Catching Monsters

Chapter 734 The disciple has memorized it.

Ao Tianyu was extremely large, and the golden dragon scales on his body reflected golden light under the sunlight.

His gaze was fixed on Xue Liujiu, or more precisely, on the Investiture of the Gods in Xue Liujiu's hands. Then, he casually tossed Jiang Yun aside, and the massive dragon body slowly moved toward Xue Liujiu.

Instantly, a powerful sense of oppression pressed down on Xue Liujiu.

The Investiture of the Gods instantly flashed with golden light, forming a barrier that protected Xue Liujiu.

Otherwise, Xue Liujiu wouldn't have been able to withstand the oppressive feeling of this sacred realm alone.

With a loud bang, cracks began to appear in the ground around Xue Liujiu.

Purple lightning flashed in Ao Tianyu's eyes as he slowly spoke: "Human, give me the treasure in your hand, and I will spare your life."

Xue Liujiu held the Investiture of the Gods tightly; how could he possibly accept handing it over?

If it weren't for the Investiture of the Gods, he would probably have reverted to his previous appearance.

His eyes were bloodshot as he gripped the Investiture of the Gods and followed the method taught to him by Bai Shuiqing.

Use your mind to continuously activate the Investiture of the Gods.

Within the Investiture of the Gods, countless evil spirits and demons surged forth.

It hurtled towards Ao Tianyu in mid-air with a whooshing sound.

The Rakshasa demons were so numerous that they quickly overwhelmed Ao Tianyu.

At this moment, Jiang Yun, who was on the grass below, frowned slightly when he saw this scene. But soon, he saw purple lightning flashing out among the countless black evil demons and demons.

With a deafening roar of thunder, purple lightning instantly obliterated the countless evil demons and demons.

These methods couldn't even cause Ao Tianyu the slightest harm.

Ao Tianyu, his eyes flashing with purple lightning, slowly looked at Xue Liujiu.

The terrifying aura emanating from Ao Tianyu left Jiang Yun below speechless with astonishment.

Even though Ao Tianyu's oppressive aura wasn't directed at Jiang Yun at this moment, Jiang Yun could still feel a strong sense of unease even from such a distance...

Not to mention Xue Liujiu...

At this moment, Xue Liujiu's only hope was the Investiture of the Gods in his hand. He took a deep breath and kept using his mind to activate the Investiture of the Gods in his hand.

But the next moment, a bolt of purple lightning crashed down from the sky with a deafening roar.

In an instant, it shattered the barrier set up by the Investiture of the Gods.

Immediately afterwards, another bolt of lightning struck.

In an instant, a huge explosion came from where Xue Liujiu was.

The immense force created a massive crater in the area, fifty meters in diameter and five meters deep.

As for Xue Liujiu, he has completely evaporated from this world.

He was just an ordinary person, so how could he possibly withstand the power of the Dragon Saint?

Jiang Yun's pupils contracted slightly upon seeing this scene.

He had indeed thought that if Long Sheng took action, he should be able to deal with Xue Liujiu, but he never expected that Long Sheng's power would be so strong.

They killed Xue Liujiu so easily.

At the very center of the pit, the Investiture of the Gods lay on the ground. Ao Tianyu transformed into human form, slowly flew down, and glanced at the Investiture of the Gods on the ground.

With a wave of his hand, the Investiture of the Gods flew to his side. However, Ao Tianyu did not touch the Investiture of the Gods with his hands, but instead used his demonic energy to surround it.

Then, Ao Tianyu flew to Jiang Yun's side, with the Investiture of the Gods following behind him. He said, "Alright, the person you wanted to kill, I have already eliminated for you."

"As for the Investiture of the Gods."

"Jiang Yun".

Soon, Liu Boqing's voice could be heard from the direction of the distant city wall.

Ao Tianyu's gaze also turned to Liu Boqing: "Who is this person?"

“A friend of mine.”

"Perhaps he has something to say, Senior Dragon Saint, what do you think?"

Ao Tianyu narrowed his eyes slightly: "Let's go and meet this person."

At this moment, the soldiers of the Kachi tribe outside the city wall had lost their immortality after Xue Liujiu was instantly wiped out.

Those soldiers who had been seriously injured died instantly, and those outside the city walls also witnessed Long Sheng killing Xue Liujiu. In an instant, they all fled.

At this moment, Ao Tianyu and Jiang Yun also flew to the top of the city wall.

Liu Boqing had already arrived on the city wall to observe the situation. With Qi Da and other Jinyiwei guards protecting him, he didn't need to worry too much about his safety.

He stared intently at the Investiture of the Gods beside Long Sheng, took a deep breath, and said, "Lord Long Sheng, you must not touch this Investiture of the Gods."

"The Investiture of the Gods has now been opened and the gods have been appointed. Once you touch it, you may be chosen by it to be the holder of the list."

"The person holding the list?" Ao Tianyu narrowed his eyes slightly.

Liu Boqing nodded, then continued, "That's right, at that time, your mind will definitely be affected by it."

"It will constantly tempt you, instigate wars, and indiscriminately kill experts to strengthen itself."

Upon hearing this, Ao Tianyu chuckled and said, "Having been a saint for a thousand years, would I be bewitched by this thing?"

"Yes." Liu Boqing nodded emphatically, urging, "This is the Investiture of the Gods..."

At this point, Liu Boqing took a deep breath: "Furthermore, I have another request; I would like to borrow the Investiture of the Gods..."

"Soon, I'll only need one minute."

Ao Tianyu's gaze swept coldly over him, and he said, "Since you say that whoever touches it will become the so-called holder of the list, how can I give this item to you?"

At this point, Ao Tianyu looked at the Investiture of the Gods: "Since it is something that brings chaos to the world, then I should keep it safe and sealed it away, and not let anyone else get it."

After saying this, Ao Tianyu waved his hand, leaped up, transformed into a true dragon, and flew into the sky, quickly leaving the place.

Seeing the scene before him, Jiang Yun breathed a slight sigh of relief and said, "It's a good thing that the Investiture of the Gods has fallen into the hands of Senior Dragon Saint. At least, there is probably no one in this world who can snatch this item from his hands."

Unexpectedly, Liu Boqing's face didn't show much of a smile; his expression was solemn, and he said in a deep voice, "That's true..."

"But what if it couldn't resist touching the Investiture of the Gods and became its holder..."

"His power is already so terrifying. If he were to be further empowered by the Investiture of the Gods, I'm afraid no one in the world could be his match."

Upon hearing Liu Boqing's words, Jiang Yun's smile froze slightly. He coughed lightly and said, "Senior Long Sheng will know what he's doing." "I hope so," Liu Boqing sighed softly. Besides sighing, he had no other choice at the moment.

It's impossible for them to run to the Dragon Palace and steal the Investiture of the Gods list.

At this moment, Tuoba Anyi was raising his arms and shouting, "The enemy's evil magic has disappeared! Kill them all!"

It won't be easy for the soldiers of the Kachi tribe to escape. The Tuoba tribe has already quickly assembled its cavalry and begun to charge and pursue the Hu people of the Kachi tribe.

Of course, once these Hu people raised their hands in surrender, the Tuoba tribe's pursuers would stop.

It wasn't that the Tuoba people were kind-hearted.

On one hand, this is an unspoken rule on the grasslands: once the other side surrenders, they are implicitly considered prisoners.

More importantly, the population of the nomadic people on the grasslands has always been small, making these strong, adult men even more precious.

If the other party surrenders, they can be recruited into the Tuoba tribe, thus strengthening their own power.

The situation was basically one-sided, and the soldiers of the Card Pool Department surrendered one after another.

After all, even Xue Liujiu is dead, so what are they still holding on for?

Of course, Jiang Yun and Liu Boqing didn't care much about these things. He took Qi Da and the others back to Tuoba Anyi's residence to rest.

Tuoba Anyi was busy until dark before he rushed back.

He also instructed someone to notify Jiang Yun, Liu Boqing, Qi Da, and others to come over for a good meal and drinks.

When Jiang Yun and the others arrived at the banquet, they were surprised to find that Tuoba Anyi's expression was not pleasant; instead, he had a sullen face.

"Brother Tuoba, what's wrong? Aren't you happy after winning the battle?" Jiang Yun asked with a smile after taking his seat.

"What's there to be happy about?" Tuoba Anyi exhaled a breath of stale air.

Originally, winning a battle was a great thing, but inside the town, some Hu merchants and people from other tribes who came here on business began to discuss among themselves the fact that the Tuoba tribe did not have martial virtue.

They said the Tuoba tribe was afraid to fight and only won against the Kachi tribe by defending the city.

Tuoba Anyi was so angry he wanted to grind his teeth.

But I can't refute it...

After all, what they said is true.

Upon hearing this, Liu Boqing smiled faintly and said, "Warfare is based on deception... You barbarians on the grasslands fight like this every year. No wonder you have not been able to pose any real threat to the Zhou Kingdom all these years."

Tuoba Anyi explained, "This is the rule on our grasslands, and it is only followed when there is fighting between us on the grasslands."

"Alright, let's get down to business," Jiang Yun said. "Don't forget your promise to our Emperor to submit to him and pay tribute."

"Of course." Tuoba Anyi patted his chest and said, "I am your elder brother. Don't you know me? My word is as good as my bond."

Jiang Yun couldn't help but think to herself, "It's precisely because I know you so well that I have to remind you."

“There are some unpleasant things I need to say upfront,” Jiang Yun said, staring at Tuoba Anyi. “The Zhou court has many experts these days. If you go back on your word, I’m afraid you won’t survive.”

After thinking for a moment, Tuoba Anyi nodded and said, "I need to take over the Card Pool Department first. After I finish this matter, I will bring gifts and come to the capital to formally submit to His Majesty the Emperor and pay tribute."

Upon hearing this, Jiang Yun smiled and breathed a sigh of relief, saying, "Alright, then our mission for this trip can be considered a complete success."

"After we rest for one night, we will set off back to Beijing tomorrow."

……

The weather in the capital had turned a bit cooler. Inside the Renyi Academy, Qiao Haotian and Jiang Qiaoqiao were eating meat pies that Qiao Haotian had brought in a pavilion behind the academy.

This meat pie was made by Qiao Haotian's mother.

His parents are now working in the Jingzhao Prefecture. Although they do odd jobs, their income is much better than before, and their family's financial situation has improved significantly.

"The imperial examination will be held in a few days, and I want to give it a try." Qiao Haotian said to Jiang Qiaoqiao while eating a meat pie, "If I can get a good ranking... I will accompany you back to the Jiang residence to meet Lord Jiang."

At this point, Qiao Haotian also became a little nervous.

During this time, as the two spent every day together reading and practicing calligraphy, Qiao Haotian's sense of inferiority gradually disappeared.

He was quite confident in his literary talent; if he could become a Jinshi (a successful candidate in the highest imperial examinations), he might be able to propose marriage to the Jiang family.

Jiang Qiaoqiao blinked and asked happily, "Really?"

At this point, Jiang Qiaoqiao also felt a little discouraged. Although Renyi Academy had taken Jiang Yun's relationship into consideration and allowed Jiang Qiaoqiao to study there.

However, it was impossible for a woman to participate in the imperial examinations.

Just then, a scholar from the backyard strode over and said, "Jiang Qiaoqiao, Master Fang wants you to go to his study. It seems he has something to tell you."

"Okay." After quickly finishing the meat pie in her hand, Jiang Qiaoqiao said to Qiao Haotian, "When my brother comes back, I'll ask him to help you."

Qiao Haotian was taken aback upon hearing this, and hurriedly said, "Miss Jiang, you mustn't, this is a serious matter..."

Before he could finish speaking, Jiang Qiaoqiao had already run far away. Qiao Haotian frowned, somewhat worried.

After all, this was a major event related to the imperial examinations. He knew that Jiang Yun wielded considerable power in the capital, but bribing the examiners would be a serious matter.

According to the laws of the Great Zhou Dynasty, the whole family would be imprisoned and exiled.

Miss Jiang, you mustn't act recklessly.

Jiang Qiaoqiao soon arrived at a quiet courtyard, which was where Fang Tingzhi was doing his studies.

Jiang Qiaoqiao knocked on the door before pushing it open and entering: "Teacher, is there something you need from me?"

Fang Tingzhi was sitting inside, writing a letter. After he finished, he nodded and said, "Well, give this letter to your brother when he comes back."

"letter?"

Jiang Qiaoqiao stepped forward and took the letter, intending to open it and take a look, but Fang Tingzhi reminded her, "Jiang Yun must read it personally."

"Okay, sure." Jiang Qiaoqiao carefully put the letter away. Fang Tingzhi then asked, "How's your Confucianism training going?"

"Teacher, I..." Jiang Qiaoqiao smiled awkwardly and said, "I read and write every day, but I haven't practiced much Confucianism..."

“You need to practice more Confucian techniques,” Fang Tingzhi said in a deep voice. “If you encounter any techniques you don’t understand, you can ask me anytime.”

Jiang Qiaoqiao asked doubtfully, "The capital is quite peaceful, and my family has many guards. I don't need to be in such a hurry to practice Confucianism."

Fang Tingzhi said, "You are a woman. The more skills a woman has, the better."

Jiang Qiaoqiao nodded as if she understood, "Disciple has remembered."

(End of this chapter)