Journey to the West: Building a Celestial Empire Starting from Lion Camel Ridge

The third night of the rainy season.

The Howling Snow Wolves, who had slaughtered countless residents of White Bone Town under the command of the White Bone Demon, were reduced to ashes.

The shelter under Chen Ping'an's rule had two main pillars, Fan Qiming and Wanyan Liang, one dead and the other wounded.

......

After the snow wolf was killed by the energy cannon, the remaining demon soldiers, enraged by the death of their leader, lost their reason and charged forward with howling cries.

But under the attack of the arrow towers, such an action would only be suicide.

Before long, several corpses lay motionless in the pool of blood.

Huang He and Tao Fei felt their hearts sink the moment they saw the Howling Snow Wolf being killed.

But when Chen Ping'an looked again, the two had already disappeared into the darkness once more.

"So afraid of dying? You ran away really fast!"

Chen Ping'an felt quite regretful that he hadn't been able to kill the two men on the spot.

If you don't nip the problem in the bud, it will become a major problem.

But that's not the most important thing right now.

He instructed Liu Cheng and the others to leave the shelter and bring back Fan Qiming's body and Wanyan Liang's half-crippled body.

Inside the shelter, the air was thick with the smell of blood.

Fan Qiming's eyes were tightly closed, and his body, washed by the heavy rain, was already ice-cold.

Wanyan Liang was placed on the purification platform and only after a long while did he catch his breath, indicating that he was out of danger.

......

"Brother Fan, wake up! It's me, Little Tiger!"

"Brother Fan, open your eyes and look at me!"

"Brother Fan..."

Several children knelt beside Fan Qiming, wailing loudly.

Xu Yi, Zhou Cheng, and the others pursed their lips; although they didn't cry, their eyes were already red.

The rainy season will last at least several dozen more days.

Who will be the next to die?

Who can hold out until the end?

Chen Ping'an's thoughts were in turmoil.

He walked to the stone wall without saying a word.

Though he is gone, the nights we must keep watch over him must still be kept.

In the distance, swarms of bone demons have once again arrived in dense numbers.

Ali walked to his side.

She stretched out her cold little hands.

Their hands were clasped tightly together.

Behind them was a crowd of people weeping uncontrollably, and in front of them were a hundred ghosts walking in the night.

Perhaps, death is the dominant theme on the ruins.

To be alive is nothing but a stroke of luck.

Chen Ping'an thought to himself.

Just like Ali said at the beginning.

Sooner or later, they will all die.

The one who came today is just a general under the White Bone Demon. How many other experts does the White Bone Demon have under his command?

Unknown dangers, like the deep darkness of night, shroud the shelter.

......

After killing the Howling Moon Snow Wolf and a group of demon soldiers.

The latter half of the third night passed without further incident.

All eight arrow towers have been upgraded, giving the shelter greater confidence to continue its defense.

After daybreak, the group found a place to bury Fan Qiming.

The location was chosen not far from the shelter.

The tombstone was made of heavy black gold stone.

Wanyan Liang used his finger as a pen to carve a few words on it.

The Tomb of Fan Qiming.

He patted the tombstone, as if he were patting Fan Qiming on the shoulder.

I was about to say something when I choked up and ended up saying nothing.

Several children picked some white flowers from somewhere and carefully placed them in front of the tombstone.

Death is a bitter pill to swallow, but separation in life is always heartbreaking.

Xu Yi, Zhou Cheng, and the other young men who usually followed Fan Qiming in his cultivation practice chatted with Fan Qiming in front of the tombstone for a while, and their voices began to tremble with sobs.

Chen Ping'an wanted to say something to boost morale.

But he couldn't say anything.

He wasn't good at this kind of thing to begin with.

......

After returning to the shelter.

The atmosphere remained oppressive.

Everyone silently returned to their rooms.

Only Chen Ping'an and A Li sat on the stone wall.

Chen Ping'an found it hard to describe how sad he was, but it felt like a heavy stone was pressing on his chest, making it hard to breathe.

As the lord of the sanctuary, he could sense the emotions of all the residents at that moment.

Without exception, they were all filled with intense sorrow.

Even the few who had just joined the shelter were no exception.

But beneath that sadness, another emotion was surging.

They are trying to make the shelter better.

Brother Fan sacrificed himself, but the shelter is still here. His sacrifice was for us, and we cannot let him down.

Though he is gone, his spirit lives on.

"My lord, it's time to eat!"

The two sat on the stone wall for a long time.

The sound of a dog came from behind me.

Chen Pingan turned around and saw that the dog's eyes were red, but the food was already prepared.

Seeing that the lord had come down from the stone wall, he went and called out to each of them in turn.

During the meal, everyone remained silent, heads down, eating.

"My lord, I'm going to cultivate now."

Xu Yi put down his chopsticks and spoke first.

"My lord, I'll go too."

Zhou Cheng then continued.

"From now on, we will never be lazy in our cultivation again."

The two said in unison.

"Um."

Chen Ping'an nodded: "Go ahead, but remember, don't rush things."

As he spoke, he remembered those few heart-shaped plants.

He took one out and, using his magic as a knife, cut it in half.

"This is the heart of plants and trees; each of you should receive one, which will aid in your spiritual practice."

The two accepted it, feeling the abundant spiritual energy contained within, and a trace of joy finally appeared on their faces.

The grief is still there, but my mood has finally improved somewhat.

"Practice diligently, Brother Fan. He's watching over you from heaven."

Chen Pingan said gently.

The two accepted the Heart of Grass and Wood and nodded emphatically.

"My lord, I also wish to cultivate."

Zhao Gou'er walked over cautiously.

"Um?"

Chen Ping'an was somewhat surprised.

Zhao Gou'er is the head chef at the shelter, an excellent cook, but he has no interest in cultivation.

"You want to cultivate too? Really?"

"real."

Zhao Gou'er nodded, his voice muffled: "Originally, I always thought that all I needed to do was cook good meals for everyone and ensure logistical support."

"But Brother Fan's sacrifice made me understand."

"If we really want our shelter to become stronger, everyone needs to have power."

"But can you manage all that work on a daily basis?"

Chen Pingan pointed to the stove.

"I can manage."

Zhao Gou'er quickly said, "Lord, please take me with you to cultivate."

"When Brother Fan sacrificed his life, I... I couldn't help him at all."

"Tiger and the others have started cultivating, I... I can't fall behind."

As he spoke, Zhao Gou'er's voice grew softer and softer, and his face turned somewhat red.

"OK."

Chen Ping'an nodded and patted him on the shoulder.

"Starting tomorrow, you will begin your cultivation under the guidance of Brother Wanyan."

While pondering, he took out the jade slip containing the cultivation method "True Explanation of Yin Yang Five Thunder Refining Qi" from his bosom.

"Dog, go and fetch Brother Wanyan."

"Yes."

......

"My lord, is there something you need?"

"Um."

Chen Ping'an nodded and handed over the jade slip containing the cultivation technique.

"This is... a cultivation technique?"

"Take a look. Dog has never practiced cultivation before. I think it might be more suitable for him to practice this technique."

"Let me take a look."

Wanyan Liang channeled a wisp of his divine sense into it, and after a while, he opened his eyes.

A flash of lightning appeared in his eyes.

"nice one."

Wanyan Liang was naturally a discerning person.

"My lord, are you truly willing to let me guide this child in his cultivation?"

"Aren't you afraid I'll rebel?"

Wanyan Liang said sarcastically.

"Now that Brother Fan is gone, Brother Wanyan, the cultivation in the shelter from now on will all depend on you."

Upon hearing this...

Wanyan Liang straightened up and respectfully cupped his hands in greeting.

"Rest assured, my lord, I've got it covered!"