Martial Arts Longevity Begins with the Equipment Slot

Chapter 110 Calamity is Imminent, the Fifth Generation Holy Son

"Well----"

Chen Yu was somewhat embarrassed by the slap and didn't know how to react for a moment.

Seeing his expression, Nashida withdrew her hand and let out a disappointed sigh.

"Alright, alright, I'm not teasing you anymore. I called you Holy Son, and you're really putting on airs."

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"Since you're acting like a Holy Son, then shoulder the responsibilities of one. In the future, act with the Holy Fire Church in mind. Do you understand?"

Chen Yu's lips twitched slightly.

"I understand. Farewell, Grandma Na, take care on your journey."

Nashida said nothing more, turned around, and walked into the underground river tunnel, leaning on her silver snake-headed staff.

The indigo flames of the Netherworld slowly receded behind her, like a closed blue lotus flower, gradually swallowing her slender figure into darkness.

Chen Yu stood there, gazing at the darkness in silence for a long time.

After confirming that Nashida was not following him, he quickly left the stone palace.

Nashida walked slowly along the underground river tunnel.

I walked to the edge of the shallow beach where the red marrow stone was reflected, stopped, and looked back.

The crimson-gold light of the stone hall still flickered faintly at the end of the mine tunnel.

But it was too far away to hear anything from the other side.

"call!"

Nashida leaned her serpent-headed silver staff against the stone wall, squatted down, and scooped up a handful of water from the underground river.

The icy river water leaked through my fingers.

She looked at her face reflected on the water.

Young, beautiful, and charming.

Thinking of Chen Yu's expression when he faced that face just now.

She couldn't help but chuckle softly.

"What are you laughing at, Sister Na?"

A lazy, deep voice came from behind her.

Deep within the underground river tunnel, a crimson flame silently ignited.

Unlike Nashida's cold and gloomy Dark Flame, this flame was incredibly intense, like a pomegranate flower suddenly blooming in the darkness.

As the words faded, a tall figure slowly emerged from the flames.

It was a woman wearing a crimson cloak.

The hood of the cloak was pulled down very low, revealing only the lower half of his face.

With deep tan skin and a slight upturn at the corners of his lips, he exuded a nonchalant languor.

She walked to Nashita's side, raised her hand and pushed her hood back, revealing a thick head of dark chestnut curly hair and a pair of slender black eyes.

"You've been crouching in the dark for so long, aren't your legs numb?"

Nashida didn't look at her, but took out a handkerchief from her sleeve and slowly wiped the water stains off her fingers.

"It's numb, but not numb."

Anil threw her cloak back, crossed her arms in front of her chest, and leaned casually against the stone wall.

As she spoke, she looked Nashida up and down.

From her long, jet-black hair to her plump, firm skin, from her slender, upright waist to her youthful, radiant face.

A meaningful smile slowly crept onto Anil's lips.

"Sister, you've been touching my forehead and patting my cheek, and you even made me call you 'Sister Na'. How could I possibly bother you like this?"

"Nashida, it's true that your old face has become younger, but you're still seventy-nine years old at heart. How could you lay a hand on a young man in his early twenties?"

Anil was being sarcastic and unsettling, but Nashida remained unfazed.

She tucked the handkerchief into her sleeve, a faint hint of smugness flashing in her golden-green eyes.

"Who's the old face? I, the Dharma King, look younger than you right now."

"snort!"

Anil raised an eyebrow, knowing she couldn't win the argument, so she stopped pressing the topic.

"Okay! You're young! You're beautiful! You're amazing!"

Anil straightened up from the stone wall, walked to Nashita's side, and stood shoulder to shoulder with her, gazing at the surface of the dark river.

The faces of two women were reflected in the water.

She had long, jet-black hair, golden-green eyes, and a bright and elegant face.

The other had deep chestnut curly hair, long, narrow black eyes, and a sharp, wild profile.

Crimson and blue flames intertwine on the water's surface, creating a beautiful reflection that complements each other.

Anil gazed at her reflection in silence for a moment.

"Old Na, which holy child do you think he is the reincarnation of?"

Nashida pondered for a moment, then her expression became more serious.

"According to the Vatican's scriptures, there are a total of four Sons of God confirmed by divine decree."

"The first one, Ludick, whose hands burn with an inextinguishable holy fire, and wherever he goes, darkness vanishes."

"The second one is Nibant, who has a third eye mark between his eyebrows, which allows him to see through all illusions."

"The third one is Vina, who is accompanied by a sacred lion and can communicate directly with all living things."

"Fourth place, Gerald, the Shield Knight, is incredibly powerful, having fought over 30,000 battles in his career without ever being defeated."

"The characteristics of the four holy sons are unique, without any ambiguity."

"But he doesn't fit any of them."

As Anil spoke, she took a leather wine pouch from her waist, uncorked it, tilted her head back, took a swig, and then handed it to Nashida.

Nashida took the wine sachet and took a sip. Her voice deepened. "He had never practiced any techniques from the Sacred Flame system before, but when he first practiced the Sacred Flame Qi Induction Technique, the internal flame energy he generated showed no rejection reaction under the tempering of the Sacred Flame. This means that his original power system and the Sacred Flame system are compatible."

Anil turned her head to look at Nashita, the languidness in her dark eyes replaced by a deep contemplation.

"Compatibility? That's impossible."

"The Eastern Continent martial arts system and the Sacred Flame system are two completely different paths. Over the centuries, countless people have tried to cultivate both at the same time, but all of them ended up going mad with their cultivation."

"It's not necessarily that they cultivated at the same time; it's possible that the sacred fire automatically accepted him based on his original Eastern divine favor."

"The first explanation is that the Flame God and our Supreme God are different incarnations of the same deity, which is why the Flame God's fire and the Sacred Fire Qi-Inducing Technique can be perfectly matched."

Nashida could barely contain her excitement.

"Another explanation is that the great Ahura Hamiki chose him voluntarily! The sacred flame did not treat him as an outsider who needed to be transformed, but rather as a vessel that was already qualified."

"container?"

The word sounded particularly heavy amidst the sobbing of the underground river.

Anil was silent for a moment, crossed her arms over her chest, and narrowed her dark eyes slightly.

"But the Holy Son himself is merely a vessel."

"The four holy sons are all temporary vessels for the Supreme God in the human world. Their bodies, souls, and powers are all prepared to bear the arrival of the Supreme God."

"If he really is the fifth one—"

Anil didn't continue.

Nashida looked up, and their eyes met.

One was as cold as frost, the other as fiery as fire, but deep in their eyes surged the same thing.

That is the obsession that the Holy Fire Cult has never extinguished for thousands of years: the plan for the descent of the Supreme God!

Find the Holy Son, confirm the Holy Son, and welcome Ahura Hamiki to earth within the Holy Son's body.

The previous four generations of holy sons all failed.

Rudy was killed by the spears of the Dune Legion.

Nibant was burned to death by pagan priests in Loulan.

Vina disappeared in the State of Wei.

Gerrard died of old age.

Every Son dies before he completes his coming.

Each failure fueled the burning desire of the Holy Fire Church.

And now, a fifth possible container has appeared before them.

"If he really is that vessel,"

Anil spoke slowly, her voice becoming increasingly fervent.

"Then our plan can move to its final stage! We've almost found the ley lines, and most of the sacred fire has been retrieved. Next, we just need to set up the complete sacred fire altar and bring the container to the center of the altar —"

"Anil".

Nashida interrupted her, her tone suddenly turning somewhat cold.

"He's still just a child, he doesn't know anything. His inner fire energy has just condensed, and his power is still growing. Before we can confirm how much he can withstand, the Vatican is not allowed to send a single word."

Anil glanced at her, a look of surprise on her face.

"Sister, are you trying to protect him?"

As she spoke, she leaned forward slightly, her dark eyes locking onto Nashita's eyes at close range.

"What are you worried about? Are you afraid that those old fogies in the Vatican will treat him like a disposable container? Are you afraid that they will also treat him as a failure?"

"Or are you afraid he can't bear the consequences, afraid he'll end up like Ruddy?"

Anil paused, her voice suddenly softening.

"Sister, why do you care about him so much?"

"Of course I care. I must consider this carefully; this might be our only chance in this lifetime! The end is near, and the container absolutely cannot be compromised!"

After Nashida finished speaking, she turned and walked towards the fork in the road to the west.

"Let's go. I've already marked the location of the next sacred flame. Next, we should head to Haizhou. Hmm, how's the clues you've found there?"

"hehe."

Anil didn't reply, but simply followed closely behind her.

When Chen Yu stepped out of the cave entrance, it was already daylight.

The morning mist of Niutou Mountain surges up from the valley floor, casting a pale blue silhouette of the distant Eagle Beak Cliff.

Chen Yu was in high spirits. He stood in the morning light for a moment, then walked towards the valley entrance.

On the stone wall at the valley entrance, a young swordsman suddenly widened his eyes.

"Commander Chen! It's Commander Chen! Commander Chen is out!"

He finished yelling.

Behind the stone wall, in the tents, and in the wounded soldiers' shed, all the sword guards who could still stand emerged.

Fang Dachuan was the first to rush out.

"Commander, you're still alive! I knew you were still alive!"

Sun Feipeng jumped down from the stone wall, walked up to Chen Yu with a limp, and asked excitedly.

"You killed Li Tianlong in the cave, and the other Nine Black Wind Thieves?"

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Chen Yu nodded, his eyes calm and still.

The Nine Thieves of Black Wind were merely martial artists at the Bone Refining Realm.

I am now a noble Inner Qi Realm martial artist.

Things are different now. The so-called Black Wind Nine Thieves are now nothing more than pigs and dogs that Chen Yu can kill at will.

Everyone was deeply shaken upon hearing this.

They all believed Chen Yu was doomed, so no one dared to enter the cave to check.

It wasn't until the Nine Thieves of Black Wind hadn't emerged for a long time and the bandits of Black Wind Stronghold had scattered that they realized things had taken a turn for the better.

So they returned to the cave entrance and waited.

"Commander Chen, your subordinates have held the valley entrance as you ordered, and the stone wall defense line is intact."

Xue Linglong's voice came from behind the crowd.

Chen Yu looked at everyone and nodded: "You've all worked hard."

More and more sword guards surrounded them, asking all sorts of questions.

"Commander, you killed all the leaders of Black Wind Stronghold all by yourself?"

"I've heard there are fire monkeys in the caves, Commander, is that true?"

"Wow, Commander, you're still alive! That's amazing!"

"Did the commander deliberately lure them into the cave? Was it all part of your plan?"

'

"Alas! The ruler is great! No further words are needed!"

A constant stream of noise could be heard.

Chen Yu felt a headache coming on and raised his hand to stop the crowd's discussion.

He didn't go into the details of the cave, but simply issued a few orders.

"Okay, okay!"

"Pass down the order to take a headcount and prepare to evacuate Niutou Mountain."

The journey back took nearly three days.

Three days later, the team arrived at the Sword Casting Manor.

"Commander Chen is back!"

-

The guards at the mountain villa recognized Chen Yu and hurriedly went back to report.

Soon, the news of Chen Yu's return to the manor spread like wildfire from the mountain gate all the way to the council hall.

After entering the manor, Chen Yu dismounted, handed the reins to Ding Dangmao, and turned to walk towards the council hall.

After such a fierce battle, it was only natural to report to the young master first.

The council hall is located halfway up the main peak of Qinglan Mountain. It is a three-courtyard bluestone hall.

Nine steps lead up to the hall, with a majestic stone sculpture of a guardian beast standing on each side.

Chen Yu climbed the steps, intending to head towards the side hall where the young master of the manor usually conducted his daily business.

As they reached the corner of the corridor, they were stopped by an old deacon guarding the temple.

"Commander Chen,"

The old deacon cupped his hands in a respectful gesture towards him.

"The young master is not in the main hall today, but the master is reviewing documents in the side hall. Upon hearing that you have returned, he instructed that you may enter directly upon your arrival."

At this point, the old deacon paused, his tone carrying a hint of pride.

"For the past thirty years, the manor lord has never allowed anyone below the rank of hall master to enter directly. Commander Chen, you are the first person the manor lord has made an exception for."

Chen Yu nodded slightly, straightened his robes, stepped over the threshold, and entered the side hall.

The side hall was small, with bookshelves on all four walls, densely packed with scrolls and old files.

The setting sun peeked through the gaps in the carved wooden window, casting long, narrow streaks of light on the bluestone floor tiles.

The air was filled with the slightly bitter smell of aged paper, mixed with a very faint scent of ink.

A burly, bald man was sitting at a desk, flipping through a file.

The bald man wore a worn-out gray robe and looked more like an old monk who had spent most of his life buried in scriptures than the renowned owner of the manor.

But Chen Yu knew perfectly well that this bald man was Ye Qingcang, the master of the Sword Casting Manor, nicknamed "One Sword Splits the Mountain".

"Chen Yu, commander of the Sword Guard Hall, has returned from Niutou Mountain and pays his respects to the Master."

Chen Yu bowed his head and clasped his hands in a salute.

Ye Qingcang raised his eyes and sized up Chen Yu for a moment.

"I already know about what happened at Niutou Mountain."

"The Nine Thieves of Black Wind Stronghold have all fallen to your hands. You're really something!"

At this point, a smile appeared on Ye Qingcang's lips.

"I have been in the position of manor lord for nearly thirty years and have seen many exceptionally talented young people, but I have never seen anyone like you who has achieved such strength in less than half a year since you joined the sect!"

Chen Yu did not respond, nor did he show any smugness on his face. He simply waited quietly for Ye Qingcang to finish speaking.

Ye Qingcang did not continue speaking.

He pushed the file in front of him to the edge of the desk, gesturing for Chen Yu to get up and come closer.

Chen Yu stepped forward and found that it was a personnel file. The date on the cover was clearly visible, which was the day he entered the manor.

"When you entered the manor, the Foreign Affairs Office checked your background as usual."

Ye Qingcang's voice was as calm as still water.

"The records say that you were born into an ordinary farming family outside Wangjiang City. You lived with your distant uncle from a young age. When you were fourteen, your uncle owed gambling debts and sold you to a blacksmith shop in Wangjiang City as an apprentice."

"You spent ten years in the blacksmith shop, learning the basic iron-forging skills from Zhang the blacksmith. When you were twenty-four, Zhang the blacksmith passed away. After you paid off all the debts in the shop, you came to Sunset City alone to make a living. Later, you met Lu Xiaoyu and became an ironworker apprentice at our Sword Forging Manor."

He raised his eyes, his gaze shifting from the file to Chen Yu's face.

"The case file is written very clearly, but I always feel that something is not quite right."

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