In the rubble, Li Jinglong was bleeding from his nose and mouth. His arm was broken, and the formation had collapsed along with the destruction of the ground.
He crawled on the ground towards the Sword of Wisdom, but An Lushan stepped on the Sword of Wisdom.
"Capture him." An Lushan's voice said.
The demons went forward and lifted Li Jinglong up. Li Jinglong was dragged up the steps like a dead dog. They dragged him past the main hall of the Ming Hall, leaving behind bloodstains on the ground.
Everyone gathered by the Tianjin Bridge, and they were all injured.
Although Atay's fall was cushioned by the strong wind, it was still not a light fall. Mo Rigen and Ashina Chong were slightly better. Their faces and bodies were covered in blood. The Carp Demon was the first to be sent out of the formation's range. Its leg was scratched and bleeding a little.
Hongjun hurriedly applied medicine and bandaged everyone's wounds. Atay asked, "Where's your sister-in-law? She didn't come? "
"I saw her chasing that black bear earlier. I don't know where she went." Ashina Chong continued.
At that moment, Trandol arrived. He used a leather whip to strangle a black bear and dragged it to the Tianjin Bridge. He panted and said, "I'm so tired … so tired!"
"Why did you catch it?" Atay was completely speechless.
"It's dead!" Trandol was instantly enraged. He replied, "It can be sold for money! Don't you need money to eat? Who's the one complaining about lacking money all day long? "
Everyone didn't know whether to laugh or cry. It turned out that Trandol chased the black bear all the way to the southeast of the Ming Hall. The black bear was dizzy and only wanted to avoid the whip, so it fell into the pit outside the Ming Hall. Coincidentally, the pit was the trench that Bi Sichen had previously sent soldiers to dig. They were prepared to defend the Ming Hall to the death if the city was breached. There were countless sharp blades buried inside. The moment the black bear fell in, it was pierced through the heart by thousands of swords. The more it struggled, the more it couldn't climb up.
Trandol stood to the side, wrapping his whip around the bear's neck. When the bear finally stopped breathing, Trandol dragged it up.
"Let's work first," Atay said. "Put it in the room next door. We'll divide it when we're done."
"How's Jinglong?" Hongjun asked anxiously.
"He won't die," Mo Rigen said. "Don't worry."
Before everyone fled, Mo Rigen took a look at Li Jinglong from afar. Although Li Jinglong's body was covered with bruises and fractures, he should not be in danger of dying. However, when Mo Rigen spoke, there was a hint of guilt in his voice. Hongjun could tell that Li Jinglong must not be having a good time.
He did not ask any more questions. After a moment of silence, he finished bandaging everyone's wounds. Mo Rigen said, "Let's do it. It should start soon. "
The exorcists nodded their heads with heavy hearts and dispersed.
Hongjun was assigned to the Babel Pagoda opposite the Luoyang Bureau of Exorcism.. Ashina Chong specially sent him to the Babel Pagoda and brought him to the ley line before turning to leave. Before leaving, he was silent for a moment, then said, "Hongjun, everything will be fine. The Chief will also return."
Hongjun nodded. He respected everyone in the Exorcism Department. He also knew that no matter who it was, they would be more willing to replace Li Jinglong in carrying out this dangerous mission. However, they had no choice but to let Li Jinglong go. He also respected Li Jinglong's self-sacrifice.
In the main hall of the Ming Hall, Li Jinglong's entire body was in severe pain. His head and face were covered in blood.
The talisman was still close to his chest. The hall was silent.
"Hey." A voice said beside Li Jinglong's ear.
Li Jinglong opened his eyes. He saw a slender man with short shaved hair. He looked like a monk and was wearing iron scale armor squatting beside him.
"You're Li Jinglong, aren't you?" The man said.
Li Jinglong remembered. This demon was one of the three demon generals by An Lushan's side. His name was Chao Yun. According to the Carp Demon, he was one of the many disgusting demons in An Lushan's camp. He was relatively normal.
Chao Yun's eyes were bright. They were golden and large. Although he was a snake, he did not have the sharp and sinister face of an ordinary snake demon. Perhaps because he had cultivated for a long time, he looked very much like a handsome young man of the human race.
"Hongjun, do you know him?" Chao Yun asked while squatting, his hands hanging by his side.
"What's wrong?" Li Jinglong said tiredly.
"Is he the little prince of Dazzling Gold Palace?" Chao Yun asked again. "Was he the one I met in the canal that day?"
Li Jinglong said weakly, "Speak if you have something to say."
Chao Yun whispered, "You're injured. Take some medicine."
As he spoke, Chao Yun handed over a piece of tree bark.
"I don't eat this …" Li Jinglong said.
Even if it was a pill, he could not eat something brought by An Lushan's demons. If he was poisoned, all his previous efforts would be wasted.
"Eat it." Chao Yun said. "It can help you heal. It's very good."
"What's the matter?" Li Jinglong said. "If An Lushan knows that you're talking to me, you're finished."
Chao Yun looked around and whispered, "I'll make a deal with you. I'll save you, but you have to do me a favor."
Li Jinglong frowned. Only then did he seriously look at Chao Yun.
"I have a few brothers." Chao Yun turned his head warily and explained to Li Jinglong in an extremely low voice, "Everyone has followed An Lushan for so long. We feel that we can't go on like this. We want to seek refuge with Chong Ming and Qing Xiong. Since you're familiar with them, can you help us talk to them?"
Li Jinglong, "…"
Chao Yun continued, "Hongjun Kong is the little prince of the Divine Clan, right? I heard from Zhao Zilong that he's also the child of Mahamayuri. Lord Chong Ming has achieved nirvana. In the Divine Clan, other than the Golden-Winged Great Peng, he has the final say. If he's willing to take us in, we won't mix with An Lushan anymore. "
Li Jinglong never expected that there would be such a situation. He asked, "Why?"
Chao Yun rubbed his spiky head and thought for a moment. He said, "Everyone just wants to cultivate well so that we can transform into dragons in the future. We don't want to do so much nonsense. I think that if An Lushan continues like this, if everyone suffers a heavenly tribulation together, it won't be worth it."
Li Jinglong was at his wit's end. Chao Yun was so enthusiastic about saving him. If he rejected him, wouldn't he be exposed? However, if he let him save him, his previous plan would be ruined.
"I don't know where they went," Li Jinglong said weakly. "If we go out now, we won't be able to find them, and we won't be able to run far …"
"It's okay." Chao Yun said seriously, "I'll fly you out. They won't be able to catch us. Then, I'll let the brothers split up to look for your friends …"
Li Jinglong, "No need …"
Chao Yun, "?"
"I'm afraid of implicating you guys," Li Jinglong said again.
Chao Yun, "Are you an idiot? If we save you, we'll run away too! Who would stay here! "
Li Jinglong, "…"
Li Jinglong really couldn't agree, but he couldn't refuse either. Chao Yun said, "I have wings, I can fly. I've liked birds since I was young. You don't have to worry about not being able to do it. As long as you recommend me, we'll let His Highness see everyone's sincerity …"
Li Jinglong just wanted to roar. What the hell was going on!
However, at this moment, Liang Danhuo suddenly said coldly, "Chao Yun, what are you doing?!"
Chao Yun immediately turned his head and hissed, revealing a dangerous expression. Liang Danhuo looked at Chao Yun suspiciously. The atmosphere between the two suddenly became tense.
Chao Yun replied, "Nothing. I'm forcing him to tell me the whereabouts of the rest of the people."
Li Jinglong secretly thought that demons could be so smart.
Liang Danhuo said, "Ah Zhuang is missing. Go and look for him."
"Aren't I looking for him now?" Chao Yun replied coldly.
Liang Danhuo said angrily, "Go and look for him!"
Chao Yun could only get up and walk past Liang Danhuo. Liang Danhuo said again, "What did Zhao Zilong say to you?"
Chao Yun was puzzled. He frowned and looked at Liang Danhuo. Liang Danhuo said angrily, "He's a traitor!"
"You were the one who recruited him." Chao Yun mocked.
Liang Danhuo was furious. He glared at Chao Yun and then at Li Jinglong.
"You won't live long." Liang Danhuo sneered.
Li Jinglong responded with a sneer. He leaned against the cage and looked at the dark sky outside the hall.
On this day, it snowed heavily in Luoyang. There were no longer any living people in the city. There were only a few exorcists and demons led by An Lushan.
Hongjun sat in front of the window on the first floor of the Babel Pagoda and looked outside. The city was filled with flying snowflakes. The heavy snow gently covered the ruins, corpses, and bloodstains left behind by the war. It covered the three-thousand-year-old ancient city in a silvery-white color. Many sins and deaths were covered by the white snow. It was as if nothing had happened. Instead, there was a faint sense of holiness and solemnity.
"He'll be fine." The Carp Demon was warming himself by the fire and comforted him.
The fire was stuffed with the legs of the destroyed tables and chairs in the Babel Pagoda, making crackling sounds.
Hong Jun replied with a "hmm".
The Carp Demon continued, "The demons by An Lushan's side have decreased a lot. I heard them say that he's not as powerful as before."
The Carp Demon had stayed in the Fanyang Wei Manor for more than a year. Naturally, he had heard many rumors about them. In the past, when the power of the inner demons was at its peak, the four great demons — Wine, Sex, Wealth, Qi, Painted Skin Liang Danhuo, Transformed Snake Chao Yun, Chang 'an Xie Yu, Fox Demon Wu Qiyu, Northern Border's Plague God, and Snow Woman all pledged their loyalty to him.
However, with the emergence of the Exorcism Division, Li Jinglong attacked separately. He not only killed the demons under his command, but also drove a wedge between An Lushan and Yang Guozhong. Now, An Lushan's side was almost completely deserted. Only the two great generals, Chao Yun and Liang Danhuo, remained.
"Chao Yun is the Transformed Snake that sent me to the shore?" Hongjun's train of thought was diverted.
"I told him not to hurt you no matter what! I said that! " The Carp Demon hurriedly jumped up and said to Hongjun, "I told him that you're the prince of Dazzling Gold Palace and the only successor of Lord Chong Ming. Once Xie Yu and Tianma are eliminated, you'll be the Demon King!"
Hongjun nodded. The Carp Demon said dejectedly, "I'm sorry, Hongjun."
"I forgive you." Hongjun said casually, "Don't say sorry again in the future."
The Carp Demon made an "oh" sound and stared blankly at Hongjun. After a long time, he said, "Fish don't cry. That doesn't make sense."
Hongjun laughed instead. He suddenly remembered something and took out the dragon scale that Li Jinglong had given him. "I'll give it to you."
"What is this!" The Carp Demon said as if he had found a treasure. "Is this Lord Long's scale?"
"That's right." Hongjun looked at the Carp Demon and said, "Jinglong gave it to me. I'll give it to you."
The Carp Demon said in surprise, "Have you seen a dragon before? What does a dragon look like? Is it the same as what the books say? "
Hongjun smiled and briefly told him about the Dragon Subduing Pagoda. The Carp Demon listened with his mouth agape. He looked at the scale in his hand and said, "This, this, this … This won't do. This is too precious. If you summon it, it can save your life! You should keep it. If something happens … "
"Jinglong said that he'll give it to you." Hongjun said, "Take it as a gift from both of us."
Li Jinglong had indeed said this, but his original words were, "This dragon scale is not bad to give to Zhao Zilong. He doesn't have to be a long-winded father-in-law who keeps telling me to do it. In any case, I've taken care of you for so long, so I'll take this as compensation." It even made Hongjun quarrel with him.
Of course, Hongjun didn't tell the Carp Demon this. He said, "It won't. Even if you summon a dragon, it won't be of much help."
The group of Dragon King was either mute or blind. Hongjun didn't expect them to be able to get rid of Tianma. Based on their previous situation of being corroded by demonic qi, it would be good enough if Tianma didn't incite them to defect. At most, when the demon army appeared, they would be summoned to burn it.
"Then, can I ask them for help to transform into a dragon?" The Carp Demon asked again.
Hongjun scratched his head and said, "Maybe they'll answer you?"
The Carp Demon fell into ecstasy. Holding the dragon scale, he found his small waist pouch and solemnly put it away.
Hongjun thought of the Dragon King, but suddenly remembered that Tianma did seem to have a very strong control over the demon race. Almost no demon, even dragons, could resist the demonic qi — after all, after demons cultivated intelligence, most of them were wild and untamed. By nature, they were bloodthirsty and bloodthirsty. It was easier for Tianma to control the demon race than it was for the human race.
The human race, on the other hand, seemed to be born with love, affection, friendship, and so on … Many forces that gave them hope. When faced with demons, these forces had the characteristic of restraining demons.
However, the human race's body was too weak, so weak that they almost had no strength to struggle. It was very easy for the demon race to use them as nourishment.
What am I? Hongjun couldn't help but ask himself.
There was a demon seed in his body. Originally, he was born purely as a demon. However, his body was half-demon and half-human. Demon, Yao, and Human, the three races of the Divine Great Land were all connected to him. It was as if fate had brought him together.
"Hongjun." The Carp Demon interrupted Hongjun's thoughts and said, "Don't worry, Second Brother will definitely be fine."
Hongjun sighed and said, "I don't know why, but I keep feeling a little uneasy."
The Carp Demon tried its best to comfort him. Li Jinglong, who it had once looked down on, had now been praised to be like a god, an existence that existed in heaven and earth. Hongjun relaxed a little. At this time, Xiang Yu was holding an umbrella outside the Towering Pagoda Gate.
"Your Highness!" Xiang Yu shouted.
Xiang Yu was about to salute, but Hongjun hurriedly told her not to be polite. Usually, when the members of the Exorcism Division were around, Xiang Yu and Wen Bin rarely took the initiative to greet them. Now that the others were not around, Xiang Yu called him "Your Highness", which made Hongjun feel a lot more cordial.
"Don't you think I look good in this?" Xiang Yu said with a smile.
Xiang Yu wore a long crimson skirt and a fur coat wrapped around her body, revealing her snow-white fox tail collar. She turned around to let Hongjun see. Hongjun smiled and said, "You look good, you're very beautiful."
Xiang Yu said, "They're all ready, so they asked me to accompany you."
Hongjun knew that everyone was worried about him, so Xiang Yu picked out the interesting things that happened between her and Wen Bin and told Hongjun. The general idea was that Wen Bin was dull and couldn't do anything well. He was always bookish and stupid. Hongjun only smiled and said, "Jinglong is much smarter than me. In his eyes, I can't do anything well either."
"I don't have one even if I wanted one." Xiang Yu said self-deprecatingly, "But everyone has their own fate, so who's who? Who asked me to like him?"
"That's right." Hongjun smiled and said, "Who's who. It's fine as long as you like him."
Hearing this, Hongjun felt a lot better.