302: The first sacred place

Du Gu伽罗 rarely saw her friend so distraught, and then she saw the landscape paintings scattered on the ground.

She saw that in almost every painting, there was a figure with her back to them.

Silver armor, black cloak, holding a Three-Pointed, Double-Edged Spear!

She thought of something, her beautiful eyes shifting, her casual demeanor receding, and her lips parted slightly as she softly asked:

"Is he that Ninth Mountain Zhonglang General?"

Qin Rushuang lowered her head, looking at the paintings stained with splashed ink, as if the very thing she pursued had been dirtied. Her eyes burned with unappeased anger, and her chest rose and fell rapidly.

Then she knelt down and picked up a painting.

In the painting, figures were numerous and complex. She was in a plaza, holding a small bronze tripod. In the distance, demonic clouds filled the sky, and giant demonic figures were monstrous and huge. On the plaza, armored figures soared into the sky, heading straight for the demonic clouds.

"In the past, I came to Shu with a Grand Minister. Two Grand Minister adults, following the Temple of Martialism's decree, went to the Ten Thousand Mountains, and I followed them to the border. Later, the Grand Minister died in the demon lair, and the border was breached. I inherited the last wish of a border-guarding general to bring back the Dao fruit of the former Town Demon Envoy of this region, so it wouldn't fall into the hands of demons. I was chased by three Dao fruit demons and fled to a city in Chishui Prefecture!"

"It was there that I first heard of the Ninth Mountain Zhonglang General. The people defending that city included small Sects that came from Shu for support, local garrisoned soldiers, and the Fa Shan Army. They all urged me to deliver this tripod into the hands of that Ninth Mountain Zhonglang General. Then, one after another, they sacrificed themselves, even knowing they were outmatched, desperately trying to protect me as I left. Many of them later died at the hands of demons."

As she spoke, she pulled out another painting. In the painting, in a dark forest, eight people were scattered among the trees.

Some stood, some knelt on one knee, supporting another person who lay down, and some clutched their chests, bent over.

These people had no faces, only blurry outlines.

All these people looked at a silver-armored figure in the center.

Qin Rushuang's face showed a hint of memory, "This was the first time I saw Ninth Zhonglang. In a moment of crisis, he slew three rampant Dao fruit demons and saved us. At that time, I had brought news of the Wucang Great Demon's intervention, the Grand Minister's death, the border's collapse, and the demons' full-scale attack. Everyone else was hesitant and conflicted. It was this Ninth Zhonglang who stepped forward and said he would go fight for Weiyuan Pass, which had fallen into demon hands, to buy time for the people behind us to evacuate. At that time, I joined them."

At this point, Qin Rushuang finally showed a trace of a smile.

"Sister Jialuo, do you know? That was the most invigorating thing I've ever done!"

As she spoke, she took out the last landscape painting. In the painting, on a dilapidated city wall, soldiers and overwhelming numbers of demons were locked in battle. A resolute figure in silver armor, a black cloak, and holding a Three-Pointed, Double-Edged Spear stood in the sky above the city wall, facing six monstrous and colossal demons!

"Later, we went together to retake Weiyuan Pass. The Six Mountains demons launched a frenzied attack, and Ninth Zhonglang fought bloody battles, killing the Six Mountains Dao fruit. As a result, the Wucang Great Demon appeared. Ninth Zhonglang was only at the Dao fruit realm then, but he desperately resisted the Wucang Great Demon's Divine Ability, sending the rest of us away. Finally, he sublimated in desperation, advancing to Wu Zang, but his Dharma Idol was still shattered, and he was gravely wounded and near death."

Qin Rushuang did not use any intense tone, merely recounted all of this calmly.

Finally, she let out a "heh" of laughter, rolled up the paintings, hugged them to her chest, and stood up.

"How ironic!"

"When the common people were being massacred by demons, the imperial court turned a blind eye."

"When the soldiers on the front lines fell one by one, these people were still discussing who would be the Town Demon Envoy, and how to divide the Luck of Shu."

"I, Qin Rushuang, used to be arrogant, believing that this remote and desolate land of Shu had weak and incompetent soldiers who were so easily defeated. But when I saw these people, even facing the Wucang Great Demon, dared to draw their swords and charge into battle, I understood. It wasn't their fault; it was our fault."

"Now that someone has finally managed to pull the collapsing war situation back, the imperial court begins to discard them like a used tool, stepping on the bones of countless common people and soldiers, eating human blood steamed buns."

"Such an imperial court, hmph!"

Du Gu伽罗 quietly listened to the turbulent waves beneath Qin Rushuang's seemingly calm surface, and she was also moved by her friend's experiences. Although she couldn't feel it firsthand, she knew that her friend was speaking out for the soldiers of Shu and for the Ninth Mountain.

This usually aloof and proud beauty was truly angry!

This also sparked a hint of curiosity in the daughter of the Divine Marquis towards that Ninth Mountain Zhonglang General, whom she had never met.

She was always direct. Her phoenix eyes shimmered with light as she looked at Qin Rushuang, whose chest was still heaving, "Alright, since little sister is so angry, why don't you take this news to that Zhonglang General? I, your elder sister, also cannot stand the filth that permeates this imperial court."

As she spoke, a hint of alluring smile appeared in her narrow phoenix eyes, "I'm also curious what kind of general he is, to be so highly praised even by someone as cold and proud as my little sister. How about you take me to meet him?"

With that, she giggled.

She had always been fearless. She wondered how this Zhonglang General would react after she revealed this news to him?

, , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Jinguan City. Night quickly fell. The snow, which had stopped for a while, grew heavier again, and the wind howled.

In the night, it was a vast expanse of white, making the world appear brighter.

On Yunding Mountain, at the peak of the Ninth Mountain, the Ninth Mountain Zhonglang Hall stood amidst the wind and snow.

Outside, it was ice and snow, with biting cold winds, but in a side room of the Zhonglang Hall, there was brilliant divine light, clouds and mist swirling, boiling like fire.

In the room, a tall figure floated, shimmering like silver all over. A high-pitched Dragon roar filled the space, carrying astonishing pressure. Above his Dantian, five internal organs roared like thunder, emitting five-colored light.

At this moment, Chen Yuan had his eyes closed. Outside his body, there was a boiling commotion, but inside him, it was even more dazzling and brilliant.

The Dragon Qi Mother Tree, originally nurtured within his Dantian, had now transformed into a silver Dragon, shimmering with brilliant silver light. Its Dragon roar howled, rushing along the liver meridian, flushing Chen Yuan's first divine treasure.

The Liver Divine Treasure!

The Liver belongs to the Wood Divine Treasure, representing Life Qi and power.

This was a well-thought-out consideration by Chen Yuan.

The Eastern Azure Dragon belongs to Wood, and the Dragon Qi Mother Tree currently teemed with Life Qi, related to the Entrustment Divine Ability.

Chen Yuan thus planned to have it break through the first Liver Divine Treasure, then use the Dragon Qi Mother Tree to build a divine platform, and then have the North Sea Dragon Girl reside upon it, providing nourishment for this divine platform.

To condense true Dragon Qi and make it his own.

It was that simple.

"Yin!"

Just then, a high-pitched Dragon roar rang out loudly.

Chen Yuan felt as if he had entered a world of Life Qi, suddenly enlightened.

The first Divine Treasure was unblocked!