On Monday, Xian came here with three people to rescue and treat the stray dog. The stray dog, knowing that it had narrowly escaped death, felt even more fortunate and was also puzzled by its own unexpected bravery at the time. However, no matter what, after this incident, the relationship between Zhou Yixian, Xiaohuan, and the stray dog's owner became closer, after all, they had been through life and death together. Zhou Yixian didn't speak coldly to the stray dog's owner like before, but when making him work, it was still the same as before. However, since the stray dog's owner was seriously injured, most of the time it was actually Zhou Yixian who did more, which again led to complaints from the old man.
Xiao Huan and the stray dog were still as they used to be, but in front of Xiao Huan, the stray dog seemed to have become more fearful, and spoke less. Although Xiao Huan found it strange, she didn't think much of it, for her mind had been drawn into that ordinary-looking black leather-bound book over the past few days.
The stray dog had never seen Xiaohuan read this book before, and he felt quite strange about it. However, Xiaohuan never mentioned the origin of the book, and Zhou Yixian also remained tight-lipped. As time passed, he gradually got used to it, but occasionally he would feel that Xiaohuan's expression seemed to be slightly different from before, although he couldn't quite put his finger on what the difference was.
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The beast disaster originated from the 100,000 Great Mountains in the south border and the first to suffer was the land of the south border.
The suffering of the people here from the demonic poison is even more severe than in Central Plains. Nine out of ten houses are empty, and it's almost inevitable that many villages and towns will be completely wiped out, with no one surviving.
After the great disaster, the remaining small groups of beast demons in Nanjiang were far more numerous than those from Zhongtu. The people who survived by luck often had to endure the ravages and harassment of these remaining beast demons, making life a desperate struggle, like being in deep water and intense fire.
Gui Lian stepped onto the vast land of South Xinjiang once again under such circumstances.
All the way, he didn't find any trace of the beast god's remnants, but instead, countless people from the righteous path swarmed in, including famous figures like Qingyun and Fenxiang. These many people all seemed to have gone mad, searching for the beast god's whereabouts one after another, but it was very clear that although they had been searching, no one had found him.
After the beast god was defeated in one battle, he disappeared like a wounded fugitive, and no one could find him again. However, the ten million great mountains of Nanjiang were always his old residence, and no matter what, he would come back?
With this in mind, Gui Lie entered the Southern Territory. Along with him came countless Orthodox disciples, among whom the Huo Xiang Gu sect was considered to be returning home, after all, Huo Xiang Gu was located in the Southern Territory. However, the purpose of other Orthodox disciples coming here would naturally not be simply to help the people of the Southern Territory get rid of the remaining small groups of demonic beasts.
However, with the arrival of these people, the remaining demons and monsters that were originally unscrupulous temporarily restrained themselves. After all, these righteous disciples would also take action to eliminate these demons within their capabilities.
As a result, the local customs of southern Xinjiang were shaken up.
No matter who it is, no one has found the shadow of the beast god on the southern border, and now the only possibility is in the poor mountains and evil waters, the mysterious and mysterious ten thousand great mountains.
In the layer upon layer of black mountains, how many secrets are still hidden!
Gui Li went to the seven-li stockade of the Miao ethnic group in Nanjiang before entering the mountain, not for anything else, but because he wanted to come and pay his respects to what the great witch doctor had done for Bi Yao that day.
Tianshui Village, Qili Dang, all the way here, the originally bustling scene is gone, a desolate landscape all the way, even his own supposedly hardened heart couldn't help but be moved.
What is it all for, and why such a great calamity that poisons the world?
He himself has achieved self-cultivation and stands aloof from the worldly turmoil, but what about the countless suffering people under the heavens? What wrong have they committed to deserve such a calamity?
Looking back at the Tianyin Temple, countless civilians day and night worshiped and prayed to the gods and Buddhas. Looking around the world, even more people were doing this, bowing their heads in reverence to the divine spirits above. But when disaster struck, who helped them?
Is such prostration still useful?
Or is it really as the mysterious words that run through "Tian Shu" say:
Heaven and earth are not benevolent, regarding all things as straw dogs?
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As he stepped into the Seven Mile Fort, Gui Li took a deep breath of cool air. This place, which had once been serene and picturesque in his impression, was now in ruins. The houses that had once been connected to the clouds were almost all reduced to rubble and broken walls. The streets no longer saw the bustling crowds of people, let alone the children running and playing.
The remaining civilians were only about one or two out of ten, most of them were in front of the ruined houses, desperately and laboriously picking up something, trying to find usable things from the ruins, however, what they could often find was the remains of the dead.
The entire Qili Village was filled with a sorrowful and decadent atmosphere. Occasionally, there were a few children standing there in a daze, their eyes full of confusion and fear. Before long, an adult would emerge from behind and pull them back inside.
Kui Kei walked slowly along the street, soon attracting the attention of some Miao people. The eyes that looked over had a strong sense of vigilance in them. In this strange atmosphere, even Xiao Hui on Kui Kei's shoulder seemed to have become much more well-behaved, although it was still looking around everywhere.
The ghost let out a faint sigh, unwilling to look any further, and quickened his pace, heading straight for the altar on the mountain slope deep in the Seven Li Ditch. The more he walked in, the more clearly the surrounding houses and roads could be seen, and the more dilapidated they became.
The ghostly figure remained silent, as if vaguely seeing the arrival of the great disaster that day, when many Miao warriors fought to the death here to defend their sacred land against ferocious beasts and demons.
Even in the air, there seems to be a faint smell of blood.
At the foot of the mountain, two young Miao soldiers stopped him. Gui Lie silently came to a halt and looked at them - these two people, holding long spears and wearing armor, but they were only fifteen or sixteen years old, and even their armor seemed larger than their bodies, it was unclear whether they were left behind by brave warriors of the past.
"What's all the commotion about?" someone asked in Miao language.
Guilei didn't understand, but he roughly guessed what he would ask, so he also didn't speak, only raising his head to gesture towards the middle of the mountain. He didn't use his hand to point because he still remembered that the Miao people considered this behavior a great disrespect.
Two young men stared blankly, exchanged a glance, and then one of them, seemingly slightly older, shook his head. Neither of them gave way. Gui Li felt a slight sense of anxiety in his heart, but he was also unwilling to fight with the people of the Da Wu tribe who had helped him before. Moreover, seeing the tragic scene in Qili Valley, he couldn't bring himself to make a move.
He remained silent for a long time, and as hostility grew heavier in the eyes of those two young men, he let out a sigh, turned his body around, and was about to leave.
Just as he had taken a few steps, there was suddenly a commotion on the mountain. He turned his head to look and after a moment, someone came running down from the middle of the mountain. First, he spoke in Miao language to the two young men, who nodded repeatedly and stepped aside. Then, this man, who looked like a 40-year-old priest, spoke to Gui Li in somewhat awkward mainland Chinese:
"You... good, great... wizard invites you to go up."
Ghost Lick was startled and frowned: "Great Witch?"
That man nodded repeatedly, took a deep breath and followed that person up the hill.
The cave was still in its original place, but the buildings and stone platforms at the entrance were all destroyed, with broken stones scattered all over the ground. Among the broken stones, there was a young Miao man, who looked like he was only around thirty years old, wearing a large witch doctor's robe, smiling as he watched Gui Li walk towards him.
His eyes gleamed with a faint light, as if there was a passionate flame burning within him, completely different from the Miao people below the mountain.
The young man walked up to him, smiled slightly and suddenly spoke in extremely fluent Chinese: "Hello, Mr. Gui Li, I am the new generation of great witch doctors from the southern border of Miao nationality, I have long admired your great name."
The ghost's expression changed slightly, and he nodded in response. Before he could speak, the young grand wizard had already smiled and said:
"Please come in, I'll take you to see the former Grand Wizard."
He led the way, walking into the still dimly lit cave. Gui Li followed behind him, slowly merging into the darkness as well.
The cave was still as dark as ever, the young wizard's figure swayed slightly in front of him. For some reason, Gui Li felt that he looked familiar. After careful thought, he suddenly remembered that when he came here last time, the great wizard had called out this young man. He didn't expect that after a short period of time, he would have already taken over the position of the great wizard.
Like last time, the young warlock brought Gui Li to the depths of the mountain cave again, to the house where the dog god was worshipped. The huge bonfire was still burning, making crackling sounds, but the withered old figure was nowhere to be seen.
The young man walked forward, bowed to the dog god statue, and then took out a wooden box from the dog's mouth. He placed it on the ground with reverence and said to Gui Li, "It is our Miao people's custom that after the death of each generation's great shaman, we offer sacrifices under the dog god statue for one year. This is his ashes."
The ghost was silent, looking at the small wooden box. The entire box was plain and unadorned, without any decoration, even the wood used was the most common tree in the southern border. The great witch doctor seemed to be quietly sleeping like countless Miao people.
The ghost bowed deeply and made a profound bow.
The little monkey let out a squeak and jumped down from his body, running off to one side by himself.
The young wizard, following the custom of Middle-earth, bowed his head in return, then carefully lifted up the plain wooden box and placed it back into the mouth of the dog god statue.
Two people sat on the ground beside a bonfire, with the flames reflected in their eyes, shining brightly in the darkness.
Before the ghostly figure could ask, the young man had already calmly said: "I was his disciple when he was still alive, and after the terrible disaster passed, all the elder priests here died, so I inherited the position of Grand Priest."
Kui Ren nodded silently, his gaze drifting back to the distant statue of the Dog God, and said slowly: "The Great Shaman also died for me, every time I think about it, my heart feels uneasy."
That young grand wizard slightly bowed and said, "You're wrong, Master had already told me that his lifespan was up, even if he didn't go to the Central Plains, there would only be a dead end, it's actually your sect's good fortune to be able to send Master's ashes back, for all of our Miao people."
The ghost let out a sigh and said in a low voice: "These things were also done by others with ulterior motives, and have nothing to do with me."
The young grandmaster smiled and said, "However, this time you came to our Qī Lǐ Dòng, I don't know what you're after?"
Guili Dao said, "Actually, it's not for anything else, just to come and pay respects to the great witch master. Besides, this disaster is so severe, about that sinful beast god, I intend to pursue, do you have any clues?"
The young warlock's face changed slightly, and the two words "beast god" were still quite terrifying and taboo for him. He quickly fell silent, and after a while, Gui Li said faintly: "You don't have to mind, countless people in the world want to find him, but can't find him, it's normal that you don't know either. I've disturbed you here, so I'll take my leave."
He said that he was about to get up, the young grand wizard had a hesitant expression on his face, and suddenly said: "You want to go after that beast god, is it true?"
"Yes."
The young warlock stared at him and said, "You killed him."
The demon was silent for a long time before saying, "I'm not confident."
The young warlock hesitated for a moment before saying, "In that case, I'll just tell you what I know."
"How to find the beast god, I don't know, but according to our tribe's ancient legend, this beast god is a demon-like ghost that can't be killed. It can only be suppressed and sealed like the witch girl did thousands of years ago. To suppress it, we need to take away five divine artifacts from its body. These five divine artifacts are the source of the beast's life, if they lose them, the beast will definitely fall into a deep sleep. Moreover, there is another crucial point, when that beast was rampant, its power was strong and unstoppable, thanks to the witch girl using the 'Eight Trigrams Mysterious Fire Formation' to trap it. If you can find this formation, maybe..."
The demon slowly nodded its head.
The young shaman thought for a moment, then said: "How to find the beast demon, I really can't think of it. However, according to the legend in our tribe, when the witch maiden sealed the beast demon, she was in the depths of the Ten Thousand Great Mountains, in a place called the Demon-Suppressing Ancient Cave. Moreover, legend has it that the maiden herself turned into a stone statue, facing the depths of the ancient cave. Perhaps, if you find such a place, you will have some clues about the beast demon."
The ghost's fierce gaze was remembered in his heart, and he nodded towards the young warlock in front of him, saying: "Thank you."
The great wizard smiled slightly, without saying a word.
Two people walked out of the cave when Gui Li couldn't help but ask him a sentence, why there was no sorrow in his eyes.
That young grandmaster paused for a moment, and said lightly: "If I were to become disheartened and sorrowful again, what about the people in Qiliang Valley? It's not that I don't feel sorrow, it's just that I mustn't feel sorrow!"
Gui Li listened and remained silent for a long time before bidding farewell and leaving.
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After leaving Qī Lǐ Dòng, Guì Lì didn't hurry on the road, instead walking slowly and thinking over and over about what that young Da Wu Shi had said. That strange "Eight Cruel Xuan Huo Fa Zhen" made him involuntarily think of another person - Xiao Bai.
She left in anger that day and there was no news from then on. Although with her cultivation and abilities, she didn't need to worry about anything else, but thinking of Xiao Bai's purpose for leaving, it was mostly to find the "Eight Trigrams Mysterious Fire Formation". Gu Lian felt a little guilty in his heart.
The Blood Devouring Bead's evil energy had plagued him for many years, but recently at the Tianyin Temple on Mount Xumi under the wordless jade wall, he enlightened to the four volumes of "Tian Shu", merging the Blood Devouring Bead's evil energy with the true methods of Buddhism, Taoism and Demonology, as well as the pure Yang power of the Xuanhuo Mirror. He had already faintly glimpsed the gateway to the origin of all things. The Blood Devouring Bead's evil energy was no longer a major hindrance to him as his cultivation progressed day by day.
It's just that, somehow, with the epiphany under the wordless jade wall, he gradually opened up to many things, and past things he couldn't think of also gradually came out in his recollections.
Xiaobai treated him this way, wasn't it mostly because of Biyu's relationship with her?
She returned to the Southern Territory alone, searching for the Law Array during the peak of the Beast Tide. The world is vast and empty, and now there is no news of her at all. Ghostly thought of this, couldn't help but feel a inexplicable pain in his heart, it's just that the sky is big and the earth is big, and it's really hard to find her.
The demon lord sank into deep thought for a long time, and finally decided to secretly head to Incense Valley first. Not for any other reason, but because Xiaobai had once said that the Eight Fiends' Mysterious Fire Formation Array had appeared in the Mysterious Fire Altar of Incense Valley before. Since that was the case, Xiaobai would likely also go there to look for this formation array. Even if she wasn't there, it wouldn't hurt for him to take a look himself.
With his mind made up, Gui Li set off towards Fenxiang Valley at once.
Fengxiang Valley was originally one of the three major factions of the righteous path, but in this catastrophe, it was the first to be affected. It just so happened that Fengxiang Valley was located at the exit where the beast demons were rampaging, and its fate can be imagined. Fortunately, on that day, the master of Fengxiang Valley, Yun Yilan, led his disciples to rush to Zhongtu ahead of time and join forces with Qingyunmen and other righteous factions to deal with the beast demons. As a result, although Fengxiang Valley was destroyed, its disciples did not suffer any serious injuries.
It's just that the righteous sect, which was supposed to be so powerful and prestigious, ended up in such a miserable state, it's really embarrassing. And after the disaster, many rumors and gossip spread out, implying that the people of Fengxiang Valley were cowardly and afraid of things, with the prestige of the righteous sect, they didn't dare to face the beast calamity alone, but instead hid behind Qingyunmen.
Nowadays, Qingyunmen and Daoxuan Zhenren are truly supreme in the hearts of the righteous, with a reputation that is revered and respected. In comparison, Fengxianggu and others can't help but pale in comparison. As large numbers of righteous sect disciples flock to Nanjiang to search for the Beast God's whereabouts, the disciples of Fengxianggu naturally won't fall behind, but on ordinary days when they meet, the disciples of Fengxianggu have lost a bit of their usual arrogance.
Although the Fengxiang Valley is a well-known and powerful sect, it still has its strengths, and although there are many rumors and gossip, no one dares to humiliate them openly. As for the valley itself, it's indeed chaotic, at least that's what Gui Li saw when he secretly entered.
Originally a clear, elegant and beautiful valley, it is now filled with the stench of burning and gore. Countless disciples of Xianggu are moving all sorts of rotting garbage and corpses in the valley, including both human and animal remains.
The ghostly figure observed in the dark, pondered for a moment, and suddenly understood that when he had sneaked into the Incense Valley on that night, he was still discovered by the people in the valley. It wasn't that all the disciples in the Incense Valley were highly skilled, but rather they were good at raising many strange animals that made it impossible to guard against them.
Only Yun Yiluan can take most of his disciples to the Central Plains, but he cannot bring these animals with him. When the disaster comes and those extremely ferocious beast demons pass through this place, it is naturally difficult for many animals to survive. After a long time, the corpse rots, and the stench is unbearable.
However, the absence of these bizarre animals at this moment was actually beneficial to Gui Li. At least he didn't have to worry about some strange creature suddenly popping out from the dark corners or shadows and exposing his true form.
Many of the disciples of Fengxiang Valley were sent out to track down the beast demon, and countless righteous sects wanted to do so. How could Fengxiang Valley not want to? The remaining half of the disciples were mostly busy sorting garbage in the valley, and even if there were some elders and seniors in the valley master's presence, people like Yun Yiluan and Shangguan Ce would not be patrolling the valley at all times. Thus, Gui Li easily infiltrated Fengxiang Valley without encountering much difficulty.
It was now late afternoon, much brighter than the last time he came to Incense Valley at midnight, but sneaking in, it was unknown how many times easier.
After entering the Burning Incense Valley, Gui Li did not think much and went straight to the Xuanhuo Altar. Xiaobai was imprisoned here that day, and the Eight Cruel Xuanhuo Formation was also set up here, so he naturally had to come here to search for her. However, this place is after all a forbidden area of Burning Incense Valley. In such a busy situation, the defense of the Xuanhuo Altar seems to be even more strict than when Gui Li came last time. I don't know if it's because Xiaobai escaped or an outsider infiltrated.
At this time, Gui Lie's cultivation had already reached a level that was beyond comparison to his past self. Although the Xuanhuo Valley was heavily guarded in the Xuanhuo Altar, Gui Lie carefully and stealthily made his way forward, finally managing to sneak into the majestic Xuanhuo Altar undetected.
As expected, although the guards outside were strict, there was no one guarding inside the Xuanhuo Altar. At a glance, it seemed that nothing had changed since the last time he came here. The strange dark red array on the ground still remained, deeply engraved on the ground. Gui Li understood in his heart that this was the legendary mysterious and wonderful Eight Trigrams Xuanhuo Formation.
However, the damage caused by the eruption of magma that was triggered when Gui Li and Xiao Bai escaped on that day can still be seen.
The surrounding walls can be seen everywhere with charred black spots splashed by magma, and the collapsed stones are countless. Even the Eight Trigrams Xuanhuo Formation Diagram on the ground has some places that have been slightly deformed by the intense flames.
However, if it were an ordinary place, I'm afraid it would have been destroyed long ago under such a disaster. The surrounding area is still largely intact, and it seems that the formation has played a strange role in preserving it.
Looking up, the originally locked second and third floors had lost their effectiveness, just like that, they were open, revealing empty and dark cave entrances. In the majestic Xuanhuo Altar, under the faint glow of the firelight, there was only one figure, Gui Li, lightly flickering.
The demon's face was stern and silent for a long time, then shook his head and walked to the front of the Eight Fiendish Xuanhuo Formation. He looked carefully and saw that all the fiend gods in the huge formation diagram were still as clear as they were in his memory, vividly depicted and lifelike. The patterns connecting these fiend gods were equally mysterious and complex. Ghost Ji took a deep breath and sat down cross-legged in front of the formation diagram.
Just as he was about to concentrate on the mysterious witch tribe's formation, suddenly, from the dark above him in the quiet and gloomy Xuanhuo altar, came a woman's clear and echoing laughter.
The ghost's face changed greatly, and he suddenly stood up, looked up and exclaimed: "Is it you, Xiao Bai..."
His voice stopped abruptly, a figure floated down from the dark shadows above, familiar yellow goose clothes, bright and gentle eyes, as if one glance could make people drunk with beauty.
It was actually someone he never thought of in his dreams, the woman who was rumored to have died in the great disaster.
Jin Bao Er!
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After the initial shock, Gui Li quickly calmed down, and Jin Pinger still stood there, looking as if nothing had changed, her clothes, face, expression, even the faint smile at the corner of her mouth, which was full of subtle charm.
She gazed at Gui Li, smiled slightly and said: "Hello."
The ghost stared at her silently for a long time before saying, "How did you end up here?"
Jin Ping'er gently brushed a strand of hair from her temple with her hand, and in that small movement, there seemed to be infinite charm. She said softly, "I've been waiting for you here."
The ghost scowled and raised an eyebrow, saying: "Wait for me? What for? How did you know I'd come here?"
Jin Ping'er smiled and said, "You can't have forgotten that the last time you came here was with me. I heard this time you're tracking down the Beast God. According to the legend of Nanjiang, in order to subdue the Beast God, it's inevitable that you'll encounter this formation. If not here, where else would you go?"
She slightly narrowed her eyes, seemingly with a hint of small triumph, and even more so with an unspoken gentle charm, smiled and said: "You see, I'm clever, right?"
The demon's eyebrows furrowed, and he felt that his cultivation had made great progress after being enchanted by Jinpinger, yet he still had some slight wavering intentions, and couldn't help but secretly be shocked. After the great calamity, this legendary woman who was supposed to be dead seemed to have actually advanced her powers even further.
Since she didn't die, what about others? What about other powerful sects of the demonic teachings that were destroyed in the great calamity?
Are they also not going to die?
The ghost's heart was filled with shock and uncertainty, but his face remained cold as he said, "You still haven't answered me, what are you waiting for?"
Jin Ping'er smiled softly and said in a gentle tone, "I know the location of the ancient cave where the Beast God was sealed. The Ghost King will let me assist you once he finds out."
The ghost's body shook violently, and he suddenly raised his head to look at Jin Ping'er. However, all he saw was that Jin Ping'er's eyes were as calm as water, her smile as bright as a flower, and there wasn't the slightest unusual expression on her face.