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Chapter 248 The City of Glazed Light!! (Updated 55 times out of 2 words)

But soon.

Yan Shouzhen's deep and solemn voice rang out again.

It shattered the turbulent waves churning in Fang Qingyu's heart and broke the almost suffocating atmosphere in the study.

"all in all."

The old man's gaze swept over the five young and shocked faces in front of him, carrying an undeniable weight.

"You still have some time left."

His voice was resolute, like a final ultimatum.

"When the time comes, you should all go to the Arctic."

"Therefore," Yan Shouzhen's gaze was sharp as a knife, carrying the sternness and entrustment of an elder, "make good use of this time! Improve yourself! Consolidate your foundation! Consolidate what you have gained from this Ghost Festival! Don't waste a single second!"

"Second tier." His voice suddenly rose, carrying an almost cold clarity, "There, you're not considered a strong person."

"The Arctic Front"

Yan Shouzhen's voice lowered.

"The order over there is different from the Federation you're familiar with, and different from our rear."

"totally different!"

"That place is a battlefield where even third-tier cultivators can be slaughtered. Only the strong can survive; the weak will be devoured, their very bones consumed."

"The Ultimate Killing Field!"

Every word struck a chord deep within everyone's hearts.

"Let's all get ready."

After saying this last sentence, Yan Shouzhen slowly turned around, facing the desk again with his back to everyone.

The study fell silent once again.

Only the unfolded map, depicting the Arctic Great Wall and the cold, desolate ice fields, silently exuded a suffocating sense of oppression.

"It's master."

Wei Banmeng, Lu Jiuyuan, and Chu Kuanglan responded in hoarse voices, struggling to process this overwhelming and subversive truth.

Fang Qingyu took a deep breath, forcibly suppressing the huge mystery in his heart about "Nüba" and "Hanba".

He solemnly clasped his hands in a fist salute to Yan Shouzhen's retreating figure: "This junior understands, and thanks senior for informing me."

Then, he gently pulled Jiang Wei's small hand beside him.

Jiang Wei seemed still immersed in the "crack" sound of the breakage, her small hands slightly cold. She only snapped out of her daze when Fang Qingyu pulled her, and silently stood up.

The five people left the study one by one.

The heavy wooden door closed gently behind him, separating him from the imposing figure at the desk and from the cold map.

Walk back along the path you came from.

The night was deep, and the starlight was cold and clear.

The tranquility and peace unique to this blessed land could not dispel the heaviness in everyone's hearts at this moment.

No one speaks.

Only the sound of silent footsteps echoed in the stillness.

Chu Kuanglan opened his mouth several times, as if he wanted to say something, but seeing Wei Banmeng's furrowed brows and Lu Jiuyuan's solemn expression, he swallowed his words back.

The atmosphere was oppressive, like the silence before a storm.

The five of them continued until they reached a fork in the road.

Wei Banmeng stopped, her cool eyes sweeping over Fang Qingyu and Jiang Wei, then looking at Chu Kuanglan and Lu Jiuyuan, her voice carrying a hint of barely perceptible weariness: "I'll go back first."

"I'm leaving too," Lu Jiuyuan said succinctly.

"Uh, me too." Chu Kuanglan scratched his head, and finally just waved his hand, "Captain, Xiao Jiang, see you tomorrow."

The three of them turned around and walked towards their own courtyards, their shadows stretching long in the starlight, each carrying a heavy burden that they needed to digest alone.

Fang Qingyu also took Jiang Wei's hand and returned to their little courtyard.

squeak-

The courtyard gate closed gently.

It isolated it from everything outside.

Inside the courtyard, the fragrance of grass and trees floated in the night, and the tinkling of the spring was crisp and melodious, as if it were a pure land secluded from the world.

However, the air seemed to freeze.

Fang Qingyu did not go into the house immediately.

Instead, she stood under the old tree in the courtyard, slowly turned around, and her gaze fell on the small figure beside her.

Jiang Wei kept her head down, looking at her empty right hand.

The broken plastic stick of the lollipop was still unconsciously clutched in her small palm.

The dim light from the corridor lamp shone on her lowered face, and her long eyelashes cast a small shadow under her eyelids, obscuring the emotions in her eyes.

All that could be seen was a slightly furrowed, small brow.

It was as if I had encountered an incomprehensible problem.

Looking at Jiang Wei's appearance, Fang Qingyu felt the huge mystery in his heart surge up again.

旱魃
女魃
One word difference makes a world of difference.

One is a world-destroying demon that humanity can only expel with all its might, and the other is a little girl sitting next to them, who has the title of a reincarnated god.

The connection between these elements is chilling upon closer examination.

Squat down, trying to make your line of sight level with Jiang Wei's.

"Xiao Jiang."

Fang Qingyu's voice was very soft, breaking the silence of the courtyard.

Upon hearing this, Jiang Wei slowly raised her head.

Those clear, molten gold eyes looked at Fang Qingyu, their depths reflecting Fang Qingyu's concerned face, and at the same time, a hint of something else clearly flowed within them.
Puzzled.

Utterly pure confusion.

She looked into Fang Qingyu's eyes and remained silent for several seconds.

Then, in a soft, childlike voice, almost stating a fact, but tinged with a hint of bewilderment, she gently said:

"I don't know what's going on."

"Do you believe it?"

Her voice was soft, carrying a hint of uncertainty even she herself seemed to have.

Fang Qingyu listened to Jiang Wei's extremely serious, even somewhat bewildered, question.

Looking into her clear eyes, I saw only pure confusion.

He was slightly taken aback at first.

immediately
"Pfft-"

Fang Qingyu couldn't help but burst out laughing.

The laughter broke the heavy atmosphere in the courtyard, carrying a sense of relief and ease.

He reached out, his warm palm, calloused from calluses, and gently placed it on Jiang Wei's soft hair, rubbing it with a soothing touch.

"letter."

Fang Qingyu's voice was tinged with laughter, resolute and without the slightest hesitation.

"Why don't you believe me?"

He then withdrew his hand, stood up, and cast his gaze toward the distant mountains outside the courtyard, their outlines blurred by starlight. It was as if he had pierced through space and seen that cold and desolate far north.

"Anyway, we'll be going to the Arctic by then."

A slight smile appeared on Fang Qingyu's lips.

"Now I know what's going on."

After saying that, he stopped looking at Jiang Wei and stopped dwelling on that huge mystery.

He turned around and walked straight to his room.

squeak-

The door was pushed open and then gently closed.

Jiang Wei was left all alone, standing forlornly in the courtyard.

The small figure was stretched long in the dim light.

She tilted her head back, looking at the tightly closed door. In her clear eyes, the pure confusion slowly gave way to a kind of...
Instead of disbelief and astonishment.

She stood there, staring blankly for a long time.

Her small brows were still slightly furrowed, as if she had never expected that Fang Qingyu would actually leave like this?

He didn't ask another question.

They didn't even express the slightest doubt or inquiry.

It was as if her earlier statement, "I don't know," was an answer that didn't need further investigation.

The night breeze swept through the courtyard, bringing with it the rustling sound of grass and trees.

Jiang Wei lowered her head and spread out her small palms.

The lollipop stick, broken in two, lay quietly in my palm.

She looked at it for a few seconds.

Then silently toss them into the nearby trash can.

He turned around and walked towards his own room.

But that small figure seemed a little straighter than usual under the starlight.

……

inside the room.

Fang Qingyu did not rest immediately.

He sat cross-legged on a futon in the quiet room, his molten gold eyes gleaming slightly in the darkness.

I truly trust Jiang Wei.

But the doubts and thoughts in my heart are also real.

Drought demon female demon
This enormous mystery weighed on my heart like a heavy lead weight.

However, Fang Qingyu did not fall into unnecessary suspicion and panic because of this.

Instead, they habitually begin to sort through the known information and analyze the contradictions within it.

First of all, there are too many "bizarre" and illogical aspects to Jiang Wei's very existence.

"Reincarnated Deity"

Fang Qingyu silently recited in his heart.

He consulted a large amount of information about divine incarnation and reincarnation in the Sheikh's database.

One of the most fundamental common sense principles is...

The reincarnation of a deity is extremely difficult, and can even be described as going against the will of Heaven!
Each reincarnation means enormous risks and costs.

It requires extremely demanding conditions, special treasures, or unimaginable costs to complete.

Moreover, according to all known cases, a deity can only be reincarnated once at most.

This is almost an ironclad rule.

Because each reincarnation is accompanied by irreversible damage to the essence of the soul.

Forced reincarnations ultimately result in the complete disintegration of the soul and the extinction of consciousness.

However.
What about Jiang Wei?
Based on her occasional snippets of conversation, as well as Fang Qingyu's own observations and judgments.

Number of her reincarnations
It was definitely not just once!
She was like a soul constantly wandering in the cycle of reincarnation, being reborn again and again, struggling to survive under the pursuit of fate.

This in itself completely violates the ironclad law regarding the reincarnation of gods.

"And her memories."

Fang Qingyu frowned slightly.

This is also a huge point of contradiction.

Logically, a reincarnated deity should be able to clearly remember all their past experiences, knowledge, and even emotions.

Because that is itself a continuation of the will of the gods.

But what about Jiang Wei?

Her memory is fragmented and hazy.

Sometimes she can clearly state the name or secrets of an ancient being, while at other times she appears completely ignorant of certain key information that should be her "past life" experience.

For example, the confusion surrounding the "drought demon" this time.

If she were truly the reincarnation of the legendary Nüba, then her response to the title "Hanba" should not have been one of pure, almost bewildered ignorance.

This is completely inconsistent with the characteristics of a reincarnated being.

"Titles don't lie."

Fang Qingyu's gaze seemed to penetrate the wall, landing on the small figure in the next room.

[The reincarnation of Nüba].

That golden, ancient and powerful title is his greatest asset.

This is neither an illusion nor a disguise.

That's a kind of identifier that originates from the rules.

Then
"The only explanation is..."

Deep within Fang Qingyu's molten gold eyes, light flickered.

"Jiang Wei's form of existence, or rather her 'reincarnation,' is completely different from all known reincarnations of gods!"

"The secrets she carries are far beyond imagination."

"Therefore, she has no idea what the situation is with the 'drought demon' in the Arctic."

Fang Qingyu slowly exhaled a breath of stale air, his eyes regaining their calm and firmness.

"This is normal."

Since Jiang Wei herself said she didn't know, there's no point in asking any further questions, except to add to her burden and trouble.

The real answer is not found in verbal questioning.

Only on that frozen battlefield.

"Everything has reached the North Pole."

Fang Qingyu muttered to himself.
"The outcome will become clear in time."

Silent all night.

As the first rays of dawn struggled to pierce the thin clouds above the blessed land, casting a pale golden halo over the plants and trees in the courtyard.

Fang Qingyu pushed open the door to the quiet room.

In the courtyard, Jiang Wei was already sitting at the stone table.

Her face remained expressionless, but the slight frown that had been there all night seemed to have eased.

She was taking small sips of a new lollipop, her gaze vacantly fixed on a small flower in the yard covered in morning dew.

Sunlight fell on her soft hair, creating a soft halo.

When she saw Fang Qingyu come out, she simply turned her head slightly and blinked her clear red eyes as a greeting.

It was as if the little mystery that had troubled her last night had been dispelled by the morning sunlight.

Or perhaps, she chose to do what Fang Qingyu did, leaving the answer to that distant icy plain.

Fang Qingyu looked at Jiang Wei's appearance and a faint smile appeared on his lips.

A child's nature can be quite good sometimes.

"Let's go to the training ground," Fang Qingyu called out.

"Ah."

Jiang Wei responded, jumped off the stone bench, and followed Fang Qingyu's footsteps.

The public training ground in the core area of ​​the blessed land was shrouded in a light morning mist.

The cold alloy floor reflected a faint light, and the massive target pile stood like a silent giant.

Fang Qingyu brought Jiang Wei here not for high-intensity sparring.

Instead, he needs to quickly familiarize himself with his body, which has greatly increased in strength since last night's breakthrough, and with the various martial arts techniques he has mastered to a minor degree.

Thunderclap Shadow Activated!

hum!
There was no blinding lightning, no violent thunder.

Fang Qingyu's figure appeared like a gentle breeze merging into the morning mist, instantly appearing beside a target stake a hundred meters away.

It moved at an extreme speed, yet remained completely silent, leaving only a faint afterimage in place before vanishing in the blink of an eye.

"Breaking Through the Nine Hells!"

Fang Qingyu let out a low shout, his right fist wreathed in dark golden tribulation fire, and he unleashed a fierce punch.

boom!
Wherever the fist passed, the air emitted a muffled boom, yet the sound remained concentrated and lingered.

The violent power of lightning and fire was highly compressed onto the fist, and slammed into the hard alloy target surface.

boom--!
A deafeningly loud bang.

The specially made alloy target, which was half a meter thick, was like butter pierced by a red-hot iron nail. Instantly, it dented inward, leaving a terrifying fist-shaped indentation several inches deep with charred and melted edges!
The violent power was perfectly contained within the range of the fist imprint.

The target trembled violently, groaning under the strain, but no cracks spread out.

This is the result of having mastered the basics of boxing.

"The Dragon Edict of Yuanyue!"

Fang Qingyu gave a low shout, and the Dragon Sparrow Blade was instantly drawn.

choke--!
The sound of the blade was clear and melodious.

A condensed, almost tangible, dark gold dragon-shaped blade aura roared out, wreathed in purple-blue lightning and dark red tribulation fire, instantly slicing through another target dozens of meters away.

laugh!
Like a hot knife slicing through butter.

The target was silently sliced ​​open at an angle, the upper half slowly sliding off, the cut surface smooth as a mirror, with faint, flickering electric arcs and a scorching heat remaining on the edges.

The entire process lacked any earth-shattering fanfare, yet it contained an even more terrifying power.

Fang Qingyu sheathed his sword and stood there, feeling the power surging within him like a river, yet also as responsive as his own arm. His eyes, like molten gold, shone with a sharp, inner light.

"call"

He slowly exhaled a breath of white silk, which carried a scorching heat.

Just then, footsteps and voices came from the entrance of the training ground.

Wei Banmeng, Chu Kuanglan, and Lu Jiuyuan walked in yawning, all with obvious signs of fatigue on their faces, clearly indicating that they hadn't slept well the night before.

"Good morning, Captain, Xiao Jiang."

Wei Banmeng rubbed her throbbing temples, her voice slightly hoarse.

"morning."

Fang Qingyu nodded and stopped what he was doing.

With dark circles under his eyes, Chu Kuanglan complained in a muffled voice, "I was researching until the wee hours last night, my brain is about to explode."

Although Lu Jiuyuan didn't speak, the bloodshot eyes said it all.

The three walked to the sidelines, but instead of starting training immediately, they gathered together and began to talk in hushed tones.

"Drought Demon. Drought Demon"

Lu Jiuyuan frowned, his sharp eyes sweeping over Wei Banmeng and Chu Kuanglan. "The information says that the drought demon was the daughter of the Yellow Emperor in ancient times, named Nüba. She exhausted her divine power while helping her father fight Chiyou, and was unable to return to heaven. In the end, wherever she passed, the land was scorched and she transformed into the drought demon. This is clearly a god in mythology, how could it be a ghost of fate?"

His voice was filled with incomprehensible confusion.

"not quite."

Wei Banmeng shook her head, her cool face showing a hint of weary focus. She pulled out a thin, extremely old-looking thread-bound book from somewhere, with the words "Supplement to the Classic of Mountains and Seas" written on it in blurred seal script.

She quickly flipped to a page, pointed to a blurry, ancient-looking passage of text, and read aloud:

The *Classic of Mountains and Seas*, in its section on the Great Wilderness North, records: "There is a mountain called Xikun, and a platform of Gonggong. There is a person dressed in green, named Huangdi's daughter, Ba. Chiyou waged war against Huangdi, and Huangdi ordered Yinglong to attack him in the wilderness of Jizhou. Yinglong stored water. Chiyou summoned the Wind God and Rain Master, unleashing a great wind and rain. Huangdi then sent down the heavenly maiden Ba, the rain stopped, and Chiyou was killed. Ba could not return to heaven, and wherever she lived, there was no rain. Later, Ba gradually lost her divine power, her appearance became withered, and wherever she passed, the land turned red for thousands of miles. People all feared her and called her 'Hanba' (Drought Demon)."

She paused, then looked up at Lu Jiuyuan and Chu Kuanglan.

"See? Ancient books clearly record that the Yellow Emperor's daughter was named 'Nüba'. After helping her father defeat Chiyou, she stayed in the human world. Her divine power gradually diminished, and her appearance became withered. Wherever she passed, the land turned red for thousands of miles. That's why the people at that time fearfully called her 'Hanba'. 'Nüba' is the name of the goddess, while 'Hanba' is more like a description by later people of the calamities she brought."

"So," Chu Kuanglan scratched his head, trying to understand, "that monster in the Arctic is just using the name 'Drought Demon' to bring drought? It might not have anything to do with the real Nüba?"

"not necessarily."

Wei Banmeng closed the ancient book, her cool eyes fixed on Fang Qingyu and Jiang Wei, who were resting in the distance. Her gaze was complex. "Mythology originates from reality, but it can also be distorted. The demon in the Arctic possesses the ability to control drought and incinerate everything, so it's understandable that it's called the 'Drought Demon.' But..."

She changed the subject, her tone revealing deeper doubts.

"Why this particular name? Why not something else? And Master's tone last night clearly indicated that he considered 'Hanba' to be the true name of that vengeful spirit. Perhaps there's a deeper connection we don't know about. Maybe... that vengeful spirit really is related to the fall of the legendary Nüba? Perhaps even..."

Wei Banmeng lowered her voice even further, carrying a hint of suspicion that even she found somewhat terrifying.

"Is it a product of the corruption and distortion of Nüba's divine power or resentment after her fall?"

Lu Jiuyuan and Chu Kuanglan both gasped and instinctively looked at Jiang Wei.

This speculation is even more chilling than a simple case of a ghost.

Fang Qingyu was taking a break and walked towards them.

Seeing the three of them gathered together, their faces full of bitterness and resentment, their brows furrowed, I couldn't help but smile.

"Alright." Fang Qingyu's voice was relaxed, breaking the heavy atmosphere on the sidelines. "There's no point in getting hung up on these secrets that have been going on for who knows how many years."

He walked up to the three men, his gaze sweeping over the ancient books in their hands and the weariness on their faces.

"An enemy at that level is not something we can solve just by thinking about it now. Instead of wasting our energy guessing here, we should think more about practical matters."

"Actually?" Wei Banmeng looked up, her eyes asking.

“For example,” Fang Qingyu’s lips curled into a meaningful smile, “we’ve arrived at the Arctic front, but where exactly are we going?”

"Where to go?"

Wei Banmeng and the other two were stunned at the same time, their confusion deepening.

"Aren't we going straight to the Arctic front?" Chu Kuanglan asked in a muffled voice. "Didn't Master say that we'd all be going there? Can we even choose where?"

Lu Jiuyuan frowned and said, "Isn't the front line a unified defense line?"

"of course not."

Fang Qingyu smiled and shook his head, took out his phone from his tactical waist pack, unlocked the screen, and opened an app with an extremely simple, even somewhat crude, icon.

The app's name consists of only two cold, black letters.

Arctic.

He turned his phone screen toward the three people.

"Here, look at this."

Wei Banmeng, Chu Kuanglan, and Lu Jiuyuan immediately came over.

On the phone screen, a very simple map was displayed.

The map's background is a cold white expanse, symbolizing the Arctic ice sheet.

Near the edge of the map, inside the winding black "Great Wall," there are more than twenty city icons of varying sizes and shapes scattered around.

Below each city icon, the city's name is briefly labeled.

These names are incredibly diverse and varied in style:

【Ice Castle】, the icon is a blue fortress with sharp angles.

【Eternal Winter】, the icon is a pointed castle covered in ice and snow.

【Newport】, the icon is an icebreaker and a lighthouse.

【Edelweiss Shelter】, the icon is a small white flower blooming in the snow.

【Deep Diver Camp】, the icon is an arrow pointing below the ice.

……

More than twenty city icons are densely distributed inside the black line that symbolizes the Great Wall of the Arctic, like a string of pearls inlaid on the edge of the ice field.

Each icon exudes a completely different vibe.

Some are cold and solid, some are fiery and wild, some are full of order, and some are filled with loneliness and waiting.

"This is.?"

Wei Banmeng's usually cold eyes were filled with shock.

“The Arctic Frontline App,” Fang Qingyu explained. “It was sent to me by Pavilion Master Yan last night. It’s specifically for people who are about to go to the Arctic Frontline, and it contains basic information and real-time updates on the major human settlements there.”

Fang Qingyu swiped his finger across the screen and tapped on a city icon named [Ironforge].

A brief introduction interface immediately pops up on the screen:

Ironforge

Location: Western section of the Arctic Great Wall defense line, edge of the lava geothermal area.

Main forces: The Federation's "Heart of the Furnace" Legion is the main force, united with multiple heavy industry groups and civilian armed groups.

City characteristics: A large-scale industrial and military complex fortress built on geothermal energy. Possesses strong equipment manufacturing and maintenance capabilities. The people are known for their fierce and reverent nature, valuing strength and forging.

Defense rating: Level A (Strong ability to withstand large-scale impacts, moderate adaptability to extreme low temperatures and infiltration operations)
Current status: Orange alert (Recently, the defense line has been attacked by more than three peak Tier 2 Life Ghost clusters, and the pressure on the defense line is relatively high. Mid-to-high-level martial artists or Chosen Ones are urgently needed to provide support).

……

"see it?"

Fang Qingyu put away his phone and looked at the three people who were dumbfounded.

"The Arctic front has never been a monolithic entity."

"That's a pattern left over from before the unification of the Federation, or even earlier. Countless forces struggled to survive on the edge of the ice field in order to fight against a common threat, eventually forming these twenty-odd relatively independent human strongholds, each with its own focus, and even their political and military orders were not necessarily completely unified."

Fang Qingyu's voice carried a sense of realism.

"Although everyone's goal is to defend the Great Wall and stop the Ghosts from moving south, the specific resource allocation, defense strategies, internal order, and even the level of identification with the Federal Bureau vary from city to city."

"It's like the Federation now. On the surface, they're united against the Ghost of Fate, but if you take that rope apart and look closely..."

Fang Qingyu made a disassembly gesture.

"You'll find that this seemingly strong rope is actually made up of countless threads of different materials, thicknesses, and even colors."

"Assembled from scratch".

“In the past, we certainly couldn’t just wander around like headless flies.”

Fang Qingyu's gaze swept over Wei Banmeng, Chu Kuanglan, and Lu Jiuyuan.

"We need to choose a city, join them, and integrate into their defense system in order to truly make an impact and gain a foothold in that meat grinder."

As Wei Banmeng and the other two looked at the densely packed city icons on Fang Qingyu's phone screen and listened to his well-organized analysis, the shock on their faces gradually gave way to solemnity and contemplation.

They were only thinking about fighting on the front lines and never imagined that there was such a complex situation inside the front lines.

"Then," Wei Banmeng looked at Fang Qingyu with her cool eyes, asking for his opinion, "do you have any ideas?"

Chu Kuanglan and Lu Jiuyuan immediately focused their attention on Fang Qingyu.

The city they choose to join will directly affect their future survival and combat environment on the Arctic front.

Fang Qingyu did not answer immediately.

My fingers swiped rapidly across the phone screen, my gaze sweeping over the twenty-odd city icons, each with its own distinct style.

The austere Ice Fortress, the solitary height of Winterhold, the imposing solidity of Rock Fortress, the sharp edge of Eagle's Nest, and the pioneering spirit of Newport.
Finally, his finger stopped on an icon.

It was a piece of glass shaped like a snowflake, with four words marked below it:
【The City of Glazed Light】.

(End of this chapter)