Passing on a Message

Not far from the eastern shore of Cibi Lake, the mountains stretch out like a reclining figure, with a thin mist still lingering in the air. The morning sun filters through the gaps in the peaks, reflecting off the clear springs like scattered pieces of jade.

Above one of the springs, a sudden Subterranean Water vapor arose, causing the surface to ripple in circles without wind.

The next moment, two figures leaped out of the spring, splashing water as they landed on the slippery bluestone beside it.

It was the brothers Lu Ming and Lu Chang.

When Lu Ming landed, his knees buckled and he almost fell into the water, but fortunately Lu Chang reacted quickly and caught him.

Lu Ming's face was ashen, and the wound on his chest, eroded by the blood spring, was still oozing black blood. His right arm hung limply at his side, his fingertips bluish-black, clearly indicating that his meridians had been severely damaged.

Lu Chang himself was in no better shape; a deep scorch mark on his left shoulder, where the smoke had burned, revealed the bone. But he gritted his teeth, draped his brother's arm over his shoulder, and half-supported, half-carried him as they fled into the depths of the mountains.

"Ming-ge, hang in there."

Lu Chang's voice tightened. He made a hand Hand Seals with his right hand, and the Black Armor Golden Screen behind him transformed into a dark golden shield about ten feet wide. It glided along the ground at a low altitude, the Xuanwu tortoise pattern on the shield's surface flickering erratically, concealing most of their auras. He then took out an earth-yellow Earth Escape Talisman from his pocket, biting it between his teeth. The talisman glowed, and the soil beneath their feet instantly softened like a swamp. The two of them stepped into it, one foot deep and the other shallow, and when they emerged, they had changed locations three times.

After traveling for seventy or eighty miles, Lu Chang finally found a shallow cave nestled against a cliff. The entrance was completely covered by vines, making it extremely difficult to spot without using his Law Power. He carefully helped Lu Ming into the cave, then turned back and used his Black Armor Golden Screen to wipe away any remaining moisture and footprints outside the entrance before entering the cave himself.

The cave wasn't deep, but it was dry and sheltered from the wind. Lu Chang leaned Lu Ming against the stone wall, then took out a small celadon bottle from his Storage Bag, poured out two greenish-blue pills, fed one to Lu Ming, and swallowed the other himself.

As the pill entered his stomach, a cool sensation rose from his dantian, flowing slowly along his meridians, gradually expelling the residual poison of Blood Qi and the smoke of Desire Devil demons from his body. Lu Ming groaned, and a trace of black blood seeped from the corner of his mouth, but his breathing finally became more steady.

The two remained silent and meditated for about half an hour. Birdsong drifted in from outside the cave, clear and distant, making the cave seem exceptionally quiet. Lu Ming slowly opened his eyes; his face was still pale, but he had regained some vitality. He looked down at his right arm; the bluish-black color had faded considerably, and he could now barely bend and straighten his fingers.

"Brother Chang," he spoke, his voice dry and hoarse, "How many Subterranean Water Talisman are left?"

Lu Chang opened his Storage Bag and frowned, saying, "There's only one left. The previous one was Purple Mansion Spirit Talisman, which allowed the two of us to travel over three thousand miles before shaking off that Devil Cultivator. This remaining one is just Foundation Establishment Talisman, which can only allow us to travel another hundred miles at most."

Lu Ming was silent for a moment, then said in a low voice, "That's enough. Let's go to Cibi Lake."

Lu Chang was taken aback. "Cibi Lake? Brother Ming, why are we still going to look for that lake god? You and I were imprisoned in the secret realm for decades, and we only escaped five years ago..."

Lu Ming shook his head, leaned against the stone wall, and slowly straightened up, smiling wryly:

"Though I know not what the Lake God's plans are, my family's cultivators were almost entirely wiped out by the Abbot of Qixia Temple back then. It was the Lake God who found us from the mortal realm and passed on his teachings, which is why we are here today... In the five years since we left, we have searched for all our relatives and in-laws, but no one has been willing to help us. Now it seems that only the Lake God can protect us..."

Lu Chang gritted his teeth and didn't argue anymore. He knew that his brother was right. Nanzhao was in chaos, and White Sand Mountain was isolated, with no natural defenses and no reinforcements to rely on. The only place where they could still have some sense of loyalty was the Lake God of Cibi Lake.

The two said no more. Lu Chang lifted Lu Ming up again and affixed the last Subterranean Water Talisman to the Black Armor Golden Screen. With a flash of light, the golden shield enveloped the two of them, transforming into a dark golden light that silently merged into the mountain stream.

The stream flowed down the mountainside, meandering for dozens of miles, before flowing into a wetland outside Cibi Lake. Here, reeds grew in abundance, and the air was thick with moisture, making it a natural passage for those who wished to travel Subterranean Water. Lu Chang felt a slight sense of relief and was about to urge Jin Ping to speed up their journey.

Just then, a clear voice suddenly came from the reeds ahead:

"You two, there's no need to go any further."

Lu Chang's heart skipped a beat, Black Armor Golden Screen suddenly rose up, protecting the two of them behind the shield. Lu Ming also struggled to raise his left hand, and the Scarlet Jiao Lock slid out from his sleeve. Although the flames on the chains were much dimmer than before, they still flickered brightly.

As the reeds parted, seven figures emerged slowly from the morning mist. The leader, with a handsome face, held a long sword made entirely of crimson gold, its blade inscribed with nine summer-themed patterns— the Vermilion Brightness Sword. Behind him, six others carried banners, held up the sun, or held fire; these were Ren Han, Lu Yuan, Zichuan, Li Xu, Yang Zhao, Lin Shuang, Xu Qingluo from Qixia Temple.

Lu Chang had traveled extensively over the past few years and naturally knew these people. After all, it was these people who had eliminated all the Foundation Establishment demons and monsters in the Cibi Lake area over the years. So he spoke up:

Qixia Temple!

He instinctively shielded Lu Ming behind him, his voice strained. "

What are you doing here? The White Sand Mountain and the two Spirit Artifact were returned to your abbot five years ago. Are you going to go back on your word now?

Lu Ming also said in a deep voice, "If it comes to a fight, although we are both injured, we can still put up a fight."

Upon hearing this, Ren Han did not approach. He tucked the Vermilion Brightness Sword into his sleeve, bowed to the two men, and spoke calmly:

"Fellow Daoist Lu, you misunderstand. I am here on the orders of the Abbot, and I only have one sentence to say."

He paused, his gaze sweeping over the injuries on the two men, and continued:

"Five years ago, after our abbot returned White Sand Mountain and the two Spirit Artifact to you, he proclaimed to the cultivation world of Nanzhao that within a radius of three hundred li around White Sand Mountain, no one above the Purple Mansion level was allowed to attack the descendants of the Lu Household. The Nanzhao Royal Family and the Lake God of Cibi Lake can both bear witness to this."

Lu Ming and Lu Chang exchanged a glance, both taken aback.

Ren Han continued:

"Those men in blood-red robes and the woman in pink today, at most at the Foundation Establishment Peak Stage, took advantage of the loophole that ' those in the Purple Mansion cannot act.' They were skirting the law, committing robbery, but violating a grave taboo of Qixia Temple. The Abbot has decreed: anyone who trespasses on White Sand Mountain will be killed without exception. Therefore..."

He paused, his voice as calm as still water. "Those two Devil Cultivator have all been annihilated."

Lu Chang opened his mouth, unsure of what to say. Lu Ming's gaze lingered on Ren Han's face for a long while, as if trying to discern the truthfulness of his words.

Ren Han didn't linger, cupping his hands in greeting again. "The message has been delivered. You two should take care of yourselves."

After saying this, he turned and left. Lu Yuan, Zichuan, and the others also said nothing, each putting away their Law Artifact. Seven streaks of light rose one after another and headed towards Cibi Lake, disappearing in an instant.

In the reeds, only the gentle ripples of water and two silent figures remained.