On the Red Moon.
Chen Xiang slowly awakened, gripping the crystal tightly, a joyful smile spreading across his face. He did not immediately bury the crystal in the soil beneath the Red Moon; as Dai had mentioned, there was a very small chance that it could worsen the situation of the Red Moon, so caution was necessary.
Chen Xiang extended into an indeterminate chaos, enveloping the crystal within, inspecting all possible outcomes, aiming to eliminate any negative possibilities. Infinite probabilities expanded at that moment, only to simultaneously collapse!
He could not perceive the probabilities of this item. Or rather, this object waiting to be used fundamentally lacked any probabilistic outcomes, presenting only a flat line—regardless of how it was used, it would yield only one result.
The indeterminate chaos reformed into his human shape, and Chen Xiang toyed with the hexagonal crystal transformed from his marrow, murmuring in confusion: "Did Dai say something wrong?"
Furrowing his brow, he did not recklessly use it but instead opened the Eye of the Thinker to gain insight.
[The Marrow of the Greatest: Its divinity is so rich and brilliant that it can reconstruct the soul of a deceased.]
Chen Xiang's face lit up with joy. Following Dai's words, he threw the hexagonal crystal into the enormous rift that split the heavens, watching as it fell deep into the abyss, finally landing on the silent core of a star, where it slowly merged.
"Next, I will wait for the day you awaken."
The Red Moon quivered slightly, emitting a humming sound, seemingly filled with delight.
[It has many words to express but is too ethereal to truly convey its voice.]
[It is very]
[Joyful].
In Tianchuan City, an antique shop.
Li Rong'en spoke in a low tone: "You're saying there's an unprecedented purge underway?"
The visitor wearily nodded: "The thirty-six Pure White Knights have now dwindled to just you; the Pure White Knights are practically defunct. You need to escape."
"The Pure White Knights will never flee," Li Rong'en replied coldly, looking at the plump middle-aged man before him. "I will fight until my last breath. I will be here, waiting for them to come!"
He closed his eyes and continued, "The Pure White Knights uphold the will and glory of the Lord; we will not perish this way. Before they arrive, before they hunt me down, I will leave my legacy; the world will still know of the Pure White Knights."
Mori, looking rather haggard, smiled bitterly: "I truly don't know what to say to you. I know I can't persuade you, but I still want to say this: there's an old saying in Donghong Kingdom—'While the green mountains remain, you don't need to worry about firewood.'"
Li Rong'en calmly shook his head: "I was once a wanderer whom everyone feared, destined to die in the stinking sewers of the Eight Rings. It was the Lord who gave me a second life, and I will use this life bestowed by the Lord to uphold His glory."
"The Pure White Knights can lose, can die, can even perish, but we cannot flee like a lost dog. We represent the Lord! Our dignity surpasses our lives!"
Saying this, he opened a storage box, taking out a heavy shield and spear, grasping them tightly, and spoke in a deep voice: "And you, my old friend, are different. You are a missionary, and the Lord's glory needs you to spread it, so you must live and escape. I will hold off the pursuers for you."
Mori remained silent for a long time, then softly replied: "The Pope is currently in the White Star Kingdom, attempting to rebuild the order of the church, waiting for the Lord's return. If you survive, go there, go to White Star. If you die, have your successor go to White Star."
"I know. But don't worry; I won't survive unless I kill all the pursuers."
Mori sighed, no longer trying to dissuade him. He simply performed a silent bow and quietly left.
Before leaving, he asked one last time: "Knight Commander, have you chosen a successor?"
"There's already a candidate," Li Rong'en said, carefully polishing his spear and shield. "It's a little girl with quite good potential; give her time, and she will surpass me."
In the ancient castle.
The old man was in high spirits, finally returning to the ancestral ground after many years! This would be the starting point for the clan's revival. He smiled, casually tapping the scarecrow's head, listening to the hollow echo, and gazing at the young girl before him: "Little girl, why haven't you reported yet?"
The old man furrowed his brow; the girl appeared terrified, as if trembling. "Interesting, are you really so perceptive?" He sighed softly, "It seems I haven't concealed my aura well enough for you to detect the anomaly."
The old man's concealed aura gradually became chaotic; the sky darkened as thick clouds obscured the clear sky, carrying a fundamental essence of fear, death, and destruction!
He felt a sense of confusion, huh? When did I become this strong?
In the next moment, the old man saw the little girl sprinting away towards the castle, running as fast as she could. Frowning, he intended to strike down the fleeing girl, but he heard a faint rustling sound as the straw was pressed.
Instinctively glancing aside, the old man saw the scarecrow slowly turning its head.
This time, the scarecrow was genuinely furious.
"Thou," it began to speak.
The old man locked eyes with the scarecrow's deep-set sockets, a wave of terror, trembling, and coldness engulfed him; his hair stood on end, and his scalp tingled!!
He collapsed in the wheat field, his eyeballs exploding in an instant, blood pouring from his empty eye sockets!!
To gaze into the face of the divine is to invite certain death.
The old man shrieked and writhed, his mind being eroded, plunging into absolute madness, his reason torn apart!!
"The ancestral land is in grave danger."
"Returning to the ancestral land may lead to the clan's extinction."
This was the last shred of rational thought he held.
Then, the old man completely fell into the abyss of fear, his skin writhing and cracking, his internal organs transforming into pitch-black crows that emerged.
He died.
The crows circled and landed on the scarecrow's shoulder, which let out a cold snort, clearly still displeased, and stared at the castle, where a young man stood by the window, who had appeared there unbeknownst to him.
The young man raised his glass towards him.
"Don't be angry; it's bad for your health."
The scarecrow, irritated, thought it had a headache.
Oh, I don't have teeth.
It squeezed out a few words: "Don't bother me again if there's nothing important!"
The young man smiled, downing the bright red liquid in one gulp: "This time it's not my doing, so you can't blame me. But I do ask you to hurry on your way; I truly have urgent matters."
"Take that up with that damned ghost captain!" The scarecrow's colossal will angrily departed.
Chen Xiang chuckled silently, shaking his head: "Why are you so worked up? Getting angry is bad for your liver." He casually handed the empty wine glass to A Gui, who was waiting nearby, and descended the stairs, looking at the terrified little girl. "I've already understood the trouble your sister Qiqi has encountered."
Wei Tuantuan trembled slightly, gathering her courage to ask quietly, "Can you solve it?"
"It's not difficult, but I can't reach that far right now. I can't leave the ancient castle." Wei Tuantuan seemed skeptical. The moon had turned into such a big eye; how could he say he couldn't leave the castle?
After pondering for a moment, Chen Xiang continued, "Here's the plan: in a month, if I still can't leave the ancient castle, you'll go to the capital yourself, and then I will come." From the information he had, Wei Qingqiu wouldn't be sent as a sacrifice to the Misty Sea for at least a month. If the scarecrow hadn't arrived by then, he would have to find another way.
"You, you can't leave the ancient castle, right?" Wei Tuantuan asked cautiously.
"Right." Chen Xiang smiled: "Does being unable to leave conflict with arriving in the capital?"
"Isn't it conflicting?!" Wei Tuantuan's eyes widened.
Chen Xiang smiled faintly: "I can't leave the castle, but I can make the castle fly to the capital, can't I?"
Wei Tuantuan looked bewildered. After hesitating for a while, she hesitantly said, "But, but my father doesn't allow me to go to the capital. Do I really have to go?"
"You are the beacon." Chen Xiang didn't elaborate much and simply stated, "If your father disagrees, let him come see me. He will certainly—"
"No, no, no!" Wei Tuantuan waved her hands frantically: "My dad agrees, he will definitely agree!" Saying this, the little girl dashed away.
Chen Xiang couldn't help but chuckle.
"Master." Nearby, Wu Shangpin, wearing a wizard's hat, spoke softly: "Just now, the one who died from primal fear seems quite extraordinary, but I don't recognize him and have no enmity."
"That guy?" Chen Xiang glanced at the already melting corpse: "Just a sage, no need to worry too much."
Pausing for a moment, he continued: "Don't you often hold those extraordinary gatherings? Host one this time, trading items, and see if we can exchange for some high-level ritual materials."
Chen Xiang was making plans; it might not be feasible to directly transport the entire castle. Since it was Wei Tuantuan who summoned him, she was also the beacon. If she couldn't reach the capital, he couldn't take the castle there either. To be safe, he decided to try gathering high-level ritual materials himself for this month.
Wu Shangpin nodded respectfully: "Yes, I will comply with your orders, master."
"By the way, master." He hesitated for a moment and cautiously asked, "In previous extraordinary gatherings, I've always held them in the castle. This time..."
"Still in the castle." Chen Xiang waved his hand nonchalantly: "Just don't let them go up to the tower."
"Understood, I'll go send out the invitations right away." Wu Shangpin lowered his head, bowed, and retreated.