Chapter 518: 487 Military Disaster, Part 1

Snow Rainbow Pavilion · Earth Mother Hall.

The towering and compassionate Earth Mother Statues number seventy-seven in total, each with different postures and attire—skirts, long robes, cloaks, and hats for warmth, as well as thin gauze garments. Their styles vary widely, from luxurious to simple, solemn to noble, rich to poor, covering all aspects.

According to age, there are Earth Mother statues from childhood, youth, old age, and at the time of passing.

They stand throughout the entire temple, forming a vast forest of statues.

Those who come to worship must enter the center of the forest to pray and perform rituals at the altar.

At this moment, the light from the sky is projected through the crystal at the top of the temple, landing precisely on the altar.

Yue Dewen sat cross-legged at the back, watching Old Dou, who was kneeling on the cushion in front, feeling quite bored.

This was his fourth visit, yet his old friend had not completed the final ritual.

The Earth Mother Hall and Celestial God Hall are the ultimate foundations of the Great Spirit. They are the most sacred places.

So, even he cannot be disrespectful here.

All he can do is wait.

As he waited quietly.

Old Dou slowly moved.

His kneeling body shifted to the left, changing his posture. His tightly closed eyes slowly opened.

"...You’ve come so many times, is there something important you wish to discuss?"

After completing the final ceremonial hand gesture, Old Dou slowly turned his head to look at Yue Dewen.

Old Yue had changed into a loose purple robe. His once white hair had already turned black, save for a slight hint of age in his eyes and face, making it hard to tell he was over ninety.

"Yes, there is something." Yue Dewen nodded, finally exhaling after waiting so long, "Things have gotten a bit tense on my side recently, so I’ve come to borrow some men."

"Borrow men?" Old Dou stood up and stretched his joints.

He was forever wrapped in pitch-black armor, covering his entire body, without revealing his face.

"The situation has become this troublesome? What about the manpower from the Sensing Sect?"

"They’re a bit difficult to command. They’re good at fighting when the wind’s at their back, but to have someone truly reliable, it has to be you." Yue Dewen said solemnly.

"Okay." Old Dou fished in his robes and took out a dark-golden token, throwing it over.

"Take the token and handle it yourself. You can have anyone except the top ten Fierce Generals."

With a snap, Yue Dewen caught the token, his face breaking into a satisfied smile.

"You’re the man! Still the reliable old chap!"

"Speaking of which, I might need your help for a small issue on my side." Old Dou said gravely.

"What do you need? Just say it!" Yue Dewen stood up casually.

"It’s a minor thing, just a bit time-consuming." Old Dou suddenly gave an odd smile.

Yue Dewen furrowed his brow, about to inquire.

Suddenly, there was a faint sound emanating from his hand. He looked down hastily.

The token he had just received shattered like a bubble, disappearing, and with its disappearance, a strong sense of dizziness surged in his heart.

Countless black mists surrounded from nowhere, filling the entire Earth Mother Hall.

Yue Dewen’s expression tightened as he lifted his gaze toward Old Dou, only to see Old Dou’s figure gradually dissolve like an illusion and vanish.

The surroundings were serene, with only the Earth Mother deities standing still.

Dense black mist crept closer from between the statues, closing in on him.

"It seems our cooperation has come to an end." Yue Dewen straightened his back, a cold glint and a hint of killing intent flashing in his eyes.

"Don’t blame me, Old Yue. There’s something wrong with you, though you can’t realize it. The goals we set in the beginning have already begun to shift."

Old Dou’s voice slowly drifted from within the black mist.

"So... for the sake of our decades-old friendship, take a rest."

"Rest? If the Earth Mother Goddess were here in person, I would humbly admit defeat, but do you think just the two sub-bodies you possess can make me rest!? You’ve been controlled to the point of stupidity!"

Yue Dewen’s face settled into calmness, his right hand hanging low, fingertips suddenly shimmering with sparks of silver light.

Whoosh!

At that moment, two black lines shot out from the black mist, aiming accurately at his forehead.

Yue Dewen made no attempt to stop them, allowing them to enter him. Then he closed his eyes and stood there motionless, like a sculpture.

*

*

*

Wushan Prefecture, Wish Girl Gorge.

Carts of medicinal materials and grains moved along the mountain path, continuously entering the gorge, where they were stored in newly dug caves.

Thick smoke billowed from the many freshly excavated caves, fires inside used to dry them out, preventing the reserves of medicines and grains from molding.

On a clifftop platform within a cave residence in the middle of the cliff. 𝕗𝕣𝐞𝐞𝘄𝐞𝚋𝚗𝗼𝘃𝗲𝗹.𝚌𝕠𝚖

Zhang Rongfang watched the carts below with satisfaction, looking much more at ease compared to a few days ago.

"Now all the food and medicinal materials that can be collected from various places have been transported here. This amount is more than enough to last a year.

But the critical issue is the large population loss caused by the Red Turban rebels. Many farming families and medicinal gardens have turned into rebels. Without anyone to cultivate, recovery is impossible, and after a year... the situation might be dire."

Qingsu, now in charge of overseeing and managing all resources, voiced her concerns after consolidating the received resources.

"Heaven and earth are ruthless, treating all things as straw dogs. Now, due to the Red Turban rebels causing significant civilian losses, the food demand has drastically decreased compared to before. Though cruel, with fewer people, the stored food can last longer. After all, fewer mouths to feed."

Zhang Rongfang turned and looked at Qingsu.

"What we must do is quickly establish a plot of arable land for self-sufficiency."

"I understand, Master." Qingsu nodded, "But the poisonous fog and miasma are pervasive in the nearby mountains, with many poisonous insects. It’s not suitable for planting; we can only look further away."

"Leave these things for you to do. It’s not urgent in the short term; just get started." Zhang Rongfang nodded.

"By the way, come over here." He gestured to her.

Qingsu looked slightly stunned, then immediately realized something, clenched her teeth, and walked forward.

"Master..."

"Don’t be afraid."

Zhang Rongfang gently reached out and touched her forehead.

With a flick of his fingertip, he made a small cut on her forehead, and drops of fresh blood seeped out, entering her body.

For his own close associates, Zhang Rongfang naturally wouldn’t just give one drop of blood, but would change all the blood in their body.

Qingsu was already at the peak of her strength, so the change in blood didn’t cause much difference.

She only felt her physical energy become more abundant.

But she had seen what those Super Grade experts from the Human Immortal Temple were like, and at this moment, she also understood what had happened.

After a few minutes, everything was over, and she quickly knelt down on one knee toward Zhang Rongfang.

"Thank you, Master, for recreating me!"

As soon as she knelt down, a strong impulse to consume live blood surged in her heart, causing her to unconsciously move her lips.

The feeling was as natural and intense as being thirsty and wanting to drink water.

"Don’t be afraid. Just find some live animals and replenish a little blood." Zhang Rongfang gently reassured.

"Okay." Qingsu’s expression remained calm. "There are many with Ding Yu; I will go there quickly."

"Many? What do you mean?" Zhang Rongfang was puzzled. This guy wouldn’t have made a mistake, keeping humans?

"Oh, now he’s herding cattle on the mountain every day, raising chickens, and has even contracted a plantation, feeding many pigs, and has diverted some water from the creek in the gorge over there." Qingsu replied.

"...This guy." Zhang Rongfang was speechless, "Forget it, you go down, handle it yourself before reporting back to me."

"Yes." Qingsu quickly descended the stone steps.

On the platform, only Zhang Rongfang was left again.

He sighed lightly, looking at the large "Immortal" character underfoot, tapped it with his toe, and suddenly leapt off the platform like a large bird, heading towards the bottom of the gorge.

This platform was named Ascension Platform by him, about two hundred meters from the ground.

The wing-like suit on Zhang Rongfang’s back spread open, he lightly spiraled and glided, soon landing steadily.

He put away the wingsuit, his figure flashed, crossed a large rocky beach in the gorge, and arrived at a half-built dungeon.

The dungeon was mostly underground, with only a cave-like entrance on the surface.

There were guards stationed on both sides of the entrance.

Upon seeing Zhang Rongfang, the two greeted silently and then let him through.

Zhang Rongfang said nothing, his figure floated into the cave, heading down, and soon arrived at a dimly lit cavern illuminated by torches.

This dungeon was formed by modifying a naturally occurring cavern.

At this moment, in one cell, there was a person being held in layers of iron bars at the deep end.

On a stone chair outside the cell sat a cross-legged Daoist, it was Hongxian.

Compared to a few days ago, Hongxian’s complexion was different again, with a faint aura emanating from him.

In the dim light, the guy’s physical condition had changed as well.

Qi and blood flowed faster, the heart was stronger, and the breath was more prolonged. This was the sign of condensing a strong will, with changes in Essence Qi and spirit, looking like he was about to breakthrough to Grandmaster.

Zhang Rongfang judged in his heart.

"How is the person?" he asked.

"Master." Hongxian Daoist hurriedly stood up. "No consciousness. As long as you don’t approach and attack him, he remains motionless, like a wooden figure."

He looked at the old man named Hu in the dungeon.

That person was the God-worshipping Grandmaster who had died once after being drained by Zhang Rongfang.

At this moment, three days had passed since the previous battle.

"Three days have been like this, no movement at all?" Zhang Rongfang asked.

"Exactly. Seems to have completely lost human awareness." Hongxian Daoist replied.

He picked up a booklet and handed it to Zhang Rongfang. It recorded the actions of the old man named Hu for these past few days.

Zhang Rongfang looked through it, noting no excretion, no activity, no speech, not even a change in standing position. His eyes didn’t blink either.

He pondered for a moment, put down the booklet, understanding in his heart.

Approaching the cell, he carefully looked at the old man.

In the past, he would often kill God-worshipping Martial Artists immediately after draining their blood. Usually, at this point, those killed would present deadly weaknesses all over the body, no different from living people.

But he rarely pondered why.

Why did these God-worshippers lose the ability to recover after being drained?

What position does human blood hold within their bodies?

Did he really just consume human blood, or did it include other components?

With a click, the cell door was opened, and Zhang Rongfang entered alone, approaching the old man.

At a range of three meters, the old man noticeably reacted.

Swoosh!

He suddenly reached out, striking at Zhang Rongfang.

The strike had some form, seeming to adhere to a fixed martial arts style.

But Zhang Rongfang managed to dodge it.