As Jian Huaishuang's words fell, the paper person elders trembled slightly with shock.
"Fellow daoist, are these words true?"
"Are you certain you did not misinterpret what you saw?"
It was no wonder the elders found it hard to believe.
The legend of the dragon carp existed only in rumors, and its specific origin had long been lost to time.
Its traces were ethereal and difficult to find. Since ancient times, rumors had been plenty and many had heard of it, but few actually believed.
In the past few centuries, news of a dragon carp appearing occasionally surfaced, but in the end, they were all proven to be groundless rumors or rare spiritual items mistaken for it.
The great elder had only mentioned it in passing just now; could it be that they actually existed?
Another elder echoed, "Indeed. Although the image of golden scales and a vermilion crown matches the descriptions in the ancient texts, the creatures of this world are strange and varied. There is no guarantee that there isn't something else that looks similar."
Jian Huaishuang slowly shook his head, his tone steady and certain. "I could not have been mistaken."
He lifted his gaze slightly. "In the Lord's territory, there are indeed several dragon carp. Though I have only seen them a few times, their unique charm is extraordinary and unforgettable."
Jian Huaishuang paused, seemingly searching for the right words to describe that feeling.
"It is hard to put into words.
"It is not merely their beautiful appearance, but a kind of peace that naturally flows around them, as if they were the condensation of the world's most primordial blessings.
"Favored and loved by heaven and earth—once you have seen them once, you can clearly perceive that they are far beyond what ordinary spiritual items can compare to."
"Several?"
"More than one? There are actually several!"
At this point, even the most composed great elder could not help but gasp. His eyes widened, filled with shock.
"Could it be the ancient records are true? Do heaven-blessed objects truly descend in accordance with fate?" one elder's voice trembled, unable to hide his excitement.
"Does this signify that the Way of Humanity shall prosper, and hope has arrived?"
"An opportunity! This is a monumental opportunity!"
An impatient elder immediately stepped forward, almost grabbing Jian Huaishuang.
"Daoist Jian, can you immediately lead us to pay our respects?
"Even if it were not for the fabled dragon carp, the venerable god has granted my Corpse Soul Sect the grace of rebirth and saved our sect from the danger of collapse. For such great kindness, we should go in person to kowtow and offer our thanks!"
"That's right," another elder immediately agreed. "We should take the entire sect, all the disciples, and go together to show our utmost sincerity!"
He turned to the great elder and asked urgently, "What do you think we should prepare as a gift for the audience? Although our sect has withered, our heritage has lasted for a century. There might still be a few items in our treasury that are worthy of notice."
The great elder, after all, had experienced great storms. Although he was equally excited and shocked, he forcibly suppressed it and said deeply, "Stay calm!"
He looked around at the elders, his paper face revealing a serious expression.
"Though we are no longer flesh and blood, we were once an orthodox immortal sect. Etiquette must not be discarded!
"To rush there blindly would be disrespectful.
"We must first prepare a formal letter of visitation, stating our reasons and gratitude, and then prepare generous gifts. We shall choose an auspicious day and pay a solemn visit to show our sincerity.
"How can we be so reckless as to disturb the god's peace?"
He then looked at the surrounding dilapidated land, his tone turning heavy.
"Furthermore, the lingering poison in Kushi County has not been cleared, the locusts are still present, and the land is deeply contaminated. These are duties we have not yet fulfilled. How can we just abandon them?"
Hearing this, the elders gradually calmed down and voiced their agreement.
The great elder then turned to Jian Huaishuang and asked respectfully, "Daoist Jian, may I ask where the venerable god's celestial residence is located? Once the matters here are settled, we can deliberate on the route for our visitation."
Jian Huaishuang thought for a moment and replied, "Gloomlight Province, Thousand Isles County."
"Gloomlight Province?"
The great elder was shocked once again. "Are you saying Gloomlight Province? But our location is Cangzhou."
Although he did not know exactly where Thousand Isles County was, Gloomlight Province was clearly the name of another province.
It was common knowledge that provinces were separated by realm barriers.
Those were formed by the rules of heaven and earth, and they were not something that could be easily crossed by human strength.
Even those at the sixth-stage, or even the legendary seventh-stage experts, were rarely able to safely cross a realm barrier to go to another province.
The great elder was shaken to his core, and his gaze toward Jian Huaishuang changed completely.
In addition to the original gratitude, there was now far more reverence mixed in.
This god could not only descend his power from afar to easily solve a crisis that even the sect master was powerless to stop, but his true body was actually far away in another province across a realm barrier?
What kind of incredible, heaven-reaching method was this?
The great elder asked again, "Then how did you cross the realm barrier to reach our Cangzhou territory, daoist?"
Jian Huaishuang shook his head. "It was not I who crossed the realm barrier. The Lord has his own methods."
"I understand." The great elder took a deep breath, his voice becoming even more respectful. "This matter requires careful consideration."
Once the discussion was settled, the elders suppressed the crashing waves in their hearts and began to efficiently organize the paper person disciples. They formed teams and divided into regions to hunt down the remaining locusts and clean the battlefield.
The paper people were formed from the power of evil spirits; they did not fear copper poison and moved swiftly.
The wisp of death qi within them, originating from Jian Huaishuang, was even more effective at dispersing and purifying the toxins, making them quite efficient.
However, the copper poison that had already deeply seeped into the soil was spread too widely and in varying concentrations, making it extremely troublesome to clean.
It was likely not the work of a single day but would require time to slowly wear it away, or perhaps another method altogether.
While everyone was busy discussing, Piao, who had been curled up on the ground, suddenly had the old robes covering her body slide off.
She seemed to be triggered by a specific set of words.
Huangshawo.
Perhaps it was mentioned unintentionally by an elder when assigning tasks.
Piao's fully insectoid body gave a violent shudder. Turmoil and struggle surged intensely within her pupils.
But in the end, all desires and instincts were suppressed by an obsession called 'home'.
Following the direction of the sound, she used her forelimbs to support herself and staggered to her feet.
At this moment, her body was covered in insectoid armor, hideous and terrifying. Almost no trace of her human form remained as she hobbled directly toward the direction where she had just heard 'Huangshawo'.
A few paper people nearby, who were quietly discussing the cleaning route, were startled by Piao's sudden appearance and instinctively tried to make way for her.
"Huangshawo," Piao stopped and looked at the paper people. "I want to go back."
The scene fell silent for a moment.
But no one showed any signs of rejection.
The disciples of the Corpse Soul Sect dealt with corpses and ghosts all year round and were long accustomed to various non-human existences. Usually, it was others who avoided them, considering them bad luck.
Moreover, everyone knew that the end of this disaster, besides the great contribution of the god they had never met, was mostly thanks to the insectoid monster before them.
A paper person senior sister stepped forward, sounding somewhat worried. "Lady Piao, are you saying you want to go to Huangshawo with us?"
Piao nodded and repeated once more, "Huangshawo, I want to go back."
Seeming afraid that the paper person wouldn't understand, she added another sentence urgently, "Go back, find Mother."
The paper person senior sister understood and advised, "Lady Piao, in your current state, I'm afraid you'll frighten your mother. Why don't you rest and recover for a while? Wait until you're better before going back?"
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