Swing the sword at the future female devil

Chapter 264: The absence of the remaining map fragments is very important to us.

"Master, look, it's them!" Zhang Zhiyao said angrily, pointing at Duan Huaige and the others.

The old master walked over with his hands behind his back and a serious expression. He glanced around and said in a deep voice, "Little Duan... do you know what mistake you've made?"

Duan Huaige was slightly taken aback, but quickly realized what was happening. He released a water talisman to extinguish the fire, saying, "Old Celestial Master, it's my fault... It was our oversight. Open flames are prohibited on Longhu Mountain during autumn and winter! Rest assured, we will definitely investigate any safety hazards, ensure that responsibilities are clearly assigned at every level, and guarantee that the imperial court's forest fire safety regulations are implemented thoroughly..."

"No, what I mean is... you guys are having a barbecue upwind of us late at night, and it smells so good, it's keeping me up at all!!" The old master's white beard trembled, and he said with great distress, "Where did you get this chicken? I didn't know there were such fragrant chickens on Longhu Mountain?"

"Exactly!" Zhang Zhiyao sniffed hard. "You're absolutely wasting such a precious resource! You're roasting such a tender chicken? Do you even know how to cook?"

"..."

"How about... you guys have some too?" Duan Huaige asked tentatively.

Before long, the old man and the young girl from Longhu Mountain sat down near Duan Huaige and the others, holding roast chickens and starting to eat heartily. Although the little black-hearted celestial master was young, she had quite an appetite. She swallowed the whole chicken in a few bites, and then turned her attention to the cold-water fish that Duan Huaige had grilled and the leeks that were a specialty of the Mountain and River Map.

The little girl glanced at the chives, then at Qin Shuangjiang and Xie Cangling who had come out to barbecue with him, and suddenly gave Duan Huaige a gloating look.

Tsk tsk... I told you to juggle so many relationships, your body must be exhausted by now, right? You already have Xi Yu as a sister, yet you're still so fickle!

Thinking of this, the newly promoted nobleman Zhang Zhiyao indignantly took the roasted leeks, trying to use this method to make Duan Huaige repent and turn back to the right path.

"Xiao Duan... your chicken is pretty good. Have you considered becoming a supplier for the Celestial Master's Mansion canteen?"

"..."

Duan Huaige never expected that all his hard work in cultivating and refining the Landscape Map was just to become a food supplier for the cafeteria.

A true man should live between heaven and earth; how can he remain subservient to others for long! Just wait until I obtain the fragment of the "Map of the Land and its People," and you'll realize your mistake!
"Master, the burden on my shoulders is heavy. I carry the weight of the two capitals and thirty-three provinces of the Great Hua Dynasty all on my shoulders! I really don't have the time," said Duan Huaige, the weightlifting champion.

"Is that so? That's a real pity." The old master, holding a chicken leg, glanced at Duan Huaige seemingly casually, and said with a half-smile:

"The texture of this chicken reminds me of my youth. My fellow disciples and I used to roast chickens near the seal of the Jiangshan Sheji Tu (a fragment of a map depicting the rivers and mountains of the land). The spiritual energy within the fragment always made the chicken meat more delicate and tender..."

"A hundred years have passed in the blink of an eye. I never thought we could still eat such delicious food today."

Upon hearing this, Duan Huaige was startled and lowered his head with a strange sense of guilt... Was the old master just implying that the spiritual energy of mountains and rivers contained in my landscape painting was the same as that in the fragment of the landscape painting?

Did he perhaps discover something and want to test me?
Thinking of this, Duan Huaige simply pulled the old Celestial Master aside and took the initiative, saying, "Old Celestial Master, there are no outsiders here today, so why don't you just tell me the truth? To you, is this incomplete map more important, or is the Celestial Master's lineage inheritance of the Celestial Master's Mansion more important?"

"you guess?"

"Is the fragmented map important?"

The old Celestial Master shook his head. Duan Huaige asked again, "So the Celestial Master's Degree is more important?" "Both the incomplete map and the Celestial Master's Degree are important to the Celestial Master's Mansion," the old Celestial Master said slowly, "but the incomplete map is the most important to us."

Duan Huaige understood upon hearing this. The Celestial Master's Mansion's initial goal was indeed to get rid of the hot potato, but due to the fact that too many people and forces within the sect were inclined to leave behind the fragments of the Jiangshan Sheji Map.

After all, it is easy to go from frugality to extravagance, but difficult to go from extravagance to frugality. After experiencing the abundant spiritual energy brought by the broken map in Longhu Mountain, it would be tantamount to taking their lives if they were to slowly absorb the thin spiritual energy like others.

"So... Old Celestial Master, the reason you sent us to obtain the Celestial Master's Certificate was actually to give the Celestial Master's Mansion a proper explanation?"

The old master smiled without saying a word, neither confirming nor denying. Duan Huaige felt that the old man's smile was full of profound meaning, as if he would fall into his trap if he was not careful.

"Hey? The woods over there seem to be glowing." Xie Cangling pointed into the distance and said, "Is it on fire?"

The ruthless little Taoist priest Zhang Zhiyao glanced up and saw that there was a golden light shining in the air, interspersed with a faint green light. He was a little confused for a moment.

I know the golden light is the light from the protective array of Longhu Mountain, but what about those two green lights?

"Who dares to provoke the great formation of my Dragon Tiger Mountain? Hmph, I'll go and meet them!"

Zhang Zhiyao wiped his mouth, shouting that he would teach these rats a lesson. The old celestial master also glanced at him, but his gaze was not drawn to the golden light. Instead, it was drawn to the faint purple light that was rising into the sky in the distance.

His face quickly darkened. He dropped the roast chicken, took a step forward, and the Ziwei Doushu array beneath his feet shone brightly. Between the appearance and disappearance of Qimen Bagua, he had already moved from this side to the pond where he had previously fed the fish.

With a wave of his sleeve, the old celestial master caused the pool water to surge and instantly become as clear as a mirror. As the light faded, a towering cloud tower collapsed into view.

The tower collapsed, leaving behind a mess of limbs and broken bodies, with mutilated souls drifting and wailing – a scene straight out of hell on earth.

This is…!
The old master's pupils contracted slightly. Suddenly, a childlike face appeared in the scene, looking like an innocent little girl. However, the suppressed madness in the girl's eyes was inexplicably unsettling.

Her face still bore traces of undried golden blood. Clutching the tattered golden map in her hand, she glanced coldly behind her, as if sensing someone watching her.

Even thousands of miles away, the female demon's gaze remained imposing, and the pool water began to tremble, as if gradually boiling, with the fish inside darting about aimlessly.

The old celestial master slowly waved his hand, and the pool returned to calm, but his heart was far from at peace...

Is it finally coming?

So-called fate is something that often leaves people feeling powerless when it strikes. Even though he had lived for over a hundred years, he still felt a strange, inexplicable sense of fate at this moment.

He closed his eyes, then slowly opened them after a moment. Time was running out for him to leisurely gamble on Duan Huaige and devise a plan. To resolve the unprecedented crisis facing Longhu Mountain, he had to restart the Ascension Platform!

(End of this chapter)