The Four Paintings (continued)

But she only took half a step back, then stubbornly dragged her foot, refusing to push any further. With a strong will, she resisted the biological instinct, her ten fingers clenched until they turned red. She struggled to raise her head, facing Xiao Xuan directly, unwilling to show weakness.

"... Good eye."

Xiao Xuan quickly withdrew his imposing aura, causing Murong Qing sway, but she had exerted too much force and almost fell forward.

"You have the qualities to become Grandmaster, but if those old fogies who occupy positions without doing any work aren't eliminated, you'll only repeat my mistakes and end up disgraced sooner or later. In today's environment, a smooth-talking hypocrite is more suitable to become Grandmaster than an upright gentleman, but that would be a compromise with evil, Non-Self want."

A true Grandmaster should be radiant and fearless, like the midday sun sweeping away all demons and monsters, like a sharp blade cutting through all conspiracies and treachery. Only darkness fears the light; there is no reason for the light to bow to darkness!

Xiao Xuan raised his voice, filled with unwavering courage and the spirit to fight against heaven and earth. His heroic spirit shook the clouds and dispelled all the dark clouds in the sky.

Despite the overwhelming momentum, He Qichang and the others were not intimidated. They did not feel any pressure on their hearts, but rather a feeling that was hard to describe.

Heart Moon Fox's eyes almost popped out of their sockets as she looked at Xiao Xuan. She had previously mocked the foolishness of those believers, but now her expression was no different from theirs. Such willpower was unprecedented among the Demon Race, which revered the Principle of the jungle.

In his previous life, when Si Ming read about the deeds of revolutionary martyrs, he could never understand what kind of spirit could support them in making such extraordinary feats. Now he finally understood that death alone could not frighten someone like Xiao Xuan.

"My life's goal is to ensure that young people like you, full of sunshine and hope, can smoothly inherit the Grandmaster without being framed by conspiracies. May my body serve as a cornerstone to solidify the Grandmaster."

After saying these words from the bottom of his heart, Xiao Xuan turned and left. Heart Moon Fox, as if waking from a dream, hurriedly followed, following closely behind him like a shadow.

After a moment of silence, Si Ming finally spoke, sighing, "This is the spirit of the Mohist School."

Murong Qing wore a complicated expression and said softly, "I don't know if what he did was right or wrong, but I know I have no right to judge whether it was right or wrong."

Just then, a voice came from the direction of the dock, full of boundless pride and passionate fervor.

"For ten years I've wielded the reins, my horse weary; the masses, climbing mountains like ailing monkeys. I feel the heavens are in turmoil, and I yearn to save the people with my bare hands. I raise my whip and boldly march to the Central Plains, not for enmity, not for gratitude. When the evil forces are swept away, the world is at peace, and from then on, there will be no more tears on earth!"

"Forget about what others think, let's do our own thing first. Saving lives is the priority right now. Thousand Leaves Island is isolated and can't get any outside help. The medical staff on the island alone probably can't handle the current situation. We'll help in whatever way we can," Si Ming suggested.

Murong Qing and the others had no objections. They had all taken medical classes and knew how to treat emergencies. Moreover, as martial artists, they were very familiar with human anatomy. They might not know how to treat "illness," but they knew how to treat "injury," such as bandaging, stopping bleeding, and bone setting.

When they reached the injured, they were surprised to find that the "stop the bleeding" step was unnecessary, because no matter how big the wound was, it was stopped by a magical force.

After careful observation, they discovered that it was a gel-like Primal Qi that, when applied to the wound, stopped the bleeding and simultaneously provided vitality to the injured muscles, preventing necrosis.

Since there is no subsequent replenishment, this Primal Qi will gradually dissipate, but it can at least last for one or two hours, which is enough time to take remedial measures.

Only Xiao Xuan could rescue over a thousand people at once.

Si Ming immediately thought of the True Qi Domain that Heart Moon Fox had mentioned. As long as the True Qi is extended outward, it can be manipulated for True Qi operations even without actual contact.

Of course, those who had already died, as well as those who had fallen and scraped their skin or had minor wounds, did not receive the help of "True Qi Mask".

What Si Ming and the others needed to do was help check for internal bleeding and perform simple bone setting and fixation.

He Qichang was the one who personally assassinated the cult leader, and Si Ming and the others were clearly his comrades. No matter how fanatical those believers were, they were not so foolish as to attribute their salvation to the gods and to believe that they were also messengers of the Primordial Ancestor Great Immortal —if the Primordial Ancestor Great Immortal had such ability, he should not have sent them to Shi Kelang.

Some people refused He Qichang's help, but He Qichang did not insist. He was not a saint and could not offer his help to those who were not welcome.

Even Murong Qing didn't persist in trying to persuade these people. She had a sense of justice, but not compassion. Although the two overlapped in some ways, they were not entirely the same. Just as chuunibyou (middle school syndrome) and sanctimonious hypocrisy are never the same thing.

After working for more than an hour, everyone was finally able to rest and recover their depleted internal True Qi.

"Hmm, He Qichang, what's that painting on your body?"

Si Ming noticed that He Qichang also had a scroll hanging from his waist.

"It was given to the 'Dharma King' by that charlatan cult leader. By the way, the 'Dharma King' is the guy I'm going to impersonate. There are four of them. They say it's some kind of prophetic painting. When it's presented, it's a blank sheet of paper. But when the ceremony is performed, a picture will appear on it. At that time, that charlatan cult leader will claim that it's a prophecy bestowed by the Primordial Ancestor Great Immortal," He Qichang said with a mocking tone.

Murong Qing said knowingly, "It is indeed a very common deception technique. I can think of three easy ways to achieve this using chemical reactions."

"The method is obviously deceptive, but the content of the drawing must have been prepared beforehand. I just don't know what he drew on it. Since it's a prophecy, it has to be believable."

Si Ming took the paper from He Qichang's waist and slowly unfolded it. He discovered that a pattern had appeared on it, and it was not a blank sheet of paper. After seeing what was drawn on the paper, he was immediately stunned.

Murong Qing noticed Si Ming's reaction and asked, "What's wrong? What's that you're drawing?"

Si Ming quickly turned to He Qichang and asked, "Did Shi Kelang say what the theme of these four prophetic paintings is?"

Noticing Si Ming's grave expression, He Qichang pondered carefully, "The Primordial Ancestor Divine Cult was able to deceive so many believers by relying on the theory of catastrophe. At the beginning of the ceremony, they proclaimed, 'An unprecedented calamity is about to descend upon the Sea Continent Mainland. The expansion of the demon tide is merely a harbinger of this calamity. In the future, there will be even more terrifying enemies, ten times more ferocious than Demon Beast.' Therefore, the theme of the prophecy is future disaster. What's wrong? Is there a problem? What exactly is depicted in this painting?"

"See for yourselves."

Si Ming unfolded the painting and placed it on the ground. Murong Qing, Liu Qingqing, and He Qichang peeked out and looked down. They saw that the painting depicted a huge monster made of plants and animal bones, as well as countless smaller monsters with the same structure, which looked like an army.

"Primordial Species!"

"How could this be!"

Murong Qing and He Qichang exclaimed in surprise, and even Liu Qingqing covered her mouth with her hand, showing a look of astonishment.

Si Ming hurriedly asked He Qichang, "Are you sure this painting was given to the person you were impersonating by Shi Kelang before today?"

He Qichang closed his eyes and recalled for a while, then nodded vigorously.

"Such a thing actually happened..."

Si Ming and Murong Qing glances, both incredulous.

Whether the painting was completed before today is not important, because the Primordial Species was only recently wiped out. Even if someone stole the painting when He Qichang wasn't paying attention, quickly finished it, and put it back, an hour would be far from enough time.

"Could it be that Shi Kelang has seen the Primordial Species in the past?" Murong Qing guessed.

"Impossible! If he knew about the existence of the Primordial Species beforehand, how could he have fallen for Senior Xiao's trap? He certainly wouldn't have summoned believers to perform the ritual, because he should have immediately associated the Primordial Species with the white crystals."