Each of the nine dragon maidens possesses extraordinary abilities.

The shards of blade and fragments of armor transformed back into arrogance. She panted as she watched Lu Yueyuan's retreating figure, barely managing to keep up.

She stepped on his shadow.

At that moment, she suddenly remembered the conversation Wen Ciji had with her back then. So that's what she meant... There is no such thing as a fellow traveler. He will only move forward without hesitation. No matter how you chase after him, in the end you can only step on his shadow.

Sigh, I should turn around and leave, but there's nothing I can do. He has a godlike aura about him.

Arrogance hurried a few steps to catch up, looking at Lu Yueyuan's profile. He looked like a knight rescuing a princess, with the dragon's corpse right behind him, yet he didn't turn his head.

I don't know what he's thinking; his heart is an abyss of utter darkness.

Perhaps one day he will confide in someone else, but I think that person is most likely not her.

Back on the immortal ship, Mo Zhiyan in Lu Yueyuan's arms was already fast asleep. Removing the bloodline curse was a painful process; she had endured the pain to finish the peach. Lu Yueyuan settled her in her room before coming out. Pride and Jealousy stood at the bow, watching him. The surrounding area was faintly cracking, revealing the original appearance of the underground passage.

Lu Yueyuan said, "Go and see where all the disciples of the Zhiyan Clan are. Save as many as you can."

Qing Zai Shan chose to launch a surprise attack, and it was unknown whether she would be ruthless towards the disciples of the Zhiyan Clan. Lu Yueyuan stood at the bow of the ship, deep in thought. Although dealing with Mo Zhiyan was easier than expected, it was largely thanks to Qing Zai Shan's sneak attack. Lu Yueyuan had just fought her, and she had exhausted much of her essence, even more than Ming Huaiwei, which was why he had been able to do so easily.

An eye for an eye. Mo Zhiyan may be relieved, but Qing Zaishan probably won't be. With the commotion she caused, it will be difficult for Lu Yueyuan to get rid of her quietly.

The celestial ship sailed around the empty ley lines, but apart from dead souls and mechanical constructs, there was not a single person, not even a corpse.

Lu Yueyuan frowned: "Something's not right."

The reconnaissance artifacts had already been deployed, but there was no one in the entire ley line. Tiger Head was about to give up, so Lu Yueyuan had no choice but to activate the immortal boat and evacuate from here.

Outside, there are signs of war.

The shattered formation left all three of Youzhou's divine agents severely injured and lying on the ground. The Ghost King was even embedded in the nearby stone wall, his blood seeping into the cracks, and he was barely clinging to life.

Lu Yueyuan scanned the items one by one and asked the Holy Emperor, "What happened?"

The Holy Emperor sighed and replied, "That strange power obscured my vision. I'm sorry, I didn't see it."

Lu Yueyuan murmured, "Qing Zaishan has this kind of strength? He can deal with the highest-level combat force in Youzhou without breaking a sweat?"

The Holy Emperor said, "Not only that, my connection with the three gods of Youzhou has disappeared." At this moment, even the Holy Emperor became serious: "The three gods... have disappeared. All that remains here is their destroyed divine essence."

Lu Yueyuan stood there motionless, his divine essence shattered. He had never heard of such a thing before; gods should never die.

He checked the condition of each person and quickly understood the Holy Emperor's meaning. So that's how it was. It wasn't death. Qing Zai Shan had used a strange method to seize the connection between the three gods and the three agents.

But this is also surprising. The three gods are not three pigs that can be seized so easily. They are different from the Holy Emperor. The reason why the agents are difficult to deal with is because the gods behind them may intervene at any time. But judging from the outcome of the battlefield, the three gods did not intervene. They were indeed captured by Qing Zai Shan, just like three pigs.

Qing Zaishan's goal from the very beginning was to target the three gods of Youzhou.

Lu Yueyuan said, "This is a trap. She used Mo Zhiyan as bait to lure me in, so that I would be separated from the Three Gods of Youzhou and the Ghost King."

So, Qing Zaishan must also have those memories from Lu Yueyuan's simulation. Her meticulous planning is not something that can be explained by just one playthrough.

What exactly is the power of history...?

On the other side of the Immortal Boat, Jealousy knew the seriousness of the situation and was too nervous to speak, while Arrogance stayed by Lu Yueyuan's side, also checking the situation on the battlefield.

Ding, ding, ding, the bells in the sky outside rang out again.

As the celestial ship ascended, Lu Yueyuan, through the Holy Emperor's perspective, clearly saw the entire panorama of Youzhou at that moment.

Mist.

Thick fog enveloped Youzhou, directly shattering the great formation previously established by the three agents of Youzhou.

Fengdu Ghost Palace.

Bei Feng invited Lu Yueyuan, Arrogance, and Jealousy to sit down, and she brewed spiritual tea for each of them.

The three agents and the Ghost King have already been sent for treatment, and their condition is not optimistic. The murderer aimed to cripple them, so their spiritual sea meridians have been severely damaged. In the short term, they will be unable to participate in the battle.

“The situation has worsened,” Bei Feng sighed. “I just received news that there are actually spies from the Demonic Sect inside the Ghost Palace of Fengdu. Now that Youzhou is in chaos, they are taking advantage of the situation to commit evil deeds, burning, killing, looting, and even ransacking our medicine storehouse.”

Bei Feng's room was exactly as Lu Yueyuan remembered. He even saw the bed he had lain on during that reincarnation. No wonder he could smell the fragrance of flowers back then; there were flowers growing right next to him. Lu Yueyuan picked up the spiritual tea and took a sip. Actually, the situation was worse than Bei Feng had described. He had lost all contact with the Langya Gang in Qingzhou.

"What should we do next?" Bei Feng asked.

"Listen to me?" Lu Yueyuan asked rhetorically.

“I don’t really understand anything. All I can do is support my husband. Now that my husband is unconscious, I can only trust you. I can feel that you are full of goodwill towards us,” Bei Feng said. She took out a token from her storage ring and pushed it to Lu Yueyuan.

"what is this?"

“My husband was able to become the Ghost King, standing on equal footing with the three agents, not because of his own strength, but because of this trump card—a magical artifact passed down through generations of his family, which they would never use unless absolutely necessary,” Bei Feng said. “You are an agent of the gods, so you must know that every god, even a nature god, has their own divine artifact…”

“The divine artifact of the True Self Emperor,” Lu Yueyuan said.

“Yes… It is said to be the artifact of the True Self Emperor, but it is actually just a fragment. The True Self Emperor is a nature god. In the Twilight Era, the Eternal Annihilation Holy Emperor shattered His artifact, but did not seal the fragment. My husband’s ancestor obtained this fragment,” Bei Feng said. “However, using this fragment comes at the cost of one’s lifespan, so my husband will never use it unless it is absolutely necessary.”

"So you're letting the gods' agents use that artifact that shortens lifespan to save your Youzhou!?" Arrogance suddenly said angrily, she really couldn't stand it anymore.

"It won't harm his life. Before giving it to you, I will bind it to the artifact, and the only thing I'll pay is my life." Bei Feng looked at Arrogant and smiled gently.

Arrogance was immediately rendered speechless, and his posture became uneasy. At this moment, Lu Yueyuan said, "The Ghost King is my elder brother. I promised him that I would not let you get hurt."

Bei Feng smiled and said, "A promise is a heavy thing, but my promise to him comes before your promise to him. I fled from Qingzhou, and he saved me. We swore long ago that we would live and die together. If Youzhou falls and my husband dies in battle, I will not live alone. Since that is the case, I might as well let my life have its final value. The Ghost Palace of Fengdu is not afraid of death; we dance with death."

The token was pushed in front of Lu Yueyuan. It was a token bearing the character for "death," with a slight reddish tinge in one spot. Lu Yueyuan, using his Holy Emperor powers, could clearly see that it was already bound to Bei Feng's life. Lu Yueyuan looked up and could only see Bei Feng's serene smile.

“Reversing the situation cannot be achieved by sacrificing anyone’s life. Death is easy; one can die in a fit of passion. But a bad situation cannot be reversed,” Lu Yueyuan said. “What we need to do is not to die in a fit of passion, but to calmly analyze the situation between ourselves and the enemy, gather our strength, find a breakthrough point, and turn the losses around little by little.”

"Child, what do you want me to do?"

"The Ghost King and his three agents are seriously injured, and the Ghost Palace in Fengdu is in chaos. If you also die, the largest power in Youzhou will collapse. So please don't say the word 'death' lightly. What you need to do now is to consolidate the strength of the Ghost Palace in Fengdu and make the remaining loyal followers of the Ghost King stand firmly on your side. The Demonic Sect is just taking advantage of the situation to run rampant. They don't have high-end combat power, and there are still many people who believe in the Three Gods. As long as you gather your followers, the Demonic Sect will be wiped out sooner or later."

“However, we have no way to deal with the ancient bell and the mist; those things have sealed off the entire Youzhou,” Bei Feng said.

"When I came back, I already analyzed it. That thing is a microcosm of the mastermind's power. She controls some kind of power and combined the remnants of the Netherworld with her own power to create this ancient bell. Now the entire space of Youzhou is sealed off, and the Demonic Sect can't contact the outside world, which is why they're causing trouble. This is actually a good opportunity for us to uproot this cancer. As for the mastermind, I already know who it is. She's most likely already in Qingzhou, since she's already absorbed almost all of the earth's veins there. That's her goal," Lu Yueyuan said.

"But now, you can't get out either."

"Don't forget, I am a divine agent, I naturally have a way to get out."

"If what you're saying is true, then Qingzhou has already been attacked. Do you have any support outside?"

“This mastermind’s plan was both precise and ruthless. To be honest, I’m no longer confident that I can defeat her without taking any damage,” Lu Yueyuan said. “The worst-case scenario is that when I arrive in Qingzhou, she will have already wiped out the Langya Gang, and the Jiuyi Sect will also launch a siege against me under her misleading influence. If that’s the case, then I will have to face it alone.”

"Then what should we do?" Bei Feng asked.

"I am prepared. I have people outside who trust me unconditionally. In short, if I lose, I will not commit suicide. I will hide in a safe place and look for an opportunity to fight back. At worst, it will become a protracted war. But no matter what, I will not let her have her way."

“Child, what have you been through? I see a pale flame burning in your heart... What kind of suffering has turned you into this?” Bei Feng thought of the Ghost King. The Ghost King had also experienced layers of plots and hardships, but he was far less resolute than Lu Yueyuan.

Even the Ghost King has moments of weakness and desire to escape. On many dark nights, he repeatedly told Bei Feng that they should run away, escape to somewhere no one knows them, and live the life of immortals. It was Bei Feng who persuaded him to persevere. That's how people are; even the strongest person has moments of vulnerability.

“I haven’t experienced any hardships. On the contrary, I’ve been very lucky and have had people help me along the way,” Lu Yueyuan said. “You don’t need to investigate me. You just need to know that my agreement with Fengdu Ghost Palace has not yet been fulfilled. Since that’s the case, I can’t stop.”

“But child, have you ever considered that the mastermind behind this might already know what you’re thinking, and she’s waiting for you in Qingzhou?” Bei Feng said.

Lu Yueyuan returned the token: "Then I'll be very happy. We'll definitely fight, but maybe this is a good opportunity for me to understand the other side."

Bei Feng remained silent. She sensed Lu Yueyuan's resolve and retracted the token. In truth, she sensed something more. Lu Yueyuan harbored a longing for the mastermind behind the scenes, like a child who, bored and playing house for too long, surrounded by a bunch of puppets, suddenly sees a living person walk past them and excitedly invites them to play.

“I also want to do something to help you,” Bei Feng said.

Lu Yueyuan said, "There is indeed something I need your help with. Please grant me access to all the resources of Fengdu Ghost Mansion. The mastermind behind this knows me very well, so I must be fully prepared, which requires your resource support."

"No problem, use whatever you want. It's better than having it taken by the evil cult."

“There’s one more thing I’d like to ask of you,” Lu Yueyuan said. “These two are the people I trust most. I can’t guarantee that the mastermind won’t ambush me at the entrance, so I want them to stay. They can also help you quell the rebellion of the Demonic Sect and become your right-hand men.”

Jealousy blinked blankly, unaware of what had happened, but Pride suddenly snapped to attention. Lu Yueyuan was about to abandon her again. She grabbed Lu Yueyuan's wrist and looked at him with pleading eyes.

But all she saw was that indifferent profile, not even a glance. Her throat felt terribly dry, and her hands trembled.

So-called transcendence will bring destruction, what a terrible change! Sister, never seek so-called love, it will destroy everything you have.

If love kills you a thousand times, ten thousand times, will there still be love? Your soul remembers his face, your body remembers the pain he inflicted, and then you're consumed by flames—what will be left?

Lu Yueyuan gently patted the back of Aoman's hand to comfort her, then he grabbed Aoman's wrist and made her loosen her grip little by little. Their hands fell together, like butterflies with broken wings, everything sinking into the abyss.

"I beg you to protect their safety," Lu Yueyuan said. "This is the only thing I entrust to you."

"I understand," Bei Feng nodded.

“Oh, right, there’s also…” Lu Yueyuan suddenly remembered something and said, “Please be patient. Don’t use the Azure Phoenix blood in your body just because the shadows of the Four Gods have just invaded. The world isn’t that bad yet, and it doesn’t need a woman to purify it.”

Bei Feng was slightly startled: "How...how do you know...?"

“You don’t need to worry, I won’t harm you. You may have forgotten that we met a long time ago. At that time, I received your kindness… It doesn’t matter if you don’t remember, as long as I remember, that’s enough. So it’s not just for the Ghost King, but also for myself, for my own still beating heart,” Lu Yueyuan said as he stood up.

“I will handle everything,” Lu Yueyuan added. “In the name of the Holy Emperor, the sun will still shine on the land of Youzhou.”

Chapter 114: The wind blows through the wheat fields, swallows fly south (1 words)

Lu Yueyuan walked barefoot on the stone ground.

Thick smoke billowed upwards, dark clouds gathered, and thunder roared.

Today was supposed to be a normal day, nothing unexpected, just another ordinary day. He was still the same mountain king, leading his friends on an adventure, when they saw the rolling, dark clouds of thunderstorms approaching, booming like a miracle.

And then another dark cloud approached, the two sides like gods clashing, and the aftershocks of the divine battle destroyed everything. Houses were shattered, wheat fields burned fiercely, mountains groaned, and the earth trembled. No one had ever seen anything like it. Superstitious elders knelt in prayer, villagers ran home in a chaotic frenzy, each family calling out their child's name, but who could escape it all? Flames burned, and cries and screams echoed together.

This is the scene of hell on earth. The only light is the lightning in the sky. At that moment, even the sun was blocked out.

Lu Yueyuan felt his memories were somewhat hazy. Where was he? The scene below was his shattered hometown, and he seemed to be standing on top of it.

Was he already dead? He was terrified, and then he realized that he was deep in the mountains nearby, and could only run barefoot in one direction.

A rumbling sound came from above: "People from Fengdu Ghost Mansion, you actually came to join the fun?! What's the point of fighting us here? If we attract the people from Jiuyi Sect, we'll all be in deep trouble!" "Hahahaha, who wouldn't want the guardian seedlings of Jiuyi Sect? Besides, I've had a long-standing feud with them, do you think I'm afraid of them? I'll not only beat them, but I'll also beat you bunch of scum from the demonic sect." The two sides roared at each other, causing the light to rumble loudly.

Lu Yueyuan felt like his eardrums were about to rupture. He was probably terrified and could only run downwards. His legs were numb with pain, and the surrounding darkness was terrifying. Tears streamed down his face, but he dared not scream. He could only run while crying.

The child has grown up and knows that he shouldn't cry out loud when he encounters danger, otherwise he will attract wild animals. But he is not yet grown up and desperately needs new light and warmth.

Lu Yueyuan felt his memory was fragmented; he couldn't remember how he got to the mountains. He only knew that when he saw the lightning strike, he was completely stunned. He saw his home destroyed, his parents perished in the flames, and his companions reduced to dust. This mountain bandit leader was powerless; his legs even gave way. It was that person who pulled him up from the ground. "Run!" It was Sister Yanzi; she practically dragged Lu Yueyuan along. Actually, Lu Yueyuan knew she was the core of their little group. He only came up with outlandish ideas, and she was always the one who cleaned up the mess.

She's a very responsible older sister, and she's also very beautiful.

Lu Yueyuan liked her very much.

What about the rest of his memories...? He couldn't remember them clearly. He probably ran until he passed out, and when he woke up, he was on the hillside next to him. The village was reduced to ashes, and Sister Yanzi wasn't there anymore.

He tumbled down the hillside, landing in the mud. He made his way down the mountain, right next to the village, now reduced to scorched earth. Where were the others? Where were the little stones? He got up and ran forward, tears streaming down his face.

"Waaaaaaahh ...

"Is anyone still here? Is everyone still here? Waaaaaah!!" Little Stone cried out in anguish, his cries growing fainter and fainter.

哭声真是痛苦啊，痛得陆跃渊心都纠起来了。其实，他知道小石头对自己的心意，他虽然还小，但又不傻，他们家刚退婚小石头就跑来找自己，什么意思还不清楚吗？可是，他虽然很喜欢小石头，但他更喜欢燕子姐啊。更喜欢就是更喜欢，没办法，他又不能多娶，他还问爹妈呢，能不能都要，结果被捆起来揍了一顿。

"I don't even know what you're capable of, yet you still want it all," his father said while beating him.

“That’s right, that’s right,” his mother chimed in from the side.

Okay, he can't have both. Lu Yueyuan is honest now, so he's decided to choose Sister Yanzi. He knows that Sister Yanzi has refused to marry for his sake and even argued with her parents. He should also take responsibility, shouldn't he? A real man shouldn't let women bear all the burdens.

But this would break Xiao Shitou's heart, and no amount of chicken legs or sweet potatoes could make up for it. When a girl's emotions run high, it's a different story; tears flow like a river. Lu Yueyuan had made Xiao Shitou cry before, just for fun, but when she actually cried, his heart ached. Oh dear, he felt terrible. Hearing Xiao Shitou cry made him sad too, and no matter how he tried to comfort her, it was hard to ease the pain. Sometimes, he'd barely uttered a word before Xiao Shitou's tears would start falling in a steady stream.

Boom! The commotion in the sky grew even louder, as if the gods were enraged. Lu Yueyuan fell into the wheat field beside him, clutching his leg in pain. This was karma; he always made Little Stone cry, and now he was crying himself. Tears streamed down his face as he angrily cursed upwards: "xxx, xxx." A torrent of profanities, as if using anger to mask his fear.

Little Stone's crying had stopped. Was she dead? Lu Yueyuan could hear his own heartbeat. He gritted his teeth and tried to get up, his face contorted with rage.

"I'm here..." Suddenly, he heard a voice, and miraculously, the pain in his leg disappeared. He got up.

Lu Yueyuan stood up and found that the scars on the ground beside him had disappeared, and a golden wheat field was radiating vitality.

In the middle of the wheat field, Sister Swallow stood there, her hair disheveled, dressed in a dress, looking as beautiful as a fairy from heaven.

She looked up at the sky, where light was falling.

Everything disappeared: the little stone's cries, the burning village, the divine power in the sky... Lu Yueyuan ran towards Sister Yanzi, enveloped in light and warmth, and he suddenly threw himself into her arms.

Sister Yan lowered her head, regained her composure, and patted Lu Yueyuan's head with a smile: "If you want to cry, then cry."

"I...I won't cry." Lu Yueyuan forced back his tears. "Sister Yanzi, it's so good that you're alright."

"No, I'm already dead... All of this is just a hallucination caused by your brain's protective mechanism. I really wanted to be with you, I'm sorry..." Sister Yanzi's tone turned sorrowful.

"What, Sister Yanzi, you...?"

"I'm so sorry..." she gently stroked his head, "I left you behind and made you face everything alone."

Is this some kind of joke? It's like a dream, where your lover tells you it's just a dream, and when you wake up, you have to part ways. Lu Yueyuan immediately burst into tears. He couldn't hold back anymore. All that talk about being a tough guy or a mountain king was just an act. All he wanted to do now was cry.

“Don’t cry, how can I bear to leave you like this… But dreams eventually end,” Sister Yanzi said.

"Then I won't wake up, I'll never wake up!" Lu Yueyuan cried out.