Chapter 421: Chapter 152: The Battle Unfinished, Old Friends at Cloud Mountain

The Black Lotus uses poison, the Cyan Lotus uses killing intent, the White Lotus uses allure, and the Red Lotus... is destruction.

The Four Lotus sects are of the same origin.

People think the Red Lotus Thieves managed to push their way to Jade Capital with their own strength, but that’s not the truth. The Talisman Skill of ’keeping the stomach full like ashes and healing disease,’ or the ’huge black lotus blooming in the village,’ were not the specialties of the Red Lotus Thieves.

The Four Lotus sects have always existed together; it’s just that the Red Lotus, being the strongest in frontal confrontation, stood out in the open.

Fang Jianlong, once the number one genius of the Blood Saber Sect, always dreamed of reaching the Holy Fire Palace;

During a chance encounter on a mission, he met the daughter of Eldert Zhu Nuyang of the Holy Fire Palace. They went through hardships together, felt a connection at first sight, and eventually married;

Unfortunately, this wedding was merely a trap set by Zhu Nuyang...

Moreover, Zhu Nuyang lost the gamble.

As a youngster, Fang Jianlong, along with Zhu Qiao’Er, was captured and taken back to the Red Lotus Sect.

Fang Jianlong humbled himself to survive in the Red Lotus Sect along with his wife, hoping every night for the Holy Fire Palace to rescue them. 𝕗𝐫𝚎𝗲𝘄𝐞𝕓𝐧𝕠𝘃𝕖𝐥.𝐜𝚘𝚖

Then, the Holy Fire Palace came.

They took his wife.

But they did not take him.

Last year, his wife remarried.

Her new husband was a disciple from a family within the Holy Fire Palace.

Just like how the Blood Saber Ancestor once understood his betrayal for marriage, Fang Jianlong also understood his wife’s decision.

His wife was not a Martial Artist; she didn’t have much youth to wait on someone whose return wasn’t guaranteed.

Instead of waiting for a husband whose return might never come, it was better to remarry and bear descendants for the Zhu Family.

Besides, there were surely other pressures behind her decision.

Perhaps not rescuing him also involved some sort of consideration, after all, with the chaos within the Red Lotus camp, it made sense not to take him back. As long as you say something like, "I need to establish a deeper connection with Elder Zhu, and Elder Zhu only has one daughter, so it’s best to..." or "That young man defected to the Red Lotus Thieves, and they didn’t harm him, so he might truly have sided with them, making him a potential risk, so it’s best to..."

Fang Jianlong understood, he deeply understood, it’s human nature...

Yet why should he forgive?

The tall man sat cross-legged before the secret chamber, his back straight, his immense muscles straining against his clothes.

He lowered his head like a rock, unmoving with closed eyes.

Impermanence endowed him with hatred, and it also endowed him with destiny.

The moment his wife remarried, the Red Lotus Thieves completely trusted him.

His madness, his efforts, his hatred, all made those in power pleased, so much so that they even entrusted him with delivering a letter to the Vice Sect Leader of the Black Lotus Sect, even telling him, "No other power can exchange the Shadow Bone, but we in the Red Lotus can, and when the time is right, the next chance to exchange the bone will be yours, to change to the ways of our Red Lotus Dharma Gate."

However, he was no longer young, and his time was running out.

Thus, he cherished every opportunity immensely.

Hence, he waited here, without leaving for even a moment, to deliver the letter to Peng Mi at the earliest possible moment.

Several days passed in a blink...

Suddenly, the sky was covered with red clouds, and a snowflake silently fell, sticking to Fang Jianlong’s high, sharp eyebrows...

Fang Jianlong didn’t move.

Subsequently, snow like goose feathers began to pour down, filling the entire sky.

Fang Jianlong remained still.

It was warm snow that fell on him, even making him feel like his depleted energy was rapidly being restored, much like cultivating by a high-quality Meat Field.

"A good omen of prosperity! A good omen of prosperity!"

"Hahaha, another bountiful harvest is coming!"

"The snow is falling well, just right!"

Fang Jianlong could vaguely recall those voices from so many years ago.

In an era where good fields were gradually becoming barren, people slowly discovered that this warm snow could actually make their land fertile after the initial few years of panic.

So, with more and more warm snow, the increasingly fertile soil made the people living here even more jubilant.

But now... those voices were already gone.

Amidst the multitude of distracting thoughts and memories of the past, the doors of the secret chamber finally started to creak open.

A grinning man, clad in Black Lotus robes, emerged.

Fang Jianlong shook off the warm snow covering his body, stood up quickly, then took the letter from his bosom and presented it while half-kneeling, declaring with full vigor, "Fang Jianlong of the Red Lotus Sect, here to deliver a letter!"

Peng Mi took the letter, glanced at Fang Jianlong, smilingly saying, "Not bad, you have the look of the Red Lotus, reminds me of some old-timers."

"I dare not." Fang Jianlong bowed his head.

Peng Mi dismissed it lightly, tearing open the letter after his comment, and then chuckled, "This issue?

Destroying oneself for the path, forging a ghostly spiritual artifact, is commendable.

But it also depends on whose hands the spiritual artifact lies.

As long as that old relic of the Divine Wood Hall doesn’t step in, who else could rival me?

Possessing a spiritual artifact would be just a waste.

Amitabha... Well said, well said..."

He swayed as he walked, suddenly stepping into the void, ascending into the sky, as invisible stone steps seemed to form, allowing him to stride effortlessly, swiftly disappearing from sight.

Fang Jianlong gazed at the departing figure, a thick envy surfacing in his eyes before he turned around to leave.

...

A moment later.

Somewhere in the central army camp.

A black silhouette descended, surrounded by Black Lotus Sect disciples who saluted immediately.

Peng Mi disregarded these minions, shouting aloud.

"Old Zhu! Old Zhu!"

"Why isn’t there a response?"

"There’s good news, a celebration indeed!"

Yet still no response came.

Peng Mi casually made his way to the Forged Soldiers tent, finding the solemn old man deeply focused on forging yet another spiritual artifact.