Stars of a Prairie Fire

The second Sea Well collapsed beneath the skirt of the Ganlong Venerable.

As the ice spike pierced the last Xuanming rune, a muffled thunderous echo resounded from the seabed. The twelve ice pillars burst open like bones, plowing spiderweb-like cracks into the earth.

The woman hovered in mid-air, her new, plain-colored dress stained with evil black blood, yet it couldn't conceal the gleam in her eyes:

"Two of the seven cauldrons have been destroyed, leaving five..."

You Su leaned on his sword, panting, the gash on his left shoulder blade a horrifying sight. He looked at the woman, surprised that Sovereign Lord would own several identical dresses in such simple attire. He had always thought that the dazzling, splendid robes he had seen upon first meeting were the standard attire for a female immortal of such high rank.

"Do we need to block all five of these mouths?"

You Su admitted that he enjoyed slaying the evil spirits, but now it was more important to kill those people. However, traveling from the north of the Northern Ao Continent to the south to block the Sea Well there would obviously take too much time.

Ganlong Venerable frowned as he landed beside him, his slender white hands already conjuring a cold mist that enveloped You Su's wounds.

The moment she touched You Su's skin, it felt as if she were being burned by You Su's body temperature, which even Bei Ao Hanxue couldn't lower. A hint of displeasure appeared between her brows.

"I've already drawn the Formation Technique, why aren't you hiding inside it!"

"Those common people aren't protected by the Sovereign Lord's protective Formation Technique."

You Su's nonchalant answer left the woman speechless, and instead she inwardly resented the boy, feeling no remorse whatsoever if he were truly dead.

She thought to herself, "I'll probably feel guilty."

The woman lowered her eyes slightly, no longer looking into the boy's clear eyes.

She suddenly remembered saying that the boy and she were the same kind of people, and now she realized that she wasn't wrong. They were both fools who would rather burn themselves than not illuminate the darkness, and the boy's situation was worse than hers, but his ambitions were much greater.

In her view, being an immortal is not a status that allows one to be high above others and disregard human affairs. Power also means responsibility; otherwise, how is one different from landlords who profit by exploiting the people?

The boy was blind, yet he saw the suffering of ordinary people more clearly than many immortals. Wasn't he the kindred spirit she had been searching for all along?

But she almost killed him...

She wasn't inherently arrogant; in reality, she had simply seen too many people with the ability to help the world but only seeking to cultivate their own virtue, and she came to believe that most cultivators in the world were like that. People with different paths cannot work together, so she gradually became less friendly towards others.

If the two had met in a different way, even if they were hundreds of years apart, perhaps she could have called him—

"Fellow Daoist".

"I'm asking you a question, Your Sovereign Lord."

You Su's impolite voice interrupted the woman's thoughts at an inopportune moment, and the next instant, he paid the price for his provocation.

You Su grimaced, clutching her frozen shoulder, and said angrily, "You were indeed looking for a chance to get revenge!"

The woman glared at him angrily, too lazy to argue with him anymore.

"The seven Sea Well correspond to the seven bronze cauldrons, which are the secondary eyes of the Formation Technique. If we block one more, our target will be the Sea Well inside the sacred mountain!"

"What's the meaning?"

"The arrangement of these seven Sea Well also follows the principles of Formation Technique. If three secondary eyes are destroyed, and then the main eye of the sacred mountain is destroyed, four of the seven eyes will be destroyed, and the remaining three Sea Well will collapse on their own. But even if six secondary eyes are destroyed, the main eye can still function."

Upon hearing this, You Su suddenly realized that this woman had indeed been meticulously planning for this great undertaking.

"So, if we block another Sea Well, our goal becomes a counterattack on Mount Shen?"

"Um."

You Su rolled her eyes, her pupils dilating as if she had guessed something:

"They know that too, don't they!"

Ganlong Venerable turned around and looked at him in surprise, and couldn't help but think more highly of You Su because of his quick wit:

"That's right, so these two Sea Well are only guarded by Evil Demon, but no cultivators are hindering us. Firstly, because they don't know which of the six Sea Well I went to, and secondly, because they know that the final battle is on the sacred mountain, and they are currently gathering strength, preparing to leave the opponents on the sacred mountain forever."

You Su nodded slightly, but then her heart began to worry about Bai Ze and her senior sister who were still on the sacred mountain.

"But in your current state, can you really beat so many people?"

You Su's doubts were reasonable. After all, the person in front of her was no longer the nearly perfect Void Realm Sovereign Lord Bei Ao. Moreover, she had lost half of her soul, which was the reason she fainted from the pain that day.

Ganlong Venerable gently shook his head, "No matter how many immortals are on the Divine Mountain, it is still just one mountain. But my Northern Ao Continent has a vast territory, and the cultivators outside the Divine Mountain may not be without the power to fight. At first, I didn't have high hopes, but after breaking through two Sea Well, I can basically confirm that there are quite a few survivors, which shows that there are many ambitious people in Northern Ao! Once we plug the three Sea Well and eliminate the future troubles, we can gather our strength and launch a counterattack in one fell swoop!"

Upon hearing this You Su also stood up, feeling a surge of passion. He thought to himself that this woman, who could stay on the mountaintop for hundreds of years, was certainly no Wine Pouch Rice Bag.

Their goal for this trip was no longer simply to destroy the Sea Well, but also to discover all available resources and unite them. To do this, You Su believed that there was no one more suitable than this old woman in Quanbei Ao.

"Let's go to Dongjing City."

Ganlong Venerable opened her hands, and the icy crystal earrings hanging from her black hair made a crisp sound. She was no less tired than You Su, but she showed no intention of resting.

You Su raised an eyebrow, sighed, and stepped forward, bowing slightly as if offering her neck for execution.

You Su had gotten somewhat used to being tossed around by the back of her collar like a chick by this woman.

To his surprise, the woman did not grab him by the back of his collar this time, but instead wrapped her arms around his waist from behind, pulling him close to her slender side.

The woman's fragrance was faint and cool, You Su's eyelashes, hidden under his felt hat, trembled. Before he could struggle, the howling wind in the sky made it almost impossible for him to open his eyes.

Well, now he doesn't look like a chick anymore, but more like a virtuous young man who has been kidnapped.

He secretly resolved in his heart that he must break through to the Feather Transformation Realm as soon as possible, so that he would no longer be carried around by these women in various ways.

The north wind howled, and the city walls of Qilian City appeared and disappeared in the twilight.

Ganlong Venerable's toes touched the broken watchtower, his plain skirt swept past the frosty flagpole, and on the fluttering black banner, the two characters "Qilian" had long been soaked in blood and turned dark brown.

"They built a barbican with city wall bricks." You Su's boots rolled over the broken bricks, revealing layers of talisman fragments beneath the ice crystals. These yellow papers, which were supposed to be used to ward off evil spirits, were torn into triangles, wrapped in black dog blood, and stuffed into the cracks in the wall. Every crack was filled with broken porcelain and caltrops.

Ganlong Venerable's fingertips traced the chisel marks on the brick wall, where dark red ice crystals clung to the grooves of varying depths. She could imagine how the refugees had torn down the wall with their bare hands in the wind and snow, transforming this dilapidated city into a prison for trapping and killing evil spirits with their bloodied and mangled fingers.

Suddenly, flames lit up inside the city walls.

Dozens of torches emerged from the ruins. You Su instinctively reached for his sword, but the woman grabbed his wrist.

The woman shook her head at him, then shouted towards the firelight, "We are not evil spirits."

An old man stepped out from the crowd, pointing the golden talisman at the two uninvited guests, but the end of the talisman trembled violently.

Only when he got closer and saw the woman's face clearly did his withered eyes light up with a burning fire.

The old man made as if he was about to kneel down and kowtow in the snow, but the woman held him up in mid-air.

"Please, Your Sovereign Lord, save Qilian City!" the old man cried, tears streaming down his face.

He had seen this woman once, a woman he would never forget, on his very first day as he was about to take office as the city lord of the remote city of Qilian City.

She was so noble, like Goddess descended from the clouds, yet she stepped past the crowd and personally handed him the city lord's token, whispering to him, "Qilian City is now in your hands."

As soon as he finished speaking, the crowd behind him suddenly stirred. Everyone realized that they had finally waited for the moment when the reinforcements from Mount Shenshan would arrive.

"There's hope!" they all thought to themselves.

Ganlong Venerable's gaze passed over the old man and spread to the faces of the people illuminated by the firelight. Among them were cultivators and mortals, children and an old man with one arm—their eyes held no despair, only a hope tempered by fire.

Ganlong Venerable suddenly recalled that snowy night three hundred years ago, when she had just taken over as the head of the Evil Warding Department and encountered a group of refugees in the snow.

With their frozen fingers, they broke through the ice and stuffed the last half-bag of millet into her hands, saying, "Fairy, eat more so you'll have the strength to vanquish evil." And the eyes of the people of Dongjing City at that moment were exactly the same as those of them who had held the millet back then.

"How could I possibly be worthy to save them?" she murmured to herself, her voice as soft as if it were her true feelings.

The woman's sleeves, embroidered with Snow Mulberry Flower, were crumpled from her grip. She didn't know how to explain to them that she hadn't come to save them, but rather to ask for their help; nor did she know how to explain that this catastrophe was caused by her, and that her excuse of being used was no different from an excuse to shirk responsibility.

You Su suddenly grasped her icy wrist; the boy's palm was surprisingly hot, as if the wind and snow of the Northern Ao Continent couldn't make him cold.

The woman turned her head in surprise, only to see a light like a campfire flickering in the boy's eyes.

You Su said nothing, then let go of her hand.

Often, what people need for support isn't a long string of inspiring encouragement; a simple gesture is enough to give a woman who's fallen into a vortex of self-blame a little more confidence.

"Qi Fang, you did very well." The woman parted her lips slightly, her voice piercing through the cold night.

The old man stiffened upon hearing the voice. He never expected that his name, that of a marginal city lord who had been an outsider since he began his quest for enlightenment on the sacred mountain, would be remembered by the most esteemed woman in the Northern Ao Continent.

"Qi Fang only asks to live up to the expectations of the people of Qilian!" The old man was about to bow again, but was once again supported by Ganlong Venerable's empty hand.

"You have no regrets." The woman's affirmation came from the bottom of her heart. Her gaze swept around and noticed the seven yellow lanterns hanging at the top of the city wall.

The method of using talisman lamps to ward off evil was a remote technique taught at the Divine Mountain. She never expected that this knowledge, which was useless to many cultivators, would be remembered by Qi Fang, the lord of a remote city. He practiced Immortal Method truly for the sake of the people's livelihood.

However, she also noticed that each lamp wick was wrapped with a yellow talisman, which upon closer inspection turned out to be torn-up official documents from the sacred mountain.

The old man followed her gaze, his deeply lined face suddenly flushing red. "My Sovereign Lord, please forgive us! We simply couldn't find cinnabar to draw the talisman, so..."

"Well done," Ganlong Venerable suddenly said, plunging the old man into confusion.

With a flick of her sleeves, the seven ice lanterns shattered, and the scattered paper scraps were instantly solidified by the black ice into new talismans before they even hit the ground. The dragon patterns on the talismans flowed and shone, illuminating half the city as if it were daytime.

A gasp rippled through the crowd as several children reached out to catch the falling Ice Talisman. The talismans transformed into a warm current that flowed into their meridians as soon as they touched their palms. Ganlong Venerable watched their delighted smiles, a lump suddenly formed in his throat—this was the most basic talisman for dispelling the cold, which should have been distributed monthly by the city garrisons of various regions.

"Your Sovereign Lord, is it only you who has come...?" the old man asked tremblingly.

A hint of sadness appeared between Ganlong Venerable's brows, You Su subtly nudged her lower back with the hilt of his sword.

She understood what You Su meant, and she knew what she had to do.

She closed her eyes briefly, and when she opened them again, nine phantom dragons shot into the sky from her sleeves, their roars shaking the snow off the eaves.

"Mount Shenshan didn't send any reinforcements! Not even I, the Venerable One, am a reinforcement!"

Her words silenced the crowd.

She lightly touched the air with her toes and landed on the highest ruin, the moonlight casting a long shadow of her.

"I have come today to borrow your lives!"

"The evil spirits in the sea are not a natural disaster." She raised her hand and conjured an ice mirror, in which appeared Sea Well covered by black tides. "It is because some unscrupulous people on the sacred mountain have stolen the Formation Technique, turning the Spirit Vein that should have nourished the frozen soil into channels for evil spirits! Because in their eyes, the lives of us who are of lowly birth and unable to cultivate are worthless! The Northern Ao Continent is so barren precisely because there are too many worthless lives!"

The ice mirror shattered with a deafening roar, its fragments transforming into a massive mountain that hung overhead. "I've come here to show them they're wrong! These people have been high and mighty immortals for far too long! They've forgotten the mortal realm, but where isn't the mortal realm? Let us join forces and demand our due from those immortals who drink your blood and still complain about its taste!"

Looking up at the inspiring female fairy with her flowing robes high above, You Su felt as if she had rediscovered her.

He looked at the increasing number of firelights and suddenly recalled his almost stereotypical impression of the people of the Northern Ao Continent —they were clear about their grudges and would seek revenge for even the smallest things, and a feud could be passed down from generation to generation like a family heirloom.

Now that someone wants them all dead, there is not a trace of fear in their eyes towards the immortal of the sacred mountain, even though they are unarmed mortals.

However, Ganlong Venerable would certainly not let everyone follow her to risk their lives. She personally strengthened the city's protective array for the people of Qilian City, and then only left a message talisman for some cultivators at the Water Condensation Realm or above. Qi Fang, who volunteered, was rejected by her on the grounds that Qilian City still needed someone to guard it.

Although Qilian City is a remote small town with few cultivators who can be considered to have combat power, it is still the first force she has gathered. A single spark can start a prairie fire.

When the talisman is lit, it will be the time for this group of 'debt collectors' to launch a counterattack at the foot of the sacred mountain.

On the way from Qilian City to Dongjing City, You Su was still being held hostage by the woman at her waist.

He glanced up and noticed that the woman's eyes were slightly red in the morning light, and a malicious smile crept onto his lips.

To everyone's surprise, the woman noticed his smile and, before You Su could speak, released his hand and threw him off the high sky.

"You old hag, you have..."

Before You Su could even utter the word "illness" as she plummeted downwards, she was quickly caught by the woman, who had already regained her cold and indifferent demeanor.

What is it?

"There's... something there, hehe."

You Su dared not say anything more because he was being controlled by others. He just looked at the scenery below and suddenly felt a sense of déjà vu.

He then suddenly remembered that this was the road to Fei City that the Archimedes Venerable had led him on!

As the largest city in the northern part of the Northern Ao Continent, Fei Dongjing City Fei City in the east.

Moreover, the power that can be gathered there must be much stronger than that of Qilian City, a remote little town. Even if it's not on the way, it's a place that you have to go through even if you have to take a detour.

"Next time you go to town, speak less and cover your face with your felt hat," the woman said first, as if giving a reminder.

"Why?" You Su, somewhat bewildered.

The woman glanced down at the boy's sharp eyebrows and bright eyes, then pursed her lips:

"Because there's a high chance there's a woman there... who eats men without shedding her skin."