NIP #442 - Campsite Changes
#442 - Campsite Changes
The scene before them was like a chaotic vision of hell, with fire, smoke, and horrifying screams everywhere.
The black-clad warriors' blades clashed against the Nightmare Demons' fangs, creating a bloody and cruel tableau of terror. Even more terrifying was the raging fire that had already surrounded the entire camp. The scorching flames spread beneath their feet, like orange-red pythons baring their fangs and claws, determined to devour them alive.
Zhong Wu Ye's face was grim as she quickly made a decision: "Everyone, evacuate this place together! Follow my lead!"
With that, she brandished her sword, cutting through the layers of flames, and took the lead in breaking out of the encirclement. The members of the Glazed Order naturally dared not hesitate in the slightest. Like a surging tide, they poured towards Zhong Wu Ye, desperately fleeing close behind her.
But at this critical moment, Zhong Wu Ye noticed a little girl cowering in a corner, trembling, her face filled with fear and unease. Seeing this, Zhong Wu Ye immediately rescued the little girl.
Amidst the raging fire, Zhong Wu Ye felt the path ahead was unpredictable: sometimes a sea of fire, sometimes a forest of traps, and from time to time, terrifying and bizarre creatures would suddenly appear to block their way, determined to burn them alive or tear them to pieces.
Fortunately, Zhong Wu Ye was skilled and experienced. Like a darting elf, she gracefully leaped over one thrilling obstacle after another.
She sometimes used ice magic to suppress the raging fire, and sometimes used her swordsmanship to split mountains and rocks, breaking through layers of obstacles. Even those bizarre creatures could not survive for long in her presence. Even if she was occasionally stumped by a difficult challenge, G-chan, who was along for the ride, would promptly pop up a hint box to guide her, allowing her to quickly find the key to breaking through.
Having narrowly escaped death all the way, Zhong Wu Ye finally left that group of hypocrites, who had been posing as court officials and swindling people for many years, far behind.
Behind her, the raging fire continued to wreak havoc, devouring the former camp. Although there was no one around, the air was still filled with a pungent smell of blood and bursts of shrill screams. This made Zhong Wu Ye shudder, feeling lingering fear.
Just then, she remembered the little girl she had rescued earlier.
"Are you are you alright, little girl?" Zhong Wu Ye asked with concern, her eyes full of pity. Seeing her savior by her side, the little girl immediately threw herself into Zhong Wu Ye's arms and burst into tears.
She kept repeating words like "I'm so scared" and "Those monsters are so scary," her terrified appearance tugging at one's heartstrings.
After some comforting, the little girl gradually calmed down, and Zhong Wu Ye was finally able to ask about the reason.
It turned out that she was a resident of a nearby village, who had accidentally strayed into the depths of the mountains today, and as a result, was attacked by Nightmare Demons.
If it hadn't been for Zhong Wu Ye's heroic rescue, she would probably have been devoured alive by those demons and monsters. Thinking of this, the little girl couldn't help but shudder, her face turning even paler.
Seeing this, Zhong Wu Ye patted her shoulder reassuringly, telling her not to be afraid.
Just then, she caught sight of a dying body not far away, and a cold, eerie aura immediately rushed towards her, causing her to shiver.
Following that aura, she was surprised to find that the person was actually Tai Shi Bo! His face was disfigured, his body covered in blood, lying there hideously, like a rotten corpse.
With complex emotions, Zhong Wu Ye walked forward, her eyes as sharp as daggers, staring intently at his cracked and bleeding lips.
She questioned, "Tai Shi Bo, how dare you be so rebellious, deceiving the court and betraying us! Do you have any last words? Speak quickly, and don't linger like a ghost!"
As soon as she finished speaking, Tai Shi Bo struggled to open his cloudy eyes, gazing at the young female hero in front of him, whom he had once used as a pawn, but who now stood alone, turning the tables on him at every turn. He coughed twice, a trace of blood spilling from the corner of his mouth, and his sneering face had a hint of sorrow:
"Hahaha... how ridiculous, Zhong Wu Ye. Do you think everything you've done is for justice? In fact, you and I have both been used. The information back then was just a scam! There is no such thing as the Xuan Tian Dragon Realm."
Zhong Wu Ye's heart trembled, and she felt a chill all over her body.
Tai Shi Bo, however, seemed to have made up his mind to confess his past sins, and continued mockingly:
"Over the years, none of the things I've asked you to do have been righteous! For example, the things you were tricked into stealing from the Linshui County Office last time were not evidence of the officials' corruption at all! They were all forged evidence made by our own people, for the sole purpose of usurping power..."
Zhong Wu Ye's body shook violently, and countless tragic scenes immediately flashed before her eyes:
Those villages ravaged by demons, those families wronged and suffering... all were sins she had personally caused! She couldn't help but twist her face in pain, hug her head, and let out a heart-wrenching roar.
Tai Shi Bo did not intend to stop there. He tried his best to maintain his last bit of sanity and continued to mock, "However... the Xuan Tian Dragon Realm does exist, and my superior, Grand Tutor Ouyang, does have the real clues. If you really want the truth, you can only go to him now and ask for the truth... provided that you really have the ability to see him, hahaha..."
After saying these words, Tai Shi Bo completely lost his life. His body went limp and fell to the ground with a thud. His eyes were fixed, and the last spark of his life was extinguished. Zhong Wu Ye stared blankly at him, letting tears roll down her face, turning into two streams of clear tears that flowed freely. She knew that from this moment on, she was destined to embark on a lonely and long road of revenge. And the road to the truth would become extremely thorny and rugged...
...
Tai Shi Bo's dying confession struck Zhong Wu Ye's heart like a heavy hammer.
Grief-stricken, she realized that everything she had done over the years was the result of being used by others, and that she was simply helping the wicked and accumulating evil.
Could it be that even the seemingly unattainable ideal of the "Xuan Tian Dragon Realm" was just a scam?
Zhong Wu Ye was overwhelmed with sorrow, and tears streamed down her face.
But just then, she felt a warm touch in her hand.
It turned out to be the little girl she had rescued from the fire. Her small hand was gently tugging at her sleeve, revealing a pitiful look. Zhong Wu Ye's heart warmed, and she realized that she was still responsible for protecting her clan and this little girl. So, she wiped away her tears and said to the Glazed Order disciples beside her, "Everyone, don't be sad. We must leave here quickly and continue to search for the whereabouts of the 'Xuan Tian Dragon Realm'!"
As soon as she finished speaking, the members of the Glazed Order all looked determined, and each of them ignited the fire of fighting will. They followed Zhong Wu Ye, fully armed, and soon left the smoky fire. And just as they stepped out of the forest, a slender figure appeared at the end of their vision. It was actually that mysterious girl named Wu Ya! She was still wearing a gray-blue robe, looking the same as when they had met before.
"Miss Zhong Wu Ye, long time no see," Wu Ya said in her magnetic voice, then turned her gaze to the little girl in Zhong Wu Ye's arms. "She she is seriously injured and probably won't live long."
As soon as she finished speaking, Zhong Wu Ye noticed that the little girl was indeed trembling violently, her eyes gradually losing their luster, and her breathing began to become faint. She hurriedly put her down carefully, held her small hand tightly, her eyes full of helplessness and despair.
Seeing this, Wu Ya couldn't help but shake her head gently. "Why did you still save her? She will eventually die. You know it's impossible, but you still do it. Isn't it futile?"
Zhong Wu Ye raised her head, her eyes already wet, but her eyes were particularly firm. "Because because I want to give her hope. If we don't even have hope, our Glazed Order would have perished in those years of being hunted down. Hope is the power to survive. As long as there is hope, we will never give up."
Wu Ya's face softened a little when she heard this. She lowered her head and stared deeply at the little girl, murmuring, "Hope... yes, for you, perhaps this is the most precious thing." As she spoke, she took off the magic wand on her head and began to chant a strange melody and rhythm of a funeral song.
She opened her lips and sang a funeral song. The song was like countless ghostly threads, weaving into a death barrier made of energy in the air. Under the protection of the barrier, the little girl's life fire gradually extinguished, and her soul was awakened by this underworld song, slowly drifting away from her body.
Wu Ya's staff drew a strange rune in the air, like opening a door to the afterlife. The little girl's soul turned into a slender thread, dancing in the air with the rhythm of the funeral song, and finally merged into that mysterious door, heading to the resting place of her soul.
The song seemed to penetrate the air like a magic spell, bringing a burst of chill.
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Soon, the little girl's breathing became steady, her eyes closed tightly, as if she had fallen into eternal sleep. Wu Ya continued to wave her magic wand around her, the wand body flashing with a light purple light, as if absorbing something.
When the song was finally finished, the little girl's body emitted a faint blue light, which all poured into Wu Ya's magic wand. The whole scene looked like a ritual of transcendence, extremely mysterious and solemn.
Zhong Wu Ye was shocked to find that she had never seen any ritual to transcend the dead, and she didn't know that there was such a process of "spiritual power transformation".
Just as she was wondering, Wu Ya had already stood up and took the magic wand back in her hand. The wand body was now slowly flashing with a faint blue light, as if it would turn into a wisp of green smoke and dissipate at any time.
Wu Ya stood beside the little girl, her eyes flashing with a trace of pity.
Once upon a time, she was also a child, ignorant and curious, full of curiosity and expectation for this world. But fate played a cruel joke on her. She witnessed her family die tragically and was forced to embark on a lonely and dark path of practice.
As this process came to an end, a faint light flew out of the little girl's body and submerged into Wu Ya's staff. It seemed that this child's life contained some special energy, which was purified and absorbed by Wu Ya.
Wu Ya looked down at her staff, with a confused expression on her face, as if thinking about something. Just then, Zhong Wu Ye's voice sounded behind her: "Thank you for transcending her."
Wu Ya turned her head, her eyes flickering, as if Zhong Wu Ye's words had touched the softest part of her heart. After a while, she replied: "She is already very lucky to be rescued before her death, and to have people like you by her side." As she spoke, her figure gradually disappeared into the air.
Watching Wu Ya leave, Zhong Wu Ye took a deep breath and turned to wave to the members of the Glazed Order.
The purpose of their trip was to find out about the Xuan Tian Dragon Realm, but the clues left by Tai Shi Bo were intermittent, and it was really tricky to completely figure out the truth. Just then, she remembered a person in the capital of the Da Yuan Dynasty not long ago.
This clue was left by Tai Shi Bo.
"We should go to the capital," Zhong Wu Ye made a decisive decision. "Only by finding Grand Tutor Ouyang Xing, maybe he will know something."
...
Soon, Zhong Wu Ye deployed the arrangements for the trip. Everyone packed their belongings and embarked on the journey to the capital.
The scenery along the way was picturesque, but no one was in the mood to appreciate it. Everyone's eyes showed a firm look. They were used to this kind of life in wandering, but they always inevitably felt confused and uneasy about the future.
But as long as Zhong Wu Ye was there, it was like a solid navigator pointing them in the direction to move forward.
They began to march towards the capital of the Da Yuan Dynasty...