Chapter 173

"It's your turn now." Qiu Yongsi said, "What's going on with Elder Shi?"

Mo Rigen looked at Lu Xu. He had lost his Mind's Lantern and then regained it. He was also full of questions.

"That day, he stayed outside Tong Pass to block An Lushan for us." Lu Xu said, "I rushed in from behind and wanted to take him away …"

A few days ago, outside Tong Pass, Li Jinglong held his sword and pointed it at An Lushan who had already turned into a demon. In the boundless darkness, demonic energy wrapped around his entire body and pierced his heart ruthlessly.

"Father, Mother …"

Li Jinglong's entire body was corroded by demonic energy. In an instant, black veins spread to his face. His arms were mottled with black energy, and the demonic energy almost broke out of his skin. His clothes burst open. On his chest, the light of the seal left by Kun Shen gradually dimmed.

"Fall into the darkness — —" An Lushan roared, "Release your pain …"

Li Jinglong's face was ferocious. He looked up at An Lushan and revealed a strange and eerie smile.

"I … remembered something …" Li Jinglong said, "Let's take a gamble. Let's take a gamble …"

An Lushan was instantly stunned. Li Jinglong said with difficulty, "Hongjun told me that if demonic energy appears in the body, then … some artifacts will react …"

In the blink of an eye, the Sword of Wisdom suddenly sensed that the person holding it was controlled by demonic energy. A burst of golden light exploded in the darkness!

Li Jinglong turned the Sword of Wisdom and suddenly pierced it towards his own chest. In an instant, the Sword of Wisdom disappeared and turned into a ray of light in his palm, piercing into his heart meridian.

"It seems that the Sword of Wisdom has always been there … but … it doesn't listen … to my … orders … Now … it's finally … here …"

An Lushan was injecting Devil Qi endlessly into Li Jinglong's heart. Under the power of the Sword of Wisdom, the darkness instantly burned wildly. Meanwhile, Li Jinglong was holding the golden light in his hand and forcefully pressing it against his chest!

"Li Jinglong!" Lu Xu bellowed. White light burst out from his palms as he pressed them toward Li Jinglong's back.

Under Lu Xu's magic, the Sword of Wisdom was forced back. An Lushan's Devil Qi seemed to be incomparably terrified. With a swoosh, it retreated into the horizon.

Li Jinglong's wisdom sword slipped out of his hand and fell to the ground. His entire body fell forward onto the ground.

"After that, we fled all the way to Tong Pass." Lu Xu said, "Chang 'an's monster trainer believed that Go Seonji and Feng Changqing were the culprits of their defeat, and killed the two of them on the spot. The execution just ended not long ago … "

Mo Rigen continued, "The rebel army attacked us again."

Lu Xu nodded and said, "Everyone fled all the way. Whatever happened after that, that's all."

Mo Rigen and Qiu Yongsi were silent for a long time.

"If we had left him alone at that time." Lu Xu said, "Perhaps An Lushan would have been seriously injured … but once Li Jinglong's heart meridians were destroyed, he would have died on the spot …"

"Good job." Qiu Yongsi smiled at Lu Xu and said, "Little Lu, you really did a good job."

"You did the right thing." Mo Rigen said, "Even now, I still feel that to defeat An Lushan, he can't rely on himself."

Lu Xu said coldly, "It's not because of that. It's just that I promised Hongjun that no matter what, I would keep Li Jinglong alive. Of course, Hongjun also promised me that no matter what, he would keep you alive. I'll go check on them. "

Lu Xu turned and left. Mo Rigen turned his head and looked at Lu Xu's back with a warm smile in his eyes.

"What are our chances of winning?" Mo Rigen asked.

"None." Qiu Yongsi accurately cut to the chase and answered, "Unless all six artifacts are gathered, I suggest that we leave Chang 'an first, find all the artifacts, and come back to fight."

Mo Rigen muttered, "Impossible."

Qiu Yongsi said, "What we need the most is time. Look at this Divine Prefecture. Since the ancient times, every time there has been a world-shaking war, when has there not been millions of corpses lying on the ground and blood flowing everywhere? Do you want the final victory, or do you want to act rashly? Chang 'an probably won't wake up anytime soon. If you can't make a decision, I'll do it. Even if the Exorcism Division is reviled by millions of future generations and deserted at the last minute, so what? "

Mo Rigen pondered for a moment and looked away. He answered, "I'm not afraid to make this decision, but … along the way, Hongjun has taught me a lot."

As he spoke, he turned and looked directly into Qiu Yongsi's eyes. He answered, "In fact, you, Atay, and I all came here to become exorcists. Our goals may be different, but who hasn't made plans for the big picture?"

Qiu Yongsi was very patient. He didn't say a word and only listened to Mo Rigen.

"On the way, if we abandoned the people and entered Chang 'an first," Mo Rigen said. "We wouldn't have bumped into Trandol, and Atay would have lost everything he had … It's because of Hongjun's decision that the Exorcism Division is safe now."

"Everything depends on a single decision," Mo Rigen said seriously. "Everything is born of a single decision, and it's also destroyed by a single decision."

"You won't encounter the same situation again," Qiu Yongsi said.

Mo Rigen said, "Is there no way in the world to consider the big picture and protect everyone's future?"

Qiu Yongsi wanted to say "no", but he couldn't help but think of many things. He thought of the Dragon-subduing Pagoda, Li Jinglong who insisted on entering the pagoda, and Hongjun's incomparably firm belief.

"Cover the safe retreat of the people in the city." Qiu Yongsi finally gave in. "Right now, we still lack three magic weapons. Before we find them, we can't fight against An Lushan."

"That's not necessarily true," Mo Rigen said in a low voice. "Together with the Sword of Wisdom, we already have half …"

Qiu Yongsi said, "Facts have proven that all our efforts before this were useless. Don't you understand the meaning of the Acalanatha? Why did we happen to be the ones who came to the Exorcism Division that year? "

"Wait …" Mo Rigen never expected that Qiu Yongsi would be able to deduce the key to exorcism just from the information he relayed!

"Is this what I guessed?" Mo Rigen said.

Qiu Yongsi nodded slightly. After thinking for a while, he said, "Before that, there's nothing you can do. The one lying in the room is an example. Think about it carefully."

Mo Rigen was silent. Qiu Yongsi nodded. He casually patted Mo Rigen's shoulder and walked past him to leave.

Hongjun clasped his hands together, holding Li Jinglong's palm. Li Jinglong's expression was very peaceful. On his chest, the peacock tattoo gradually became clearer.

Lu Xu said, "Let me do it."

"I'll sleep for a while." Hongjun said tiredly, "Thank you, Lu Xu. If it weren't for you, I really don't know what to do."

Lu Xu explained the process of Li Jinglong being injured again. Then he said, "Why do you think they're all so stupid?"

"Aren't we pretty stupid too?" Hongjun said in a low voice as he helplessly lay on the edge of the bed.

Lu Xu was silent for a moment. Then he said, "He'll wake up, right?"

"He will," Hongjun said, lying on the edge of the bed. "I believe. I hope I can still talk to him …"

"He knows," Lu Xu said.

Hongjun said, "Knows what?"

His consciousness was in a state of chaos. Lu Xu said, "That matter."

Hongjun said in a low voice, "I've forgiven him long ago."

Lu Xu said again, "But he doesn't know."

Hongjun didn't hear the second half of Lu Xu's sentence. He was so tired that he fell asleep. When he woke up again, Atay was next to him. Hongjun was just about to speak when Atay put a hand on the back of Hongjun's hand. The ring glowed red and said, "They're waiting for you to eat."

Hongjun nodded and came out. There were food boxes in the hall. Yu Ren was waiting for Hongjun. The seat of honor was empty. When Hongjun came, everyone obviously couldn't wait and started eating.

"When are we going to abandon the city and run?" Carp Demon said, "If we want to run, we have to hurry."

Hongjun said, "Who said that?"

Carp Demon said, "Da Lang and Yongsi said it."

Lu Xu: "… …"

Hongjun looked at everyone. Mo Rigen was so calculative that he forgot that there was a carp in the pond next to them when he was talking with Qiu Yongsi in the courtyard!

"They didn't say we want to run," Qiu Yongsi said, "We're just discussing this possibility. It hasn't been confirmed yet."

Lu Xu said, "Do whatever you want. Boss doesn't know if he's dead or alive anyway …"

"Who said that!" Carp Demon shouted, "Aren't I alive and well?"

"We're not talking about you!" everyone said in unison.

Trandol: "You're talking about the Chief Historian, right? Why does a carp like you always want to be the boss? Can you be an official? "

Ashina Chong: "Sister-in-law, you should go and nurse the baby. Don't talk for now. Listen to Mo Rigen and Yongsi."

Trandol: "Why can't I listen to them? Do you want to die?! "

Ashina Chong immediately stopped talking. Hongjun smiled and said, "Is the baby asleep?"

Trandol: "He's asleep."

Mo Rigen said, "Ladies and gentlemen." The atmosphere lightened up a bit after the banter.

When Li Jinglong wasn't present, Mo Rigen had the final say in the Exorcism Division. Ever since the division before the battle at Daming Palace, Mo Rigen had tacitly agreed to be the deputy chief of the Exorcism Division. After the battle at the Dragon-Subduing Pagoda, everyone also agreed to listen to Mo Rigen.

Hongjun knew that Qiu Yongsi had always been smart. Regardless of whether it was Li Jinglong or Mo Rigen, they would always ask for his opinion. He said, "If this is your decision, then I have no objections. The big picture is more important. But … the millions of people in Chang 'an, if we can save them …"

Mo Rigen said, "It's just a hypothesis. But right now, our strength isn't weak. "

Compared to the Exorcism Division's previous heyday, they were now without Li Jinglong, the main force who possessed the most powerful magic weapon to restrain Demonic Energy. However, they were supplemented by two extremely powerful new forces.

"Atay has obtained the Divine Fire Ring." Mo Rigen explained to everyone, "He can use the ring to perform Divine Summoning. The light of the True Fire can also expel Demonic Energy to a certain extent. "

Then, Qiu Yongsi said, "I've practiced the Dragon Taming Technique. Although it consumes a lot of energy, it shouldn't be a problem for me to control a Dragon for a short period of time."

"With those two," Mo Rigen said. "We may not lose this battle. The most ideal situation is for An Lushan to temporarily retreat and buy time to find the other three magic weapons of the Acalanatha."

"After we find them, how do we combine them?" Hongjun asked again.

"I haven't thought about that." Mo Rigen scratched his head and replied.

Lu Xu gave Hongjun a look, meaning that even he hadn't thought about it.

Hongjun: "…"

Mo Rigen's thinking was indeed inferior to Li Jinglong's by a large margin, but there was no problem with his eyesight. He immediately said to Lu Xu, "What's with that look?"

Lu Xu said, "Haven't you forgotten something important?"

Everyone: "?"

Lu Xu: "Of the Six Weapons of the Acalanatha, why is one on Hongjun and the other on you? Who will have the next one? And why did they split it between you two? Isn't this simply a joke? "

Qiu Yongsi explained, "I think this is the Acalanatha's arrangement."

Everyone became more and more puzzled. They all looked at Mo Rigen and Qiu Yongsi, waiting for their explanation.

Mo Rigen hesitated for a long time, then said, "This is just a guess of mine … It may not be correct. Listen to me first. Hongjun, do you remember that I told you who sent us the letter? "

"Let me explain." Qiu Yongsi took over and said simply and straightforwardly, "I don't know who sent the letter, but for some reason, through some kind of magic, we all received the letter, and each letter corresponded to a person chosen by the Acalanatha."

"I, the Dragon-Subduing Pagoda." Qiu Yongsi said, "But Hongjun, you took the wrong one."

Hongjun: "Ah!"

Mo Rigen said, "I, the Lonely Peak."

Lu Xu: "Ah? You can explain it like that? "

"Elder, the Sword of Wisdom." Mo Rigen said, "It's already in my hands."

Lu Xu said, "That is to say, you, Yongsi, Hongjun, Elder, Atay … were all chosen by him?!"

"We are all the successors of the Acalanatha." Qiu Yongsi said.

"Wait …" Hongjun said, "Why did he choose me? I'm Tianma. "

"That's not important." Mo Rigen said, "Anyway, he chose you."

Ashina Chong said, "What about me and Little Lu?"

Lu Xu frowned and said, "The numbers are wrong. Even if we don't count Trandol, there are seven people including me and Qiong."

Mo Rigen said, "There are two possibilities. The first is that Elder really can't use it. The other four artifacts, including the Sword of Wisdom, are with you, Qiong, Atay, and Yongsi."

Qiu Yongsi said, "The second possibility is …"

Qiu Yongsi held his forehead with one hand, and Mo Rigen's expression was extremely strange.

Hongjun: "???"

It felt like the Acalanatha was dividing the pork, and everyone was discussing who would get it.

"Although I don't want to say it." Qiu Yongsi said again, "But … remember the first day we came to the Exorcism Division, when Elder took us to visit the portrait of Di Gong? At that time, the person present … was the successor of the Six Artifacts. "

Everyone turned their heads and looked at the portrait of Di Renjie on the wall of the hall.

Mo Rigen hurriedly signaled Qiu Yongsi to stop. "Forget it, let's not talk about it. I really can't understand … this speculation."

Lu Xu was full of doubts and looked at Hongjun. Hongjun said, "I remember. At that time, there was only Elder, me, Brother Gen, Yongsi, and Atay. That's all? "

"There's one more …" Mo Rigen really didn't want to talk about it anymore.

Hongjun looked around with a puzzled gaze. Suddenly, the exorcists' expressions became strange, and finally fell on the Carp Demon behind the table.

The Carp Demon was still opening its mouth, using chopsticks to pick up a strand of noodles and slowly putting it into its mouth.

Carp Demon: "?"

— Volume 4, The Acalanatha, The End.