Chapter 35: The Què Deity
"I think he can be trusted," Xiao Pi whispered. "He feels completely different from his twin brother."
Dong Mang was still tied to the chair, calmly watching everyone. Jiang Hong gazed into his eyes, always feeling an inexplicable sadness in them.
"What should we do with this captive?" Jiang Hong glanced at the envoy they had captured.
Dong Mang said, "If you trust me, leave him under the supervision of my men. The Exorcism Commission will soon be here, right? With Chen Zhen's methods, whether there's a captive or not won't make much difference."
Jiang Hong hesitated for a moment before asking, "Can I trust you?"
"To help your friend," Dong Mang said, "this is the only way, although I don't know who he is."
The Shandan Horse Farm seemed to have been isolated from the world for many years. Finally, Jiang Hong nodded and said, "Let's go and catch up with our senior."
"Let's go," Lian Jiang said.
At three-thirty in the morning, amid the wind and snow, the four of them, wearing windproof goggles, rode the horses of the farm. Jiang Hong led the way, his mount being none other than Dong Mang in his original form, heading along the steep slopes of the Qilian Mountains towards a secret entrance to the Què altar, on the leeward slope.
The howling wind eased as they reached the foot of the mountain. Jiang Hong asked, "How much farther?"
"Less than three kilometers," the Horse King replied.
Its mane was beautiful, even covered with snowflakes, and its eyes were large. The horse's chestnut-colored body and smooth muscle lines made it an elegant creature. Jiang Hong always thought of horses as gentle animals, especially with their large eyes and eyelashes.
"May I ask a question?" Jiang Hong said.
As the Horse King led the group up the perilous mountain path, it answered, "Ask."
Jiang Hong asked, "Whom do you want to resurrect?"
Jiang Hong, having entered this world not long ago, lacked the intense hatred for evil typical of children from exorcist families. His upbringing allowed him to view everything with a more tolerant perspective. He always felt that Dong Mang had his reasons, and even Mu Zong was no exception.
"I'm hesitating," the Horse King answered. "My ancestors instructed me to guard the Què altar, but I wavered when Yinghuo made an offer."
Jiang Hong said, "You can't break through the cycle of life and death."
The Horse King didn't reply, stopping on a bare rock, seemingly observing the terrain.
"If the Book of All Things really exists, I just want to know one thing: in the distant cycle of reincarnation, can I find the person I was fixated on in my past life?" it added.
Jiang Hong said, "But that's not your fault. I guess no one can break through it. I haven't experienced it myself, so it's easy for me to say."
"Thank you," the Horse King replied. "Even though I know it's wrong, the elders always say that life and death are predestined. Without departure, how can there be new life?"
Jiang Hong remembered hearing similar words from Jin. Perhaps, as a member of the demon race, they had a deeper understanding of death.
"Just like the grass watered by snowmelt at the foot of the Qilian Mountains, year after year."
The Horse King turned and ran along the mountainside in a steep diagonal line towards a cave entrance on the cliff.
The cave entrance was bottomless, and as everyone arrived, they carefully descended using a rope ladder.
Jiang Hong lifted his protective goggles; they were right at the high dome they had seen earlier.
"Shh." Lian Jiang gestured to Xiao Pi to be quieter and not make a sound.
They finally saw what lay behind the door—a vast arched cavern with huge square stone slabs on the ground. The walls of the cavern were painted with patterns of the sea, mountains, forests, and the flow of the earth's veins in silver paint. At the heart of this land, a bird was awakening.
This was the Què altar. Around its perimeter, the stone floor was engraved with Bagua symbols. In the center was a slightly elevated circular Taiji platform, surrounded by seven bronze cauldrons placed according to the Bagua directions of the earth, with one apparently taken to a museum earlier.
The design of the cauldrons was identical to those Jiang Hong had seen in the Shaanxi Museum. They were inscribed with the rune "Mo," giving them a feeling of cracking the case.
"That's the one," Jiang Hong whispered.
"I'll take a photo..." He Jian was really tortured by the cauldron and its inscriptions.
Lian Jiang said, "What are you doing taking photos at a time like this?"
Jiang Hong immediately reminded, "Be careful with the flash..."
Once bitten, twice shy. After taking the photo, He Jian saw two people entering the hall below, a man and a woman. The man was Mu Zong, and the woman was the envoy.
"You guys stay outside and guard," Mu Zong ordered the horse farm guards following him.
Jiang Hong kept looking for Lu Xiu's figure. He flew here and should have arrived faster than them. Why wasn't he visible?
Dong Mang said, "Young man, your friend is over there."
In the darkness, Dong Mang spotted Lu Xiu. Lu Xiu was on a horizontal beam at the top of the cave, kneeling on one knee, watching every movement below.
When Jiang Hong looked up at him, Lu Xiu sensed it and looked their way, then raised his finger and gently shook it, signaling them not to act yet.
"What does he want to do?" Lian Jiang whispered. "Why isn't he stopping Mu Zong?"
From this distance, Lu Xiu could knock out the two below with a single spell.
He Jian said, "He might have instructions from Principal Cao, maybe he's trying to lure someone out. So, what should we do? Mr. Dong, should we take action?"
Dong Mang hesitated, after all, the person below was his twin brother.
Jiang Hong whispered, "Let's not act yet. Since the senior is involved, let's leave it to him."
The others remained quiet, and after watching for a while, Jiang Hong suddenly stood up, bowed, and ran on the suspended stone beam towards Lu Xiu with small steps.
The stone beam was only thirty to forty centimeters wide. Jiang Hong, with his arms spread, ran in a crouched position, teetering from side to side, seemingly about to fall at any moment, making everyone hold their breath for him.
Lu Xiu turned his head, showing a reproachful expression. When Jiang Hong got close, he grabbed his wrist and pressed him to his side.
"What are you doing?!" Lu Xiu whispered fiercely.
Jiang Hong looked into Lu Xiu's eyes and said, "What's wrong with you? Tell me."
From the moment he received Cao Bin's call, Jiang Hong felt something was off with Lu Xiu. At this moment, Lu Xiu avoided his gaze, which made Jiang Hong more certain of his suspicions.
Lu Xiu let go of him and answered off-topic, "Wait a bit longer. I suspect they might summon someone else, maybe the mastermind behind Yinghuo."
Jiang Hong didn't press further, just looked at Lu Xiu worriedly.
"Didn't I tell you not to follow?" Lu Xiu said angrily.
Jiang Hong replied, "Everyone is worried about you."
Jiang Hong glanced at his companions, and several of them gestured for him to be at ease.
Lu Xiu's face darkened as he whispered, "What can you do? You'll just cause trouble."
Jiang Hong laughed softly, saying, "I can't really help you, but I'm still very worried..."
At that moment, voices from below interrupted Lu Xiu and Jiang Hong's conversation.
"Have you thought it through?" the female envoy asked loudly.
Mu Zong replied, "I have."
He was facing away from the crowd, and Jiang Hong couldn't see his expression, but he instinctively took out his phone to start recording a video, intermittently taking photos.
Mu Zong continued, "People from the Exorcism Commission are already on their way. Those students have exposed your setup. As soon as they arrive, the Què altar will be sealed off. You need to hurry."
"No need to worry," the female envoy said. "Our lord has everything under control. If I say that today's events are all part of our plan, would you believe it or not?"
Mu Zong sneered, "Everything is planned? Including my illness, and my brother's heart of stone, indifferent to death? You predicted all of this?"
The female envoy spoke, "From the beginning to the end, the Book of All Things has already told us everything. Even what is to come is within our calculations. Come, Mu Zong."
Hearing this conversation, Jiang Hong immediately looked up towards Dong Mang at the other end of the stone beam.
Dong Mang's expression remained calm.
Mu Zong took out a small knife and cut his right arm, spurting out dark purple blood.
The female envoy made a gesture, and several drops of blood flying from Mu Zong's arm merged into a small, pitch-black blood orb that floated in mid-air.
"The blood of darkness," the female envoy murmured, "a sacrifice for the Què deity."
Standing at the center of the altar, Mu Zong watched as the blood orb scattered into eight droplets, flying towards the eight corners of the altar where the bronze cauldrons were placed, igniting black ethereal flames.
Lu Xiu gently lifted his left hand, which was enveloped in blue light, as if he was about to act at any moment.
Then, the ground around the altar revealed Taiji Bagua symbols. The blue light of the earth's veins rapidly converged, flowing over the etchings of Yin and Yang, illuminating the entire Què altar in blue light, so bright that Jiang Hong couldn't keep his eyes open.
In the center of the altar, black and red mist began to swirl, taking the shape of a tangible creature, gradually coalescing into a floating, decaying beast.
Jiang Hong: "!!!"
The beast was enormous and continued to expand, finally stopping at a critical point. It was a giant bird, two meters tall, with sparse feathers and fresh flesh hanging from its wing bones, looking like a waterfowl dead for nearly a month, mostly black in color.
But instead of decay, "Què" seemed to be undergoing a reversal, as the power of the earth's veins was repairing its body and incessantly drawing away the darkness, as if the corruption was being absorbed and purified by the earth's veins, giving it a completely new body.
"It's still far from enough," Mu Zong said. "Què hasn't fully revived, and its strength is less than what we expected."
The female envoy, however, said, "There's no time. Given the change in circumstances, we must release its seal and grant it a new soul before the Exorcism Commission arrives."
The light in Lu Xiu's hand intensified. He was always waiting, based on a hypothesis, yet with considerable evidence to support it.
"Will you do it?" Mu Zong asked coldly.
The female envoy replied, "I can't do it. We must ask our lord to personally intervene."
Mu Zong said, "I want to watch."
The female envoy responded, "Of course you can."
Mu Zong asked, "Where is your lord?"
Without answering, the female envoy removed her cloak and took out a small bell from within.
Jiang Hong: "..."
Jiang Hong looked at Lu Xiu. The exact same bell, they had seen it before at Mai Qing's house! Back then, Xuan Hezhi mentioned that this bell was called "Ba Fang Yun Lai," possibly a way for them to communicate.
The female envoy gently shook the bell in her hand.
With a "ding" sound, a subtle wave occurred in the space, spreading outward from the ground like ripples on water.
Jiang Hong looked towards the other side of the beam and saw everyone taking photos and recording videos.
A somewhat hoarse voice spoke up.
"My lord, there's been a change in plans..."
"I already know," the voice responded. "Proceed with the awakening. This mission ends here. Evacuate the area immediately."
In front of the altar, a bundle of red light swirled, revealing the figure of a man.
He lifted his hand, most of his body obscured by the red light, with only that hand visible to Jiang Hong. The man's hand channeled the blood-red light, wrapping around the decaying Què at the center of the altar, infusing it with a strange, unending energy.
The next moment, Lu Xiu's right hand on the beam and left hand raised, silently appeared behind the man—
Jiang Hong only saw a blur before Lu Xiu disappeared, as if teleporting. How did he do that?
"I've been waiting for you," Lu Xiu said in a deep voice, then threw a punch!
Everyone was caught off guard, even the man within the red light hadn't anticipated Lu Xiu, who was lurking nearby, to suddenly attack. The red light exploded within the Què altar, and the female envoy roared, "There's someone else!"
Mu Zong immediately retreated, only to see Lu Xiu half-submerged in the red light.
"It's you," the slightly hoarse voice said.
Lu Xiu had already grabbed the man, and in an instant, the red light erupted, covering the sky and filling the entire cave with blinding light, followed by a shockwave sweeping out!
Everyone shouted at once as the beam broke. In that moment, Jiang Hong truly felt the helplessness of being human. In Lu Xiu's sudden, unanticipated attack, the earth's energy was disturbed, erupting wildly, sending stones flying, and everyone waiting on the stone beam was knocked off by the shockwave!
He Jian glided down, catching Jiang Hong and flapped his wings hard, shouting, "You're so heavy!"
Jiang Hong yelled, "Run—! Get out of here! Where's Xiao Pi?!"
He Jian replied, "Lian Jiang is protecting him! I can't fly anymore! I have to let you down, hit the ground running, one, two, three!"
Dong Mang shouted, "The cave is collapsing!"
The first wave of energy erupted thunderously, but was temporarily at a stalemate. In the blinding red light, Lu Xiu and the man were locked in a standoff, as if struggling over something. Wave after wave of red light howled in, and everyone covered their heads and faces with their hands, turning to flee the cave.
He Jian, exerting all his strength, dropped Jiang Hong nearby, and everyone hastily evacuated. Jiang Hong skidded to a halt, looking towards the center of the red light.
Lu Xiu's left hand grasped something, seemingly the body of the man in the red light, trying to drag him out, while his right hand, surrounded by blue light, created a barrier, fiercely resisting the enemy.
He Jian spread his wings and flew towards the only exit.
He Jian exclaimed, "Hurry up and go!"
Jiang Hong hesitated for three seconds, then turned and charged towards the center of the red light.
That was the balance of magical power between exorcists!
Jiang Hong recalled a lesson from practical classes, where the tug of magical power during a confrontation sometimes reaches a very delicate equilibrium. At that moment, if anyone disrupts this balance, it could have a decisive impact.
Lu Xiu was putting all his effort into the struggle against the man, and suddenly saw Jiang Hong's figure.
Jiang Hong bent down, picked up a brick from the ground, rushed forward, and yelled, "Die!"
Lu Xiu: "..."
Jiang Hong came to a sudden stop, using the momentum of his sprint to slap the brick into the red light.
The world went silent in an instant, with only the surging red light. The explosion temporarily took away Jiang Hong's hearing. He felt as though he had hit something, yet also as if he hadn't. As soon as his hand entered the red light, the brick was whisked away.
Lu Xiu seized this opportunity instantly, transforming his palm into a fist, and said sternly, "Tule Su!" At the same time, he grabbed the man's wrist with his left hand and forcefully pulled him towards himself.
"Impressive skills," the man uttered a clear expression of admiration.
The altar exploded thunderously. Jiang Hong didn't know what he had grabbed but instinctively tightened his fingers, retracted his arm, and ran for cover. But whatever Lu Xiu destroyed within the red light seemed like a nuclear bomb had been dropped less than five meters from Jiang Hong, blowing him off his feet.
Jiang Hong's world spun wildly, but in an instant, Lu Xiu grabbed his wrist and pulled him back. The final explosion was particularly intense, causing the entire cave to collapse. Lu Xiu embraced Jiang Hong, protecting his head with one hand as they rolled on the ground.
Jiang Hong kept shouting, and Lu Xiu yelled, "Hold on to me tightly!"
Lu Xiu shielded himself with his back against the falling rocks, and the next moment, the energy of the earth's veins surged back wildly. After the red light disappeared, all the energy rushed towards the decaying giant bird at the center of the Què altar.
In the early hours, a landslide occurred in the Qilian Mountains. The cave at the bottom of the middle section collapsed, its support drained away, and in an instant, it all fell down.
Lian Jiang shouted, "Where's Jiang Hong?! He hasn't come out yet!"
Amid the ruins of the collapsed mountains, first came a dragon's roar, then a thunderous explosion, with rocks flying everywhere like a swirling asteroid belt, and then Lu Xiu transformed into his true form—a dragon that flew out!
Jiang Hong, with blood all over his head, clutched a dragon horn with one hand and held a flat object of unknown material, neither gold nor iron, in the other.
The black dragon bellowed, "Are you insane?"
Jiang Hong stammered, "I... I... I was worried about you..."
The black dragon: "..."
"Get down!" The black dragon, furious, turned around and flung Jiang Hong down, where He Jian was flying up to catch him. Jiang Hong landed squarely on him, and He Jian flapped his wings frantically, finally stabilizing.
"What have you got there?" Lian Jiang asked.
"Uh... what is this? Chopsticks?" Jiang Hong looked down at the object in his hand, something he had inadvertently brought out from the ruins. He was about to throw it away but then thought better of it and stuffed it into his pocket.
Jiang Hong's hands were covered in blood, and only now did he start to feel the pain. He grabbed a handful of snow from the ground and held it, not fearing infection.
The black dragon circled in the air, watching over the ruins.
Dong Mang said, "Let's leave here first! It's not over yet! I'm afraid the Què deity is about to awaken!"
Before he finished speaking, the decaying Què burst out from the rubble, emitting an earth-shattering cry!
The giant bird, radiating dark flames, flapped its wings under the flickering light of day, showing no desire to fight, only to flee.
But the black dragon swiftly approached, engaging in a fierce battle with it!
Everyone stepped back again and again, realizing that the fight between the two colossal beasts was beyond their intervention. Jiang Hong looked up, watching the scene as if it were a panoramic movie. The world seemed dark as if on the brink of apocalypse, the black dragon striking with all four claws, grappling the giant Que, repeatedly trying to force it back to the ground. Seeing no hope of escape, the Que started to fight back desperately.
Feathers from the giant Que fell in all directions, turning into rotting blackness upon touching the snow, darkening the ground where they landed.
Jiang Hong looked on with concern.
The black dragon roared furiously, finally managing to throw the Que down to the ground. But in its dying struggle, the Que fiercely tore open the dragon's flank. It was the first time Jiang Hong saw dragon blood—
Golden and luminous, the blood scattered like a shower of stars, falling from the sky. It was like gentle stardust, reminiscent of fireflies on a summer night.
"Lu Xiu—!" Jiang Hong cried out in distress.
The black dragon fought hard, preventing the Que from charging down the mountain repeatedly, especially since Jiang Hong was at the base of the slope.
"Lu Xiu!" Jiang Hong shouted, "Keep going! You can defeat it—!"
"Senior!" Xiao Pi also yelled, "You can do it!"
"Lu Xiu!" He Jian and Lian Jiang joined in, "Fight on—!"
Jiang Hong knew Lu Xiu would never give up or flee; he would fight to the very end.
"Lu Xiu—!" Jiang Hong shouted with all his might, "Beat it to death—!"
The black dragon seemed to draw immense strength from Jiang Hong.
It took a deep breath, and before that breath, the winds and clouds changed color. The dragon’s breath seemed to gather all the hurricanes of the world, pinning the Que firmly against the mountain, before unleashing a furious burst of dragon fire!
Under the dazzling cyan-white flames, the mountainside melted, and half of the Que's body was incinerated in the fierce fire, exploding into ashes!
But as the dragon fire reached its peak, countless golden runes suddenly appeared all over the black dragon's body, glowing against its dark form, making the dragon look eerily mystical.
It's happening! Time's up! Jiang Hong remembered Lu Xiu's warning that he could only maintain his true form for a very short time.
The black dragon, in agony, abruptly released the Que and crashed into the mountainside, then alarmingly rolled down the slope!
"Lu Xiu!" Jiang Hong sprinted towards him at the speed of a hundred-meter dash.
When Lu Xiu hit the ground, he transformed back into human form, rolling in the snow. Jiang Hong caught him, cushioning his fall and rolling down with him.
Lu Xiu's eyes were tightly closed, with two deep claw wounds on his arm and waist, still bleeding profusely.
"Huff... huff..." Jiang Hong called out, "Lu Xiu! Lu Xiu!"
Jiang Hong quickly got up, half-supporting Lu Xiu, checking his condition.
"Well done," a voice said, "We'll take it from here."
Jiang Hong abruptly looked up, the man's voice seemingly coming from nowhere, yet as if right beside him.
"Principal!" everyone shouted.
An SUV had already parked in the snow, unknown when it had arrived. Cao Bin got out of the driver's seat and walked quickly towards them, calling out, "Evacuate the area!"
Another man got out of the passenger seat. Jiang Hong glanced and realized it was Chen Zhen! Chen Zhen had come in person!
Chen Zhen, still in his white shirt and black trousers, wearing Google Glasses, walked through the snow, leaving a trail of footprints. In this snowy winter, his light attire gave off an incredibly magical aura.
On the mountainside, the Que was left with a broken body, half-exposed bones chillingly visible. It struggled with its last will to survive, trying to escape.
Chen Zhen approached Jiang Hong and Lu Xiu, shielding them with his body.
He slightly raised one hand, drawing runes in the air with a sword finger, his whole body radiating golden light!
The Eternal Heart Lamp, shining bright as day! Chen Zhen's body burst into a light as vast as the ocean, embodying divine presence within that radiance!
Chen Zhen, embodying the Lamp-Bearing Aspect, his handsome features and slender body becoming a source of light, rose into the air. In an instant, he illuminated the dark world within ten miles, like the rising sun, the clouds rolling in golden light.
The Lamp-Bearing Aspect, bare-chested, bore Chen Zhen's face, his body draped in a golden robe flowing like the rainbow clouds of the universe. His chest and back showed golden-red scriptures, with the sound of heavenly chants echoing around.
"Descendants of Xuanyuan..." The decaying Que perched atop the mountain peak, spoke human words in its final moments, "Your doom is near. What awaits you is the struggle in the sea of suffering and sinking into oblivion..."
The Lamp-Bearing Aspect floated in the sky, turning into a blazing sun at the horizon. The clouds parted, revealing the tender blue of dawn.
"You are not qualified to predict the future," Chen Zhen said gently. "From dust you came, to dust you shall return. Go back to your eternal rest. The living are but passers-by, the dead return home..."
The Lamp-Bearing Aspect formed the heart-lamp seal with his hands, showering down a warm light.
"...In this transient world, we all mourn the eternal dust," Chen Zhen declared. "Disperse!"
The giant Que cried out as its feathers ignited into golden flames under the light, burning to ashes within the fierce blaze.
Everyone watched, utterly astonished by the scene.
So cool... truly incredible. It was Jiang Hong's first time witnessing a boss-level figure exorcise a demon, a sight many exorcists might never see in their lifetime...
Jiang Hong revised his opinion of Chen Zhen, convinced he could never be a traitor.
Chapter 35: The Què Deity
"I think he can be trusted," Xiao Pi whispered. "He feels completely different from his twin brother."
Dong Mang was still tied to the chair, calmly watching everyone. Jiang Hong gazed into his eyes, always feeling an inexplicable sadness in them.
"What should we do with this captive?" Jiang Hong glanced at the envoy they had captured.
Dong Mang said, "If you trust me, leave him under the supervision of my men. The Exorcism Commission will soon be here, right? With Chen Zhen's methods, whether there's a captive or not won't make much difference."
Jiang Hong hesitated for a moment before asking, "Can I trust you?"
"To help your friend," Dong Mang said, "this is the only way, although I don't know who he is."
The Shandan Horse Farm seemed to have been isolated from the world for many years. Finally, Jiang Hong nodded and said, "Let's go and catch up with our senior."
"Let's go," Lian Jiang said.
At three-thirty in the morning, amid the wind and snow, the four of them, wearing windproof goggles, rode the horses of the farm. Jiang Hong led the way, his mount being none other than Dong Mang in his original form, heading along the steep slopes of the Qilian Mountains towards a secret entrance to the Què altar, on the leeward slope.
The howling wind eased as they reached the foot of the mountain. Jiang Hong asked, "How much farther?"
"Less than three kilometers," the Horse King replied.
Its mane was beautiful, even covered with snowflakes, and its eyes were large. The horse's chestnut-colored body and smooth muscle lines made it an elegant creature. Jiang Hong always thought of horses as gentle animals, especially with their large eyes and eyelashes.
"May I ask a question?" Jiang Hong said.
As the Horse King led the group up the perilous mountain path, it answered, "Ask."
Jiang Hong asked, "Whom do you want to resurrect?"
Jiang Hong, having entered this world not long ago, lacked the intense hatred for evil typical of children from exorcist families. His upbringing allowed him to view everything with a more tolerant perspective. He always felt that Dong Mang had his reasons, and even Mu Zong was no exception.
"I'm hesitating," the Horse King answered. "My ancestors instructed me to guard the Què altar, but I wavered when Yinghuo made an offer."
Jiang Hong said, "You can't break through the cycle of life and death."
The Horse King didn't reply, stopping on a bare rock, seemingly observing the terrain.
"If the Book of All Things really exists, I just want to know one thing: in the distant cycle of reincarnation, can I find the person I was fixated on in my past life?" it added.
Jiang Hong said, "But that's not your fault. I guess no one can break through it. I haven't experienced it myself, so it's easy for me to say."
"Thank you," the Horse King replied. "Even though I know it's wrong, the elders always say that life and death are predestined. Without departure, how can there be new life?"
Jiang Hong remembered hearing similar words from Jin. Perhaps, as a member of the demon race, they had a deeper understanding of death.
"Just like the grass watered by snowmelt at the foot of the Qilian Mountains, year after year."
The Horse King turned and ran along the mountainside in a steep diagonal line towards a cave entrance on the cliff.
The cave entrance was bottomless, and as everyone arrived, they carefully descended using a rope ladder.
Jiang Hong lifted his protective goggles; they were right at the high dome they had seen earlier.
"Shh." Lian Jiang gestured to Xiao Pi to be quieter and not make a sound.
They finally saw what lay behind the door—a vast arched cavern with huge square stone slabs on the ground. The walls of the cavern were painted with patterns of the sea, mountains, forests, and the flow of the earth's veins in silver paint. At the heart of this land, a bird was awakening.
This was the Què altar. Around its perimeter, the stone floor was engraved with Bagua symbols. In the center was a slightly elevated circular Taiji platform, surrounded by seven bronze cauldrons placed according to the Bagua directions of the earth, with one apparently taken to a museum earlier.
The design of the cauldrons was identical to those Jiang Hong had seen in the Shaanxi Museum. They were inscribed with the rune "Mo," giving them a feeling of cracking the case.
"That's the one," Jiang Hong whispered.
"I'll take a photo..." He Jian was really tortured by the cauldron and its inscriptions.
Lian Jiang said, "What are you doing taking photos at a time like this?"
Jiang Hong immediately reminded, "Be careful with the flash..."
Once bitten, twice shy. After taking the photo, He Jian saw two people entering the hall below, a man and a woman. The man was Mu Zong, and the woman was the envoy.
"You guys stay outside and guard," Mu Zong ordered the horse farm guards following him.
Jiang Hong kept looking for Lu Xiu's figure. He flew here and should have arrived faster than them. Why wasn't he visible?
Dong Mang said, "Young man, your friend is over there."
In the darkness, Dong Mang spotted Lu Xiu. Lu Xiu was on a horizontal beam at the top of the cave, kneeling on one knee, watching every movement below.
When Jiang Hong looked up at him, Lu Xiu sensed it and looked their way, then raised his finger and gently shook it, signaling them not to act yet.
"What does he want to do?" Lian Jiang whispered. "Why isn't he stopping Mu Zong?"
From this distance, Lu Xiu could knock out the two below with a single spell.
He Jian said, "He might have instructions from Principal Cao, maybe he's trying to lure someone out. So, what should we do? Mr. Dong, should we take action?"
Dong Mang hesitated, after all, the person below was his twin brother.
Jiang Hong whispered, "Let's not act yet. Since the senior is involved, let's leave it to him."
The others remained quiet, and after watching for a while, Jiang Hong suddenly stood up, bowed, and ran on the suspended stone beam towards Lu Xiu with small steps.
The stone beam was only thirty to forty centimeters wide. Jiang Hong, with his arms spread, ran in a crouched position, teetering from side to side, seemingly about to fall at any moment, making everyone hold their breath for him.
Lu Xiu turned his head, showing a reproachful expression. When Jiang Hong got close, he grabbed his wrist and pressed him to his side.
"What are you doing?!" Lu Xiu whispered fiercely.
Jiang Hong looked into Lu Xiu's eyes and said, "What's wrong with you? Tell me."
From the moment he received Cao Bin's call, Jiang Hong felt something was off with Lu Xiu. At this moment, Lu Xiu avoided his gaze, which made Jiang Hong more certain of his suspicions.
Lu Xiu let go of him and answered off-topic, "Wait a bit longer. I suspect they might summon someone else, maybe the mastermind behind Yinghuo."
Jiang Hong didn't press further, just looked at Lu Xiu worriedly.
"Didn't I tell you not to follow?" Lu Xiu said angrily.
Jiang Hong replied, "Everyone is worried about you."
Jiang Hong glanced at his companions, and several of them gestured for him to be at ease.
Lu Xiu's face darkened as he whispered, "What can you do? You'll just cause trouble."
Jiang Hong laughed softly, saying, "I can't really help you, but I'm still very worried..."
At that moment, voices from below interrupted Lu Xiu and Jiang Hong's conversation.
"Have you thought it through?" the female envoy asked loudly.
Mu Zong replied, "I have."
He was facing away from the crowd, and Jiang Hong couldn't see his expression, but he instinctively took out his phone to start recording a video, intermittently taking photos.
Mu Zong continued, "People from the Exorcism Commission are already on their way. Those students have exposed your setup. As soon as they arrive, the Què altar will be sealed off. You need to hurry."
"No need to worry," the female envoy said. "Our lord has everything under control. If I say that today's events are all part of our plan, would you believe it or not?"
Mu Zong sneered, "Everything is planned? Including my illness, and my brother's heart of stone, indifferent to death? You predicted all of this?"
The female envoy spoke, "From the beginning to the end, the Book of All Things has already told us everything. Even what is to come is within our calculations. Come, Mu Zong."
Hearing this conversation, Jiang Hong immediately looked up towards Dong Mang at the other end of the stone beam.
Dong Mang's expression remained calm.
Mu Zong took out a small knife and cut his right arm, spurting out dark purple blood.
The female envoy made a gesture, and several drops of blood flying from Mu Zong's arm merged into a small, pitch-black blood orb that floated in mid-air.
"The blood of darkness," the female envoy murmured, "a sacrifice for the Què deity."
Standing at the center of the altar, Mu Zong watched as the blood orb scattered into eight droplets, flying towards the eight corners of the altar where the bronze cauldrons were placed, igniting black ethereal flames.
Lu Xiu gently lifted his left hand, which was enveloped in blue light, as if he was about to act at any moment.
Then, the ground around the altar revealed Taiji Bagua symbols. The blue light of the earth's veins rapidly converged, flowing over the etchings of Yin and Yang, illuminating the entire Què altar in blue light, so bright that Jiang Hong couldn't keep his eyes open.
In the center of the altar, black and red mist began to swirl, taking the shape of a tangible creature, gradually coalescing into a floating, decaying beast.
Jiang Hong: "!!!"
The beast was enormous and continued to expand, finally stopping at a critical point. It was a giant bird, two meters tall, with sparse feathers and fresh flesh hanging from its wing bones, looking like a waterfowl dead for nearly a month, mostly black in color.
But instead of decay, "Què" seemed to be undergoing a reversal, as the power of the earth's veins was repairing its body and incessantly drawing away the darkness, as if the corruption was being absorbed and purified by the earth's veins, giving it a completely new body.
"It's still far from enough," Mu Zong said. "Què hasn't fully revived, and its strength is less than what we expected."
The female envoy, however, said, "There's no time. Given the change in circumstances, we must release its seal and grant it a new soul before the Exorcism Commission arrives."
The light in Lu Xiu's hand intensified. He was always waiting, based on a hypothesis, yet with considerable evidence to support it.
"Will you do it?" Mu Zong asked coldly.
The female envoy replied, "I can't do it. We must ask our lord to personally intervene."
Mu Zong said, "I want to watch."
The female envoy responded, "Of course you can."
Mu Zong asked, "Where is your lord?"
Without answering, the female envoy removed her cloak and took out a small bell from within.
Jiang Hong: "..."
Jiang Hong looked at Lu Xiu. The exact same bell, they had seen it before at Mai Qing's house! Back then, Xuan Hezhi mentioned that this bell was called "Ba Fang Yun Lai," possibly a way for them to communicate.
The female envoy gently shook the bell in her hand.
With a "ding" sound, a subtle wave occurred in the space, spreading outward from the ground like ripples on water.
Jiang Hong looked towards the other side of the beam and saw everyone taking photos and recording videos.
A somewhat hoarse voice spoke up.
"My lord, there's been a change in plans..."
"I already know," the voice responded. "Proceed with the awakening. This mission ends here. Evacuate the area immediately."
In front of the altar, a bundle of red light swirled, revealing the figure of a man.
He lifted his hand, most of his body obscured by the red light, with only that hand visible to Jiang Hong. The man's hand channeled the blood-red light, wrapping around the decaying Què at the center of the altar, infusing it with a strange, unending energy.
The next moment, Lu Xiu's right hand on the beam and left hand raised, silently appeared behind the man—
Jiang Hong only saw a blur before Lu Xiu disappeared, as if teleporting. How did he do that?
"I've been waiting for you," Lu Xiu said in a deep voice, then threw a punch!
Everyone was caught off guard, even the man within the red light hadn't anticipated Lu Xiu, who was lurking nearby, to suddenly attack. The red light exploded within the Què altar, and the female envoy roared, "There's someone else!"
Mu Zong immediately retreated, only to see Lu Xiu half-submerged in the red light.
"It's you," the slightly hoarse voice said.
Lu Xiu had already grabbed the man, and in an instant, the red light erupted, covering the sky and filling the entire cave with blinding light, followed by a shockwave sweeping out!
Everyone shouted at once as the beam broke. In that moment, Jiang Hong truly felt the helplessness of being human. In Lu Xiu's sudden, unanticipated attack, the earth's energy was disturbed, erupting wildly, sending stones flying, and everyone waiting on the stone beam was knocked off by the shockwave!
He Jian glided down, catching Jiang Hong and flapped his wings hard, shouting, "You're so heavy!"
Jiang Hong yelled, "Run—! Get out of here! Where's Xiao Pi?!"
He Jian replied, "Lian Jiang is protecting him! I can't fly anymore! I have to let you down, hit the ground running, one, two, three!"
Dong Mang shouted, "The cave is collapsing!"
The first wave of energy erupted thunderously, but was temporarily at a stalemate. In the blinding red light, Lu Xiu and the man were locked in a standoff, as if struggling over something. Wave after wave of red light howled in, and everyone covered their heads and faces with their hands, turning to flee the cave.
He Jian, exerting all his strength, dropped Jiang Hong nearby, and everyone hastily evacuated. Jiang Hong skidded to a halt, looking towards the center of the red light.
Lu Xiu's left hand grasped something, seemingly the body of the man in the red light, trying to drag him out, while his right hand, surrounded by blue light, created a barrier, fiercely resisting the enemy.
He Jian spread his wings and flew towards the only exit.
He Jian exclaimed, "Hurry up and go!"
Jiang Hong hesitated for three seconds, then turned and charged towards the center of the red light.
That was the balance of magical power between exorcists!
Jiang Hong recalled a lesson from practical classes, where the tug of magical power during a confrontation sometimes reaches a very delicate equilibrium. At that moment, if anyone disrupts this balance, it could have a decisive impact.
Lu Xiu was putting all his effort into the struggle against the man, and suddenly saw Jiang Hong's figure.
Jiang Hong bent down, picked up a brick from the ground, rushed forward, and yelled, "Die!"
Lu Xiu: "..."
Jiang Hong came to a sudden stop, using the momentum of his sprint to slap the brick into the red light.
The world went silent in an instant, with only the surging red light. The explosion temporarily took away Jiang Hong's hearing. He felt as though he had hit something, yet also as if he hadn't. As soon as his hand entered the red light, the brick was whisked away.
Lu Xiu seized this opportunity instantly, transforming his palm into a fist, and said sternly, "Tule Su!" At the same time, he grabbed the man's wrist with his left hand and forcefully pulled him towards himself.
"Impressive skills," the man uttered a clear expression of admiration.
The altar exploded thunderously. Jiang Hong didn't know what he had grabbed but instinctively tightened his fingers, retracted his arm, and ran for cover. But whatever Lu Xiu destroyed within the red light seemed like a nuclear bomb had been dropped less than five meters from Jiang Hong, blowing him off his feet.
Jiang Hong's world spun wildly, but in an instant, Lu Xiu grabbed his wrist and pulled him back. The final explosion was particularly intense, causing the entire cave to collapse. Lu Xiu embraced Jiang Hong, protecting his head with one hand as they rolled on the ground.
Jiang Hong kept shouting, and Lu Xiu yelled, "Hold on to me tightly!"
Lu Xiu shielded himself with his back against the falling rocks, and the next moment, the energy of the earth's veins surged back wildly. After the red light disappeared, all the energy rushed towards the decaying giant bird at the center of the Què altar.
In the early hours, a landslide occurred in the Qilian Mountains. The cave at the bottom of the middle section collapsed, its support drained away, and in an instant, it all fell down.
Lian Jiang shouted, "Where's Jiang Hong?! He hasn't come out yet!"
Amid the ruins of the collapsed mountains, first came a dragon's roar, then a thunderous explosion, with rocks flying everywhere like a swirling asteroid belt, and then Lu Xiu transformed into his true form—a dragon that flew out!
Jiang Hong, with blood all over his head, clutched a dragon horn with one hand and held a flat object of unknown material, neither gold nor iron, in the other.
The black dragon bellowed, "Are you insane?"
Jiang Hong stammered, "I... I... I was worried about you..."
The black dragon: "..."
"Get down!" The black dragon, furious, turned around and flung Jiang Hong down, where He Jian was flying up to catch him. Jiang Hong landed squarely on him, and He Jian flapped his wings frantically, finally stabilizing.
"What have you got there?" Lian Jiang asked.
"Uh... what is this? Chopsticks?" Jiang Hong looked down at the object in his hand, something he had inadvertently brought out from the ruins. He was about to throw it away but then thought better of it and stuffed it into his pocket.
Jiang Hong's hands were covered in blood, and only now did he start to feel the pain. He grabbed a handful of snow from the ground and held it, not fearing infection.
The black dragon circled in the air, watching over the ruins.
Dong Mang said, "Let's leave here first! It's not over yet! I'm afraid the Què deity is about to awaken!"
Before he finished speaking, the decaying Què burst out from the rubble, emitting an earth-shattering cry!
The giant bird, radiating dark flames, flapped its wings under the flickering light of day, showing no desire to fight, only to flee.
But the black dragon swiftly approached, engaging in a fierce battle with it!
Everyone stepped back again and again, realizing that the fight between the two colossal beasts was beyond their intervention. Jiang Hong looked up, watching the scene as if it were a panoramic movie. The world seemed dark as if on the brink of apocalypse, the black dragon striking with all four claws, grappling the giant Que, repeatedly trying to force it back to the ground. Seeing no hope of escape, the Que started to fight back desperately.
Feathers from the giant Que fell in all directions, turning into rotting blackness upon touching the snow, darkening the ground where they landed.
Jiang Hong looked on with concern.
The black dragon roared furiously, finally managing to throw the Que down to the ground. But in its dying struggle, the Que fiercely tore open the dragon's flank. It was the first time Jiang Hong saw dragon blood—
Golden and luminous, the blood scattered like a shower of stars, falling from the sky. It was like gentle stardust, reminiscent of fireflies on a summer night.
"Lu Xiu—!" Jiang Hong cried out in distress.
The black dragon fought hard, preventing the Que from charging down the mountain repeatedly, especially since Jiang Hong was at the base of the slope.
"Lu Xiu!" Jiang Hong shouted, "Keep going! You can defeat it—!"
"Senior!" Xiao Pi also yelled, "You can do it!"
"Lu Xiu!" He Jian and Lian Jiang joined in, "Fight on—!"
Jiang Hong knew Lu Xiu would never give up or flee; he would fight to the very end.
"Lu Xiu—!" Jiang Hong shouted with all his might, "Beat it to death—!"
The black dragon seemed to draw immense strength from Jiang Hong.
It took a deep breath, and before that breath, the winds and clouds changed color. The dragon’s breath seemed to gather all the hurricanes of the world, pinning the Que firmly against the mountain, before unleashing a furious burst of dragon fire!
Under the dazzling cyan-white flames, the mountainside melted, and half of the Que's body was incinerated in the fierce fire, exploding into ashes!
But as the dragon fire reached its peak, countless golden runes suddenly appeared all over the black dragon's body, glowing against its dark form, making the dragon look eerily mystical.
It's happening! Time's up! Jiang Hong remembered Lu Xiu's warning that he could only maintain his true form for a very short time.
The black dragon, in agony, abruptly released the Que and crashed into the mountainside, then alarmingly rolled down the slope!
"Lu Xiu!" Jiang Hong sprinted towards him at the speed of a hundred-meter dash.
When Lu Xiu hit the ground, he transformed back into human form, rolling in the snow. Jiang Hong caught him, cushioning his fall and rolling down with him.
Lu Xiu's eyes were tightly closed, with two deep claw wounds on his arm and waist, still bleeding profusely.
"Huff... huff..." Jiang Hong called out, "Lu Xiu! Lu Xiu!"
Jiang Hong quickly got up, half-supporting Lu Xiu, checking his condition.
"Well done," a voice said, "We'll take it from here."
Jiang Hong abruptly looked up, the man's voice seemingly coming from nowhere, yet as if right beside him.
"Principal!" everyone shouted.
An SUV had already parked in the snow, unknown when it had arrived. Cao Bin got out of the driver's seat and walked quickly towards them, calling out, "Evacuate the area!"
Another man got out of the passenger seat. Jiang Hong glanced and realized it was Chen Zhen! Chen Zhen had come in person!
Chen Zhen, still in his white shirt and black trousers, wearing Google Glasses, walked through the snow, leaving a trail of footprints. In this snowy winter, his light attire gave off an incredibly magical aura.
On the mountainside, the Que was left with a broken body, half-exposed bones chillingly visible. It struggled with its last will to survive, trying to escape.
Chen Zhen approached Jiang Hong and Lu Xiu, shielding them with his body.
He slightly raised one hand, drawing runes in the air with a sword finger, his whole body radiating golden light!
The Eternal Heart Lamp, shining bright as day! Chen Zhen's body burst into a light as vast as the ocean, embodying divine presence within that radiance!
Chen Zhen, embodying the Lamp-Bearing Aspect, his handsome features and slender body becoming a source of light, rose into the air. In an instant, he illuminated the dark world within ten miles, like the rising sun, the clouds rolling in golden light.
The Lamp-Bearing Aspect, bare-chested, bore Chen Zhen's face, his body draped in a golden robe flowing like the rainbow clouds of the universe. His chest and back showed golden-red scriptures, with the sound of heavenly chants echoing around.
"Descendants of Xuanyuan..." The decaying Que perched atop the mountain peak, spoke human words in its final moments, "Your doom is near. What awaits you is the struggle in the sea of suffering and sinking into oblivion..."
The Lamp-Bearing Aspect floated in the sky, turning into a blazing sun at the horizon. The clouds parted, revealing the tender blue of dawn.
"You are not qualified to predict the future," Chen Zhen said gently. "From dust you came, to dust you shall return. Go back to your eternal rest. The living are but passers-by, the dead return home..."
The Lamp-Bearing Aspect formed the heart-lamp seal with his hands, showering down a warm light.
"...In this transient world, we all mourn the eternal dust," Chen Zhen declared. "Disperse!"
The giant Que cried out as its feathers ignited into golden flames under the light, burning to ashes within the fierce blaze.
Everyone watched, utterly astonished by the scene.
So cool... truly incredible. It was Jiang Hong's first time witnessing a boss-level figure exorcise a demon, a sight many exorcists might never see in their lifetime...
Jiang Hong revised his opinion of Chen Zhen, convinced he could never be a traitor.
