Chapter 1185: The Descendants

"Then you'll have to trade information for it," He Lingchuan said, looking at him with an inquisitive gaze. "There must be a reason why you're a frequent visitor to this desolate mountain and ruined palace."

Although the legend of Luosheng Armor was well-known throughout the western part of the Blazing Gold Plain, Fu Liushan's detailed and vivid retelling of the old story, even down to the minutest details, made it hard for He Lingchuan not to make connections.

Seeing Fu Liushan hesitate slightly, He Lingchuan pointed west and added, "That thing has already gotten out. What's the point of keeping these secrets?"

That statement was the key! As expected, Fu Liushan was more concerned about the whereabouts of Luosheng Armor than past events. "Alright, it's not a big secret anyway. I am the seventh-generation Celestial Master of the Fu family. Our ancestors, and now we, have been the guardians of the Keling Seal."

Upon hearing "seal" and "guardian," Dong Rui's interest was piqued. "You are the guardians of Luosheng Armor?"

"Strictly speaking, we are the guardians of Luosheng Armor's *seal*," Fu Liushan said, gesturing to the surrounding stone platforms. "These are rune platforms left by the Blazing Gold Empire, specifically designed to seal the Luosheng Armor. Periodically, I have to come into the mountains to inspect them. Wherever there's damage, I'm responsible for repairs."

Dong Rui felt a bit of sympathy upon hearing this. "That's not a pleasant job."

"You can say that again!" Fu Liushan instinctively complained. "Every trip into the mountains takes more than a month, round trip! If it weren't for the rules left by my ancestors, who would want to guard this godforsaken place!"

It had taken him two days to retrace the runes.

While doing the work, he had yawned hundreds of times because it was incredibly boring and monotonous. Moreover, it was purely manual labor, requiring him to bend over and scrape the ground for several hours, leaving him dizzy when he finally stood up.

At the time, he had been thinking that in a few years, he wouldn't be able to bend over anymore and would need to find a successor.

No, he'd need at least two.

Which meant he'd have to find a girl and get married first. Oh well.

It seemed heaven had heard his inner thoughts. Now that Luosheng Armor had escaped, he certainly wasn't bored anymore.

Just now, he had climbed onto the platform to check, and lo and behold, the runes he had just meticulously retraced were cracked!

Each stone platform had several finger-thick cracks.

What a blatant disregard for his hard work!

He Lingchuan frowned. "After all these years, has no one ever broken the seal?"

Destruction was always simpler than maintenance. Wouldn't damaging these stone platforms break the seal?

Why hadn't Luosheng Armor emerged?

Fu Liushan chuckled, a proud expression on his face. "Since my family began guarding this place over a hundred years ago, the seal has only ever been damaged, never rendered ineffective!"

Dong Rui was puzzled. "Why is that?"

Fu Liushan looked mysterious.

When the Blazing Gold Empire built this grand sealing array, they had, of course, considered the issue of an outdoor seal being damaged. Therefore, the stone platforms were merely a diversion; the true rune array extended beyond them.

But this was a secret of the Fu family, and he wouldn't reveal everything to strangers.

However, as Fu Liushan continued to smile, his face suddenly fell.

Generations of the Fu family had guarded this seal without incident, merely needing to make a routine monthly inspection. So why did a major disaster have to occur on his watch?

For over a decade since he took over guarding the mountain, the Keling Seal had remained intact. Why did it suddenly break tonight, specifically when he had gone down the mountain to get wine?

If the underground monster had awakened at any other time when he wasn't there, he naturally wouldn't have been responsible.

But now, could he, the Celestial Master, simply ignore it?

"It's my turn to ask a question. Where did the black-armored man go?"

Fu Liushan hadn't held much hope when he asked the question, but to his surprise, He Lingchuan pointed towards the Yaoh army. "He's currently locked in a fierce battle with the Yaoh nation's army."

"The Yaoh nation's army?" Fu Liushan repeated in astonishment. "Why did the Yaoh nation's army come to Jing Mountain?"

Dong Rui shrugged. "You'd have to ask them. Anyway, both sides seemed to have a deep-seated grudge, as they were fighting fiercely the moment they met."

He Lingchuan cast him an approving look.

The last two sentences this fellow uttered were true, but by omitting the beginning and end, he had left out crucial details—truly a master of He Lingchuan's own tactics.

Fu Liushan pondered deeply. "Could it be that the Yaoh people carried something that Luosheng Armor sensed, causing it to break free from the array?"

Jing Mountain was on the border of the Yaoh nation, so it wasn't strange for the Yaoh army to pass through. However, it was peculiar that they had only provoked Luosheng Armor tonight.

What variable had been added?

That question was quite insightful for He Lingchuan as well.

He knew, of course, that Luosheng Armor was not pursuing the Yaoh people, but him.

So, Luosheng Armor was drawn to something on his person?

What kind of treasure could make the evil armor, which had been dormant for over a century, stir restlessly and break its seal?

He Lingchuan thought back carefully. Hmm, he did indeed have quite a few treasures on him.

Fu Liushan sighed, then jumped back onto the stone platform to continue repairing the array. He then told the two of them, "I don't know your origins, and I don't particularly want to know, but I advise you to leave Jing Mountain as soon as possible. Luosheng Armor is extremely sinister, not something you can control."

Seeing his demeanor, Dong Rui coughed. "You still intend to retrieve Luosheng Armor?"

Otherwise, what would be the point of him tinkering with this grand array if the armor was gone?

"What choice do I have?" Fu Liushan said, his face clearly showing reluctance. "This is my duty."

He was the Celestial Master, the one assigned to guard Jing Mountain. His parents had given him this name, and no matter how unwilling he was, he had to see his responsibility through to the end.

Dong Rui chuckled. "What's the big deal if you just let go and stop guarding this Luosheng Armor?"

"My ancestors exerted all their strength to suppress it here," Fu Liushan shook his head. "How could I disgrace them? If I were to join them in the afterlife a hundred years from now, wouldn't they beat me black and blue?"

"Whether Luosheng Armor is causing trouble or not, this area is just as chaotic," Dong Rui remarked, subscribing to the view that "a few more fleas don't make a difference."

"That's still different," Fu Liushan said, his face grimacing, but he persisted. "You haven't witnessed Luosheng Armor yourself; you don't know its dangers. Wherever that thing goes, it piles up bones into mountains. Even if human lives are cheap, they shouldn't be squandered like that."

"Well said," He Lingchuan gave him a thumbs up. "But with your abilities, can you really retrieve it?"

Fu Liushan appeared reluctant, but when it came to his duty, he was uncompromising.

If it was part of his job, he accepted it.

The black-armored leader, commanding earth golems, could fight the Yaoh army, empowered by their primal energy, to a standstill. How easy would it be for someone named Fu to reclaim it?

"I'll do my best and leave the rest to fate," Fu Liushan sighed, seeing that the two were interested in getting involved. "What, you still haven't given up? Remember, birds die for food."

"You probably can't handle it alone," He Lingchuan said with a smile. "Can this array still be used?"

Fu Liushan glared at him and remained silent.

"Are you repairing the rune array to lure Luosheng Armor back and then suppress it with the array?"

"Being too clever isn't always good; it tends to invite trouble."