“All the children have boarded the flying boat!”
“City Lord, many elderly people are unwilling to board the ship, saying… saying that they want to leave the opportunity for the younger generation.”
The City Lord of Manxiang City looked at the dark sky, his hands trembling. “Everyone… everyone, get on the boat. Don’t leave anyone behind.”
“But City Lord, the flying boats… the flying boats… there aren’t enough,” the captain of the guards choked out. “Please, board quickly.”
The City Lord of Manxiang City had gray hair. He was of mediocre talent, and even after living for nearly three hundred years, he had only managed to reach the Foundation Establishment stage. His most talented daughter had died at the hands of the demons more than a decade ago.
“As the City Lord of Manxiang City, with the entire city’s people yet to fully evacuate, how could I possibly leave?” The City Lord of Manxiang City walked out of the City Lord’s mansion, looking at the people with expressions of panic, and handed two spatial rings to the Captain of the Guards: “Our Manxiang Clan has kept the lesson of five hundred years ago in mind, so we have been stockpiling food and medicine all these years. Remember to give these two spatial rings to Yu Luan. If we can survive this calamity, she will be the next City Lord of Manxiang City.”
“City Lord!“carpreads.pages.dev
The captain of the guards knelt before the City Lord of Manxiang City, tears in his eyes.
“Go, with you watching over these people, I can rest assured.” The old and haggard face of the City Lord of Manxiang City showed fatigue. “My life has been mediocre, but as long as I am still here, those who remain in the city will have a backbone.”
At least with him there, those who were willing to stay in the city and die would not feel like they were useless people who had been abandoned.
“City Lord, you should leave,” a woman said as she walked out with tears streaming down her face. “We don’t blame you. Over a decade ago, the young master lost her life for us, the people of Manxiang City. We can’t let you die too.”
“City Lord, we don’t blame you. With you protecting those on the boat, we can rest assured. Please board the boat.”
Countless people begged the City Lord of Manxiang City to board the ship. Most of them were already old, their aged faces etched with fear of the unknown catastrophe, bewilderment at death, and uncertainty about the future.
“Everyone, there’s no need to persuade me anymore. The young people of Manxiang City have Yu Luan to protect them, while I will protect you.” He was nearly three hundred years old, and these old people before him were once children too.
Even if they were old, they were still the children he had watched grow up.
The crowd erupted in cries. Perhaps some of them had been unwilling or reluctant, but as they looked at the elderly City Lord standing in front of them, their hearts gradually calmed down.
The wind grew stronger, and the sky became increasingly gloomy. Suddenly, cheers could be heard from ahead.
“City Lord!” The soldier who had just left ran back at this moment, his face still filled with joy. “Two very large flying boats have arrived. Everyone can board the ship, everyone!”
“Impossible,” the City Lord of Manxiang City murmured. “How could this be possible?”
As a City Lord, he was well aware of the strength of the major sects and the number of cities in the world. It was impossible for the various City Lords’ mansions and sects to have so many flying boats.
“It’s true!” The captain of the guards, worried that the City Lord wouldn’t believe him, pointed towards the city gate and said, “Look, over there!”
The City Lord of Manxiang City rubbed his old and blurry eyes. Two enormous flying boats were hovering at the city gate. They were more than enough to carry all the remaining people in the city.
He didn’t have time to think about who had sent the flying boats. He turned to the people behind him and said, “Everyone, get on the boat. No one is to be left behind!”
“Everyone, follow me.” The jailer opened the prison door and released the prisoners. “Board the ship and seek shelter.”
-—–
“My lord, can we… can we also board the ship?” A prisoner asked cautiously, “Can we?”
“The City Lord said that no one can be left behind.” The jailer looked anxious. “Line up and follow me.”
Bu Ting, who was walking in the group, found this remark ridiculous. There were not enough flying boats, so how could they possibly let the prisoners board the boats to avoid danger? These jailers were probably going to take the prisoners to a hidden place and kill them to eliminate future troubles.
However, the jailer led the prisoners through the empty streets and actually boarded the flying boats. He looked at the huge flying boats in disbelief. The flying boats used complex spatial formations, which could accommodate people or objects dozens of times larger than the flying boat.
“Thank you all for your hard work in flying with us. We still need to pick up the remaining people from the neighboring cities,” a young woman appeared and said, “Please rest assured that once the storm passes, we will safely send you all home.”
Bu Ting stared at the woman, his expression wary. This girl who had suddenly appeared was not human at all, but a yao!
“Many thanks, Miss.” The City Lord of Manxiang City walked up to the young lady and bowed his hands in salute. “May I ask which sect or school Miss belongs to? This old man will personally visit to express his gratitude.”
“Old sir, there’s no need to be so polite. I came here under the young master’s orders to protect all of you.” The young lady reached out to help the City Lord of Manxiang City up. “We’ve always lived in seclusion in the mountains, and we don’t concern ourselves with worldly affairs. If it weren’t for the mutual assistance between the various sects and cities, we wouldn’t have dared to come out and help.”
Seeing that the young lady was unwilling to reveal her identity, the City Lord of Manxiang City once again bowed to her in gratitude and refrained from asking about anything else.
In this situation, anyone willing to step forward and lend a helping hand was doing a great favor, and nothing else matter.
At this moment, the Wenxing School and Wanhuo Sect were also anxious to let the people of the cities they protected board the flying boats. The two sects were very powerful and protected many cities. In the end, even the small flying magic weapons of each disciple were taken out, but there were still not enough flying boats.
“Eldest Senior Brother, Wangshu Pavilion has sent flying boats!”
“What?” Zhu Yan thought he had misheard. “Who did you say?!”
“Wangshu Pavilion! They said Taolin City is small, and all the people have already boarded the boat. The two empty flying boats will be temporarily lent to our Wanhuo Sect and the neighboring Wenxing School.”
Zhu Yan rushed out of the hall and saw the brand-new, never-used flying boats. He was both touched and ashamed. He used to complain that Wangshu Pavilion was stingy and poor, but he didn’t expect that at this critical moment, Wangshu Pavilion would take out the flying boats that they were reluctant to use.
Wangshu Pavilion was so poor, it must have been so difficult for them to refine such flying boats. They lent such precious things to Wanhuo Sect. He used to look down on them, but now he realized what a jerk he had been!
-—–
Aboard the Wangshu Pavilion’s flying boat.
“This day… I wonder what it will turn into.” Elder Mo looked at Taolin City beneath his feet with worry. “Such a good place, it can’t be destroyed.”
“Let nature take its course. As long as people are alive, there is always hope.” Yu Jing stuffed a large bag of spirit stones to Elder Mo. “Activate all the protective spells on each flying boat. Don’t be stingy with the spirit stones.”
They hoped that they all would successfully overcome this tribulation without suffering too many losses. Otherwise, how would they be able to go to other sects to mooch off of them in the future?
-—–
As soon as Qiu Hua set foot on Fuguang Mountain, the other nine sect masters of the Ten Great Sects arrived one after another, even the reclusive Sect Master Jin of Yuzhen Sect showed up.
The four Elders of Zhenxing Tower and some other sect masters of major sects also arrived.
Looking at these people who had rushed over, Qiu Hua thought that perhaps Fuguang Mountain had never been as lively as it was today.
At that moment, no one bothered with formalities and rushed to Fuguang Palace.
“Jiu Hui?” Qiu Hua saw the girl standing outside the Immortal Cauldron Formation clearly, and a look of surprise appeared on her cold face. “Why are you here?”
The others were also very surprised to see Jiu Hui outside the Immortal Cauldron Formation. What surprised them even more was that there was no one in the Immortal Cauldron Formation.
There was no one in the Immortal Cauldron Formation, so where did the colorful spiritual power transmitted to the Immortal Cauldron come from?
“Jiu Hui has met all the seniors.” Jiu Hui bowed to the crowd as a junior.
“Jiu Hui, is Immortal Lord Fuguang well?” Qiu Hua stepped forward and grabbed Jiu Hui’s arm, pulling her away from the Immortal Cauldron Formation. “Be careful, don’t fall into this formation.”
Back then, the sect masters of the ten great sects joined forces in this formation, exhausting their cultivation and lives, but they only managed to hold on for three days.
The Immortal Cauldrons running low on spiritual energy meant those who entered the formation could not leave. She was afraid that Jiu Hui would accidentally enter and become nourishment for the Immortal Cauldrons.
Apart from Qiu Hua and Nan Feng, no one else dared to get too close to Jiu Hui.
“Little friend Jiu Hui, may I ask if you know where Immortal Lord Fuguang has gone?” The Sect Master of Wanhuo Sect had a very good impression of Jiu Hui and didn’t want others to misunderstand her, so he spoke first.
“Immortal Lord Fuguang went to make tea for me since he saw me coming to visit.” Jiu Hui smiled. “He should be back soon.”
“But once this formation is activated, the immortal cauldrons will not top unless their spiritual energy are full.” The Sect Master of the Wanhuo Sect wondered, “How did the Immortal Lord get out of the formation? And what is the spiritual energy that has now been transferred into the immortal cauldrons?”
“I pulled the Immortal Lord out.”
“Ah?!” Everyone was shocked. “Pull, pull out?”
“Mm.” Under the shocked gazes of the crowd, Jiu Hui pushed Nan Feng into the Immortal Cauldron Formation, then pulled him out of the formation under Nan Feng’s bewildered gaze. “Just like that.”
When they saw that Nan Feng was safe and sound, everyone’s wildly beating hearts finally settled down.
“Are you all here?”
Behind them, Immortal Lord Fuguang’s voice rang out. Everyone turned their heads in unison and saw the Immortal Lord holding a tray in his hands. They took two steps back to make way for Immortal Lord Fuguang.
“I didn’t know you were coming, so I only prepared two cups of tea. I hope you don’t mind?” Fuguang handed the teacup to Jiu Hui and waited until she had taken a sip before turning to face the others.
When they saw that Immortal Lord Fuguang was safe and sound, everyone breathed a sigh of relief. They wanted to ask about the formation, but no one spoke.
“I know what you all want to ask.” Immortal Lord Fuguang held the tray, as if he were willing to be Jiu Hui’s temporary tea table. “The Immortal Cauldron Formation is fine. The problem lies with the Immortal Cauldrons. The Immortal Cauldrons have developed cracks and are on the verge of destruction.”
The tea was scalding hot, and Jiu Hui gently blew on the tea leaves floating on the surface of the water, not looking at the expressions of these sect masters.
Fuguang took a piece of pastry and brought it to her mouth. She took a bite from his hand. However, the horrified sect masters did not notice the overly intimate behavior between the two. Only Nan Feng opened his eyes wide in terror.
What were you guys doing?!
How could the Immortal Lord feed Jiu Hui snacks? Why was Jiu Hui so comfortable with the Immortal Lord serving her?!
“If the Immortal Cauldrons are damaged…”
“Then what should we do?”
“Then find a way to save more living beings.” Qiu Hua looked at their panicked appearance, and a mocking expression appeared on her face. “There is no second Immortal Tree in the world to refine new Immortal Cauldrons for you.”
“No, there is still a way to fix it.”
Everyone looked at the speaker, who was Elder Hei from Zhenxing Tower.
“The Ten Great Immortal Cauldrons were refined using the spiritual power of the ten sect masters and the bones of the Immortal Tree. It’s already not easy for them to protect the world for more than 500 years, but it’s not impossible to repair them.”
Elder Hei smiled, pointing to Fuguang, who was wearing a mask. “Immortal Lord Fuguang was born extraordinary. He can absorb the spiritual power of the world and use it for the Immortal Cauldrons. His bones can also be used as materials to repair the Immortal Cauldrons.”
“As long as he’s willing, he can ensure the world’s peace for another thousand years.” Elder Hei seemed to be smiling but not smiling, as if he were waiting for everyone to make a choice. “He’s the only hope for all living beings in the world.”
Fuguang held the tray without moving, but the smile on Jiu Hui’s face disappeared completely. She looked at Elder Hei expressionlessly and put the teacup back on the tray.
Everyone fell silent, none daring to look at Fuguang’s expression.
“Silence means consent, so this is your choice?” Elder Hei laughed out loud. “Immortal Lord, are you willing?”
“I disagree.” Qiu Hua spoke with a cold face. “The world is not the responsibility of the Immortal Lord alone.”
“Oh?” Elder Hei raised an eyebrow. “Immortal Venerable Qiu Hua means that you would rather watch the world’s people die, and their families be torn apart and their homes destroyed, to save the life of Fuguang alone?”
“No one can make choices for others.” Qiu Hua stood her ground. “Not even the Immortal Venerable or the Elders.”
“But back then, the ten Elders were willing to sacrifice themselves, and the Immortal Tree was willing to sacrifice itself, so why wasn’t Immortal Lord Fuguang willing?” Elder Hei asked in return. “Isn’t saving the world with one person the best choice?”
“This junior believes that Elder Hei is correct.”
In the silence, Jiu Hui was the first to speak, “Saving the world with one person is the most cost-effective choice.”
Elder Hei slowly walked up to Jiu Hui, his smile not reaching his eyes. “Little girl, you’re a smart one.”
Jiu Hui reached out and grabbed Elder Hei’s arm, turned around and pushed him into the Immortal Cauldron Formation, and flicked her sleeve to take away the other things in the formation.
“However, this junior believes that Elder, with your profound cultivation and years of self-cultivation, you are certainly more suited than Fuguang to repair the Immortal Cauldrons.” Jiu Hui looked at the others with an expressionless face.
“If Elder Hei is unable, then let Elder Bai come. If Elder Bai is unable, then let Elder Hong come. If the Elders are all unable, then let the Sect Masters come. If sacrificing a few of your lives can bring hundreds of years of peace to the world, then it is a good deed that will accumulate blessings and virtues.”
No one had expected that Jiu Hui would be able to trap Elder Hei in the Immortal Cauldron Formation so easily. After hearing Jiu Hui’s words, their faces turned even redder.
“Hahahahaha.” Elder Hei was not afraid as he was pushed into the Immortal Cauldron Formation. He ignored the spiritual energy being sucked out of his body and stood up with a laugh. “Five hundred years ago, didn’t they make the same choice?”
“Even if you don’t agree today, as long as the human race, the yao race, and the demon race all agree, then Fuguang will only become a material to repair the Immortal Cauldrons.”
Elder Hei: “There are six hours left before the hour of Zi, and after those six hours, the Immortal Cauldrons will be completely destroyed. By then, even if Fuguang is willing to sacrifice himself to repair them, it will be too late.”
“I represent the Demon Clan and I object to Immortal Lord Fuguang using his own body to repair the cauldrons.” A woman wearing a gorgeous red and black palace robe appeared on the snow. She looked at Jiu Hui beside Immortal Lord Fuguang and said in a loud voice, “Although the Demon Clan has committed countless evil deeds, today I will act as a righteous person. I do not agree with Immortal Lord Fuguang using his own body to repair the immortal cauldron.”
“I object on behalf of the Qinglan School.”
“I object on behalf of the Jiutian Sect.”
“I represent Changshou Palace and I object.”
“Even if the price of opposition is disaster and death?” The smile on Elder Hei’s face gradually disappeared.
“The Great Dao is complete at fifty, the Heavenly Way takes forty-nine, leaving one path for humans.” Qiu Hua’s face was stern. “Do your best, and leave the rest to fate. The world is unpredictable, but nevertheless there is always a glimmer of hope.”
“He is the hope, but you chose to give up, so there is no hope.” Elder Hei sneered, “Moreover, what’s the use of your opposition? You cannot represent the people of the world.”
“Taolin City opposes!” A flying boat stopped outside the blizzard formation. Tao Er clung to the side of the boat, afraid that his voice would not be heard, and he jumped up and shouted, “We Taolin City oppose!”
“Tianhe City also opposes it.”
“Qiyue City also opposes it.”
Numerous flying boats hovered outside Fuguang Mountain, surrounding it tightly, leaving no gaps.
The City Lords of countless cities spoke out in opposition, their voices echoing through Fuguang Mountain for a long time, even causing the wind and snow formation to stop.
The last two flying boats approached slowly. Under everyone’s gaze, the middle-aged man stammered, “Nushen, Nushen City also opposes it.”
Nushen City?!
The ten sect masters were in a daze. In the mortal world… there was actually such a city?
Aboard the flying boat, Bu Ting was surprised to hear the words “Nushen City” and looked at the middle-aged City Lord on the broken flying boat.
This timid and cowardly man was clearly the City Lord of that small city, so why did he call himself the City Lord of Nushen City?
Seeing that everyone was staring at him, the City Lord of Nushen City was initially a little timid, but when he saw Jiu Hui standing on Fuguang Mountain, he straightened his back with confidence.
Their Nushen City had someone above, he was not afraid!
Author Note:
City Lord of Nushen City: I’ve never had someone cared so much about me, I’m so nervous.