Following Governor Jiang Shixiang, not long after, another "vulture" the size of a fighter jet flew by.
The vulture's feathers were jet black, yet somewhat crystalline, and a middle-aged man with Money-Rat Tail braid and vertical eyes sat on its back.
When the pedestrians on the official road saw this, they immediately shouted and yelled:
"This is Prince Qing's [heart's eye]! Something big is definitely going to happen!"
"They seem to be heading towards the Jiu Shan Sect... Could it be that the imperial court intends to eradicate this den of demons!?"
"What kind of dream are you having? How could that be?"
The well-dressed crowd discussed amongst themselves, while the ragged commoners hurriedly kowtowed to the heavens.
The powerful beings ignored the ants on the ground and flew towards Hatoyama.
Lu Li and the other two breathed a sigh of relief and glanced back in the direction of the Jiu Shan Sect.
The aurora borealis has dissipated, but there is a very conspicuous "hole" in the azure sky.
This is a void caused by the sudden gravitational anomaly and the loss of atmospheric restraint.
Through the gaps, one can vaguely see the cosmos and starry sky, which are now slowly closing in.
This scene serves as a vivid cautionary tale, fully demonstrating the consequences of excessively exploiting one's inspiration.
"So it seems that the ingenious mechanism is indeed closely related to the Earth's magnetic field, and buried underground it's like oil."
At that moment, Lu Li stirred:
"Does Blue Star possess any spiritual energy? If so, can it be extracted?"
"If the source of inspiration is the Earth's magnetic field, and the Earth's magnetic field originates from the Earth Core, then by digging into the Earth Core, one could obtain the inspiration of an entire planet!"
This is indeed a tempting idea, but upon closer inspection, it seems quite impractical.
Even if Blue Star truly possesses a spiritual energy, its "Earth Core" is located at the innermost part of the planet, more than 5,000 kilometers underground.
It took the Soviet Union more than 20 years to drill 12 kilometers, which was the deepest penetration into the Earth's crust.
Regardless of technology or supernatural abilities, the idea of digging into the "Earth Core" is somewhat far-fetched.
However, it's not entirely impossible; we need to gather more information about Lingji first.
Putting this matter aside for the time being, Lu Li focused on his journey.
Many martial artists were speeding along the official road, and the family of three didn't hold back either, returning to Jinmen in less than an hour.
Back in familiar surroundings, Xiao Cha felt completely at ease, stretched, and said:
"The entire Hatoyama has been baked into a volcano, so there's definitely no trace of the three of us left. Let's go home, rest and recuperate to break through to the next level, and then find Sister Xia to rely on the Dragon Gate Sect for support~"
The plan wasn't wrong; Lu Li had received the true teachings of that person, so wouldn't he be a natural backer?
"By the way, I've always wanted to ask..."
Recalling the thrilling experience of this trip, Xiao Cha asked curiously, "So Fan Chengxun turned into a giant grasshopper because he ate people?"
Wan Qing said, "Eating people will drive you crazy, hollow out your brain... but it won't necessarily turn you into Demon Beast."
"It's because of the combination of Prion Virus and the <Taotie Swallowing Heaven Method>."
Lu Li explained the situation to the two women, and also talked about Prion Virus.
When the flying sword struck Fan Chengxun, the man's sponge-like, bizarre brain was a symptom of "Prion Virus."
But Prion Virus alone cannot turn a living person into Demon Beast; there must be some effect of demonic arts involved.
As they chatted, the three of them unknowingly arrived at their doorstep.
Just as I was about to go in, I saw Old Zhong jogging out from the street corner.
After Xiao Cha was promoted, this person was also promoted one rank and put on the uniform of a constable.
"Lord Luo, something has happened!"
Old Zhong ran over, bowed, and reported:
"The Governor's Office has ordered all police officers in the city to be mobilized to investigate and search the Hatoyama area!"
~~~~~~~~~~~
It has to be said that fate is fickle; Xiao Cha traveled for half a day, but before she could even get home, she had to go back.
In fact, with Lu Li as a variable, there are many people who are played by fate.
Let's rewind to an hour earlier, before the aurora appeared.
There was a knock on the door of the president's office at the National Martial Arts Association headquarters.
Come in.
Nan Jinping knew who had come and had already prepared a pot of Spirit Tea.
The door opened, and sure enough, Hua Ruoxi entered, carrying a bright yellow cloth bag with a five-clawed golden dragon patterned on it.
"Imperial decree!"
Nan Jinping handed over a cup of Spirit Tea, and said happily, "You've returned to the capital and obtained an imperial decree! Is it to wipe out that demonic den?"
Hua Ruoxi didn't rush to answer. Instead, she took the Spirit Tea, took a sip, and said with an enigmatic expression:
"The imperial edict has arrived, but it's not what you expected..."
"What's the difference?" Nan Jinping asked doubtfully:
"Isn't it an imperial edict ordering Governor Jiang to exterminate the demon? Or is the court planning to take matters into its own hands, not giving Jiang Shixiang a chance to get involved?"
Hua Ruoxi handed over the cloth bag containing the imperial edict, saying, "You can see for yourself."
Nan Jinping gave her old friend a deep look, then opened the cloth bag and... she was immediately shocked!
[By imperial decree, the Emperor decrees: The Jiu Shan Sect has protected the nation and blessed its people, its merits are extraordinary. Therefore, its leader, Fan Chengxun, is hereby appointed as National Teacher Fan Chengxun, bestowed with the title "Linggan," and granted the honor of being enshrined in the Imperial Ancestral Temple with Golden Seal...]
Upon seeing this, Nan Jinping exclaimed in disbelief, "They've really appointed the National Teacher! And he even has Golden Seal!!"
With the Golden Seal, one can share in the "Dynastic Willpower".
The problem is, all these conditions were made up by Hua Ruoxi to avoid war!
For a Demon Beast to bestow titles upon a true immortal and grant them the power of vows—isn't that utterly ridiculous?
But it actually happened... For a moment, both of them were speechless.
After a while, Hua Ruoxi rolled up the imperial edict, shook her head helplessly, and said:
"As the saying goes, when a country is about to perish, there will always be monstrous signs. Even the Emperor of Izumo said, 'When a country goes downhill, someone always has to step on the gas pedal...' Now look, it really is true."
Nan Jinping's wrinkles deepened, and she sighed, "What should we do next? Go find that Demon Beast to deliver the decree?"
"Go to the Governor's Mansion first and inform Jiang Shixiang."
Hua Ruoxi shrieked, "The imperial court doesn't want Jiang Shixiang and his mistress to have any more designs on the Spiritual Vein..."
Before the old eunuch could finish speaking, his expression suddenly changed, and he abruptly looked out the window... where the aurora borealis was pouring down from the Sky Dome!
~~~~~~~~~~~~
At the same time, in the Governor's Mansion.
Qiu Yan was urging Jiang Shixiang to get started quickly:
"The various factions will not stand idly by and watch you obtain the Spiritual Vein! Shi Xiang, don't hesitate any longer! Quickly take down the Jiu Shan Sect, or things will get complicated!"
Jiang Shixiang said gently and kindly:
"Cultivator transformed into Demon Beast, wielding Third Rank flying sword and relying on Spiritual Vein... I fear I would be injured if I were to act against it. Why not have your sect's [Immortal Palace] throw down an iron rod from the heavens and raze the Jiu Shan Sect to the ground?"
These words were clearly a joke and an excuse. Qiu Yan looked at the other person expressionlessly and said:
"Shixiang, let's be frank, what will it take for you to help me? I desperately need a flash of inspiration!"
"Yan'er~" Jiang Shixiang smiled and said, "Don't you understand my feelings? I want you to be my woman."
Qiu Yan was not annoyed, and said calmly:
"Sure, as long as you help me get the spiritual key, my body is yours."
"Then I will immediately dispatch the standard troops."
Jiang Shixiang reached out and touched Qiu Yan's waist, and said with a smile, "Let's take this opportunity to tie the knot."
The Governor was seeking pleasure and romance, but Qiu Yan was the type to not act until she saw the benefit; how could she allow someone to get on the train ahead of time?
She immediately took a few steps back to avoid the thief's hand, saying, "Shixiang, don't be hasty, I'm not a casual woman..."
Before the words were even finished, the man and woman's expressions changed simultaneously, and they rushed outside to see the aurora borealis in the sky!