NOVEL NEXT Chapter 53: Those Over 150 Years Old, Step Forward!
Chapter 53: Those Over 150 Years Old, Step Forward!
City Lord Liu’s words finally breathed a bit of life back into the crowd. He took a deep breath and continued, “With such a sudden and drastic change in Chuyun City, it’s impossible that the outside world hasn’t noticed. As long as we can hold out until the Exorcism Bureau arrives, we will be saved. Therefore, we have three tasks to accomplish.”
“First, although this mist is strange, it doesn’t seem to be aggressive. We don’t know its true purpose or why it’s blocking our vision. We must find out and do our best to stop the fog from spreading further into the city. Ideally, we should also find a way to dispel it. I hope all the sect leaders can organize their disciples to accomplish this task.”
“Second, you will take turns patrolling the city with the city defense soldiers. On the one hand, you need to reassure the citizens, telling them to close their doors and windows and stay indoors as much as possible. On the other hand, keep an eye out for any unusual activity in the city and report it immediately”.
“Third, the fog is so thick that even communication stones can’t reach the outside world. Waiting for the outside world to notice our plight in a short time is unrealistic. We don’t know what’s happening outside, and the outside world doesn’t know what’s happening here. Therefore, I hope that two of you sect leaders will step forward and join me in venturing outside the city to find a way to escape,”
City Lord Liu paused, glancing around at the six silent sect leaders before closing his eyes and sighing in sorrow. He spoke with a heavy heart, “Even Senior Brother Gu couldn’t make it back, which means this journey is likely a one-way trip. But someone among us must deliver the message to the outside world. I, Liu Qinnan, promise the two of you who are willing to step forward that I will prioritize your survival to the best of my ability! If the situation becomes dire, you can always retreat.”
City Lord Liu calmly laid out the best plan he could come up with in such a short amount of time. Everyone else could despair in the face of this sudden calamity, but he could not. His competence and sense of responsibility proved why he had been the city lord of Chuyun City for over sixty years.
“So which two of you are willing?”
The six sect leaders glanced at each other, then lowered their heads, lost in thought. The disciples, too, were affected by the somber atmosphere, empathizing with the sect leaders’ feelings.
Who would dare to go out into the boundless fog outside the city at such a time?
Suddenly, City Lord Liu smiled. It was the first time the kind-faced old man had smiled today. The worry between his brows disappeared, and he seemed to return to his usual gentle self.
“I, Liu Qinnan, am already 163 years old. I’ve been stuck at the peak of the Water Condensation Realm for 63 years. When I left the Mystic Firmament Sect at the age of 100, I still had the appearance of a dashing middle-aged man. I never thought I’d get that old in the past few years. I’ve held onto the position of city lord for 63 years, all for the sake of breaking through to the next realm with the resources from the Mystic Firmament Sect, but to no avail. I can clearly see my future-sitting on my bed, meditating until I pass away.”
“Such a death is so boring, don’t you think? If we must die, let it be a heroic and glorious death. The thirty thousand citizens of this city, along with your juniors and seniors—aren’t they worth taking a few steps forward in the face of this evil entity? We’ve cultivated for over a hundred years, not to become cowards waiting for death…”
City Lord Liu’s heartfelt words left even You Su stunned. In You Su’s eyes, City Lord Liu was a man skilled in the ways of the world, but in the face of such a disaster, he turned out to be the most righteous of them all.
“Count me in. If City Lord Liu, at 163 years old, thinks he’s old, then I, at 190, must have already lived long enough.”
Lu Muchun chuckled slightly. His figure was even more hunched than City Lord Liu’s, but in the eyes of everyone present, he seemed towering and majestic.
“Lu Yang!” Lu Muchun suddenly called out to the silent crowd.
“Here!”
A scholarly and elegant young man in the crowd replied loudly. His face was solemn, but he understood better than anyone the dangerous path his grandfather was about to take. Unable to hold back his grief, tears streamed down his tightly clenched cheeks.
“Don’t cry!” Lu Muchun barked, his expression stern. “Your father died young. Whether I live or die after this, you will be the next sect leader of the Azure Sky Sect! I can’t help you forever. I hope you can shoulder the responsibility of being a sect leader! Don’t let your father and me down!”
Lu Yang wept uncontrollably, wiping his tears with his sleeve. He stood straight, his body trembling with sobs, but he managed to firmly reply, “Yes!”
The sorrowful atmosphere moved everyone, stirring within them a sense of heroic determination. But in the face of the terrifying fog, that determination felt like a fragile leaf caught in a fierce storm, on the verge of collapsing.
“I’ll go too!” Qi Daodong and Zhou Yichang, the sect leader of the Wind and Thunder Fist Sect, spoke up simultaneously. They exchanged glances, their eyes filled with complex emotions.
“Sect Leader Zhou, I’m older than you. You still have a bright future ahead of you. Let me handle this,” Qi Daodong pleaded mournfully. Aside from You Su, he was the one who had suffered the greatest psychological blow. Last night, his sect was on the verge of becoming a subsidiary of the Mystic Firmament Sect, and his direct disciple was about to become an official disciple of the Mystic Firmament Sect. He had envisioned a bright future, but in just one night, everything had vanished, and he was now facing the threat of death.
Zhou Yichang laughed heartily, his muscular frame shaking. “Sect Leader Qi, are nine months really that much? When you were ten and dragged me to peep at the widow bathing, then made me take the blame when we got caught, did you forget you were older than me?”
Although he was telling a joke, no one laughed. Instead, the atmosphere grew more somber.
“We’ve been rivals for so many years, and I’ve never beaten you. Let me win this time. If all three of you leave, I don’t have the brains to handle so many people. Running away is easier, so let me handle it!”
Qi Daodong’s eyes grew misty. His heart, which hadn’t experienced such turmoil in decades, began to tremble. He was on the verge of shedding tears.
“Sect Leader Zhou is right, Old Qi. After I’m gone, you’ll be the city lord of Chuyun City. You must protect these thirty thousand people,” City Lord Liu said with a smile, patting Qi Daodong’s shoulder as if entrusting him with his final wishes.
Qi Daodong’s tears finally fell, but he quickly wiped them away and bowed deeply.
“I will not fail the trust of Brother Zhou and the city lord!”
Smiling, City Lord Liu helped him up. “Don’t be so discouraged. We won’t die yet. Based on my speculation, the evil entity’s mist probably follows a cycle. It’s not constant. If we can find the rift, it’s not impossible to escape. If you don’t lead everyone to persevere, then our efforts to escape and call for help will be meaningless.”
Qi Daodong raised his head and firmly nodded.
“Alright, the three tasks have been assigned. Everyone, get going! If anyone gives up hope, I, Liu Qinnan, will show no mercy!”
At City Lord Liu’s command, the crowd seemed to regain a glimmer of hope, reigniting their fighting spirit. Little did they know that this was only the beginning of their despair…