Free Web NovelAnother three hundred and thirty-odd years passed.
More than eight hundred years ago, outside Yumen Pass, under a gloomy sky, a dim ray of moonlight filtered through the clouds, illuminating the Gobi Desert.
Countless grains of yellow sand were pulled by the strong winds, rising into the sky like struggling arms, dancing wildly in the storm.
urban legend hid within the storm, grinding their teeth and sucking blood.
The magnificent and eerie city gate appeared and disappeared amidst the sandstorm, like a mirage on the Gobi Desert under a cloudy moon.
Suddenly, a bird flew past the scorched black city wall, its wings just fluttering over the wall when it was shattered by an invisible Spiritual Energy, turning into yellow sand and its traces wiped away by the strong wind.
Amidst the roaring of the strong wind, five gaunt figures stood silently atop the city wall.
Like statues, they waited in silence.
These five young men were the last Longxiang Army Armored Soldiers.
As early as two hundred years ago, the new Nangling Commander, Dragon Tang, had disbanded most of the Longxiang Army Armored Soldiers, leaving only thirty-odd who, by threatening to die, remained by his side. ƒreeωebnovel.ƈom
And these thirty-odd people passed down from generation to generation, enduring several disturbances in the city, and by now, only these five young men remained.
They climbed the city wall, which no one had set foot on for a hundred years, by the order of Nangling Commander Dragon Tang, to use his authority at the moment of his advancement to Calamity, break through the Divine Kingdom Jade Gate's blockade, and go to the outside world to find hope for the Divine Kingdom Jade Gate...
They were to take a token to Great Tang for aid, inform the Emperor that the Long Xiang Army was still active, find a stable Spiritual Energy supply for Yumen Pass, prevent Yumen Pass from perishing due to resource depletion, and seek out the two legendary Miracle Saintesses to bring salvation to Yumen Pass.
...
Before leaving, a young Longxiang Army Armored Soldier, puzzled, asked Nangling Commander, “Prince, it would clearly be more likely for you to personally leave the Divine Kingdom Jade Gate at this opportunity and find hope, so why...?”
After more than three hundred years, there was no longer any distinction between royalty and commoners within Yumen Pass.
Nangling Commander was merely an honorific title given by everyone to this elder who led them to seek a way to survive in the harsh and difficult environment.
In fact, in everyone's eyes, he was more like an elder in the family; although he always preferred quiet and stayed alone in the empty Lords Manor, he was kind and approachable, so there was less restraint and more intimacy and familiarity in their speech.
“No, this Prince will remain here,” the aging Nangling Commander said, holding his Phoenix Wing Tang, seated in the empty main hall of the Lords Manor.
He dared not leave; he worried that if he left and they returned, they might miss each ⊛ Nоvеlιght ⊛ (Read the full story) other.
He wanted to wait for them to return, and even more, he wanted to guard the increasingly decaying Yumen Pass.
He had promised to protect Yumen Pass...
“Go, children!” After a long while, Nangling Commander waved his hand and said, “Go find hope for Yumen Pass; if... if you cannot find it, then leave on your own!”
“The outside world is vast; there must be a place where you can make a difference. You are the last hope of Yumen Pass.”
“No, we will not abandon Yumen Pass!” A young man stepped forward, speaking with some emotion.
As soon as he spoke, the other four young men responded in unison.
“Exactly!”
“Well said!”
“That’s right! Although Yumen Pass is dangerous, it is our homeland. How can we forget our roots?”
“...”
“I swear by my own authority and blood, to the God Kingdom and to the miracle, that if hope cannot be found, I will still return outside Yumen Pass, and with this body, I will guard it, father succeeding son, generation after generation, never ending!”
One young man finished speaking word by word, and then the other four young men followed suit, making the same vow.
“...” On the dilapidated, decaying throne, Dragon Tang looked at the five young men, silent for a long time, then sighed soundlessly, waving his hand and saying, “Go, all of you, go. Before advancing to Calamity, this Prince wants to be alone for a while.”
After speaking, he supported himself with the Phoenix Wing Tang, stood up, and slowly turned to leave, his figure gradually disappearing into the depths of the Lords Manor, which resembled a colossal tomb...
Faintly, a few muffled coughs came from deep within the Lords Manor.
He was old.
Although he had finally glimpsed the path to Calamity, after living for far longer than an ordinary person's lifespan, his body had inevitably begun to age.
For a Psychic, at this age, he was already nearing his end; logically, he should have collapsed long ago.
However, he could not collapse, and the current situation of Yumen Pass also did not allow him to collapse...
————
“How is it?”
Seeing Hunqiu Luming emerge from his flickering state, the man raised his gloomy face, his voice unusually eager.
Hunqiu Luming watched the man, silent for a long time.
He had once infiltrated the sealed Divine Kingdom Jade Gate, seeking a method to resolve the Spell of the Yumen Sand Sea lineage.
During his search, he left a mark.
A large-scale composite Spell mark, sufficient to allow him to deduce the past from the present and glimpse over a thousand years of changes in the Divine Kingdom Jade Gate.
Now, the man had brought him news that the changes in the Divine Kingdom Jade Gate had stopped. Hunqiu Luming once again activated that special mark, performing a deduction of over a thousand years of changes in the Divine Kingdom Jade Gate, yet he obtained results highly similar to previous ones.
The Divine Kingdom Jade Gate still inevitably welcomed decay.
The last Longxiang Army Armored Soldiers still made their vows and, by order of Nangling Commander, left the Divine Kingdom Jade Gate with the last hope.
However, they could not find reinforcements from Great Tang; over the past three hundred years, dynasties had already changed, and with the Jin invaders moving south in force, the Southern Song Emperor was preoccupied with his own affairs.
Nor could they find a stable Spiritual Energy supply; the Divine Kingdom Jade Gate would not be destroyed by this, but it could only barely survive by “capturing” the increasing urban legend as the long cycles of night after night continued.
As urban legend flourished around Yumen Pass and Half-Guitan tribes rose, they would eventually return to the vast Gobi Desert, as stated in their vows, bearing the surname of Nangling and the name of Yumen Sand Sea, guarding a region.
After those two girls left, nothing seemed to have changed.
It seemed that everything they did still could not stop the wheels of history from rolling forward, only to repeat the same mistakes.
“You were right, there wasn’t much change...” Hunqiu Luming said, dispiritedly.
“I told you long ago,” the man said, looking utterly exhausted and weak, “History, or rather, the operating trajectory of this world, will not fundamentally change due to the disturbance of one or two Psychic, one or two powerful urban legend. This is a rule, an unchangeable rule.”
“Unmyouki, surely you, who once tried to resist, understand this better than I, don’t you?”
After speaking, he waited a few seconds. Seeing that Hunqiu Luming said nothing, the man stood up, tidied his somewhat faded professional attire, and picked up his briefcase from the table.
“It’s about time. I’ll be leaving now, Unmyouki... If I stay any longer, I’ll be late for work.”
As a qualified corporate drone, perfect attendance every month was in line with his life's rules.
Hunqiu Luming still said nothing, until the man reached the door of the dark small warehouse, pushed it open, and stepped halfway out, when he suddenly spoke, “However, only the first three hundred years haven’t changed much; I haven’t deduced the latter eight hundred years yet!”
Upon hearing this, the man's body stiffened. He slowly retreated back into the small warehouse, closed the door, paced back to Hunqiu Luming's side, and sat down, waiting quietly.
Observing the man, who looked like a small animal waiting to be fed, Hunqiu Luming said, “What are you doing? Aren’t you going to be late for work?”
“Naturally, I’m waiting for Unmyouki to finish deducing the results of the remaining eight hundred years...” the man said, weakly.
He had already foreseen that he would definitely be late for work today, or even absent, which would make his already meager salary even worse.
So tired!
“I can’t deduce it anymore,” Hunqiu Luming spread his small hands, which were formed by flowing light. “You know I’m just a wisp of remnant soul now. You can’t expect a wisp of remnant soul to have enough Spiritual Energy to continuously perform high-intensity deductions, can you?”
He was telling the truth; merely deducing over three hundred years of changes in the Divine Kingdom Jade Gate was already his limit. If he were to deduce another eight hundred years, he would probably dissipate on the spot.
“If you really want to know what happened later, how about this: you provide me with Spiritual Energy, and I’ll help you deduce the results... It’s a fair trade!”
“...” The man looked at Hunqiu Luming, silent for a few seconds, then shook his head. “I don’t think that’s necessary, is it?”
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With only three hundred years of Spiritual Energy deduced, Hunqiu Luming could already run rampant in this small warehouse deep within the Li Gate. Give him a little more Spiritual Energy, and not trying to escape or incite a prisoner riot would be a disservice to his title of “Unmyouki.”
“Alright then, if you don’t want to know, there’s nothing I can do,” Hunqiu Luming said nonchalantly.
Even without further deduction, he had ample confidence that a very subtle change would occur in the Divine Kingdom Jade Gate.
In his previous deduction results, there was no mention of “finding two Miracle Saintesses.”
Although under the correction of the power of time, five young Longxiang Army Armored Soldiers would probably, due to various accidents, be unable to fully carry out the mission of “finding the Miracle Saintesses,” and even related information would be lost over time, this was already an unprecedented change.
The traces of their existence were the biggest change.
And this change might have almost no impact on the world outside the Divine Kingdom Jade Gate, but within the city pass obstructed by the Divine Kingdom Jade Gate, it would surely, like a butterfly effect, stir up a fierce storm.
This storm would brew within the Divine Kingdom Jade Gate, gradually growing stronger until it whistled through the entire world...
The existence of people who should not be in the world within the Divine Kingdom Jade Gate would, like the red thread of fate, become a powerful cornerstone that disturbs the trajectory of destiny!
And this was just the beginning...
Hunqiu Luming thought with surging emotions, then suddenly spoke to the man, “By the way, our previous bet still stands, right?”
“Of course,” the man nodded.
“That’s good!” Hunqiu Luming said, “Three days, let me think, then I’ll use two hours first, okay? Let me out for two hours, and I’ll be back after two hours. If I lie to you, I’m a dog!”
“...” The man was silent for two seconds, then came and sat beside Hunqiu Luming, saying with a stern face, “Unmyouki, I think we need to re-discuss the rules for using these three days...”
Although he had promised to give Lu Ming three days of freedom if he lost the bet, how could he let him use it in fragmented hours or even minutes?
If the three days were broken up, wouldn’t it mean that every time a major event happened outside, or the Eclipse Society planned something that went against Lu Ming’s wishes, he could always appear on the scene in time to prevent destruction?
How could that be allowed?!
“What rules? I don’t know, we agreed on three days before. You want to go back on your word, don’t you?” Lu Ming said shamelessly.
“Not so,” the man shook his head. “However, Unmyouki, when we agreed on the bet earlier, it seems we didn’t say where I would release you when giving you three days of freedom, did we?”
“You say, if I release you right here in this small warehouse and open all the defensive fortifications inside the Li Gate, how many days do you think you’d need to get out?”
Upon hearing this, Hunqiu Luming was speechless for a moment, and when he spoke again, his originally strong attitude softened.
“Oh, don’t make the atmosphere so tense! We’re like brothers, is it really necessary?”
“I’m going out for two hours, and I’m not going to see Xiao Bei. I’m just going to meet an old friend.”
“An old friend?” The man frowned.
“That’s right! An old friend living in Parrot Hill of Free City...” Hunqiu Luming said.
“Free City?” The man frowned.
The Free City, located across the ocean, named after freedom, might sound like a good place, and it once truly was a good place. But now, as the night gradually lengthens, that cursed place has become “too free.”
It has become so free that even a terrifying existence like the Tethys Laboratory can be accommodated...
After a brief silence, the man nodded, “Alright, do you need me to open the exit of the Li Gate for you in the Free City?”
He had no objection to Unmyouki going to the Elder Council’s territory, and even wanted to find an excuse for Unmyouki to stay there longer.
How could two hours be enough? The longer, the better!
————
Meanwhile, inside the Divine Kingdom Jade Gate.
“So, you already guessed that the authority and Divine Kingdom control Hong Bian gave you were problematic?” After listening to Lu Yibei’s explanation, Shen Baiwei asked indignantly, “Since you already knew the miracle flower was problematic, why did you drag me into this? Do you have any conscience?!”
“Don’t rush, don’t rush!” Lu Yibei patted Shen Baiwei’s shoulder, comforting her, “Didn’t I give you the miracle flower so we could come back smoothly? I wasn’t sure if there would really be a problem back then!”
Originally, I thought if there was a problem, it would only be your problem... Lu Yibei secretly added in her heart.
“Now is not the time to shirk responsibility. Our top priority now is to find a way to solve this situation, don’t you agree?”
“Does responsibility still need to be shirked? Isn’t it all your responsibility?” Shen Baiwei said resentfully.
She suddenly felt that Disaster was like an irresponsible scumbag, who, in order to have a better experience playing cards, stubbornly refused to take safety measures, claiming he would take responsibility if anything went wrong, but when an accident happened, he would say that pleasure was shared by two people, so both were responsible for the accident.
“Yes, yes, it’s all my responsibility!” Lu Yibei said expressionlessly, “But even if it’s all my responsibility, can you escape it now? Don’t you still have to bear it with me?”
It was even more similar! Shen Baiwei opened her mouth, wanting to say something, just then, a Spiritual Energy fluctuation entered her and Lu Yibei’s spiritual perception.
Although the owner of that Spiritual Energy fluctuation carefully concealed his Spiritual Energy fluctuation, it still emitted a dangerous aura under the hidden and faint cover.
The enemy is strong!
Immediately after, messy footsteps accompanied by the sound of dragging chains came.
Following the sound, they saw an old man with disheveled white hair and ragged clothes, holding a rusty iron rod in one hand and dragging a chain in the other, rushing towards them from a dark corner.
The sense of oppression surged, crushing down like a collapsing mountain.
In the distance, a group of unknown figures followed closely behind the old man.
Seeing this, Lu Yibei and Shen Baiwei braced themselves as if facing a formidable enemy, their nerves taut, clenching their hands tightly, entering a state of readiness for battle.
Then.
They heard the old man say with a trembling voice, “Miss Lilim, Miss Shen Baiwei, you, you have finally returned...”
Upon hearing this, Lu Yibei and Shen Baiwei looked at each other for a moment.
Even without this special form of communication like eye contact, they understood the obvious meaning from each other’s eyes—who is this old guy? Calling your name/alias? Do you know him? Quickly acknowledge him, don’t implicate me!
As they exchanged glances, the crowd that had followed the old man knelt down in unison, letting out cheers.
The cheers were chaotic, as if everyone was shouting their own thing, but the two of them still caught the key content—the original Miracle Saintesses.
And there were two of them!
Immediately after, before the two could recover from the surprise of suddenly being crowned Miracle Saintesses, they heard the old man in front of them cry out, tears streaming down his face.
“Dragon Tang, I’ve waited so bitterly for you!”
Shen Baiwei, Lu Yibei, “???”
Him? Dragon Tang? How is this possible?!
Generally speaking, even a Calamity level urban legend, after a thousand years, its authority will degrade and corrupt, eventually either completely perishing or its authority changing, thereby becoming a new urban legend.
As for Psychic, the time they can exist is even shorter.
The oldest known Psychic still alive has not exceeded two hundred years.
Even the legendary Peng Zu, whose identity as a urban legend or Psychic is no longer verifiable, only lived for over eight hundred years.
If the old man in front of them was truly Dragon Tang, wouldn’t he have lived for over a thousand years?
Is this ♦ reasonable?
Lu Yibei had never even considered that Dragon Tang could live this long.
She had thought that Dragon Tang would at most live for one or two hundred years, which would be considered long-lived.
A Psychic over a thousand years old... If this were in the world outside the Divine Kingdom Jade Gate, he would definitely be an object that major Spiritual Energy organizations would scramble to slice and study.
And while Lu Yibei and Shen Baiwei were both bewildered, the residents of the Divine Kingdom Jade Gate who had come with Dragon Tang had already surrounded them.
They had prepared a welcoming feast for the people they had waited for for a thousand years...
