The Old Gods

Chapter 968 Plum Blossoms in the Snow

Inside and outside Beifeng City, people's faces were ashen.

In the depths of winter in Northeast China, the temperature is very low, and frost and fog blanket the sky, obscuring the winter sun.

But the coldness on a physical level is far less than the coldness in people's hearts.

The fall of the gods ultimately befell the North Wind faction.

The magnificent statue that had stood in the city for over forty years was slowly crumbling, with pieces of its stone skin peeling away one by one.

It crashed to the ground with a loud thud, turning into a light mist.

No! No!

"Lord North Wind, please don't... Waaaaah, Lord North Wind!"

"How are we supposed to live? How are we supposed to live?"

"The North Wind faction is finished! The Mountain Lord is dead, humanity is finished! Great Xia is finished! We are all going to die, we are all going to die. Let me go! Let me go! It's true, we are all going to die!!"

The city was in chaos.

Cries, pleas, and insane screams filled the air.

Countless people witnessed the fall of a god.

Among them was a tall, short-haired woman, around twenty-something years old, with a baby face that didn't quite match her age.

At that moment, she was covering her mouth with one hand, looking up at the shattered statue.

"Miss Hu?" A disciple of the North Wind Sect dressed in white martial arts attire quickly walked to the woman's side.

"Huh?" Hu Jiaojiao turned her head and looked at the newcomer with a dazed expression.

"Lord Hu requests your presence," the disciple said in a low voice.

Hu Jiaojiao reacted for a moment, as if she had found her backbone. Her expression was no longer blank, and she quickly began to perform divine magic.

The followers of the North Wind are used to flying.

When Hu Jiaojiao jumped up, she did not fly into the sky as before, but fell back to the ground.

Hu Jiaojiao suddenly woke up, and her nose tingled with emotion.

In this special historical context, everyone has faith, and the deity North Wind is the concrete manifestation of the North Wind sect's faith.

Now, her faith, which she had held for many years, has collapsed, making it difficult for Hu Jiaojiao to even breathe.

She stumbled to the ground and ran forward.

Along the way, I saw many people weeping with their faces covered and kneeling with their heads bowed.

Hu Jiaojiao disregarded all of this and hurriedly ran towards the city lord's residence. There she saw many disciples coming to find the city lord, but they were blocked by a large group of people outside the street.

Hu Jiaojiao's special status allowed her free passage. She strode forward, ignoring the guards on either side of the gate, and pushed it open: "Grandpa?"

Snowflakes fell gently into the large courtyard.

Beside the distant courtyard wall stands a plum tree, its branches covered in snow, with plum blossoms blooming in the cold wind, a truly breathtaking sight.

At that moment, an elderly man with white hair stood under the tree, his hands behind his back.

It's hard to say whether he was admiring the snow and plum blossoms, or whether he was looking up at the slowly crumbling statue through the gaps between the branches.

Lord of Beifeng City, Hucheng.

“Grandpa.” Hu Jiaojiao’s eyes reddened as she quickly walked to the tree and hugged Hu Cheng’s arm.

"How old are you? Still crying?" Hu Cheng said slowly.

Hu Jiaojiao was somewhat taken aback.

She then realized that her grandfather didn't seem to have much emotion, as if he had calmly accepted Lord Beifeng's death.

It should be understood that the higher a believer's level of spiritual power, the deeper their faith in the deity should be.

As the leader of the Northern Wind Sect and a powerful figure at the peak of the Sea Realm, how could Hu Cheng remain so indifferent?
"Grandpa, you..." Hu Jiaojiao didn't know what to say.

Hu Cheng turned to look at his granddaughter, raised his aged hand, and smoothed her messy short hair: "I remember you have two close friends."

"Mmm." Hu Jiaojiao was a little puzzled, wondering where this topic came from, but she nodded nonetheless.

The granddaughter of the Lord of Beifeng City is naturally a chosen one of heaven.

Not only is she of distinguished status, but her talent, aptitude, and personal bravery are also top-notch. Those who are qualified to become her close friends are naturally outstanding individuals.

Deng Yuxiang, with a fair complexion.

The three were not only fellow disciples but also classmates, and had even carried out missions together, sharing a genuine bond of life and death.

It's a pity that we, former friends, are now separated by distance.

Yan Shuangzi was the most beautiful woman in Beifeng City, and her fame spread throughout the world. After she went to the mysterious Divine Ruins...

Deng Yuxiang failed in his attempt to seize the Divine Weapon Domain and should have been executed by his seniors. He barely escaped with his life but was expelled from the sect and disappeared without a trace.

“Yan Shuangzi, the girl who challenged the Divine Ruins a few years ago,” Hu Cheng added.

“Yes, five years ago.” Hu Jiaojiao echoed, secretly trying to figure out her grandfather’s intentions.

But then Hu Cheng changed the subject: "Deng Yuxiang, the girl who was taken away by Lord Lu."

Mentioning this person, Hu Cheng naturally recalled the scene from back then when Lu Ran, the master of Luoxian Mountain of the Immortal Sheep Sect, made a scene in Beifeng City.

In the end, Lord Lu even alarmed the gods, and under the watchful eyes of Lord Beifeng, he managed to take the blood-covered Deng Yuxiang away from Beifeng City.

Being young is truly wonderful.

"Yes, Deng Yuxiang." Hu Jiaojiao couldn't help but ask, "Why did Grandpa suddenly ask about the two of them?"

Hu Cheng sighed deeply, his words remaining cryptic.

These two close friends of my granddaughter are truly remarkable.

If it weren't for Lord Beifeng's telepathic message before his death, who would have thought, or dared to think, that these two were actually the true culprits who murdered the gods!

Deng Yuxiang, with a face like frost.
Including Lord Beifeng, one fallen god after another had two people involved in their deaths.

It's truly unbelievable.

"Grandpa?" Hu Jiaojiao asked cautiously.

"What kind of people are they?" Hu Cheng asked in a deep voice.

"They are outstanding! As you know, Shuangzi is the best of our generation, the victor in the challenge against the Divine Ruins! Yuxiang also advanced to the Jiang Realm early on."

Hu Cheng interrupted, "Other aspects."

Hu Jiaojiao was stunned for a while before she said, "They are all very good people and are loyal and reliable comrades-in-arms. I dare to entrust my back to them!"

They were also devout believers, utterly pious towards Lord North Wind.

Hu Cheng: "."

“Oh right, Yu Xiang is a Moon Gazing Person!” Hu Jiaojiao suddenly remembered something and hurriedly said, “With her talent and combat strength, she is definitely qualified to stay in Beifeng City, but she didn’t.”

"Oh?"

“Yu Xiang especially loves her hometown, which is a very small city called Yuxiang City. There are no powerful gods or believers in such a place to protect it.”

Once Hu Jiaojiao started talking, she felt both sorry for her best friend and proud of her when she brought this up:

"So Yuxiang went back, giving up her promising future, and joined the Divine People Bureau to guard her hometown town on the fifteenth of every month."

Hu Cheng nodded thoughtfully.

Putting aside the fact that humans could kill gods, no matter how hard it is to understand, this is a fact that actually happened.

Speaking specifically of Deng Yuxiang, it's true that she might harbor resentment towards Lord Beifeng because of what happened last time.

But the god Beifeng is, after all, the people of Daxia rely on. Would Deng Yuxiang hate the god to the point of disregarding the lives of the masses?
That doesn't seem right.

Or perhaps, Deng Yuxiang has already fallen into demonic ways?
However, her granddaughter said that Deng Yuxiang was a public servant of the Great Xia Dynasty and had also been a frontline worker in the "Moon Watching" movement.

He was the man who built the city's last line of defense with his own body on the night of the fifteenth of each month.

Will such a person fall into demonic ways?
The other girl, Yan Shuangzi, was not as complicated as Deng Yuxiang. From beginning to end, Yan Shuangzi was a proud and devout disciple of the North Wind.

Would she allow her best friend to fall into the demonic path, join him, and even kill their master together?

That shouldn't be done.

Therefore, Deng Yuxiang and Yan Shuangzi should be very clear about what they are doing.

Both women were once incredibly devout believers, but now they have undergone a complete 180-degree change of attitude and turned their backs on God.
There must be a reason!

Looking back over the past few months, gods have fallen one after another, and the Great Xia Dynasty and even the entire world have been in turmoil.

But in contrast, many demons also perished!
In terms of sheer numbers, the number of demons who have fallen is greater than that of the gods.

Could it be argued that Deng and Yan were not only slaying gods, but also demons?

The gods declared that the death of the demons was the result of their efforts.
But the gods have been on earth for over forty years. Why are all the demon races dying at this time?

Today, the North Wind's dying words have elevated humanity to the point where it can slay gods, providing Hu City with a possibility!
The fall of the gods has been confirmed to have involved human involvement.

The fall of the evil spirits may also be attributed to Deng Yuxiang and Yan Shuangzi!
There is another point that can serve as evidence.

And upon closer examination, it is quite terrifying: the fall of gods and demons began on the night of the fifteenth of September, and then it spiraled out of control.

Until last month, on the night of the fifteenth of the eleventh lunar month, the Great Xia was subjected to a fierce invasion by evil spirits.

The intensity of the invasion was unprecedented since the descent of the gods!

This action has caused countless human tragedies.

That is, after the night of the fifteenth of the eleventh month, the speed at which gods and demons fell suddenly accelerated!

Today is the third day of the twelfth lunar month. In less than 20 days, the number of gods and demons who have fallen has far exceeded the total number from the fifteenth of the ninth lunar month to the fifteenth of the eleventh lunar month.

Nuo Sha - Opera Mask, Han Mei - Ice Plum Demon Queen, Bi Wu - Tree Face Demon, Ci Mei - Ice Rose.

Blood Crystal - Bloodstone Demon, Obsidian - Black Stone Demon, Support Flower - Green Lamp, Prison Demon, Rain Master - Crying Willow, Yan Qing - Mermaid.

Dongting-Ziting Mopeng, Junlan-Ziting Lan, and Wuseng.
In addition to the news that just came from all sides, the fallen gods include North Wind, Mountain Lord, Sword Lotus, Ice Butterfly, and War Horn.

Hu Cheng had reason to believe that the demons, the opposite of the gods, those evil spirits, vengeful tigers, black lotuses, ice burial men, and the like, who resided in the deepest depths, would also perish together.

This is not blind optimism.

Rather, it is a reasonable inference based on the fact that gods and demons have died in pairs over the past two months.

Look at this list of fallen gods and demons!

How tragic this was?
Previously, Hu Cheng would have known nothing, but today he received a piece of information that overturned his understanding:

Humans can slay gods!
So, has the world already "reversed the natural order"?
People fear the gods and are often worried about offending them and incurring punishment.

But after everything happened on the night of the fifteenth of the eleventh lunar month, it was the gods and demons who angered humanity.

With evil spirits rampaging and the gods failing to protect humanity, countless human tragedies unfolded throughout the Great Xia Dynasty, thoroughly enraging people like Deng Yuxiang and Yan Shuangzi.

So in less than 20 days, gods and demons fell in droves!
Will it be so?
Hu Cheng remained outwardly calm, but inwardly he was in turmoil.

Just now, Lord Beifeng sent a message in a fit of rage, instructing me to immediately report to the gods the true identities of Yan Shuangzi and Deng Yuxiang.

He even had his own sect leader personally take action, implicating the two women's relatives and friends in the human world, killing all their family members, and hanging their heads one by one on the city gate.
Human nature is revealed in matters of life and death.

This statement seems to apply equally to deities.

"Grandpa?" Hu Jiaojiao asked in a trembling voice.

The emotions at the peak of the sea realm naturally influence the atmosphere around him.

"Hmm." Hu Cheng quickly composed himself.

Hu Jiaojiao asked, "Why...why are you asking about them?"

Hu Cheng then asked, "Do you have the contact information for two close friends? Family members or relatives would also be fine."

“I only have their phone numbers; I haven’t been in contact with their families.”

“Try making a phone call and tell them that their family members may be in danger.”

"Are their family members in danger?" Hu Jiaojiao naturally believed her grandfather's words without a doubt, and hurriedly took out her phone. "I'll call right now!"

However, her eagerness was destined to go unanswered.

Hu Cheng had already anticipated this. Looking at his granddaughter who was stubbornly making a phone call, he said, "Go and find out their family's address and visit them in person."

I'll send you a few more trusted men. You'll split into two teams, and you need to be quick. Once you find their families and relatives, send them back to our hometown immediately.

"Our old home? But it's abandoned now, it's a deserted village."

Hu Cheng nodded slightly: "You all stay there, protect those families, and don't come back."

Hu Cheng raised his aged hand and placed it on his granddaughter's shoulder, his voice low and earnest: "If necessary, use any means necessary. Their family's personal wishes are not important; you must take them away and protect them at all costs."

Do not trust anyone other than the people I send to you, including your fellow disciples.

Remember, the person you protect might also be someone your fellow disciples want to kill.

Hu Jiaojiao's eyes widened!

Hu Cheng nodded slightly as if to confirm: "Go, take the four guards at the gate with you, and remember to keep a low profile and try to conceal your whereabouts."

Hu Jiaojiao opened her mouth, as if to say something more.

Hu Cheng, who was usually quite amiable in front of his granddaughter, said in a deep voice, "Go now!"

"Yes." Hu Jiaojiao trembled slightly and had no choice but to lower her head.

Although she was only at the initial stage of the Sea Realm, the same as Hu Cheng, the power and prestige of the leader of the Northern Wind Sect were extraordinary.

Watching his granddaughter's figure disappear through the gate, Hu Cheng slowly turned his head.

Nearby, a plum blossom stands proudly in the wind and snow.

Unyielding spirit that defies frost.

"Lord! The Jianghai disciples in the city have all assembled and are waiting at the gate of the Demon Cave." A disciple ran into the courtyard and knelt down to report.

"all?"

"Except for your four guards, Lord City Lord, everyone is here."

"Hmm." Hu Cheng turned and walked towards the courtyard gate, his snow-white robes fluttering in the wind as he strode forward.

At the same time, at Beifeng Shenshan.

Lu Ran was organizing his men to protect Deng Yuxiang as she advanced with her divine weapon when he suddenly received a telepathic message from the Crimson Phoenix Pattern Gourd.

【Master, the little guy has something to tell you~】

[Wang Hanchuan?]

Yes, he said the North Wind transmitted its voice before it died, giving orders or something.

Lu Ran frowned slightly, immediately searching for Jiang Ruyi: "Wait a moment, I'll have your mother ask him."

Okay~

(End of this chapter)