The Bad Guys: Everyone, let’s revive the Tang Dynasty together!

Chapter 434 Iris

Mobei, Dading Prefecture.

Inside the royal tent, the embers in the stove burned quietly, emitting a steady warmth that dispelled the severe cold outside the Great Wall. Several carefully polished copper sheep oil lamps were hung between the dome and the pillars, illuminating the spacious space. The air was filled with the mixed aroma of green salt, cheese, and fine tea. Although it was a little gloomy, it added a bit of the unique heritage of the grassland royal court.

Shili Qixiang, who was exhausted from the journey, knelt on the thick carpet with his forehead pressed against the ground. His voice was filled with anxiety and nervousness that could not be concealed: "...Xiao Dahan finally said that he would not sit idly by and watch the grassland collapse, but he had his own ideas on how to do it and when to do it. And if there is another so-called Yinshan incident, Xiao Dahan will replace him with someone...who is more obedient..."

Shuliduo sat in the main seat, her posture calm as water, her eyes lowered, fixed on the Tang sword lying across her knees. Her fingertips slowly stroked the handle, which seemed to still retain the warmth of the man's fingertips, and also the mark of her embarrassment at that time when she was at a loss in front of him.

There was a terrifying silence in the tent, with only the endless howling of wind and snow outside. Shili Qixiang could clearly feel the cold sweat oozing from his back, soaking through his underwear bit by bit.

After a long while, Shuliduo let out a very light breath, and her tense shoulders relaxed slightly. Revealing a kind of fatigue after the dust settled, she slowly said: "He is willing to let me use Yuan Xingqin's sword... The account with Yinshan is temporarily settled."

Shili Qixiang felt relieved, but she still lowered her voice and said, "That's what Great Khan Xiao meant... I met Aogu once before I left Bianjing, and Great Khan Xiao also specially sent someone to give her a New Year gift. He certainly didn't take his anger out on us because of the Yinshan incident."

Shulido fell silent, his fingertips unconsciously sliding across the cold scabbard.

At this time, the heavy curtain was silently lifted, and a figure with two swords on his waist stood quietly at the edge of the light and bowed. Shili Qixiang looked back and recognized that it was Shili Xuehu, and his tense nerves quietly relaxed a little.

Shuliduo didn't raise her eyelids, and lightly touched the scabbard with her fingertips: "But has Shi Jingtang made any unusual moves?"

"Reporting to the Queen Mother, it was not Shi Jingtang." Shili Xuegu knelt on one knee and said meticulously, "It was the Wuwei tribe in the north. Yilijin, a member of the tribe, reported urgently this morning that since the first month of the year, more than 300 young and strong men in the tribe have disappeared inexplicably one after another, and no one has found the body. The tribe has searched for a long time, but there is no clue. I am afraid that the tribe will panic, so I urgently ask the Queen Mother for instructions."

"Three hundred strong men?" Shuliduo suddenly raised his head. Under the light, his majestic eyes instantly became sharp and shot directly at Shilixuehu. "Has the Wuwei tribe found any clues?"

Shili Xuegu handed over a slightly rough parchment with both hands: "There is no trace at all. Only in the deep of a rarely visited valley west of the tribe, we found a strange...'ruin'."

The maid immediately took the parchment and presented it to Shuliduo respectfully. On the paper, a simple but evil-looking pattern was sketched with charcoal. The twisted and intertwined lines formed an incomplete circle, which was filled with strange runes of unknown meaning. The center area was emphasized by dense cross lines, and scattered around were some indescribable debris marks that seemed to have been torn apart by a huge force.

Shili Qixiang had stood up and stood by. After receiving the signal, he took a closer look, his brows knitted tightly, and his fingertips ran over the eerie runes. He whispered, "Queen Mother, these patterns... are definitely not used for ordinary sacrifices or shamanic prayers. Rather, they look like... some kind of lost forbidden formation."

"Call Da He Feng." Shuliduo's voice turned cold.

After a while, Da He Feng, a slightly slovenly man with gray hair and beard, hurried into the tent. He did not dare to neglect it and hurriedly bowed to take the sheepskin scroll handed to him by the maid. After just a few glances, his face suddenly became solemn. He leaned closer to the bright sheep oil lamp, staring at the twisted lines with his old eyes.

After a while, he took a deep breath and said in a hoarse voice: "Queen Mother, this formation... this formation is very similar to the 'Blood Kite Essence Stealing Forbidden Technique' in the Yuling tribe's legend!"

"Yuling tribe?" Shili Qixiang didn't bother to rest at this moment, and immediately frowned and said, "The Yuling tribe, which is said to have the best shaman skills among the eight ancient tribes, but has been extinct for nearly two hundred years? How could their forbidden skills reappear? The Chute tribe, which inherited part of their legacy, is now the weakest of the eight tribes."

The wrinkles on Da He Feng's face deepened. He tried to recall: "Although the Chute tribe is weak, the Bali family, whose tribe has been worshipping shamanism for generations, is indeed a descendant of a branch of the Yuling tribe. The four generations of the Bali family have all been shamans of the Chute tribe. This generation... has a young man named Bali Shensu."

He paused, as if he was choosing his words, "When I was young, I met this man several times. At that time, he had already shown an unusual obsession and talent for the ancient shamanic forbidden techniques..."

At this point, Da He Feng's voice was slightly apprehensive. "This forbidden technique of Blood Kite seizing essence... requires the essence and blood of living beings as a guide, forcibly plundering their life essence, turning it into one's own use, and improving cultivation. It is extremely domineering, and also extremely evil. The practitioner's cultivation can certainly advance by leaps and bounds, but the mind will be backfired, and at best, it will become insane, and at worst, it will become a monster that only knows how to kill and crave power. Every time it is performed, more and stronger essence and blood are needed... It's like drinking poison to quench thirst, and you will never be satisfied."

Hearing this, Shili Qixiang's mind flashed with a series of information, so he hurriedly added solemnly: "Queen Mother. The last time the troops were withdrawn from Yinshan, it was when the Chute tribe was in turmoil. The old Yilijin died suddenly, and several nobles also died mysteriously one after another. It was at that time that Bali Shensu volunteered to be Yilijin! At that time, in order to prove his worth, he had someone bring a bloody head to the royal court to meet him soon after..."

"I remember that it was the head of the Shaman of the Yishi tribe." Shulido replied coldly.

At that time, Shuliduo withdrew his troops from Yinshan Mountain, but he was uneasy because he knew that he had angered Xiao Yan, and he was also facing internal and external troubles. At that time, the Yishi tribe rebelled against Yelu Lage, and although Bali Shensu was unknown, he immediately offered the head of his shaman, which was like timely help, demonstrating his value and helping Shuliduo to severely deter and retaliate against the Yishi tribe.

At that time, Shuliduo was eager to stabilize the rear, so she took the opportunity to acknowledge and support the status of Yilijin of the Chute tribe. She also remembered that before the Spring Festival, the tribute from the Chute tribe was indeed delivered to Dading Prefecture on time.

"Also," Shili Qixiang continued, "Just before I escorted Aogu to Bianliang, Bali Shensu sent an envoy to ask for instructions, saying that he was willing to monitor the movements of the Lu and Nirvana tribes for the Queen Mother to prevent them from having ulterior motives. At that time, the Queen Mother rejected the request on the grounds that 'the two tribes have not rebelled yet, so we should not act rashly to avoid chaos'..."

Da He Feng's face turned pale, and he said anxiously, "Queen Mother. If it is really Bali Shensu who is practicing this forbidden technique, then the 300 young men of the Wuwei tribe are probably in danger. But this is not the most important thing. The scary thing is that after tasting the sweetness of rapid strength increase and being eroded by the evil power of the forbidden technique, this person will never stop. He will become more and more crazy and unscrupulous! The next ones to suffer may be the Lu tribe, the Nirvana tribe, or even... the tribes closer to the royal court! The Chute tribe itself may have already become his blood-eating hunting ground!"

Shuliduo narrowed her eyes slightly, and the last trace of doubt in her eyes completely disappeared. She stood up suddenly, and the cold scabbard of the Tang sword slammed heavily on the table, making a dull thumping sound that was particularly harsh in the silent tent.

"Seri Snow Falcon."

"I'm here." Shili Xuehu straightened his body, held his knife and bowed.

"Gather the hundred most elite guards of the Ordo Palace under your command and set out immediately to the location of the Chute tribe. In the name of the royal court, summon Bali Shensu to come to Dading Prefecture as soon as possible to report the matter of the Wuwei tribe."

Shuliduo spoke very quickly, each word was clear, and with an unquestionable coldness, "If he accepts the call, we will 'escort' him all the way and keep him under strict supervision. If he dares to shirk his responsibilities or delay, or if we see any unusual movements from his troops..."

She suddenly opened her five fingers, then tightened them, making a gesture of strangling the throat in the air, her face as cold as frost. "Kill him on the spot and bring his head to me. I only want the result, not his life."

"As ordered!"

A cold light flashed in Shili Xuehu's eyes. Without any hesitation, he bowed and accepted the order. His figure slid out of the tent silently like a ghost and quickly disappeared into the howling wind and snow outside.

The heavy curtain fell, isolating the inside and outside. Only the anxious Shiri Qixiang and the solemn Da He Feng were left in the tent. The two looked at each other, both speechless.

------

Yudujin Mountain.

The strong wind blew up the snow foam and lashed wildly at Yelu Lagu's huge golden-roofed felt tent, which symbolized the "Great Khan", making a dull and continuous whimpering sound.

The tent was filled with the strong, pungent smell of sour kumis, mixed with the odor of sweat and unburned cow dung, weighing heavily on people's lungs.

Yelu Lage sat on a low couch covered with bear skin, his eyes were hazy, his face was unhealthily flushed from the alcohol and the charcoal fire. In front of him were a few cups and plates in a mess, with greasy sheep bones and spilled wine stains mixed together.

At the lower position, Quinn, who claimed to be an envoy from the State of Jin, sat cross-legged. He was inconspicuous in his gray-brown leather robe, but his expression was unusually calm and composed, which was out of tune with the crude and chaotic atmosphere in the tent.

Opposite him, the fake Li was wrapped in a thick black cloak, with most of his face hidden in the shadow of the hood. Only a vague gaze was left, gazing at the two people in front of him with interest.

Quinn took out a sheepskin map carefully wrapped in oilcloth from his bosom, spread it out on the low table that he had wiped off the oil stains. His finger pointed precisely at the location of Yunzhou, and his voice was not loud, but it clearly penetrated the wind and snow outside the tent and the noise inside the tent.

"This is proof of the King of Jin's sincerity. Three thousand elite cavalry and one hundred thousand stones of grain and fodder have been quietly stored in the Yunzhou granary. We are just waiting for the Khan's army to march eastward to pin down the main force of Shuliduo in the northern desert and attract Yuan Xingqin, who is under the King of Qin, to send out troops. By then..."

Quinn's finger slowly moved eastward along the outline of the Yinshan Mountains, and finally stopped at the northeast of Baideng Mountain. "The Jin cavalry can be like a sharp blade out of its sheath, and can penetrate directly into the heart of Mobei from Yunzhou, and respond to the Khan from north to south, and jointly destroy the grassland king's court and divide this vast land equally."

Yelu Lage's cloudy eyes stared at the symbols of food, fodder and armor marked on the map, and licked his cracked lips greedily. If there was solid support from Jin, there would be no need to look at Li Maozhen's face. These 3,000 cavalry and 100,000 grains were just a timely help.

At this moment, a servant lowered his head and hurriedly walked through the drunken tribal leaders in the tent, whispering a few words in Yelu Lage's ear. The drunkenness in Yelu Lage's eyes suddenly faded a little, and his cloudy eyes moved, with a hint of ostentatious ecstasy. He waved his hand and said in a loud voice: "Let him in! It's a good opportunity to show our friends in Jin that this Khan has more than one way on this grassland!"

He deliberately raised his voice, not only to show it to Quinn, but also to the fake Li in the shadows. The corners of the fake Li's mouth under the hood turned down slightly, but he remained silent.

The felt curtain was lifted, and a weather-beaten messenger wrapped in the traditional fur robe of the Chute tribe bowed in. He quickly scanned the tent, lingering briefly on Quinn and Fake Li, then turned to Yelu Lage, saluted with his right hand on his chest, and his voice was deliberately respectful, but it could not hide the anxiety in his bones:

"Great Khan, I, Yilijin, order you to express my highest respect and bring you my sincerity and request."

"Speak." Yelu Lage stood up with the help of a low stool, trying to look arrogant.

"I, Yilijin, am willing to serve the Khan at his utmost. I will personally remove those who do not support the Khan, and stir up trouble in the heart of the royal court, making it difficult for the Queen Mother to deal with both ends."

The messenger spoke faster, his eyes burning with enthusiasm, "After this is accomplished, I, Yilijin, only ask the Khan for two things: the pastures and population of the Wuwei and Tuju tribes among the eight major tribes shall all be under my jurisdiction; and... after this is accomplished, please give the great shaman of Mobei, the honorable Aogu Yelu Zhiwu, to me, Yilijin."

"Aogu?" Yelu Lage was obviously stunned, and then burst into deafening laughter, as if he had heard something extremely absurd and extremely interesting. "Huh? Good! You have courage! This Khan approves!"

He waved his hand, as if the entire grassland was under his control. "As long as Bali Shensu can really fulfill his promise, not only the Wuwei and Tuju tribes, but all the tribes outside the eight major tribes will be his choice! This Khan swears in the name of the Eternal Heaven that in the future, there will only be Bali Shensu, the supreme shaman, on the grassland!"

The messenger's face instantly flushed with ecstasy, and he fell to his knees with a plop: "Thank you, Khan, for your kindness. Yilijin will definitely live up to your trust! The plan has been set. Within half a month, the Chute tribe will completely disappear from the grassland! And all the clues pointing to the murderer will lead to Yuan Xingqin and his subordinates. By then, the royal court will be shaken and the people will be in panic. It is the perfect time for you, Khan, to raise the banner of justice, march to Mobei, and attack the royal court directly!"

"Lead them to Yuan Xingqin? Great, brilliant!" Yelu La Gezui's eyes flashed with a terrifying light, and he slapped his thigh fiercely, "Tell Bali Shensu to go ahead and do it! This Khan is waiting for good news and is ready to send troops at any time!"

The envoy bowed and left contentedly. The curtain fell, blocking out the wind and snow again. Yelu Lage turned to Quinn with a smug look on his face, grabbed the wine bowl and took a gulp, with the wine dripping down his beard: "How is it, Jin envoy? You are not the only ally of this Khan. The water in this grassland is very deep. We just need Bali Shensu to light the fire..."

Quinn's face was still calm and composed, as if what he just heard was just an ordinary deal. He slowly put away the sheepskin map on the table, wrapped it up carefully again, put it in his arms, and nodded slightly to Yelu Lage: "The Khan's methods are amazing. Jin's promise remains unchanged. As long as the Khan's army moves, attracting the attention of Shuliduo and Yuan Xingqin, causing the royal court to lose its composure, our Jin army will immediately march out of Yinshan to join the Khan in the great cause and eliminate future troubles."

The two of them talked very happily. Fake Li was still sitting in the shadows bored, his eyes from under the hood coldly sweeping across Yelu Lage's face that was distorted by ambition and alcohol, and then across Quinn's back as he left calmly, and finally ended up with a bottomless sneer. ——————

North of Dading Prefecture, deep in the Mobei region.

The cave deep inside the mountain was isolated from the howling wind and snow outside. The cold and damp rock walls constantly oozed out icy water droplets, which dripped down the jagged stalagmites and accumulated into a dark puddle below the altar, with sharp icicles forming on the edges.

In the center of the grotto, an ancient altar made of rough black stone stood. On the edge of the altar, several white skulls of unknown beasts were facing the center with empty eye sockets and their jaws strangely open. Viscous, dark red, almost black blood plasma was slowly seeping out from the grooves deeply carved into the stone on the surface of the altar, gathering in the basin-sized stone mortar in the center. The strong and suffocating smell of blood, mixed with a strange, sweet fragrance similar to that of corrupted irises, permeated the small space heavily, making people dizzy and nauseous.

Bali Shensu knelt in front of the altar with his back to the entrance. His Chute shaman robe was stained with dark brown stains. His skinny fingers tightly grasped a curved bone knife, dipped it in the sticky blood plasma in the stone mortar, and focused on carving on the relatively flat stone wall.

The bone knife scraped across the wall, making a teeth-grinding "squeaking" sound. Every line was twisted and crazy, exactly the same as the forbidden magic formation diagram on the parchment scroll that Shulido had seen, but more complicated and more evil.

Below the stone wall, there were some scattered iris stems that had long since withered and turned black. Around the altar, a few newly placed irises abnormally stretched out their dark blue petals in such a gloomy environment. There was even a hint of eerie blood light on the edges, as if they were greedily sucking up the pervasive blood.

"Balishensu!" An old and angry shout suddenly exploded at the entrance of the cave.

Several old men, also dressed in the shaman costumes of the Chute tribe, entered. The leader had white hair and beard, ravines on his face, and blazing anger in his eyes. He immediately locked onto the evil array diagram on the stone wall, the shocking blood grooves and animal skulls on the altar, and his cloudy old eyes were instantly ignited with anger. He raised his foot and fiercely kicked over a small pottery jar filled with dark red mucus beside the altar.

"Bang." The pottery jar broke into pieces, and smelly liquid splashed all over the ground.

“What are you still doing!” The white-haired shaman’s voice trembled with anger, and the bone staff in his hand almost poked Bali Shensu’s back. “The royal court’s advance envoy has arrived at the tribe, followed by a large group of palace guards, led by Shili Xuehu. She summoned you to Dading Prefecture immediately on the orders of the Queen Mother! Your evil formation... is trying to kill the entire Chute tribe, kill my Bali clan, and let everyone be buried with you!”

The bone knife that Bali was carving solemnly suddenly stopped. He turned around slowly. His fairly decent face was now covered with a layer of blue-gray death. He opened his mouth, revealing an extremely weird smile, and his teeth looked white in the dim light.

"Buried with the deceased?" His voice was low and hoarse. "Old man, what do you know?"

He stood up suddenly, his tall and thin figure cast a huge, distorted black shadow under the swaying light of the animal oil lamp, and an invisible sense of oppression mixed with blood and violence suddenly spread.

"The glory of the Chute tribe has long been ruined by corrupt and incompetent rubbish like you. Only power... the power of the Yuling ancestors... can make it stand tall on the top of the grassland again. You... are nothing more than insignificant sacrifices on the road to power."

"Crazy! You're completely crazy!" The white-haired shaman was shocked and angry, and shouted to the people behind him, "Capture this traitor and destroy the evil formation! Otherwise, my Chute tribe will be destroyed!"

Several shamans rushed forward with roars, their bone staffs and daggers flashing coldly. However, just as they stepped within a few steps of the altar, Bali Shensu just looked indifferent, and then used his withered fingers to point at the dark blue irises scattered around.

Puff puff.

Several irises suddenly exploded without any warning, and countless dark blue dusts as fine as cow hair and difficult to distinguish with the naked eye instantly spread, rolling towards the shaman who was rushing towards him like a living thing.

"Uh-"

"My eyes! What are these!"

"Ahem... this powder... is poisonous!"

Screams and violent coughs rang out instantly. The two shamans at the front were the first to be hit. They felt as if all their strength had been drained away in an instant. They felt a tearing pain in their limbs, their movements became slow and stiff, and even breathing became extremely difficult.

"The forbidden technique has backfired, and evil has entered your body... You are no longer worthy of being a descendant of the Bali clan!" The white-haired shaman endured the burning pain in his eyes and the numbness in his body, roared, and threw the bone staff that was infused with his life's cultivation at Bali Shensu's heart like a spear.

The bone staff broke through the air, bringing with it a shrill scream.

Bali Shensu's eyes glowed with light, and without dodging, he stretched out his skinny hand like a ghost claw at lightning speed. With five fingers spread out, a strange layer of dark red blood light appeared on the palm, which seemed to be able to swallow light.

"boom."

The bone staff hit the blood light accurately, but it was like a drop in the ocean. The violent energy was instantly dissolved and swallowed by the thin layer of blood light. Bali Shensu's palm trembled slightly, and his five fingers suddenly closed.

"Click."

The hard bone staff that embodied the old shaman's full strength was crushed into pieces like rotten wood.

"Puff!" The white-haired shaman was instantly hit by a heavy hammer. He spit out a large mouthful of blood and his face suddenly turned pale.

Bali Shensu's figure appeared in front of him like a ghost, his twisted blue-gray face almost touching the old shaman's face, his eyes filled with pure coldness and greed that had no reverence for life.

"Capture me? Old man, you think too highly of yourself." A hoarse voice laughed. Before the words fell, the bloody bone knife in Bali Shensu's hand suddenly came out and pierced into the old shaman's chest without any hindrance.

"Uh..." The old shaman's body suddenly stiffened, his eyes filled with disbelief and deep grief. He did not look at his chest that was gushing with blood, but instead used up his last bit of strength, and pointed his blood-stained fingers at Bali Shensu's eyes with trembling hands. Every word was like crying blood: "I... I only know... that if the Chute tribe... dies in your hands... it will... be reduced to ashes... and never be reborn..."

There was no expression on Bali Shensu's face, only an almost pious concentration.

He twisted his wrist holding the bone knife and cut it. A warm heart that was still beating slightly was taken out by him. He didn't even look at the old man's body that instantly lost its spirit and fell limply. Instead, he held the heart tightly in his palm and exerted force with his five fingers like iron clamps.

A tingling, sticky squeezing sound suddenly rang out in the deadly cave. The heart in his palm was like a berry being crushed, instantly shrunken and withered. Sticky blood and some indescribable energy substance that seemed to have a faint fluorescent light flowed out from between his fingers, but it did not drip. Instead, it was absorbed like a living thing and quickly penetrated into the skin of his palm.

At the same time, the strange dark blue irises around the altar seemed to be strongly stimulated. Their petals suddenly opened up, and the color became deeper and more gorgeous, and the blood light at the edges almost flowed out.

Bali Shensu's body trembled slightly, a sickly, extremely satisfied flush appeared on his face, and a low beast-like whimper came from his throat. However, this satisfaction only lasted for a short moment, and was replaced by a deeper and larger feeling of emptiness. He looked down at the dirty blood and shriveled heart fragments left in his palm, and threw them away.

"Not enough... far from enough... too weak... this little essence... is just a drop in the bucket..." He raised his head suddenly, his bloodshot eyes fixed on the corpses of several other shamans on the ground, like a hungry hyena seeing rotten meat.

At this moment, a completely different, sharp and greedy voice suddenly sounded from his mouth, with a creepy laugh: "Hehehe... the old man is right, what is a Chute tribe? It's not even enough to fill the gaps between our teeth. How can this little power be enough for us to take down the Soul-Breaking Stone? How can we regain the true glory of our ancestors Yuling? Kill! Kill them all! The Wuwei tribe, the Tuju tribe... and the royal court. The blood of that woman Shuliduo must be more delicious. That Aogu... her pure shamanic power... if we eat her, we can..."

"Shut up!" Bali Shensu suddenly hugged his head and let out a beast-like growl, rudely interrupting the crazy voice he had made.

He panted heavily, with confusion and clarity intertwined in his eyes. "The envoy of the royal court... Shili Xuehu... She brought the Ordo Palace Guards... We can't confront them head-on... Now is not the time... It's not the time yet..."

The next moment, that voice filled with anxiety and impatience sounded again: "Wait? Wait until how long? Wait until the knife of Shili Xuehu is on your neck? Isn't the blood of those palace guards fragrant? Do you believe the promise of that idiot Yelu Lage? Why not do it now! Sacrifice the entire Chute tribe... to 'Blood Kite'! Power! We need more power! Now! Immediately!"

This voice was like a spell, carrying with it infinite temptation and corrosive power, impacting Bali Shensu's already precarious line of defense of reason.

Bali Shensu's breathing became heavier. He looked at the huge unfinished formation in the center of the altar, and then at the entrance of the cave, his eyes flickering wildly. He licked his cracked lips, and the tip of his tongue tasted the fishy and sweet blood mixed with heart fragments on his hands. The last trace of struggle in his eyes was completely drowned by the sticky scarlet, leaving only a pure, morbid hunger for power.

"The formation... is still a little short..." He whispered hoarsely, as if trying to convince himself, or as if responding to another voice, "But... the blood food... can charge a little interest first..." He slowly turned around, his bloodshot eyes like searchlights, sweeping into the depths of the cave, where the vague hustle and bustle of ordinary herdsmen from the Chute tribe and the cries of cattle and sheep could be vaguely heard. The bone knife in his hand silently dripped a drop of dark red blood.

------

The snowstorm a few days ago finally stopped, and the lead-gray clouds cracked open, letting in a few rays of bleak sunlight, shining on the deadly valley west of the Wuwei tribe. Snow covered most of the land, but it couldn't hide the strange smell in the air, which was a mixture of blood and strange sweet fragrance.

A slender and tall figure appeared silently at the edge of the valley marked as "ruins of formation" on the map by Shili Xuehu. She was wearing an exotic purple dress that was out of tune with the gray and white rocks around her, and a sun hat, revealing only a sharp jawline and a few strands of red hair that still danced like flames in the dim light.

She stood alone, as if walking on the snow without leaving any trace, and stopped in the center of the ruins.

Under the snow, the scarlet soil is looming, the rocks are twisted and broken, and the potholes are deep and hideous...

Her eyes slowly swept across the mess, and finally stopped at a corner half covered by snow. There, a few dark blue petals stubbornly poked their heads out from under the ice and snow, trembling slightly in the cold wind - they were irises.

In this dead silent valley covered with ice and snow, on the ruins left by this raging energy, there are flowers blooming?

Jiang Chen leaned forward slightly, stretched out two jade-white fingers, and gently picked up one of the petals. The petals were dark blue and almost purple, and they were cold to the touch, but they had an unusual toughness. She put her nose close to the tip of the flower, and under the shadow of the straw hat, her enchanting peach blossom eyes narrowed slightly.

There was no fragrance of soil, no freshness of ice and snow. There was only an extremely faint, yet extremely stubborn... rusty sweetness. It was the smell of human blood that penetrated deep into the petals and into the flower marrow. It was as if it was forcibly imprisoned in these fragile petals by some force.

"Flowers out of season in winter..."

The voice of the surrendered minister, as cold as broken jade, echoed softly in the deadly valley, with a hint of playful inquiry.

“Feeding with human blood essence…forcibly stimulating…taking away vitality?” Her fingertips unconsciously stroked the strange petals, feeling the faint but extremely evil residual energy contained in them, and the corners of her mouth slowly raised up an elusive arc.

"interesting."

(End of this chapter)