Chapter 163

Mo Rigen nudged Hongjun, indicating that he should quickly retrieve the Moon Eclipse Bow. Hongjun realized that since the demons had escaped, the array would not be of much use. He turned to the front of the dais and took a deep breath.

His heart still rejected the Acalanatha, but he had no choice but to ask for his help.

If you can hear what I say in my heart, then give me the Moon Eclipse Bow. Hongjun thought to himself, After all, I'm only using it to kill myself. I don't have any selfish motives.

With this thought, he raised his hand and grabbed the Moon Eclipse Bow.

In an instant, the energy of the ley line began to swirl wildly, pouring into his body!

Hongjun let out a cry of pain. The ley line energy wrapped around his body and dispersed. The demonic seed in his chest rapidly emitted a black aura. Just like when Li Jinglong had touched the Demon Binding Rope, the ley line energy seemed to be resisting his control over the Moon Eclipse Bow!

Mo Rigen stumbled towards Hongjun. Hongjun gripped the Moon Eclipse Bow tightly and refused to let go. He was in great pain as he struggled with the energy. Mo Rigen was hit by the energy and immediately came to his senses. He shouted, "Hongjun!"

Lu Xu shouted, "Hongjun! Let go! "

Lu Xu's figure became blurry.

Hongjun said, "It hurts …"

"Wait! If you can't let go, then let go! "Mo Rigen said.

"I can't let go!" Hongjun shouted. "It's sucking me in!"

Lu Xu anxiously shouted something in the hazy light. Mo Rigen grabbed Hongjun and pulled him out. Hongjun tasted blood in his mouth. His meridians were being attacked by the ley line energy and his whole body was in great pain. Mo Rigen knew that if he did not release it, Hongjun's body would be burned to ashes. He immediately grabbed Hongjun's wrist and tried to pry open his fingers.

However, the moment Mo Rigen touched the Moon Eclipse Bow, there was a flash of golden light. The dais collapsed and the Moon Eclipse Bow fell into Mo Rigen's hands. The golden light quickly spread throughout Mo Rigen's body. The energy of the array beneath their feet dissipated and the two of them fell down at the same time!

Hongjun: "…"

Mo Rigen clutched the Moon Eclipse Bow and fainted on the ground. As soon as Hongjun was free, Lu Xu appeared again.

Lu Xu: "What … what happened?"

Hongjun: "Brother Rigen? Brother Rigen! "

Hongjun went forward to shake him, but Mo Rigen was already unconscious. The ceiling of the cavern began to collapse. Broken ice and falling rocks kept falling down. Hongjun hurriedly pulled Mo Rigen's arm up and slung it over his shoulder, half dragging and half carrying the unconscious Mo Rigen. Lu Xu ran to the entrance of the cavern and shouted, "Over here!"

Hongjun immediately ran to the entrance of the cavern.

The interior of Gufeng Mountain collapsed with a loud crash. It was dark inside.

"It's an underground sewer!" Lu Xu shouted.

"I can't swim!" Hongjun said anxiously.

"Don't be afraid! Go into the water! "Lu Xu shouted." It's not deep! "

At dawn, Hongjun's head popped out of the water. He was panting heavily and was extremely shocked.

"I know how to swim?"

This huge lake was only five feet deep. The surface of the lake was full of broken ice. Hongjun realized that he had walked all the way out from the end of the passage. He hurriedly dragged Mo Rigen ashore and listened to his chest. He could still hear his heartbeat.

"Hurry …" Hongjun carried Mo Rigen to the sled. The sled had been hidden by Mo Rigen earlier. Several sled dogs were still there, barking at the snakes.

"Go back!" Hongjun threw a flying knife to cut down the poisonous snakes. "Take your master away!"

The dogs had been personally raised by Mo Rigen. They were quite intelligent. Seeing the situation, they pulled the sled and sped towards the stone castle.

At dawn, the East showed the white of the fish belly.

"I have to go," Lu Xu said.

"Don't go!" Hongjun shouted. "Lu Xu!"

"No! It's dawn! "Lu Xu said." Take care of him, Hongjun! You can do it! "

The sun shone and the night passed. The White Deer turned into glittering powder and disappeared with the dawn.

On the twenty-second day of the first lunar month, Tong Pass, Wei Manor.

"You must not send troops!" Li Jinglong shouted angrily.

"Marquis Li." Bian Lingcheng held a teacup and slowly sipped his tea. He said, "You've disappeared for nearly two years. I guess you don't know what the imperial court is saying about you. You don't hurry back to Chang 'an to restore the Crown Prince's eyesight, but you still want to meddle in military affairs?"

Li Jinglong sat in the guest seat on the lower right. Bian Lingcheng sat in the main seat. Gao Xianzhi and Feng Changqing sat in the lower left. Their faces were ashen.

Li Jinglong trembled with anger. "I have a special mission. It's not convenient for me to return to the capital at this time."

"Carry out your mission," Bian Lingcheng said coldly. "I'm supervising my army. Everyone mind their own business. This is an imperial edict written by His Majesty. Do you still want to defy it?"

Li Jinglong: "General outside …"

Feng Changqing: "Li Jinglong! You shut up! "

Feng Changqing roared. Bian Lingcheng immediately stopped what he was doing. He looked at Gao Xianzhi with a cruel smile. "General Gao, if you don't obey His Majesty's orders, then we can only …"

Before Bian Lingcheng could say "escort you back to the capital", Gao Xianzhi took a deep breath and said, "Fight. How can we disobey His Majesty's orders?"

Li Jinglong frowned. Gao Xianzhi asked, "How many people are there in the Exorcism Division?"

Li Jinglong replied, "Three people."

Trandol was an outsider and she was pregnant. Luoyang was a special case. She shouldn't have been deployed, so she couldn't fight. Qiu Yongsi hadn't arrived yet. Hongjun and Mo Rigen had gone to the north. The only people who could fight were Lu Xu, Atay, and Ashina Chong.

As they were speaking, the Wisdom Sword in Li Jinglong's hands suddenly lit up.

"When will you fight?" Bian Lingcheng asked coldly.

"After we've finished discussing matters, we'll fight." Feng Changqing said stiffly and coldly. He then stood up and bid farewell.

Bian Lingcheng said, "Give me a deadline."

Gao Xianzhi said, "The situation is unclear. I can't give you a deadline."

Gao Xianzhi also stood up and left. Bian Lingcheng's expression instantly became ferocious and terrifying. When he looked at Li Jinglong again, he said, "Marquis, I didn't expect you to be here. The Imperial Court's order is to find you as soon as possible and escort you back to the capital …"

"Tell Prime Minister Yang," Li Jinglong said coldly, "as long as An Lushan is dealt with, I will naturally go see him. Forgive me for not accompanying you. "

When Li Jinglong turned to leave, Bian Lingcheng laughed strangely and said, "Don't blame me for not reminding you. When that time comes, I'm afraid everything will be too late …"

Suddenly, the Wisdom Sword was unsheathed. Li Jinglong's sword was in his hand. He turned around and pressed the rusted sword against Bian Lingcheng's throat. Bian Lingcheng instantly fell silent.

"You dare to kill an Imperial Court official?" Bian Lingcheng said coldly.

"Try saying that again." Li Jinglong's tone was cold. There was no doubt that if Bian Lingcheng opened his mouth again, the rusted sword would pierce his throat.

Li Jinglong's suppressed anger and sullenness were finally released at this moment. He said coldly, "It's not just the soldiers of Tong Pass who are going to fight. My subordinates are also going to fight. If I want to crush you, it'll be like killing an ant. Don't be arrogant in front of me. "

Bian Lingcheng had long known that Li Jinglong was arrogant because of his talent in Chang 'an. He had a reputation for being disagreeable and fearless. A few years ago, for some reason, he had restrained himself and had been on a meteoric rise. Now that he had interacted with him directly, he finally understood this fellow's temperament.

Bian Lingcheng maintained his silence. Li Jinglong turned around and left the Wei Manor. As soon as he left, he nearly vomited blood. His entire body was in pain, and he trembled as he staggered into the carriage and returned to the Exorcist Department.

"Hongjun has obtained another artifact." Li Jinglong summoned Atay and Ashina Chong and said, "The Wisdom Sword has sensed it."

When they had obtained the Demon Binding Rope at the bottom of the Dragon-Subduing Pagoda, the two had not noticed it. Now, it seemed that the Wisdom Sword had resonated with other artifacts.

"The truth might not be as you think," Lu Xu said as he entered the hall.

Li Jinglong frowned and looked at Lu Xu. Lu Xu knelt down and pondered for a moment before saying, "Something has happened to Brother Gen. He might not be able to rush back in time."

Everyone was shocked. Li Jinglong asked, "How is it?"

The Shiwei tribe was too far away. It was not a good idea to let them worry for nothing. Lu Xu thought about it and finally said, "It's a matter of the tribe."

Atay and Ashina Chong exchanged glances. The Carp Demon asked, "Does Hongjun have two artifacts?"

"We have the Moon Eclipse Bow." Lu Xu changed his way of answering. At the same time, he kept thinking about the last moment. Could it be that the person who obtained the Moon Eclipse Bow was Mo Rigen?!

Ashina Chong asked in surprise, "How do you know?"

"Brother Gen and I …" Lu Xu thought for a moment and said, "The Grey Wolf and the White Deer naturally have a special reaction."

Li Jinglong asked about Hongjun again. Lu Xu knew that if he said too much, they would be worried for nothing. Li Jinglong could not help much, so he could only tell that their situation was temporarily stable. Li Jinglong could tell, but it was inconvenient for him to ask about it. Instead, he brought up the matter of the battle.

"How are we going to fight?" Ashina Chong asked. "There are only four of us. Elder, are you … Elder, are you alright?"

"No." Li Jinglong was at his wits' end. He answered, "I can just walk."

"There's still me! There's still me! "the Carp Demon said.

Lu Xu said, "You stay at home."

The Carp Demon showed him the dragon scale. Li Jinglong said in annoyance, "The Dragon King can only be summoned once."

Atay said, "Don't you have other uses for it?"

The Carp Demon said, "It's better to protect everyone first."

"I have one here too." Lu Xu said, "If you can't use it, you can use it all."

Li Jinglong frowned and said, "It's not that I don't want to use this protective talisman, but … to be honest, if An Lushan personally comes, the Dragon King won't be its match."

The current situation was not clear. Bian Lingcheng was ordered by Li Longji to ask Gao Xianzhi and Feng Changqing to start a battle as soon as possible to recover Shan County. This battle would not be like the Battle of Luoyang. It would be the first large-scale battle between the rebel army and the Tang army.

If they won, An Lushan would return to You Zhou. If they lost, the Tang Dynasty would suffer even greater losses.

"If we lose, can we defend Tong Pass?" Atay asked.

"Don't think about losing." Li Jinglong said, "We can't lose."

Atay, Ashina Chong, and Lu Xu all looked at Li Jinglong.

Ashina Chong said, "I can fight, Chief Historian, but you have to know that we can't win. I'm willing to go through water and tread on fire for the Exorcism Division, but I can't promise you that I can win. "

Li Jinglong took a deep breath, and the atmosphere immediately became heavy. However, he still restrained himself in the end and said, "You're right."

The Carp Demon said, "Then, do we still fight?"

"I suggest we wait for more people." Atay said, "When everyone is here, we will have morale."

Ashina Chong said, "The strength of the Exorcism Division lies in all of us. No one can be left out."

Lu Xu said, "Brother Yongsi hasn't returned yet. Da Lang and Hongjun are still in the Northern Frontier. I feel that as long as everyone is here, I have confidence that we can win."

Li Jinglong said, "Then we run? We're not fighting? "

Everyone was silent for a moment. Li Jinglong got up with difficulty. Lu Xu wanted to help him, but Li Jinglong shook his head and walked to the corridor. Atay said, "Let's wait for General Feng's report. If we can delay for a while, Yongsi, Mo Rigen, and Hongjun will return. Then it will be easy to handle."

Li Jinglong could only nod and say, "Lu Xu, come here."

Lu Xu could only brace himself and go over. Li Jinglong said, "Tell us the truth. What happened in the Northern Frontier?"

"It's really nothing …" Lu Xu was about to muddle through when Li Jinglong said solemnly, "Lu Xu, you have to think carefully. If it affects the current situation and you hide information, the consequences will be irreversible."

Lu Xu had no choice but to tell Li Jinglong the details. However, halfway through, Li Jinglong said with a trembling voice, "Oh no!"

Lu Xu had just mentioned the female shaman when he asked in surprise, "What's wrong?"

Li Jinglong said, "Contact Hongjun! Confirm one thing. Can that demon send a message to Tianma? "

Lu Xu became nervous and replied, "I can't enter his dream until night time!"

Li Jinglong took a deep breath and looked at the sky. He said in a low voice, "May the heavens protect the Tang Dynasty …"

Hongjun brought Mo Rigen back to the stone castle. At this time, the stone castle was shrouded in a cloud of black gas.

"Brother Rigen!" Hongjun said, "Wake up! Hold on! "

Mo Rigen closed his eyes and curled up. He said, "Cold …"

Hongjun tried everything, but he had never encountered snake venom like this before. He couldn't wait until sunset. He had to immediately sneak into the city and find a way to get the antidote. Mo Rigen had said that he had the antidote in his room. However, the people here often went out to hunt, especially during the spring and summer festivals. There should be many people who encountered this snake. Perhaps they always had the antidote? Perhaps every household had it?

Hongjun thought to himself, Eh, when did I become so smart?

Hongjun first hid Mo Rigen in a secluded corner outside the city, wrapped him in a blanket, and then put the Phoenix feather in his arms. The outer walls of the stone castle were thirty feet high, but climbing over them was never a problem for him, especially after he had the Demon Binding Rope. Hongjun nimbly climbed in and landed on the ground.

The sun was setting in the west, and the market was very noisy. Hongjun found a hunter's house with fur hanging at the door and quietly sneaked in. He had seen the layout of the Shiwei people's houses in Lu Xu's memory. The medicine was habitually kept in a box under the bed. Every household had a box made of animal skin, which was a gift from the shamans.

There were sounds of people outside. Hongjun didn't have time to look for it anymore. He picked up the box and jumped out of the window. He then jumped over the wall several times until he was outside the city. When he reached a secluded area, he suddenly found …

Mo Rigen was gone.

Hongjun: "…"