Invasion Myth: Starting with the Schoolteacher

Chapter 940 Bloodstained Ominousness

Boom!

The Stone King let out a deep, muffled roar and once again channeled his demonic power.

The earth before him surged violently as if boiling, the deep soil was roughly turned over and exposed to the light of day, exuding a mixture of rotting organic matter, damp moisture, and... a deeper, colder aura.

Several gray and broken bones were also unearthed, silently telling the story of this place's past.

On the surface, the seemingly delicate flowers and plants that had just been buried by its last spell were once again mercilessly buried several feet deep.

then……

On a patch of freshly turned soil, a tender green, exceptionally resilient root sprouted tenaciously at a speed visible to the naked eye. Almost in the blink of an eye, it unfurled its leaves and blossomed into a deep red, blood-red, exquisitely beautiful poppy flower.

Then, a second one squeezed out from a crack in a piece of rubble, a third one even grew directly from the eye socket of a skull that had just been turned over, a fourth one, a fifth one...

As if in an instant, the freshly turned soil covering the mountains and fields was once again covered by a dazzling sea of ​​red flowers.

Moreover, after this "turmoil," these poppies bloomed even more profusely and eerily than before, layer upon layer, swaying in the wind.

Although it is a flower, it carries a sense of strength and dominance.

Stone King: "..."

Its towering rock-built body froze completely.

This isn't the first time I've tried; this is the tenth time!
Even the usually composed King Shi, whose "Dao Heart" was as firm as a rock, finally showed a crack at this moment.

Silently, she walked to the side, no longer trying to compete with the sea of ​​flowers, and squatted down forlornly.

The massive rock body was curled up, looking like a weak and pitiful stone, yet exuding a sense of strength...

Back in the day, when it was still the Demon King of Dongting Lake, it roamed the eight hundred miles of Dongting waters and dominated both banks of the Lishui River. How majestic it was!

He attacks anyone he dislikes, commands countless demon soldiers and generals, and is himself a third-realm demon cultivator. He is a stone spirit with thick skin, immense strength, and is also proficient in divination.

In terms of doctrines, practices, and principles, he is a highly respected figure in the Jiangnan region, capable of holding his own.

The results of it?
Ever since he "turned over a new leaf" and followed Xu Xuan, his experiences have been... one defeat after another!
Even a big shot like Changjiang Longjun is no match for them, so they have to accept it.

The White Snake Emperor beneath West Lake is someone I can't afford to offend, so I'll just have to accept it.

Having finally reached Jiangbei, they ran right into the ancient, ferocious god Wuzhiqi, and were knocked unconscious by his sheer aura, half his body embedded in the ground... This...

Now, they can't even manage to tidy up a patch of seemingly delicate flowers!
The disparity, the frustration, it was enough to make even a stone want to cry.

"Sigh..." Xu Xuan looked at the Stone King, which was squatting to one side and practically sprouting mushrooms, walked over and patted its cold, hard shoulder, his tone carrying a strange understanding:

"This is not your fault, really. As the saying goes, 'Being evil makes you ten times stronger, while being good makes you three times weaker,' so this is a normal phenomenon for you."

"Besides, now that we're in the north, it's like we've entered a new map, a new version. Your 'Dongting Flood' version is already outdated."

Now we have to adapt to the 'demons rising, righteousness falling' version in the North. Monster levels and mechanics have been updated, so it's normal to experience some setbacks. Just get used to it, just get used to it.

Xu Xuan babbled on and on, spouting a bunch of strange words that left the Stone King completely bewildered and only half-understanding.

However, the Stone King's intelligence was still able to discern that the young master was comforting it in a unique way.

The problem was that, despite repeatedly using his demonic senses to investigate, the poppy fields, though blooming strangely, were not shrouded in any demonic aura.

No spiritual veins or rare treasures could be found underground to provide energy support.

It was neither a powerful demon performing magic, nor a treasure revealing itself, nor did it resemble any kind of array or illusion...

This...this isn't a fantasy novel!

The Stone King could not understand this phenomenon.

Xu Xuan looked at the earth once again covered in red, and at the Stone King squatting beside him, doubting Shi Sheng, and calmly said, "You'll get used to it."

"After all... the world is so wonderful and diverse, there are always some things that can't be explained by logic." He shrugged, looking as if he was used to it.

Upon hearing this, the Stone King's aura became even more subdued: The world wasn't like this before!
Xu Xuan simply didn't have time to delve into the psychological trauma and worldview reshaping issues of a stone.

What he was more concerned about now was the intangible yet real "thing" represented by the seemingly immortal and ever-growing poppies on the ground, which made him feel vaguely uneasy.

The poppy (Papaver rhoeas) was originally just a common dicotyledonous plant belonging to the poppy family.

Its flowers are large and beautiful, with a variety of colors, including pure white, delicate pink, and bright red, and some varieties even have unique colored patterns inlaid on the edges of the petals.

The petals are as thin as silk gauze, yet they possess a lustrous sheen. Typically, the four petals are arranged in pairs, with two petals pointing upwards and two petals drooping downwards, creating a unique shape.

When a gentle breeze blows, the colorful flowers all over the mountains sway gently, and from a distance, they look like countless colorful butterflies dancing in the air, creating a truly enchanting scene.

Poppies have a light and graceful appearance and a relatively long flowering period. They bloom in spring before most other flowers have fully blossomed, making them a rare and beautiful spring flower in the mountains and fields, which should give people a sense of bright vitality.

But the reason this flower is so famous and has been passed down through the ages is by no means just because it is beautiful.

It relies on a timeless legend soaked in blood and tears, intertwined with the tragic end of heroes and the tragic death of beauties—Farewell My Concubine.

"The three armies scattered, banners fell, and the beautiful woman in the jade tent grew old. Her fragrant soul flew like a sword in the night, and her blood turned into grass on the plain."

"Fragrant blossoms lie lonely on cold branches, old melodies seem to bring down brows. Sorrowful lingering, silent with grief, just like when I first heard the Chu song."

The poem's poignant, magnificent, and tragic atmosphere serves as an enduring cultural testament to the enduring appeal of the poppy flower.

This is Gaixia, the place where Yu Ji committed suicide.

The most classic and heartbreaking elements of that ultimate tragic ending aesthetic are all present here: the failure of a great cause, the hero's tragic end, the beauty's death for love, the undying loyalty of a loyal soul, and the regret that lasts for a thousand years. The magnificent history of the Chu-Han Contention is probably already familiar to everyone, so I will not go into details here.

In short, almost everyone who appeared on stage during that period was a formidable figure who would go down in history.

On one side is Liu Bang, an older rogue leader with the legacy of the First Emperor and the mind of an emperor; on the other side is Xiang Yu, a top-tier muscle man with the strength to lift a tripod and hailed as "unparalleled throughout the ages".

The fierce battle between these two was also intertwined with the intense competition among top strategists and super generals such as Zhang Liang, Han Xin, Xiao He, and Fan Zeng.

Such legendary figures and stories have been passed down for thousands of years, giving rise to countless poems, songs, operas, novels, and even film and music works in later generations.

Its "legendary" status has long surpassed the scope of ordinary history, reaching a level close to "myth".

It seems that only the fall of a constellation of stars at the end of the Eastern Han Dynasty can compare to this era.

With such a powerful collective belief and a profound meaning that has lasted for thousands of years, it would be difficult for even an ordinary historical site not to give rise to something extraordinary.

Therefore, the strange sea of ​​poppies that appeared at the site of the ancient battlefield of Gaixia...

What it foreshadows is by no means auspicious; rather, it is more like an ominous sign entangled with a thousand-year-old obsession and the murderous aura of war.

What alarmed Xu Xuan even more was that, with his current level of spiritual perception, he couldn't sense the specific problem with this sea of ​​flowers at all.

There was neither soaring resentment nor obvious evil fluctuations.

This unusual "calm" suggests that the underlying problems may far exceed the surface, reaching a terrifying level of "returning to simplicity" or complete integration with the history of this land.

Xu Xuan took a deep breath, having already prepared himself mentally.

Perhaps in the next second, he will have to face some "historical figures" who have manifested due to obsession or faith.

It's just unknown whether what will emerge from the long river of history will be a proud overlord, a resolute beauty, or an entire... murderous ancient battlefield legion.
As for his confidence, he certainly has it.

"Although you are all figures whose names are etched in history and whose deeds are sung for eternity," Xu Xuan muttered to himself, a confident smile playing on his lips, "my name, 'Xu Hanwen,' is now quite renowned in the cultivation world. If you feel that's not enough..."

Add to that the title 'Fahai', is that enough weight?

Although he had only been cultivating for three years, the wonders he had experienced, the magnitude of the karmic consequences he had been involved in, and the depth of the fortune he had gained far surpassed the achievements of ordinary cultivators over a hundred years.

We now have sufficient strength and resources to face these "unexpected" events arising from historical events.

Thinking about this, he couldn't help but feel a little emotional.

Looking back now, it seems that being born in Qiantang was truly a stroke of good fortune, a gift from heaven.

Although there are demons in the Jiangnan region, at least order is still maintained, the water veins are abundant, and the White Snake and Lingyin Temple are there to protect it, making it relatively peaceful.

If I had been unlucky enough to be born in the north, a place rife with chaos and historical stagnation...

With my troublemaking nature and weak abilities at the time, I probably wouldn't have survived more than three days!

Then, thinking of the ordinary people north of the Yangtze River, who have lived for generations in this "dire and miserable" place, where they might encounter ancient battlefields appearing or great demons passing through at any moment...

Xu Xuan couldn't help but shake his head and sigh from the bottom of his heart: This is too tragic.

Since the investigation yielded no results, there was no point in wasting any more time.

"Let's go." With that, Shi Wang, who still had some doubts about Shi Sheng, turned and walked towards... the Huai River.

When in doubt, quantum mechanics... cough, no, I mean, praying to gods and Buddhas!

Since he couldn't find the root cause himself and had a feeling that the matter was far-reaching, the most direct way was to ask a local expert.

So what could possibly escape the eyes of the Huai River God that happened along its banks?

Under the astonished gaze of the Stone King, which seemed to crack as if the texture of the rock itself were about to split, Xu Xuan casually took out an incense burner, incense sticks, candlesticks, and even several kinds of seasonal fresh fruits that looked to be of excellent quality as offerings from his storage magic treasure...

A complete set of equipment for the incense offering process, practiced with such skill it's almost heartbreaking.

Judging from this, they're planning to "treat" that neighbor right there and then.

“But…but weren’t you with the Huai River Calamity Lord before…” King Shi almost blurted out “Are you out of your mind?” but swallowed it back down.

However, the shock in his heart was already beyond words.

When you two met a few days ago, you were exchanging harsh words and even made a life-or-death challenge a year from now. Given this relationship, isn't it a bit too abrupt for you to come to me for help now?
It simply cannot understand the logic behind this.

This is no longer just a matter of being shameless; it's an act of social terrorism that transcends the comprehension of even monsters!
"You're a demon, so you might not understand our human philosophy of life," Xu Xuan said calmly, even patiently explaining his reasoning to the stone spirit.

"We humans have a saying: 'At home, you rely on your parents; when you're out in the world, you rely on your friends.'"

"There are many kinds of friends. There are fair-weather friends, close friends, and... well, 'geographical strategic partners.' I guess Monkey and I could be considered the last kind," he said without changing his expression.

"Besides, if I bury myself in deciphering the code, not only will I have to go through various procedures, which will be time-consuming and laborious, but most importantly, based on my experience, I am likely to cause more and bigger troubles during the investigation."

“Someone like me,” Xu Xuan pointed to himself, his tone carrying a strange self-awareness, “must be quick and decisive when faced with trouble. The deeper you get involved, the more detailed your investigation, the bigger the problems that will often arise.”

"Look at us now, it might just be a problem with the poppy field. But if we investigate further, a few days later a resentful spirit of a black horse might emerge, and a few days after that, a powerful man with double pupils carrying a halberd might crawl out of the ground... Just thinking about that scene gives me a headache."

"Therefore, the most efficient way is to skip all the tedious solution process and go directly to the person or monkey most likely to know the answer, and ask for the answer directly!"

Shi Wang nodded instinctively, indicating that "the hall master is wise and thoughtful."

But as soon as it nodded, it realized something was wrong and shook its heavy stone head violently, making a creaking sound.

No! My point isn't about the efficiency of the process revealed in "The Story of Poppy"!
My question is, your relationship with that monkey, Huai Shui Huo Jun, shouldn't be at all to the point where you can so easily 'rely on a friend'?

(End of this chapter)