Past Events and Yang Ning

How many families did Wushen Mountain bring back?

These words silenced the other larks who had been overjoyed.

After a long pause, they finally answered, "Your Highness... of the thousand, not one remains."

"Most of them died under the Human Emperor Sword. A few were saved, and Wushen Mountain also provided treatment, which saved many people. However, the True Lord kept telling us not to trust Wushen Mountain, saying that Wushen Mountain had great ambitions and that these small favors were just to win people's hearts."

The larks hesitated, then said, "Moonlit Lady, we..."

Shen Shuibi shook her head and spoke to them in a rare, calm tone:

"Don't think too much. Just stay here. Wushen Mountain has its plans, but it won't harm you. It's safer here than outside."

"Mmm-hmm." The larks nodded repeatedly.

Then, as they continued their journey, they began to tell Shen Shuibi about their experiences at Wushen Mountain.

However, these were all trivial matters, and as Shen Shuibi listened, she began to drift off.

This time, however, when my mind wandered, it wasn't the usual divination, hexagrams, methods, or Yin-Yang trigrams that popped into my head.

Rather, it refers to the final scene at Mount Luofu in the past.

Initially, Mount Luofu was suddenly attacked.

Four high-ranking Perfected Person arrived, knocked on the door, read out the imperial decree, and accused Mount Luofu of concealing the truth.

The Sun Moon True Lead Cauldron was enraged and was about to punish these few Perfected Person, but at that moment, the Human Emperor Sword fell.

The Human Emperor, like the Witch Gods, was of the first rank.

Moreover, it is far superior to other first-class items.

The reason is quite simple: just like the three major Dao Lineage of Shaman Path —prayer, ancestor worship, and divination— Human Path also has similar branches.

One of them is to gather the strength of the masses for one's own benefit, which is the 'official position'.

As long as one is appointed to a certain official position, one can immediately be promoted to the corresponding rank and gain the corresponding Divine Ability.

As for the path to officialdom, all you need to do is live up to your position and fulfill your responsibilities.

In other words, it only requires wisdom and administrative ability, which can effectively make up for the weakness of the Tang Kingdom in the combat power of local officials.

However, there are actually only a limited number of official positions. Official positions are not something that can be easily created. It's similar to a Gundam. Anyone can fly it, but Gundams can also be damaged, and there are manufacturing costs.

Besides the official system, Human Path also has its own path to advancement. One can cultivate oneself without becoming an official; this path is known as the Hundred Arts of Human Path.

Medical School, Confucianism, agriculture, miscellaneous schools, and Military School —these are all aspects of the myriad arts of Human Path, and one can still advance in rank, possessing unique abilities without relying on official positions.

However, these cannot be considered as the Dao Lineage, but only as different branches and lineages of Human Path.

What would it be like if a cultivator who follows the path of Human Path and all arts also holds a corresponding official position?

The answer is that he can possess power several times greater than that of ordinary cultivators of the same level.

A fifth-rank Human Path Military School strategist, who was also granted the title of fifth-rank Ranger General.

Any other Dao Lineage besides martial arts would suffer a great loss when confronting him head-on.

Martial arts are also difficult to fight, because in a direct confrontation, martial arts might be evenly matched, but Human Path has many Divine Abilities, unlike those barbaric warriors.

This is the strongest form of Human Path.

The Human Emperor was just like that.

He was not only a first-rank sage, but also held an official position specifically for him.

His name is 'Heavenly Policy General'.

There are only four first-rank official positions in the entire Human Path system.

The Grand Tutor, Grand Protector, and Grand Commandant are known as the "Three Dukes," and then there is the "Heavenly Policy General," a first-rank official position exclusively belonging to the Emperor.

His first-rank official position, coupled with the emperor himself, made him the top first-rank official of the time, with no rivals.

There is no one in the entire world who can defeat him.

It would take at least two powerful figures of the same level to stop him.

Moreover, he also possesses a second-grade Law Treasure, the Human Emperor Sword.

This surprise attack on Mount Luofu was a move made remotely by the Human Emperor.

To be precise, it was the Human Emperor Sword that took the initiative to attack, empowered by the Emperor's Law Power.

After all, the Human Emperor Sword is actually a second-grade existence with its own thoughts, and it is no less powerful than the Sun Moon True Lead Cauldron.

At this moment, the Emperor's Law Power was also being used to support them.

Therefore, when that sword light descended, it wiped out all the defenses of Mount Luofu Heaven in just an instant.

Those usual formations, natural barriers, Mount Luofu, which was said to be impenetrable even to several second-rank experts...

That is Mount Luofu, which is surrounded by thirty-two heavens, with each heaven being a Fourth-Rank World.

It was wiped out with a single sword strike.

The Sun Moon True Lead Cauldron immediately tried to block the Human Emperor Sword. The two second-grade Law Treasure clashed head-on. It was thought that they would be evenly matched and entangled, but in the end, the Sun Moon True Lead Cauldron was pierced through in just three breaths.

The Great Dao he controlled was severed in two, and the sun and moon in the eight million worlds covered by the Great Dao of the Sun Moon True Lead Cauldron all fell down.

Countless heavens and earth wailed in despair. The great Dao of the sun and moon was severed, its rules ceased to exist, and the sun and moon could no longer function, naturally falling to the ground.

Even the sun and moon in the sky seemed to sway.

The Emperor did not personally intervene, but merely provided Law Power to the Human Emperor Sword.

But it was precisely these enhancements that Human Emperor Sword to easily sever a Law Treasure of the same grade.

But the Sun Moon True Lead Cauldron still held on for three breaths.

This gave Lady Luofu enough time to save as many people as possible before burning the last reserves of Mount Luofu and fleeing towards Wushen Mountain.

Shen Shuibi saw it at the time.

The Human Emperor Sword did not pursue, but left directly, for reasons unknown.

She was also surrounded by the fifth-rank officials who appeared afterward, and was also affected by the aftershocks, resulting in extremely serious injuries.

Then Lady Luofu took them all away and fled.

Several high- Perfected Person of the third rank began to give chase.

After a day and a night of fierce fighting, Lady Luofu was severely injured, and the will of the Sun Moon True Lead Cauldron was almost extinguished. Only then did they finally arrive at the territory of the Wushen Mountain.

Even Lady Luofu couldn't hold on any longer, Shen Shuibi took the initiative to drop down and disperse the pursuers.

Many others chose to leave and no longer escape with Lady Luofu.

The casualties were heavy.

Fortunately, at this moment, Zhu Fengdan... that is, the Great Shaman, suddenly appeared and drove back several Perfected Person.

Lady Luofu also took the opportunity to hide herself and went into hiding.

At that time, Wushen Mountain realized the situation of Luofu Cave-Heaven and then began to search for Lady Luofu.

It wasn't until six months later that Li Qi's matter came to light.

At this point in her recollection, Shen Shuibi suddenly murmured to herself, "Li Qi..."

"Huh? What did you say, Your Highness?" The larks tilted their heads and looked at Shen Shuibi.

"Oh, it's nothing." Shen Shuibi shook her head.

Her sense of time was described by others as 'more like that of a plant'.

To the other fourth and fifth graders in Mount Luofu, Shen Shuibi was basically just a moving flower or plant.

Someone once saw her squatting in one place, lost in thought, and then she didn't move for fifteen years.

She would often fall into deep thought, and a single moment of contemplation could last at least a week, or even several years. If it weren't for her Immaculate Body, which would never be tainted by dust or dirt and would remain forever clean, it's unimaginable what she would become...

Perhaps it is precisely because of this slow-paced life, where even the smallest things require years of contemplation, that Shen Shuibi still maintains her dazed appearance.

This is a good thing in peacetime.

But now, it might not be considered a good thing...

Shen Shuibi gritted her teeth.

In the previous two years, she had seen more things than in the previous thousand years.

She was born immortal. As the Essence of Taiyin nurtured by the Sun Moon True Lead Cauldron, she had almost never been in contact with the outside world and had always been leisurely studying what she liked.

Without a doubt, that period was happy and innocent. Under the protection of Lady Luofu, she spent many wonderful years of her life.

There are no burdens; you can simply do whatever you like.

But things are different now.

I need to grow up too.

Li Qi taught her a lot.

But she needs to work even harder and can't always delegate things to others like before.

She had to shoulder part of the burden of Mount Luofu and support the family for the rest of the household before the Your Highness woke up.

Just like what Yang Ning is doing now.

This was unfamiliar to her, but Shen Shuibi had already made up her mind to do it.

The Your Highness once said that she had grasped the true meaning of 'freedom'.

Now... let's abandon 'carefree'.

Previously, it was the Your Highness who provided her with the freedom to live a carefree life.

Now it's her turn to do it.

The nearly two years she spent with Li Qi were the time she experienced the most of the worldly affairs, and it also made her understand what responsibility is.

Moreover, she now has an even stranger feeling.

It's like...

It's hard to describe, but there's a sense of urgency, as if something is urging me to move forward.

This made Shen Shuibi feel even more distressed.

But she herself couldn't figure out where this feeling came from.

However, Shen Shuibi soon arrived at the cave abode.

Within the cave abode, there are several portals to other celestial realms.

Although this sacred peak covers an area of fifty li, it is still not enough to accommodate the remnants of Mount Luofu.

Therefore, Wushen Mountain brought over several grottoes for them to live in.

Upon arriving here, the larks all said to Shen Shuibi:

"The True Lord Chi Qi is in the cave abode ahead. The heat there is too intense; we will get injured if we get too close. Your Highness, you should go there yourself. He is just ahead."

Shen Shuibi nodded, knowing that what they said was true.

Yang Ning needs to draw upon the power of the Great Sun True Yang to heal her injuries.

The radiation from the Great Sun True Yang was too much for these little larks to bear.

Besides... I doubt they would dare to see Yang Ning, given her bad temper.

The larks dispersed.

Shen Shuibi then walked alone into one of the caves.

Upon entering, one finds oneself surrounded by nothingness, devoid of any living beings, and even lacking air.

Within the grotto, there was only one great sun.

It must be a small world specially made by Wushen Mountain, in which only one sun is placed.

Upon arriving there, one is immediately struck by the sudden, intense heat of the clear weather, the long, scorching flames, and the oppressive heat.

Suffering terribly, throughout the entire universe, Blood Qi and qi clashing wildly, nose and mouth burning with thirst.

It sets off a blazing fire, scorches the sun, burns the Dantian, and boils the sea, causing golden flames to surge and waves to roll.

It really is:

A red sun rises from nothingness, illuminating the distant, obscuring sky.

The true fire in the heavens cannot be extinguished; it scorches all things and gives them their radiance.

This sun is very small, with a radius of only 200,000 miles, making it a tiny speck among suns, yet it is still incredibly enormous.

After all, it's the sun, so it's normal for it to be large.

Shen Shuibi also seemed very uncomfortable here, but since she was relatively far away and had recovered to the eighth rank, she could endure it for a while.

Just as she arrived here, in the far, far distance from the sun, solar prominences suddenly began to erupt.

The sun was caught in violent fluctuations. This Great Fire with a radius of two hundred thousand miles began to become active. A bubble erupted from below the sun, and in the chromosphere, a red ring appeared with bright red flames dancing on it.

This single ring is thirty to forty thousand miles long.

A reddish cloud-like aura appears beside the sun, resembling a crown or earring; this is called a sun prominence.

The entire solar prominence expanded rapidly outward, shooting out into the void for a full 100,000 miles, before being pulled back by the gravity of the great sun and falling back onto the sun's surface.

Such prominence eruptions continued for four or five times.

Then, within that great sun, the largest solar prominence to date suddenly erupted!

A large amount of solar material was propelled 150,000 miles into the air by the force of the impact below!

At this distance, the sun's gravity could no longer hold back the extremely fast-moving solar matter, and these prominences, carrying countless balls of fire, flew into outer space.

However, at that moment, a crimson-gold bird with a wingspan of tens of miles took flight amidst the countless flames, its speed suddenly increasing as it flew towards Shen Shuibi!

The large bird had crimson-gold feathers and was surrounded by a red halo. Its radiance was dazzling, like a second sun!

It's simply:

The crimson light scatters, revealing azure clouds, illuminating all living things in their myriad forms.

The great sun burns with boundless light, golden feathers flutter at dawn, approaching the might of heaven.

Baking Furnace hangs in the azure sky, its serene glow pervading the vast universe!

In space, the Golden Crow grew smaller and smaller, gradually becoming only a little over a mile in wingspan.

But instead of decreasing, her speed increased, drawing a golden line through the pitch-black space, as if she were dragging the sun along with this golden line.

Her acceleration increased rapidly, and in no time she arrived beside Shen Shuibi.

When they arrived at Shen Shuibi, the giant bird had grown to more than a person's wingspan, melted into a ball of light, and then reshaped into a human form.

Her long, golden-red hair was glowing, with a flowing halo around it.

Her fair wrists were adorned with golden bracelets, and three hairpins adorned her head. She was surrounded by red light from all sides, riding on colorful clouds.

She wasn't wearing a long skirt, but rather a practical and easy-to-move-in outfit, a style commonly seen among the Tang Kingdom knights-errant.

She was beautiful and had sharp eyes.

Shen Shuibi's eyes droop slightly, giving her a gentle and delicate first impression.

Yang Ning, on the other hand, has high-set eyes and a proud demeanor, making her look like someone full of vigor and vitality.

When she finally stopped, the glow in her hair gradually faded, and it turned into ordinary long black hair.

She landed next to Shen Shuibi, intending to say something, but noticed that Shen Shuibi was somewhat different from before.

In the past, the rabbit was always immersed in its own world, so it always seemed to be in a daze.

But now, although Shen Shuibi is still frail, there is a hint of determination in her eyes.

"You... how did you become like this?" Yang Ning raised her eyebrows, her expression somewhat surprised.

I need to take a day off from work tomorrow because I'm going to the hospital.