After burying the dead family, Lyu Hao took out a few jars of wine from his Ring of Holding and found a spot on the mountain slope to rest along with Wang Bugui and Zhao Changge. They drank and chatted happily under the moonlight like long lost brothers.

Wang Bugui lamented the lack of practitioners like Zhao and Lyu amongst their peers. They upheld justice, disliked evil with a vengeance and were completely unlike those losers that they had just got rid of. He knew that it was just wishful thinking on his part, however; there were good and bad people everywhere in this world. Sometimes, there were more evil people around, and their might would usually be greater than that of forces of good.

They led extravagant and wasteful lives while continuously oppressing people from the bottom rung of society, doing as they wished with the lives of these poor folk. Those men who could work were forced to do hard labor and discarded once the last bit of usefulness had been squeezed out of them.

The women from the bottom tier of society were just tools to them, either to satiate their animalistic desires or as sources of income. Even the children were not let off; their organs and even the children themselves were sold off. Either that, or they would be forced to become child soldiers. If they disobeyed, their limbs would be broken and they would be forced into the streets to beg.

Wang Bugui came to understand all these when he witnessed the daily struggles of people as he traveled around China. He instinctively thought about Qi Jianguo, the big brother like figure whom he met as he just stepped foot into this part of the world. There were many honest and simple people like him then, and Wang Bugui wondered how many of them were left in the world now.

Even if there were, it was highly likely that they were being made use of continuously by highly educated people until they were no longer useful.

He told Zhao and Lyu about his feelings, and they nodded in agreement. Zhao Changge even slapped his thighs and replied loudly, “You’re completely spot on, Brother Bugui. This is exactly the current state of human affairs in the world!”

The night sky was entirely dark except for a few stars and a bright moon; the latter its most dazzling accessory. A breeze blew gently across the plains, and the three friends set up a campfire began lying down on the ground to rest.

They could feel the cool wind gently brushing across their faces as they lay silently. There was no need to worry about being spotted by passers-by as they were within a barrier that only other practitioners could enter. It gave them a peace of mind.

Wang Bugui opened his eyes to gaze at the skies, looking a little lost. “It’s a pity that we can never see many stars in the night from most places on Earth now. The darkness of night has replaced the shining stars,” he said. When he was young, his favorite past time was gazing at stars in the night. There would be a countless number of them shining in the night sky, and they were the most precious painting and the most amazing piece of art on Earth.

Unfortunately, as humans progressed in the modern age, the various industries they created had already polluted the skies so terribly that the stars had become concealed. Now, one could only see them from rural areas or in places which were not so heavily polluted. It was almost impossible to see them in the cities, and even practitioners could only see a pitch black night sky whilst in a barrier.

“Yes, the stars are really beautiful. My master could still see them when he was training over there, but not here. Humans are really powerful. We managed to even ‘conceal’ the sky, or should I say pollute,” Zhao Changge said derisively.

“Sigh, what are you guys talking about? Why don’t we just shift this polluted part of the sky away when our powers have become stronger? Since mortals can ‘hide’ the skies, then I shall dispel that illusion with a blow of my huge halberd!” said Lyu Hao as he took a big gulp of wine and waved violently.

“Haha, that’s the spirit! If we want to see the skies, then we should cut through the skies that are covered in smog. Failing which, we can fly directly into space for a better view!” Wang Bugui said as he smiled cheerfully before grabbing hold of a pot of wine and drinking heavily as well.

Zhao Changge did likewise and took in a huge gulp of wine before wiping the wet corners of his lips. He placed his hands on Wang Bugui’s shoulder before pointing at Lyu Hao, saying, “Sigh, Lyu Hao, don’t get drunk; we still have a business to handle later on. Brother Bugui, your level of cultivation is so high. Why don’t you travel with us? We’ll seek for ‘the Mother of All Things’ together!”

“Rest assured, alcohol won’t seal my skills away. Furthermore, even if it would, this bit of liquor wouldn’t cause me to be drunk!” Lyu Hao said as he laughed loudly.

“The Mother of All Things? Where should we go to obtain that?” Wang Bugui asked somewhat curiously.

Zhao Changge drew out a black box covered with dust and broke its seal by waving a hand in the air for a few times. He drew out an ancient map and opened it slowly on the ground. It showed signs of its age, and the parchment on which it was drawn had turned yellowish-brown. Wang Bugui drew closer for a better look and realized that it was a map of the City of Beijing. It was structurally different from the actual city, however, and there was a heavily marked spot on the map.

Not only was it circled in red ink, there were also a line of ancient text written in red ink beside the spot. These were words from ancient historical times, and Wang Bugui had to use his Divine Eyes to read them before he could understand what they meant. They told him that there was secret treasure to be found there, but cautioned that there was also great danger lurking at the area. One had to be at least in the Voiding Realm to enter, which also meant that only sages had a chance of emerging alive from the marked place.

Wang Bugui cupped his chin and spoke after a moment’s consideration, “Entry into this place is restricted to sages. The three of us are only at Void Returning Realm; how much hope will we have of obtaining the Mother of All Things in there? What special moves or back up will we have? Don’t tell me that we’re just planning to walk in there and get it on account of our high spirits now?”

“I was hesitant at first, but after witnessing your strength, I feel that we at least have a 40 percent chance of success if we team up. Another friend of ours has yet to arrive; his presence will add another 10 percent to our chances of achieving our goal. As for moves, we’re going to get one of them now. The other is with our companion-to-be,” Zhao Changge said with a smile as he waved his arms around dramatically.

“Oh, we can give it a shot if we’ve a 50 percent chance of succeeding. However, I’m very curious who our last team member will be. Why did he not travel along with you guys?” Wang Bugui asked after nodding.

“Haha, he’s a genius! His name is Yu Wude, and he’s a genius in formations of our times. He’s from the line of the famous Gui Guzi, and we need his help to break the seal of the magic circle at the place we’re going to. Furthermore, there may be even more dangerous defensive formations deeper inside that place, and he can help us destroy most of them. I even saw him break a complicated magic circle once,” Zhao Changge said cheerfully.

“Even though he’s usually unreliable, under the right circumstances he’s very dependable. He’ll definitely turn serious when his life is on the line. He hasn’t arrived yet because he’s preparing. I told him to meet us there at 2:30 a.m. tomorrow,” Lyu Han said as he nodded in agreement.

Wang Bugui began nodding as well after hearing his friends speak, even though they described Yu Wude as someone who was not completely reliable. They vouched for his abilities, however, and Wang Bugui was sure Yu Wude would take things seriously when they met with danger, which would be frequent judging from the place they were heading to. He then turned to look at them and laughed. “Since you guys came prepared, we shall go try our luck together. It’s going to be one o’clock soon; can we go get that first insurance?” he asked.

“No problem. With your assistance, things will be much better for us! Let’s not waste any more time; we’ll head to our rendezvous point immediately,” Zhao Changge said as he chuckled. All three of them drained the last drop of wine from their pots and channeled their mystical powers to sprint toward the meeting point.

They came to a place Wang Bugui was familiar with—the Great Wall of China in Beijing. “What thing is there here that could serve as your insurance?” he asked, feeling extremely curious.

“Haha, this is the Great Wall of Dragons, the Capital of Emperors! It was designed personally by Qin Shihuang himself. According to Yu Wude, Ying Zheng was actually a practitioner of immense power. Rumor has it that his strength was on par with the Human Emperor of Mount Kunlun. His codes are still hidden here, and there is also the dragon aura of the Great Qin Empire in this place! We’re going to collect these things and use them to protect us.”

Zhao Changge said. He sounded as if he was lamenting Ying Zheng’s death when he spoke of the emperor, and Wang Buggui could understand him well. What the first Emperor of China had accomplished was unimaginable to ordinary people. Now that Wang Bugui knew he was a great practitioner as well, he was even more amazed. “No wonder he dared to defy the Heavens. But what happened during his last years to cause him to send Xu Fu to search for the Elixir of Health?”

Wang Bugui shook his head. These matters were long over, and there was no way to find out the truth about them. The most important matter to them now was to gather the codes and remnant dragon aura. Zhao Changge took out a small green cauldron made of bronze and said to his friends, “Use your auras to help me channel my skill!”

All three of them directed their powers at the cauldron the instant he finished speaking. Their auras flowed continually into the cauldron and after a short while later it began to give off a golden glow. It then flew up into the air by itself and began to absorb pieces of Taoist codes from the Great Wall. A gold aura appeared, giving off the growl of a dragon. It was the dragon’s aura that they had been looking for.

After 10 minutes, the green bronze cauldron was filled with shards of Taoist codes and remnant dragon’s aura, and it flew back into Zhao Changge’s hands. He looked extremely contented as he gazed at its contents. “That’s settled. Let’s head to that place and wait for him there!” he said, the corners of his mouth upturned.

“What place is that?” asked Wang Bugui.

“The Dragon Trapping Well!” Zhao Changge said as he turned around and whispered into Wang Bugui’s ears. He had covered the exposed side of his face with one hand, and he laughed softly.