A Scroll of Infinite Glory

Guan Luoyang pointed to the ditch in the ground and said, "These marks should be quite obvious, right? Didn't you follow them?"

The giant python must have gone through a fierce battle here. With the tracks left by the galloping elephants, it became quite messy, but in the end, it still managed to swim out of the battlefield through that ravine.

General Yu looked at the traces, his face showing shock, tension, and anger. He snorted and said, "The traces of that demon have been broken. Daoist, come with me."

He led Guan Luoyang along this path into the forest, and looking around, they could still vaguely see some soldiers searching everywhere.

However, this ravine disappears into a small river about three hundred steps into the forest.

This place was once again a battlefield, with broken trees, several corpses on the ground, some overturned large blue stones, and broken swords.

General Yu said, "The traces of the monster end here. It has obviously gone into the water. I sent people to check along this current, but there are many branches. We still don't know where it will come ashore."

There are still some messy little traces around, but they are too scattered to tell which direction that important person would go.

In Southeast Asia, the area covered by wilderness and forests is so vast that once you leave the prefectures and towns, no one knows exactly how many rivers might flow through a forest.

General Yu hurriedly sent people to seek help from the Zhenwu Temple because he understood that relying solely on ordinary soldiers to find those few people in the desolate forest was like finding a needle in a haystack.

Guan Luoyang stared at a tree and reached out to touch the broken part of the trunk.

The tree, about two feet in diameter, was cut diagonally, with a clean cut, revealing deep and dense annual rings inside.

This tree was cut down with a single stroke. With such a skilled fighter by his side, it's no wonder that nobleman was able to escape into the forest after the fierce battle.

However, Guan Luoyang did not believe that the monster had given up its pursuit of the group.

The logic is simple: this place is not far from the river. If they can defeat the python here, they can return to the riverbank and continue their journey.

But they disappeared here and fled into the depths of the forest.

"That's strange. If it was for hunting, with those elephants there, that demonic snake should have been full by now. Why did it abandon those huge elephants and keep chasing after a few people?"

Guan Luoyang looked at General Yu and asked, "Is there something on that nobleman that particularly attracts pythons?"

General Yu shook his head: "It's hard to say. I was only ordered to come and meet them, and I don't know the specifics of that important person. But if you ask me, this snake might just be holding a grudge."

"Holding a grudge?" Guan Luoyang asked, somewhat puzzled.

General Yu explained with a worried expression: "The legend of snakes being spiritual beings and seeking revenge and gratitude is prevalent in both China and Jiaozhi. Cui Wei of the Tang Dynasty is an example of this."

"In Jiaozhi, there is a custom that if a snake escapes from a snake catcher, the snake catcher must go to a temple to ask for a protective amulet within three years. This is because snakes are known to hold grudges and seek revenge."

"The nobleman's party encountered the snake horde, and a fierce battle ensued. As the leader, it's only natural that he would be resented by the monsters."

A commotion arose from the riverbank.

When Guan Luoyang and General Yu came out of the woods, they saw that monks were arriving one after another.

The situation was urgent, and there was no time for formalities.

The first few mages to arrive each displayed their unique skills: some used a compass in their left hand and divination in their right, some released a blood-beaked bird from their sleeves, and others walked around with their hands behind their backs, surveying the battlefield.

Qiu Shi and his group were young and strong, and were among the first to arrive. They quietly approached Guan Luoyang, whispered a few words to each other, and quickly found out what had happened.

"Unexpectedly, while we were fighting with evil sorcerers and engaging in some kind of Taoist-Buddhist battle, the demons quietly gained power."

Qiu Shi sighed, "This monster has been cultivating for countless years. It probably seized the opportunity when the earth dragon turned over, taking advantage of the chaotic energy and the sudden outbreak of disasters. After a difficult molting, it was just the right time to eat people for nourishment."

To ordinary pythons, there is no difference between humans and wild beasts, but to demons, eating humans is most helpful for cultivation, especially eating masters of martial arts or sorcerers.

Guan Luoyang said, "Aren't you going to use magic to search for it?"

"Can't find it."

Qiu Shi shook his head and pointed to the ground, saying, "Snakes and elephants are the easiest to communicate with spirits. So many venomous snakes, pythons, and elephants have died here. Seventy percent of the world's magic will be affected here. Moreover, that noble person's identity is not ordinary. If we want to use this place as a starting point to calculate their location, our group's cultivation is not enough."

Guan Luoyang asked, "Would Master Yanglian and Old Man Huangtou be suitable?"

"Neither of them may be proficient in this kind of magic."

Qiu Shi turned around and said, "Besides Master and Uncle, Daoist Zhiyuan, Master Gaodian, and that Dada, perhaps they can help with this matter."

The people he mentioned also arrived one after another.

Everyone has their own area of ​​expertise. Take that Da Duo, for example. He's always been a sycophant, flattering Wei Dinggong. He doesn't even have the qualifications to go on stage and fight for the command.

But his magic is indeed unique. He has developed a keen sense of smell, which allows him to detect the movements of ghosts and spirits, as well as to detect their scents in the wind and track them down from a hundred miles away.

All I could see was Da Duo scooping up handfuls of wind, bringing them to his nose, and muttering incoherently.

Master Zhiyuan brought an incense burner, yellow talismans, and a wooden sword to perform rituals and consult with the spirits.

After the monk Gao Dian went to the general and inquired about the nobleman, he first bowed twice to the elephant corpses, then sat on one of the elephants, placed his staff wrapped in hemp cloth across his knees, and meditated silently.

At noon, sunlight bathed the riverbanks.

The blood, soaking into the soil, evaporated under the scorching sun, releasing even more of its fishy smell, and its color gradually lightened, making the red between the soil particles even more visible.

Guan Luoyang waited quietly, looking up at the sun. The warmth throughout his body continued to nourish his bones. The Azure Bird's vital energy was now hanging around his spine and coiling along his ribs to his front. The feeling of his upper body bones being tempered was more obvious.

He suddenly blinked his eyes at the sun, as if sensing something, and tried to raise his left hand slightly.

Qiu Shi seemed to sense something and turned his head to look. He was a little dizzy, as if he felt Guan Luoyang's body had just floated for a moment.

It was as if it had lost most of its weight in that instant, and was almost blown away by the wind.

Just then, a surprised voice came from Master Zhiyuan's direction, attracting everyone's attention.

He slammed his sword down on the incense burner.

"There are other people calculating directions, all of whom are practicing heretical methods and are incompatible with us, thus interfering with our work."

………………

Outside the jungle, Hanami, dressed in a brown outfit, opened her eyes amidst a crowd of figures.

The calculations and clashes between the two forces have completely disrupted the natural order, leaving them only with a vague final answer.

"Their answer should be the same as ours: five general directions, five areas..."

The old eunuch Chen announced this conclusion: "King Yue and his men are probably still on the move. After today, all these answers will be wrong. Let's set off immediately."

Hua Mi asked, "Are you really going to go with me?"

"Heh, didn't Lord Ma say that we should use as much strength as we can? I think I have some ability."

Old Eunuch Chen smiled and said, "Besides, you may have only heard of the King of Yue, but when I was active in Jiangnan a few years ago, I personally experienced how troublesome he was. If we missed the opportunity to kill him with our own hands, we would definitely regret it for the rest of our lives."