Chapter 557 – Refining the Lake of Dragons and Snakes (1/2)
An empty coffin sat on the mourning altar.
Below, the descendants of the Han family were dressed in mourning attire, kneeling on the ground. However, underneath their white clothes was sturdy armour.
The sandalwood incense burned quietly. There was not a single sob. Only the endless sound of autumn rain could be heard from outside.
Outside the mourning hall, armoured soldiers stood in formation with their weapons. The rain fell on their icy-cold armour. All of them were sorrowful.
The Marquis of Ruyi’s funeral was being carried out at the same time. A downcast cloud loomed over the entire city.
“Commander Gu arrives!”
A messenger reported. The soldiers all lifted their weapons as their armour clanked like thunder.
Gu Yanying made her way over down the centre of the path. She stepped into the mourning hall, paid her respects, and offered up incense. She did not say much, turning around and leaving immediately. Her gaze swept past the descendants of the Han family in front of the mourning altar, only to see Han Qiongzhi among them. She glanced past her before flying out the door.
She pierced through the cloud layer and began to drift down gently like a feather. She lay between the white clouds.
She rested her head on her hands and closed her eyes, crossing one leg over the other leisurely as she took a small break.
After lying for a while, she frowned and changed her posture. She laid on her side before flipping over before eventually leaning on the clouds. She tossed and turned a full cycle before returning to her original, flat posure. She recited slowly, “His life is like floating; his death is like resting. He ‘does not dream when he is asleep, does not worry when he is awake.’ Sorrow and joy are perversions of integrity; happiness and anger are transgressions of the Dao; likes and dislikes are failings of the mind.”
Her voice gradually softened, falling asleep peacefully.
Han Qiongzhi was dressed in full mourning attire. Her eyes were very red as her tears trickled down. She thought of her uncle’s voice and expression when he was still alive and the various forms of care and concern he had shown her. Her heart was a tangled mess. She shoved her fingers into the spacing between the bricks, but she refused to let out a single sob.
Han Anjun stood up and said, “You better all wipe away your tears. The spirit of my departed brother remains. He’s already ventured to the final home of all disciples of the school of the Military to continue battling in the Asura realm. There’s nothing worth crying over!”
He exhaled deeply, turned around, and offered up another stick of incense. However, he was worried inside. He had fallen in battle against the Hungry Ghost realm. If he ended up in the Hungry Ghost realm, it would be bad.
Han Qiongzhi thought, Qingshan, where are you? Have you received my letter? I really want to see you!”
“The moon demon is here!”
The Academy of the Hundred Schools was thrown into a panic.
Hua Chengzan was currently in secluded cultivation. He could hear the disturbances, only to see huge waves reaching towards the sky above the Lake of Dragons and Snakes. A huge figure was crossing through the lake, passing through the mist and making his way towards the academy with heavy footsteps.
His curved horns were like a pair of crescent moons as his scarlet eyes flickered like embers. He gave off a heavy pressure simply by standing there.
He was actually still alive!
Liu Zhangqing had yet to recover from the sorrow of the loss of his dear disciples. Standing on a tall building on Contention island, he lamented at the sky, “Why has my Clear River prefecture been dogged by bad luck?”
The other cultivators were ashen as well. They could only hope the Formation of Dragons and Snakes could halt the moon demon’s advance.
On Cloudwisp island, Liu Chuanfeng called out, “Come with me, everyone!”
The disciples of the school of Novels, both young and old, huddled around him in a hurry. They followed behind him as the disciples asked, “Master, are we going to face the moon demon in a battle to the death?”
“It’s about time for our school of Novels to demonstrate its power.” A young man swung his fist viciously.
Liu Chuanfeng remained silent. He brought the disciples to a dense bamboo forest. His expression was fervent and solemn as he ordered, “Everyone, lie down!”
The disciples were all confused, but they still abided to his order and laid down.
Liu Chuanfeng laid down too and began focusing his attention on the Divine Talisman of Great Creation. Gradually, his figure vanished, replaced by a huge, dead log, and the disciples all turned into logs of various sizes too, strewn across the bamboo forest.
Liu Chuanfeng ordered with his soul sense, “Hide your aura as much as possible. Don’t let the moon demon discover us!”
“Umm, master, aren’t we going to face the moon demon in a battle to the death?”
“You can go. It’s not like I’m stopping you!”
After a moment of silence, someone said, “But master, this is a bamboo forest. Why would there be dead trees?”
“Shut up! Your master has his own brilliant plan… Am I supposed to conjure bamboo this thick?”
Although he no longer worried about any punishment from the Marquis of Ruyi, even the Marquis of Ruyi was dead, so who could still stop the moon demon? Liu Zhangqing completely disregarded his identity and roared at Hua Chengzan, “Chengzan, go find ma’am Gu to slay the daemon!”
He made up his mind. He would never remain in a state of constant alarm and be some prefect anymore. Instead, he would be like Li Qingshan. He would find some remote dwelling to cultivate in seclusion.
“Yes, sir!” Hua Chengzan’s expression was mixed. Perhaps she had seen through Li Qingshan’s identity a long time ago, which was why she paid special attention to him. Why would she come and slay daemons?
However, he probably did not come to the academy to start a slaughter. Hua Chengzan only noticed daemon qi permeating the upper stream of the Lake of Dragons and Snakes before suddenly realising. Yes, he wants to refine the Lake of Dragons and Snakes.