Chapter 166

In the dark outside the city, the Nightmare Tapir knocked down the city gate. The wolves rushed in from all directions and arrived at the plains. They looked around while the wolves got closer and closer. The encirclement kept shrinking until there was a gap in the south. The Grey Wolf carried Hongjun into the plains. The Nightmare Tapir seemed to be in pain and could barely control the demonic aura around him.

"This is … more powerful than I imagined …" the Nightmare Tapir said in a trembling, hoarse voice.

Hongjun leaped off the Grey Wolf's back while the Grey Wolf transformed into its human form behind him.

"Why exactly are you doing this?" Hongjun asked, "Did … An Lushan ask you to come?!"

Hongjun was hit on the back of his neck as soon as he was done speaking. He blacked out and fell to the ground.

"My little brother is a straightforward person." Mo Rigen said coldly, "He doesn't know how to turn. I'm afraid he'll suck the Three Thousand Worlds Nightmare back into his body later. Let him sleep for a while."

Mo Rigen carried the unconscious Hongjun and let him lie on the grass. At the same time, he took out the Eclipse Moon Bow in his hand.

The beast skin on the Nightmare Tapir's body had been burned until it looked like dried tree bark. It was peeling off continuously, revealing dark red flesh underneath.

"How long have you been hiding in Shiwei?" Mo Rigen said in his deep voice, "I remember you."

"I remember you too," the Nightmare Tapir said in his deep voice, "I thought you wouldn't come back."

Mo Rigen said, "How did An Lushan know that we'd come back? Tell me! "

The Nightmare Tapir mocked, "There are many, many truths that you don't know …"

Mo Rigen drew his longbow while the Nightmare Tapir released demonic aura. Scenes appeared in the demonic aura. The young hunter was with a lady in the village. The lady was watching the hunter under the moon. The Shiwei tribe took over the village. The Shiwei prince found the lady by accident … The village was destroyed in the war. The young Mo Rigen rushed to the village but was taken away by the Shiwei guards … The old shaman faced the flames and said the prophecy …

Mo Rigen was shocked and put his longbow down.

"This is …"

"Saatura told me to keep this a secret for the rest of my life." The Nightmare Tapir said softly, "But none of us would've thought that you'd go south and become the Exorcism Division's lackey … You can say that, right? My little junior brother. "

In the past, Mo Rigen had been taken care of by the old shaman, Saatula. He was the one who taught him how to read and write. However, he rarely interacted with the shaman's disciples. Even when they met, the most he would do was nod at them.

His slender arms kept trembling as he raised and lowered the Moon Eclipse Bow repeatedly.

"An Lushan sent you," Mo Rigen said in a trembling voice.

"Since you said so, let's take it that way," said the Nightmare Tapir.

Mo Rigen recalled that when he was undercover by An Lushan's side, An Lushan had threatened him with the safety of the entire Shiwei Clan. At that time, the chess pieces would most likely have been laid out.

"I'll give you two options," the Nightmare Tapir said, "One is to keep me here and let the Tianma take the King of Nightmares away. Two is to let me go. I think you've already made your choice in your heart. "

Mo Rigen roared in rage, "There's a third option!"

The Nightmare Tapir grinned as if it was smiling miserably. It said, "You knocked the Tianma out. That's the stupidest thing you can do. Do you really think you can defeat the King of Nightmares with that magic tool in your hand? "

Mo Rigen pulled the Moon Eclipse Bow. The bow shone brightly all of a sudden. Seven Nailhead Arrows flew up and hovered before the bowstring.

"Instead of thinking about how to kill me, why don't you worry about yourself? Who exactly are you? Where did your father come from? " The Nightmare Tapir let out a shrill laugh all of a sudden. The black energy exploded all of a sudden, and its skin exploded like a cocoon. A strange and terrifying monster crawled out of it!

Mo Rigen released the arrow without thinking. The arrow flew like a golden meteor. However, the Nightmare Tapir exploded into black mist as the shrill laugh was heard. It was just like the Inner Demon of the Dunhuang Battle back then. The King of Nightmares' power dissipated wherever the Meteor Arrow went. Black flames rose and gathered further away. Mo Rigen chased after it for a few steps. He laughed maniacally in the air, and the Nightmare Tapir disappeared.

Only Mo Rigen and the unconscious Hongjun were left behind, surrounded by the pack of wolves.

Mo Rigen stared blankly at the direction where the Nightmare Tapir had disappeared to. After a long while, he transformed into a Grey Wolf and arrived in front of Hongjun. He lowered his head and sniffed. Then, he looked up at the stone castle in the distance and let out a howl filled with anger and unwillingness!

The pack of wolves howled together. The sun rose from the east and shone on the stone castle. The night passed and the day arrived. Shi Wei woke up.

When Hongjun woke up, he realized that his surroundings were in chaos. He was in the garden behind the stone castle. Mo Rigen sat on a rock beside him. His long fingers were playing with Hongjun's flying daggers casually.

Hongjun said tiredly, "What happened?" He suddenly recalled that Mo Rigen had hit him from behind at the last moment and knocked him out!

Mo Rigen looked up and glanced at Hongjun. There was a hint of a smile in his eyes.

"Congratulations, the nightmare has been removed," Mo Rigen said.

Hongjun frowned. "Where's the monster?"

"I let it go," Mo Rigen answered.

"How could you let it go just like that?!" Hongjun came back to his senses. If the enemy had been sent by An Lushan, and it had taken away the last of the three types of Demonic Qi, what if it had handed it to An Lushan?

"We only have the Eclipse Bow and the Demon Binding Rope," Mo Rigen said casually. "We can't get rid of the Demonic Qi."

"But I can …"

"You can't."

"I can …"

"You. Can't." Mo Rigen said in all seriousness.

Hongjun fell silent.

Mo Rigen said, "We won't let you sacrifice yourself again and bear anything you shouldn't bear."

Hongjun could not accept Mo Rigen's actions. He almost shouted at him, "Do you know what you've done?!"

"Of course, I know," Mo Rigen answered.

Hongjun said, "The Nightmare Tapir brought the three thousand Nightmares back to An Lushan. Once they were devoured, An Lushan would turn into a Tianma! We've worked so hard and sacrificed so much. As long as An Lushan becomes a demon, this world … "

"How can we protect this world if we can't even protect our own people?" Mo Rigen held the flying dagger between his fingers and pinched the blade. He passed the hilt to Hongjun and said, "If it were anyone else here, Atay, Yongsi, Qiong, Lu Xu, Jinglong, everyone would make the same decision as me. If my decision caused the deaths of so many people, no matter how serious the consequences were, they would all be directed at me. "

Hongjun looked at Mo Rigen quietly. Tears almost flowed out of his eyes. Mo Rigen only looked up at him with a slight smirk. When the two of them were looking at each other, Mo Rigen's younger brother, Qi Luo 'er, came. When he arrived in front of them, he suddenly spoke in Shiwei language.

The Nightmare Tapir went on a rampage last night, causing many parts of the Stone Castle to collapse. The guards were repairing it. The King of Shiwei was also shocked last night. The first thing he did in the morning was naturally to summon Mo Rigen and ask him what happened.

"I'm not going," Mo Rigen answered in Mandarin.

Hongjun was speechless.

Qi Luo 'er said something else, presumably something along the lines of' that's your father '. Mo Rigen looked up with a hint of confusion in his eyes. He said, "he's not my father, and you're not my brother. I'm not from Shiwei. This isn't my home. "

Qi Luo 'er was shocked. Hongjun heard the conversation between the female shaman and the King of Shiwei. He thought to himself,' he already knows? '

"I'm just a traveler in the Stone Castle." Mo Rigen stood up and said to Qi Luo 'er, "Go back and tell him not to worry about the Shiwei tribe returning to the Grey Wolf. He also doesn't have to worry about who I'll take revenge on. I'll always remember the kindness of adopting me …"

Qi Luo 'er kept retreating. There was fear in his eyes but not much surprise. Obviously, when Mo Rigen left Shiwei for the South, this rumor had been spreading for a long time.

"If it's for the safety of the whole tribe," Mo Rigen said, "then don't join An Lushan's southern expedition army. If we meet on the battlefield in the future, I'll still be merciful. Hongjun, let's go. "

Hongjun was speechless.

Hongjun followed Mo Rigen out. Only then did he know that Mo Rigen waited patiently in the garden of the Stone Castle. He didn't want to give anyone an explanation, but was simply waiting for him to wake up.

He rode on Grey Wolf's back. When Grey Wolf slowly left the city gate, he couldn't help but look back.

In an instant, the soldiers on the walls of the Stone Castle drew their bows and nocked their arrows. They were nervous. Grey Wolf didn't stay any longer. He carried Hongjun and galloped away, just like how he came.

Hongjun had been waiting for Lu Xu to enter his dream again to convey the news to them. However, Lu Xu never appeared.

"We have to go back as soon as possible," Hongjun said to Grey Wolf. "Brother Gen, where are you going?"

Grey Wolf galloped across the plains. At noon, he went up a small hill and looked into the distance. That was his mother's hometown, as well as the lonely peak where the Moon Eclipse Bow was hidden.

"Hongjun, do you remember the day we met?" Grey Wolf suddenly said.

"I remember," Hongjun said uneasily. "What's wrong?"

"I was the first person to enter the Exorcism Division," Grey Wolf said. "Wasn't that right?"

Hong Jun hummed and asked, "Did you guys come in one after the other after discussing it?"

Hongjun had heard from Li Jinglong that Mo Rigen, Qiu Yongsi, and Atay had actually met before entering the Exorcism Division.

"Not really," Grey Wolf looked at the lonely peak and said absentmindedly, "We just ran into each other outside the alley."

That day, Mo Rigen carried a quiver of arrows and asked passersby about the whereabouts of the Exorcism Division. He happened to pass by a restaurant. In the restaurant, Atay and Qiu Yongsi were drinking after-dinner tea.

"Hey, look at that tall and thin guy," Qiu Yongsi said. "Could it be another one?"

Qiu Yongsi's eyesight was the best in the Exorcism Division. As soon as Atay arrived in Chang 'an, Qiu Yongsi set his eyes on his magic treasure rings. When he saw Mo Rigen walk over, he purposely said those words in a much louder voice. Mo Rigen recognized the diner's words from the noisy market and turned to look at Qiu Yongsi.

At that time, he came to their table and sat down.

"Ah …" Hongjun remembered and said, "That afternoon, Zhao Zilong and I were reading in the bookstore …"

"You passed by the alley after dark and walked past me," Grey Wolf said in a low voice. "The three of us followed behind you and saw you enter the Exorcism Division."

Hongjun said in surprise, "Why didn't you call me?"

Grey Wolf said, "We didn't understand the situation ourselves. The next day, they let me go in first to test your strength … "

Hongjun said angrily, "Why are you all so scheming?" As he said this, he reached out to grab Grey Wolf's ears. Grey Wolf didn't dodge and let him grab his ears. Grey Wolf lowered his ears a little and docilely pressed them against his head. He said, "The notice to report in was the old shaman's will. My father found it and passed it to me. Where did your report letter come from? "

"Qing Xiong gave it to me," Hongjun said.

"Di Renjie's handwritten letter," Grey Wolf said. "It's quite old. Do you still have it?"

"I gave it to the Chief Inspector," Hongjun said. "He should be in Chang 'an, right?"

Grey Wolf said again, "Do you remember what I asked you on the first day we met?"

Hongjun couldn't remember clearly and shook his head. Grey Wolf said again, "Di Renjie has been dead for so many years. Who sent this letter?"

This was a mystery that everyone couldn't figure out since the day the Exorcism Division was established. However, as they gradually relied on each other in life and death, advancing and retreating side by side, this seemingly fruitless question was gradually forgotten. No one was obsessed with finding the answer. Sometimes, when Hong Jun thought about it, it was as if it was fate.

Grey Wolf looked at the lonely peak in the distance again, as if he had seen some kind of connection. He said in a low voice, "I have a feeling that the answer to this question will be revealed soon." As he said this, he turned around and carried Hongjun down the hill, flying towards the south.

Dark clouds covered Tong Pass.

After the beginning of spring, the river broke the ice and the cold spring turned into fine rain. This year's spring came earlier than previous years. The road was muddy. The corpses on both sides of the official road that had been covered by snow for nearly two months were exposed as the ice and snow melted. They were frozen black and no different from the mud on the road. Occasionally, the rainwater would wash away the corpses and reveal their clothes.

The army of Tong Pass was forced by Bian Lingcheng to send troops out of the pass. Li Jinglong could barely ride a horse, but he still couldn't fight on the battlefield.

Ashina Chong, Atay, and Lu Xu followed behind. Trandol was eight months pregnant. Li Jinglong asked her to withdraw to Chang 'an in advance. After all, the road was bumpy and she had to move slowly even though she was pregnant. There were only four people in the Exorcism Division who could fight. They followed behind the army of Tong Pass and crossed several rivers towards Shan County.

"This is a battle that is destined to be unwinnable." When the army was resting, Li Jinglong said to his subordinates by the stream, "The key is how to fight and how to retreat beautifully."

Atay and Ashina Chong frowned and didn't say anything. Lu Xu said, "Can't we wait for Da Lang and Hongjun to come back?"

Li Jinglong didn't answer. Lu Xu also realized his stupid words. No matter how capable the Exorcism Division was, they couldn't stop the mortal army from courting death. And the mortal army's courting death was caused by the mortal emperor, Li Longji. According to Feng Changqing's plan, they could defend Tong Pass for a few days and not leave. However, the demons attacked the city and the people in the pass were in a panic. They had to fight immediately and eliminate the demons to have a chance of winning.

"Think about how to deal with that Blood Demon." Atay picked his ear and said, "Is it a Blood Demon?"

"Painted skin." The Carp Demon answered.

"Why are you still here?" Ashina Chong said, "Go quickly."

"Why is it me again!" The Carp Demon screamed, "If I go back now, I'll be killed by Danhuo!"

"I told you to gather information." Lu Xu said expressionlessly, "Can't you be more careful?"

"Gather what information?" The Carp Demon begged for mercy, "Demons don't have any information to begin with."

"Then go cause trouble." Li Jinglong said, "Kill Liang Danhuo and I'll give you the first merit."

With that, Li Jinglong kicked the Carp Demon into the river. The Carp Demon wailed as it dived into the icy water and flowed downstream.

The Carp Demon was simply too noisy. Not only did it not contribute, but it also liked to tear down Li Jinglong's plans. Li Jinglong didn't want to bring it out and let it return to Chang 'an with Trandol, but it volunteered to stay and wait for Hongjun, so he could only bring it along. Li Jinglong was irritated and didn't have the patience to listen to its nagging like Hongjun. He took the opportunity to send it to spy on the enemy and have some peace.