“Elder Yeji has fallen unconscious again.”
At dawn, Hongying stood atop the southern cliff of the valley, his amber vertical pupils gazing down at the distant mountains.
He possessed a strong dark-vision ability. Even in moonless night, he could spot targets from the heights amidst the vast forests below.
Elder Yeji had encountered al-Asura at the Nanfa Temple. It could not be ruled out that the latter might follow the clues and come looking for them. Remaining vigilant was an essential principle.
The white ape with the mouth of the thunder god stood under the tree, its pure azure eyes glancing at him, and said,
“Your heart tells me…”
“Stop, stop, stop!”
Hongying hurriedly interrupted, putting on an affable smile, “Peering into the thoughts of others is rather rude.”
He forcibly reined in his thoughts, not allowing himself to curse aloud in his heart.
The white ape continued slowly,
“You are becoming more and more like a bureaucrat from the human race, adept at pleasing everyone so as not to offend anyone. But have you forgotten you are a proud member of the Scarlet Bird clan, a king of the skies?”
Hongying followed suit readily, “You’re right, this is my fault, I shall certainly correct it.”
The white ape glanced at him, “Yet your heart tells me: human bureaucracy allows one to amass yao connections swiftly and build relationships, from which one can benefit. Even if you gain nothing, there is no harm either. Foolish monkeys like me can only be kings in their mountains, so uncouth!”
Hongying’s mouth twitched violently.
He disliked Protector Yuan precisely because this damned monkey could see through people’s hearts.
Fortunately, Hongying was not thin-skinned either. With his wealth of experience, he changed the topic with a calm expression,
“Protector Qingmu said that Elder Yeji has only two days to live.
“I wonder who the help that the Princess mentioned is.”
The white ape pondered for a moment, then replied,
“Twenty years ago, in the battle at Shanhai Pass, those who allied with our Wanyao Nation were the Church of the Warlock God, northern Yao clans, barbarians, and the shaman clans. Though the northern Yao clans are a different branch from us, they are still Yao, making them the most likely.
“The experts from the Church of the Warlock God and the shaman clans are also possible. Hmm, since the Princess said that person could save Elder Yeji, an expert from the Church of the Warlock God is most likely. The Warlock’s blood spirit art might be able to dispel the power of the Executioner phala.”
The relationship between Elder Yeji and Xu Qi’an, as well as the schemes of the Nine-tailed Fox, were not matters they as Protectors were qualified to know.
They barely knew about Silver Gong Xu from the Great Feng, as the Southern Marches and the Great Feng were far apart and rarely interacted, making their information quite scarce.
Suddenly, Hongying’s voice deepened, “Someone is approaching!”
He stared hard at the night sky in the distance.
A few seconds later, he suddenly exclaimed, “Elder Baiji?”
The white ape, whose aura had been rapidly rising, seemed to choke all of a sudden, and looked at him in confusion.
Hongying explained, “Elder Baiji has brought a man back.”
“A man?”
“Yes, he doesn’t seem to be a Warlock, but rather a martial artist…” Hongying peered into the distance.
“Martial artist?!” The white ape grew even more puzzled.
Hongying didn’t answer again, because that person was travelling at great speed on the wind, less than a thousand feet from the mountain where they stood. At this distance, white ape could already see clearly.
Plop. Xu Qi’an landed on the mountaintop, glanced at the two Yao ahead, and fell silent.
“Protector Hongying, Protector Yuan!”
Baiji lay on Xu Qi’an’s head, happily waving her forepaws and calling in a soft, childish voice.
“Elder Baiji, why are you here?” Protector Hongying asked in surprise.
“I was ordered by Mistress to return to the Southern Marches to help Sister Yeji,” Baiji replied sweetly.
“This is…?”
Hongying and the white ape simultaneously looked at Xu Qi’an. Anyone with a bit of sense would know that the reinforcement the Princess spoke of could not possibly be Elder Baiji.
After all, she was only a fox cub.
Xu Qi’an stood with his hands behind his back, his expression calm, neither indifferent nor enthusiastic, conveying an air of serene detachment to display the bearing of an expert.
Baiji introduced him in a delicate voice, “This is Silver Gong Xu, Silver Gong of the Great Feng. Have you ever heard of him?”
Hongying and the white ape exchanged glances. The former suddenly realised, “So you are the influential figure who rose to fame during the year of official evaluation, renowned for your uncanny talent for solving cases?”
The white ape said,
“The Silver Gong Xu, that solved mysterious cases even whilst imprisoned, and single-handedly held off tens of thousands of rebels on Yunzhou?”
… Xu Qi’an thought to himself, Are you two just now catching up with the news? Are you the villagers who just got the internet?
Baiji whispered in his ear,
“The two Protectors are only responsible for matters in the Southern Marches. They never leave the Hundred Thousand Mountains and pay little attention to anything in the Great Feng.”
At this point, the white ape with the thunder god’s mouth frowned,
“Silver Gong Xu solving strange cases and holding off rebels in Yunzhou was just news from last year, not old history. By the way, what does ‘villagers who just got the internet’ mean?”
Xu Qi’an was taken aback, “You can read my thoughts?”
The white ape nodded, “Understanding the hearts of others is my clan’s innate divine ability. Also, when I was young, I served as a Yao slave in Liangchan Temple, where I secretly learnt the Buddhist Heart-reading technique.”
The Buddhist Heart-reading technique, plus the talent of discerning people’s hearts? Xu Qi’an studied the white ape, quietly suppressing his thoughts.
The matter of Silver Gong Xu being an lsp must absolutely be kept secret.
With his third rank spirit, he could still keep others from prying into his thoughts.
“Where’s Sister Yeji?” the little white fox asked.
Hongying looked worried, “Elder Yeji scouted Nanfa Temple the other night and was wounded by the young son of the Asura King, al-Asura. That al-Asura has attained the Executioner phala, his power is extremely domineering and cannot be removed. Elder Yeji only has a day left to live.
“Her Highness said an expert would be coming soon to help…”
After speaking, he glanced at Xu Qi’an, then said respectfully, “Could that be Silver Gong Xu?”
The white ape beside him said blandly,
“Hongying’s heart tells me: could it really be this lad? At most he’s a fourth rank, never mind saving Elder Yeji, he wouldn’t even be enough to get stuck in al-Asura’s teeth.”
Hongying’s expression changed slightly. He forced a smile, polite yet awkward,
“Protector Yuan is good at everything, except for being far too blunt from spending too many years in Buddhist temples.”
A bird demon very adept at socialising; a monkey who could see into the minds of others but is too straightforward… Xu Qi’an mentally labelled the two Protectors.
“I am an old acquaintance of Elder Yeji. Take me to her. By the way, my follower is still behind, Protector Hongying, please fetch him for me. His name is Miao Youfang.”
With Baiji vouching for him, the two Protectors believed Xu Qi’an. The white ape led him into the valley, while Hongying transformed into a giant scarlet bird and soared away.
The two Protectors believed that the helper the Princess mentioned was connected to this Silver Gong from the Great Feng, perhaps someone behind him.
He was just the vanguard, sent to pave the way.
One man and one Yao floated lightly down into the valley. The white ape took him into a cave and, after walking through a not-very-deep passage, they arrived at the entrance of a stone chamber.
Xu Qi’an scanned the furnishings of the stone chamber and was momentarily dazed. The arrangement here was identical to the bedchamber in the Reflecting Plum Pavillion of the Jiaofangsi.
For an instant, he felt as if he had returned to the Jiaofangsi in the capital.
Those were his most comfortable, happiest days.
So a part of my time was left here with Fuxiang…
“Sister Yeji!”
Baiji leapt from Xu Qi’an’s head, darted to the bedside on all fours, and with a strong jump, her little belly, unsurprisingly, bumped into the bed edge. With a few more scrambles from her hindlegs, she finally made it onto the bed.
She seemed to sense the danger, and did not recklessly touch the beauty lying on the bed.
Xu Qi’an’s gaze followed her before shifting to the old man in green at the bedside. He was holding a cane entwined with vines, resting it on the forehead of the young woman on the bed, where emerald light flowed like water.
When the green-haired, green-browed, green-bearded elder saw outsiders had come in, he withdrew his staff and looked over gently.
The white ape introduced him,
“This is the Nightwatcher from the Great Feng, Silver Gong Xu.”
Then he introduced Protector Qingmu,
“Protector Qingmu is the oldest among us Yao, has lived for thousands of years, and is said to have watched the previous sovereign grow up. Even our present princess has to call him grandfather.”
His cultivation is not high, but his seniority is terrifying, and this is only an avatar, formed from wood spirit… Xu Qi’an judged silently and saluted,
“Greetings, Protector Qingmu.”
Protector Qingmu waved his hands repeatedly, looking nervous and apprehensive,
“We would not dare, we would not dare. Sir is a beyond-mortal warrior, you may simply call this old one Qingmu.”
A beyond-mortal warrior? So he is the helper the princess had sought, and not some pawn sent to probe for others hiding in the shadows… White Ape’s azure eyes widened instantly in disbelief as he looked at Xu Qi’an.
If the reports were right, Xu Qi’an did indeed rise to fame during the Year of the Official Evaluation, and the information described him as a brilliant detective, but it never said he was a prodigy at cultivation.
No matter how much of a prodigy he was, it still could not explain how he had ascended from a nobody to beyond-mortal in just over a year.
A suspicion arose in White Ape’s mind:
Maybe this man was not actually Silver Gong Xu, but someone impersonating him.
With my current mastery of Qi, ordinary people would never be able to discern my true level. These Yao clans really are full of talents… Xu Qi’an nodded slightly, neither confirming nor denying.
“This old one is just especially sensitive to life force. Your vitality is like an ocean, only someone at the beyond-mortal level could possess such overwhelming life,” Protector Qingmu said, unassuming and humble.
Xu Qi’an nodded and did not waste words: “Let me take a look at her.”
Protector Qingmu immediately stepped back to make room.
Xu Qi’an sat by the bedside, examining the unconscious beauty with genuine admiration.
Compared to the refined grace of the beauty in Reflecting Plum Pavillion, Fuxiang here looked like an entirely different person. Her cheeks curved down to a pointed chin, outlining a seductive, delicate face.
Her lips were small, but lush and full, naturally alluring.
A beautifully shaped nose, long straight brows, thick lashes, and a hint of red at the corner of her eyes.
There was no one in Xu Qi’an’s pond more beguiling than her.
A Yao woman is truly a Yao woman…
Xu Qi’an chuckled inwardly and let his gaze fall, glancing over the chest propping up the thin blanket before scooping up Fuxiang’s wrist.
Pop~
A golden ripple surged out defensively, striking Xu Qi’an in the chest like a wave crashing against a reef, but failing to shake him at all.
Witnessing this, Protector Yuan was now utterly convinced that this “Silver Gong Xu” was indeed third rank.
The strength of the “Executioner of Evil” phala was not something a fourth rank could withstand.
“What do you think?”
Protector Qingmu asked.
But before Xu Qi’an could answer, Protector White Ape said,
“His heart tells me: he is very satisfied with this body and wants to consummate the marriage tonight.”
After this, White Ape looked utterly shocked, standing with Protector Qingmu as both of them warily eyed Xu Qi’an.
Fucking… Xu Qi’an quickly gathered his thoughts and coughed,
“I can remove the power of the Executioner Phala from her body, but you two must step back.”
Qingmu and Protector White Apes silently watched him, faces plainly saying “don’t even think about it”.
Whatever… Xu Qi’an summoned the Stupa tower, the palm-sized dark gold tower hovering above the bed.
“The Stupa Tower?!”
Protector Qingmu’s voice suddenly went shrill.
White Ape didn’t recognise the artefact, but could sense the Buddhist energy within.
Their eyes were ever more guarded, already doubting if he was truly the helper mentioned by the lord.
Protector Qingmu silently gripped the vine staff in his hand.
White Ape’s cheeks sprouted white fur.
The Yao women in the cave all braced themselves as if facing a great enemy.
Baiji stood by the bedside, raised her paw and waved it energetically, calling out sweetly,
“Don’t be afraid, the Stupa tower belongs to our Yao, no, it’s our artefact!”
The expressions of the Yao in the cave relaxed a little, their confusion and curiosity held in check, and they did not ask further.
By this time, Xu Qi’an was already communicating with the tower spirit, asking it to use the power of the Medicine Buddha Dharma Aspect to help expel the Executioner Phala.
The miniature Stupa tower spun slowly, shedding gentle golden light.
Bathed in this golden glow, Yeji seemed holy and alluring all at once, creating an oddly captivating charm.
“The Medicine Buddha Dharma Aspect…”
Protector Qingmu murmured softly, unsurprised. As a long-lived tree spirit, he had a deep understanding of the Stupa tower.
Yeji’s complexion became visibly rosier, her breathing steadier, and the tormenting power of the Executioner Phala within her melted away like spring snow.
After all, she had not suffered a direct blow from al-Asura, just aftershocks at most. Given the Stupa tower’s level, driving it out was not difficult.
“It’s done.”
Xu Qi’an stowed the Stupa tower away.
Protector White Ape immediately looked at Protector Qingmu, who nodded slightly in confirmation.
All doubts vanquished, the two were now convinced, this beyond-mortal had healed Elder Yeji, with Elder Baiji vouching for him, so he was indeed the helper the Princess had mentioned.
White Ape’s clear azure eyes observed Xu Qi’an for a while, but “heard” nothing from his heart, and he looked a bit disappointed.
“Mmm…”
At this moment, Yeji moaned softly, her brows knitting, lashes fluttering, then she opened her eyes.
Her first sight was a blurry figure, and as her vision cleared, she realised it was a man.
Remembering what Her Highness said yesterday, alarm and anxiety welled up inside her.
“Awake?”
The figure smiled.
In that instant, Yeji felt as if struck by lightning, her body stiffening as she gazed at the man by the bed, her eyes gleaming with misty tears.
“Xu Lang…”
She murmured.
Her tone was dreamy, as if speaking of someone she had longed for day and night, now appearing before her so easily.
She even doubted if this was only a dream.
“Is it really you?”
Having decided it was not a dream, Yeji sat up excitedly and grabbed Xu Qi’an’s hand.
Glowing with joy, she kept repeating, “Xu Lang, Xu Lang…”
“Of course it’s me, nothing’s changed, if you don’t believe me, you can measure.”
Xu Qi’an replied in the teasing tone he used to, matching his old persona.
When they used to frolic in the bedroom at Reflecting Plum Pavillion, they would often trade raunchy jokes.
Yeji’s pale cheeks turned red, and she spat softly at him.
Propping up her still-weak body, she nestled against Xu Qi’an, her voice filled with the joy of reunion and a host of questions,
“Xu Lang, how are you here? How did you find this place?”
In Yeji’s eyes, Xu Qi’an was still only a fifth rank Transforming Force expert, caught up in a huge conspiracy with a bleak future.
After her “death”, she had returned to Her Highness, their reunion seemingly impossible, separated by mountains and rivers.
Protector Yuan tried to speak, his mind reeling.
Was this Silver Gong Xu from the Great Feng really Elder Yeji’s man?!
Elder Yeji, who served the Princess of the Myriad Yao, had actually found a human man as her companion?
If this got out, countless male Yao would be furious.
He knew it was true, because Elder Yeji’s heart told him: she was aroused!
Protector Qingmu shook his head and chuckled.
I understand, in the southern marches you really don’t have any internet connection… Xu Qi’an said,
“You don’t know anything that happened in the Great Feng?”
Thinking again, he realised that after slaying Emperor Yuanjing, it had been barely two months, not to mention his adventures on the road such as seizing the Stupa tower and slaying Vajra Dufan and Vajra Du’nan.
All this had happened only recently. Without an extensive intelligence network, there was no way she could know.
Yeji shook her head:
“Every Yao in the Wanyao Kingdom is assigned their own region. After returning to Her Highness, I was sent to govern the Yao clans of the Southern Marches, to monitor all the movements of the Southern Country, and to search for the sealed remnants of Shenshu.
“The Central Plains aren’t my jurisdiction, so news does not travel here. I wanted to seek word of you, but had no people or channels for it.”
Very clearly divided work eh… not only ensuring efficiency, but is also one of the Nine-tailed Fox’s means of controlling the Yao… Xu Qi’an nodded and answered her question:
“I am now a third rank beyond-mortal, undying body.”
Yeji was stunned, staring blankly at him.
Xu Qi’an only smiled.
A long moment passed before Yeji let out a sigh, “I always knew you were no ordinary man, but I never dreamed your cultivation would progress so fearsomely. I can imagine how majestic your life must be now.”
Baiji seized the chance, crawling up Yeji’s body, “Sister Yeji, hold me, hold me!”
Yeji smiled and picked up the little white fox, cuddling her to her chest, “Baiji, are you travelling with him?”
Xu Qi’an nodded, “She’s been with me for a while on my journey.”
Resting her head on Yeji’s chest, Baiji squirmed restlessly, seeming uncomfortable. She glanced back at Yeji’s chest with some dissatisfaction.
“What’s wrong?” asked Yeji.
“Not comfy…” Baiji murmured.
Yeji was puzzled, “You used to love being held by sister like this.”
She’s found an even better pillow now… Xu Qi’an thought.
Yeji stroked the little white fox’s head and continued,
“Xu Lang is the reinforcement Mistress invited? Did you also heal me?”
Although she asked this, she was already quite certain in her heart. No wonder Her Highness told her to serve him well, if it was Xu Qi’an, everything made sense.
Xu Lang was someone Her Highness attached great importance to, she would not offend him lightly.
“Tell me about the situation with the severed limb of Shenshu. We can discuss my matters later,” Xu Qi’an stopped making small talk and got straight to the point.
“We used many Yao slaves under the control of the Buddhist sect, bribed some of the merchants travelling between the Southern Marches and the Western Regions, and after a great deal of time and effort, found out the exact location where Shenshu’s severed limb is sealed.”
Yeji extended the topic and explained what “Yao slaves” meant:
“The Buddhists like to tame our Yao clan, making them mounts and labourers. Clansmen of higher cultivation are brainwashed regularly by sermons, while the weaker ones aren’t worth the effort of conversion, so usually get subdued by force.
“It’s these we can approach and subvert in secret.”
Xu Qi’an listened intently, without interrupting.
“Shenshu is sealed in an ancient pagoda in the western court of Nanfa Temple. The pagoda itself is nothing special, but inside, sixty-eight Zen Masters sit in meditation and chant scriptures all year round, using Buddhist techniques to suppress Shenshu’s demonic nature and strengthen the seal.
“In addition, the Vaidurya Bodhisattva personally inscribed the name ‘Eternal Suppression’ on the pagoda!
“Because of this, the pagoda gathers the fortune of the hundred-thousand mountains.”
Xu Qi’an tutted, “A Zen formation maintained by sixty-eight Zen Masters, only a beyond-mortal could break it.”
Yeji nodded, “That’s right. We originally planned to invite King Bear to intervene, taking advantage of a lapse in the Buddhist defences to break the formation in one go. But then al-Asura returned.”
“Al-Asura?”
The word “returned” made Xu Qi’an’s heart sink, because it usually referred to a reincarnated Arhat awakening.
“Al-Asura is the youngest son of the Asura King, both an Arhat who attained the Executioner Phala, and a third rank warrior with a Vajra physique.”
Yeji glanced at him solemnly, not daring to say that al-Asura’s strength far surpassed an ordinary third rank.
Even now, having regained her true form, she still could not help but bow her head obediently before him, like an easily bullied concubine.
Two plus three… Xu Qi’an grimaced.
Whether the Executioner Phala or the Vajra physique, both were famed for their martial prowess.
“And King Bear is?”
Xu Qi’an changed the subject.
Yeji held nothing back, “King Bear is our Yao clan’s only beyond-mortal Yao King besides Her Highness.”
She went on to explain the Yao clan’s hierarchy:
“The highest leader of the Wanyao Kingdom is the Nine-tailed Celestial Fox, patriarch of my fox clan, who is also the overlord of the Southern Yao. The monarch’s court always has at least nine Elders, fourteen at its height, of whom three were beyond-mortal. Below the Elders are the Protectors.
“When Elders travel abroad, they act as the will of the Monarch. Elders are usually chosen from among the fox clan.
“Outside of the fox clan, there are twelve Yao Kings. At the height of our kingdom, there were twenty Yao Kings. Of course, not every Yao King is beyond-mortal.
“King Bear is the only Yao King who survived the Buddhist-Yao war five hundred years ago. When the war broke out, he happened to be hiding underground asleep, so escaped disaster.”
“Asleep?” Xu Qi’an doubted his ears.
Yeji smiled wryly, “He’s unbelievably lazy. He often doesn’t move for years, sometimes sleeping decades, even centuries.”
“No way to wake him?”
“Whenever he sleeps, he drags all living things within several miles into slumber with him, it’s his innate magical power.”
What kind of bizarre innate power is that… Xu Qi’an was at a loss for words.
Now he understood why the Nine-tailed Celestial Fox wanted his help.
That Yao King even slept through the kingdom’s destruction, let alone the matter of Shenshu!
“What is Silver Gong Xu planning?” asked Protector White Ape beside him.
“No rush, let me gather more information first.”
As he spoke, he reached into his robe, tapped the back of the Earth Book fragment, and took out a bronze mirror etched with elaborate patterns. The mirror was missing half of its surface.
“You bastard, why have you taken me out again? Put me back at once!”
The Huntian Divine Mirror cursed.
“Time for you to work, otherwise, what do I feed you for?” Xu Qi’an retorted.
“Why is it always me that does the work? You never use that shabby sabre of yours. Which of us is your main artefact, really?!”
The Huntian Divine Mirror protested angrily.
“This, this…”
Protector Qingmu stared at the mirror for a long time, suddenly growing emotional and shedding tears, “Is this the Huntian Divine Mirror that used to belong to the queen?!”
The Huntian Divine Mirror fell silent after swearing,
“Oh, it’s you, old tree-spirit.
“Five hundred years and still no improvement? When will you reach beyond-mortal?”
Protector Qingmu knelt down, trembling all over as he sobbed, “Greetings, Sir Divine Mirror. I never expected, in my lifetime, to see you emerge again!”
The Protector White Ape stared at the Divine Mirror, curiosity burning in his clear blue eyes.
He was even more intrigued as to why this mirror, evidently of exalted status among the Yao clan, was now in the hands of a Silver Gong from the Great Feng.
Yeji’s lashes fluttered, she lowered her voice,
“This was the very mirror that used to sit on the Queen’s dressing table, the Huntian Divine Mirror?”
“I got it by chance, did a deal with your princess, when she returns from overseas, I’ll give the mirror back to the Wanyao Kingdom, and she will help remove two demon-sealing nails for me.”
Xu Qi’an explained as he spoke, then instructed,
“Huntian, can you locate Wanyao Mountain?”
Demon-sealing nails? What does that mean, removing demon-sealing nails… This puzzled Yeji, Protector Qingmu, and Protector Yuan.
The surface of the bronze mirror rippled like water, then, in a moment, the image solidified, showing an ancient temple.
Xu Qi’an narrowed his eyes, spotting a tall pagoda in the temple’s western court, with a vague figure atop it.
“Westwards, focus on that pagoda.”
At his command, the image shifted west and zoomed in, revealing the figure atop the pagoda in sharp detail.
He was about nine feet tall, with a body as if cast from iron, covered only by a kasaya to expose broad, powerful muscles. His skin was a dark gold.
His palms were joined and his head was bowed so his features could not be seen clearly.
Behind his head burned a fiery halo, at the centre of which golden light shot outward like needles.
A flaming halo behind the head was a signature of the Vajra Dharma Aspect, present in all third rank Vajras who cultivated the Immortal Vajra Divine Art.
The halo behind the head also symbolised the Arhat.
The figure in the image bore both fiery halo and divine ring, signifying that he was both Vajra and Arhat.
Just as Yeji had said.
At this point, the figure in the image slowly raised his head. Though his features were strikingly ugly, there was a certain heroic air about him.
His brow was bare, with a high, ridged bone above, leaving the sharp, intense eyes beneath it even more prominent.
His cheeks were hollow, facial lines angular and coldly handsome, yet with such ugliness in his features the overall effect was very strange.
Xu Qi’an was just marvelling at how someone could be both ugly and striking, when the image suddenly collapsed and the Huntian Divine Mirror shrieked,
“I’m blind, I’m blind…”
After a while it calmed down, quickly adding,
“All right, put me back quickly. I’m worn out.”
It wasn’t as bad as when I spied on my little aunt last time… which means al-Asura is far less powerful than her… but he’s still much stronger than the average second rank… Satisfied, Xu Qi’an returned the Huntian Divine Mirror to the Earth Book fragment.
“After five hundred years, the Divine Mirror’s temperament has changed…”
Protector Qingmu found it hard to adapt to the mirror’s current manner.
“It was split in two by the Samantabhadra Bodhisattva, so is spirit is damaged. Hence it’s so strange. Only recently has it recovered, but its personality has shifted a bit.”
Xu Qi’an explained.
“I see, I see,” Protector Qingmu nodded repeatedly, ancient eyes momentarily glazed with memory. He sighed,
“Five centuries have passed in a flash. The former glory of the Wanyao Kingdom still feels vivid. That battle was so tragic, many beyond-mortal experts perished.
“Both Buddha and the Yao clan fought madly, blood ran in rivers across the mountains, the corpses of our kin littered the valleys.
“We had twenty Yao Kings and fourteen Elders, with hundreds of thousands of Yao. At that time, in the entire continent, few forces could rival our Southern Yao.
“But the Buddha was too powerful…”
Xu Qi’an, wishing to learn more history, followed up,
“How fearsome is someone Beyond-rank? Even the Nine-tailed Celestial Fox, who was a half-step Martial God, lost to the Buddha.”
Yeji, Protector White Ape, and the little white fox all looked towards Protector Qingmu.
Protector Qingmu almost never spoke of the lost kingdom’s last stand. If not for meeting the Huntian Divine Mirror today, they would never have heard even half this buried history.
Protector Qingmu started, and gave Xu Qi’an a strange look.
After a brief silence, the elder slowly shook his head,
“The sovereign was not a half-step Martial God.”
Xu Qi’an was taken aback, “What do you mean?”
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