Chapter 114: Between Heaven and Earth, Searching the World for Legends
It was already the second night, and everyone continued to rotate shifts to guard the thirty-six Demon Suppression Flags. As ordered by the Wolf King, the leaders of both the righteous path and the dark demonic path gathered together with Liu Yi and the others around a bonfire to discuss matters.
The Wolf King was surprised to see even July, who had just recovered from his injuries, here. It seemed his wounds had healed in just one day—after all, the Demon Sect was the foremost faction among demons, and they surely had plenty of miraculous medicines.
Liu Yi looked at everyone and said, “It’s great that everyone is willing to cooperate. At least we won’t be overwhelmed by the poisonous miasma right away. I think there’s a glimmer of hope, so we must all work hard. After all, the eyes of the whole world are on us. If we all die, then there’s no longer any talk of good versus evil, no more talk of family, wives, or children. My teacher told me the specifics yesterday—we likely need the help of each sect leader, which is why I invited everyone here today.”
Aotian nodded and said, “The city lord is right. If we all die, how can I achieve my goal of unifying the three realms? Haha.”
Qiongba glanced at Aotian and laughed as well, “Of course. If the world perishes, then what’s the point of fighting demons and upholding the righteous path? The city lord, please go ahead with your plans. In this disaster, we’re all in the same boat—if it sinks, we all die.”
Liu Yi nodded and said, “It’s great that the two leaders think this way. Then let my teacher explain the details.”
The Wolf King looked at the people present and said, “Since everyone understands the severity of this disaster, if we strive hard, there’s still a chance of survival. But if there are conflicts among us, I think all that awaits us is… death.”
Aotian nodded and said, “The master is right. At least during this disaster, our demonic clan won’t touch a single person from the righteous path.”
Qiongba nodded and said, “Of course. Since Master Aotian has spoken, we of the righteous path won’t interfere with them either.”
The Wolf King nodded and said, “If that’s the case, I’m relieved. First of all, I want to say that we don’t have much time. So, we need to send our best people to search for these items—people at the level of sect leaders. Even guardians and elders can’t go because there aren’t enough people here. We must plan carefully. In my opinion, two people per team is ideal, so they can cover each other’s backs.”
Aotian asked, “What do you mean by that? Is it dangerous for us to go out and search?”
The Wolf King nodded and said, “Of course. Perhaps everyone isn’t fully aware of this, so let me explain briefly… When Hou Yi left behind the divine bow, he didn’t specify its exact location, only four possible sites. And each of these sites is guarded by powerful defenders, aimed at preventing mortals from obtaining the bow. There is indeed danger, which is why I think two people per team is necessary—to cover each other’s backs. But we must succeed, as we no longer have time.”
“The four locations are Piqiu Mountain in Donghuang Xiazhou, beneath the Flowing Red Sands in the southernmost part, Ling Mountain in Xizhou in the west, and Fengyuan Dan Mountain in the north. It is said that Hou Yi’s divine bow is kept in each of these places. However, these regions are inhabited by many exotic beasts that are not part of the demon race, and the closer one gets to the divine bow, the more dangerous it becomes. That’s why only the best warriors will be sent this time.”
Qiong Ba thought for a moment and said, “Then I will go to Donghuang with Yun Fei from the Wuwei Taoism Sect.”
The Wolf King nodded and said, “Good. Move quickly on the way, but be careful.”
Tian Qing, the Taoist priest, glanced at Tie Xiao, who was practicing with his sword, and said, “Then I will go to the Flowing Red Sands in the south with Tie Menzhu from the Lengjian Sect.”
After the two arranged their tasks, a Buddhist chant was heard: “Amitabha. Then I will go to Ling Mountain in Xizhou with Grandma Qin from the Qingyin Yage.” The speaker was Jue Gui, who had a ten-year agreement with Liu Yi—it seemed his status was indeed the highest.
Looking around at the remaining locations, the righteous sect members had already been assigned. It was now the turn of the demon race. Suddenly, a middle-aged man stepped forward and said, “Then Fengyuan Dan Mountain will be taken care of by me and Huo Feng.” The speaker was Tian Long, the new ruler of the Tianlong Shentan.
The Wolf King nodded and said, “Well, although the four locations have been assigned, to obtain the ‘Heavenly Essence Ore’ needed for the divine arrows, we still need to select eight people to go to the East Sea, South Sea, North Sea, and the Blue Sea in the west. Above these deep seas are volcanoes with molten lava. This ‘Heavenly Essence Ore’ appears only once every five thousand years. So, people need to be sent to all four places to check for it—though it’s extremely dangerous.”
Ao Tian glanced at July beside him, seemingly deep in thought, before saying, “I and July will go to the East Sea.”
As Ao Tian spoke, two elders from the Secret Sect and the Blood Sect said, “Then the two of us old men will go to the South Sea.”
Seeing that everyone had been assigned, Liu Yi nodded and said, “I’ll go to the North Sea alone.”
The Wolf King looked down and said, “It seems we really don’t have enough people.”
At that moment, Lan Ren quickly grabbed Tian Jiao’s hand and said, “Then the two of us will go to the Blue Sea. That should be enough—just right.”
The Wolf King had certainly seen Lan Ren’s sword before; its swordsmanship was on par with that of any sect leader. So, he agreed to let them go.
The Wolf King continued, “As for the arrow shafts, from what I know, there’s no material left for them. But according to rumors, south of Kunlun and west of Fengmo, there’s a mysterious place called Jian Yuan, where countless swords are embedded. Among them is an ancient sword named ‘Mo Yu’. Although it’s not a divine sword, its material is the best for making arrow shafts.”
Looking at the people below, it seemed no one else could be assigned. The Wolf King took a sip of wine and said, “How about I go?”
Liu Yi quickly reached out and said, “No, teacher. This is the most dangerous place. If it’s not guarded properly, even if we find hope, we’ll end up disappointed. So, teacher must not leave.”
Just then, the Ten Heroes said, “Then let me and the Great Sword King give it a try.”
The Wolf King glanced at Shi Jieyi, then at the Great Sword King, shook his head, and said, “No, stop trying to be heroes. This sword is filled with excessive evil energy—it’s a very dangerous place. It’s better for you to stay at home with your wives and children.” Although the Wolf King’s words carried a hint of sarcasm, they were indeed meant for the good of the Great Sword King and Shi Jieyi.
The Great Sword King took a bite of meat and said, “Uncle Wolf, you’re overpraising us. How could we possibly be heroes? As you just said, we have families and children. That’s why we should go. As men, we only want to protect our wives and children. Is that wrong?”
The Wolf King was left speechless by the Great Sword King’s simple reply…
Shi Jieyi gently put his arm around A Jiu’s waist and replied, “Yes, it’s precisely because we want more happiness for our wives and children that we’re going. We’re not trying to be heroes.”
The Great Sword King also hugged Shui Er and added, “Maybe we won’t live long, but we must strive hard for our future happiness. Our reason is simple—we just hope those we love can live longer…”
Shui Er leaned against the Great Sword King and said, “Remember to come back soon. There are two kids at home waiting for you to take care of.”
A Jiu also looked at Shi Jieyi and said, “Sister Shui Er is right. You should also remember to come back soon. We still need to have a child.” Although their tones were calm, everyone knew their hearts were trembling—perhaps they would never see each other again after this parting.
Just then, a voice spoke up, “Don’t worry. I’ll go with them. If anything happens, just come to me, Li Ling.”