Chapter 376

Seeing that all the guests had arrived, Zuo Xuanliao, as the host, poured himself a cup of wine, stood up, faced everyone, and toasted:

"Jade Gate is short of resources and has nothing of note regarding its cuisine. We apologize for any shortcomings in our hospitality."

Today, four fragments of Great Beast have gathered together, a truly unprecedented event that happens only once every thousand years.

"General, you flatter us. Jade Gate is located in a desert region year-round, and the way the food is cooked is different from other places, giving it a unique flavor. Besides, if the General eats it, why can't we?"

"Haha, you're right, cheers!"

Amidst the clinking of glasses and the exchange of toasts, the banquet was in full swing.

After several rounds of drinks, Shi Lei, estimating that it was about time, proactively asked Chongyue a question:

"I Miss Ling that Chongyue will be in charge of my assessment. Now that we've eaten and drunk our fill, it's a good time to go out and find an open space to practice. What do you think?"

The test of whether he was qualified to seal the Year Sui Beast Sui Beast Fragment was simply a test of his strength. The simplest way was for the two of them to go out and fight.

If Shi Lei struggled even with just one-twelfth of the Sui Beast fragment, it will undoubtedly be even more difficult for him to face the Sui Beast's true form after the seal is broken.

"No, this test is not about martial arts. General Zuo and I have already discussed other things."

"Oh? Tell me about it."

If we don't compete in martial arts, then what should we compete in?

Zuo Xuanliao smiled, put down his chopsticks, and explained on his behalf:

"Mister Zhongli, you may not know this, but a massive Sandstorm Catastrophe stretching for tens of kilometers is expected to strike in the next two days. Even if Jade Gate were to operate at full speed, it wouldn't be able to avoid it in such a short time. Our discussion has led us to suggest that you be the one to withstand this Catastrophe. Of course, I know this request is somewhat unreasonable..."

Before he could finish speaking, Shi Lei readily agreed:

"This is not difficult, leave it to me."

Zuo Xuanliao was taken aback by what he heard, his age making it difficult for him to process. In his mind, there were very few strong individuals on this land who could single-handedly cope with Catastrophe.

Zhongli agreed too readily; if something goes wrong later, he might be embarrassed. Please help him cover for it.

"Jade Gate has encountered Catastrophe, and as the garrison commander, I naturally cannot stand idly by. If Mister Zhongli feels that resisting the Catastrophe is too difficult, I can provide personnel support."

"No need, I can handle it by myself."

Shi Lei had thought he was going to have a big fight with Nian's older brother, a battle that would be so intense it would darken the sky and obscure the sun and moon. But it turned out he was just asked to stop Catastrophe.

Minor issue.

With Shi Lei's demonic body, he is now a walking Catastrophe. If he wanted to, he could easily create a Catastrophe event.

Zuo Xuanliao spoke twice in a row, but the other party did not respond in the expected way, which left him speechless for a moment.

Chongyue smiled, easing the awkward atmosphere:

"Seeing Mister Zhongli's confidence puts my mind at ease. Once the matter is settled, I will certainly present you with a generous gift."

Ling's eyelids twitched upon hearing this, and she glanced at her elder brother somewhat unconsciously. She knew that the gift Chongyue had mentioned was the sword containing the consciousness of 'Shuo'.

Shi Lei, however, was unaware of this and assumed it was another instance of him trying to force a gift as a way of repaying a debt of gratitude. He had never been particularly interested in such things. Besides, he didn't currently have anything he particularly wanted, so he politely declined.

"No need for gifts. Just tell me how long until the Catastrophe reaches Jade Gate, and I'll take care of it then."

Zuo Xuanliao has the clearest data on this matter:

"According to the Catastrophe Messenger's report, the sandstorm will arrive at Jade Gate as early as tomorrow afternoon, or at the latest by noon the day after tomorrow. Mister Zhongli, I will send a general to assist you. You can go to the city walls and sand channels for on-site inspection as soon as possible to prepare for the Catastrophe."

Shi Lei of blocking sandstorms doesn't involve piling up sandbags like in the traditional way. Instead, he summons a large number of Rock Constructs to keep the sandstorms out. Investigating the city walls and sand channels is a complete waste of time and utterly unnecessary.

The most urgent task is to find Ya's hiding place. We should capture this guy and hand him over to the general's mansion.

"Thank you for your kindness, General, but I have my own way of handling things and there is no need to send officers to accompany me."

Upon hearing this, Zuo Xuanliao's lips curled into a fleeting, bitter smile. He assumed the other party had mistaken his assistance for covert surveillance. He then summoned his subordinates from the camp and brought out the carved token from the general's residence.

"With this item in hand, Mister Zhongli will be able to command troops and move freely throughout the city."

In truth, Shi Lei had absolutely no use for this thing. He didn't need to rely on outsiders when resisting Catastrophe, so he didn't need to mobilize his troops.

To save precious time, Shi Lei would fly over Jade Gate. Ground blockades and controls were meaningless to him; whether he had the token or not made little difference.

However, repeatedly refusing would be somewhat disrespectful. Shi Lei had no need of the token, but he accepted it nonetheless.

"Thank you for your kindness, General. It's getting late. I have some matters to attend to, so I'll take my leave now. I will appear when the Catastrophe strikes."

Seeing that he was about to leave, Zuo Xuanliao politely inquired:

"I wonder if Mister Zhongli has a place to stay now? If you don't mind, my humble abode can provide a few guest rooms."

"Yes, no need for the general to trouble himself. We've already booked rooms and will head back now."

Chongyue, who was also preparing to leave, extended an invitation:

"Which inn is Mister Zhongli staying at? Perhaps we can give you a ride along the way."

"I've forgotten, but I remember the way. Please."

"Please."

The group of six, bathed in moonlight, left the desolate general's mansion. Upon realizing they were going in different directions at a crossroads, they bid each other farewell and went their separate ways.

The two sisters, Nian and Xi, must remain with Shi Lei for now and should not reunite with Chongyue and their Ling Jie. If they give the Si Sui Tai people something to talk about, they will be impeached in court for plotting a rebellion.

Upon returning to You Jian Inn, Shi Lei immediately asked Texas to check out.

Years of tacit understanding allowed her to refrain from asking questions. She found the innkeeper and checked out.

The innkeeper knew that these were the same people who had been attacked that afternoon. If they continued to stay, it could easily cause trouble. So he processed their check-out and refunded their full rent.

Shi Lei checked out of the hotel not because he was worried about being ambushed by Ya again. Now that he was facing an enemy in the shadows, he needed to turn the tables and find his adversary.

To achieve this, you need to choose an inn closer to the city center. This way, you can spread your Psychic Power outwards and provide timely support should any disturbance occur.

Later, led by Miss Nian, the group arrived at Xing Yu Inn and booked four guest rooms.

Xi doesn't like living in places like this; she used to live inside paintings. Therefore, all that's needed is to book a guest room for Miss Nian and hang Xi's painting on the wall.

On the other side.

After parting ways with Shi Lei, Chongyue and Shi Lei walked slowly along the bluestone pavement in the city.

Now that there are no outsiders present, Ling can finally ask the question she didn't dare to ask this afternoon:

"Brother, what did the Grand Tutor say to you?"

Chongyue slightly raised his head, his heart illuminating the bright moon:

"He said that once a suitable person is found to entrust the sword to, the court will allow me to move freely within the territory of the Great Yan without any interference. Even if the people of Jade Gate do not know my identity or name, or even if I am no longer alive after my death, the records in the Si Sui Tai Library will remember everything I have done for the Great Yan."

Xi knew that her elder brother had never cared about such reputation, and felt that the Grand Tutor's promise was somewhat empty:

"By then, who will care about these things?"

Chongyue grinned wryly, looked at the familiar scenery of Jade Gate Pass around him, and shook his head with some regret:

"It's just a bit of a pity that I couldn't stay with this city until the very end."

Ling was about to speak when he suddenly frowned:

"Brother, can you smell the fragrance of flowers? This scent seems to be... peach blossoms?"

There shouldn't be peach blossoms in Jade Gate at this time of year.

The two immediately understood each other and stopped. After exchanging a glance, they turned back to look at each other.

A fragrant aroma, like moonlight, drifted through the window. Ya, holding Scythe Blade, floated in.

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Chongyue had seen the wanted criminal's portrait in the city and recognized him at a glance. It was the guy who had ambushed Mister Zhongli that afternoon and then fled in disarray.

The way Ya greets someone is by drawing his knife.

As the knife flashed, peach blossoms flew.

The knife fell, and the moonlight shone.

Chongyue stood in front of Ling and blocked the attack.

With just this one strike, he could tell that his opponent's martial arts skills were unfathomable, and asked in bewilderment:

"If you have such strength, why do you have to resort to such despicable means as a sneak attack?"

Ya glared at the man in front of her and snorted coldly:

"I also want to ask, you clearly have great power, so why did you choose to have this weak body?"

Upon hearing Chongyue, Chongyue immediately frowned. This meant that the other party knew that Shuo's consciousness was sealed within the sword:

"You know me?"

Seeing that the other party did not respond directly, Chongyue immediately called to his sister, wanting to join forces to attack this person:

"Make."

"Clear."

The brother and sister worked in perfect unison, and in an instant, countless summoned creatures named 'Xian Jing' appeared on the street. Each of them was dragon-shaped, baring their teeth and poised to attack.

Seeing this, Ya suddenly tucked the Scythe Blade into his waistband, seemingly preparing to slip away.

Seeing that the situation was very favorable, he grinned and said:

"You're quite amusing, aren't you? You think you can just come over, slash once, and leave so easily? Why not stay a little longer?"

Ya glanced over coldly and replied casually:

What will you offer me to keep me here? A dream?

He frowned, quite surprised. Doubts arose in his mind; he wondered who the other person was.

"You were actually able to recognize that this was a dream?"

"He divided himself into twelve, and this power was included in them."

This made Ling even more surprised, and he carefully examined the mysterious person with a male body and female appearance:

"You not only know me, but you also know Him?"

Here, "He" refers to the Sui Beast sealed within.

"I want to see Him; you are not Him."

"I am who I am, so why do you want to see Him?"

Ya looked around, not wanting to waste any more time:

"This Yellow Millet Dream cannot hold me back."

The fact that they could recognize Ling's abilities and easily escape from the dream suggests that the other party's identity is already obvious.

Great Beast, unlike Sui Beast!

The Great Beast within the Great Yan Kingdom were hunted down by the combined efforts of the Yan people a thousand years ago. The Great Beast that know the abilities of the Sui Beast are those Great Beast escaped from the borders back then!

"Hehe, it seems you are a friend from outside. Since you have decided to return to this chaotic world, it is inevitable that we will have to fight each other."

Ya Yi maintained his aloof expression and spoke:

"There is no distinction between inside and outside. I have always been here, living here long before despicable humans."

Chongyue adopted a defensive stance, attempting to persuade Chongyue to surrender.

"It's not a wise choice for someone to come looking for us alone. You have nowhere to run, so surrender!"

Ya ignored him and instead turned to look in the direction of the city center, as if sensing something:

"That troublesome guy is here again."

The next second, he drew his Scythe Blade. The blade flashed like the bright night sky, slicing open a Kouzi.

A strong fragrance of peach blossoms wafted out from the crack, gradually enveloping Ya's entire body.

Chongyue closed the distance and warned: