The exorcists scattered in all directions. Although they were not around them, they were still on high alert, guarding against Han Ba's sudden attack. Lu Xu stood outside an abandoned house by the river valley. Mo Rigen was bathing beside him, looking at him from afar.
"Nothing will happen." Lu Xu said, "I used dreams to calm him down a little."
Lu Xu's dreams were the best way to deal with ghouls. In the past, when Lu Xu was possessed by the Inner Demon, the ghouls were almost powerless against him, except for the Battle Corpse Ghost King. They were immersed in his nightmares. Using the same method, he made Han Ba have a whole day's dream. Even such a powerful monster was washed away a lot of its evil aura.
"Let's talk." Li Jinglong said seriously, "You and I don't know each other. Before we set off, the Battle Corpse Ghost King pointed out the right path for us. After we arrived at the Aral Sea, we had to ask for your help. Why did you attack us without saying a word?"
Hongjun took out a piece of magatama given to him by the Battle Corpse Ghost King. Han Ba just glanced at it, and his withered face twitched with an inexplicable meaning.
"It's him?" Han Ba was very tall. At this moment, he was tied up by the Demon Binding Rope. His thin and withered legs could only be slightly opened, and the dark and withered skin on his chest was stuck to his ribs. Hongjun suddenly realized something – he was not wearing any clothes. He was a naked male corpse.
Li Jinglong said, "How did Hongjun offend you?"
"What are you doing here?" Han Ba regained his calmness. Perhaps he knew that he could not break free from the exorcists' control, so he was not as arrogant as before.
Li Jinglong did not hide anything from him. He briefly explained the search for the magical artifacts, and explained the process of how Atay and Ashina Chong returned to Tsaroth. Han Ba did not say a word, and only listened in silence.
"You are the new Demon King." Han Ba said in a low voice.
Hongjun nodded and said, "Senior, I …"
At that moment, Han Ba suddenly exploded. Li Jinglong immediately said, "Be careful!" Then, as fast as lightning, he stood in front of Hongjun. Han Ba bared his sharp teeth and was about to bite Hongjun's throat. Fortunately, Li Jinglong's reaction was faster, and he suddenly pushed Hongjun away. Even so, Han Ba's sharp teeth still cut Li Jinglong's arm, and blood immediately flowed out.
Han Ba had thousands of years of cultivation, yet the Demon Binding Rope was unable to restrain him. The corpse poison on his body was even more formidable. Li Jinglong's arm bled and turned black in the blink of an eye. Hongjun was enraged this time. He suddenly jumped up and ruthlessly punched Han Ba in the face, causing him to fall backward and fall to the ground.
"What did I do to offend you?!" Hongjun roared.
Li Jinglong staggered for a moment. The exorcists heard Hongjun's angry roar and immediately gathered around. Lu Xu wanted to use dreamforce to make Han Ba sleep for a while, but Li Jinglong waved his hand to indicate that there was no need. Hongjun immediately detoxified and bandaged his wound. Li Jinglong said, "Everyone, go back."
Han Ba struggled to sit up and stared at Li Jinglong. "How many more demons do you want to kill?"
Li Jinglong was stunned. Hongjun said, "I am the Demon King! Why would I kill my own people? "
"Really?" Han Ba's eyes were filled with hatred. "Then how do you explain the Snake of Ba Mountain?"
Hongjun was at a loss for words. Instead, it was Li Jinglong who explained, "Ba Snake and Hongjun's father — Mahamayuri Wang Su have a grudge against each other. This is a personal grudge. How can you generalize the internal strife of the demons?"
"You are a traitor to your own race." Han Ba stared at Hongjun and said slowly, "You are in cahoots with the descendants of Di Renjie, betraying your own race for glory! In time, the demons of the Central Plains will be doomed eternally! "
Hearing this, Hongjun was even angrier. Just as he was about to refute, Li Jinglong pressed a hand on his knee, indicating for him to calm down.
"Someone is sowing discord." Li Jinglong said in a low voice. "Who tipped you off?"
Han Ba only sneered. When Hongjun heard this, he instantly remembered Qing Xiong's attitude in the Holy Land. A deep fear surged in his heart. Qing Xiong wanted to borrow Han Ba's hand to kill him while they were away from the Central Plains?
"That's impossible …" When Hongjun thought of this, he suddenly felt a chill down his spine. For a moment, the world was spinning, and he was at a loss. He composed himself and said to Han Ba, "It's not like that … Listen to my explanation, senior."
"I'm now tied up by you." Han Ba sneered. "If you really treat me as a senior, is this how you treat people?"
Hongjun naturally couldn't untie him. Otherwise, there would be no end to the fight.
"Who told you that I'm a traitor?" Hongjun said in a low voice. "Speak!"
Li Jinglong and the others often treated Hongjun as a child. They interacted with him day and night, but never treated him as a Demon King. Until this moment, when Hongjun was angry, there was a faint majesty of a king. His aura spread out, and the demonic power of the Phoenix and the Peacock actually oppressed Han Ba!
Although Han Ba was a super powerful demon that had appeared since ancient times, he had never been conferred a title by the heavens and earth. When facing the dragons, phoenixes, qilins, and turtles, he was still half a level inferior. Especially the Phoenix, the power of the true fire was constantly suppressing his arrogance. He immediately leaned back uncontrollably.
When facing a demon that was of a higher level than him, that kind of fear was purely instinctive. It was not determined by his cultivation or temper.
"I don't know." Han Ba tried his best to control himself and not show any fear. However, the tremor in his hoarse voice betrayed him. "The demons of the Central Plains sent a messenger to tell me that Ba Snake is dead. The new Demon King colluded with the exorcists and wanted to exterminate my clan …"
Hongjun said in a low voice, "Where's the messenger?"
"He left." Han Ba said, "He also reminded me that if I want to reconstruct my body, I have to devour your flesh and blood. It's because you have the power left by the Phoenix …"
Li Jinglong asked, "Which clan did the messenger belong to?"
Han Ba answered, "I was sleeping in the coffin at night. I didn't see him."
Hongjun took a deep breath and retracted his demonic power. A deep sense of helplessness surged from the depths of his heart. He did not want to explain anymore and got up to leave.
The exorcists looked at Han Ba and dispersed, leaving Li Jinglong and Han Ba facing each other in silence.
The moon rose. On this boundless river plain, its lonely radiance spread for thousands of miles, illuminating the land of Asia Minor. Hongjun sat on the roof and looked into the distance.
The only monster that could reach here from thousands of miles away was the Bird Clan. The Bird Clan was under the jurisdiction of Qing Xiong, and they wanted to intercept and kill him here …
"Actually, I've thought about whether I should warn you first." Li Jinglong's voice sounded from below the house. Then, he held onto the roof of the bungalow and flipped himself up.
Hongjun did not speak. He just looked into the distance, lost in thought.
"The white falcons who sent the message were all under Qing Xiong." Li Jinglong said, "I guess they all received orders. That night, they planned to move everyone away and let Han Ba take you away. This is a trap. Hongjun, although I don't want to say it, I have to say it now under the current situation. "
Hongjun and Li Jinglong looked at each other.
The situation was already very obvious. The white falcons sent by Qing Xiong were extremely fast. They found out the situation within a few days. They planned to use this opportunity to kill all the exorcists here. If not for the sudden appearance of Yu Prefecture, Han Ba would have succeeded.
"Did I do a bad job?" Hongjun suddenly asked.
Li Jinglong pondered for a moment, then shook his head and said, "No, Hongjun, you didn't do anything wrong. I just didn't expect it. Qing Xiong is so stubborn about us humans. It's all my fault. Yongsi has already reminded me more than once. "
Hongjun said, "Let me be alone for a while." As he spoke, he jumped off the roof and left Li Jinglong's side.
"Hongjun!" Li Jinglong wanted to call him, but Hongjun had already left.
"Pierced through?" Qiu Yongsi asked beside the house.
Li Jinglong sighed helplessly. Qiu Yongsi was very surprised and said, "I didn't expect it to be so fast."
Li Jinglong said, "What will come will come. Perhaps Chong Ming had already expected this. Back then, he stopped me from being together with Hongjun. It was also because of this … "
"The old goes and the new comes." Qiu Yongsi said seriously, "This is the Heavenly Dao. No one can stop this. You're just standing at a fork in the road. Compared to this, I'm more suspicious of that person called Yu Prefecture … "As he spoke, he glanced in the direction of the bonfire. Chen Feng had already fallen asleep and was being carried by Yu Prefecture. The two of them leaned against the bonfire.
Li Jinglong frowned and said, "He knows a lot of things. He came to protect Hongjun. It's really strange. I've never seen this kind of person before. "
Hongjun lay on the stone bed in the room. He realized that Li Jinglong had obviously prepared in advance for their short night of rest. He had even spread out a blanket. His fellow exorcists also tacitly gave up two empty rooms for Li Jinglong, himself, Mo Rigen, and Lu Xu to spend the night.
Hongjun lay on the bed, tossing and turning. The fact that Qing Xiong wanted to kill him was simply devastating to him. If it was Yu Zaoyun, even if it was the Ghost King who did this, he wouldn't feel as painful and confused as he was now. He didn't have any relatives by his side since he was young. He only had Chong Ming and Qing Xiong. Chong Ming was his adoptive father, and Qing Xiong was like his master. The first time he learned to read, the first time he discussed demons, meridians, and martial arts, most of them were taught by Qing Xiong. The beauty of the human world was also described by Qing Xiong.
On this night, he recalled countless memories of Qing Xiong. But now, he actually wanted to kill him …
The wind howled on the plains. Hongjun closed his eyes in pain. Fortunately, Tianma had already left. Otherwise, the moment she knew this moment, her demonic aura would be overwhelming and uncontrollable. The truth was so cruel that it made him even more shocked and helpless than the moment when he found out about his parents' deaths.
"You are the prince of the demon race."
Qing Xiong's voice seemed to still echo in his ears. Hongjun couldn't help but curl up, trembling on the bed, and breathe in the cold air. He didn't even know how to face the Holy Land and the demon race when he returned. He couldn't imagine Qing Xiong's attitude now. It made him feel helpless as if he was abandoned by his own race. The room was leaky, and it was even colder in late autumn. It instantly drowned him.
There was a soft sound of the door opening. Li Jinglong pushed the door open and came in. He whispered, "Are you asleep?"
Hongjun didn't answer. Li Jinglong lay on the bed and hugged Hongjun from behind. At that moment, Hongjun calmed down a little. Perhaps because of the power of the mind's lamp and Li Jinglong's warmth, he didn't feel lonely anymore. He closed his eyes, felt very tired, and entered a dream.
Ever since the Three Thousand Nightmares left him, he didn't have any more nightmares. Only on this night, the powerlessness and sadness that even the mind's lamp couldn't dispel filled his heart. It made him dream of a giant roc emitting black aura. Its wings were big enough to cover the sky, and endless demonic fire engulfed the whole world.
Its eyes stared at Hongjun. Suddenly, a strong arm grabbed him from behind. Li Jinglong appeared beside him and whispered, "Don't be afraid!"
Li Jinglong raised his hand, and the light of the mind's lamp gushed out, resisting the raging waves of demonic fire. Hongjun opened his eyes under the strong light.
"You're awake?"
The real sun shone into the room. Hongjun only felt his whole body aching. He turned back to look at Li Jinglong. The sun at dawn shone into the room.
"We have to save Atay." Hongjun said.
"Don't worry, we still have time." Li Jinglong said, "Hongjun, I have something to say to you."
The two of them were still sleeping in the same position as last night. Hongjun thought of everything that happened last night and replied, "I don't want to talk about it now."
Li Jinglong was startled, then nodded and said, "Okay, Hongjun, no matter what, you have to remember that everyone is always behind you."
Hongjun turned back and glanced at Li Jinglong, his eyes filled with inexplicable sadness. However, he knew in his heart that no matter how many troubles he had, Li Jinglong would solve them for him. This was the only thing that no one could change. Qing Xiong, Dazzling Gold Palace, and all kinds of previous causes were his origins. These origins were engraved in his life, the most important one.
The exorcists had already packed up and were ready to leave. Han Ba was placed on the side of the road and sealed again.
"Can you persuade him?" Li Jinglong asked.
Qiu Yongsi shook his head and said, "Do you know why he became like this?"
All the exorcists gathered together. Hongjun only muttered to himself.
"Because of the Zoroaster," Qiu Yongsi said, "Han Ba's body was burned by the Divine Fire back then."
Last night, Li Jinglong still had the idea of letting Qiu Yongsi persuade Han Ba. At first, everyone thought that Han Ba was just deceived. As long as the truth was revealed, he might help them and the operation. But now it seemed that it was obviously impossible. The war was imminent, and they could not waste too much time on him. Lu Xu sealed Han Ba in his sleep again, and Qiu Yongsi added talismans.
"I have to use part of my magic to maintain the Dreamscape Barrier," Lu Xu said, "It will distract me."
"I'll leave it to you." Li Jinglong said to Mo Rigen. Mo Rigen, Lu Xu, and Ashina Chong were in charge of intercepting Amman's troops, so it was not too dangerous.
"The three of us will go to the other side," Qiu Yongsi said, "Brother Yu … I think …"
"Are you okay?" Yu Prefecture suddenly asked Hongjun.
Hongjun shook his head, then nodded.
"What's wrong with you?" Chen Feng had just woken up. He rubbed his eyes and went forward to hug Hongjun's leg.
Hongjun held his hand, indicating that he should stop asking.
Li Jinglong originally wanted Yu Prefecture and Chen Feng to escort Han Ba, but Chen Feng insisted on following. Li Jinglong said, "You two will go with us."
Everyone came to an agreement, but they all looked at Hongjun worriedly. They were afraid that his condition was unstable. Hongjun forced himself to be alert and said, "Let's save Atay first. We'll talk later."
Thus, everyone separated at the valley and went to the mission location.