Infinite Puzzle City

Chapter 727 Huang Chao's Letter
Xiao Ran ignored the mission information that appeared before her.

All I want now is to find Huang Chao and then ask Plum Blossom Taoist to kill this bastard.

He immediately said to Gu Xintang, "Let's go, let's go straight to Xuanzheng Hall."

Xuanzheng Hall was where the emperor worked. If the Imperial Seal of the State was there, then Huang Chao should also be there.

The Xuanzheng Hall was not far from the palace gate, and the two walked straight along the palace corridor.

A cold, damp wind howled through the empty palace ruins, stirring up dust and black embers from the ground.

Along the way, there were no ornately decorated palaces, no heavily guarded palaces, and not a trace of human presence.

The pale moonlight shone down, illuminating the devastation. All that could be seen were charred ruins and crumbling walls. Huge beams, licked away by flames, lay scattered like broken bones of a giant beast, deeply embedded in the ashes-covered ground.

The once smooth and flat gold brick ground is now covered with a thick layer of ash, making a "rustling" sound when stepped on, and stirring up a cloud of dirty black dust with every step.

An extremely pungent mixture of burnt smells, wood ash, and an indescribable, aged stench of blood permeated the air, almost suffocating. This odor seemed frozen in a time warp, recounting the horror and despair of that catastrophe.

"That Huang Chao is really ruthless!"

Looking at the ruins before him, even Gu Xintang couldn't help but sigh in his heart at how prosperous Chang'an had been in its heyday.

There was once a poem that read: "The palace gates open to the heavens, and the officials of all nations bow before the emperor."

One can only imagine how magnificent this palace must have been.

But now everything has been burned to the ground by Huang Chao.

Xiao Ran frowned, his sharp, hawk-like gaze sweeping across the desolate ruins. The doubts in his heart grew deeper and deeper.

"Something's not right, it's too quiet... Where are the eunuchs? Where's Dai Long?"

When the palace gates opened earlier, there were clearly faint sounds and figures behind them. But once we entered, it felt like stepping into another world, a world forgotten by time, destroyed and completely frozen.
The eunuchs, the palace guards, and even Tan Shanyuan, who had escaped earlier, had all disappeared.

The tiles beneath their feet made a soft cracking sound that echoed through the empty palace. Not only Gu Xintang, but even Xiao Ran felt a chill run down her spine.

After passing through the gate of the Hall of Supreme Harmony, the two arrived at the Hall of Propaganda. Before they even entered, Gu Xintang couldn't stand it and covered his mouth and nose.

Xiao Ran also frowned. Even though he was a mortician, he couldn't stand the stench for a moment.

The source of the stench was a mound of human heads, more than three meters high and five meters wide, piled up in front of the Xuanzheng Hall.

It stands tall in front of the Xuanzheng Hall like a city wall.

The head on top had long since rotted away, revealing stark white bones, obscuring its original appearance. The long hair and rotting flesh had decayed together, emitting an unbearable stench from afar.

The swarm of flies crawling everywhere was so dense that it was almost unbearable to look at.

Seeing this, Gu Xintang, who was already feeling disgusted, finally couldn't take it anymore, turned his head, and couldn't help but gag.

"Wait here for a moment, I'll go in and take a look."

Seeing this, Xiao Ran gestured for Gu Xintang to wait for her outside. Gu Xintang's expression changed slightly, but he still tried to stand up straight.

But when he caught a glimpse of the towering mound of corpses, he couldn't hold back his urge to vomit any longer.

"Don't push yourself. I don't think there's any danger inside. You wait here and keep watch for me. If anything happens, just meow like a cat."

Seeing that Xiao Ran had put it this way, Gu Xintang didn't press the matter further and nodded: "Alright, be careful. If you need my help, make a scene."

Xiao Ran indicated that she understood, and then stepped onto the stairs and walked towards the Xuanzheng Hall.

These steps were carved from white marble, smooth and delicate, but now they are covered with a thick layer of bloodstains.

Even stepping on it gives you a soft, leathery feeling.

It's easy to imagine how many people Huang Chao killed when he stormed into the palace.

Leaping over the decaying mound of corpses, Xiao Ran arrived at the Xuanzheng Hall. The gate was wide open, and the vast palace still looked exactly as it had been.

But this place is no longer the magnificent palace where all nations once paid tribute. A cool breeze blows in through the side windows, and the silk on the dome dances in the wind.

The ground was covered with a thick layer of dust, as if no one had been here for a very long time.

"Is Huang Chao really here?"

Seeing the empty hall, Xiao Ran's heart sank. She thought, "Could it be that because I entered through the side door, the environment is different from the main door?"

Filled with doubt, Xiao Ran stepped through the palace gate, his spiritual power sweeping across the surroundings, quickly scanning every corner of the hall.

When Xiao Ran's mental energy touched the dragon throne at the top, a strange force collided with it.

When the two collided, Xiao Ran's mental energy was bounced back.

"Huh?! There's something there?"

Xiao Ran was puzzled and quickly walked towards the dragon throne.

The table in front of him was covered with a thick layer of dust, which Xiao Ran swept over with his mental energy.

"call!!"

A strong gust of wind instantly swept away the dust, revealing the yellowed paper underneath.

"This is……"

He picked up the paper, quickly scanned its contents, and his expression immediately became complicated. It turned out to be a letter left for him by Huang Chao.

"Brother Xiao, seeing your words is like seeing you in person."

It's been a long time since we last met. I don't know where you've hidden yourself, Brother Xiao. I don't know how to find you, so I can only invite you into my trap.

You possess unparalleled skills and extraordinary talent. If we weren't on different sides, we should drink a toast together... The world calls me a demon and regards me as an evil spirit.

Little did I know that I was once just a scholar.

Although I am guilty in my own time, I have done good for the world and for generations to come.

If it weren't for me, Huang Chao, how many powerful families and noble clans would still exist in this world? Now I have wiped them all out, restoring peace and order to the world. This path has been completed, and I have no regrets in this life..."

"This guy!!" Xiao Ran looked at the contents of the letter in her hand, her expression gradually becoming strange. "Why does it feel a bit like a suicide note??"

He threw the page he was holding on the ground and then turned to the next page to continue reading.

"I borrowed the power of the Locust God, rose up by divine mandate, and started this calamity on behalf of Heaven. From the very beginning, I was invincible, protected by great fortune and divine mandate. I was unstoppable. The only two times I stumbled were both by Brother Xiao. From that moment on, I knew that Brother Xiao was no ordinary person..."

Xiao Ran looked down at the letter in her hand, pacing back and forth unconsciously in the vast palace.

"When the time, fate, and destiny were in my hands, I was both heaven and destiny. But when I achieved destiny, destiny was no longer mine, nor was the time. Though I became a celestial being, I knew my fate had run its course. Tell me, am I not pathetic?"

Upon seeing this, Xiao Ran's heart skipped a beat, and a bold guess immediately surfaced in her mind: "No way, you've already become a celestial being, invincible under heaven, could there really be someone who can kill you?"

Xiao Ran immediately snorted coldly, thinking that Chun Chun was talking nonsense.

Transcendent, Taoist, Profound, Celestial.

These are the four realms of cultivators within the Lost City, corresponding to the strength of four professions: D-level, C-level, B-level, and A-level.

The Celestial Being level means that one has reached the level of an A-level professional in a certain ability.

This is considered to be among the top professionals.

Xiao Ran may not know about other things, but in the present context, an A-level professional is a level that even Xiao Ran dares not even think about.

His methods can be glimpsed from the A-grade cursed item in his possession, the dormitory manager's pen. At this level, he already possesses the heaven-defying power to change the rules.

He couldn't believe that Huang Chao had gone this far, actually starting to write his own will? This wasn't like Huang Chao at all.

Xiao Ran patiently turned to the next page.

"Brother Xiao, you may not believe it, but in my whole life, I have never believed in ghosts or gods, nor have I respected heaven and earth. Although I have used the Locust God to do things, it was just borrowing his power. Only the battle in Wancheng has left me with a lingering regret."

Although you and your husband risked your lives that day, you were defying the will of Heaven.

Is it really about living towards death?

I acted in accordance with Heaven's will, and brought calamity upon Heaven, yet I ended up in a miserable defeat and death.

How unfortunate! How absurd!

This is clearly Huang Chao complaining, and thinking about it, it makes sense.

Huang Chao brought about a calamity on behalf of Heaven, forcing both Buddhism and Taoism to retreat. He advanced rapidly, protected by great fortune, rising like a man possessed by a cheat code.

They treated those pampered daughters of wealthy families like slaves, trampling them under their feet.

Just as Huang Chao was enjoying the thrill of his cheat code, two people who didn't believe in such a thing suddenly appeared.

What made Huang Chao even more devastated was that, despite having cheat codes, he was still beaten to a pulp by these two who didn't.

How could Huang Chao possibly tolerate this?
I got beaten up before I started cheating, and now I get beaten up again after I start cheating? Did I use my cheats for nothing?
Afterwards, he learned his lesson, reformed himself, curbed his newfound wealth mentality, became more composed, and underwent a qualitative transformation from the inside out.

I was planning to take advantage of the sword evaluation to come to Chang'an and try to get some armor and equipment to arm our cavalry.

After all, Lu Cheng's appearance still greatly shocked him.

By the way, I hope to win the title of Sword Champion during the sword evaluation, which can be considered as making up for my regret of failing the imperial examination and being left out of the list.

If I'm lucky, I might run into Xiao Ran and Gao Yuting, and take them down to avenge myself.

A seemingly perfect plan to kill three birds with one stone, a brilliant scheme indeed, but what was the result...?

The armor workshop was destroyed by Xiao Ran, and I was also unable to participate in the sword competition because of Xiao Ran. What's most hateful is that I suffered a loss in the battle in Chang'an.

This matter had become an obsession for Huang Chao. He had finally accomplished his great task and successfully advanced to the level of a Celestial Being.

He thought to himself, "Alright, I'm invincible now, it's time for me to take my revenge."

To make matters worse, Huang Chao searched everywhere for Xiao Ran's whereabouts, only to find that Xiao Ran had vanished without a trace.

He had considered going to Ruzhou and causing a bloodbath, but when he stepped into Ruzhou, he realized that destiny was no longer in his own hands, but in Ruzhou.

He was unable to set foot in Ruzhou.

As the letter stated, Huang Chao's feelings at the time were quite something.

“I know that although Brother Xiao is not here, he will return one day. Huang Chao has left a gift for Brother Xiao here. If Brother Xiao can see this letter, it means that Huang Chao has passed away. This small gift is up to you to decide…”

Xiao Ran flipped open the last sheet of paper, only to find that it contained an extremely complex set of design drawings. These design drawings looked somewhat familiar to Xiao Ran.

Upon closer reflection, it seems that the ghost locust tree was trying to use its vines to create a model for itself, but unfortunately, it was severely damaged halfway through the transformation.

Now the complete blueprint is placed in front of Xiao Ran. The more Xiao Ran looks at it, the more surprised he becomes, because even he can only understand a small part of the blueprint.

"Has Huang Chao really gotten into trouble? And what is that gift in his letter?"

Xiao Ran looked up with a surprised and uncertain expression. Suddenly, she noticed that there seemed to be something behind the main hall, so she went around the dragon throne and came to the back of the main hall.

Behind the hall, a coffin was found.

A memorial tablet stood atop the coffin, prominently inscribed with the words: "[General Huang Chao, the Ever-Victorious General of Locusts]..."

(End of this chapter)