Lu Mingfei, become the King of Elden!

Chapter 186 A Knight Must Keep His Oath
Lu Mingfei's mouth gaped slightly, his head buzzing, only the echo of O'Neill's last words reverberating in his ears, deafening:
Become the King of Elden!
How did the old man's logic suddenly shift to making him king?!
To be honest, although the goal of the Faded Ones on their journey is all to "become king", Lu Mingfei is definitely not among them.

In fact, he could have retired gracefully the moment he defeated Greck and captured Stoneville. The reasons he's still going this far are really just two:
1. His old brothers had helped him so much that in order to repay their kindness, he could only work hard to cultivate and train so as not to fall behind.

2. Melina.

Back then, Mei Xiaoqian and Lu Caichen met at the Ningmugefu Pass. Oh no, actually, Lu Mingfei had agreed to take Melina to the foot of the Golden Tree, and Melina had been keeping her promise to help Lu Mingfei. So, out of humanitarian spirit, Lu Mingfei definitely had to reach that damned royal city first before he could rest.

As for the king, let whoever wants to be king be king!
As Lu Mingfei was thinking this, he suddenly felt a powerful force on his buttocks, as if a size 45 foot had slammed into him.

Lu Mingfei stumbled and almost fell flat on his face. Looking back, he saw veteran Shaquille O'Neal glaring at him with a stern look.

"You brat, how long are you going to stay in the swamp?! Are you trying to kill me already?"

"Eh?"

Lu Mingfei didn't react for a moment.

"You've taken all the Pure Gold Needles, aren't you going to get out of here?" the old general cursed. "Do you think I'm made of iron? Even iron will be corroded in the crimson decay!"

"Oh oh oh oh oh oh!"

Lu Mingfei nodded hastily, instantly forgetting all about "Cheng Wang," his face turning embarrassed.

"You're right, let's go now."

As the old general picked up the military flag beside him, he muttered things like "disrespectful to his seniors" and "lacking manners."

This old guy is even more talkative than Lu Mingfei!
Lu Mingfei muttered to himself as he followed O'Neill out of the swamp.

O'Neill knew the swamp's paths like the back of his hand, knowing exactly where there was less decay and where to avoid the springs. It seemed he hadn't always stayed in the heart of the battlefield.

"General O'Neill," Lu Mingfei scratched his head and asked, "I have something to ask you."

“These young people these days are so indecisive,” O’Neill glanced at him. “Get to the point.”

Lu Mingfei pointed to the other side of the swamp and asked with some curiosity:
"Over there, in the mud not far from the tree roots, several knights in golden armor, wearing red cloaks, are pacing back and forth, with a limp."

O'Neill waved his hand, interrupting, indicating that Lu Mingfei didn't need to describe it anymore:

"That's the Corrupted Knight, the knightly order under 'Michaela's Blade' Malenia, renowned as an invincible force during the Shattered War. What, you've already clashed with him?"

Lu Mingfei nodded:

“It’s very difficult to deal with.”

“Of course,” O’Neill sneered, “because they are all reckless. In terms of martial arts, the Knight of the Lost Land may be better, but when it comes to risking their lives, even Ingwell would probably admit defeat.”

"why?"

Lu Mingfei looked puzzled:
"Because of loyalty? Is Crimson Corruption some kind of cult? Does it have that 'divine water' that makes you invulnerable to swords and spears, or that you can go to the Pure Land of Bliss after you die?"

"What is this all about?"

O'Neal frowned:
"That's because they willingly fought alongside Malenia, accepting the consequences of their gradual descent into corruption. That's why their battles were so fierce, so fearless of death—"

Because they will inevitably become corrupt sooner or later, and only corruption can breed new life.

Can corruption give birth to new life?

Is this the "doctrine" of Scarlet Corruption? It does sound plausible.
Led by O'Neill, the two soon left the Crimson Ionian Swamp and arrived at the edge of Galid Avenue.

It seems that, as O'Neill said, he stayed in the middle of the swamp to finish the unfinished war. Otherwise, with his strength, he could have left on his own.

We arrived at a place not far from Gewei's dilapidated house.

Lu Mingfei said to O'Neal:
"General, please wait here for me a moment. I need to hand over a task—no, I mean, a golden needle."

"Is this the guy who lives here?"

O'Neal nodded:

"Go, a knight must keep his oath. Don't you need me to accompany you?"

Lu Mingfei shook his head:
"That guy is a bit strange. Although I'm not afraid of him, just in case, I'll go by myself."

Seeing that Lu Mingfei had made up his mind, O'Neill said no more.

Lu Mingfei climbed the small hill where the dilapidated house was located. Ge Wei's dilapidated house was still the same as always, drafty on three sides and with a dog on one side.

The man named Gewei, dressed in a long robe that completely covered himself and who called himself a sage, was sitting on that old bench in the same posture as when Lu Mingfei left, as if time had stood still for him.

Lu Mingfei frowned, still feeling an inexplicable strangeness about the man, but considering their agreement and that Ge Wei wasn't searching for the golden needles for his sake, he didn't say anything more.

“Hey,” Lu Mingfei said calmly, “I found the golden needle, but it’s broken.”

Gewei raised his head, his tone slightly fluctuating:
"You found the pure gold needle? That's wonderful. Don't worry, I'll repair it."

As he spoke, he pulled a scroll of parchment with something written on it from his pocket:

"The secret of the town of Seria that I mentioned earlier is written here. I have also marked the Great Dragon Church and the Red Lion City."

Please allow me to examine that needle closely.

Lu Mingfei took the parchment and handed him the gold needle.

"Well"

Gewei carefully examined the gold needles, his face showing admiration:
"This is truly a masterpiece of craftsmanship. It is made by a master craftsman who understands the meaning of life, and is both delicate and fearless."

"Then, could you please wait outside for a moment? Because even the finest needle is useless if it breaks in two."

"go out?"

Lu Mingfei squinted, scrutinized him carefully, and then waved his hand:
"Alright, alright, anyway, according to the deal, the golden needles are already yours."

With that, Lu Mingfei turned and walked out of the dilapidated house, muttering to himself:

"Mysterious."

However, as a Dragon Eater with powerful "sensory" abilities, sometimes he doesn't need to rely on his eyes.

Lu Mingfei closed his eyes slightly and secretly laid a "net of heaven and earth" in Ge Wei's dilapidated house.

(End of this chapter)