On this day, the Longevity Heavenly Dynasty knew no peace anywhere.
Prominent sects like the Divine Ear Sect, the Ting Di Sect, and the Ten Thousand Miles Sect, from the Sect Masters down to those who managed miscellaneous tasks, were all caught up in frenzied busyness.
War reports and messages about Divine Treasures updated with extreme speed.
And within the past few breaths, broadcasted before the eyes of billions, the most shocking scene unfolded: the appearance of Yelü Lushan, the most brutally cruel Evil Demon Warlord from the Northern Land.
This man was truly a Demon-like existence in the Human World.
His cruelty was well known throughout the country.
Yet even such a warlord met with sudden calamity.
Zhang Jinluan, in front of the whole world, forcibly refined him away.
Within the Desert North Province, the twisted and tainted souls of the millions of Evil Demons under Yelü Lushan's command were extracted, confined within an Array to undergo refining; their agonizing wails resounded for a long time before coming to a halt.
The commoners of the Human Clan in the Northern Land Provinces, upon witnessing this, clapped their hands in approval and set off fireworks to celebrate.
However, after seeing this, not one person amongst those like Song Tiecheng, Wu Shaozu, Li Siming, and Ma Hongbing could maintain their composure.
Although they had gradually lost their humanity, it did not mean they had lost their wisdom.
The plight of the various warlords was now clear as day.
Death!
An end readily visible to the naked eye loomed before nearly every warlord, big and small.
Even more despairing for them, they saw no space or possibility for resistance.
If it had been a normal war, or a battle of magical duels.
Even though Zhang Jinluan and Si Xixin were much stronger, they still possessed the strength to defend themselves, and they could even have united to turn the tables and besiege the two.
Indeed, their original plan was just that, to instigate the "Great War in the Central Plains" and take advantage of the chaos to resolve their strongest Hidden Dragon Heavenly Pride contenders.
The plan was already at the point of execution when unexpectedly, a "Master Tao" emerged, who, using the torrent of the Human Dao and cunning plots, step by step pushed the situation to such a state.
Ancestor God Forbidden Technique!
Longevity Barrier!
This magnificent entity, which once shrouded the Longevity Heavenly Dynasty, protecting the Human Clan for over two thousand years, was being reconstructed bit by bit.
This grand entity, naturally had its own rules.
Even if these Evil Demon Warlords now actively pledged allegiance to Zhang Jinluan and Si Xixin, it would be in vain.
Although they were the holders, with partial authority,
they could not change the basic rules of the Forbidden Technique's operation, at most they could merely delay it by a few hours. As the Forbidden Technique grew larger and stronger, it would eventually operate automatically, randomly selecting Divine Skills weapons, and utterly annihilating all qualified Transcendent Beings in one fell swoop.
Even the Cultivators under Zhang Jinluan and Si Xixin's command, those who committed crimes and evil acts, faced the same fate with no exemptions.
...
The new seat of the Human Emperor still remained fiercely contested.
But these warlords, who hadn't managed to get even one fragment of the Ancestor God, were all facing a cruel fate of elimination.
In the face of life and death, there is great terror.
From this, they could let go of past obsessions and focus only on survival.
Quickly, amongst the warlords, one particularly sharp-minded individual first thought of a ludicrous plan to break through the impasse and survive.
This man was known as "Fang Wuzu."
Among the Northern Land Warlords, he was not particularly prominent, controlling just half a province, with a temperament prone to indulgence, and accustomed to bullying the populace with his power and authority.
While he was a reprobate deserving of flaying alive, in terms of evildoing, he truly could not be compared to Yelü Lushan – not even to a tenth of that Demon.
Fang Wuzu's territory was adjacent to the Desert North, and seeing the pitiable death of Yelü Lushan, as the horrifying Barrier devoured everything in its path,
the scoundrel suddenly, at this very moment, sent a transmission across the nation:
"I am Fang Wuzu, a gentleman of the Sanjin."
"In the past, I have committed many evils, but today, I've had a sudden change of heart, hoping only to atone for my sins."
"I am willing to offer my own life, my wealth, my mana, and all the Evil Demon forces under my command as a price to assist in the reconstruction of the Forbidden Law Barrier."
"I hope that the Forbidden Technique and Divine Treasures possess spirits and will come to collect."
"Even if it means death and the obliteration of my path, Fang Wuzu will have no regrets."
Upon this transmission being sent, this scoundrel truly became the center of attention,
People looking at that overly indulgent, pale face were speechless for a moment, not knowing whether to scold or berate.
But the thought that emerged simultaneously was: facing imminent disaster, he still indulged in foolish wishes.
And those Evil Demon subordinates who were suddenly betrayed by him, along with the Devil forces that supported him, were all furiously enraged, shouting abuse and swinging their swords, resolved to eliminate this shameless wretch before making their escape.
At this point, quite unexpectedly, a twist of fate occurred:
Zhang Jinluan's "Ancestor God Forbidden Technique" swiftly swept over Fang Wuzu's territory, and his Evil Demon subordinates, numbering in the hundreds of thousands, were all extinguished, their paths obliterated, and utterly refined without a single survivor.
But it was Fang Wuzu who miraculously did not perish.
All his clothing and treasures were shattered, resembling a meat pig stripped bare, hopping and skipping in the ruins of his residence, weeping and laughing as he celebrated his survival.
However, before long, a Divine Light flew in from afar.
A Treasure emerged within the radiance, appearing to be an ancient looking pitch-black turtle shell.
At the same time, Zhang Jinluan's teasing voice was transmitted:
"Old lecher Fang!"
"This treasure is called the 'Great Yang Turtle Shell,' forged from the shed immortal shell of an ancient Mystic Turtle—an indeed sentient treasure."
"Originally, with the numerous sins you committed, there was no chance for you to survive according to the Forbidden Techniques, but the spirit of this Immortal Treasure intervened to preserve your life. You now must pay a different kind of price."
In the ruins, Fang Wuzu, who had witnessed the obliteration of his tens of thousands of Evil Demon subordinates, was already scared witless.
Upon hearing Zhang Jinluan's voice transmission through the air, he immediately knelt down and loudly responded,
"Your Majesty the Human Emperor!"
"I, old Fang, truly repent. Whatever the price, I am willing to pay it."
"Good! Don't you regret it later!"
Although in this response, Fang Wuzu sensed something rather ominous.
But he also heard that his life had been spared.
He secretly thought to himself, "As long as I live, there's hope for a comeback."
With this thought, he lifted his head to look.
He immediately saw the treasure known as 'Great Yang Turtle Shell,' heading straight for the barrier above, and just before it merged with the Forbidden Law Barrier, it abruptly split into more than a dozen black beams, shooting straight toward him.
In front of the entire world, these black beams transformed into ropes that bound Fang Wuzu into a grotesquely humiliating pose.
And upon touching his corpulent body, they triggered a transformation.
Flesh writhed, and a turtle shell emerged.
In the blink of an eye, a giant turtle as large as a mountain was born.
Its head outside the shell was none other than Fang Wuzu.
Its tail end, likewise, was none other than Fang Wuzu's white buttocks, even the buttocks hole, and the flesh around it remained.
Once this transformation was complete, the old lecher finally realized the ill-intent behind Zhang Jinluan's words. His complexion instantly changed, and he opened his mouth to scream for help, only to discover that he had lost the ability to speak.
Above, Zhang Jinluan's voice, which could be heard by all the citizens of the nation, rang out:
"This is the new price!"
"The True Spirit of the Immortal Treasure has cast a spell, transforming you into a 'Mystic Turtle Beast of Burden' with an estimated lifespan of about two hundred years, starting from today."
"During this period, you cannot leave the Sanjin Lands. If anyone finds an object that fits the size of your tail and inserts it into your turtle tail, you must obey their commands, carrying people and objects back and forth between cities and counties within the province, traversing mountains and rivers, without harboring any resentment."
"After two hundred years, when your punishment is over, the residual memories of the True Spirit will automatically erase themselves, allowing you to reincarnate."
As these sentences were pronounced,
Everyone saw Fang Wuzu, now with a human head and a turtle body, immediately show a face full of terror, weeping incessantly, beyond control.
This was quite expected, as he could see that many of the townspeople he had once bullied, regardless of gender or age, were all starting to search for objects that matched the size of his turtle tail.
The search was not difficult: house beams, old trees, flagpoles, iron spears… it seemed anything would fit.
...
After witnessing the fate of Fang Wuzu, all the warlords of the Northern Land shivered with fear.
Many resolved to die rather than meet such an end.
Yet at the same time, these warlords were struck by inspiration: Although Fang Wuzu's attempt to escape misfortune backfired, leading to a fate more miserable than death, the fact remained that he had indeed not died. Yelü Lushan, much more powerful than the old lecher, had died swiftly and miserably; the difference between them lay in that Great Vow.
Once all these various warlords realized this,
Ridiculous scenes began to unfold in both the southern and northern territories.
The first to step forward were two major warlords, Song Tiecheng and Wu Shaozu.
The former was notorious for brutal massacres in cities, especially delighting in torturing the wealthy and influential; the latter was known for grave robbing, with a particular fondness for the tombs of emperors and nobles.
Nearly simultaneously, they came forward and, facing people all over the world, declared:
"My name is Song Tiecheng, and today I make a Great Vow."
"I pledge my life, my treasures, my food reserves, my armies, the lifespan I have in this life and in the future, my supernatural powers, and so forth, all to protect every citizen under my rule."
"I only wish to atone for some of my sins, and should I die, I will have no complaints."
"Spirit of all treasures, please come assist me."
The oaths of the two were strikingly similar.
And so were the outcomes.
Their territories, situated near each of Zhang Jinluan and Si Xixin, were quickly informed of their ends by these two figures.
"The chief brigand of the Purple Python Army, Song Tiecheng, voluntarily pledged his Great Vow as atonement, gaining the approval of an Ancestor God Treasure, the 'Heavenly Hammer,' which has eradicated his Evil Demon Army and fused his Divine Soul and Body, Life Span, and Magic Power, transforming him into a 'Meat Tai Sui Mountain,' with his sensitivity to pain increased a hundredfold."
"This mountain can perform Subterranean Evasion, appearing randomly in any location within that territory. Any Human Clan who encounters it may ask for a piece of flesh and request it to spit fire to cook it. Eating it can extend one's life and cure diseases."
...
"The tomb raider Wu Shaozu voluntarily made a Great Vow to atone for his sins, receiving recognition from the Ancestor God Treasure, the 'Merit Gold Book,' which has fused his subordinates and the Evil Cultivators along with his own presence into a 'Luck-Bringing Corpse' that wanders his province."
"Any person of virtue has the chance to encounter this corpse, and if they do, virtuous individuals may demand from it life extension and good fortune, which it cannot refuse."
"Until its accumulated wealth is exhausted and it perishes like a burnt-out lamp, it will turn into a handful of dirt, severing cause and effect."
...
These Great Vows and their final results, while also seemingly very miserable,
Were indeed slightly better than the fate of Fang Wuzu.
Naturally, this offered other warlords who had committed numerous evils a sliver of hope.
Thus, the next moment, in addition to the many Divine Treasures flying about, the once rare Great Vows now also began to fly about everywhere in the seventy-two provinces, to the point of absurdity.
PS: The fourth update is complete. Inspiration has dried up. I'll give the fifth update tomorrow, which is by twelve o'clock on the 6th—there will be three more chapters (counting it right so as not to be accused of messing with you, brothers and sisters).