Chapter 739: Astonishing Change

"Oh, if that's really the case, how do you explain that Buddhist chant from that night?" the Queen asked.

Whether it was an illusion or not, everyone felt that when the Queen mentioned the "Buddhist chant," there was a hint of gnashing teeth.

Monks having a status even lower than men is also a consistent tradition of the Kingdom of Daughters.

If men are all big pig trotters, then monks are broken big pig trotters.

Could it be that the foreign force that invaded the Kingdom of Daughters back then was actually the Buddhist monks?

"That..." Du Shuqin said, "We really don't know."

"Heh." The Queen let out a light laugh, "Deception holds no meaning before me; the moment you opened your mouth, I saw through your lie."

The light flickering in the Queen's eyes was called wisdom.

As the Queen, under circumstances of absolute initiative, distinguishing whether a child who hasn't even fought a zombie is lying is still very simple.

"Not only that, your fear isn't as deep as you show." the Queen said, "You have confidence without fear, as if you have a final trump card?"

"..."

"..."

Bao Tian and the others fell silent, pondering whether they should shout "Master, save me" at this moment.

Originally, their plan was to hold on until the instant of a life-or-death crisis, then shout for the Master to save the situation.

Even if they didn't have time to shout, it didn't matter.

According to the Master, they had all been "enlightened" once, so they had at least one chance to preserve their lives.

It's just that now there are only three uses left.

Who knows, when the "enlightenment" on them activates, it might also be when the Master exceeds the usage limit, fails the mission, and the golden thigh leaves.

So, they absolutely cannot all fall into a life-or-death crisis simultaneously, causing the enlightenments to trigger together.

That way there wouldn't be even a bit of buffer time.

"Let me see what your reliance is, who was reciting that Buddhist chant, who exactly is behind you..." The Queen raised the sharp sword in her hand, about to bring it down.

Lin Zixuan opened his mouth wide, almost shouting "Master, save me."

Why chop me again!

I didn't say a single word, you can't target me just because I'm the best quality among the newcomers this time!

In this instant, the originally clear sky for ten thousand miles abruptly changed.

At some unknown time, incomparably thick dark clouds appeared in the sky, forming an incomparably huge vortex in a split second.

A violent wind rose from nowhere, blowing people so they couldn't stand steady.

It rushed into Lin Zixuan's mouth, not letting him make a sound.

Even experts at the Four Constables level had to lower their bodies, circulating internal energy to prevent being swept up by this sudden violent wind.

The Imperial Guards nearby had already spontaneously formed a formation.

They released their internal energy outward, intertwining to form a whole, resisting this sudden violent wind.

The five, Bao Tian and the others, lay on the ground, looking around in bewilderment.

Is this the Master's doing?

Using this method to save people this time?

Will they be directly swept up by the violent wind and thrown to the vicinity of Shanhai Pass?

The imagined situation didn't happen; just as Bao Tian and the others felt their bodies losing control and about to fly up, they heard the King of the Kingdom of Daughters let out a light hum.

A powerful, tyrannical force suddenly descended.

Like a giant palm, it directly slapped them onto the ground, pressing them there.

No matter how the wind blew, blowing so they couldn't even open their eyes, their facial muscles "wildly dancing," they still couldn't move a single bit.

Of course, this feeling wasn't comfortable.

The King of the Kingdom of Daughters stood in the violent wind; her robes, her long hair had no change whatsoever; internal energy profound to the extreme isolated everything external.

Even the Four Constables didn't know that their Queen was a martial arts master.

The kind far higher than that old Imperial Tutor of the court.

The Queen raised her head to look at the vortex in the sky.

That vortex seemed like a gap, tearing open some invisible barrier.

From the palace behind, a residual shadow appeared, crossing a distance of over a hundred meters at extreme speed, appearing behind the Queen.

The sweeping violent wind seemed to have not the slightest effect on this person.

She stopped behind the Queen, her voice suppressing a trace of panic: "Your Majesty."

"Mm, a gap has appeared in the barrier."

The King of the Kingdom of Daughters turned to look at the old Imperial Tutor and said.

The old Imperial Tutor, judging by appearance, aside from a head of white hair, wasn't actually old, merely middle-aged; her voice pierced through the howling violent wind: "It really happened..."

As the court's Imperial Tutor.

She knew many secrets of the Kingdom of Daughters.

For example, the Kingdom of Daughters' closure was half voluntary, half forced.

The entire Kingdom of Daughters, besides natural barriers, was also shrouded in an incomparably profound grand formation.

This grand formation prevented the people of the Kingdom of Daughters from leaving, and also prevented outsiders from entering.

But the grand formation wasn't absolute; occasional flaws appeared, and the appearance of flaws allowed outsiders to inexplicably enter the Kingdom of Daughters.

Those were the so-called outsiders, those who entered by mistake.

And the grand formation would suddenly open a "gate" at certain moments, truly connecting with the outside world.

"Correct, the recorded events are happening, the 'gate' has already opened, the jackals, wolves, tigers, and leopards are coming; make preparations." the Queen said.

The old guardian watched the Queen's figure, which remained "utterly unmoving" even in the gale.

Like a divine needle anchoring the sea, the slight panic in his heart gradually vanished.

Just then, the sudden gale also abruptly ceased.

The massive vortex in the sky, meanwhile, began to rise, shifting as it rose.

The direction of the shift was none other than Shanhaiguan.

The opened gateway of the Kingdom of Daughters lay beyond Shanhaiguan!

"Your Majesty!"

The gale having subsided, the Four Constables looked toward the King of the Kingdom of Daughters.

"Pass the order: 'War Start.'" the Queen said.

War Start was a state, signifying the arrival of war, rehearsed many times.

Those were drills; this time, it was real.

"Soon there will be people coming to deliver themselves to death. Let the lads of Shanhaiguan practice their hand first." the Queen said.

"Your Majesty, then what about these people..." Zhui Ming pointed at Bao Tian and the others lying on the ground.

The Queen glanced at Bao Tian and the others: "Throw them into the Heavenly Prison first, deal with them later."

Guards fierce as wolves and tigers took away Bao Tian and the others, who were still in a dazed state.

All changes happened too suddenly; they still hadn't figured out what exactly was going on.

Suddenly a gale came, suddenly a huge vortex appeared in the sky.

This isn't wuxia at all? The world's height suddenly rose to the xianxia level.

Who can handle this!

This mission is definitely screwing them over, right!

Clearly the Grandmaster was the true candidate matching the mission difficulty.

Of course, from another angle, these sudden changes did have some benefits for Bao Tian and the others completing the mission.

Without sufficient chaos, with their strength, how could they profit from it?

Only by muddying the waters did they have more of a chance.

Of course, the danger level was also far higher than during stable times.

At least when the Kingdom of Daughters was stable, as long as they didn't forcibly court death, the worst was just mining.

"Woo woo~"

At Shanhaiguan, horn calls sounded, a murderous aura pervading.

The heavy gates, closed for who knows how many years, slowly opened, seemingly untouched by the passage of time.

Behind the gates, a host of heavy cavalry, long spears and sharp blades, even the barding on the horses appeared incomparably ferocious.

Silent, save for the horses' occasional snorts.

The black army formed an incomparably sharp blade, ready to unsheathe at any moment!

Above Shanhaiguan, Tang Luo looked around: "Such a profound grand formation is rare even in the Mountains and Seas Realm; it's normal I didn't detect it."

He had indeed sensed some strangeness in the Kingdom of Daughters.

But the grand formation enveloping the entire Kingdom of Daughters, Tang Luo truly hadn't noticed.

It's not that his skill is poor — alright, in this aspect, Tang Luo really is poor.

But this time it really wasn't his fault.

The formation bore not a trace of artificial carving, completely fused into the Kingdom of Daughters; this formation is the mountains and rivers, the waterways, the land beneath the Kingdom of Daughters.

Merged as one with the entire Kingdom of Daughters.

One might even say it was naturally formed.

Even if Zhu Bajie came, he'd find it hard to detect any clue.

"Seeing them act as if facing a formidable enemy, and so practiced at it, the formation opening the gateway has probably happened more than once or twice..." Tang Luo glanced at the black army beneath his feet, then looked beyond the Shanhaiguan gateway, toward the end of that long road.

The vortex transferring from the sky had already arrived there.

Forming a brand new "gate".

"Wait, those little guys' mission — it can't be that hard to leave from the vortex, right." Tang Luo thought to himself.

Even with him assisting from the side.

But with the restriction on his number of actions, it would be reasonable for Bao Tian and the others to leave Shanhaiguan, or go some distance out to sea, and complete the mission.

On the other side of the vortex.

Was a churning sea surface, sky and sea merging into one, far from land.

By conventional logic, such a place should be rarely visited by humans.

In fact not; in the sky a thousand li from the vortex, a giant flying shuttle hovered, emitting bright light.

On the sea surface, giant ships stood motionless amid surging waves.

Divine strange birds let out clear cries, spreading wings and circling.

Beneath the sea surface black shadows emerged, a Xuan Turtle comparable to a small island surfacing.

And above them, figures in wide robes and broad sleeves, feathered garments and star-crowned — immortals among men.

Cultivators, a group of powerful cultivators!

"Six hundred years, the Holy Land of Heavenly Demons opens, worthies gather, another grand gathering." On the giant flying shuttle, a white-haired youthful-faced elder spoke softly.

Behind the black vortex, the vague outline of a massive island faintly emerged.

Indistinct, one could occasionally glimpse the full view of the Kingdom of Daughters.

"Master, since the Holy Land of Heavenly Demons has opened, why don't we go in?"

Behind the old man, a cultivator with sword-like brows and star-like eyes asked.

"Heh." The old man chuckled lightly. "Good enough. Taking this opportunity, I'll clear up your doubts."

On the flying shuttle, there were naturally not just the two of them.

Young cultivators in uniform, or cultivators who looked young, were not few in number.

To tell who was a youngster, at this time you just had to see who revealed a curious gaze.

"The Heavenly Demon Holy Land, the reason it is called the Heavenly Demon Holy Land, is because this place is holy, yet within it there are demons."

"What demons?"

As a disciple, at this time one certainly had to do one's utmost to set the stage for one's master; moreover, he himself was also very curious.

"Heavenly Demons take the form of women, forming a realm, bewildering our minds and devouring our flesh and blood; they are a great enemy within the Holy Land."

"Heavenly Demons?"

"A group of powdered skeletons, mere white bones." The old man's tone turned slightly stern. "You must not fall for their tricks."

"Yes!"

The crowd of disciples answered in unison.

"Additionally, the Holy Land has just opened, the grand formation's obstruction has not yet dissipated; if we rashly enter, we will suffer the formation's backlash — at best falling to the mortal dust, at worst body dead and Dao extinguished." The old man said, "We must wait for time, short as a few days, long as several dozen days, before we can enter; but even so, we will be weakened for a period. The longer the time after the Holy Land opens, the smaller the impact on us."

The group of cultivators suddenly understood; no wonder so many people had gathered yet were in no hurry to enter.

Fortunately cultivators do not lack time; waiting a while longer poses no problem at all.

"Actually, throwing in a few more mortals would make it faster." A voice abruptly rang out.

The old man's eyes narrowed as he looked toward the sea surface.

There, stood a black-clad man, long hair fluttering in the sea wind, exuding a fierce and overbearing aura that made one's heart tremble.

"What are you looking at, haven't you done this sort of thing before?" The black-clad man looked at the flying shuttle's old man and sneered.

The old man gave a cold snort and did not engage in a pointless war of words.

Heavenly Demons cannot be underestimated; fighting here would be more loss than gain.