MTLNOVEL Chapter 301: Changing Circumstances_2
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Although they didn't see other leaders, that commander's flag was unmistakable, and everyone knew that capturing the rebel leader would be considered a great achievement. Both the noble families and those loyal to the Imperial Court would hold them in high esteem.
Thus, the army rushed towards the direction of the commander's flag as if injected with an adrenaline rush, disregarding the other leaders as trivial matters that no one would care about.
The combat strength of this Rebel Army was astonishingly poor, so much that the army reached the commander's flag without much effort and saw the middle-aged man who was wanted by all under the heavens. The middle-aged man, now at the end of his strength, could only prop himself up and look at the enclosing troops. He revealed a satisfied smile and said, "I've left you all a bunch of bastards, a band of monsters who have lost their minds to slaughter. They'll rip and gnaw at your bodies, eat away at your souls, and cast you into the endless abyss of Hell. As for my head, I present it to you today."
After speaking, the middle-aged man drew his treasured sword and lightly slashed across his neck. A gush of blood surged out, staining the commander's flag red. This flag, which had flown over this land for nearly a decade and brought down the Great Chu Dynasty, now fell, signifying the end of an era and the beginning of another.
Just at that moment, a thunderous noise erupted from the distance. The noble families' armies had only then received the news that as they were encircling the rebel leader, the other leaders of the Rebel Army had taken their direct troops and broken out from various directions. Now they had vanished without a trace. The middle-aged man had used himself as a decoy to successfully divert attention, allowing his officers to break free from the encirclement and continue to wreak havoc on the Central Plains.
Of course, at this time, the allied noble families' armies were unaware of this turn of events. Having executed the rebel leader, they believed that the Rebel Army was utterly destroyed, for an army without its brain was just scattered sand.
Therefore, the next day, the news of the rebel leader Zhang Xinping's beheading spread throughout the lands in a single night. Children of noble families were overjoyed, feeling that the sky had brightened considerably, as if the dark clouds that loomed over their heads had dispersed.
However, the subsequent news plunged them back into worry. The dispersed forces of the rebels changed their past style and began to burn, kill, and loot everywhere. More terrifyingly, they drove the innocent people to migrate, starting a dreadful wave of refugees.
After the dispersion, the movements of the Rebel Army became erratic, seemingly without a clear strategic goal, fully turning into bandits wandering the Central Plains. For a time, the noble families could not find an effective way to suppress them, and the entire land of the Central Plains was shrouded in the smoke of war.
At the same time, hiding near Mountain Luoxia, Lao Han, the expressionless scholar, also received this news. With tears streaming down his face, he poured a cup of wine towards the place where Zhang Xinping had taken his own life, in a distant tribute to his friend.
Of course, these events had nothing to do with Lu Xun and the others in the Cave Heaven. Ever since they met Lu Yu, their days were filled with arduous studies, packed to the brim, leaving them to fall into sleep as soon as they returned to their lodgings.
On this day, Lu Yu wasn't cultivating quietly as usual but looked westward with a complicated gaze, as if awaiting something. Even Lu Xun and the others were called away from their studies to join him in witnessing the greatest event of this world.
"Master, why have you summoned us here?" Liu Qingyun asked curiously.
Lu Yu, with his hands clasped behind his back, stared straight into the west and said softly, "There is a matter of great importance that affects all living beings in this world about to happen. I have brought you here to witness it together."
And under his gaze, Tang Monk and his disciples, after enduring countless hardships, finally saw Mount Ling.
Mount Ling is the sacred land of Buddhism, where the Buddhas and Bodhisattvas reside, the holy mountain in the hearts of countless Buddhists, and the ultimate destination of Tang Monk's quest for scriptures.
At this moment, the faces of the master and disciples were solemn. Even Bajie was comporting himself with seriousness. They were about to reach their final destination, and all of this signified the slow rise of an era's curtain, with All Saints preparing to take their first step towards Transcendence.
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From the moment Tang Xuanzang set foot on the land of Mount Ling, the Human Path Fortune and Destiny on him started to surge towards the earth vein nodes beneath Mount Ling like a wave of madness. Normally the unique Buddha Light of Mount Ling would intervene to prevent this, however, today the Buddha Light turned a blind eye to this surge of Human Path Fortune and Destiny.
The nodes gradually filled with Human Path Fortune and Destiny, emitting a dazzling brilliance. At the same time, at those nodes where Tang Monk had once stayed, beams of light also began to shine, illuminating heaven and earth.
One by one, the points of light lit up from east to west. At that moment, a tremendous dragon's roar thundered through the three realms, causing all cultivators who heard it to tremble with shock and terror. It was the voice of the Ancestral Dragon, and now the will of the Human Path as well.
When these points of light were fully illuminated, a colossal divine dragon suddenly appeared above the land, its head above Mount Ling in Xiniu Hezhou and its tail over Great Tang's Changan in Dongsheng Shenzhou. The Ancestral Dragon had revived.
Lu Yu examined these glowing nodes carefully. He had now completely understood that these nodes were the acupoints of the divine dragon. By mastering these acupoints, with his Art of Transformation, he could turn into the divine dragon. Thus, he stared unwaveringly, committing each node to memory.
The moment the Ancestral Dragon revived, nine massive pillars of light appeared in the land of Kyushu, shooting straight into the sky, and a gigantic Sealing Array suddenly became visible to all beings—it was the Nine Provinces Seal.
The Ancestral Dragon danced in the sky as Human Path Fortune and Destiny swept across heaven and earth. The Nine Provinces Seal expanded alongside, and in an instant the array had enveloped the entire world. All cultivators in the three realms felt an immense pressure at this moment, as the vast Human Path Fortune and Destiny suppressed all cultivators, repelling them.
In a city of Great Chu, a green-faced Ferocious Ghost was indulging in the consumption of human flesh. As Great Chu collapsed, the suppression from Human Path Fortune and Destiny weakened, and these Ferocious Ghosts, which could only lurk in the darkness, were now free to roam.
The chaotic times provided them a natural haven. In such times of turmoil, the death of a few people wouldn't even make a ripple, unlike in peaceful times when a few deaths would immediately draw the attention of the Government office.
So, having held back for a long time, it began its most merry lifestyle. This Ferocious Ghost, a Ghostly Entity that had cultivated for many years, had a mature mind and specifically targeted areas where the poor gathered, never reaching out to Noble Families and Clans. Because of this, it lived comfortably and its mana grew steadily.
While feasting on human flesh, it was scheming about its next step to extend its reach to the not-so-powerful Noble Families and Clans, as those families often had the most scholars, whose Cultural Aura was the best sustenance.
Just then, a great dragon's roar reached its ears. The Ferocious Ghost felt fear, a warning coming from deep within its soul. It did not know where it came from, but the cautious creature quickly found a shadow to hide in.
However, a tremendous pressure descended from the sky, and, before its body could even react, it was pinned to the ground, followed by the terrifying surge of Human Path Fortune and Destiny.
As Human Path Fortune and Destiny filled its body, excruciating pain caused the Ferocious Ghost to let out a piercing scream. It could clearly feel its body uncontrollably expanding and knew very well that if this continued, it would die.
A feeling of helplessness washed over it, and while it did not understand what just happened, it had a feeling that it and other such aberrations would have a very difficult life from now on.
With a bang, a huge explosion resonated in the dilapidated room. Already on the verge of collapse, the room was fully brought down by the blast, burying the bones of the deceased and the Ferocious Ghost, which was blown to smithereens, ensuring no one would know of the atrocity that had taken place here, where several innocent people were devoured by a Ghostly Entity.