Ark Undead

"Yes, it's difficult to find the exact source now. But according to the analysis of many people, as well as the information provided by the fragments, this is the crater created when the god you shot down crashed into the ground."

At this point, General Li was about to speak when Ling, who was standing next to him, chimed in to add to the discussion.

"On the day of the final battle, you shot down an old man with your great bow. You used most of your power to imprison him here, and then you went in to fight him yourself. The traces of the battle left a huge crater in this place. His corpse turned into soil and mountains after his death, covering this huge crater, and finally turning into this mountain."

"Although it looks like a mountain from the outside, there are crisscrossing passages inside, one after another leading underground. At the very bottom is the passage opened by his exchange with the abyss. Then you dragged us to sleep. I don't know where you put the real fire. In the decades I served in the army, I never encountered a fire-worshiping ceremony, so I didn't stay in the south for long."

After Ling finished speaking, he saw General Li next to him ask with a curious look.

Who is this?

He made himself speak and answer General Li.

"My name is Ling. You may have heard of me."

"Could it be General Ling, the famous general who defended the north hundreds of years ago?"

The veteran looked slightly agitated; he thought of the rumor circulating in the army.

"Exactly."

The veteran stood up straight, his expression unconsciously becoming somewhat solemn, indicating that he had quickly immersed himself in the role.

"Since retiring from the army, I have never entered Yumen again. Today, returning to Yumen fills my heart with joy."

General Li's lips moved slightly; he was genuinely pleased.

Today, we not only met a divine general, but also a figure from history. As a fragment of a divine beast, he considered himself a comrade-in-arms and fought alongside many people of the Great Yan against the demons of the north.

The old general quietly wiped the corner of his wrinkled eyes and continued to steady himself.

"In short, the Ten Thousand Demon Cave itself is layered and has many caves. Our army also has to re-measure the terrain every year to ensure that there will be no problems every time we enter the Ten Thousand Demon Cave."

“Every year, we need to clear out the demons that are born near the Cave of Ten Thousand Demons. We use the flames that we briefly obtained from the True Fire to go to these newly born passages and seal them all with the True Fire. Only in this way can we ensure that the Cave of Ten Thousand Demons remains peaceful and stable for the following year.”

"Moreover, the fire-worshiping ceremony will be held after the New Year. When the ceremony ends, the Southern Expeditionary Army will set off for the Cave of Ten Thousand Demons to cleanse the demons and rekindle the fire."

The old general looked at the immortal.

"At that time, I will go to the Cave of Ten Thousand Demons with the Divine General."

"Um..."

The immortals naturally had no objection to this arrangement.

As expected of a general, General Li Qing's speed of doing things is on a completely different level from that of Lord Liang Xun.

However, Liang Xun was also restrained by the forces of the imperial court.

General Li probably had already made preparations to go to the Cave of Ten Thousand Demons when the Undying Man was still in Shang Shu.

However, there is still one question that the Undead wanted to ask before they even reached Yumen.

"I remember, there was also an army..."

"Ah, yes, the Southern Expeditionary Army, right?"

General Li nodded, indicating that he remembered the incident.

"Your current position is the Chief Instructor of the Southern Expeditionary Army, and also the commander of this expedition. Therefore, all soldiers going to the Ten Thousand Demon Cave are members of the Southern Expeditionary Army. Currently, we have selected more than a thousand soldiers to go to the Ten Thousand Demon Cave. Once the soldiers have completed their registration by tomorrow, we will arrange training."

"one thousand."

The Undead silently recited the number and then remained silent.

He vaguely remembered that the number he heard at the time was 30,000. He never expected it to have shrunk so much.

The old general didn't seem to notice anything wrong with the number and immediately changed the subject to another issue.

"My lord, would you like to give a speech to the soldiers to boost their morale or something?"

Speaking in public is something that even if you don't die, it's still a bit of a challenge.

The main problem is that he didn't know what to say.

So he shook his head, feeling that he wasn't suited to do such a thing.

"forget it."

"Alright, let's remove this step. General, you can rest well in the army. The day after tomorrow is New Year's Eve, and the army and the people of Yumen Pass will be celebrating the festival. Just enjoy the festive atmosphere these few days. Recharge your energy and wait for the fire-worshiping ceremony on the second day of the new year."

"Good work."

The immortal thanked General Li, who shook his head and bowed to the immortal.

"Then this humble general shall take his leave first. There are still many details to arrange in the army. My son, Li Mo, will take my place in welcoming the Divine General. What do you think?"

Keep everything simple.

Undead people don't have any special requirements.

"Go ahead and get busy."

"Yes!"

...

When Li Mo came out of the general's tent, he was already waiting outside. He was also very excited when he saw the Undead. His arms were trembling when he clasped his hands in greeting to everyone.

When Li Mo first saw the immortal, he couldn't speak. He stammered for a long time before finally managing to utter only one sentence.

"The divine general is mighty!"

Reiwa Nian laughed from behind, and Ongstein deliberately slowed down a couple of steps, leaving the Undead Man alone in front walking with General Li.

Seeing Li Mo's respectful demeanor towards the undead, Onstan was reminded of his own past. As a dragon hunter himself, he had been treated the same way among the silver knights, and he felt a pang of nostalgia.

"That's something to miss."

Both Nian and Ling had always been curious about Ongstein.

As a friend of the immortal, Onstan is also clearly a long-lived being. He himself said that he had traveled to the Great Yan a long time ago.

Since it is an immortal species, and Onstan is not an early human, nor does it have any obvious racial characteristics, we can only guess that it is not a person of this era.

Could it be that the deceased had friends he knew long ago? And, like him, lived to this point?

"Mr. Onstan, I've always been curious, what race are you?"

Ling decided to ask anyway, to satisfy her curiosity.

Onstan turned his head to the side, glanced down at the order, and shook his head.

“I am not of any race. I am not of any race now. I am just an ordinary person.”

Since the Age of Fire vanished, the so-called gods of the past were merely a race from that Age of Fire. Moreover, having lost the Primal Forge, the remaining power within Ornstein can no longer be considered divine.

His self-perception had changed from that of a god to that of a slightly taller, ordinary person.

This is one of his feelings after traveling in Terra for so long.

When a person lives in an environment and a social structure that is completely unfamiliar to them, their previous identity becomes meaningless.

The title of Dragon Slayer Knight, which they were so proud of, is nothing more than a name that has faded away with the old era.

"Is this how an ordinary person who has lived for a long time is?"

Ling nodded without asking any further questions.

Everyone has their own secrets, and digging too deep will only annoy people.

Led by Li Mo, the group walked for more than twenty minutes before leaving the military region.

Continuing along the only main road, it wasn't long before the lights in the distance gradually brightened, and many merchants began to hawk their wares along the street.

"If the general does not wish to stay in the army camp, then find an inn in the city to rest. If you have any questions, you can come to the army camp to find me at any time."

Li Mo found an inn for the Undead and his companions, and after registering their information, he spoke to the Undead.

"The day after tomorrow is Lunar New Year's Eve. The army needs to prepare things on the first day of the new year, and the fire-worship ceremony will be held on the second day. General, you only need to come to the military area early on the second day."

"If there are no other important matters, I will take my leave now."

"Go ahead, thank you for your hard work."

The immortal reached out and patted Li Mo on the shoulder.

Li Mo trembled, his voice brimming with barely suppressed excitement.

"It's not tiring at all, please rest well. I'll take my leave now!"

The immortal turned back to watch Li Mo leave, looking travel-worn, then took the door key and went upstairs.

Before going upstairs, he asked the receptionist again.

"Do you have an iron basin? Do you have firewood?"

The receptionist looked slightly puzzled, but nodded nonetheless.

"Yes, it will be sent up to you in a moment."

311. Lunar New Year's Eve

Wow! It's snowing!

Early in the morning, Nian was shouting and yelling in the house.

However, most of the people in this house don't need to sleep. Therefore, there's no problem of being woken up.

The Undead and Ornstein looked up from their contemplative rest by the campfire, and then heard Ling, who was also sitting by the campfire drinking, speak.

"You've seen snow before, why are you so happy?"

Ling stretched lazily. He hadn't finished the wine he bought yesterday, and he didn't need to go out today.

Nian reached out and touched the outside of the window for a while, feeling the snowflakes fall on his palm, slowly melting and leaving a puddle of water.

"The changing seasons are a joy in themselves. Besides, it's rare to see snow in Shangshu after living here for a while. Shangshu is a city that only has winter and summer, but no spring or autumn."

This statement is not true. Shangshu also has four seasons, but spring and autumn are very short.

In Shangshu, temperatures can drop or rise very quickly. Therefore, it's easy to see people wearing down jackets in the morning and young women in short sleeves and shorts strolling around in the afternoon.

Moreover, Shangshu itself is prone to heat accumulation, and it is rare to see snow in winter. Even if it snows occasionally, it will never leave large snowdrifts on the ground like Lungmen and Ursus.

Unexpectedly, it snowed in Yumen, the southernmost city, and a thick layer of snow had already accumulated on the ground.