Chapter 693: Section 480: The Divine Country of the God of Duels
Anqiu’s great name was known to everyone present.
Faced with the Human Race head’s questioning, Ice Eagle nodded slightly with a calm expression and admitted on the spot, “Yes, it is that Anqiu.”
For a moment, a cry of astonishment arose from everyone, their faces filled with excitement and a hint of disbelief.
Legends of Anqiu and valiant duels are well-known in the Ice Sculpture Kingdom.
“I never imagined I could enter Anqiu?! To be connected to such a legendary place!” the Human Race head muttered to himself, his feigned expression exceedingly convincing, showing his years of experience as a mole.
“This is just wonderful!” Xiong Ju roared in excitement.
He revered valiant duels. During his fight with the Dragon-man youth, the Demon hybrid head had tried to assassinate the Dragon-man youth from the sidelines, but Xiong Ju noticed and crushed the Demon Eye with his grip.
Lan Zao opened his mouth slightly, his face a picture of shock.
Not very good at feigning expressions, he too plotted to enter Anqiu. However, he hadn’t received a warning from Shuang Tu this time about entering Anqiu.
He was simply pulled in during the battle.
After the battle was over, when he came to his senses, he realized he was already inside!
Before that, like Spring Boxer, he thought they would have to take a ship to Anqiu. He hadn’t expected to come in this way.
“Damn it, in that case, I have no knowledge of the path to Anqiu. Even if I return to the Mercenary Group, I won’t be able to report back to the squad leader.”
Ice Eagle looked at Spring Boxer, who, despite being in on the secret, still showed an excited demeanor.
Ice Eagle: “You are Teng Donglang’s Coffin Carrier, so you just need to carry the ice coffin and follow closely behind me.”
He briefed Spring Boxer and then warned the others, “As for you all, without the identity of Spring Boxer, you must step exactly where I step, without a single misstep, to keep up.”
“Anqiu is very safe. Achieving this is not difficult.”
“Anyone who makes a mistake is a hidden enemy, and the rest must kill them on the spot, rooting out evil completely!”
The crowd felt a chill in their hearts and quickly complied.
Inside Anqiu, the snow was white as silver, and Ice Eagle left clear footprints in the snow.
The people followed his footsteps in line, one by one following closely, warily watching each other and staying in formation.
Teng Donglang had no such restrictions; carrying the ice coffin, with every step he took, the scenery beside him changed dramatically.
The Ice Peaks that seemed far away were magnified greatly in the view of the people after only five or six steps.
After another five or six steps, they had crossed tens of thousands of meters and arrived at the foot of the Ice Peak.
Ice Eagle stepped onto Ice Peak, and following his footsteps, the people reached the summit in just two or three steps.
The summit was a plain, with numerous tombstones erected.
Behind each tombstone was a pre-dug rectangular burial pit.
Hidden eagerness sparkled in the eyes of the Human Race head as he quickly counted the tombstones and realized there were a total of 38.
His heart thrilled: “This represents at least 38 Golden Level warriors!”
Ice Eagle’s expression turned serious, “Now, you don’t need to step where I stepped.”
“But you all must stay put. Anyone who dares to move will be considered the deadly enemy!”
Then, he nodded to Spring Boxer, “Come with me.”
Xiong Ju and the others remained rooted to their spots, daring not to move, watching silently as Spring Boxer carried Teng Donglang’s ice coffin to Teng Donglang’s tombstone.
The semi-transparent ice tombstone, engraved with Teng Donglang’s name and portrait, was lifelike.
“Why is a third of the Gang Leader’s tombstone missing?” asked Spring Boxer.
Ice Eagle crouched down, wiped the tombstone, and sighed, “This reflects the extent of the body’s damage. If the time limit is exceeded, the tombstone will completely disappear. By then, even if you bring the ice coffin here, there will be no place for burial!”
Following Ice Eagle’s instructions, Spring Boxer placed Teng Donglang’s ice coffin in the corresponding burial pit.
“Elder Gang Leader, will the Gang Leader really Resurrect? When can he come back to life?” Spring Boxer asked, full of hope.
The others couldn’t help holding their breath, all casting intense, attentive looks their way.
Resurrection was difficult and yet not difficult.
This was a world where deities existed.
Many have been successfully resurrected using Divine Arts’ Resurrection Technique.
And according to legend, Anqiu is a magical place capable of resurrection.
Ice Eagle sighed, “Resurrection… it can only be said to be possible. Even the most intact body can’t be guaranteed to resurrect one hundred percent.”
“But burying Teng Donglang here, you are sure to reap great rewards.”
Spring Boxer was startled, “You can’t confirm resurrection? Then what exactly is the probability?”
Ice Eagle did not answer but beckoned instead, “Now is not the time to discuss this issue. Come to my side, kneel down, and follow me in prayer.”
Spring Boxer could only walk towards Ice Eagle with confusion.
During this process, his steps suddenly halted. He saw the tombstone of the Axe Gang Leader and exclaimed in surprise, “Bald Uncle has a tombstone here too? Does this mean he was also a Holy Fighter of Anqiu?”
“How strange, Uncle’s tombstone has a lot of cracks.”
“What?!” Ice Eagle’s pupils shrank sharply, and after looking at the Axe Gang Leader’s tombstone, his heart skipped a beat.
He understood the significance of the cracks.
“The Axe Gang Leader… is dead?!”
“Wait, Jia Bing, Lin, they’ve all lost their lives?!”
Ice Eagle’s attention had been on Teng Donglang’s tombstone, but now, scanning around, he suddenly noticed cracks on three tombstones.
These cracks weren’t obvious and could only be spotted upon closer inspection.
But Ice Eagle knew that even a single crack meant that the corresponding Holy Fighter had lost their life. As time passed, these cracks would multiply until the entire tombstone shattered.
“What on earth happened?!”
“These three were close during their service. Judging by the pattern of the cracks, it’s very likely they died at the same time!”
“This suggests they might have perished on the same battlefield. Who could have dealt such a blow?”
“These were three bona fide Golden Level individuals, battle-tested Golden Level warriors at that!”
Ice Eagle suppressed the shock in his heart, barely maintaining an indifferent facade, “Next, place your hand on the tombstone and follow me in reciting the prayer.”
“O great God of Duels, we praise Thee, we praise the exceedingly sacred land of Anqiu. Today, we come to Thy Divine Country, bringing back Thy holy warriors.”
“We beseech Thee, please grant eternal tranquility and peace to the fallen Holy Fighters.”
“Please look after our new warriors, grant us, them, courageous and strong hearts, so we can learn from the successes and mistakes of our predecessors and take lessons from them.”
“In Your name, we pray for strength and wisdom to move forward, to understand what our ancestors went through, and to reflect on it as our own knowledge. We beseech You to grant us courage, power, and wisdom so that we may succeed in the journey of life.”
“Please guide us on the path to peace. We wish to extol the nobility and sanctity of Anqiu, moving towards light and serenity together.”
“Endless praise be unto Thee, great God of Duels, the divine and wondrous land of Anqiu!”
Accompanied by the prayers of Ice Eagle and Spring Boxer, a solemn and sacred atmosphere quickly spread. The others watched with unblinking eyes, feeling reverence and even greater curiosity.
“The God of Duels? Does the Ice Sculpture Kingdom have such a deity?”
“Anqiu… is actually the Divine Country of the God of Duels?!”
“Their previous special sacrifice on Flower Skirt Island, was it to summon the Divine Country? This is outrageous, I’ve actually set foot in the realm of a deity!”
Lan Zao found it even more troubling, “So the true secret of resurrection in Anqiu is the God of Duels? Does that mean to resurrect Miss Zi Di, we must convert her belief to become a Holy Fighter of the God of Duels?”
“This is too difficult…”
The Human Race leader, acting as an excellent inner spy, focused on observing the names on the tombstones, attempting to remember them.
“Long Meng… the Ice Sculpture Kingdom’s First Gladiator is also a Holy Fighter of the God of Duels?”
“Mei Lin, is she the Mermaid Mage from the First Navy of the Ice Sculpture Kingdom?”
“Bao Ligen, who is this? Never heard of him.”
The Human Race leader saw many familiar names and also discovered strangers.
He didn’t know the meaning behind the cracks on the tombstones, but he tried to remember all the names on the 38 tombstones.
“Nevermind everything else, just this piece of information is incredibly valuable!” the Human Race leader thought excitedly.
Thud.
Spring Boxer had finished praying and was about to stand up when suddenly his eyes rolled back, and he unexpectedly fainted.
While everyone was startled, Ice Eagle picked up Spring Boxer, “Don’t worry, this is normal. Now, follow me down the mountain. We have a temporary camp at the base.”