Xie Lian spoke up, "General Pei... That array is for shielding against those resentful spirits that poured out from the Kiln. Once it's broken, then the Human Face Disease will break out for the third time, it would probably..."
It would probably bring disaster to the world, and annihilate all that was living. Pei Ming rubbed his nose, "Let me verify this... My lord... didn't give me any other choice, right."
"Of course I did." Jun Wu said, "If you descend, I will let you go; if you don't, I will let them go."
Who's them?
Xuan Ji, Rong Guang, and Ke Mo!
The three ghosts on the side all flashed a green light from their eyes as if they were starving, and it was easy to imagine what they would do once they were released. Strangle him to death, scratch him to death, stab him to death, punch him to death; choose one, or all.
Jun Wu added, "Little Pei is also here. I imagine you think very highly of this descendent of yours. After all, in order to keep him, you were willing to cover up his luring people to their deaths at the Banyue Pass, and even planned to push this affair onto the heads of others."
Having heard this, Rong Guang's grievance seemed to have rolled up anew, and he cussed madly at Pei Ming for being a terrible friend, that he'd take his great great great great grandson over his brothers, and Xuan Ji was also on the side, grumbling and griping some grievances.
Pei Ming endured all these demonic noises encircling his head, and after much thought, he sighed, "Will my lord allow me to think more on this?"
"My patience is limited, so I don't want to give you too much time." Jun Wu said.
Just as he finished, delight suddenly appeared on the faces of those three ghosts. They could actually move now, and instantly they charged forward!
The gates of the Palace of Ming Guang shut close, and Xie Lian could hear tortured screaming from someone and something ripping and tearing coming from the inside. His face dropped and he cried, "GENERAL PEI! BAN YUE!!!"
He wanted to go in to see, but Jun Wu's hand was still placed on his shoulder, and forcibly pushed him down the other end of the street. Xie Lian kept looking back, but his body was not his own, and he cried angrily, "WHAT ARE YOU PLANNING?"
"Next one." Jun Wu said.
Next one? What next one? After making way for a bit, they stopped once again, and Xie Lian's breath was almost going to stop.
Lang Qian Qiu's Palace of Tai Hua! Qi Rong also came over from the opposite end of the street with Gu Zi tucked under his arm, his expression refreshed and rejuvenated, looking like he just trampled all the major divine palaces and was very pleased with himself. He spoke up, "Why did you call me here?"
Jun Wu actually summoned Qi Rong to the Palace of Tai Hua. Xie Lian felt a sense of foreboding, and scolded, "THERE'S NOTHING HERE TO CONCERN YOURSELF WITH,
LEAVE NOW!"
Qi Rong's face fell, and it looked as if he was just about to spit at Xie Lian when Jun Wu spoke up, "Go inside."
Qi Rong was smiling in pleasure again, "Hehe, your words don't matter here!" Then he went inside with his head raised and his spirit high. Within the Palace of Tai Hua, Lang Qian Qiu's face was dark and gloomy, and he was pacing back and forth with his hands behind his back. When he saw Xie Lian and Jun Wu had come, he demanded suspiciously, "What are you both doing here?"
Then, he saw Qi Rong who was behind them, and instantly his colours changed, and he cried angrily, "YOU!"
Gu Zi shrank from his angry roar, but the Qi Rong right now certainly wasn't afraid of him, and he sat outside the hall, crossing his legs, so cocky he was getting carried away, "NOTHING TO FEAR, MY GOOD SON! That's right, IT'S ME. Lang Qian Qiu, haven't you been pursuing me to kill me for so long? Didn't you still fall into my hands in the end?"
Lang Qian Qiu was outraged, and veins popped on his forehead and on the back of his hands, yet he was locked within the palace and couldn't take a single step out, so he turned to Xie Lian furiously, "WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU DOING? DID YOU BRING HIM HERE TO SHOW HIM OFF?"
"NO!" Xie Lian cried, "Calm down!"
"I've been calm!" Lang Qian Qiu exclaimed, "I don't even know what's going on!"
Jun Wu spoke up, "Tai Hua, descend and break that human array in the royal capital. Do so, and I will hand over your enemy the Green Ghost Qi Rong for you to manage."
Qi Rong laughed wildly, "HAHAHAHHAHAHAHAHAHA LANG QIAN QIU YOU YONG AN DUMBASS... Huh? What did you say?? HAND ME OVER TO HIM?? WHAT DO YOU MEAN??" He laughed for a good while before he took in Jun Wu's words, and leapt directly to his feet from the chair. What a joke, hand him over to Lang Qian Qiu?
He'd murdered Lang Qian Qiu's entire
clan, Lang Qian Qiu would slaughter him! Jun Wu didn't acknowledge him at all, and continued to speak leisurely, "Otherwise, I will hand you to the Green Ghost Qi Rong to be taken care of, and another life can be added to the lives of Yong An royalty that ended in his hands."
Lang Qian Qiu's face was growing darker and more terrifying, and Qi Rong cried, "WAIT?!" Xie Lian couldn't take this any more.
"ARE YOU MAD?!" He cried, "WHY ARE YOU FORCING THEM TO MAKE SUCH CHOICES? JUST WHAT ARE YOU TRYING TO SHOW ME??"
Lang Qian Qiu had always been in pursuit of Qi Rong to kill him, and based on Qi Rong's character, as long as there's an opportunity to take care of Lang Qian Qiu, then of course he'd make the first move! But if Lang Qian Qiu really did choose to go break the human array, then Xie Lian would definitely not want to witness it either!
"If you don't want to watch them make decisions, then why don't you take their place?" Jun Wu said.
"What?" Xie Lian gaped.
"Xian Le, this is all the result of your stubborn caprice." Jun Wu said, "If you had followed my directions from the beginning, they wouldn't have had to face such decisions."
Xie Lian was so angry his voice was shaking,"Are you saying that this is my fault? Why must you force me like this???"
"Do you hate me?" Jun Wu asked, "Just hatred is pointless! If you've got what it takes then
defeat me. But can you?" Xie Lian clenched his fists tight, his knuckles cracking. Jun Wu continued, "Naturally, the you now doesn't have what it takes. But perhaps if you break the human array you might gain the ability, since, I will help you remove those two locks on your person."
"..."
Those two cursed shackles had sealed him for eight hundred years. What would happen after they've been released?
Qi Rong stared anxiously and cautiously to the interior of the Palace of Tai Hua, scared that the next moment, Lang Qian Qiu would choose to break the array, and Jun Wu would actually ditch him over for Lang Qian Qiu to take care of. Lang Qian Qiu's eyes also moved rapidly between Xie Lian and Qi Rong.
Suddenly, the hand Jun Wu rested on his shoulder had loosened. Xie Lian jolted and whipped his head around. Jun Wu's expression was calm and cold, his head slightly lowered, staring at the curved, silver blade that's hooked by his neck.
It was the blade of E-Ming. Behind him, Hua Cheng's eyes were filled with animosity, and he said frostily, "Move your hand."
"SAN LANG!" Xie Lian cried.
Hua Cheng still came out after all. Jun Wu sucked in a light breath, and smiled at Xie Lian, "Xian Le, you dared to have an affair with the Ghost King under my eyes, what audacity."
Hua Cheng humphed, "Why don't you take a look in the mirror yourself. Do you even have the right to say anything?"
Qi Rong hadn't even settled in his chair before he leapt up again, his face changing colours and terrified, "H-H-H-H-HUA CHENG YOU FUCKER?? HOW DID YOU GET UP HERE?"
Xie Lian pulled out Fang Xin that was on his waist and slashed over, cutting down the barrier that was locking Lang Qian Qiu inside, and cried, "QIAN QIU, RUN!"
Lang Qian Qiu was still burning with rage, and he charged one step towards Qi Rong, seized him, then grabbed for the longsword on his back, looking as if he was going to chop Qi Rong into seven or eight pieces. However, Gu Zi hopped down and opened his arms, blocking in front of Qi Rong, yelling at Lang Qian Qiu, "DON'T... DON'T KILL MY DAD!"
Lang Qian Qiu shouted, "MOVE! YOUR DAD IS POSSESSED, HE'S NOT EVEN YOUR DAD!" However, Qi Rong suddenly flipped and leapt up, catching Gu Zi, "DON'T COME ANY CLOSER! I'M WARNING YOU, DON'T COME NEAR ME! COME AND I'LL EAT THIS KID! I'LL RIP OPEN HIS GUTS AND DEVOUR IT FOR YOU TO SEE!"
Lang Qian Qiu stopped and yelled angrily, "ISN'T HE YOUR SON? HE PROTECTED YOU AND YOU STILL TOOK HIM AS A SHIELD? YOU SHAMELESS, VULGAR DEMON OF THE LOWEST REALM!"
Gu Zi was blinking in his hold, and Qi Rong countered, "A CHEAP SON, I'LL JUST GET ANOTHER ONE!"
Jun Wu said lightly, "If that's the case..." Hearing this tone, Xie Lian instinctively sensed danger. Sure enough, it didn't take long before there were surprised shouting from the outside, "FIRE! THERE'S FIRE!"
"IT'S BURNING UP!" Xie Lian dashed out of the Palace of Tai Hua and looked. Night was falling, but above the Heavenly Capital was a field of flaming red.
Many of the divine palaces below were already sunken into a sea of fire!
Xie Lian looked back, "WHAT ARE YOU DOING SETTING FIRES TO THE HEAVENLY CAPITAL?? ALL THE HEAVENLY OFFICIALS ARE STILL LOCKED INSIDE BY YOU!"
And they were all in a state of having their spiritual powers sealed away. If this situation continued, then wouldn't they all be burnt to death in their own palaces? "It's not like whether he cares if those heavenly officials are alive or dead." Hua Cheng said.
Lang Qian Qiu was taken aback too, and using this chance, Qi Rong tucked Gu Zi under his arm and ran away, crawling and scuttling. Lang Qian Qiu cried, "STOP!" But as if Qi Rong would stop.
Xie Lian yelled, "QIAN QIU! GO RELEASE THE OTHER HEAVENLY OFFICIALS FIRST!" Lang Qian Qiu answered subconsciously, "YES, MASTER!" Then, both of them were taken
aback. He gave Xie Lian a look then dashed out. On this side, Hua Cheng withdrew E-Ming's blade, and thousands of silver butterflies came whirling forward, wrapping Jun Wu. He seized Xie Lian's hand and pulled, "LET'S GO!"
Those silver butterflies wouldn't hold Jun Wu back for long, and the two ran onto the streets.
Lang Qian Qiu moved very fast, and knocked down a great number of guards. Many of the heavenly officials were released from their palaces and came out, pouring onto the Great Avenue, all anxious and scared, "Why is it burning? Who's set the fire??"
"It's not a normal fire either, it can't be extinguished at all!" From the distance they could still hear Qi Rong running and howling, "FUCK FUCK FUCK, FUCK JUN WU, HE'S FUCKING CRAZY, THIS ANCESTOR IS STILL HERE! SETTING FIRES TO BURN DOWN HIS OWN DOMAIN, HE'S REALLY FUCKING MENTAL!"
Feng Xin also came out from the Palace of Nan Yang, standing on the main street seeming to be looking for someone. On the side, Mu Qing questioned, "How do we leave?"
There wasn't any way to leave!
"Can we fly?"
"Everyone's been hurt, and spiritual powers are being restricted, there's no way to fly..."
Which meant, even if everyone was released from their palaces, they were still trapped in the sea of fire within the Heavenly Capital!
Right then, there was suddenly a wild tremor coming from the ground, and the people were even more alarmed, "WHAT'S GOING ON? EARTHQUAKE?"
Lang Qian Qiu shouted, "HOW CAN THAT BE? THIS IS THE HEAVENLY CAPITAL, IT'S A CITY IN THE SKY, HOW CAN THERE BE EARTHQUAKES?"
"Then what..." Then, words died in the people's throats. It was a good moment before they started raising their hands pointing forward.
Someone mumbled, "What is that thing..." Amidst a sky filled with the light of flames, at the end of the long avenue of the Heavenly Capital, a giant head appeared, and it was staring at the hundreds of heavenly officials on the street.
This head was truly too big; it was many times the size of a golden palace, and it was smiling. What was supposed to be a very peaceful and compassionate smile, against the backdrop of this endless dark night and blood red flames, it appeared rather creepy.
"..."
Someone clutched their head, "...AM I HALLUCINATING?"
"HIS HIGHNESS IS SO BIG!"
It was that giant divine statue!
It had flown up!
Xie Lian himself was dumbfounded. Wasn't that divine statue lying in Mount TongLu? And
without his control, that divine statue shouldn't have been able to fly. Without his command and
without any spiritual powers, how did it come up?
With another look, in the black night, it was glittering and sparkling all around the body of that
giant stone divine statue. When Xie Lian looked closer, it wasn't light emitted from the divine statue itself, but millions of silver butterflies and millions of Blessings Lanterns that were encircled and wrapped by its side.
It was those silver butterflies and Blessings Lanterns that shielded and delivered it, flying it to the heavens!