Xiao Xun fantasized about life after failing to get into university, "Back then, maybe I would have gone to a technical school, or inherited my dad's restaurant, or learned auto repair and opened a repair shop. Maybe by now, I'd have kids, a wife and a warm hearth. When I wasn't busy, I'd have a drink with some buddies, shoot the breeze. That would also be a good life."
Mu Jiahe, without thinking, told him her opinion, "You come from ordinary life and have experienced it, so you want to return to it. But you and I are not people of the same world. I was not born for an ordinary life. If you are willing to be with me for a lifetime, then it's destined that even until the day we die, we will never have an ordinary life."
Then, Mu Jiahe solemnly asked Xiao Xun, "I'm giving you a chance now. If you want to live an ordinary life, I will erase your memory and send you back, letting you live your next life carefree. Do you want to?"
Seeing Xiao Xun hesitate, Mu Jiahe continued, "This is your only chance. If you lose it, it's gone forever."
Xiao Xun thought of that terrifying organization and sighed, "Is there any such thing as a regret pill in this world? Even if my memory is erased, what I've done is done, and it can never be covered up. I can only live in the present and look to the future."
Seeing Xiao Xun seeming to have come to terms with it, Mu Jiahe said to him, "Then let's treat this past ordinary life as a fond memory, keep it in your heart! Now..."
Suddenly, Mu Jiahe grabbed Xiao Xun's hand, "It's time to go!"
The two returned to the other world. Xiao Xun shivered all over again and instinctively wanted to burrow into Mu Jiahe's embrace.
"Can you have some backbone? Why do you feel like you're doing this on purpose?"
Xiao Xun swallowed, "No, Your Majesty, I'm really cold! Why is the weather here so cold as soon as autumn begins? Winter will be unbearable."
Mu Jiahe's chest was very warm, just like her magic. "Actually, the other rooms are fine. It's just this bedroom that's a bit cold."
Xiao Xun dared not move rashly and asked curiously, "Why is that?"
Mu Jiahe shrugged, "I don't know. Maybe it's because too many people have died in this room, so the yin energy is heavy!"
Xiao Xun shivered again. He curled up in Mu Jiahe's arms like a startled rabbit, but with his back to her.
The northern part of Saint Roman was vast, known as the Ten Thousand Mountains. The environment there was harsh, and the further northwest one went, the more perilous it became. There, besides countless ferocious beasts, there were also countless swamps and death traps.
There were also the interwoven, fierce, and bloodthirsty Wu tribes. Among them, the Berserker Sai En was the most famous, as Sai En, the Barbarian King, was known as the foremost master of the Barbarian Territories.
Of course, there were exceptions in dangerous places like the Northern Territory. Xin Zhi, further north of the Ten Thousand Mountains, was such an exception.
Although Xin Zhi was also a descendant of the Wu tribe, it had received traditional education earlier than the Ten Thousand Mountains. The people here were essentially indistinguishable from the people of Saint Roman. The credit for this was due to the great sage Lister of Banturadel.
It must be said that Lister was indeed an unparalleled genius of the Wu tribe in hundreds of years. Being able to usurp the heavens and earth to unify Banturadel would likely make him second to none throughout history.
And in the northern barbarian territories, although Sai En was the most famous, his status and strength were not the greatest.
The northern barbarian territories had steep mountains and pine forests reaching into the clouds, with few human traces.
And in the mountain valleys, a middle-aged man wearing a long robe and a bamboo hat was walking with difficulty on the mountain path.
He was tall and slender, his bamboo hat pulled down low, making his face impossible to see. However, it could be seen that his cheekbones were slightly gaunt, giving him a slightly cunning appearance.
After walking along the rugged mountain path for a while, the path turned, and he saw a man-made stone path.
This stone path led straight up the mountain, its destination unknown.
The middle-aged man followed the mountain path up, and saw a temple on the mountain.
Logically, a temple should be a quiet and elegant place, but this one exuded a strong smell of blood, completely lacking the solemnity expected of a temple.
The middle-aged man pushed open the temple door, and heard a sound of tearing and chewing.
Looking up, he saw a burly and ferocious man in the main hall holding a bone, his mouth full of blood and flesh. Beside him lay half of a woman's body.
Behind him stood a statue of the Eight-Armed God. In front of the statue, there were even incense burners and offerings, which seemed extremely out of place compared to the bloody slaughter before him, exuding a sense of eeriness.
The moment the middle-aged man pushed open the door, the blood-soaked man's hawk-like eyes swept over him, filled with hostility.
But upon seeing the middle-aged man, the ferocity in his eyes instantly vanished. Instead, his expression changed, and he grinned and let out a laugh. However, his laughter had the boldness of a wild beast, and it sounded terrifying and gloomy in the empty temple.
The middle-aged man looked at the bizarre scene before him and couldn't help but frown slightly, "Doing this in such a sacred place, aren't you afraid of blaspheming the Eight-Armed God and bringing divine punishment upon yourself?"
The man tore an arm from the woman soaked in blood and casually handed it to the middle-aged man, "Brother, why deceive yourself? The Eight-Armed God has no interest in me. Heh heh, I've been pretending to be human for too long, and my mouth has gone bland. This woman's flesh is very tender. Brother, you should try some too."
The middle-aged man glanced at the bloody and grotesque arm offered by the man, but had no intention of taking it, saying lightly, "It's better for you, my brother, to do less of such things!"
The man waved his hand, "Brother! We beasts like tigers and leopards are born to eat meat. This is our nature, you can't expect us to eat grass, can you? I, Gissed, really can't bring myself to do that!"
The middle-aged man seemed unconvinced, clearly knowing that this man named Gissed had not yet reached that level, and thus would not understand the profound mystery. He was too lazy to waste his breath.
He also knew his brother's nature. Although his brother always respected him, he was also someone who wouldn't turn back even if he hit a brick wall.
The middle-aged man stepped into the hall, looked around, and frowned, "Why haven't they arrived yet?"
Gissed continued to tear and chew, without even lifting his head, and mumbled in response, "Old Elephant will take a while. As for that bear, he should be here soon."
"Who's talking about me?"
As soon as the voice rose, the entire ground seemed to tremble, as if some colossal creature had arrived.
Gissed shrugged and winked at the middle-aged man.
The middle-aged man frowned, "Why is this guy still so ostentatious!"
Before he finished speaking, a gray bear's head had already poked in. That bear's head was quite large. As it poked into the door, it immediately made the door frame an inch wider. White stone fragments fell to the ground with a clatter, raising dust, as if a fierce battle had just ended.
Gissed, holding the horrifying half-body, had already jumped far away. The middle-aged man, without moving, flicked his sleeve and swept his hand. The raised dust seemed to be seen by ghosts as it drifted outwards.
"How old are you all, and still so reckless?"
The huge bear's head shook, its fur trembling, stirring up more dust.
But as its bear head shook, it began to shrink rapidly. Its entire face twisted, and its body seemed to deflate at a speed visible to the naked eye. In the blink of an eye, it transformed into a majestic and imposing man.
This man was broad-shouldered and stout, with a wide back and a large mouth that had a powerful but slightly excessive aura.
"You don't know, I was rushing on my way, so I had to reveal my true form, otherwise I wouldn't have arrived yet! Brother, why did you choose Saint Roman? If we had met in Banturadel, Old Elephant would have probably arrived by now."
The middle-aged man said lightly, "I heard that Vincent is not an ordinary person. This time it will be perfect to help Gissed take the three northwestern cities of Saint Roman, so that the brothers can start their uprising."
Upon hearing this, Gissed couldn't help but smile broadly, "Brother, although that Vincent has some skills, he's not even a tenth of yours. Why did you call them?"
"I don't intend to leave with blood on my hands this time."
As he spoke, the bear unceremoniously tore off another arm from Gissed, held it in its arms, and began to chew.
Dark clouds obscured the sky, but it was impossible to tell the time. The middle-aged man sighed, "How much longer until Bigeis arrives?"
The burly man mumbled indistinctly, "Brother, Old Elephant's movement technique is naturally slow, and the journey is far. It's estimated it won't be fast. You should eat something before waiting."
A hint of impatience flashed across the middle-aged man's face, but he ultimately remained silent.
And at this time, in the great hall of the Fire Shield Divine King's Palace.
Everyone had already learned that Winter had dispatched four armies towards Saint Roman, and the situation was critical.
With the enemy at the gates, everyone felt a sense of impending doom.
Even Caelpeis, who sat high in the hall, could feel this inexplicable pressure. She nodded, "Winter's four armies. Does anyone have any countermeasures?"
The originally noisy and boisterous hall suddenly fell silent. All the civil and military officials looked at each other, and finally chose to remain silent.
Caelpeis sighed, rose, and left, leaving a cold sentence: "Adjourn court!"