65 A Sea of Flowers

Following the night, Zhaoming finally walked back to Rongcheng Mansion. The servants guarding on both sides of the gate saw that she had finally returned and hurried to greet her.

Hua Lang let them tidy up her dress, soaked by the night dew. As she walked back into the mansion, she thought to herself: Perhaps, she could use Sand City as an opportunity to uncover its hidden secrets. Dealing with Rong Chengchuan was one possibility. Secondly, if she could find the information Wu Tingque needed, then even if something unexpected happened, Wu Tingque would definitely stay out of the way once he got what he wanted.

After thinking through the pros and cons, Hua Lang stepped into the mansion. The next second, the surroundings brightened and she was standing outside the mansion again.

Hua Lang:?

Without waiting for her to react, Zhaoming had already led her towards the main road. Seeing that they were getting farther and farther away from Rongcheng Mansion, Hua Lang hurriedly took control of her body and wanted to walk back into the mansion. As soon as she turned around, the subtle collapse appeared again.

?

Hua Lang refused to believe it, so she hardened her heart and continued walking into the mansion. The space became more and more distorted, and the air seemed to be getting tighter and tighter, making Hua Lang's movements even more difficult!

The next second, the shackles suddenly loosened and Hua Lang almost fell down. She raised her head and saw a crack in the air closing quickly.

This is the passage to Sand City. Someone is coming in?!

As the resistance disappeared and the collapsed phase gradually recovered due to the fluctuation of the barrier, Hua Lang rushed into the mansion and headed straight for where the passage appeared. What she needed more now was information from the outside.

The crack appeared in the central "chuan" area. Hua Lang was not familiar with this place. She followed the high wall and walked through the winding waterway. She didn't know how far she had walked before she saw an extremely tall and thin figure in front of her.

He was holding an umbrella and fiddling with the lotus flowers with his hands.

"Are you in control of Sand City?" Hua Lang approached him and frowned involuntarily after seeing his face clearly.

Rong Chengchuan's appearance was not concealed. His whole face was full of fatigue. His facial features were clearly young, but his skin was loose, pale and full of wrinkles, just like an old man.

How could a person in the Spirit Transformation Stage get himself into this state?

Rong Chengchuan raised his head, seemingly not noticing the surprise on Hua Lang's face. He said slowly, "This thing is not mine, and the person controlling it is naturally not me."

Hearing this, Hua Lang even began to doubt whether he was Rong Chengchuan. "Who are you?"

Rong Chengchuan sighed, his voice revealing fatigue. Coupled with his old appearance, he looked non-aggressive. "I haven't been this clear-headed in a long time..."

"Zhao Ming, these are all your things. I am just lending you some strength to help you open them."

"You're wrong," Hua Lang vaguely guessed what he was going to do and tried to dissuade him, "I'm not Rong Cheng Yun Wen, and I have no interest in these secrets. You won't gain anything by going to such great lengths to open up the Sand City in front of me."

Hearing her say this, Rong Chengchuan didn't even move his wrinkled eyelids. He remained calm and said slowly in an old voice, "Why are you still as stubborn as when you were little? If you weren't Zhaoming, how could I have acquiesced to Xuanyuan taking you back?"

Since Rong Chengchuan had never hurt them from the beginning to the end, Hua Lang, adhering to the principle of reasoning when he couldn't win, shook his head and repeated patiently, "But I really wasn't. I remember everything that happened over the past twenty years very clearly."

Rong Chengchuan let go of the lotus stem, and Gui Bai's hands trembled as if they would break in the next second, "Why are you denying it so quickly, kid?

"You've been in Zhongzhou for quite some time. I wonder if you've heard a rumor: The reason our Rong Cheng family has never been without a line of Divine Transformation cultivators is because our bloodline is different from that of ordinary people. The truth is quite close to this rumor, but it's not about bloodline. Our fates are all 'Heaven's Pardon'. When the previous generation of Divine Transformation cultivators dies, the next generation inherits their talents. As for the evidence..."

A cluster of white flames emerged from Rong Chengchuan's wrinkled fingertips, "The soul of the Rong Cheng family is white."

Hua Lang stared at the cluster of solid white souls in disbelief. She kept telling herself in her heart that she must not believe his words, but suddenly another voice sounded. What benefit could a person in the Spirit Transformation Stage get by going to such great lengths to deceive himself?

Rong Chengchuan put away his external soul and continued, "My father's time is coming to an end, and this power should also be inherited by someone else. The Rongcheng family originally had a single lineage, but you disappeared for several years. Now there is Xuanyuan. Between him and you, who should I choose?"

Hua Lang couldn't believe that such a good pie would fall on his head, "Rong Cheng Yunxuan is your child, would you choose me over him?"

Rong Chengchuan shook his head. "You've forgotten a lot of things. The bond between you and me is even stronger than the bond between you and Xuanyuan."

Hua Lang remained motionless. She recalled the purpose of her trip. "You dragged us into Sand City, but I'm afraid it wasn't for this matter? After all, Rong Cheng Yunxuan wasn't even born at that time."

The wrinkles on Rong Chengchuan's face rose, and it took a moment for people to understand that he was laughing. But the next second, the words he said were not worth laughing at. "When you passed away, the Rong Cheng family never recovered. Now that you have returned, I have noticed... that the murderer has also returned with you. Aren't you curious about who killed you back then?"

Was he asking her to identify the murderer? Hua Lang found it absurd. She said in disbelief, "I'm afraid my curiosity is fake. You want to do much more than this."

Rong Chengchuan said, "You don't want to know now, but when the last person comes in, all this will change."

After finishing the riddle, he waved his hand, and Hua Lang's sight quickly retreated. Countless high walls, stone tables, flowers, plants and trees passed through her body, but she did not feel anything. When she came to her senses again, she was standing outside the mansion again.

Zhaoming went all the way to Yujing. Hua Lang no longer had the idea of rushing in again to question Rong Chengchuan. She let her body move forward and began to think about the conversation just now.

She was a book traveler, so why did she have the same soul as Zhao Ming? Could it be that there really were past lives and present lives in this world? But even if there were past lives and present lives, the timeframe didn't seem to make sense.

Also, who is Rong Chengchuan waiting for? Is there someone else coming in?

After thinking for a while, Hua Lang still had no clue. When she came to her senses, she could already see the familiar figure waiting in front of her.

"Xie Hanjing!"

Xie Hanjing noticed Hua Lang's expression and asked, "What's wrong, Master? What happened?"

Hua Lang really didn't know how to bring up what had just happened. She skipped over the question of identity and said, "The strange man we met outside the city was Rong Chengchuan, who had reached the Spiritual Transformation Stage. He is now also in Sand City."

Xie Hanjing discussed Rong Chengchuan's information with her for a while, and then said, "After we parted, I wanted to go to Tianhu's residence to look for some clues, but in the blink of an eye, I was sent to this intersection."

"I've also encountered a similar situation," Hua Lang nodded, "I think it must be Rong Chengchuan's work."

The two of them chatted whenever they had the chance. Zhaoming and Tianhu Xie Hanjing were not idle either. Zhaoming taught him step by step how to hide his ears. After confirming that his identity was hidden, he took him to Yujing.

At this time, Xie Hanjing also noticed the direction and pondered, "They seem to be going to Yujing?"

Hua Lang nodded, "I don't know who he's going to meet."

Sure enough, not long after, the two of them entered Yujing directly.

As soon as they entered Yujing, the flow of people was no less than that of the city. Zhaoming chose a small road with few people. Hua Lang paid attention and found that in front of them was the secluded and elegant building that Wu Tingque had taken her to.

The teahouse next to the elegant building is just as bustling as it was more than a decade later.

Hua Lang paid more attention and found that most people were talking about Rong Cheng Yunwen. Her reputation in Zhongzhou seemed to be much higher than Rong Chengchuan, who was in the Spirit Transformation Stage.

However, the reputation that is being spread now doesn't seem to be a good one...

"What a freak! How can anyone be born with a golden elixir? I think she might be the reincarnation of some old monster."

"Yes, as soon as she was born, the insects swarmed like they were facing their natural enemies. Now, even her sculpture is afraid of her. How could a demonic pig be afraid of humans?"

Even before stepping into the elegant building, Hua Lang was still thinking about these words. If what they said was true, then Zhaoming was indeed different from others.

Signaling Xie Hanjing to wait for her outside the door, Zhaoming tiptoed into the room.

Inside the room, a woman was lying on a chair with her eyes closed, seemingly taking a nap. Zhao Ming was about to scare her, but before he could say anything, the woman suddenly opened her eyes. "Scare!"

"Ah!" Zhaoming was startled.

But he had clearly concealed his breath and movements. Zhao Ming couldn't help but ask curiously, "When did you discover me? It shouldn't be like this?"

Murong Jun stretched lazily, "Silly child, I left a mark on you last time. I felt it when you were downstairs."

When Hua Lang heard this, she remembered that when she was in Guiyuan, Murong Jun also said that there was a mark on her body?

Murong Jun and Zhao Ming chatted about the current situation for a while. When she mentioned that a city lord of the Demon Clan had died, she sighed, "He didn't die earlier or later, but just when I was away. This old man really knows how to pick the right time. Now all the affairs of the sect fall on me... By the way, what are you doing here today?"

Zhao Ming sighed, "My father knows what happened between you and me, and he won't allow me to become your disciple."

After hearing this, Murong Jun was not surprised. "Those old antiques are just like that. But don't worry, none of you Rong Cheng family will live long. Wait until your old father dies, then you can come find me and become my last disciple."

Zhao Ming twitched his lips, but did not refute her. "Alright, the title of being directly taught by the headmaster of Qinglai doesn't sound bad."

After chatting for a while, Zhaoming remembered Xie Hanjing. She ran out of the door and was about to look for someone. Suddenly, Hua Lang's body passed through the corridor in front of her and stood on the street in a blink of an eye.

The screams and running crowds around her made her feel out of place and confused.

Several people appeared out of thin air and stood before Hua Lang in the blink of an eye. Leading them was none other than Rong Cheng, the retainer Hua Lang had met that day. He hurriedly said, "Emissary Zhao Ming, a monster has appeared in Tiancheng. The head of the family said that this matter is in your hands. You must eliminate the monster!"

Zhaoming said in disbelief, "How could there be monsters in the city? Besides, the people living there are all mortals..."

But before she could finish her question, the next second, a demonic energy rose from afar. Fortunately, Yujing City was inhabited by cultivators, and this demonic energy only made the scene more chaotic.

However, the demons had already fled to Yujing, and this matter was obviously more serious than she had imagined. Zhaoming hurriedly rushed to the city with everyone else.

The city was already surrounded by a demonic aura that blocked out the sky and the sun. There were cries and screams coming from inside. Very few mortals managed to escape by chance. Most of them just struggled to run to the periphery, but were swallowed up by dense swarms of monsters in the blink of an eye. From a distance, the scene looked as terrifying as purgatory.

Even though she had been sent out to fight demons and monsters since she was a child, she had never seen such a scene.

Saving lives was the most important thing, so Zhaoming led a group of people into the filling city. However, as soon as they stepped in, Hua Lang realized something was wrong. The situation here was exactly the same as when she was in Luoshui Manor, where she was surrounded by several coffins and the devil's breath erupted.

However, the situation here is probably hundreds or thousands of times more serious than Luoshui Village.

Monsters crawled out from the ground continuously, and the crowd fled in all directions. Zhao Ming arranged everyone in different areas, and Hua Lang took the opportunity to look in the direction where the demonic energy was spreading - it was a broken building.

Although he realized that something was wrong, Zhao Ming did not bother to study the reasons behind it, because there were too many mortals crowded in the city. In addition to the monsters constantly crawling out from outside the city, there were also many monsters hiding in the city. They did not have enough manpower, and for a while, the speed of clearing out could not even keep up with the speed of the monsters appearing!

Zhaoming even felt a sense of exhaustion as he waited for no reinforcements. Suddenly, several white shadows flashed by like lightning and instantly killed the monsters in the chaos. Zhaoming turned around and saw that all the monsters near Zhongzhou had come to help.

With their participation, the situation was quickly brought under control. After an unknown amount of time, all the monsters in the inner city were finally wiped out. Zhao Ming immediately began to lead the crowd to a safe place. Before she could breathe a sigh of relief, a strange scream caused the crowd to panic again.

The people who had originally calmed down were fleeing in panic. It was that group of retainers who were like crazy, slaughtering the monsters in the city wantonly.

Zhaoming did not expect their betrayal. She stopped several people, but when she looked back, she saw more people killing people. One by one, the monsters were nailed to the ground and their monster cores were taken out. No one tried to control the monsters, so new monsters emerged and chased the crowd. For a moment, the scene of purgatory became even worse.

"What are you doing? Are you crazy?!" Zhaoming fiercely knocked down a man's weapon.

The retainer spoke respectfully, but his eyes held no reverence. He said, "Emissary Zhao Ming, it was these demons who sent in the demonic cultivators to destroy Zhongzhou. I did this because of orders from above."

This was a conspiracy that anyone with a discerning eye could see through. Zhaoming couldn't believe it. Although Yujing and Digong had been ostracizing the demons since they moved into Zhongzhou, she had never imagined that those people would choose to kill them directly!

"You are really crazy...crazy..."

Zhaoming suddenly had a more terrifying guess in her mind. She pushed the man away. The people in the city were all ordinary little monsters. She didn't believe that there would be such a huge benefit to drive Digong to do such a thing. Their real purpose should be... the Sky Fox Clan.

Sure enough, from a distance, the Broken Tower was surrounded by hundreds of monks, who shouted slogans to wipe out the foreign bandits and used the man-made disaster that filled the city as a gag for this battle.

Zhongzhou was engulfed in a terrifying war, with shouting, screaming, and crying mixed together, and the world seemed to be distorted.

Hua Lang watched all this in fear and trepidation until the fighting was over. Zhao Ming, who was blocked outside, watched everything being razed to the ground. Then a wave of barrier appeared behind the broken building. Hua Lang came to his senses. Someone else entered the Sand City?

Who is it this time?

Hua Lang moved her arms, and the resistance completely disappeared. She ran a few steps towards the fluctuation of the barrier, and there was no sign of collapse. Could it be that because everyone was present, the Sand City was completely stabilized?

Along the way, there were countless illusions of people begging Hua Lang to save them. Hua Lang hardened her heart and headed straight for the wave. Finally, she saw a strange young face on an inconspicuous path.

strangeness?

No, Hua Lang quickly matched this face with someone!

He looked a few years younger than Xie Hanjing and Zhaoming, about twelve or thirteen. However, this was also what Hua Lang could not understand the most.

How could Yan Rong appear in Zhongzhou, which is so far away from the palace, when she was twelve or thirteen years old?

You know, he was clearly just a mortal child at that time, and there was no way he could have the ability to sneak into Zhongzhou!

Perhaps this place was too secluded, Yan Rong had not yet discovered Hua Lang. There was no one in front of him, but Hua Lang saw his mouth opening and closing a few words, and then, the strange power appeared again.

Perhaps due to the effect of this power, Yan Rong immediately looked at Hua Lang. Hua Lang's clothes and figure had changed a little, but Yan Rong still recognized her at a glance, "...Master?"

Hua Lang looked at Yan Rong and felt that he was full of secrets. She asked, "Yan Rong, why are you here?"

Yan Rong was stunned for a moment. Even the childish look of his youth could not dispel the gloom between his brows. But soon, he smiled. Perhaps it was Hua Lang's psychological effect, but there was a hint of sinister meaning in his smile. "Of course someone asked me to come."

Hua Lang: "You've known me and Xie Hanjing for more than ten years? What are you planning, and what does everything here have to do with you?"

Yan Rong hadn't expected her to be so perceptive. He put away his smile and said, "Master, why are you questioning me? What's happening here naturally has nothing to do with me. Now that we're both here, Master, please take a good look at who we should be on guard against."

The instructive meaning of his words was too strong, and Hua Lang had to think about what Xie Hanjing had done, or what he would do?

Suddenly, there was a landslide and the earth shook. The two staggered a few steps. There was a deafening "boom". The earthquake not only did not stop, but became more intense, knocking Hua Lang and Yan Rong to the ground.

When Hua Lang steadied himself on the ground and looked back, he saw a huge crack shrouded in black mist, splitting straight through the city and heading towards the broken building.

Amid the roar, the crack advanced faster and faster, and suddenly a cloud of yellow ash as high as a mountain filled the air from behind. Hua Lang's eyes moved slightly.

Fill the city and it collapsed.

The crack split into the broken building, tore apart the long mountain range, swallowed the corpses on the ground, and then went deeper into the depths.

Hua Lang staggered and tried to stand up. She suddenly forgot about Yan Rong's existence and her mind was full of thoughts of entering the depths of the ruined building.

At some point, the winding route turned into a straight route leading forward. It was like that crack, pitch black, with no light at all, and one could only grope forward.

The sounds along the way were so chaotic and loud that they seemed to be right in your ears.

"How did you get here? Even though the broken building won't collapse, this is our territory after all. Leaving such a big crack is really an eyesore!"

"Brother, why worry? It's just a crack. When the time comes, we can build an altar and cover it up."

"This time, we were able to defeat the demon thanks to the Wu family and the Rong Cheng family. I heard that the one who came up with the plan was the eldest son of the Wu family. He's so insightful at the age of twenty. He really shouldn't be underestimated."

"Hahahaha, in my opinion, we should be careful of people like him. He was scolded as worse than a fox and endured it for more than ten years. I guess he has been waiting for revenge today."

She could only hear the voice but could not see anyone. Hua Lang woke up for a moment and suddenly felt that this place was too strange. Before she could hesitate, a faint light suddenly appeared in the darkness ahead, as if guiding her to move forward.

Hua Lang stepped into the water, took a few steps, and looked down. She realized that the water was scarlet, but she did not smell any blood. Instead, there was a faint orchid fragrance. She looked in the direction of the faint light and saw a person appearing on the dark road.

He didn't seem to think there was anything wrong with being here. He looked even more gentle and favorable as he stood there. He smiled gently at Hua Lang, "Zhao Ming?"

Hua Lang subconsciously wanted to ask Wu Tingque for help, but then she thought of everything she had just heard, and became wary of Wu Tingque.

But the next second, Wu Tingque understood and said, "Zhao Ming, you and I grew up together, I will definitely help you."

After hearing his nonsensical words, Hua Lang took a while to realize that everything here had already happened. So, Zhaoming must have asked Wu Tingque for help at that time.

Hua Lang asked, "Where is the Sky Fox?"

Wu Tingque's expression remained unchanged. "They colluded with the demons and should have been eliminated by the Di Palace. From now on, you must never mention them again."

Hua Lang didn't want to hear any more of this. She motioned Wu Tingque to come closer and whispered, "He's not dead. I've already hidden him. You have to get him out for me."

Wu Tingque knew who she was referring to, and he tried to dissuade her, "Now the Rong Cheng family is also an enemy of the Sky Fox. What your father agreed to with the Sky Fox is no longer valid. Why would you bother saving an enemy?"

Hua Lang was silent for a moment, then said, "I know what's going on. Will you save her?"

Wu Tingque could only sigh softly, then said, "Now that the city wall has collapsed, the Broken Tower has been cleared out, and the guards have all been moved to the city gate, the only way out is through the Broken Tower. Did you bring him with you?"

This was indeed the situation at the moment. Hua Lang nodded. She subconsciously didn't want Wu Tingque to see Xie Hanjing, so she said, "Just prepare the men and horses to escort him out. I will go with him to the city gate."

Wu Tingque didn't say much. He took off the ring on his finger and handed it to Hua Lang.

Hua Lang stared at the ring, which was covered in flaws and even had a noticeable dent. She was stunned for a moment and said, "Isn't this the ring I carved for you?"

Wu Tingque's fingers were empty, and he sighed again, "Now I only have this one. Although it can't command many followers, it should still be enough to send one person out of Zhongzhou."

Hua Lang put away the ring and said hurriedly, "Thank you."

After she finished speaking, she suddenly noticed something strange and quickly turned sideways, barely avoiding an attack.

Wu Tingque didn't seem to expect a sneak attack. He looked at Hua Lang in surprise, "What's going on?"

The attack came towards Hua Lang again. The man hid in the darkness and Hua Lang could not see his face clearly. When she fought back, she found that this man seemed to be very familiar with her moves. He easily dodged the attacks of the two and went straight for Hua Lang's life again!

Amid the sharp sound of broken bones, the faint light completely disappeared, and Hua Lang knelt on a hard and cold tile.

She staggered to her feet, trying to find her way back in the darkness, but she only felt the towering stone walls around her, not even a door.

I don’t know how long I stayed in the stone wall, but finally, a ray of light appeared in the darkness again, and Hua Lang looked up in surprise.

"Xie Hanjing!"

Xie Hanjing reached out and pulled Hua Lang out of the wall. Hua Lang knew what he was thinking and quickly comforted him, "Don't be afraid. Few people in Zhongzhou have seen your face. I've already arranged everything for you. Once you're out there, forget all about these things and don't come back."

At that moment, someone came over and the two of them hid quickly.

"Did you really sign the marriage certificate?"

"Young Master Wu Chang performed great deeds and lost both his legs for the sake of the Zhaoming Envoy. The head of the family foolishly arranged the marriage. Now that the Sky Fox clan has been exterminated, it is only right that the engagement be returned to the Wu family."

"You said that the head of the family rejected the Wu family at the beginning and insisted on signing a marriage contract with the Sky Fox Clan against all odds. Did he foresee this day? He planned to kill them after he had used them up. What a brilliant plan."

"They are just a bunch of monsters. It is a blessing for them to be used by us..."

Noticing that the hand holding him was getting stronger, Hua Lang looked at Xie Hanjing, wanting to explain but not knowing where to start.

"sorry……"

Xie Hanjing didn't say anything. He pulled Hua Lang, and the footsteps of the two of them fled became more and more rapid, like musical strings hitting the dark surroundings. It was still dark, but something had changed. The fields became wider, and when the cold light shone, Hua Lang realized that they were already standing in a valley.

Countless clear, sharp fox furs dyed blood-red covered the entire valley as if trying to compete with the wildly growing flowers!

"You should be able to escape after passing through here. After you get out, take the path to the west..."

"Zhaoming," Xie Hanjing interrupted her. He suddenly asked, "Although we are engaged, we have never met due to our identities. Why did you recognize me at first sight?"

Hua Lang thought it was just his last question before leaving. She was stunned for a moment, then said, "I don't know... You were hiding there, and I saw you at first sight. Maybe it was the aura around you that was so special."

Xie Hanjing asked again, "Will you still recognize me when we meet again?"

Hua Lang nodded. She was about to agree when suddenly, her eyes went dark and she felt a sharp pain in her abdomen.

“You…you…”

She didn't know when all this happened. When Hua Lang woke up completely, his dantian had been completely pierced by a hand. He was pressing on Hua Lang, and his neck seemed to have been cut by someone at some point, and blood was all over Hua Lang's face.

pain……

Hua Lang's eyes hurt so much that she almost forgot the wound in her abdomen, but she still tried to open her eyes wide. This... this is the person Rong Chengchuan wanted her to find...

"Gurgle..." As he spoke, it was as if his blood was surging, making it difficult to hear the sound. Hua Lang didn't know what he wanted to say, but she felt that familiar breath, and along with the spurting blood, she surrounded her...

In the complete darkness, Hua Lang heard a childish and gloomy voice, as if he was talking to someone, "I found it, it's here."

…

"You're right, we need a new name."

Yan Rong dragged up the corpse and looked at the sea of flowers watered by blood, and said casually,

"Why not just call her Hua Lang from now on?"

【Author’s words】

Little article, I order you to update automatically (wave the whip)