Kitsune-yama

  The headquarters of Guiwang Sect is located here.

  Under the desolate mountain, the main hall of Guiwang Sect was hidden in a hard rock cave. In the winding tunnel, a certain quiet and secluded place, the long tunnel was empty, with only two stone walls on both sides, every few feet, a copper lamp was embedded, illuminating some places.

  A maiden in a black veil, her figure fluttering, walked alone ahead, and from afar, she seemed like a ghostly shadow in the darkness.

  This place is the location of the Ghost King Sect's forbidden area, along with Bi Yao's Ice Cave, one of the most mysterious places within the Ghost King Sect. It has always been strictly forbidden for ordinary disciples to enter or exit. However, as You Ji holds the identity of Zhu Que, one of the four great holy envoys of the Ghost King Sect, she is one of the core members of the sect and can freely move in and out of these areas.

  She looked ahead at the deep tunnel that seemed to stretch on forever, but her footsteps suddenly slowed down, as if she was hesitant, yet she still took a step forward.

  In the depths of the shadow ahead, at this moment, a few strange and low growls seemed to be transmitted, like some kind of wild beast howling.

  After walking through a long, dark tunnel, the lights on both sides became increasingly dim. Finally, after turning a corner, Yuè Jié arrived at the end of the tunnel, where a stone gate stood, with three characters carved on the lintel:

  Dragon's Gate

  Yuè Jié stared at the three words for a long time, surrounded by an eerie silence, except for the strange howls that had been echoing from earlier, which gradually became clearer. The air also seemed to be filled with a faint scent of blood.

  The black veil on her face moved slightly, as if she had shaken her head, and then sighed softly before walking into the stone gate.

  As soon as she entered the stone gate, it suddenly opened up, and inside was a huge stone cave. On the side of the cliff, strange rocks protruded, each with its own shape. And in front of the stone gate where Youji was standing, there was a suspended stone path that wound its way forward, leading to the center of the stone cave. At this moment, she was actually standing in mid-air in this huge stone cave.

  Yuè Jī apparently wasn't here for the first time, seeing such a scene, but didn't show any surprise, just fell silent for a moment, then walked forward along that narrow stone path. The upper half of the stone cave was dark, but under the stone path, there was a faint red glow flashing, reflecting upwards and making the rock wall above the cave look somewhat eerie.

  The smell of blood in the air grew heavier.

  This huge stone cave's overhanging stone path, I don't know if it was formed naturally or man-made, just like this suspended in mid-air, looking far away, there isn't even one supporting stone pillar underneath, it is truly unbelievable.

  A black figure, Yuji, walked along the stone path, but there was no sound of footsteps as she moved. It was as if she had a somewhat eerie and ghostly presence. However, before long, she saw the figure in front of her.

  Demon King

  At the end of the stone path, there was a seven-foot-sized stone platform. The King of Ghosts was standing on it at this moment, with his hands behind his back, looking stable and heavy from behind, as if he had merged with the huge stone cave in an eerie way.

  "Young lady walked up behind him and said in a low voice: 'Master'."

  The Demon King turned his head around, nodded slightly and smiled: "You've come."

  The black veil on Yuji's face suddenly stopped, as if she was shocked. The stone path reached this platform, and it seemed to have reached the end. In front of her was a vast emptiness, and correspondingly, the mysterious red light from under the stone cave became brighter when viewed from here. When the Ghost King turned his head, the red light suddenly shot over from the gap between his turns, vaguely illuminating his face and making it somewhat blurry. Even in his eyes, there seemed to be a faint red glow.

  The Demon King seemed to have not noticed these things either, and merely said: "Come over here."

  Yuè Jié walked past and stood on the platform, suddenly bright in front of her eyes, no longer blocked by the stone path, and saw everything at the bottom of the stone cave.

  Under this stone cave, it turned out to be a huge blood pool. Fresh red blood filled the bottom of the giant stone cave. I really don't know where the Ghost King Sect got so much fresh blood from. It seems that the thick bloody smell in the air came from below.

  In the pool of blood, two giant beasts were soaking, one was the yellow bird in the dead swamp, and the other was the Qiu Niu beast on the Flowing Wave Mountain in the East Sea. The bodies of these two ancient beasts were half-soaked in the bloody water, and from above the pool of blood, a dark red glow enveloped them. Looking at where the dark red glow came from, it was the Fow Dragon Cauldron that was suspended in mid-air by an unknown force.

  The location of the Fulong Cauldron was quite far from where Gui Wang and You Ji were standing, but You Ji could still see a black figure on top of the cauldron casting a spell, although it was blurry due to the red light. However, despite this, she still knew who that person was - Gui Xian, the most mysterious figure in the Ghost King Sect of the Demon Teachings.

  Yuè Jī, as one of the four great sacred envoys of the previous generation of the Gui Wang Sect, was almost all-knowing about the major and minor matters of the sect. However, there was an exception - this Mr. Gui. The reason was simple: he was not originally a member of the Gui Wang Sect. He suddenly appeared beside the current Gui Wang after his ascension to the throne, and was treated with great respect by the Gui Wang. This mysterious figure's bizarre dao techniques, which were only revealed in a few instances, also moved the likes of Qing Long and Yuè Jī, high-ranking members of the Gui Wang Sect.

  But in Youji's heart, she had always been deeply wary of this person. The most important reason was that under the strong promotion of Gui Xiansheng, Gui Wang finally started to activate the "Four Spirits Blood Array" ten years ago.

  The "Fulong Ding" treasure of the Guiwang Sect, passed down through generations, has a mysterious origin and contains boundless spiritual power, neither good nor evil, but extremely strange. On the body of the Fulong Ding, apart from the ancient flower patterns, many mysterious inscriptions are also engraved, which have been impossible for the ancestors of the Guiwang Sect to decipher. However, in this generation of the Guiwang, he is a rare talent with a broad and profound mind, and coincidentally, a ghostly expert who seems to specialize in these mysterious texts has appeared beside him. The two joined forces and surprisingly managed to decipher these mysterious texts.

  The inscription on the body of Fulong Ding records a mysterious formation called "Four Spirits Blood Formation", which requires the spiritual power of four ancient beasts from the distant past to trigger the mysterious power of Fulong Ding itself, forming an unmatched and unparalleled formation. According to the ancient ding's inscription, once this Four Spirits Blood Formation is formed, its power will be enough to destroy heaven and earth.

  The Demon King was a heroic and ambitious figure, so he naturally wouldn't ignore such a powerful force. Ten years ago, the Qingyun Sect's Exterminating Immortal Sword Formation shook the heavens, and its power was unstoppable, beyond human resistance. After careful consideration, the Demon King thought that only the Four Spirits Blood Formation could possibly defeat the Exterminating Immortal Sword Formation.

  Since then, all actions of Gui Wang Zong have been centered around Si Ling Blood Array.

  Yuè Ji's gaze withdrew from the blurry figure of Mr. Guǐ and turned towards the two spiritual beasts in the blood pool. Although surrounded by blood, the yellow bird, which had been alive for who knows how many years, was clearly unwilling to give up, and from time to time let out a clear whistle of anger, flapping its wings and instantly stirring up huge waves in the surrounding blood water.

  The blood water in the blood pool seemed to have a strange restraining effect on it, and the yellow bird's spiritual power and strength were obviously far from comparable to that day. Especially on its head, there was a dark red glow emanating from the Fulong Cauldron that enveloped it. As soon as the yellow bird made a move, this dark red glow suddenly brightened, and the yellow bird, enveloped by it, was instantly suppressed like being crushed by Mount Tai. Its body, which had just risen, immediately fell back under an unstoppable force.

  After several rounds, the canary's movements also slowed down, although it was still struggling, but it became more and more powerless. On the other side of the blood pool, the single-footed giant beast, Qiu Niu, soaked its entire body in the blood pool, motionless, with only its eyes occasionally glancing towards the canary, I don't know if it's because it has been trapped here for a long time and has completely given up resistance.

  Looking at these two spiritual beasts that were originally proud and arrogant, now reduced to this state, You Ji couldn't help but frown slightly under her black veil, feeling a strange sense of disgust in her heart.

  The ghost king standing beside her seemed to have sensed something and suddenly asked, "What are you thinking?"

  "Young lady was startled, then calmed down and said lightly: 'Nothing, Master.'"

  The Demon King looked at her, then shifted his gaze to the blood pool, and slowly said after a while: "Now that the Four Spirits Blood Array is half completed, as long as we find another two spiritual beasts as guides, the day when our Demon King Sect will dominate the world is just around the corner."

  Yu Ji fell silent for a moment before softly saying, "Yes."

  The Demon King stood with his hands behind his back, his gaze still fixed on the two spiritual beasts in the blood pool. However, he suddenly changed the subject and said, "You arrived at the Dead Swamp before I did. I instructed you to secretly observe Gui Lian. Do you have anything to tell me?"

  Yu Ji's face behind the black veil moved slightly, and after a moment, she said: "He is in the Dead Marshes, leading his subordinates to maneuver among the Ten Thousand Poison Gate, the Harmony Sect, and the Orthodox Sect. In such a complex and treacherous situation, he still advances and retreats with ease, and ultimately joins forces with others to destroy the Long Life Hall, truly having the talent of a great general. And...

  She said up to here, suddenly stopped, the King of Ghosts felt slightly surprised, and said: "What's wrong?"

  She hesitated for a moment, then said: "He's in the inner swamp, suddenly launched a surprise attack and severely injured Qin Wu Yan of the Wan Du Men. His mind is firm, ruthless and cunning, don't underestimate him." As she spoke, Yu Ji suddenly felt a daze in her heart, was this person they were discussing really that Zhang Xiao Fan from back then?

  Is the person Biyao truly loves really him?

  The Demon King nodded in apparent satisfaction, saying: "This child's temperament is indeed resolute and unyielding, a rare talent. Over the years, he has practiced my Sacred Teachings' techniques, and with the world's most unparalleled evil artifact by his side day and night, it's normal for him to have a violent and murderous nature."

  Yuè Ji raised her head and looked at the Ghost King, only to see a faint smile on his lips, but against his stern face, it actually revealed a chill.

  "But," the Demon King suddenly said, "I heard that Gui Lie in the Dead Swamp met those Orthodox people, especially when he encountered a Qingyun disciple named Lu Xueqi, his situation was somewhat unusual, is this true?"

  Youyu's body trembled, but the Ghost King's face was calm and collected, unable to discern what he was thinking. Yet, in her heart, she suddenly felt a surge of confusion. She and Qinglong had secretly infiltrated the Dead Marsh, where there were subtle undercurrents between Gui Li and Lu Xueqi, most of which she had witnessed in secret. But at this moment, she felt an inexplicable pang of sadness.

  Like a sharp needle, it pierced into the heart.

  "What's wrong?" The King of Ghosts turned his head and looked at Youji.

  Yuè Jī slowly lowered her head, and because of the black veil covering her face, no one could see her expression. A moment later, her voice somehow seemed a bit hoarse, but still very clear and coldly replied to the Ghost King:

  "Yes, he and Lu Xueqi of the Qingyun Gate did have some ambiguous relationship. I personally saw him risk his life to save that woman outside the Tian Emperor's treasure vault when faced with the Black Water Mystic Snake!"

  The Demon King didn't say another word, but in an instant, the bloody aura around him suddenly became a hundred times more intense. The man still stood with his hands behind his back, and it was unclear whether he was illuminated by the red light from beneath the stone cave, but his eyes were filled with a fierce red glow that burst forth suddenly.

  You Ji bowed slowly to Gui Wang and walked backwards, slowly walking out of the stone cave that made people feel suffocated.

  She had just walked to that stone gate when she suddenly froze. The green dragon stood quietly outside the stone gate, gazing at her lightly.

  Yuè Jié met his gaze, and the two people just stared at each other like that, not speaking for a long time.

  After a while, the green dragon slowly walked up and passed by her side, heading deep into the stone cave, leaving Yu Ji alone, standing dazed in the tunnel.

  From start to finish, he didn't say a word to Youji.

  ※※※

  The moon is lonely in the southern border, hanging alone in the western sky.

  Deep in the mountains, an ancient temple stands, where insects chirp eerily, a desolate and gloomy scene unfolds.

  "Ah!"

  A loud whistle, a flash of light, Lv Shun rode his sword and flew in, landing in the courtyard of this ancient temple. His eyes shone brightly as he carefully scanned the grand hall of the ancient temple inch by inch.

  He had just searched the nearby ten miles with his sword, but gained nothing, and didn't see a single figure. After some thought, he suddenly realized that this ancient temple was actually where he had overlooked.

  The night wind was cold, and the abandoned great hall had lost even its gate. Although it was just a short while ago that Lü Shun was still inside the great hall talking to someone, now as he looked over, the interior suddenly became gloomy and dark, with something seeming to be watching him from the shadows.

  His palms suddenly broke out in a cold sweat.

  The fish-headed monster that just died was the chief of the Southern Barbarian Fishman Tribe. This time, when he met with himself, he was assassinated by someone, and he couldn't get rid of his involvement. He knew well that the Southern Barbarians had a mysterious connection with his own sect behind the scenes, and he also understood how terrifying and cruel those barbarians were. If he didn't give them an explanation this time, he feared he would have to bear the consequences.

  But with his understanding of the Southern Barbarian tribes, these fish people's combat strength was not to be underestimated. Although they were still inferior compared to a cultivator like himself who had reached such a high level of cultivation, if he wanted to kill them in one move, the Daoist magic of this ambusher might not be lower than his own.

  Lü Shun took a deep breath and suddenly shouted loudly: "Which noble person is it? Please come out and speak."

  "Talking... talking..."

  The night wind carried the tail of his voice, gently drifting in the ancient temple, but in the great hall it was still quiet and silent, without any sound.

  Lü Shun's face turned even darker, gritted his teeth, and with a surge of light from the sword in his hand, he charged into the grand hall. In an instant, the hall was illuminated. Just as he disappeared into the hall, two black shadows swiftly left the hall, merging into the darkness beside it, without making a sound.

  For a long time, only Lu Shun was heard searching east and west in the main hall, with a series of clattering sounds, but ultimately walked out dejectedly, clearly empty-handed. He stood on the steps, his face uncertain, after a long while, he stamped his foot and sighed: "Forget it, forget it."

  Shaking his head as he spoke, he immediately mounted his sword and headed south, disappearing in an instant.

  The ancient temple suddenly fell silent, and the insect calls that had just disappeared in fright at Lv Shun's shout also started up again. The cold moon and clear wind presented a desolate scene once more.

  As Lv Shun disappeared for a long time, this ancient temple seemed to have lost its vitality, and there was still no movement. After another moment, suddenly a sharp whistle came from the air, and a red sword blade suddenly rushed down from the high-altitude cloud layer, falling swiftly into the courtyard of the ancient temple, shaking several times, revealing Lv Shun's figure.

  He went and came back, unexpectedly using the Empty City Strategy, pretending to retreat far away but returning from a distance, hiding in the dark clouds of the sky. Unfortunately, despite this, there was still no one appearing in the ancient temple, Lv Shun's face finally showed a disappointed expression, he let out a long sigh, remained silent for a moment, then once again mounted his sword and flew south, after which he was never seen again, it seemed that this time he had really left.

  The ancient temple was quiet once again, but a moment later, two black shadows flickered and slowly revealed the silhouettes of two people.

  As he walked slowly into the courtyard, the moonlight was like water, coldly sprinkling down, and his shadow was drawn out on the broken bluestone slab of the courtyard, a long and narrow shadow.

  It's exactly what you said.

  Raise your head and gaze at the moon.

  The moonlight was cool and clear, shining on his face.

  Suddenly, he seemed to have a few more vicissitudes.

  Even Xiao Hui, the little monkey perched on his shoulder, was silent at this moment, and like its master, it quietly raised its head to gaze at the moon.

  "What, young master likes the moonlight of the southern border?" Suddenly, another slender figure still hidden in the shadows behind him spoke out in a soft and pleasant voice that entered his ears.

  The demon slowly withdrew his gaze, but did not turn around, nor did he answer the shadow woman's question. Instead, he asked: "Why did you kill that fish person?"

  The woman who was still hiding in the shadows let out a soft laugh and said, "Those fish people not only harmed your subordinates, but also my own men. I'm doing this for you to vent your anger too."

  His expression remained unchanged, clearly not believing these words at all. He said calmly: "I've long heard that the 'Purple Mang Blade' is one of the Nine Heavenly Divine Weapons. Today, seeing it wielded by you, young lady, indeed has the power to awe gods and ghosts."

  The woman let out a soft laugh, her voice gentle and pleasant to the ear. In this desolate night scene, it suddenly seemed as if several colors had been added, making everything come alive.

  The footsteps sounded slowly, and she walked out of the shadows.

  It was Jin Ping'er, the leader of the demonic cult, also known as "Miao Gongzi". Under the moonlight, she still wore a yellow dress with soft and smooth collar fluttering gently in the night breeze. A few strands of fine hair fell down from her temples, slightly disheveled, yet seemingly more alluring.

  Deep mountain ancient temple, beautiful woman on a cold night!

  At this moment, her eyes are shining like water, with a hint of spring light in the space between her eyebrows and eyes, elegant and refined. For a time, even the night color seems to have softened.

  The ghost turned around and glanced at her face.

  Jin Ping'er's mouth still had a smile, and she said softly: "Young master, you have an extraordinary treasure in your possession, which is the 'Blood-Drinking Pearl' and the 'Soul-Capturing Pearl' combined into one unparalleled treasure. My small Purple Mang Blade wouldn't dare to be mentioned in the same breath as your Soul-Devouring Pearl."

  A fierce glint flashed across his eyes, but his expression didn't change as he said, "Miss, this time you've come south, is it also to investigate these fish-like alien tribes?"

  Jin Ping'er nodded slightly, and immediately her eyes sparkled with a hint of surprise, saying: "But I never thought that this matter would have something to do with Huixiang Valley."

  Gui Li looked at her with a stern expression, not saying a word, but in his heart, he was increasingly vigilant towards this woman. Earlier, she had suddenly killed the Fish People's tribal leader, and her cultivation level seemed to be much higher than what she had shown when they were attacking Yangzi of the Long Life Hall in the Dead Marsh with Qin Wuyan. It was likely that she hadn't used her full strength back then.

  It's just that this move is profound, but it's secondary. I also have a backhand for myself at the time. However, Jinpinger's assassination of Yuren clearly has the intention of framing Huoxianggu and stirring up the relationship between the barbarian tribe and Huoxianggu in secret.

  This woman's mind is deep and her methods are ruthless, truly not ordinary.

  Jin Ping'er's eyes swept across Gui Li's face a few times, then suddenly smiled and said: "Young master has come south this time, must also be to investigate these fish people, don't know what discoveries have been made?"

  The demon's voice was cold and detached: "No."

  Jin Ping'er listened to his response with a cold demeanor, but she didn't get angry. Instead, her smile became even more gentle as she said: "Now that we all know that the Huixiang Valley seems to have secret dealings with these barbarian monsters, I wonder what you plan to do about it?"

  The ghost's eyes gleamed with a fierce light as he said, "What does the young lady think?"

  Jin Bier smiled and said: "I asked you first, sir."

  Gui Li listened to her seemingly scolding and laughing questioning, his eyebrows furrowed, and countless thoughts had already turned in his mind: this time suddenly discovering that Fengxiang Valley actually had a secret connection with the Nanman barbarian tribe was indeed a shocking big event. If it spreads throughout the world, those orthodox figures will be frightened to death.

  Under such circumstances, the best way is to explore the mysterious and unpredictable Huixiang Valley. The current situation seems to be quite extraordinary, not to mention that the southern barbarian tribes have always been extremely mysterious. Just one Huixiang Valley, its power cannot be underestimated. People like Li Xuan, Yan Hong, and the old man Lü Shun who came out of Huixiang Valley in the past all had very high cultivation levels.

  Jin Bier slowly walked up to Gui Li's front, looked up at him and smiled: "Young master, are you thinking of sneaking into Fengxiang Valley tonight?"

  The ghost's eyes flashed, and he said, "What, does the young lady have this intention too?"

  Jin Ping'er smiled slightly, charming and captivating, as if a beautiful scene was unfolding before him. Gui Li's determination wavered for a moment, his heart skipping a beat.

  Jin Bao'er listened quietly and said faintly: "I naturally want to go with the young master, but there's one thing, I hope the young master will agree with me first."

  His fierce eyes narrowed and he said, "What?"

  Jin Ping'er smiled and said: "I only hope that the young master will not suddenly attack me from the side and kill me, just like he did with Qin Wu Yan."