Chapter 255: Confrontation
Decipher the entire the Ninth Ruins?
At first, Tang Ling could not understand why she used the word ‘decipher’. Why would Ro Xin want to decipher a ruins? Was it like a temple where secret contraptions were hidden from plain sight? However, after a day, he understood why.
Tears lingered in Ro Xin’s eyes as she deeply inhaled. She drew some complicated patterns on a flat piece of paper and tried her best to explain to Tang Ling, “This is it. Our family speculated that the occupations that you learn about from ancient legends are real and they are the reason behind some myths.
“For example, formations belong to an ancient form of divination from ancient Huaxia, named Daoist magic, or in other words, Qimen Dunjia. These are special methods used by a certain profession.
“But legends might be a little too obscure to understand such as casting beans on the ground to raise an army or to raise a man from paper. The formations aren’t just applied in the process to disrupt people’s sight and cause illusions. They are also used to summon rain, lightning, or thunder in order to enhance the illusion.
“Therefore, in the long history of the old civilization, legends remained as legends. No one believed them because no one has ever seen them with their own eyes.”
“Do you mean to say that in the Purple Moon era, these legendary occupations such as shamanism, Taoism from the east, and wizards and druids from the west are real?” Tang Ling tried his best to understand what Ro Xin said. Although he was reluctant to believe it, the situation forced him to accept and understand the facts.
“Yes, and we believe a wizard is responsible for the phenomenon in this little town.” Ro Xin pinched her lips together. Even though she looked tough, tears still rolled down her cheeks.
A wizard?! It sounded so strange and absurd. Even if Tang Ling viewed it from the perspective of the Purple Moon era, it was simply unbelievable.
As humankind grew stronger, the elemental talents of wind, water, and lightning were all similar to a wizard’s ability to summon rain and lightning.
In western legends, wizards developed all kinds of magical symbols and formations. Furthermore, according to what Ro Xin said, a formation might not be a groundless statement either. Like the circuitry of the old civilization, they could also be treated as a type of formation.
So, could the owner of this little town be a scientist?
There were many things Tang Ling wanted to discuss with Ro Xin. If her family speculated that the town had a formation of sorts, why did they not a.s.sume that the formation was from the east or some eastern legendary occupation? Why did it have to be a wizard of the west?
However, Ro Xin was hugging her knees at the moment and burying her face that was in tears. Beside her was the unconscious Ro Li.
The enemies were despicable. The trio were trapped in the town for a whole day and Draconic Seven had been telling stories about the interrogation of their father for more than 10 times now. Even Tang Ling started to get angry, let alone the siblings.
“Dad must be sad, isn’t he? We are just some folks from a Drifter camp. He never would have thought there’d be such cruel methods to force someone to spill secrets, would he? If he had known, he would’ve rather died than submit…” Ro Xin looked up and exhaled as she looked at the bright sunlight outside the window.
“I actually understand my dad a lot. He’ll be irrevocably sad if he goes like that…I’ve read some history books before. An emperor who dies honorably for his kingdom is better than an emperor who escapes to live another day. I don’t know whether I’m correct or not, but I supposed that’s the pride and glory of ancient Huaxianese.
“He was not clear about the methods and didn’t know he’d be tortured like that, but it isn’t your father’s fault. He’s no longer himself once the drug has taken effect on him, and…” Tang Ling tried his best to comfort Ro Xin, but being himself, he lacked the words during the important moments.
Ro Xin smiled at Tang Ling as she wiped her tears and said, “Of course, it’s not my dad’s fault. I know him well. I just can’t help but feel sad for him! Our family has teachings that have been pa.s.sed down from generations. As the descendants of ancient Huaxianese, we, the Ros, must hold on to ourselves.
“Dad will never be a deserter and leave what the ancestors built behind. He’ll never run away and disappoint the trust people have placed in him. This choice of his is probably the best choice that he can make, so I’ll support him. I’m just sad that I can’t stay by his side until the very end. Tang Ling, I will avenge him.” Ro Xin looked at Tang Ling with a stern gaze.
“Your enemy will be the powerful Stardust Council.” Tang Ling stood up.
“Have you ever been afraid?” Ro Xin looked up to seek advice because Tang Ling’s enemy was also the powerful Stardust Council.
“Never. Being afraid does me no good.” Tang Ling walked to the door.
“Then, I’m not afraid as well.”
“Great, I’ll get us something to eat. The food from the old civilization isn’t bad but it lacks energy. Let’s hope we can quickly decipher the situation.” Tang Ling then walked out of the house.
The house was located on a street but not the main one. On the street where they settled down was a grocery store called a supermarket while the other buildings were all residential houses. After they entered the town, they realized that the soft sunlight never dimmed. It seemed as if time was frozen in the morning forever.
Tang Ling did not have to worry about the people shuttling across the streets either. They might be talking to each other, doing their own things and look utterly real, but they were still illusions. When he walked into a man, he went right through him as if the man was air and nothing happened.
Tang Ling was certain that everything in the town was a projection, similar to the one at the Hope Barrier but a lot more advanced. However, he was unable to search for the source of the projection.
According to Ro Xin, after they made it through the entrance of the alley, or in other words, deciphered the alley, they were only granted access to this particular street. Any activity beyond this street would attract a hostile reaction from the town.
Tang Ling had the urge to test it. How would the town attack them? Would it be something that he could endure?
However, he did not want the Stardust Council who were waiting outside to notice his activity, so he did not do anything.
He walked into the supermarket, then he grabbed a big basket and started to throw in all kinds of food and water. Like he said, the food was delicious but lacked energy. Therefore, he still had to rely on his own luggage and the luggage that Ro Li carried.
Thankfully, Tang Ling did not require a lot of energy for the time being because the strange blue energy in him would be sufficient for his consumption.
What a magical town! Even the food was well-preserved, so how big was the Universal Source Rock? How was it used to preserve all this? It should be bigger than the one at Safety Sector No. 17 and was probably being used in a much more efficient way than at the Hope Barrier!
The three of them could last for a while with the food from the town and Tang Ling believed he could get a little something from every residential house.
However, he still had to get to Darkness Port before December. The thought of it was like a heavy shackle, binding him down. It was already late September. Would he be able to make it there in time?
After he came out of the supermarket, he took a stroll down the street.
It was then that the irritating voice echoed in his ear, “Hey, do you want to hear about how that foolish Dragon Army is being tortured? Those loyal fools who built the path for you with their lives, those who hoped that you could avenge them, do you want to know how pitiful they are?”
Tang Ling stopped, turning around and looking at the end of the street.
A group of soldiers from the Stardust Council surrounded them. In front of the troops was the young teen that rode the vicious beast. He should be the leader of the troops.
This guy is really disgusting, screaming non-stop with that loudspeaker. Isn’t he tired?
With that in mind, a smile appeared on Tang Ling’s face. He then strode to the end of the street and stopped in front of the troops. “I want to know your name,” he stated to the young teen.
“Draconic Seven. Remember the name because it will be a nightmare for you. Your luck ends with me. What do you think, Tang Ling?”
“Hmm, Draconic Seven? I guess you are just some pitiful b.a.s.t.a.r.d who doesn’t deserve a name but just a number.” Tang Ling showed sympathy in his gaze.
Draconic Seven was stunned. He was not agitated by what Tang Ling said. Instead, he was shocked that Tang Ling would be a rascal, an arrogant rascal who liked to argue.
“Right, aren’t you trying to tell me the stories of the Dragon Army? Raising the loudspeaker is tiring. I’ll just sit here and listen to you, Mr. Number.” Tang Ling put down the bags and sat down with his legs crossed as he looked straight into Draconic Seven’s eyes.
Mr. Number? Draconic Seven was bewildered once more. He jumped down from his vicious beast and walked towards Tang Ling.
Although the two of them were less than a meter apart, they were miles away.
The troops of the Stardust Council had suffered the consequences of trespa.s.sing into the Ninth Ruins. Anyone who trespa.s.sed into the remain, even by a single step, would suffer from electrocution.
More than a dozen soldiers were hurt and an unlucky b.a.s.t.a.r.d was even electrocuted to death. The power of the lightning was self-explanatory.
“Fine, if you ask for a story, I’ll give you on.” Draconic Seven also sat down in front of Tang Ling. A strong discomfort rumbled in his heart.
Why do I feel something strange from this Tang Ling? Even if he is calm, I felt a little pressured.
The feeling in his heart was telling him that he was lesser than Tang Ling.
Tragically, Draconic Seven would never accept it! The only person he would feel pressured in front of was Tang Long, and Tang Long was an uncrossable mountain in his heart. He never expected himself to surpa.s.s Tang Long by all means or even catch up to him.
With the strong discomfort in his heart, Draconic Seven Started his story.
Tang Ling appeared to listen carefully but did not show a bit of reaction at all. His non-reaction defeated Draconic Seven. Even he himself was bored by his own stories. Instead, rage built up in his heart and he felt like he had been insulted.
As a matter of fact, Tang Ling did not really listen to Draconic Seven. His mind was thinking about the formation that Ro Xin mentioned and he was trying to figure out the patterns of the complicated lines and strokes.
While he was pondering upon the formation, he used his Precise Instinct to replicate the formation in his head. Would it help him to understand the formation better?
Tang Ling was trying to test out using his Precise Instinct to figure it out, but he must first understand the basics of the formation. Then, he thought of the Ro family teachings. The books also mentioned something about formations although they were categorized as something trivial and he never paid attention to it.
Until he arrived at the Ninth Ruins, only then did Tang Ling start to pay attention.
“Tang Ling, do you realize you are digging your own grave?” Draconic Seven’s breath got heavy while his oval pupils became thinner as his rage swelled, making him look like a venomous snake.
Tang Ling looked up at him with a ridiculing gaze. “Are you done with the storytelling?” His tone and expression suffocated Draconic Seven, almost choking him.
He stepped up to the borderline of the Ninth Ruins and moved his face as close as he could, uttering every word loud and clear, “You’d better not beg me to spare you. Do you think I did nothing while I was waiting? Do you really think I don’t know what is going on? The council knows about this place, and judging from the resistance from the Ro family, the council will have their own way around this Ninth Ruins. Just you wait and see. My men are coming here as we speak. How long more do you think you can act all arrogant?”
Tang Ling still did not show any reaction. Instead, he stood up and stretched his body. Casually, he walked up to the borderline and almost stuck his face in front of Draconic Seven. “I have to admit your stories are interesting, but I want you to know you are the one digging your own grave. The better your stories are, the uglier you will die. I know because I’ll be the one who kills you. As for those men that you mentioned, I don’t give a sh*t about them. If this place is that easy to decipher, you p.r.i.c.ks won’t stand a chance anyway.
“So, let’s wait and see. The moment when I walk out of this town, your death will loom for no particular reason other than your interesting stories, but I think it’s probably because your face makes me sick.”
Tang Ling then turned around, lifted the bags and wanted to head home, but he paused. He turned around to Draconic Seven and flashed him the middle finger with his disdainful gaze.
“You little b.a.s.t.a.r.d, I’ll f*cking kill you!” Draconic Seven finally exploded. He took a step forward and tried to punch Tang Ling, but he forgot that no one could easily step into the town. Right after his foot landed in the town, a flash of huge lightning ripped down from the sky and struck Draconic Seven.
Kakrooom!
Despite dodging, the bolt of lightning still struck him. Of course, as one of the Sixteen Prodigies, a bolt of lightning could not harm him at all. It just made him look uglier.
Tang Ling naturally laughed at him, then said softly, “I’ll come by for more stories if I get bored. I hope you can be as lively as you have been today.”
Draconic Seven’s eyes gleamed in rage, but all he could do was watch Tang Ling walk away while his heart kept repeating the same phrase. Will I die by his hand?