Chapter 88: 【Path of the Nation】Route! Crushing the Xiang Nu!

“Everyone, no need for formalities.”

Qiu Bai returned the courtesy with a cupped fist, but he faced away from the group, not turning his head as he spoke:

“This time, the Daoist duel was connected to the newcomer trial. The three of you cooperated very well. You've all worked hard.”

“Especially Lord Bo Rui, your sacrifice was great.”

“True Person overpraises me!”

Bo Rui was flattered, only to see that Qiu Bai’s fingers began sketching in the air like painting. As streams of ink flowed toward him, a new arm quickly formed at the stump of his severed limb.

Bo Rui tried moving it and found it responded nimbly, functioning just as well as the original.

It only looked like an ink painting in color!

Bo Rui muttered, “So cool!”

“I’ve first drawn a new arm for you, to prevent further worsening of the wound. Though it will last for decades, I still recommend, Lord Bo Rui, that you visit the Jiangnan Province Headquarters for limb regeneration when you return. It’s fully covered as a workplace injury.” Qiu Bai’s gentle voice came through.

Bo Rui clasped his fists in gratitude. “Many thanks, True Person!”

He wasn’t in a hurry to go for regeneration. He wanted to try whether he could now add ink-painting special effects to his sword aura.

This move naturally made many geniuses catch on as well.

Di Shengyi suddenly asked, “May I ask, True Person, when did you return?”

Zhou Li was just about to speak when Qiu Bai interrupted her:

“These dark forces truly haven’t improved much—always using the same tricks. They treat our Bureau of Historical Revision like fools. Little do they know, for the Daoist Duel Tournament, we’ve long since developed detailed plans and countermeasures.

Though the Xiang Nu isolated Jiulong Mountain, I’ve been sending messages every three hours after I left. Zhou Li was to respond with two different emoji reactions, indicating that the duel was proceeding smoothly. If she didn’t reply, it would mean something went wrong.”

The Bureau of Historical Revision had dealt with dark forces for years and had developed a complete response system.

Otherwise, Qiu Bai wouldn’t have dared to leave.

Zhou Li explained, “When Jiang Yan was reverse-flowing into the Dragon-Transforming Diseased Domain, True Person Qiu Bai had already returned. He just didn’t alert the enemy, instead choosing to hide within the mountain and river essence and instructed us to remain silent.”

Everyone widened their eyes upon hearing this, looking toward the three Law Seed-stage judges with complex expressions.

“Cough, cough!”

Zhou Li and Master Fale both coughed lightly, guiltily turning their heads away, not daring to meet anyone’s eyes.

Instead, Bo Rui waved his ink-painted arm proudly and said, “How about that? Wasn’t my acting pretty good? Like a heroic swordsman dying for justice?”

“Yeah! It was spot-on!”

Everyone ground their teeth. They hadn’t expected to be kept in the dark all along.

You know, many had already made up their minds to sacrifice themselves heroically for the nation, even going so far as to delete some shady websites, wanting to leave a spotless name behind.

They never imagined that their reinforcements had already been stationed right outside the door.

In other words, even if Jiang Yan hadn’t risked reverse-flowing into the Diseased Domain, even if the Xiang Nu had fully prepared and triggered the Dragon-Transforming Catastrophe, they could have been casually swatted away.

So this… this was the foundation of the Bureau of Historical Revision?

“……”

Zhao Yinman also had opinions—she was this close to lying down in a coffin!

“Don’t blame them. It was all my idea.”

Qiu Bai spoke apologetically, “It’s rare for a dark faction rat to stick its head out and voluntarily become your whetstone. It was the perfect opportunity to feel the pressure of top-level dark talents in advance. If I had told you earlier, you wouldn’t have gone all out and the training effect would have been lost.”

He comforted everyone, speaking gently, “But this trial showed me your courage, decisiveness, coordination. Your bonds have deepened as well. I’m truly moved. Therefore, everyone will receive ten points as a reward upon return.”

“Thank you, True Person!”

No one was truly angry. After all, not a single person was seriously injured, and they got to experience an exhilarating battle. It was utterly satisfying.

Still, if they didn’t make some noise, how would they get reward points?

Whether at home or in the workplace, it’s always the crying child who gets the milk.

Qiu Bai continued, “Di Shengyi, this time you’ve gained insight into the Path of Eternal Night. Once you return and rest for a few days, you’ll be ready to attempt a breakthrough.”

Di Shengyi nodded. Although the expenditure had been great, the opportunity between life and death accelerated the fusion of his Law Seed and Foundation, shortening the sprouting period.

He had saved several months of grueling effort!

“Ge Xianyao, though you are arrogant due to your talent, you still carry the world in your heart, willing to use your Treasured Blood to build a Heaven-reaching Bridge for your companions, opening the path to the heavens from within your heart.”  

Ge Xianyao snorted coldly and turned his head with pride.

“Shi Ju… Zhao Yinman… Zhang Guanxin, your performances were all excellent, but the most outstanding was Jiang Yan.”

At this moment, Jiang Yan had completed the Dragon-Transforming ritual. The Foundation within his body had surged to one thousand three hundred zhang. His spinal bones had taken on the shape of a dragon, and his physique had been greatly enhanced, comparable to a high-level Foundation.

His own Fate had also strengthened, rising from red to orange level.

Like a warrior bathed in dragon blood in legend, he had gained numerous benefits.

He rode the Earth Serpent, dragging the barely breathing Spirit of the Chains of the Nine Dragons down to the ground, just in time to hear True Person Qiu Bai’s evaluation of him:

“Peerless talent, courageous and wise!”

No one objected. In fact, they nodded in agreement.

True Person Qiu Bai praised, “Without an Ancient Talisman True Person present, you managed to reach the limit, forcefully carving out a path to survival in a desperate situation. Even in my youth, I was far inferior to you.”

Jiang Yan cupped his hands and humbly replied, “True Person flatters me.”

Qiu Bai turned his back to the crowd and continued, “However, I am still quite curious—when did you discover me?”

Logically speaking, given his cultivation path, if he chose to conceal himself within the mountain and river essence, not even a Heavenly Official would necessarily detect him.

“Instinct.”

Jiang Yan replied, “Because despite such a prolonged fierce battle, not a single person was seriously injured, and the three judges did not burn their lives. That indicated there was a trump card, most likely that reinforcements had arrived.”

He truly had not seen Qiu Bai, but while calamities could deceive, the quantity of Calamity Qi could not.

Even after defeating the Spirit of the Chains of the Nine Dragons and the Xiang Nu taking the stage to overturn the table, the Calamity Qi had not increased, but instead lessened, while vitality grew more radiant.

This indicated that the source of this Dragon-Transforming Catastrophe was gradually disintegrating.

An external factor had interfered.

Even if he followed the standard course, there was a high chance he would have been saved.

But…

What if he wasn’t?

What if it was just the Calamity Qi deceiving his perception?

Jiang Yan disliked placing his fate in others’ hands, so he proactively embarked on the Flood Dragon’s Dragon-Transformation to fight for a sliver of hope.

“Good, very good!”

Qiu Bai clapped and laughed, praising, “Even if you guessed wrong, you still dared to undergo the Flood Dragon’s Dragon-Transformation and take charge of the situation. Such wisdom ranks you among the best even nationwide among newcomers.”

At that moment, the Coffin Spirit stealthily crept forward, wanting to see what Qiu Bai actually looked like.

Why did he keep his back to them?

Was it because he was unattractive?

However, when it circled to the front and looked up, what it saw was…

A back!

“What the heck!?”

The Coffin Spirit was dumbfounded. It kept changing positions, but no matter the angle, all it could see was Qiu Bai’s back.

It was as if he did not exist on the same layer of reality, always turning his back to all beings.

This is absurd. A paper cutout had become sentient!

The Coffin Spirit shivered in empathy and scurried back to its master’s side, only then regaining a sense of security.

Qiu Bai was about to say something else when he suddenly paused, waved his hand, and said:

“Hold on a moment. I need to deal with a little thing from the Wild History Club.”

He looked up at the scroll in the sky and gently said:

“How much longer do you intend to hide?”

“Heehee, as expected of a grand Ancient Talisman True Person walking the 【Path of the Nation】. Your control over the mountain and river domain is truly unparalleled. You sealed the void entirely, leaving me no chance to escape.”

Within the scroll, an exquisitely drawn Mouth of the Feast King appeared. Beside it was a cutely illustrated Xiang Nu.

She made a peace sign pose, a red heart icon appearing beside her head. The whole scene clashed with the ink painting style, as she commented with satisfaction:

“Your Thousand-Mile Mountain and River Scroll looks way better than the others. It really captured my beauty…”

Before she could finish her sentence—

Bang!

The Xiang Nu in the scroll suddenly exploded, turning into a mass of scarlet blood pulp, jarringly vivid, staining the beautiful painting.

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