Chapter 38: The Appearance of the Guardian Spirit

Those currently tucked away within the sleeves were all praying for their survival, but the unexpected occurred.

The incense burned out, and the water in the sky rapidly receded. The shadow puppet had been ordered to kill Xu Lie, who held the incense; now that it was spent, the puppet naturally returned to the side of the Wang family head of the flying ship. Free from the obstruction of the heavy water, the Emperor of Han laughed heartily.

"I have no desire to play cat and mouse any longer. Summon the sacrificial spirit immediately," the Emperor commanded with great majesty.

The sacrificial spirit enshrined by the Han State was a Vermilion Bird. As it soared out from the Han territory, all the commoners, officials, and cultivators of Han bowed in respect. Within moments, the Vermilion Bird crossed the borders of two nations and descended directly from a rift in space above the capital of the Wei State.

Trapped within a purple-gold alms bowl, the Crown Prince of Song gazed at the bird in the sky, his desire to escape becoming even more desperate. "I never imagined the Emperor of Han would have the audacity to summon the sacrificial spirit to participate in a war between nations. Do you think the sacrificial spirit of the Wei State will awaken to battle it?" Prince Zhao Jie asked his advisor, Minister Ji, with excitement and anticipation.

"Your Highness, we should focus on how to escape first. Otherwise, the Emperor of Han will claim all the spoils, and we won't even get a taste of the broth," Minister Ji cautioned. The Crown Prince nodded in agreement.

But at that moment, the statue of the woman within the Wei State’s Hall of Enshrinement underwent a bizarre transformation. A crimson beam of bloody light erupted into the sky, shrouding the capital of the Wei State. The soldiers stationed outside the city were terrified as they watched the heavens turn entirely blood-red. Ji You, the son of Ji Huai, ordered his messengers to relay his command: all soldiers were to remain in place and not move a muscle.

Liu An, seeing the blood-red sky and sensing a connection to the blood pill incident in Linjiang City, felt his scalp tingle. He wanted to grab Jian Yi and flee as quickly as possible. "Senior Brother, let’s not stay here. We must run; I have a feeling that if we don't leave now, we'll lose our lives."

Jian Yi, witnessing the sudden anomaly, also felt a sense of dread. "Junior Brother is right. I don't think we should be watching this spectacle anymore. It would be best to leave this place at once." Jian Yi was finally ready to depart.

Lin Yiyi also sensed the danger and hurriedly approached Jian Yi, tugging at his sleeve to join them. "If you two are leaving, please don't leave me behind," she pleaded, looking at them with a pitiful gaze.

The Si Bu Xiang, as an auspicious beast, could sense a great terror brewing in the world. It trembled incessantly, burying its head in the ground. The left and right chancellors, who had been fleeing, were also filled with confusion as they stared at the changes unfolding in the Wei imperial capital.

"This is bad. The evil deity the Emperor invited is about to awaken. We must leave at once; we cannot stay for even a moment. We must get out of the Wei State," Zhao Yuan said with a grim expression, increasing his speed to the limit.

The Right Chancellor, Zhang Cang, questioned, "How much have you and the Emperor kept from me? What exactly is this blood-red light in the sky?"

Zhang Cang asked two questions in succession, but Zhao Yuan only wanted to flee and offered no reply. "It is not yet time to tell you everything, but you must follow me and escape the Wei State immediately. That evil deity may be planning to sacrifice every citizen and cultivator in the Wei State to transcend the mortal realm and achieve ascension."

"How could she dare? Does she not fear divine retribution?" Zhang Cang asked in fury.

The blood-red screen of light continued to expand without pause, quickly engulfing the towns surrounding the Wei State. Far away, a million miles away, Master Liu Xiaosheng felt his heart skip a beat. He cast a divination for himself, then another for his disciple. He felt a sudden headache; his disciple had not known a moment of peace since descending the mountain, and now he required his master to intervene and solve his troubles again.

However, thinking that the Master’s disciple was also there, Liu Xiaosheng set his sights on the Master. Using a divine stone, he scanned the Master's location. "Found you, old friend." Liu Xiaosheng vanished from his spot and appeared directly opposite the Master.

"You've arrived. Do not be anxious; it is not yet time for us to appear. Have a cup of tea," the Master said calmly. Seeing that the Master was unhurried, Liu Xiaosheng relaxed, picked up the tea prepared on the table, and took a sip.

"You tell me, when he descended the mountain, it was just for him to seek knowledge from you. How did it end up like this?" Liu Xiaosheng couldn't help but voice his confusion. Hearing Liu Xiaosheng’s complaints, the Master felt like hanging Jian Yi up and giving him a sound thrashing.

This disciple, who lacked any sense of direction, was far too troublesome. Originally, it was meant to be a minor trial, but for him to be constantly teetering on the edge of death was simply excessive.

Within half an hour, the light had completely enveloped the entire territory of the Wei State. Liu An’s face turned ashen. Jian Yi deeply regretted not listening to Liu An’s advice to leave sooner; now, even if they wanted to, they couldn't.

"Junior Brother, don't worry. With me here, I promise I won't let you come to any harm," Jian Yi swore solemnly to Liu An. Liu An only grinned at him, looking entirely unconvinced.

The Si Bu Xiang burrowed into Liu An’s arms and said sadly, "Boss, ever since I met you, I haven't had a single day of the life an auspicious beast should have. I'm either courting death or on the way to being killed. If I had known, why would I have ever descended the mountain?"

"Bao'er, I'm wondering the same thing. If I had known, I would have stayed on the mountain, basking in the sun," Liu An recalled the carefree days on the mountain.

"Bao'er, if we survive this, we must cling tightly to Master’s leg and never leave his side for a moment. The world outside is too dangerous." The man and the beast wept bitterly.

"Alright, stop crying. We need to try and flee far away from this center of danger." Liu An realized Jian Yi was right; now was not the time for sorrow, but to run as far as possible. "Quick, Senior Brother, use your escape technique to get us out of here."

Lin Yiyi, hearing their conversation, was shocked. So, both of them were cultivators. "You two have deceived me so cruelly; how could you be so dishonest?" she said, feeling aggrieved.

"Stop crying! What is the point of crying? We need to leave now—do you want to die?" Liu An scolded.

Following this, Liu An clutched the Si Bu Xiang in his arms and placed his hand on Jian Yi’s shoulder. Lin Yiyi, mimicking Liu An, placed her hand on Jian Yi’s other shoulder.