"Actually, no one wants to participate in the war, but we have no choice." Wu Xiaofeng smiled bitterly. "This place belongs to the Shura. Why do you think we stay here and don't move away?"
"Because every five hundred years, in order to control the number of people here, the Shura will force us to fight. If you don't agree, they'll destroy the green liquid. Without the green liquid, there's no hope at all."
"As for those who don't participate, they'll be kicked out of the forest. That means there'll be no supplies, no support, and anyone can attack you."
"And the Shura won't kill you all. After a certain point, they'll stop fighting and retreat." Wu Xiaofeng's expression became sad.
Gu Zheng didn't say anything after hearing this. Everything was clear to him. From Gu Zheng's point of view, this so-called freedom was a certain degree of freedom that the Shura had tacitly allowed.
They gave them a little bit of hope. That way, they would never have to worry about losing the meaning of the trial.
The two of them didn't speak until a small palace appeared in front of them.
A young girl stood in front of the door, looking up. When she saw Gu Zheng and the others, she waved excitedly.
"Big Brother!" the girl shouted happily.
"I'm back." Wu Xiaofeng looked at his little sister with a doting expression.
"Okay," the young girl replied and skipped to the main hall from the side.
"This is?" Gu Zheng looked at the girl, who could barely be considered a Sky Immortal.
Wu Xiaofeng stared blankly as the girl disappeared into the distance. Then he explained, "My little sister. She came here with me. She's now in charge of logistics."
After Wu Xiaofeng finished speaking, he brought Gu Zheng into the main hall. Although it was called a main hall, it was actually just a bright and spacious room. Opposite the door, there was an unknown painting. Green pine trees hung diagonally on a cliff. It looked very imposing.
A man and a woman who looked old sat on the main seat.
Only the light from the outside could make the interior look less dark.
"Elders, Wu Xiaofeng has returned." As he spoke, he handed over a green crystal.
"Thank you for your hard work, General Wu." The female elder reached out and took the crystal. With a stroke of her hand, the green crystal flashed. The originally dim crystal returned to its sparkling and translucent state.
"Thank you, elder." Wu Xiaofeng respectfully received it with both hands and then said, "I met a powerful human outside."
Wu Xiaofeng gave a simple account of what had happened. Of course, it was a simplified version, and he hid the details of the battle.
"Alright, I got it. Your contribution has been recorded down. I'll have your sister verify it later and give it to you," said the female elder.
"You can leave first. Let this little brother stay here. I have some questions to ask." The male elder spoke.
The male lead had been sizing up Gu Zheng ever since Gu Zheng came in.
"Yes, Elder. I'll take my leave first." Wu Xiaofeng slowly retreated. When he passed by Gu Zheng, he whispered, "The two elders are fine. Don't be afraid."
After Wu Xiaofeng completely disappeared, the male elder and female elder looked at each other and laughed.
"Little friend, don't be nervous. Call me Madam Qin. That's my husband. You can call him Old Man Qin." Madam Qin saw that Gu Zheng was a little uncomfortable and smiled lightly.
How could Gu Zheng not be nervous? The one sitting above was Daluo Jinxian. Although he was only in the early stage, he had the aura of an Asura on him. If he attacked and killed him, where would Gu Zheng go to cry?
Madam Qin said kindly, "Did you see Old Man Xiong?"
Old Man Xiong? Gu Zheng didn't react for a moment. "Idiot, it's Big Sister Xiong." Little Worm secretly reminded him.
"You can come out too." Old Man Qin stretched out his hand and pulled out Little Worm, who had secretly hidden in Gu Zheng's ear, with an unwilling expression.
As soon as he came out, Little Worm returned to his original size of 50 centimeters. He lay on Gu Zheng's shoulder and bared his teeth at Old Man Qin.
However, his body was too small and didn't have much of a deterrent force. Instead, he was acting cute.
Gu Zheng remembered. So it was Big Sister Xiong. He almost didn't react. Luckily, Little Worm reminded him in time and didn't chase her off.
However, before Gu Zheng could reply, Old Man Qin waved his hand and a green light appeared on his body. It flashed and flashed, as rhythmically as breathing.
This green light wasn't harmful to him. In fact, Gu Zheng could even feel waves of coolness. It was a very comfortable feeling.
Old Man Qin and Madam Qin closed their eyes and seemed to be listening to something. Gu Zheng didn't know what they were doing.
Little Worm was so scared by the green light that he flew up. Looking at Gu Zheng who was flashing, he couldn't help but laugh. "Haha, Gu Zheng, do you know that you're so fun?"
As it spoke, it circled around Gu Zheng again and again. Happy laughter kept coming out of the little worm's mouth.
Was he that happy? Making a fuss over nothing. Gu Zheng thought to himself. He was afraid that he had disturbed the two elders. Gu Zheng stood there without moving.
The green light on his body became fainter and fainter. In the end, it flashed and didn't appear again. Old Man Qin and Madam Qin looked tired, as if they had used up a lot of energy in this short period of time.
Old Man Qin rubbed his temples and said self-deprecatingly, "I'm old. If I were like before, I could …" Madam Qin interrupted Old Man Qin. "Alright, don't talk about your past. I've heard it so many times already. How annoying."
Old Man Qin smiled carelessly and took a sip of the tea in his hand.
"I already know about your matter. Since it was Old Man Xiong's orders, the two of us will follow," Madam Qin said to Gu Zheng.
Gu Zheng looked at Madam Qin in shock. When did Big Sister Xiong arrange this? Did she leave something on him? Why didn't he feel it? Gu Zheng subconsciously felt his body up and down.
"Big idiot, big idiot, you don't know, right?" Little Worm was still causing trouble.
"You know?" Gu Zheng looked at Little Worm with disdain.
"I don't know, but I don't have it on me." Little Worm deliberately showed his sparkling body to Gu Zheng.
"You can stay here for now. Although you might not need it anymore, I'll still give you some." Madam Qin looked at this funny scene, but she still had business to attend to.
Madam Qin handed over a small bottle. Through the bottle, one could see that there was some green liquid flowing inside. It was completely green, and at first glance, it was as if all living things were growing and full of vitality.
Was this the green liquid that Wu Xiaofeng mentioned? The name was really fitting.
"Um, Gu Zheng, I heard from Old Man Xiong that you still have some Red Jade Fruits. Do you have any more?" Madam Qin gave Old Man Qin a look. Old Man Qin reluctantly said. It wasn't that he didn't want it, he definitely needed it. It was just that he couldn't bring himself to ask.
Madam Qin also didn't want to ask for help, so Old Man Qin had to do it himself.
Red Jade Fruit? Gu Zheng's mind went blank. Why was it a name he hadn't heard before? However, he reacted quickly this time. Wasn't this the one he didn't know?
A fiery red fruit appeared in Gu Zheng's hand. As soon as he took it out, a faint fragrance wafted out.
"Yes, yes, this is it!" Old Man Qin said excitedly. Madam Qin's eyes also lit up.
"Yes, this thing is useless to me, so I'll give it to you two." Gu Zheng immediately understood that this fruit was extremely tempting to Old Man Qin and Madam Qin. He directly took out another one and handed it over.
Old Man Qin took it with both hands and carefully placed it in a simple box. After putting it away, he let out a sigh of relief. His eyebrows relaxed, and he said to Gu Zheng generously, "What do you want? Just tell me. As long as I have it, I'll definitely get it back."
"What are you talking about? Do you still think this is your home? You can have anything you want." Madam Qin rolled her eyes at her husband. She gently said to Gu Zheng, "Here are some small things. They are all local specialties. One of them will be especially helpful to you. Of course, these are not enough to express our gratitude."
Madam Qin brought the items over.
"Big idiot, I want to eat too." Little Worm was still lying on the side and yelling. The fragrance was too tempting, too tempting for worms.
"That necklace can effectively prevent others from detecting your specific information. It's much stronger than your own concealment technique. Even those who are one level higher than us can't see through it. They can only see what you want others to see. Just inject your own Immortal Qi and you'll know." Madam Qin was afraid that Gu Zheng wouldn't know.
"That glove was left behind by a powerful Asura. Our people found it and it's been here for thousands of years. We don't know its specific use. We only know that it can block out all damage in this world. It's said that there's another glove, and it's only effective when combined. However, no one has seen it before. However, you can try to find it. I feel that this glove's use is not limited to that."
"There's also that green crystal. If there's anything wrong with it, just send your divine sense in and you'll know. It can also form a protective shield to block out some damage."
"Big idiot, I want to eat too." Little Worm was insistent. This was the best way to deal with Xiao Nan. She believed that Gu Zheng would also fall for this trick.
"Stop fooling around, Little Worm. Eating this thing won't do you any good. It might even cause harm." Madam Qin said with a serious face.
Perhaps because her tone was too harsh, Little Worm was so scared that it flew back into Gu Zheng's ear and hid. It thought fiercely, 'Everyone bullied me. I want Xiao Nan to avenge me.' Then, it closed its eyes.
"What's the use of this thing? I just happened to pick a few." Gu Zheng was also very curious. However, he wouldn't say that most of it had been taken away by a snake.
"Ten thousand years ago, a divine bird with the bloodline of the Vermillion Bird was accidentally trapped in this world. In order to end this evil world, it imitated the green liquid and used its ancient bloodline to form a seed. It's said that when two green fruits condensed, the energy inside would be enough to change this world. However, no one has ever found it. Little friend, your luck is really not bad."
Madam Qin's face was full of admiration towards that divine bird. In truth, with her strength at that time, if she wanted to break out from the entrance, as long as she didn't coincidentally run into the big boss of the Asura, she would definitely be able to escape.
In order to end this evil world, she didn't hesitate to sacrifice herself. This made everyone very shocked. This kind of fearless spirit inspired everyone. It was because of this that there were batch after batch of people who swore to resist the corrosion of this world.
Some failed, some persevered, and some could only hide in their minds and persevere. Regardless of whether they succeeded or not, there was only one hope, and that was to destroy this world.
Although these ten thousand years were long enough to make people despair, there were still batch after batch of people who went forward dauntlessly, fighting for this goal.
Gu Zheng left the hall and looked up at the eyes in the sky. No matter what, no one could stop the light of hope.
He still had one fruit left. Madam Qin said that it was best to keep it, because who knew if he would encounter it again next time. This fruit only had three days to mature. When the time was up, it would automatically fall off and disappear from the world.
The information about this fruit was left behind by that divine bird. Gu Zheng knew that this time, there were three green fruits. He regretted that he didn't take two more. He didn't know how to use them.
Gu Zheng felt that if he had time, he would search for them himself. When he found them, he would tell Old Man Qin and Madam Qin.
When Gu Zheng left the valley, Wu Xiaofeng was waiting for him outside. When he saw Gu Zheng come out, he laughed and hugged Gu Zheng. "How was it? I told you that the elder was very good."
"Indeed, he gave me this." Gu Zheng took back the green liquid. This time, Wu Xiaofeng was a bit jealous. "Why was the elder so generous this time, giving you so much?"
Wu Xiaofeng's eyes were filled with envy. He secretly whispered in Gu Zheng's ear, "You have to keep this. This is the green liquid I told you about. It can completely eliminate the baleful aura in your body. This is enough for you to use for a few hundred years."
Wu Xiaofeng's voice was filled with jealousy. At first, he didn't have so much, not even half of this.
"Thank you. Is the elder also a human? Why is his cultivation so high?" Gu Zheng didn't believe that the Asura dared to let two early-stage Zenith Heavenly Realm cultivators stay here.
Wu Xiaofeng explained to Gu Zheng. The two elders were among the first batch of creatures to come here. They were captured by the first Asura. It was said that they swore an oath that they would not participate in the battle with the Asura. They were only here to manage the Abandoned Land.
In the past, when there was no one to manage it, they killed countless people in order to get the green liquid. It was really a chaotic time. Wu Xiaofeng shook his head and felt that it was a pity that they weren't united at that time.
Since the elders took care of it, it was distributed according to contribution. There were basically no disputes. In addition, there were only two hundred people at that time. It was enough for everyone, so they tacitly agreed to this system. However, with so many people now, it was probably not enough.
This was also the reason why those Heaven Immortals lost their souls. Because each person's distribution was limited, those Heaven Immortals didn't have the ability to fight for more contribution. They could only barely keep themselves from being converted.
"Are there no other places?" Gu Zheng asked curiously. He seemed to have seen a small pond in the mountain where the four seasons changed. It was exactly the same as this one. If he had known, he would have taken the risk to take some.
"No. No one has discovered it for so many years. Some people say it's the Asura's conspiracy. However, we have to accept the conspiracy. Those things are the hope of the future." Wu Xiaofeng shook his head. "Let's not talk about this for now. Let's go. You don't have a place to stay yet, right? Let's go back to our team's place. We can rest well. There's still space there."
Gu Zheng followed Wu Xiaofeng and left the valley.
In the main hall, after Gu Zheng left, Old Man Qin took out the Red Jade Fruits from the box again. Two bright red fruits appeared in front of them. After seeing them, the two people's breathing quickened. How could Madam Qin not know what he was thinking? She resisted the temptation in her heart and shook her head. She reached out and closed the box again.
Under Old Man Qin's puzzled gaze, she said to him, "It's not time yet. Let's wait for a while. At least let's wait for a while."
Before long, there would be many fierce battles. The two of them had to be on the sidelines. If they took the fruits now, they might be discovered.
Old Man Qin didn't say anything. He kept looking at the box in front of him. After a while, he nodded heavily and put the box away. Then, he and Madam Qin disappeared from the main hall. The main hall was empty again. It became quiet.
Wu Xiaofeng's team was on the other side of the valley. In fact, it was just a simple wooden house. Everyone here didn't talk about comfort. It was good enough to have a place to rest. When they were out on missions, everyone slept on trees. Moreover, they were half asleep and half awake.
It wasn't easy to come back. Of course, they had to rest well.
When Gu Zheng and Madam Qin arrived, the other members of the team were already there. They also saw Wu Xiaofeng's sister.
Wu Xiaofeng's sister looked at herself and said with a shy smile, "Welcome. Listen to what they said. Thank you for showing mercy." These were all her brother's life and death brothers. Of course, she would be grateful to Gu Zheng for showing mercy. Just now, she heard them say that if Gu Zheng really was careless and killed them, it would be normal.
Gu Zheng waved his hand and said politely, "Brother Wu's skills are much better than mine. I still have to thank Brother Wu for showing mercy."
"Haha, sister, this is Gu Zheng. He's the great expert I told you about. This is my sister, Wu Xiu." Wu Xiaofeng introduced them to each other.
Gu Zheng and Wu Xiu nodded to each other. They looked at the other five members of the team. Their complexions were much better. It seemed that they had taken a little bit of the green liquid. After all, everyone who came back from that place had more or less settled in their bodies.
Just as Gu Zheng was about to say something, an arrogant voice sounded from the distance.
"Oh, Wu Xiaofeng, you're not dead yet, right? You came back safely." A young man with a gloomy face walked over. He glanced at everyone. Behind him was a small team. Everyone's aura was very strong. At a glance, it was obvious that they had been through hundreds of battles.
"Hua Long, you're not welcome here. Hurry up and leave." Wu Xiu looked at the other party with disgust. Her tone was very unfriendly.
"Xiu Xiu, I'm sincere to you. Like I said, it would be good if our two teams became one. We should unite." Hua Long said with a smile.
"Bah, so disgusting. Who wants to be with you?" Wu Xiu spat on the ground.
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