxin Hall is located in the Northern Domain, with branches all over the world. It takes saving lives and helping the injured as its mission, rarely engaging in disputes, and has an excellent reputation.

On this day, outside the main residence of Renxin Hall, a mysterious person in a straw hat and coir cape arrived.

He held a Yunmu Zun in his hand, in which was kept a highly poisonous and extremely rare five-colored fish, attracting many medical cultivators to watch.

It is said that medicine and poison are not separate, and although Renxin Hall does not emphasize both medicine and poison as much as Dongwang Valley, it does not slight the study of poison either.

Many people wanted to buy this five-colored fish on the spot.

Medical cultivators have "money prospects," and the medical cultivators of Renxin Hall have even greater money prospects.

These disciples were all extremely wealthy.

This one said: "Just name a price, how many Dao Yuan Stones are you willing to sell it for!"

That one said: "We can even settle with Yuan Stones!"

Someone even took out a healing treasure medicine on the spot: "If you add two more Yuan Stones, and give me this fish tank and the fish together, I will sell you this bottle of Life-Saving Line of Hope Powder, which has the effect of prolonging life!"

Jiang Wang, his face hidden under the straw hat, paid particular attention to the person who spoke the third time, and secretly reminded himself to remember this person's appearance and stay away from him in the future.

"How about it?" This fellow, who looked honest, immediately beamed with joy when he saw Jiang Wang looking over: "This is my exclusive treasure medicine, I don't easily give it to others, you are getting a bargain today!"

"Heh heh." Jiang Wang's gaze swept past him, looking around, and only said: "May I ask if Physician Yi Tang of this hall is present? I came specifically for him."

Everyone was in an uproar.

In Renxin Hall, being a Physician of this hall was already the highest achievement that a medical cultivator below the Divine Realm could attain.

Above that was the Physician of the Sect!

The status of Physician Yi Tang, known as "Little Divine Hand," among the disciples was imaginable.

Immediately, someone asked: "Who are you? Is Senior Brother Yi Tang someone you can just meet?"

"I am no one," Jiang Wang said. "I have long admired Physician Yi Tang, and upon obtaining this five-colored fish that is deadly with one kiss, I wish to find an opportunity to present it to him."

The honest-looking fellow said again: "This is simple! Just give it to me, I'll deliver it for you."

As he spoke, he reached out.

Jiang Wang took a step back, lightly avoiding him, and smiled slightly: "Unless I see him in person, I will not hand over the five-colored fish... You won't try to seize it, will you?"

Renxin Hall was a great sect with an excellent reputation in the world, or perhaps it was inevitable that a few scoundrels would appear, but to brazenly seize another person's belongings in front of the main residence... This kind of thing was still impossible to do.

Therefore, as soon as Jiang Wang said this, the surrounding people even withdrew a few steps, fearing being misunderstood.

"You hateful brat, who are you trying to provoke with your words?" The fellow who had offered to sell the Life-Saving Line of Hope Powder in reverse said angrily, "Go, go, don't be annoying here!"

At this moment, a gentle voice sounded: "Hao Zhen, do not be rude."

The surrounding crowd instantly became excited.

Only Jiang Wang was filled with speechlessness.

This obviously fake guy was actually named Hao Zhen!