The Empress's First Running Dog

Chapter 641 A Diary Spanning Six Hundred Years (55k)
A matter of life and death? Zhao Du'an's face showed a hint of solemnity. Turning his head, he saw that Yu Xiu and Jin Jian were equally serious. He smiled and said:

"Don't worry, at worst we'll fight that evil god to the death."

It sounded like a joke, but the two women understood that he was serious.

If they truly encounter a desperate situation, Zhao Du'an will likely have to resort to the Dragon Soul once again...

But how long has it been since Prince Jing was killed?

If it were to be activated again, the cost would likely be substantial... and Zhao Du'an no longer had the Life and Death Puppet to replace "damage".

Upon seeing this, Zhang Yan smiled and said:

"I'm saying this so you know that I'm not that weak. If we really face a life-or-death crisis, I will pull you out."

Is it really that easy to rescue someone from the hands of the gods?

The four devised a plan, discussed the details, and then decided to take immediate action without further delay.

"I'll lead the way," Yu Xiu said, acting as the guide.

Jin Jian gripped her staff tightly, her face tense.

"Then it begins."

A ray of moonlight spread from the tip of the staff, quickly enveloping the three people, and Zhao Du'an's three figures vanished in an instant.
In Zhang Yan's eyes, the three of them quickly fled into the distance.

Zhang Yan remained motionless and waited quietly for a while.
Suddenly, he lightly stepped on the ground with one foot and soared into the sky. Once he was sitting cross-legged above the forest, the old celestial master calmly looked into the distance and softly uttered a muffled thunderclap.

At that moment, countless creatures within a radius of dozens of miles heard this low shout and looked up in astonishment, following the sound.

Then, a powerful aura emanating from the old master swept in all directions like a storm, and dark clouds gathered over the once clear sky above DJI.

……

Inside the village, in a room filled with the aroma of books.

Song Zhi sat cross-legged in the center of the room, repeatedly dropping several ancient coins on the ground as if he were divining.

His hair was disheveled, his purple robe hung down, and his bare feet were hidden under the robe.

His eyes were full of worry.

As the clan leader, he was supposed to go on the expedition with the army, but before breaking camp, he used the altar to gather intelligence. However, to his surprise, the power of the gods seemed to be interfered with in some way, giving an answer that was difficult to understand.

Therefore, Song Zhi chose to stay in Dazhai to guard against any possible changes.

Suddenly, Song Zhi raised his head sharply, hearing a deep shout in his ear. He stood up abruptly and pounced out the door like a leopard.
Pushing open the door, one by one, the Liao people who remained in the village came out, while in the distance, dark clouds gathered in the forest, and a powerful aura permeated the air.

"Rumble--"

Before he could react, Song Zhi was shocked to find that a tremor was coming from the direction of the Laba Garden. It was the sleeping Laba God being disturbed and reacting.

"Not good..." Song Zhi's expression changed drastically. He glanced at Bai Di, who was running towards him, and quickly said:

"Order a state of emergency to be imposed on the main village. No one may leave without orders. Sound the horn and summon the warriors, including Man Gu, to guard the main village."

The girl named Bai Di was stunned for a moment, then nodded hurriedly. Then she saw the seemingly weak clan leader suddenly create a gust of wind and fly straight towards Layuan Garden.

The La Garden wasn't far away. When Song Zhi landed in the La Garden with a bang, enveloped in a light purple mist, he saw a scarlet meteor rise from the ground, stretch across the sky, and head straight for the place where the anomaly had occurred.

The gods have awakened!
Uncontrollably heading towards the enemy!

Song Zhi was shocked. What kind of powerful being could make the Laba God take the initiative to attack? Was it because the existence of that unknown powerful being had already threatened the Great Jiang?
"Chief, the gods have departed."

Suddenly, deep within the wax garden, in a forest, emerged a dark-skinned girl with shoulder-length black hair, dressed in a magnificent, colorful robe.

She looked to be about eighteen years old. Although she was a Liao person, her figure was exceptionally "exquisite," similar to that of the people of Yu. Her eyes were frighteningly dark, but her face was expressionless, exuding a mysterious air.

Just like the shamans who served the gods in ancient tribes.

“I know. Activate the formation in the wax garden immediately to prevent any enemies from infiltrating. I will deal with them,” Song Zhi said in a deep voice.

The priestess, with her shrine maiden-like demeanor, bowed slightly: "Very well."

He looked up again and watched as Song Zhi rode the purple mist, chasing after the Laba God.

The priestess raised her hand, waved it in the air, and chanted incantations.
Her voice wasn't loud, but soon the entire wax garden was filled with song. The light in the wax garden quickly dimmed, turning from day to night, and gusts of cold wind enveloped the entire area.

……

As the entire forest focused its attention on the strange phenomenon, no one noticed that three invisible "intruders" were swiftly moving through the forest.

Zhao Du'an looked up and saw a scarlet meteor streak across the sky above, followed by a trail of purple smoke.

The three people on the ground didn't dare to breathe, remaining motionless and trying to minimize their presence.

"The gods have been lured away!" Zhao Du'an said in a deep voice.
"From now on, we must seize every second. How far is it?"

"It's just ahead!" Yu Xiu's fair face was also covered with a little sweat as she rode the wind at high speed, holding a compass in her hand.

Russian qing.

Following the compass's guidance, the three entered a valley, where darkness suddenly descended, startling them into stopping.

Zhao Du'an looked up at the sky in astonishment: "Why is it dark?"

In the deep "night," the entire forest was shrouded in darkness, with only a few sparse stars in the clouds overhead barely illuminating the surrounding scenery.

In front of the three of them stood a tall fence.

Yes, the "fence" covered with vines and made of connected logs is three meters high and stretches across the valley like a city wall.

Under the starlight, an eerie atmosphere permeated the air.

"It should be a defensive formation," Yu Xiu analyzed.

"I did a lot of research before I infiltrated this place. Layuan is a forbidden area for the Liao people, and it has been set up with magic arrays to prevent foreign enemies from invading."

After all, the evil god mostly slumbers in the deepest part of the Wax Garden. If an intruder only sneaks into the outer perimeter of the Wax Garden and doesn't go to the core, it won't disturb the Great Wax Festival. Therefore, this magic array is meant to prevent intruders from entering.

Zhao Du'an was not surprised, and frowned as he said:
What dangers does this magic array pose?

"I don't know." Yu Xiu said frankly, and then, under Zhao's dazed gaze, she said matter-of-factly:
"I sneaked in during the sacrificial ceremony; I didn't force my way in. How would I know?"

“…” Zhao Du’an sighed, walked to the towering fence, and stroked his chin:
"Then we'll just have to deal with it as it comes. Let's go in first and talk about it then."

The two women exchanged a glance: "Okay!"

The three of them leaped up and almost simultaneously cleared the fence, landing in the wax garden.

Is this outer wall not dangerous? Zhao Du'an felt relieved!
The garden is lush with vegetation, and the main roads and paths are intricately interwoven. The starry sky is very faint, as if a black veil covers the wax garden.

Ahead of them was a winding stone path that led deep into the wax garden.

They didn't know where they were in the garden, so they took to the paths, constantly changing routes, and walked towards the deepest part of the garden.

"rustle--"

In the night breeze, Zhao Du'an noticed that the garden clearly had design features, with many "fences" similar to the outer walls distributed along both sides of the road.

There aren't many outside, but the further you go in, the more you'll encounter.

"It doesn't seem that dangerous."

Jin Jian gripped his staff tightly and walked for a while, but encountered no danger. The entire garden was eerily quiet, with no insect chirping, only the sound of the three people's footsteps and breathing.

"Something's not right!" As the three of them turned onto a small path again, Zhao Du'an suddenly stopped, staring at the messy footprints on the ground ahead, his face grim.

"We've come full circle! We've been here before!"

what?
The two women were startled and, upon closer inspection, realized they had indeed passed through this place before.

Yu Xiu took out the compass, and saw the pointer spinning wildly. She breathed a silent sigh:
"The compass is malfunctioning. It looks like we're lost."

How could a cultivator in this world get lost?

Therefore, the truth is that the three of them were unknowingly deceived by the outer magic array, thinking they were moving forward when in fact they were going in circles.

"It's not just getting lost, these fences are also weird."

Zhao Du'an squatted on the ground, picked up a clod of soil that had been rubbed together, and looked serious.

“I suspect that these fences can be moved, thereby constantly changing the path we are walking on.”

Yu Xiu nodded, agreeing with this assessment, and said:

"Perhaps we can force our way over the fence."

She leaped into the air, but only about ten feet off the ground before a gentle force forcefully pressed her back down.

"We are prohibited from taking off in this area!"

Yu Xiu's expression changed slightly, and then she pointed her fingers like a sword and thrust them towards a section of the fence in front of her!

"Whoosh!"

The jade flying sword disappeared into the fence, and then, a scene that shocked the three of them occurred:

The flying sword, which should have been flying forward, instead emerged from the fence behind them!

"This is troublesome!" Yu Xiu's face turned completely ugly:
"We're trapped. I'm afraid we can't get out now unless Jin Jian tries to use teleportation."

Zhao Du'an shook his head and rejected the idea:

"This place is definitely fraught with danger; teleportation can't guarantee where you'll end up."

"What should we do? We can't afford to waste any time!"

Anxiety was evident on Yu Xiu's fair face.

"Please wait for me a moment."

Zhao Du'an pondered for a moment, then suddenly closed his eyes and silently called out to Pei Niannu in his heart.

Immediately, to the astonishment of the two women, strands of red silk suddenly extended from Zhao Du'an's body.

In the quiet night, a figure in an ancient bright red wedding dress appears, followed by an ancient woman wearing a dark gold mask and holding a scale rod.

"This is Senior Pei," Zhao Du'an introduced.

Is she Pei Niannu?

Yu Xiu and Jin Jian exchanged a glance. They had been by Zhao Du'an's side for a long time and knew more or less that Zhao Du'an could visualize an ancient cultivator.

Hmm... Although it was hard to understand, the two women's quick wit allowed them to accept the existence of the sorceress. "It's like this..." Zhao Du'an quickly explained the situation, saying earnestly:

"Does the senior know anything about Layuan? Do you know how to go deeper into it?"

He pinned his hopes on the sorceress for guidance.

Pei Niannu's gaze swept across the quiet garden, a look of reminiscence in her eyes:

"The place where the Great Laba sleeps deeply... I did indeed enter it back then."

Is it really possible?

All three of them showed surprise and delight.

However, Pei Niannu's next words plunged them into despair:

"However, hundreds of years have passed, and the world has changed. This place is very different from what it used to be. How could there be a magic array that has remained unchanged for hundreds of years? If you buy a house, would you not change the lock for decades? Aren't you afraid that someone will break the lock and come and go as they please?"

Zhao Du'an opened his mouth, but had no answer.

Therefore, the entry method you have mastered is outdated... What use are you!
Zhao Du'an was extremely disappointed.

Just as the group was staring at each other in disbelief, Jin Jian, who had been standing quietly to the side, suddenly said, "Stars."

"What?" All three faces turned to look at the young priestess.

But then Jin Jian raised her small face and quietly gazed at the night sky above, her crystal-polished glasses reflecting the faint starlight.

She murmured, "The stars can guide the way."

Zhao Du'an was taken aback, then his eyes suddenly lit up!
Yes!

This place can alter the landscape and hinder their progress, but it cannot change the constellations in the endless depths of space.

And the darkness before us is not true darkness; it is more likely that the light has been swallowed up.

The stars hang in the sky day and night, and are revealed when the sunlight disappears.

Yu Xiu also got excited and quickly said, "Then you should try it!"

"Yes!" Jin Jian nodded vigorously, then walked at the front of the group, not looking at the road, but craning his neck and staring at the starry sky without blinking.

Her gait was also extremely strange; sometimes she moved forward, sometimes she retreated in place, and sometimes she turned into a place where there was no road... she forced her way into the fence.

To Zhao Du'an's surprise, after the group followed Jin Jian closely for a while, the scenery around them never repeated itself.

After a while, a straight, wide road suddenly appeared in front of them, with high fences on both sides, seemingly without end.

"This is the sacred path! The main road leading to the divine detective during sacrificial ceremonies!" Yu Xiu could not hide her joy.

Zhao Du'an's brows relaxed, and he confirmed:

"So, we've made it out?"

Yu Xiu took out a compass. This time, the needle didn't swing wildly. She calculated the direction and nodded vigorously.

"We've passed the outer perimeter and entered the central part of the Wax Garden!"

Jin Jian wiped the sweat from his forehead and smiled.

Even Pei Niannu, who was drifting behind, looking around leisurely, showed a hint of admiration in her gaze as she looked at Jin Jian.

"Jin Jian has done a great job this time." Zhao Du'an smiled and patted the girl's shoulder.

Jin Jian pushed up his glasses and said seriously, "Add money."

"...Okay, whatever you say."

The old-fashioned Pei Niannu's appreciation faded, and she shook her head, lecturing him:
“How can a dignified cultivator be obsessed with gold and silver? Today’s cultivators are far inferior to those of the past.”

Jin Jian turned her head, stared at her, and pouted:
"If you're so capable, how come you couldn't give directions? It's all thanks to me."

"..." Pei Niannu's eyes turned dangerous.

Countless red lines fluttered around, and a chill rose up.

Yu Xiu took a deep breath.

Zhao Du'an felt a chill run down his spine, thinking to himself, "Little ancestor, of all people to mess with, you had to mess with the old ancestor..."

"Ahem, we don't have much time! From now on, we just need to keep going forward, right?" He changed the subject.

Pei Niannu snorted and didn't bother arguing with the young girl.

Yu Xiu nodded, with flying swords swirling around her:

"Yes, but be careful!"

The female Taoist's eyes widened suddenly. At that moment, the vines inside the fence on both sides of the group rustled.

The fence resembled undulating waves, surging and rolling, and then, one after another, dark human-shaped shadows were "spit out" from the vines!

In the darkness, nothing could be seen clearly, but in the blink of an eye, hundreds of humanoid shadows appeared in the long passageway ahead.

They were so densely packed that they blocked the way ahead.

Then, two beams of red light suddenly shone from the eye positions of those shadows, as if a group of bats had opened their eyes at the same time.

"what!?"

"careful!"

"Back off!"

The three were shocked and instinctively became wary.

As if remembering something, Yu Xiu blurted out, "Divine servant!"

"What divine servant?" Zhao Du'an was taken aback, his Zhen Dao sword already held horizontally in front of him.

Yu Xiu formed hand seals, controlling a flying sword to protect herself, and quickly said:
"I've only heard that there are two people in the Liao people who can communicate with the gods."

One is the patriarch of each generation, and the other is the high priest who spends his entire life deep within the Wax Garden, serving the gods. Under the high priest, there is also a group of divine servants who guard the place where the gods slumber.

Zhao Du'an retreated warily and shouted:

"Why didn't you say so sooner? So these things are servants of the gods? Or are they warriors of the Liao people?"

“You didn’t ask,” Yu Xiu said matter-of-factly.

"These things clearly don't look like living people, right? And they're not as tall as the Fang people either."

At this moment, hundreds of divine servants suddenly drew their swords at the same time. Then, a series of neat sword-drawing sounds, the vibration of armor, and the stomping of footsteps rang out along the sacred path.

Jin Jian gritted his teeth, suddenly waved his staff, and a white ball of light rose slowly, illuminating the path ahead.

Then, all four of them were stunned.

These servants of the gods were none other than human soldiers clad in armor! Though the armor was old, its style and craftsmanship were far beyond what the Liao people could have forged!
"Qi Nation Armor!"

Suddenly, Pei Niannu spoke up:

"These are the armors of the Qi Kingdom's Imperial Guards; they are the fallen members of the Qi Kingdom's Imperial Guards."

Qi Kingdom? The one that was overthrown by Yu Kingdom six hundred years ago, the one that was a unified dynasty?

The Imperial Guard of Qi Kingdom? What are they doing here?

Why has it turned into this bizarre state?
Zhao Du'an was stunned, but these ancient imperial guards, who had died six hundred years ago, did not give him time to react and swarmed over.

"Take care of these servants of the gods first!"

With a loud shout, Zhao Du'an charged into the crowd, wielding his Zhen Dao. The flying sword in his jade sleeve and the starlight arrows shot from the golden tablet were also activated in response.

"Ding-ding-ding-ding-ding..."

These ancient imperial guards were no longer as powerful as they were in life, but they were all fearless and could fight even after their heads were cut off.

Left with no other choice, the three men expended considerable effort to dismember the servant before it would remain still.

Fortunately, with the combined strength of the three at the World Realm, they managed to annihilate the entire group of divine servants, albeit with considerable effort.

"Hu Chi... Hu Chi..."

A moment later, Zhao Du'an, leaning on his sword and panting, with a light sheen of sweat on his forehead, spat out:
"Have all these strange things turned into zombies?"

Inside the dismembered armor of the divine servant on the ground lay a charred and shriveled body, like dried meat that had been dried for countless years.

Looking at the "body parts" scattered on the ground, the group felt a chill run down their spines, and even greater doubts arose in their minds.

"Look what I found?"

Suddenly, Jin Jian bent down in surprise and took out a yellowed book from a tattered armor compartment on the ground.

Zhao Du'an and Yu Xiu also gathered over and looked at it with the light from the top of the golden staff.

The book has no text on the cover and is bound with thread. Although the pages are yellowed after 600 years, it is not fragile and is well preserved.

"It must have been preserved in a special environment, just like these corpses, so it did not decompose."

Zhao Du'an curiously took the book, turned to the first page, and then stared blankly at the unfamiliar words:
What character is this? How do you pronounce it?

Yu Xiu and Jin Jian were both dumbfounded; they were definitely academic underachievers.

Suddenly, Pei Niannu, who was floating behind the three, sighed softly:
"This is ancient bronze script, which has long been abandoned. It was not used among the common people of Qi Kingdom back then, but was only used in sacrificial ceremonies and was controlled by a small number of nobles."

Not all members of the Qi Kingdom's Imperial Guard are required to learn this language; this person must be a noble son among the Imperial Guard's soldiers to be so proficient in it.

Zhao Du'an suddenly realized, and then said expectantly:

"Do you know the senior? Can you interpret this?"

“Natural understanding,” the sorceress finally spoke, her gaze falling on the pages of the book as she frowned.
"This is not a book, but a diary."

Then she read:

"On the fifth day of the tenth month of the thirty-first year of the Tian Shou era, the imperial court suffered a complete defeat. His Majesty the Great Emperor ordered the entire palace to be burned down, and before that, we received a heavy responsibility—"

Under the cover of the Great Qi army, we will secretly send the treasures accumulated in the palace over hundreds of years out of the capital to the borderlands, hoping to restore our kingdom.

(End of this chapter)