When day came, the land of Guanzhong was like a long night.
Atay knelt in front of the house, crying his heart out. Lu Xu and Ashina Chong sat beside Li Jinglong. Li Jinglong was half-naked, his muscles covered in blood. He quietly leaned against the wall.
"Is it raining?" Li Jinglong closed his eyes.
"It's raining," Lu Xu said.
Li Jinglong said, "I might … not be able to hold on."
Lu Xu said, "If you have anything to say to Hongjun, you have to say it yourself. I won't pass it on for you."
"I won't either," Ashina Chong said coldly.
Li Jinglong said, "Throughout this journey, you have all been very good … very good comrades."
Atay's cries came intermittently. He was crying so hard that he was about to faint. His voice was so sorrowful that only a suppressed roar was left, intermittent.
"But I … have also … come to terms with it. Brother Taibai was right … the living are passersby, the dead are returnees. Heaven and earth are a journey in reverse, and we grieve together … forever. In this vast Divine Prefecture, in this boundless world, people are born to suffer … "
Lu Xu and Ashina Chong raised their heads and looked at the horizon.
"I only hate that I can't suffer for these people … I can see through life and death for them, see through the obsessions of life and death, see through the unwillingness before death …"
Lu Xu unintentionally glanced at Li Jinglong and suddenly discovered that the peacock tattoo on Li Jinglong's bare chest was faintly glowing.
"Chong, look," Lu Xu immediately said.
Ashina Chong turned his head to look and suddenly saw that Li Jinglong's heart lantern seemed to have appeared again. The light was very weak, and it was faintly discernible in Atay's cries. On his dirty face, there was a faint light, as if on the verge of death, he was glowing with the divinity of the lantern.
"Harder — harder —"
"The head is out! Sister-in-law! Deep breaths! "
"Sister-in-law!" Hongjun grabbed Trandol's hand and shouted, "Harder! Think about Atay! Everyone is still waiting for you! "
"Ahhh!" Trando cried out. "Ahhh!"
The dusky sky arrived, and the sunlight hid behind the dark clouds. Ah Tai hugged Trando's long whip with tears in his eyes as he stared blankly at the dark sky.
Accompanied by Trandol's pained cry, the baby's loud cries rang out, as if calling back the light to the world.
"It's … it's born …"
Mo Rigen almost collapsed. Hongjun said, "Where are the scissors?! Zhao Zilong! "
The Carp Demon was flustered and said, "Here!"
"Burn it." Mo Rigen was exhausted. "Where are the herbs?"
"Here, here."
Hongjun had already used the remaining herbs from the village's pharmacy to prepare the hemostasis powder. After cutting the umbilical cord, the woodcutter came in with hot water to scrub the baby. Trandol moaned, "Let me see this debt collector …"
The Carp Demon took the baby and showed it to Trandol, saying, "It's a male."
Everyone was speechless.
Trandol said, "I like it …"
Hongjun thought that the baby was so ugly. Were they so ugly when they were just born? They were wrinkled like a monkey. But he still said against his conscience, "It really looks like Atay. It's so cute."
"You're lying through your teeth." Trandol said, "Why didn't I see it? Why is it so ugly? Oh my god! How did I give birth to such a monkey? "
Mo Rigen was speechless.
Hongjun immediately said, "It'll be good-looking when it grows up."
Everyone quickly agreed and asked if they had a name. Trandol looked confused. Obviously, they hadn't thought of a name yet. They had given birth to a son in such a hurry and were even despised for being ugly.
The baby couldn't stop crying. Hongjun held him, but he was indescribably happy. Everyone was covered in sweat and collapsed in various corners of the room. Trandol had no energy after giving birth, so he just lay there. In the end, he put the baby on the bed and let the Carp Demon stay with him.
"You must have been like this when you were young," the Carp Demon said to Hongjun.
Hongjun and Mo Rigen leaned side by side in the corner. Hongjun said weakly, "I'm probably uglier than him."
The Carp Demon reached out and let the baby hold it. The baby cried for a while and then stopped. Mo Rigen said to Trandol, "Is there milk?"
"There should be …" Trandol said, "Don't worry about it. Uncles, rest for a while."
Hongjun was really too tired. He fell to the ground and fell asleep.
That dream appeared again and brought him into the darkness. In the dream, his whole body emitted a bright green light. Thousands of feathers fluttered around his temples. He was dressed in a long robe and battle armor. His hands were fixed like mountains. His left hand was placed in the center of his right hand. His left hand was raised and four spinning Immortal Flying Knives were raised in his left hand. His right hand emitted a five-colored divine light, shining into the darkness.
Li Jinglong was dressed in a golden divine armor and became the Immovable Wisdom King. He held the Golden Sword of Wisdom and looked into his eyes without moving.
"Hongjun!"
A loud shout suddenly woke him up. Hongjun was sleeping soundly. When he woke up, it was as if he had stopped breathing. The depths of his brain hurt. He didn't have time to look around before Mo Rigen grabbed him by the back of his collar and pulled him up.
"There's an enemy! Hongjun, wake up!! " The Carp Demon shouted in panic. Hongjun quivered. He didn't see clearly and immediately turned around to push away the five-colored divine light. With a loud bang, the house collapsed. He happened to block the falling brick wall. Trandol carried the newborn baby and shouted, "Run!"
Then, without any warning, the whole village collapsed. Cries and screams suddenly sounded everywhere. Grey Wolf carried Trandol out and shouted, "I'll leave it to you!" At that moment, the black clouds rolled. There were thousands of monsters, like the mud on the ground that had been turned up. They roared and rushed towards them!
"What is this?" Hongjun murmured.
The black clouds rolled. Under the shroud of the demonic aura, there were thousands of soldiers and horses covered in black gas. Their bodies were made of mud, and they mercilessly trampled over the ground. Wherever they passed, it was as if countless cavalrymen were charging together. The human world was razed to the ground!
With Trandol and his son, Hongjun didn't dare to fight the enemy recklessly. He released the five-colored divine light from his hands and covered the houses on both sides. He pulled them fiercely towards the center. Wood and stones rolled over and formed a brick wall. In an instant, he blocked the demonic cloud's attack. However, the rear formation roared even more fiercely. The demonic aura was like a tsunami, pushing up the soil on the ground and changing the course of the river. It was as if it was going to swallow everything.
On the 22nd of the fourth month in the 14th year of Tianbao, An Lushan and Shi Siming's allied forces broke through Tong Pass and marched towards Chang 'an. They came all the way east and were unstoppable.
Yang Guozhong walked up the mountain in front of the Daming Palace and looked at the vast land outside Chang 'an. On the distant horizon, there seemed to be thousands of soldiers and horses hidden in the black clouds rushing towards Chang 'an. On the other hand, in Chang 'an at the foot of Mount Li, there was a loud bell that shook the land. In Chang 'an, the emperor's imperial army was finally mobilized. There were a total of forty thousand people in six armies. They left Chang' an one after another and got into formation on the plains outside the city.
"The time has finally come." Yang Guozhong said softly. He raised his brows slightly and said, "I won't be sending you off, Your Majesty Li Longji."
Next to him was a group of demonized subordinates. The Nightmare Tapir's skin was already cracked. He was panting, his body almost unable to contain the demonic aura anymore.
"Your Majesty …" The Nightmare Tapir said, "I don't understand … I … don't understand."
Yang Guozhong looked at the source of the black clouds calmly and answered, "There are some things that can't be forced. Only sincerity is the best. Tell me, if I were to exchange the lives of all the people and exorcists in Chang 'an for him, would he do it? "
"He has to. He has no choice." Yang Guozhong turned his head to glance at the Nightmare Tapir and said softly, "There's no rush. I'll relieve you of this pain right away. Just wait a little longer …"
As he spoke, Yang Guozhong lifted her chin gently and studied her expression in all seriousness.
On the plains outside Chang 'an, the Grey Wolf carried Trandol and sprinted with all its might. Thousands of soldiers and horses emerged from the black clouds all of a sudden. They followed the ground and rolled toward Chang' an like a tsunami. Almost all the people in the village that they had been staying in earlier had escaped. Even Trandol's life-saving woodcutter was nowhere to be found.
The plains were extremely chaotic. There were fleeing people everywhere.
Hongjun found the people who had escaped from the village. The black clouds were almost catching up to them. Hongjun faced the rolling clouds and said softly, "What's this?!"
The army under An Lushan's command had been contaminated by demonic energy and turned into Demonic Soldiers and Demonic Generals. Each of them exuded black energy and wore the rebel army's armor.
Grey Wolf mumbled, "He turned his subordinates into Demonic Soldiers?!"
Hongjun slowed down. The people passed by him. Then, he shook the Rainbow Divine Light in his left hand and transformed it into a huge shield. The flying daggers in his right hand merged into a modao.
Grey Wolf roared, "Run! Hongjun! What are you trying to do? "
"You guys go first!" Hongjun said, "Bring sister-in-law back to Chang 'an!"
The Carp Demon shouted, "Hongjun! Hongjun! "
Grey Wolf knew that if Hongjun really wanted to escape, he would definitely be able to. Trandol was weak after giving birth, and she was carrying a baby. They had to escape to a safe area as soon as possible. He turned around and roared, "I'll come back to get you!"
The black clouds suddenly dispersed and retreated, revealing thousands of horses galloping. The people were crying and shouting as they ran. Hong Jun took a deep breath and used his shoulder to withstand the Five-colored Divine Light, crashing into it just like that! Then, with him in the shape of an arc, the tide-like demon soldiers instantly toppled over. Like an island in a surging river or a towering reef in a tsunami, a ripple appeared in the charging rebel army due to the tremendous impact!
Hu Sheng led the six armies and stood on the city gate tower of Chang 'an. When he saw the scene in front of him, he was shocked. "Who are those people?"
"They want to attack the city!" the captain of the Divine Martial Army shouted.
"Don't leave the city!" Crown Prince Li Heng hurriedly climbed up the city gate tower. At this time, the Imperial Court was in a mess. An Lushan had broken through Tong Pass and entered Guanzhong in less than three days. Geshu Han was rushing over from Liangzhou to provide reinforcements. Guo Ziyi was leading his army to attack the back of the An-Lushan Alliance. At this time, as long as the six armies defended Chang 'an, they could wait for reinforcements.
"Who is that?" Li Heng looked at the army in the distance. Hu Sheng shouted, "We have to go out and provide reinforcements!"
"Commander Hu!" Li Heng roared. "No matter who it is, they won't live!"
The rebel army was like a black tide. They spread through the fertile lands in the southeast and northeast of Chang 'an, and the various armies quickly gathered. Grey Wolf ran for his life at the front line of the army. He ran faster and faster. The Carp Demon turned around and shouted, "We've shaken them off!"
"What do they want to do?!" Grey Wolf gritted his teeth. "They want to crash into the city gate? Has An Lushan gone mad?! "
Hongjun blocked the thousands of soldiers and horses. He felt the impact grow stronger and stronger. It was as if Mount Tai was pressing down on him.
"I can't hold on any longer!" Hongjun shouted. "I have to go!"
He didn't know who he was shouting to. This was truly a lonely battle. The commoners had already run away. Those who didn't run away had all died under the iron hooves. The surging black cloud had paused for a moment. It was actually accumulating power. At this moment, it charged forward with all its might!
"I see you … Demonic Seed …"
Hongjun suddenly raised his head and panted. The black cloud transformed into half of its body and crazily tried to grab him.
However, just as the demonic palm was about to reach him, Hongjun had already pulled himself away. He opened his arms and somersaulted onto the demonic soldier that was running wildly. He kicked it down with one leg. Then, he urged the demonic warhorse to gallop through the thousands of soldiers and horses!
Chang 'an City was plunged into darkness. The White Deer flew through the air, leaving behind thousands of light spots. Grey Wolf looked up and howled. The White Deer immediately turned its head to look at the ground and exclaimed in surprise, "Big Wolf!"
Grey Wolf stopped on the plains. The White Deer flew to the hill and landed. At the same time, they transformed into Mo Rigen and Lu Xu. The two looked at each other but couldn't say a word.
Lu Xu half carried the heavily injured Li Jinglong and panted, "Where's Hongjun?"
Mo Rigen took Li Jinglong and asked, "What happened to him?"
The two asked their own questions and didn't have time to answer. Atay and Ashina Chong rushed up the hill. After rushing over the high ground in front of them, they would arrive at the outskirts of Chang 'an City. After that, they would reach the moat! However, the nearly 100,000 demonic soldiers didn't seem to have any intention of stopping. They were getting closer and closer. The black cloud roared and rushed towards the hill half a li away!
Mo Rigen and Lu Xu stopped talking and faced the charging army. Ashina Chong and Atay rushed over. The moment Atay saw Trandol, he almost fainted.
"Trandol!"
"Stop talking! Fight for me! "Trandol shouted.
Atay immediately turned around and faced the swarming army with Ashina Chong. At the same time, Hongjun grabbed a horse and rushed up the hill, shouting, "I'm sorry! I can't stop them — —! "
Mo Rigen and Lu Xu instantly transformed into a Grey Wolf and a White Deer and rushed down the hill. Hongjun was followed by countless demonic soldiers. They trampled on the ground, mountains, and rivers, and rushed to the front of Chang 'an City!
"Where are the reinforcements?" Ashina Chong turned around and roared, "Why aren't you sending reinforcements — —!"
The city walls were faintly visible. There were many guards on top of them. Outside the city gates, there were refugees. However, the city guards didn't seem to have any intention of opening the gates. Li Jinglong propped himself up and said in a trembling voice, "Hongjun? Where's Hongjun? I heard — — "
"Trandol! You go into the city first! "Atay shouted.
"If we die, we die together!" Trandol roared. "Atay! Guard this place! "
Atay was speechless.