Legend of Mir 2: Seeking the Truth in Marfa

"Over the past hundred years, the Shenlong Empire has produced many exceptionally gifted cultivators. The most famous today is undoubtedly Xiao Renfeng of Wolong Villa. This woman is incredibly intelligent, and even more remarkable is her disinterest in miscellaneous techniques, focusing solely on cultivation. She reached the seventh level of enlightenment at the age of 16, the eighth at 24, and now, barely 30, she advertises herself as undergoing the second level of the Wind and Thunder Tribulation, but in reality, she's already passed the third level of the Ten Directions Tribulation. She's been practicing in seclusion for the past two years, preparing for the fourth level of the Five Elements Tribulation."

"Triple Ten-Directions Tribulation, Fourth Five-Element Tribulation? What are these?" Brooke asked puzzled.

"After the eighth transformation, if you want to continue to improve your strength, you need to overcome tribulations. The first level is the mountain and river tribulation, the second level is the wind and thunder tribulation, the third level is the ten-direction tribulation, the fourth level is the five elements tribulation, the fifth level is the soul tribulation, and finally the sixth level is the yin and yang tribulation. If you can survive the tribulation, your attributes will double from the eighth transformation. In addition, in addition to the attribute increase, after successfully surviving the tribulation, you can also resist lethal attacks. If you can reach the eighth transformation in the future, you will naturally understand."

"Although there are six levels of tribulation, in the recorded history of the Shenlong Empire, no one has ever been able to survive all six. Most eighth-rank cultivators only survive the first or second level, such as Tuoba Hongye, who only survived the second level of wind and thunder tribulation. A few, such as the Great Sage Xuanyuan, have been able to survive the third level. Especially in the last few hundred years, those who have survived the fourth or higher level are few and far between. Xiao Renfeng has survived the third level at such a young age, which is extremely rare. He is very likely to break through to the fourth or even fifth level in the future."

"However, Xiao Renfeng is not the most powerful master of my Shenlong Empire. There is another person in the Shenlong Empire who is more powerful than Xiao Renfeng. He is the current Majesty, the Shenlong Emperor! His Majesty survived the fifth level of divine soul calamity when he was 36 years old! He became one of the most powerful masters in the history of my Shenlong Empire!" The commander was a little excited, as if he was proud that the Shenlong Emperor could survive the five levels of calamity.

"Bayin told me that the emperor's health has reached 260 million. Could it be that after going through five tribulations, the health can be increased to this level?" Brook asked.

The commander sighed and shook his head slowly.

"Sixteen years ago, a king-level demon beast invaded. A great battle ensued, and our empire's cultivators ultimately annihilated the king-level demon beast at the cost of half their own demise. At the time, while the vortex passageway in the demon beast's main city was still open, rumors circulated that the other side of the vortex was the Red Star. So, His Majesty led the Divine Dragon Guard and ten Rank 8 masters from the three great families into the passageway, hoping to find out. His Majesty promised us that he would return once the passageway opened again."

"Two months later, the Monster Beast Passage opened again. We didn't wait for His Majesty, but instead waited for countless monsters, humanoid monsters, and rare magical beasts. We were forced to evacuate from the Monster Beast Main City."

"Until another six months passed. One day, spies reported that a major commotion had broken out in the Monster City for unknown reasons. When I rushed to the front line in the middle lane, I saw His Majesty charging out of the Monster Crypt Camp, braving the attacks of the arrow towers! His Majesty's health had reached a staggering 260 million!"

"When we reached His Majesty, we found him trembling all over, his expression in extreme pain, and his eyes were bloodshot. His Majesty asked me to immediately send him back to the palace and tie him up. His Majesty said he could no longer hold on..."

"After I escorted His Majesty back to the Imperial Palace, he finally showed some improvement. After three days and three nights of coma, he finally awoke. When we inquired about what had happened, he had completely forgotten everything that had happened in the vortex tunnel."

"The Imperial Physician has diagnosed that Your Majesty is physically fine, but his mind and spirit have been severely damaged. There is no cure for this damage to the mind and spirit. Only within the confines of the Imperial Palace can you maintain a clear mind."

"From now on, His Majesty can no longer leave the palace. But even so, every day at 12 noon, His Majesty will lose his mind and kill anyone he sees, like a monster or a humanoid. The imperial physician calls this a demonic transformation, and it lasts for a full hour."

"So, before 12 noon every day, His Majesty will lock himself in the palace hall. The entrance of the hall is guarded by the Imperial City Guards, and there are also Imperial Dragon Guards outside. In more than ten years, there has never been a mistake. Bayin, how did you encounter His Majesty in a demonized state at that time?" asked the commander.

"I met Your Majesty at the gate of Wenhua Palace. Your Majesty's health was not full at that time, and it seemed that he had been attacked by someone." Bayin replied.

"That's strange. The Imperial Palace is quite far from the Wenhua Palace. There are guards at the entrance to the palace. Unless... Your Majesty left through the secret passage of the palace. But the terrain of that secret passage is very complicated, like a large maze. Outsiders who enter it will not be able to leave in a short time. Your Majesty is in a demonized state and unconscious, so it is also impossible for him to leave... Unless..."

"Unless there is an acquaintance leading the way, attacking Your Majesty all the way, deliberately leading Your Majesty to Wenhua Palace, and finally putting the blame on Bayin." Brooke said.

"There is indeed such a possibility... You want to talk about Tuoba Hongye, right? I asked Tuoba Hongye. He was with Wan Tiancheng and Luo Xuan at the time. They all had proof of their presence. We can find out about this kind of thing once we investigate. He would not lie. Not everyone can enter the palace. During that period, there were not many outsiders who registered to enter the palace." said the commander.

"What if I don't register and just use the teleportation ring to enter?" Brook asked.

"Indeed. But who would be so bold? Trespassing into the palace, if discovered, would be a capital offense."

"Perhaps some people would take risks for the sake of the artifact."

"I know you're talking about Xiao Renlong. But you have no evidence."

"There is indeed no evidence at the moment. I will go and ask him about it in the future."

"Well... let's talk about this later. Actually, it's not important anymore. His Majesty will most likely pardon Bayin for my sake and for the sake of Dragon Valley. I heard that you blew up Xiao Renlong's teleportation ring, and the detection necklace just now. Brook, let me remind you that although Xiao Renfeng is devoted to cultivation and does not care about worldly affairs, she is extremely protective of Wolong Villa. You just said that the ancient dragon can only be summoned once a month and cannot stay with you for a long time. Then I suggest you return the ring and necklace to Wolong Villa as soon as possible. If Xiao Renfeng takes action personally, I will not be able to stop her."

"I will seriously consider this matter...By the way, what is Xiao Renfeng's occupation?"

"A warrior. But not just any warrior. She has a special group attack skill with a huge range, and her casting distance is even farther than that of mages and Taoist priests. If we really fought, neither I nor the Great Sage Xuanyuan would be her match. You and Bayin are very powerful and can kill a 7th-rank cultivator, but if you face her, you have no chance of winning."

"...Thank you, Commander-in-Chief, for the reminder!"

"You're welcome. I don't want you two to die either. I'm counting on you to lead my Dragon Guard to the Dragon Valley."

At this time, Bayin interrupted and asked, "Commander-in-Chief, you just said that His Majesty cannot leave the palace and must stay within the palace to stay conscious? Why is that?"

"Because a special formation has been set up within the palace. The core of this formation is a resurrection ring, which can prolong the lifespan of the royal family and ward off disasters and difficulties. It also has a certain healing effect on your majesty's soul loss."

"Then if we take the resurrection ring out of the formation and put it on Your Majesty, can't we leave the palace?" Bayin asked again.

"That's right. But even so, it still can't completely cure the damage to His Majesty's soul. Once 12 noon, he will once again enter a demonic state, transforming into a humanoid monster. That's why His Majesty is reluctant to leave the palace. In fact, he hasn't continued to improve his cultivation over the years, fearing that he would lose control after the demonization and harm innocent people of the empire."