Chapter 682 The Birth of a Human Immortal
"When does it begin?"
Zhao Duan clenched the wordless golden scripture and looked at Old Xu calmly.
Now that things have come to this, all confusion has been resolved, and it is time to advance to the human immortal level.
Xu Taizu said seriously:
"Hurry up, we don't have much time left. I can sense that Dizang is not far from success. You have already wasted a lot of time here, and it will take time to advance as well."
Xu Zhenguan finally came back to his senses from the story, and after a pause, he said:
"How long will it take? Although the situation outside is not good, there should still be plenty of time."
Xu Taizu shook his head and gave a reply that surprised everyone:
"I don't know. Also, because the spatial rift in the forest has opened, time has actually been distorted throughout the Mubei Forest. A day here could mean several days outside."
What? Zhao Duan's face also changed slightly, and a sense of anxiety surged in his heart. He looked unfriendly:
"Why didn't you tell us about such an important matter earlier? Also, why did you waste time letting Pei Niannu bring us here?"
He meant that Pei Niannu had brought them here by boat and had been delayed for several days.
Emperor Xu Taizu seemed to smile:
"How can you be sure that we have reached the center of the forest now?"
What does this mean? The emperor and his minister were once again confused.
Xu Taizu shook his head and said:
"This restricted area is indeed mysterious, and the flow of time varies. However, neither I nor Maya of the past have truly become gods. How can we maintain our bodies for hundreds of years?"
Zhang Yanyi suddenly reacted and said:
"So this isn't reality?"
On the side, Pei Niannu finally spoke, looked at Zhao Duan and the empress, and said calmly:
"Have you never been curious about what the last of those stone murals in the palace is?"
In the past, Old Xu left five stone walls in the Yu Kingdom's palace, corresponding to the five realms of cultivation, and also five scrolls:
"Picture of the God of War", "Six Chapter Sutra", "The Great Dream Scroll", and "The Human World".
The last stone wall was blank.
Xu Zhenguan was startled. As smart as she was, she suddenly came to her senses and blurted out:
"Could it be that we are actually in the fifth mural now?"
Zhao Duan also understood.
No wonder there are villages in this forest, including this small town. There are so many incongruous things. It is clearly not connected to the outside world, but it is self-sufficient and maintains a civilized appearance.
Pei Niannu said lightly:
“We can’t survive this long in our physical bodies, so we can only survive in the painting as spirits.
When you encountered the monster that night, I pulled you into my dream. Everything you experienced afterwards was a journey within the scroll, so naturally not much time was wasted."
Xu Taizu said calmly:
"This last painting, corresponding to the realm of human immortals, is called 'Ascension Picture'."
A huge painting... covering the core area of Mubei Forest.
Zhao Duan and the Empress exchanged a glance, then took a deep breath and looked at Old Xu:
"Let's send them out first. There's no need to waste time. Let's get started immediately."
"Okay." Xu Taizu turned his head and looked at the empress kindly.
The latter's nose felt sore: "Ancestor..."
Xu Taizu smiled and said:
"Go ahead. As a descendant of the Xu family and the emperor of the Yu Kingdom, you should do what you should do."
Xu Zhenguan took a deep breath and saluted solemnly:
"Unworthy descendants must not live up to the trust of their ancestors."
Xu Taizu looked at Tuoba Weizhi again and said calmly:
"Your mission is to protect Zhao Duan until he breaks free."
Tuoba Weizhi knelt on one knee: "Yes!"
Emperor Xu looked at Pei Niannu again. The female sorceress in silver armor nodded and waved her hand. Pei Niannu, the empress, and Tuoba Weizhi turned into beams of light and flew into the sky.
When only three people were left under the banyan tree, Xu Taizu walked towards the well under the banyan tree and said:
"This place is the center of the entire forest."
Zhao Duan and Zhang Yan walked to the well and looked down.
I saw that the ancient well was deep and there was a broken space crack inside, like a broken mirror. The fierce wind kept tearing the edges of the crack.
Through the cracks, one can clearly see an entire modern city that has stagnated in time, buried deep in the "bottom of the well".
"I see. I'll go ahead."
At this moment, Zhang Yan's eyes revealed enlightenment. He bowed to the two of them, then looked at Zhao Duan. A final softness flashed in his narrow eyes. He said:
"After I die, I can only leave a few of my disciples behind. I hope that you can take care of one or two of them."
Zhao Duan solemnly returned the gift: "I will never forget the trust given by the Heavenly Master."
When he looked up again, he saw Zhang Yanyi had jumped into the well with a smile. The soul of the celestial being was torn into pieces by the cracks and turned into countless green lights. The tremendous magic power covered the entire Mubei Forest with blue clouds in an instant.
The first magic circle in history, which covers the entire restricted area, began to activate.
Xu Taizu took a step and walked to the well. At this time, Zhao Duan suddenly asked:
"I remembered something else. I made arrangements with the Buddhist sect, the Tianshi Mansion, and the royal family. What if I were to reincarnate into the martial arts world and become a disciple of Qingshan? What would happen?"
Xu Taizu stepped half a foot into the space crack, and without turning his head, he said calmly:
"Then, you will represent Qingshan and challenge the Yu Kingdom's royal family to a duel. Victory will earn you the opportunity to comprehend the royal family's inherited murals."
At this moment, Zhao Duan was stunned.
There was enlightenment in his eyes, and he finally understood why Wu Xiankui was so obsessed with comprehending the path to becoming a "Martial God".
Even until his death, Wu Xiankui did not know the true significance of the Qingshan Sect's battles with the royal family throughout the ages.
"I see."
Xu Taizu disappeared at the mouth of the well, and the setting sun of the whole world rose again, and the golden sunlight illuminated the earth.
Zhao Duan looked up and saw that the small town began to disappear, followed by villages.
Finally, all that remained in this world was the fiery red banyan tree with its countless branches spread out like countless silk ribbons.
A spinning green lotus rose between his eyebrows.
The dragon soul on the tree and the blue clouds above his head gathered towards him.
The three flowers gather at the top of the head, and the five energies converge.
…
…
It's dawn.
The outskirts of Mubei Forest.
A tent stood alone on the ground.
The campfire outside the tent has gone out.
Inside the tent, Empress Xu Zhenguan and Tuoba Weizhi opened their eyes at the same time and looked at each other. They were a little unsure for a moment whether everything that had just happened was real or an illusion.
Beside him, Zhao Duan and Zhang Yanyi were both sitting cross-legged with their eyes closed, not moving at all.
As if sleeping.
"We haven't left here yet."
Xu Zhenguan was stunned. He stood up and lifted the curtain of the tent. There were no attacking beasts outside and no broken battlefield. The darkness had dissipated and the sun was rising.
Pei Niannu, wearing a wedding dress and a dark gold mask, floated calmly in the woods, looking into the depths of the forest, and said calmly:
"Xu Manzi is gone."
The empress was stunned and tears streamed down her face.
At this time, Tuoba Weizhi inside the tent let out a low cry, poked his head out, and said to the two women, "Master Zhang is dead too."
A huge sense of sadness came over me.
That day, Xu Zhenguan didn't say another word. She just quietly found a piece of land and buried Zhang Yanyi's body.
Then he found a large clean bluestone and placed Zhao Du, who was sitting cross-legged in meditation, on the bluestone.
The long wait began.
A day passed.
Three days passed.
Five days passed.
In the Mubei Forest, the world seems to never flow, eternally frozen in winter.
Xu Zhenguan stood guard under the large bluestone, and every day he would just look up at Zhao Duan who was sitting like a god, and then lower his head in disappointment again and again.
After an unknown amount of time, Xu Zhenguan could no longer maintain her spirit. She felt that as time passed, the part of her soul that could not return to her body was gradually dissipating.
Another early morning.
Xu Zhenguan leaned against a big rock, her face extremely haggard. She took a last look at Zhao Duan and saw that he was still motionless. She propped herself up and used her last remaining strength to help him brush off a fallen leaf on his shoulder.
Then, she sat down under the bluestone again, turned her head and said to Pei Niannu, "I have to leave first."
Pei Niannu said calmly and indifferently: "Okay."
Xu Zhenguan looked at Tuoba Weizhi again and said, "Remember to tell him that I'm waiting for him outside."
Tuoba Weizhi tilted his head and said, "Okay."
Xu Zhenguan let out a long breath, leaned against the bluestone, and murmured something in a low voice. The remaining soul in the puppet's body turned to ashes.
So, only one person and one soul were left guarding Zhao Duan.
Pei Niannu floated on the tree branches all day long, as if he felt that as long as he sat high enough, he could see six hundred years.
Tuoba Weizhi made a broom and swept the snow and fallen leaves again and again, just like the many years in La Garden when she, as a priest, guarded the gods behind her.
In the blink of an eye, another year has passed.
One morning, as the sun was rising, Tuoba Weizhi once again picked up the broom and walked to the bluestone. When she raised her head, the broom in her hand fell to the ground with a "bang".
She knelt on the ground, trembling and crawling, as if she had seen a being higher than God.
High up in the tree, Pei Niannu finally withdrew his gaze. Behind his visor, a pair of illusory eyes stared blankly at the bluestone.
Zhao Duan opened his eyes, his pupils were extremely pure and clear like a newborn baby.
It also seems to contain the whole world.
"How long have I slept?" he asked.
Pei Niannu floated down, his illusory soul trembling uncontrollably: "I don't know."
Zhao Duan was a little distracted.
Tuoba Weizhi said: "The hostess said she is waiting for you outside."
Zhao Duan said, "I understand."
Then he stood up, and at this moment, infinite mystery grew between heaven and earth.
"Wait here, I'll be back soon."
Zhao Duan said this, took a step to the south, and disappeared.
…
…
Reject the North City.
As the largest military stronghold of the entire Yu State in the northern Tieguan Road, there should be elite soldiers patrolling the city day and night.
However, in today's Jubei City, there is no trace of the elite northern border troops in the huge city. Only a group of wounded and defeated soldiers remain.
About a year ago, following an order from the Empress, Luo Kedi led the northern border troops to rush to the aid of Xiping Road.
Afterwards, during the long and brutal war, wounded soldiers were constantly forced to leave the battlefield and transported to the rear.
On the top of the city wall, Lang Shiba was alone, leaning against a flag, quietly holding a jar of the strongest liquor in the north.
His hair was still long, but the stubble on his face was even more messy, and he looked haggard and worn, as if he had aged ten years.
The long sword that was always with him was thrown on the ground like scrap metal, used as a cushion for the leg of the chair under Lang Shiba.
Ji Yue walked up to the top of the city wall like a ghost, came to his side, looked at his drunken appearance, and said calmly:
"You should go back. If you keep drinking here, you'll freeze to death in the night sooner or later."
Lang Shiba held the wine jar, not looking at her, looking drunk, and said self-deprecatingly:
"Where to go back? I'm a cripple now. Where else can I go back except here?"
As he spoke, he slapped his legs, which had lost all feeling and were shrunken.
There was no trace of martial spirit left in his body.
At first, Lang Shiba was seriously injured and recuperating in Huai'an Palace. Later one day, Prajna Bodhisattva appeared in Jingchuan Town and cured Lang Shiba with magic, but his cultivation level eventually fell irreversibly to the level of a god.
Afterwards, Prajna Bodhisattva wanted to go to Xiping to participate in the war, and Lang Shiba chose to follow him, but was injured again in the subsequent brutal war.
This time, the injury was so severe that it was impossible to recover. Lang Shiba could only be sent to the rear as a wounded soldier. He was originally going to be sent back to the capital, but Lang Shiba took the initiative to choose to return to Jubei City, back to where he first lived.
Then, a drunk "defender" appeared on the city wall, but King Yanshan had been executed long ago. Facing the snowy plains in the north day after day, what was he guarding?
Ji Yue was silent for a moment, then suddenly said:
"If the Lord comes back, he will not be willing to see this kind of self-destruction."
Lang Shiba turned his head, stared at her, and murmured:
"It's been a year, my lord, you've been gone for a year. Why didn't you obey orders and come here from the capital, wandering around the city all day?
"I know you knew the Master went to the North, right? But it's been a year. Do you think the Master could come back if he really entered that forbidden area where even celestial beings cannot set foot?"
Ji Yue suddenly snatched the wine jar from his hand and stared coldly into his eyes:
"If you don't believe that the Lord will eventually return, why are you guarding here? This city wall is really short of a disabled sentry."
Lang Shiba, looking drunk, reached out to grab the wine jar again, cursing:
"What I do has nothing to do with you, a lonely ghost!"
Ji Yue was so angry that he picked up the wine jar and threw it down the city wall.
The heavy wine jar broke through the cold wind, whimpering, and fell to the bottom of the high city wall.
Lang Shiba stretched out his arms and fell powerlessly on the top of the city wall. He reached out in despair but grabbed nothing. Then, he suddenly froze and did not move.
Ji Yue sneered: "What are you crazy about? Speak!"
Lang Shiba remained motionless, just struggling, clinging to the top of the city wall with his arms, staring blankly at the snowy fields in the north.
At this moment, the drunkenness in his misty eyes quickly dissipated, and he murmured:
"Someone."
people?
Ji Yue frowned and turned his head doubtfully. Behind his black hair, in his white pupils, he reflected an endless snowfield shrouded in wind and snow all year round.
At this moment, a human-shaped black shadow suddenly appeared in the storm. In a breath, it suddenly appeared on the top of the city from a small black dot.
Zhao Duan looked at them in surprise and said:
"Why are you here?"
Ji Yue was struck by lightning. She trembled all over, rubbed her eyes hard in disbelief, then suddenly covered her mouth and let out a whine.
Lang Shiba lost his balance and nearly fell off his chair. He raised his head and muttered, "Sir..."
The warrior was so brave that tears welled up in his eyes.
Zhao Duan was stunned, and in an instant, he understood everything.
He opened his arms, supported the two of them, and said softly, "I'm back. You've been waiting for a long time."
(End of this chapter)
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