Chapter 371

The former points to his failure to detect the movement of the Medicine Master's Legacy, allowing them to continue to grow stronger, while the latter points to his holding Martial Arts Ceremony immediately after experiencing a calamity.

Thinking about it this way, it's no wonder Jing Yuan acted so hastily. After all, under these circumstances, choosing to rest and recuperate wouldn't be enough to silence those who were dissatisfied. If he couldn't produce effective results, then he would truly lose his title as general.

"Anyway, those people have probably already done it. Can Jing Yuan be dismissed twice?" Jing Yuan smiled and shook his head. "Don't forget, if it weren't for Mr. Ai Yue's help, the disaster of Jianmu's rebirth alone would have been enough to severely damage the Luofu Xianzhou."

"Of course I understand the reasoning, that's why I'm praising you." Huai Yan smiled. "Not everyone has the courage to make such a decision. You did very well, Jing Yuan."

In Huai Yan's view, the title of general is not as important as the lives of his compatriots. Faced with a calamity that could cause heavy casualties in Luofu, choosing to act according to the rules in order to keep his position and ignoring the possibility of reducing casualties would be the real dereliction of duty.

"Elder Yan, you flatter me. If Mr. Ai Yue hadn't shown his extraordinary abilities beforehand, I probably wouldn't have been able to make up my mind so quickly," Jing Yuan smiled, then looked at Fei Xiao beside him, "Of course, the information provided by General Feixiao was also crucial."

"Stop with all the pleasantries," Fei Xiao couldn't help but walk up to the metal building and examine it. Hearing Jing Yuan's words, he turned back to look at him. "Don't forget why we're here."

Clearly, Fei Xiao, being an impatient person, was already quite eager to get started.

Just then, the seemingly airtight building in front of her, with no door in sight, slowly cracked open, revealing a passage leading out. Then, a four-wheeled transport vehicle emerged from it, carrying four Mara-struck soldiers covered in golden branches.

Following behind the vehicle emerged a weary-looking Mobius.

"Let me introduce you, this is my assistant, Mobius," Ai Yue said, stepping to her side and introducing her to the group. "She's been handling most of the work here because she was quite busy before."

Huai Yan and Feixiao exchanged a glance but didn't say anything more—since they had already violated the rules to this extent, what difference would it make if one more person or one less?

They've already deployed base vehicles inside the Jianmu's Mystic Root, so it doesn't matter if they pull out a standard formation from there.

"Don't worry about me, I was just an assistant," Mobius said weakly before Jing Yuan and the others could speak. "Now that the matter is settled, I'll take my leave."

After saying this, Mobius seemed to have lost all his strength. His head drooped down abruptly, and then, before everyone's eyes, he vanished into a shower of scattered white light.

The special effects made it look like he had died on the spot.

"Mr. Ai Yue?" Even Jing Yuan, witnessing this scene, couldn't help but have a misunderstanding. He looked at Ai Yue in astonishment, "This Miss Mobius wouldn't be...?"

"Don't be nervous. Although she looks scary, she's actually perfectly fine," Ai Yue said nonchalantly. He was the one who taught Mobius this trick, and it seems to have spread throughout the Elite ranks by now. "To put it simply, it's... uh, she's back at the live point?"

You might as well not have explained at all.

Jing Yuan clearly knew very little about games, which made him even more confused. However, he ultimately chose to trust Ai Yue, since the other party didn't seem like the kind of cold-blooded person who would treat human lives as disposable commodities. "In that case, please convey my gratitude. The Luofu Xianzhou will repay Miss Mobius for her efforts."

"I think she's probably received it already," Ai Yue said, a subtle expression appearing on his face as he recalled the excited look in Mobius's eyes when he first saw the Mara-struck form. "Of course, if you insist on reciprocating, she certainly won't refuse."

Having overlooked this minor incident, everyone finally focused their attention on the four Mara-struck soldiers strapped to the vehicle.

"As you can see, these are four Cloud Cavalry soldiers who have been afflicted by Mara-struck," Ai Yue said, walking up to the vehicle and beginning to operate it. "Due to the influence of the Medicine Master's Legacy medicine, their symptoms have deteriorated rapidly and are now in a very serious state. However, I have frozen their time, so their situation is not too bad for the time being."

"Freeze time..." Fei Xiao repeated the key words from Ai Yue's words, a complicated expression on his face. "Mr. Ai Yue really is something else, casually saying something extraordinary."

"Just a trivial trick," Ai Yue said, patting the device one last time before taking two steps back. "What follows is the real main event."

Under his control, the vehicle transformed once again, becoming a stable platform. Then, it erected something like an antenna and began to release energy reactions that were not very strong but extremely complex in composition.

Under the influence of this energy reaction, specks of white light quickly appeared on the bodies of the Mara-struck soldiers. They gradually merged together, dyeing their entire humanoid forms pure white. Then, the vines and branches that were wrapped around them gradually withered and fell off, eventually turning into grayish-white residue that detached from the soldiers' bodies.

As the white light gradually faded, what appeared before everyone were the Cloud Cavalry soldiers, now restored to their original appearance, looking around blankly.

"General Jing, General Jing Yuan?" The soldiers, who had just regained consciousness, quickly saw Jing Yuan standing in front of them and instinctively saluted and greeted him. However, they noticed that the usually languid general seemed to have some different emotions on his face. "Why are your eyes red? Are you alright?"

"It's nothing, it's nothing." Jing Yuan subconsciously turned his head away, and after a moment he looked back at the people in front of him with a joyful smile on his face. "I'm just... too happy."

He tilted his head slightly, as if he were seeing a bright and clear sky.

"This is truly delightful!"

Chapter Sixty: If you do not abandon me, I am willing to serve you...

The miracle they witnessed had a profound impact on the three Generals. However, compared to the others, Fei Xiao, being a fox spirit, found it difficult to fully empathize with the Mara-struck. Although Jing Yuan was deeply shocked, the one who reacted the most was not him, but Huai Yan.

As an inescapable calamity for the people of the Immortal Ship, Huai Yan has witnessed countless others fall into the Mara-struck, becoming monstrous creatures and committing all sorts of evil deeds. As the longest-lived person in the Immortal Ship, it is probably hard to find many beings in the entire alliance who hate this curse more than him.

Therefore, when Huai Yan saw the vines and branches that symbolized the Mara-struck turn into gray embers, the turmoil in Huai Yan heart was indescribable.

He stood frozen in place, unable to utter a sound. In his mind, those scenes he thought he had forgotten began to surface one by one, flowing through the old man's mind like a fleeting dream. Finally, those things that were almost unknown to anyone were replaced by what was happening before his eyes.

The scene I've dreamt of countless times, has it finally come true...?

"Please, everyone, calm down."

Just as Jing Yuan was communicating with his soldiers, Huai Yan suddenly interrupted him. He looked at Ai Yue beside him, his gaze revealing an unprecedented solemnity. "Excuse me, Mr. Ai Yue, I don't mean to question you, but I just want to confirm whether this is immunity to the Demonic Mara-struck or a cure for it?"

Upon hearing Huai Yan's words, Jing Yuan and Feixiao were taken aback at first, and then they showed thoughtful expressions.

As the eldest general, Huai Yan's words hit the nail on the head. Although, judging from the situation just now, they had already solved the problem of curing the Mara-struck, a problem that the people of the Immortal Ship had been unable to overcome for thousands of years, there was still a huge gap between healing and immunity.

Huai Yan raised this question to confirm whether Ai Yue's statement was true or false. As a member of the Immortal Ship, even if Ai Yue was not immune to the Mara-struck, he would still be grateful for Ai Yue's efforts. However, as a general, he had to be responsible for the truth of the matter.

After all, this matter could potentially affect the entire Xianzhou Alliance.

"Why don't we try and see?" Ai Yue wasn't dissatisfied with Huai Yan's strict attitude. Instead, he smiled and took out a gourd from his pocket. "This contains Medicine Master's Legacy to induce the Mara-struck. I think General Jing Yuan has seen it before. Once you take it, you'll be able to confirm its effect."

As he spoke, he tossed the gourd toward Jing Yuan.

However, Jing Yuan caught the gourd but did not hand it to his soldiers. Instead, he put it away and said, "Gentlemen, I think we should stop here for today. My soldiers also need rest. They have just gotten rid of the Mara-struck. It would be inappropriate for them to continue this kind of experiment."

"General Jing Yuan is right," Huai Yan said, his tone softening after being reminded by Jing Yuan. "Let's put the verification experiment on hold for now. This isn't a suitable place to do experiments."

But to their surprise, after exchanging glances, the four soldiers did not choose to comply with the generals' good intentions.

"Generals, please don't worry about our situation." After a brief silence, the leading soldier stepped forward and saluted Jing Yuan and the others. "We were spared from death. If we can make more contributions to the Immortal Ship, wouldn't that be a good thing?"

The other three soldiers stepped forward and said in unison, "We are willing to give our lives for the Immortal Ship!"

Faced with the soldiers' petition, the three Generals were all moved for a moment. Watching this scene, Ai Yue, on the other hand, was somewhat speechless.

"No, what are you doing here? Don't you trust me?" He interrupted the touching scene before him, saying helplessly, "Let me be frank, even if they eat the medicine in that gourd in your hand like candy, it won't trigger the Mara-struck, understand?"

After a moment of silence, Jing Yuan nodded and handed the gourd to his soldiers. Everything was exactly as Ai Yue had said—the four soldiers ate the entire gourd full of pills without showing even the slightest sign of falling into Mara-struck.

"Really?" Upon seeing this, Fei Xiao couldn't help but take the gourd and examine it repeatedly. "Could this medicine be expired? General Jing Yuan, you..."

She subconsciously turned her head to look at the other two generals, and the empty medicine gourd in her hand also turned around, pointing the bottle mouth at the two immortal boat people.

Then she saw Jing Yuan and Huai Yan, who had been relatively calm, suddenly change their expressions and then abruptly take a step back.

Clearly, even if it was just a gourd that had contained medicine, the residual medicinal power inside would still pose a threat to the people of the Immortal Ship. Therefore, Fei Xiao's guess that the medicinal power had dissipated is simply unfounded.

"Sorry." Realizing what had happened, Fei Xiao quickly closed the gourd, then revealed a slightly surprised expression. "So, the Mara-struck... really can be completely eradicated?"

"Even in my dreams, I can hardly imagine such a scene, but Mr. Ai Yue really did it," Jing Yuan breathed a slight sigh of relief, then looked at Ai Yue beside him, "And so casually."

Recalling the scene of the soldiers recovering from the Mara-struck, Fei Xiao and Huai Yan couldn't help but nod—the process was ridiculously fast, and apart from a slight energy leakage reaction, there were no special effects at all, making it very easy to overlook.

"Regardless, this is destined to be a major event that will shock the entire Xianzhou Alliance." Huai Yan stroked his beard and couldn't help but laugh. "How fortunate I am to witness such a momentous event in my lifetime."

"Without the threat of the Mara-struck, the Immortal Ship's strength will increase again," Fei Xiao smiled, though her smile looked somewhat dangerous. "I want to see what other despicable tricks those filthy creatures have left!"

"Don't get too excited yet. Eliminating the Mara-struck isn't without its price." Seeing their excited expressions, Ai Yue couldn't help but add, "There's always a trade-off. Let me make things clear first, then you can make your decision."

"That's natural, we were already prepared," Jing Yuan nodded, then asked, "So, what's the price?"

"The first thing is the reduction in lifespan," Ai Yue held up two fingers, "The Mara-struck is part of the Blessing of Abundance, so the most obvious price to pay for dissolving the Mara-struck is a reduction in lifespan, probably around this amount."

"Only two hundred years left to live?" Jing Yuan pondered. "That... is indeed a very heavy price to pay."

"Do I look like some kind of unscrupulous merchant trying to rip you off?" Ai Yue realized his mistake and immediately corrected himself, "It's a reduction of twenty percent! The exact number varies from person to person, after all, everyone's lifespan is different."

"Oh, twenty percent? That's fine then." Upon hearing this number, Jing Yuan's expression immediately brightened. "This level of cost is actually quite minor and completely acceptable."

"That's right. The worst-case scenario we considered was completely abandoning the Blessing of Abundance and degenerating from a long-lived species into a short-lived species with a lifespan of a few hundred years. A mere 20% loss of lifespan can be considered a very good outcome," Huai Yan nodded in agreement. "Aside from that, are there any other costs?"

"It's hard to say whether other things count as a price," Ai Yue thought for a moment, then his expression became somewhat subtle. "Let me explain... to put it simply, the principle of eliminating the Mara-struck can be understood as me using my own power to neutralize the Blessing of Abundance in the opposite direction, thereby eliminating the aftereffects of the Mara-struck."

Having said that, Ai Yue raised his hand again, a white light shining from his palm. "Therefore, to eliminate the Mara-struck, you must accept my power. I don't know if this will interfere with your internal faith..."

"This is indeed a matter that needs to be discussed, but the key point is not here." Jing Yuan paused for a moment, then exchanged a glance with Huai Yan, revealing a strange expression. "If the price for doing so is to win over a powerful being like you as an ally of the Xianzhou Alliance, then I think the Xianzhou Alliance would be happy to honor you to the same level as Lord of the Empyrean Bow."

"So the key question is, are you willing to accept such 'offering'?" Huai Yan added with a smile. "This is a rather deep bond, and we are the ones who clearly benefit."

At this point, even Fei Xiao could see just how powerful Ai Yue was. In this chaotic universe, if they could get his help, it would probably be all benefits to the Immortal Ship.

If you didn't choose to hold on tightly, you'd be crazy.

"That doesn't matter. Anyway, the Xianzhou Alliance suits my taste quite well," Ai Yue waved his hand, not giving a definite answer. "In that case, let's move on to the next question. This question concerns Jianmu, and other things left behind by the Blessing of Abundance ... uh, you call them the Longevity Plague Traces, right? Anyway, something like that."

Upon hearing that the matter concerned Jianmu and other related matters, the generals' expressions turned serious.

"Simply put, it's impossible for me to perform the surgery to remove the Mara-struck from each and every Immortal Ship's inhabitants, as I did before. Therefore, we must find a more efficient method to complete this large-scale transformation plan." Ai Yue snapped his fingers, then created a virtual image in front of everyone. "And Jianmu is the best choice."

"Does this diagram mean that the Jianmu tree will be transformed into a signal tower to transmit that special power?" Jing Yuan, as expected of a rare strategist, quickly understood Ai Yue's meaning and couldn't help but shift his gaze to the platform that the four-wheeled vehicle had transformed into. "And then, in this way, will everyone on the Immortal Ship be freed from the Mara-struck?"

"That's roughly the idea, so Jianmu will definitely be reborn eventually. How you explain it to ordinary people is up to you." Ai Yue shrugged. "But this is also a good thing. The Jianmu I've modified will only bring more benefits to the Immortal Ship, so there's no need to worry about the consequences."

"How to convince everyone to accept this is indeed a problem that needs careful consideration." Jing Yuan seemed to have thought of something and couldn't help but smile wryly. "Moreover, if we want to spread this operation to other immortal ships, we will probably face enormous resistance..."

"The Marshal probably anticipated this, which is why he asked you to achieve results, right?" Huai Yan couldn't help but say. "Is it possible that you could act first and report later, achieving results on the Luofu Xianzhou, and then use those results to persuade the other immortal ships?"

"That's certainly a good idea," Fei Xiao nodded, then looked at Jing Yuan with pity. "It's just that General Jing Yuan will probably have to bear even more pressure."

Everyone could imagine what kind of accusations General of the Divine Might, who had already been reported for "dereliction of duty, irresponsibility, and irrationality," would face if he continued to act willfully. The only saving grace was that at least two other generals were on his side this time.

"Oh well, debts are a burden, you get used to it." Jing Yuan quickly adjusted his mindset and smiled again. "Even if the insults outside increase tenfold, I only have one head. I can't be beheaded twice, right?"

At the same time, he looked at Ai Yue —the platform beside him—and said, "Mr. Ai Yue, I have some plans, but I don't know if other people can operate this device?"

After the discussion about the Mara-struck ended, everyone returned to the Divinity Manor under Ai Yue's guidance. Because eliminating the Mara-struck was of great importance, Jing Yuan did not choose to let the four soldiers who had been reborn return to their units. Instead, he made special arrangements to prevent the news from leaking out before the matter was completed.

"That puts one worry to rest." Jing Yuan breathed a sigh of relief after everything was arranged, but then his expression turned serious. "However, the most crucial part is yet to come."

"More trouble?" Hearing this, Fei Xiao couldn't help but shake his head. "I originally thought that the position of general was indeed difficult to hold, but now it seems that this chair in Luofu is even more difficult to hold than those in other immortal ships."

"After all, such a thing happened before. The fact that Luofu has been able to maintain peace and tranquility for so long is already a testament to Jing Yuan Jingyuan's effective governance," Huai Yan sighed, clearly knowing more about Luofu's affairs. "Now it seems that with the outbreak of the Jianmu calamity, the internal problems that were previously suppressed are starting to get out of control, aren't they?"

"It's all my fault for being negligent, making this a laughing stock for everyone," Jing Yuan, not intending to hide anything. "Now that things have come to this, I have no choice but to shamelessly ask you all for another favor."

"Then don't be shy, be more outgoing," Fei Xiao patted his shoulder, "If you need to fight, just come to me."

"That will indeed require General Feixiao's assistance," Jing Yuan said with a smile. "After all, this matter is also closely related to your fox-people clan."

"For example, Hulei-- "

Chapter Sixty-One: Never before has there been such a wonderful start, please...

"Ah, are we going to use Hulei as bait?"

Upon hearing Jing Yuan's suggestion, Fei Xiao's expression immediately changed, and he shook his head repeatedly, completely unlike his previous forthright demeanor. "If you hadn't mentioned Hulei, I would have almost forgotten that I had another purpose for coming here, which is related to Hulei!"

"Oh? What do you mean?" Hearing Fei Xiao's response, Jing Yuan couldn't help but show a curious expression. "Let me guess, could it be that the Yaoging Xianzhou wants you to take Hulei back?"

"Aren't you a little too clever for your own good?" Fei Xiao looked at Jing Yuan, momentarily speechless, before nodding. "That's right, this matter begins with the movements of the Abundant Beast."

"According to reports from the Qingqiu Army's scouts, the Buli are starting to stir again. The originally disorganized Buli hunting groups have begun to devour each other, thus forming larger hunting groups."

"Such actions must be orchestrated by someone," Jing Yuan frowned. "But besides the former Chao Fu Hulei, what other being possesses such influence?"

Fei Xiao's face was grim. "According to intelligence, the one guiding them is something called 'Mang Gusi'."

"Things?" Huai Yan, with his experience, immediately picked up on the key words from Fei Xiao's words. "Could it be that Mang Gusi isn't Buli?"

"Elder Yan is truly astute. Indeed, according to the scouts' reports, she is a woman who calls herself the 'Emissary of Longevity,' with 'twelve faces, twelve pairs of fangs, as cruel as poison, and as unpredictable as quicksand.'" Fei Xiao recounted the intelligence. "Buli believes she can bring an opportunity for a resurgence."

"It's Phantylia." After hearing the description, Jing Yuan immediately locked onto the target. "It seems that this is her backup plan. In this way, even if her plan fails, she can still use Buli to trip up the Xianzhou Alliance."

"However, she probably didn't truly foresee her fate, otherwise she wouldn't have done such a futile effort." Huai Yan shook his head. "I'm still very curious, what benefits could this behavior possibly bring to Phantylia?"

"Why don't you ask them yourselves?" Ai Yue pulled out the transparent sphere again. "Relying on guessing all the time isn't a solution."

"Phantylia is cunning and unpredictable. Even if we ask her, we probably won't get the real answer, and she might even lead us astray," Jing Yuan shook his head. "Rather than believing her, I'd rather trust my own deductions."

"Besides, the relationship between Buli and her is probably just one of mutual exploitation. Now that Phantylia has been captured, she probably can't be sure what Buli's true intentions are," Feixiao explained, familiar with Buli's character. "In short, Buli's movements indicate that they have grand plans, which is why we need to take Hulei away."

"This does indeed create some trouble," Jing Yuan sighed. "I didn't expect that Phantylia, who is already struggling to protect himself, would still present me with such a difficult problem."

Jing Yuan's plan was actually not complicated. Now that it was certain that there were problems within the Dragon-Scythe Clan, all he had to do was find a reason to intervene in the internal strife of the Holders of the Dragon, set things right, and eliminate those unstable factors.

However, the long lifespan of the Dragon-Scythe Clan means that those who hold power within the clan are all experienced old men. Even if all of them were combined, they might not be able to defeat Jing Yuan alone. But when it comes to scheming and plotting, even Jing Yuan, who is known for his wisdom, would be at a slight disadvantage.

Take the recent Jianmu Rebellion, for example. The seal was clearly under the supervision of the Dragon-Scythe Clan. Whether it was the infiltration of the star core or the resurrection of Jianmu, it was obvious that the Dragon-Scythe Clan was involved. However, the Dragon Master were able to come up with all sorts of reasons to absolve themselves of all responsibility, leaving Jing Yuan with no excuse to settle scores later.

As the saying goes, a cause must have a just cause. The Immortal Ship people and the Chiming clan are allies who have signed an oath. Without a sufficiently compelling reason, even General Luofu cannot easily intervene in the internal affairs of the Holders of the Dragon. Therefore, Jing Yuan had no choice but to devise a plan to create a reasonable loophole so that the Dragon Master would reveal their true colors.

The Hulei in the Prison of Chains was the bait he left for the Dragon Master.

As a general of Luofu, no one understood Luofu's predicament better than Jing Yuan. After the Invasion of the Abundance, the position of Dragon Lord of the Dragon-Scythe Clan had been vacant for far too long. Although Bai Lu was now regarded as the Dragon Lord, neither her age nor her strength was sufficient to support this position. Therefore, the entire Dragon-Scythe Clan was under the control of the Dragon Master.

These people, in their quest for the propagation of their race, have reached the point of resorting to any means necessary. If Jing Yuan had previously harbored some doubts about the Dragon Master's motives, he is now almost certain that they have set their sights on the Jianmu's Mystic Root.

They wanted to use the power of the Blessing of Abundance to solve the predicament of the Vidyadhara. The first person they needed to deal with was actually him, the general. So Jing Yuan could imagine that among the memorials accusing him of "dereliction of duty, irresponsibility, and irrationality," there must have been one from the Dragon Master.

If the Martial Arts Ceremony goes wrong, it will be the last straw that breaks Jing Yuan's back—at least from the Dragon Master's perspective.