Bearing the blue sky

Chapter 320 Great River City! Southern Vietnam and Myanmar Wilderness!

Sun Chuan bid farewell, while Zhu Ge began to ponder the next matter.

creation!

The creation of novels is similar to the creation of poetry and prose.

All of these are done before the story is finished, so the growth of literary energy can be suppressed.

In other words, if Zhu Ge wanted, he could suppress the literary style of a book until the very last moment after it was finished, and then let it grow stronger.

Since that's the case, he might as well make some arrangements.

"The day I arrive in Shengjing will be the day this book ends?" Zhu Ge murmured to himself, then couldn't help but smile.

"Oh? Master, what book is it?" Liu Jianjian asked curiously.

Zhu Ge smiled mysteriously: "You'll find out then."

As she spoke, Zhu Ge sat down, took out paper and pen, and prepared to take advantage of the surge of inspiration to begin copying a work from her memory.

"Jianjian, drive carefully!"

"Quicksand, grind the ink for me!"

Zhu Ge sat down, and Hua Liusha emerged from Zhu Ge's body to begin grinding ink.

A pair of pale red eyes stared intently at Zhu Ge's paper, filled with curiosity.

Zhu Ge then began to pick up a brush, dip it in ink, and write.

Speaking of which, Hua Liusha was the first reader of all of Zhu Ge's stories published in the newspaper.

"Sister Liusha, read it to me quickly!" Liu Jianjian was also extremely curious.

Then, Hua Liusha said softly, "Overseas, there is a country called Aolai. The country is near the sea, and in the sea stands a famous mountain called Flower and Fruit Mountain—"

'

Yunjiang, the border region.

The bone monster clone sensed that its main body had entered a state of focus and couldn't help but grin.

Yan Liyuan, standing nearby, couldn't help but ask curiously, "Brother Zhu, what good news is it now?"

"Nothing?" The bone monster clone chuckled.

Yan Liyuan didn't say anything.

After all, the chicken made of bones in front of them is actually a bone monster in the shape of a chicken, and this bone monster is actually Zhu Ge's clone.

Most importantly, the relationship between this clone and Zhu Ge is like that of the thumb and index finger; although they are separate, they belong to the same entity and are commanded by the same soul.

This means that Zhu Ge, whose multitasking skills are not particularly refined, sometimes has to devote less energy to the bone monster clone.

As a result, most of the time, the bone monster's clone doesn't have many expressions or tones.

Most of the time, they operate like machines.

However, if the blessing enters a certain state, such as a moment of enlightenment.

All of Zhu Ge's heartfelt words can then enter the Bone Monster's clone.

Back then, the bone monster's clones didn't resemble a machine that could only answer automatically.

Now that the bone monster clone was laughing, Yan Liyuan knew that it was Zhu Ge's main body doing something again, which was why it was able to project more of its consciousness over.

"Speaking of which, Brother Zhu has been through quite a few troubles lately!" Yan Liyuan shook his head with a smile: "This makes me realize the helplessness that Jian Dao and the others felt when facing Lin Zhi back then."

Back then, Lin Zhi, Mingxing, Yuan Shentong and others emerged one after another, while Jian Dao and others who were originally at the top of the list were defeated one after another.

It must be said that there are differences between geniuses.

Just like now.

Yan Liyuan was clearly one of the top talents on the "List of the State".

I met Zhu Ge a few months ago. Zhu Ge could barely hold out against Guan Julang and Su Feibai for a few rounds before escaping.

How long has it been?

Zhu Ge then accomplished a series of significant feats.

Now, let alone Yan Liyuan, even the powerful clans behind Yan Liyuan wouldn't dare to touch a hair on Zhu Ge's head.

Even the once high and mighty head of the Yan family, that powerful being at the Fusion Realm, made a special trip to the Southern Wilderness of Myanmar to meet Yan Liyuan.

It wasn't to make Yan Liyuan do anything, but just to encourage him a few words, and casually said, "I'm happy to see a young man like you in the family, haha, young people should make more friends, making friends is good, haha," and then he returned to Lujiang.

This left Yan Liyuan both amused and exasperated.

However, it also made Yan Liyuan realize just how talented his friend Zhu was.

You should know that normally, let alone the Fusion Realm, even the Great Realm would basically allow someone to roam freely across this land.

Even those in the Three Realms, like the fisherman in the straw raincoat, or those in the Three Realms like Yan Liyuan, can travel across several territories.

After all, with divine consciousness, the safety factor is far higher than that of the first and second realms.

Therefore, those at the Great Realm are basically the backbone of various families, sects, and other forces.

The forces that possess the Fusion Realm are directly ancient families, immortal sects, powerful clans, and major sects with a lifespan of over a thousand years.

However, Zhu Ge has several such beings.

Moreover, it has only one function: to protect the road, or to keep watch.

These powerful figures and fusion cultivators, putting aside everything else, would be quite easy for Zhu Ge to ask them to wipe out some minor sect if he asked.

Thinking of this, Yan Liyuan's smile vanished, and his mood suddenly soured.

Comparing yourself to others will only make you miserable!

"Genius? I wouldn't call myself a genius," Zhu Ge said modestly, then his expression turned serious as he looked at the map in front of him: "We don't need to consider True Self Realm or Fusion Realm experts in the Southern Yue and Myanmar Wilderness, but there should still be some Great Realm beings. Do you think there's anything strange about this great river?"

Zhu Ge pointed with his bone wings to a large river on the map in front of him.

The Southern Yue and Myanmar wilderness was wiped out by the True Lord's sword, leaving only those at the third realm and below.

However, after some time has passed, it's possible that some people in the third realm might break through.

Therefore, now that they are halfway through the march, Zhu Ge and Yan Liyuan are discussing their next strategy.

It's important to understand that the wilderness of southern Vietnam and Myanmar is vast, with cities scattered in various locations, making it quite troublesome to conquer them one by one.

They have only occupied less than five percent of the land so far, and that's with only one or two hundred people left to occupy each city.

Normally, a city with fewer than 5,000 people guarding it would be difficult to suppress even a popular uprising.

However, their army was small, so they had to make do with what they had to do in this emergency.

However, Zhu Ge has already instructed Yu Xiucai to recruit more people within the territory of Honghe Prefecture, hoping it will be useful.

Now, the nearest city is called "Great River City," and the mighty river that surrounds the city makes Zhu Ge feel that something is very wrong.

Rivertown —

As Zhu Ge's bone wings swept across the map, they created a very faint friction sound, like dry bones touching paper.

His gaze fell on the winding river, which stretched from the edge of the map all the way to the north side of the city, then circled around the city and disappeared into the creases of the map.

"What's wrong with this river?" Yan Liyuan moved closer, his gaze following the course of the river. "It looks like an ordinary river, not wide, and the current is relatively gentle."

"It's because it's too calm." Zhu Ge frowned. "The rivers we've crossed before all have obvious changes in flow rate, such as faster during the rainy season and slower during the dry season."

"But the width and flow rate of this river marked on the map do not match the conclusions of the on-site investigation. The actual flow rate is faster than the map indicates, and the riverbed is also deeper than expected."

"Indeed." Yan Liyuan was silent for a moment, then his gaze lingered on the course of the river for a while. "You mean, the water level in this river is abnormal?"

"Something's not right." Zhu Ge nodded. "Either there's some kind of water storage mechanism upstream regulating the flow, or something at the bottom of the river is changing the course of the river."

"Then which one do you think it is?" Yan Liyuan frowned as well.

"They could all be the same one." Zhu Ge looked outside. "We'll only know if we go and see for ourselves."

Yan Liyuan didn't ask any further questions. He put the map away, folded it up, and put it back in his sleeve. "Then let's set off early tomorrow morning and try to reach the outskirts of Dahe City before nightfall."

"No rush." ​​Zhu Ge nodded. "Once we get outside the city, don't rush into it. Let's stay by the river for the night."

Yan Liyuan nodded without asking any further questions. He was already used to Zhu Ge's way of doing things by checking things out in advance. Then he turned and walked towards the camp.

Early the next morning, the team set off from the camp and headed south along an old road covered with weeds.

The road surface was flatter than expected, although the vegetation on both sides had grown taller than a person.

However, the road surface itself did not have any obvious potholes or collapses, and it looked as if someone had walked on it recently.

After walking for more than an hour, the terrain ahead gradually opened up, the vegetation became sparse, and the outline of the city wall could be faintly seen in the distance.

The river appeared in an open area.

The river was wider than marked on the map, and the current was faster than expected. The water level gleamed with a dark sheen under the afternoon sun.

The riverbanks are covered with dense reeds, their roots submerged in shallow water, swaying gently with the current, as if the whole river is breathing.

Zhu Ge stopped by the river, neither rushing to cross nor allowing anyone to approach the riverbank.

He stood on a slightly elevated earthen slope, watching the river flow, his gaze slowly moving along the direction of the current. Yan Liyuan walked to his side, also looking at the river, and neither of them spoke.

There were no boats or ferries on the river.

There are no obvious signs of human intervention on either side of the riverbank, but at the junction of the reeds and the water, you can vaguely see a few wooden stakes that have been washed away by the water, like remnants of an old ferry crossing that has been abandoned for a long time.

"This river is indeed extraordinary." The blue flames in Zhu Ge's eye sockets flickered.

"What's so special about it?" Yan Liyuan asked curiously.

"The water temperature is lower than that of normal river water," Zhu Ge said.

Yan Liyuan bent down, put his hand into the water, and felt it for a while: "It is indeed colder than expected, and the water tastes like mud and sand, but the riverbed seems to have been repeatedly washed by something, and the edges are very smooth."

"There's something at the bottom of that river," Zhu Ge smiled. "And it's not something that formed naturally."

He withdrew his gaze, walked down the earthen slope, came to the riverbank, squatted down, and extended his bony wings to probe into the water.

The water flow created a slight resistance at the edge of his fingertips, as if something was slowly moving underwater, transmitting some movement from deeper places that had not yet fully reached the surface.

He didn't disturb the being; he simply withdrew his fingers, wiped the water stains on the hem of his clothes, and then stood up: "We'll camp by the river tonight and not go into the city."

Yan Liyuan didn't ask any further questions and turned to arrange the campsite.

The team stopped about a hundred paces from the riverbank and began setting up tents.

Several bonfires lit up one after another in the twilight, their light illuminating the reeds and sandy ground near the riverbank.

The soldiers dispersed, some organizing their gear, some preparing dinner, and others going to the river to fetch water, but Yan Liyuan quickly called them back: "Use the stored water first, don't drink directly from the river."

After the sky completely darkened, a thin layer of mist rose on the river surface, flowing slowly as if it were alive, extending towards the shore.

The edges of the mist appeared a deep blue-green in the light of the campfire, as if something in the water was projecting its color onto the surface.

Zhu Ge sat on a rock at the edge of the camp, his gaze fixed on the river, not moving, as if waiting for the mist to go where it was supposed to go.

Guan Julang walked up from behind, squatted down next to him, and followed his gaze to the river: "Hey, what the hell is going on with this river?"

"There might be something living underwater," Zhu Ge guessed. "And it's watching us."

"Then why isn't it making a move?" Guan Julang asked in surprise. "What could possibly evade the detection of so many of us?"

Surely it's not another powerful god or demon?

"Hard to say," Zhu Ge smiled.

Along the way, Guan Julang and Su Feibai also grew rapidly.

After overcoming numerous obstacles and defeating many opponents, Guan Julang felt his strength had increased dramatically and often wanted to test his skills against a greater opponent.

The most abundant thing in the southern Vietnamese wilderness is—demons!

Demons and ghosts are of the same kind, both formed from the convergence of the souls of living beings.

If a ghost like Hua Liusha has absorbed too many souls of living beings, it will turn into a demon.

However, if Hua Liusha only absorbs yin energy, then it is still a ghost.

Ghosts and demons are vastly different.

Ghosts are free spirits.

The demon is a ghost in the forest beneath the sky.

This is the meaning derived from the breakdown of the character "魔" (mo), and it is also the original intention of the ancient great being who invented the character "魔".

In other words, a demon is a trapped ghost.

If a wandering ghost like Hua Liusha has devoured too much debris in the early stages, causing it to lose its purity and become a demon, its path to advancement will be limited in many ways.

Becoming a Great Demon might be the limit, preventing one from reaching the Fusion Realm.

Even if one becomes one, one will still be hunted down by beings like the True Lord of the Lantern Realm who are in the True Self Realm.

But ghosts are different.

Back then, True Lord Lantern had high hopes for Hua Liusha, expecting him to become a great demon and then transform from extreme yin to yang, thus having a chance to achieve the Great Dao of True Self.

However, in the desolate lands of southern Vietnam and Myanmar, the most abundant thing is demons.

Like the previous Locust Demon Prince, who possessed both the arts of witchcraft and the arts of demons, he was the most demonic of all.

"The vast Eastern Sea is teeming with countless demonic beasts."

"In the western deserts, monsters roam freely."

"Southern Vietnam and Myanmar are desolate, and witchcraft and demons are everywhere."

"The northern barbarian lands, a kingdom of ghosts and gods."

Zhu Ge looked at the river and smiled: "This great river has swallowed countless lives, and the chaotic impurities have long affected the formation of its river god, river monster, and river ghost."

"In other words, this river may possess the power of a Great Being, but not the realm of a Great Being."

"It doesn't even have a complete intelligence; it's just something with animalistic instincts."

"It will only expand uncontrollably and devour everything."

"The problem is that the more it devours, the more mixed its aura becomes, and the less likely it is to develop intelligence."

"Without intelligence, one cannot control one's power, and is like a pile of loose sand."

"If any of us can enlighten this river, perhaps this great river city will fall without a fight."