Divine Tang Era

Chapter 123 Chaos

Xu Dan spent the afternoon at Mingfeng Tower, having dinner with Li Zhu and the other imperial immortals, before heading back.

Upon returning home, he took out the Crimson Flame Giant Shield and, following Xue An's instructions, refined it with his blood and qi.

As streams of vital energy surged in, washing over the giant shield like waves, it initially remained unchanged. However, as more vital energy flowed in, the shield began to change, its crimson color deepening as if burning with flames.

Suddenly, a flame shot out from inside the shield and burst into flames.

Xu Dan was taken aback by this unexpected turn of events and unsure whether he should continue.

His heart was strong, and he felt that the flames had not harmed him, so he continued to refine them.

Endless blood and energy surged in, and the giant shield transformed once more. A chaotic creature emerged, its feet treading on flames, and roared at him.

Caught off guard, the powerful sound waves made Xu Dan's head ring, and his movements faltered. Suddenly, the Hidden Profound Cauldron, located in the nameless void at the center of his body, spun out and swallowed the Crimson Flame Giant Shield whole, also absorbing the chaos along with it.

Chaos roared in frustration, but to no avail.

Without the chaos causing trouble, Xu Dan quickly recovered.

Inside the room, the Hidden Mystery Cauldron stood proudly, with a giant shield floating inside. Streams of qi and blood converged and formed, like the waters of an abyss, enveloping it, or like dark whirlpools, swirling and washing over it.

The once majestic Chaos had already retreated into its shield.

Under the cleansing influence of Qi and blood, the rust on the giant shield gradually faded, and its dull color slowly became brighter.

Suddenly, a beam of blood-red light shot into the sky, making one feel as if they were in a boundless battlefield. Then the blood-red light subsided and merged into the giant shield, giving it a more imposing aura.

Xu Dan sensed something was off about the Crimson Flame Giant Shield; its interior appeared to have distinct layers.

What happened?

With a thought forming in his mind, his eyes narrowed slightly, and divine light shot out from his double pupils, piercing through the Crimson Flame Shield and revealing the situation inside. Unexpectedly, the Crimson Flame Shield actually had two layers inside: an outer layer of crimson shield and an inner layer of jet-black shield.

What exactly is going on?

Curious, Xu Dan's double pupils pierced through the layers of giant shields until they reached the core. Suddenly, a divine light flew into his brow, and he seemed to have gained some information in his mind.

Only after careful reading did I learn the origin of the Crimson Flame Shield.

It turns out that this was not the Crimson Flame Shield used by the elite Crimson Flame Army of the Great Xia Dynasty, but the Chaos Shield used exclusively by the Chaos Army, the secret army of the Great Xia Dynasty. This army was a Daoist army created by the Great Xia Dynasty after it conquered various sects, obtained their secret manuals, and consumed countless treasures.

Xue An's statement that even immortals and gods could not stop them refers to the Chaos Army.

In the Great Xia Dynasty, there are four such armies: the Chaos Army, the Qiongqi Army, the Taotie Army, and the Taowu Army. They usually only obey the orders of the Great Xia Emperor and are never used lightly except in major events.

The Chaos Army focuses on physical cultivation, with magical cultivation as a secondary aspect.

Each of them was burly and strong, clad in heavy armor and wielding massive shields and halberds. Wherever they went, they were invincible and unstoppable.

The giant shield also conveyed information on how to refine the shield body, but it didn't explain why it was covered by a layer of crimson flame shield.

Xu Dan hadn't expected the giant shield to have such a grand origin, but regardless, it now belonged to him.

Thinking about it this way, he couldn't help but feel a sense of satisfaction. Before refining it, the Crimson Flame Shield was impossible to lift without immense strength, but now that it's been refined, it feels incredibly light, barely weighing a pound.

Play for a while, then put away the shield.

Xu Dan suddenly thought: If the giant shield can be refined, then can the quiver and the long arrows engraved with the Vermilion Bird and White Tiger patterns that he bought before also be refined?

With a slight thought, he took out the quiver and long arrow from the Hidden Mystic Cauldron, and began to refine the arrow engraved with the Vermilion Bird Mystic Pattern.

Waves of blood and energy surged in, and the long arrow glowed red.

After a while, the Vermilion Bird pattern engraved on the arrow suddenly shone brightly, and with a "whoosh," a young Vermilion Bird flew out of the arrow and circled and danced in the room.

Xu Dan stared wide-eyed, finding it utterly unbelievable.

After flying for a while, the Vermilion Bird returned to the arrow.

A stream of light surged across the long arrow, and the arrow seemed to come alive, gaining a touch of spirituality.

Sensing something amiss with the arrow, Xu Dan probed it with his divine soul power and received a message from the Vermilion Bird runes. The runes on the arrow could not only automatically absorb spiritual energy from heaven and earth to restore itself, but also automatically return after being fired. If the arrow's owner's divine sense was strong enough, they could leave a mark on the enemy, allowing the arrow to automatically locate the enemy without needing to look at them before firing.

Xu Dan's expression turned strange when he saw the information inside.

What is this? A spirit-gathering arrow, a tracking arrow, or an automatic cruise missile?

However, this is also what makes the long arrow so powerful.

In light of this, he quickly continued refining the other long arrows. The remaining arrows, with the same functions as the Vermilion Bird Mystic Pattern Long Arrow, clearly belonged to a set. It was undoubtedly the treasure of some powerful being, so incredibly potent. Unfortunately, even with such a powerful weapon, he still perished.

"The cultivation world is tough!" Xu Dan sighed inexplicably.

He refined five long arrows. He originally wanted to refine quivers as well, but considering that he would have to defend the city tomorrow, it would be bad to consume too much energy, so he put it aside for the time being.

I glanced at the sky and realized it was getting late, so I went to bed.

Xu Dan didn't sleep well that night. Ghosts howled and screamed outside the city, making it impossible for anyone to have any peace and quiet.

That night, the commotion on the city walls never ceased; every moment, the roars of the defending soldiers could be heard as they fought desperately to protect the city. The city itself was also far from peaceful that night; the night watchmen rushed back and forth, tirelessly eliminating any ghosts that had infiltrated the city.

This night was anything but peaceful for everyone in Jingning.

The next morning, after finishing his cultivation and eating something, he opened the door and saw Xue An walking towards him from a distance with Xue Diao and Xue Bao'er.

Not only them, but he also discovered that the people who helped defend the city yesterday had all come over, and the team had expanded, with many more people.

"Since you're up, let's go!" Xue An didn't waste any words and led them directly up the city wall.

Seeing them come up, the soldiers guarding the city moved their tired bodies backward, giving them their places, and then went down to rest.

Today was different from yesterday; in front of the archers stood a row of men clad in heavy armor, wielding sturdy shields and spears. Once everyone was lined up as they had been yesterday, some constables came to distribute the supplies.

Xu Dan glanced at them and saw that they were meatballs to replenish qi and blood, and there were many more than yesterday.

Yesterday there was only one beast meat pill that greatly replenished qi and blood, but today there are a full ten, plus three pills, five spirit talismans, and each of the Buddhist, Taoist, and Confucian scholars received an extra spirit stone.

The pills are of three types: the Healing Purple Gold Pill, the Calming Eight Treasures Pill, and the Nourishing Qi Small Spirit Pill. The talismans are the Protector of Gods and Exorcising Talisman and the Five Thunder Talisman.

After listening to the instructions on how to use it, Xu Dan put away the things he had been given.

The sky is strange today. Yesterday, the sky was still white, but today it's dark and hazy, like nighttime. The air is also unusually cold. Outside the city, in the damp and misty fog, ghostly creatures surge like waves, their wails and howls never ceasing. It looks terrifying; the timid would probably be scared to death.

"Be careful, the ghosts will be very strong today. If I can't keep an eye on them, run to the back," Xue An warned.

"Didn't they say they'd chop off your head?" Xu Dan asked in a low voice.

"You're not deserting in the face of battle, you're just going to a better position to fight the enemy later, who's going to kill you?" Xue An glared at him.

This kid has great archery skills, but why does he seem a little slow-witted?

"Oh"

Xu Dan understood that this was a planned retreat, not desertion, and he didn't need to fear being beheaded. His anxious heart calmed down.