Patrol Captain

"What do you need the flesh and blood of celestial beings for to become a holy land?"

When Chen Yuan asked the question, the eyes of the Nine Candles of the Holy Land flashed with a ghostly light, and the ghost mask on their face laughed, appearing extremely eerie under the lamplight.

"Hehe, Chen Wusheng, you know the answer but ask. Celestial beings exist, and there is a unity between them. Their flesh and blood carry the power of laws. If you eat a bite, you may not be able to ascend to heaven in broad daylight, but at least you can touch some of the laws of celestial beings. It is a great tonic."

The laughter carried a chilling undertone.

Upon hearing that this guy wanted to eat the flesh and blood of celestial beings, Chen Yuan's gaze remained unchanged, and his tone was indifferent.
"I am ignorant, but everyone has their own way. If we follow your words, then this celestial flesh and blood is probably not a great tonic, but rather a poison that will burn your intestines."

"That's no need for you to worry about, Martial Saint Chen. I have my own methods for becoming a holy land."

Nine Candle spoke softly, then continued, "Since Martial Saint Chen does not possess this item, do you know the whereabouts of the other Celestial Being from that day?"

"Someone recalled a scene from the void, and another celestial being disappeared during your battle with him. I believe you should know his whereabouts best!"

His questioning carried an unusual undertone, and a hint of surprise appeared in Chen Yuan's eyes.

This guy wasn't giving up and continued to inquire about the whereabouts of another Celestial Being. Did he intend to hunt down another Celestial Being?

That sounds a bit crazy!

But that does fit the rumors about these guys; they're all lunatics!
"Do you think that if I knew the whereabouts of that celestial being, I would allow a mortal enemy to remain out there?"

"Chen also wants to know where that guy is!"

Indeed, he also wanted to know the whereabouts of that celestial being. After all, a grudge had already been formed, and the celestial being's whereabouts were unknown, which was part of the reason why Chen Yuan resigned from his official post and returned to his hometown.

He thought that if that celestial being recovered, he would definitely cause him trouble.

The enemy was lurking in the shadows, which made Chen Yuan feel uneasy. However, he had no clue what to do and could only wait and see.

Opposite, the grotesque smile on the mask slowly turned downwards, and a howling wind began to blow through the space.
"That seems to make sense!"

"It seems I won't get anything useful from Chen Wusheng today!"

"However, to have witnessed your esteemed presence today is enough to make this trip worthwhile!"

"If I ever find the whereabouts of that celestial being after I become a saint, I might ask for your help. At that time, Saint Chen, please do not refuse."

As the last sentence was uttered, the candlelight in the darkness opposite went out one by one, and the ghost mask was quickly swallowed up by the shadows of the extinguished lights, its voice becoming erratic.

At the same time, this illusion, like a dark, calm lake, began to shatter silently.

In that instant, Chen Yuan's third eye between his brows suddenly ripped open, and a clear, bright light pierced through the depths of darkness, capturing the afterimage of the ghostly mask as it fled.

The Nine Candles of the Holy Land reacted quickly. The hidden ghost face mask seemed to come alive, its furrowed brows contorted in a ferocious rage, and its pupils emitted a burst of green light, shooting out azure rays.

"What do you wish to do?"

A somber voice echoed from the depths of darkness.

Next second,
“zheng”

A metallic clang rang out.

The Heavenly Eye Glazed Light collided with the Azure Light, tearing through the void. The Azure Light receded abruptly, and finally the Heavenly Eye Glazed Light shone on the ghost-faced figure.

"I don't like the feeling of being spied on. You can come and go as you please, but you have to leave something behind!" Chen Yuan's voice was calm and even, but his eyes were as fiery as molten gold. With a flick of his wrist, his spear pierced the darkness like a dragon.

…………

After a short while, the pond in the courtyard suddenly splashed with water.

A golden figure leaped out of the water and landed on the blue lotus, revealing Chen Yuan's Yang God.

At this moment, his third eye opened between his brows, projecting the image of the man in white robes and a ghost mask into the pond.

In an instant, the third eye closed, and the reflection in the water disappeared.

He used his Heavenly Eye to imprint the primordial spirit aura of this powerful Martial Saint from the Holy Land, locking onto him, but he couldn't see anything, presumably because the other party had used some means to conceal his aura.

However, now that he has imprinted the other party's primordial spirit aura, he can try to search for the other party at any time and find their location. The other party cannot be on guard all the time.

If necessary, I can use the projection of my third eye, which I have been practicing recently, to discuss the principles with the other party.

Who told this guy to be so ignorant of the rules? This is called "it is impolite not to reciprocate"!
However, considering that the other party was a madman from the Holy Land, Chen Yuan did not intend to be aggressive if the other party did not cause trouble. He was the most reasonable person.

If someone treats me with respect, I will treat them with even greater respect!
It's that simple!
But thinking back on the conversation just now, this guy actually set his sights on the Celestials; he's no saint.

As for whether the other party's purpose was truly as they claimed, Chen Yuan declined to comment, but he felt that this guy's appearance at this time had ulterior motives.

It's always good to be on guard!
After pondering for a while, Chen Yuan slowly gathered his thoughts, then calmed down, sat cross-legged on the green lotus, and then flicked his sleeve upwards, a small black jade bottle flew up above his head, mouth facing down, followed by wisps of white smoke flying out.

Chen Yuan continued refining the incense to replenish his Heavenly Eye and continued to improve.

Meanwhile, thousands of miles southwest of Qingshan County, a dark, misty forest was shrouded in fog, the mist resembling cotton wool soaked in ink, layer upon layer enveloping the forest.

The chill of early spring lingers, and the mountain winds howl. Unlike other places where the mountains and forests are bursting with new life in spring, there is not a trace of new green on the mountaintop. Here, there are only broken walls and ruins, bare rocks, broken dead trees, broken halberds among the rocks, and faintly visible white skeletons. The hollow skulls whistle piercingly in the wind.

In this desolate mountain forest, a cave is hidden among the trees. A few withered vines hang from the cave entrance, being pushed by the wind and hitting the rock wall, making a soft "shh-shh" sound, as if someone is grinding their teeth in the dark.

Deep inside the cave, eerie green flames flickered and twisted, casting strange lines on the stone walls, some contorted like snakes, others coalescing into grotesque ghostly shadows. These flickered with the light, as if trying to crawl out of the stone, creating a chilling and sinister atmosphere.

A moment later, the eerie green lights suddenly dimmed, as if they had been abruptly extinguished, plunging the entire cave into darkness. After a while, a few candlelight flickered up again, but this time the light turned bright yellow, and the distorted shadows on the walls disappeared.

Soon, a voice came from inside.

"what happened?"

"Why did the spellcasting stop?!"

The sound was like cold air scraping against a piece of metal, very piercing, and it also sounded like someone deliberately straining their voice.

"That guy surnamed Chen suddenly turned on me and used some tricks against me!" At this moment, another voice rang out. It was the voice of Jiu Zhu from before, and it was cold.

"This person has marked my primordial spirit aura, and can sense my presence from a distance!"

"What? He discovered where we are now?" The voice suddenly became shrill.

"Why are you in such a hurry? I used a secret technique to block this person's spying." "Are you afraid the other party will come looking for you?" Jiu Zhu's voice turned cold, tinged with a sneer.

"Hmph, what am I afraid of!" The man reacted, snorted coldly, and then added with a sharp edge, "This person is notorious for turning his back on people. Even though he is in the imperial court, he doesn't give the court any face. There are even rumors that he has rebellious intentions. One should be careful when dealing with such a person."

"Heh, when did you become so cautious, old ghost? Don't you think that I, a member of the Holy Land, never need to act like this?" Jiu Zhu's voice carried a hint of arrogance and coldness.

"Stop with the nonsense." Old Ghost interrupted, somewhat annoyed. "What useful information have you gained from dealing with this person?"

"No."

"Whether it's the flesh and blood of celestial beings or their whereabouts!"

"Given your nature, he naturally won't tell you anything since you've come all this way. Besides, this person has a history of feuds with the human-demon lineage. If you had known, you wouldn't have bothered him." The old ghost spoke, his voice truly unpleasant, giving one goosebumps.

“This person is in Shu, so our plan can’t bypass him. He has connections everywhere in Shu, and he’s involved in everything. There’s no harm in making contact with him beforehand. You old devil, you’re just being nosy.” Jiuzhu’s voice was filled with dissatisfaction.

"Alright, alright, it's good that you know what you're doing. I'm too lazy to interfere. So, what are you planning to do next?!"

"Our plan is to have as many people as possible, so we'll naturally look for more to join. There are a few interesting individuals we could pay them a visit!"

"go!"

As soon as he finished speaking, a gust of wind swept through the cave, and the candlelight inside flickered and went out.

Immediately afterwards, a black wind blew out of the cave. The black wind was like an extremely sharp wind knife, blowing the rocks into dust, which fell down in a flurry. Then the black wind went south and landed on a mountaintop.

The black wind dissipated, and amidst the flying sand and stones, Jiu Zhu appeared, dressed in a white robe and wearing a red-faced demon mask.

Beside the Nine Candles stood an old man draped in a black robe. The edges of the robe were shrouded in black mist, which fluttered in the wind as if countless invisible hands were pulling at them, making a soft rustling sound.

The man was emaciated, his black robe hanging on him like a garment on a hanger. His exposed hands had prominent knuckles and bluish-gray fingernails. His face was like withered wood, its wrinkles deep and etched, layer upon layer, his eye sockets sunken so deeply that two grayish pupils were hidden within, as if veiled by a thin mist, yet exuding a chilling aura that pierced to the bone. His nose was sharply hooked, and a few wisps of grayish-yellow beard clung to the corners of his downturned mouth. His hair was disheveled, half withered white and half black, and a faint, ethereal chill emanated from him, making him seem to blend into the darkness.

Following their gaze, dozens of miles into the darkness, nestled among rolling mountains, lay a colossal pass, its black outline resembling a slumbering beast. The high walls gleamed with a cold, hard light, like congealed, mottled bloodstains.

Above this pass, there was a terrifying aura, churning demonic clouds, dark with a hint of red, revealing writhing dark red veins within.

On the city wall, there was an even more horrifying sight: pale skeletons, clawing at the bricks and stones, climbing upwards, densely packed, gleaming with a cold, eerie white light.

And on the land stretching outwards from the city, bones littered the fields.

This place was originally called "Jingyuan Pass". It is adjacent to Zhennan Prefecture. However, like Zhennan Prefecture, it is now occupied by the Undying King. The city is filled with white bones and has become a world of dead creatures.

The two supreme beings of the Holy Land pierced through the darkness and looked into the city. Deep within the demonic clouds of the city, a terrifying aura lurked.

They could sense a terrifying presence inside!
The old man in black robes looked towards Jingyuan Pass with his gloomy eyes.
"What's inside? It doesn't feel like the aura of a living person?"

"It's more like the Ghost Path!"

The old man had a high-pitched voice, his throat like a metal bellows.

"Outsiders call them the Bone Kings. I've heard there are seven of them, each occupying a dead city. Some people have witnessed that the sinkholes that appeared in the Hundred Thousand Mountains were opened by them. They hold secrets worth uncovering. Why don't you and I go and visit them? Perhaps we can find something!"

The blue pupils inside the Nine-Candle Ghost Face Mask flickered uncertainly as it spoke in a low voice.

The old man in the black robe narrowed his gray eyes.
"interesting!"

"These skeletal creatures are densely packed, estimated to number in the hundreds of thousands. This is in line with the way of my holy land. However, such beings involve secrets, so we need to be careful. We don't want to get nothing and end up getting ourselves killed in the process."

"nature!"

Jiuzhu grunted in response, and then a wisp of black energy swirled beneath his feet, transforming into a black gust of wind that sped toward Jingyuan Pass.

The old man in black robes rolled up his clothes, transformed into a red-eyed black raven, and stealthily moved through the night.

…………

The next day, in Qingshan County, dawn broke.

Sunlight streamed down along the contours of the eastern mountain peaks, while morning mist hung on the mountainside, wisps of it trailing along the dark green ridges, enveloping the scattered rooftops of Qingshan County at the foot of the mountain, revealing only a few sections of eaves, like ink still wet in a traditional Chinese ink painting.

Sunlight pierced through the thin mist, weaving rays onto the bluestone slabs of the streets and alleys, casting dappled patterns of light on the wet pavement.

In Chen Yuan's courtyard in Jiazi Lane, newly sprouted bamboo leaves are covered with last night's dew. When the wind blows, the dew on the tips of the leaves rolls off in a soft rustling sound.

"squeak"

The courtyard gate opened early that morning.

A woman with a silk scarf tied around her head, wearing a simple white dress, and with an exquisitely beautiful face walked out from inside.

The woman opened the door and saw a small head shrinking back into the neighboring yard like a startled rabbit.

After a while, the little head peeked out from the gate of the neighboring courtyard again, only to find that the beautiful older sister with blue eyes was staring at her with a smile.

The woman pointed at him, her eyes smiling, seemingly finding it quite amusing.
"Your name is Tiger Cub, right?"

"What are you looking at?"

"I've noticed you've been looking at my house a lot these past few days. Are you looking for something?"

In the neighboring yard, Tiger Cub became very nervous when he saw such a beautiful older sister talking to him; his little face turned red.
"I...I didn't see anything!"

The little guy stammered out his sentence, then remembered what his mother had taught him: to be polite. His teacher had also taught him that one cannot stand without manners. So he stepped out of the door and stood up straight.

Good morning, beautiful lady!

He greeted An Ge.

Upon hearing this, An Ge smiled and waved to Huwa.

"Come on, little one, come play at home!"

"I have a little one at home, you can come and play with her."

Tiger Cub hesitated at An Ge's invitation, but his innocent face was still full of curiosity, so he took a step forward. (End of Chapter)