pjbooks Chapter 219 Seeking in Vain
Chapter 219 Seeking in Vain
Do you know what happened to her in the end?
"I don't know, that was a long time ago, and the ancestors who knew about my benefactor are no longer here."
Liu Jun sighed almost imperceptibly, looked up at the stone statue again, and his gaze fell on its wrist once more.
He must have lived longer than her.
As far as I can remember, her personality is completely different from that depicted in the stone statue.
"The...leader?"
An incredulous shout came from behind, and the two people in the hall turned around at the same time.
A person landed not far away, looking over in disbelief. Then, he swam a few meters closer and landed in front of the person. Suddenly, blue tears, different from the sea, flowed from his eyes. He rushed forward and hugged Hanqian tightly.
"Aqi, it's me."
"Chief, you're really back! I thought, I thought..."
Han Xiangqi's voice trembled as he held Han Huan tightly. It took him a long time to let go, and he wiped away his tears. He then happily pulled Han Huan around and looked her up and down.
"When I received the message, I thought something had happened to other members of my clan, which is why I rushed back. I never imagined that southern Anhui had changed so much over the years, and the chief had also... lost a lot of weight."
"It's good that you're alright, it's good that you're alright. The other members of our clan should be back soon. Their search for their leader all these years... well, it's a long story..."
Suppressing his joy, Han Xiangqi began to recount the events of the past few years with a sense of melancholy.
Since Han Jun suddenly disappeared without a trace, they have been in complete disarray. At first, they did suspect that it was related to the "secret realm" that they had guarded for generations.
Although they all knew about that place and guarded it, only the leader could possibly enter. None of them still possessed the characteristics of a dragon, and they could not cross that thousand-meter-long rocky sea.
Moreover, the entrance to that place is always changing. It is only known to exist in the southern part of Anhui, and only the leader can find the way in and out. They only know to guard this place and guard the Sumeru Sea.
After the Cold Goat disappeared, they searched for a hundred years without success. As more and more people came and went from this place, and they had no leader to protect them, they knew that these people would eventually discover something was wrong. So they decided to go to the mainland to find a solution.
They left the sea and settled in a place unknown to anyone. Those who were unable to go out were left behind, while the rest went out to find a solution, returning only once every few decades or even a hundred years.
As time went on, their hopes dwindled, and they returned to southern Anhui less and less, even hoping that their leader had not disappeared in that unknown place.
Even if... even if something unfortunate happened on land, there would still be remains to be collected, and he could be brought back to his homeland.
It's better than thinking that the leader has finally abandoned them, abandoned this race that is about to be extinct, and is looking for another way out.
More than three thousand years have passed, and southern Anhui is no longer their home. Their home is in a place unknown to anyone.
Southern Anhui is no longer safe, and the land is also fraught with danger. Having lost the protection of their leader, their demigod-like bodies are something many people covet.
Everyone knows there are shepherds in southern Anhui, but they are hard to find. They can't just disappear from people's sight like that, otherwise they won't even have this last layer of protection.
Even if their cultivation level is not obvious, the body of a half-immortal is a natural suppression and warning to outsiders. That is the impression left by their ancestors on land, not by these few people who have reached the end of their road.
Nowadays, even if they only go out and make a name for themselves once or twice in thousands of years, it's enough for them to live in peace for a long time.
Over thousands of years, some of them gradually perished. Seeing their days drawing to a close, they finally gave up the idea of finding their leader and lived out their remaining days in peace.
Born a half-immortal, yet prone to premature death, the fundamental reason is that no one has the destiny to bear the weight of the title "half-immortal."
Even the cold-blooded dragon only possessed the characteristics of a dragon to bear this demigod body, but lacked the dragon's ability to save this declining branch.
He will live a very long life, long enough that all the people in his tribe will perish while he is still alive.
It is both a blessing and a curse.
He is the only one left, and will be the last immortal shepherd with dragon scales and horns.
"How are they doing now...?"
Han Xiangqi composed himself and forced a smile: "Okay, everything is fine, it's just... not as good as it used to be."
"Let's go back and talk about it. Everyone will be so happy to see you!"
Han Xun turned to look at Liu Jun, feeling somewhat embarrassed: "Well, is Miss Liu still here...?"
Unbeknownst to him, Han Xiangqi was so overjoyed that he only realized there was another person present, and he looked over in surprise.
Then, with a puzzled look on his face, he swam two steps closer and carefully examined the people waiting there quietly. Suddenly, his expression froze.
"Lord Qingjun?"
This time it was Liu Jun's turn to be a little surprised: "You recognize me?"
Han Xiangqi bowed slightly to show his respect: "I have seen you once during the joint competition held by your sect."
"Oh? I've never seen you before."
There were many people at the joint competition that year, and Liu Jun didn't know if the three shepherds who had come to visit were still there. Later, he found out from somewhere that the shepherds had come.
Han Xiangqi glanced at Han Rui, then turned back as if suddenly realizing something: "Is it the leader you rescued?"
Liu Jun replied frankly, "No, at most I only helped a little."
Upon hearing this, Han Jun, looking somewhat dejected, took out a bead about the size of a pill: "This is... A-Yue's..."
Han Xiangqi stared wide-eyed as he took Han Qian's hand and looked at the dull bead in his hand, his eyes filled with disbelief. Although he didn't seem to have any particular emotion, his trembling lips betrayed him.
"You said, you said... this is A-Yue's?"
Han Jun lowered his eyes and said in a deep voice, "Yes."
Han Xiangqi raised his head, closed his eyes, and refused to open them for a long time. Countless emotions seemed to dissipate into the silent seabed.
After an unknown amount of time, Han Xiangqi finally dared to open his eyes, his hands hanging limply at his sides: "...A-Yue, that brat has always been disobedient, and when he gets stubborn, he won't listen to anyone."
"The clan... hasn't heard from him for many years."
Han Xiangqi spoke each word with a look of deep sorrow hidden in his dejected eyes.
After a long silence, he forced a bitter smile: "To die for the leader is his honor. At least, at least... his incarnation can return to his homeland and accompany his ancestors forever."
Han Jun forced a smile, but chose to keep the words he was about to say buried deep in his heart.
Those who die in that place will have their souls imprisoned for eternity, so how can they accompany their ancestors?
This bead was the only thing he could bring out to offer any solace.
That hopeless place, that doorless cage, imprisoned not only the prisoners in the cage, but also the entire life of the entire Immortal Shepherd Clan.
He had no more expectations; from now on, he only hoped to live an ordinary life with his people.
The three eventually left the Sea of Sumeru, leaving behind the place that had been half-cleared and was no longer their home.
Southern Anhui ultimately became a land without a master.
In the years that followed, the shepherds eventually became like other ancient tribes, their whereabouts unknown.
Having obtained the bone shell and received news of the blood coral, Liu Jun rushed over without stopping.
……
Penglaijian, Kunyuan, Fuchuan, and Shifangdu in the far north are the three major sects under the Xuanshan Gate of Penglaijian, each residing in one of these three places.
The Kunyuan Mucang Sect excels in swordsmanship, the Fuchuan Shangyu Sect cultivates spiritual energy, and the Shifang Du Huoyin Sect produces many alchemists and weapon makers.
Although the Fire Hidden Sect is not as strong as the two sects mentioned above, alchemists on land are rare, and high-level alchemists are highly sought after, which is why their sect has so many.
Although their strength is inferior, they have many retainers and weapon refiners, making them a force to be reckoned with, which is why they are among the three major sects.
Liu Jun was heading to Shifang Ferry.
In places with many alchemists, the alchemy materials available must be plentiful, and the information about the Blood Coral came from there.
The continent of Yuanzhou is vast; it would take half a year to fly from southern Anhui to Shifangdu in the far north.
Liu Jun didn't need to rush, and it took him eight or nine months to finally reach Shifang Ferry.
Although blood coral is rare, it is not extinct. She has already obtained bone shell. If she really cannot obtain blood coral, she can use other substitutes. She just feels that the properties of these two materials are more suitable for making magic robes.