Ark Undead

321. Passing on the torch

"One, two, three, yay!"

A large crowd surged forth, with countless burly men carrying thick ropes tied to piles of stones behind them, heading towards the makeshift construction site.

Today is a big day; it's the day the carving begins on the memorial monument to the deceased, marking the melting of the bones.

At that time, not only will the ashes of the heroes be sealed in the monument, but a Taoist master will also be needed to melt the gaps between the stones, so that the entire stone will be integrated into a single, unified giant monument.

Once the inscription is finished, the Celestial Master will use his great power to move the memorial stele and erect it in the Dayan Mausoleum, where it will stand for a thousand years.

Seeing that the stones were almost moved, Liang Xun was also feeling a surge of excitement.

After all, he knew that today was not only the day the Celestial Master made his move to melt away the bones and dissolve the marks, but also the day that person left his mark on the Great Yan for the first time in thousands of years.

This news was naturally released by the Emperor.

Upon hearing that the Emperor was delighted after speaking with the divine general, His Majesty's complexion improved considerably. In the past few days, the Imperial Kitchen has also seized the opportunity to prepare some dishes that the Emperor used to dislike, hoping to give him a taste of something new.

Hearing this news, Liang Xun felt much relieved.

The divine general's imposing presence was naturally effective. Even the common people volunteered their labor, hoping the stone tablet would be completed quickly so they could catch a glimpse of the divine general's magnificence.

After all, most people had only seen divine generals in paintings and books, and had no idea that the ragged knight who might pass by them at some point, wearing foreign armor, carrying a greatsword on his back and a spiral sword at his waist, was their divine general.

After taking a sip of tea, Liang Xun felt a surge of excitement. He simply rolled up his sleeves and prepared to rush down, carrying a rope and dragging the stones with him.

Fortunately, Yan Di, who was beside him, persuaded him in every way that he gave up this plan.

Then Yan Diyi spoke righteously.

"You mustn't do that, sir, it would damage your dignity, but I can!"

Then, before Liang Xun could agree, Yan Di threw off his coat, rushed down, and joined the sea of ​​people.

Liang Xun was stunned for a moment before he realized that Yan Di had already put on a rope and was moving stones with the workers.

Until noon, the clouds dispersed, and the dazzling sun, against the backdrop of winter, appeared exceptionally warm.

The workers put down the hemp ropes binding them, took a bowl of warm water from their companions, drank it comfortably, wiped the sweat from their brows, and looked back.

The stones had been piled up into a cylindrical shape, resting in the middle of the carved platform.

Soldiers were already stationed next to the engraving table, keeping unauthorized personnel out of the way.

Because now is the time for sealing the bones.

Li Mo, who should have been the border general in Yumen, appeared here instead, carrying a huge earthenware pot, walking up from below the inscription platform.

He carried no weapons, but was wearing armor, and with the earthenware pot on his shoulder, it must have weighed several hundred pounds.

He climbed the steps of the engraving platform all the way to the top, to the middle of the pile of stones, and then lifted the earthenware pot on his shoulder and smashed it into the middle of the pile of stones.

Clang!

The earthenware pot shattered, and dust filled the air.

This is the smallest number of corpses among the soldiers who died on the frontier over the past thirty years.

Each person took a small pinch of ashes and put them into an earthenware jar, which over the course of more than thirty years accumulated into such a large earthenware jar.

Today, the ashes in this earthenware jar are falling layer by layer through the cracks in the stone, some even about to hit the ground.

But at that moment, a talisman flew in from the horizon.

An elderly man with white hair stood on a high platform. With a gesture of his hand, real fire ignited from the talisman and then stuck to the pile of stones.

Beneath the stone and ashes, flames suddenly began to rise and extend upwards.

Surprisingly, the flames did not scorch the carving platform next to it, and even Li Mo did not feel any heat at all.

The Celestial Master appeared calm, but his left hand was already clenched into a fist.

He wanted to directly control a portion of the true fire to scorch the stone. Even with his cultivation, he couldn't achieve perfect control, and at this moment, he felt a burning pain spreading throughout his body.

It was the same old Taoist priest who had met with the emperor before.

Under the scorching heat of a real fire, the stone gradually fused with the ashes.

The ashes were used as the sealant, erasing the edges of the entire stone and leaving only a smooth surface.

When the last wisp of flame dissipated, the entire pile of cylindrical stones had become a perfectly round piece, slightly smaller than before. The burning of the real fire had extinguished some of the impurities, leaving only the hardest part.

"Straight ahead," the old master said loudly, lowering the two fingers of his right hand.

"Today, the Fire Offering Monument is completed, perfectly round and auspicious. It also carries the list of fallen soldiers, which is just waiting to be engraved before it can be sent to the cemetery to be worshipped by the people of Great Yan for generations to come."

The old master's voice wasn't clear, and he was showing signs of old age, but it was still full of energy and covered the entire area around the construction site.

"Therefore, we respectfully invite the divine general to inscribe the first stroke of the inscription!"

Upon hearing the old Celestial Master's last words, the crowd below erupted in thunderous cheers.

"We respectfully invite the divine general!"

"A divine general has arrived?! He's really here?!"

"Divine General! Divine General!"

Like a large-scale fan meeting, Ongstein never expected that he would see such a fervent scene in the Great Yan Kingdom, just like the one in Casimir.

He breathed a sigh of relief and looked at the immortal beside him with a smile.

"It's your turn to go on stage."

The immortal nodded slightly, then bent his knees and pressed down before leaping up suddenly.

A dark gray figure leaped up from the crowd. He was originally inconspicuous, but flames already accompanied him in mid-air.

Lava-like patterns erupted on his armor, igniting in the air, like a magnificent straight line drawn horizontally in a painting with cinnabar.

The ball of flame passed over the crowd of several dozen meters and landed gently.

The shouts of the crowd grew louder, and the Undead took a deep breath.

Flame patterns ran up his right arm and condensed into a tiny flame at the tip of his raised finger.

Even at midday, the scorching sunlight could not steal the brilliance of the flame at his fingertips.

Li Mo naturally lowered his head to respectfully welcome the divine general.

After the old celestial master noticed the flames at the immortal man's fingertips, his eyes felt like they were being pierced by needles, and he couldn't look directly at the flames.

So the old man willingly lowered his head, and clear tears slowly flowed from his eyes.

That was real fire, a flame of extreme purity.

The people below, upon seeing the flames, were captivated by them and dared not look away.

As the undead stretched out his arm, the moment his fingertips touched the stone tablet, flames left their mark on it.

The immortal, following the instructions given yesterday, had the first name engraved on the stone tablet using the characters he had been taught to write.

Li Qing.

As he wrote down this name, the immortal thought of the old man again.

Even when his body transformed into an insect, the old man still rushed towards the flames without hesitation.

At that moment, he had already shed his burdens, yet he was still willing to let everything stored within him become fuel for the flames, so that the immortals could have 30,000 heroic souls to accompany him on his campaign.

Just as the Undead gave the Emperor's reason, there was such a general, and such people of the Great Yan.

Perhaps their fate will truly be different from Lothric's; their efforts have already earned the recognition of the Undead.

When the last stroke was finished, the Undead withdrew his finger.

Following the name, scorched cracks spread across the entire surface of the stone tablet, with crimson flames emanating from within them. In an instant, these cracks merged back into the stone tablet.

This is another gift left by the Undead to the Great Yan.

With the souls and wills of tens of thousands of heroes fused together, and suppressed by the Primordial Flame, as long as this stone tablet exists, demons will never appear in the capital again.

Even if someone as reckless as Therese insists on causing trouble in the Great Yan, he's just courting death.

The crowd below the stage continued to cheer loudly. The Undead turned his head and saw Li Mo, who had been standing beside him without moving an inch.

She walked over to him and gently patted his shoulder.

"come on."

Li Mo moved slightly, his nose tingling, knowing that the general's words were because of the deep impression his father had left on him.

My father has always loved listening to opera, and he's even acted in some himself. I wonder how he would feel if he knew he'd made an impression on a deity?

But he simply clasped his hands in a fist salute and responded in a deep voice.

"promise!"

...

By noon, the events that had occurred in the city had spread throughout the entire capital.

The people spread the news, and everyone knew that the God had truly returned, and even left inscriptions on the stone tablet.

The flames burning fiercely in the Great Flame seemed to have grown even larger.

After completing the fire-worshiping ceremony, Li Mo will travel to Yumen to oversee the progress of Yumen after the mountain relocation and route change.

He simply greeted the undead and left immediately.

He adapted quickly, having learned from his father for several years and already possessing considerable expertise.

The emperor didn't speak to the immortal again; he knew the immortal was leaving.

However, Liang Xun, the official in charge of the people, came to the ferry near the capital to see off the undead man as he departed.

"Lord Liang, it's been a long time."

"It hasn't been very long."

Liang Xun put aside the officials and the rest of the people. After the stone tablet was erected, he no longer cared about them and finally got a period of rest.

"However, since the Divine General has just arrived in the capital, I have failed to show him the sights of the capital. This is my dereliction of duty, and I beg the Divine General to punish me."

Liang Xun's expression was serious, but only Yan Di behind him knew it.

This Lord Liang is only regretting that he can't play with the divine generals; what responsibility does he have?