The sun rises in the east, the morning light gradually tears through the night, winding down through the layers of overlapping branches and leaves, illuminating the faces of everyone in the forest.

Ning Ning couldn't bear to look at the scene in front of her, and turned her head away with a complicated expression;

Pei Ji had a blank expression, frowned and said: "Senior Brother He, Senior Brother Xu, what are you doing?"

When Xu Ye saw them, he sobbed and begged for help, kicking the monster behind him and shouting: "Help! Eat me, it wants to eat me!"

I don't know what he was thinking about, his mind was full of cannibalism. Learning swordsmanship can't save my sister, this kid should give up swordsmanship and write a cultivation version of "Diary of a Madman".

Fortunately, Xu Ye still had some remaining rationality. When he heard the voice of "Senior Brother He", he felt something and turned back with a pale face.

The two looked at each other, and Zhizhou looked like Qing. Everything was no longer the same as it was in the past.

When he saw this ball of clay, it was still dark at night, and the surface of the lake was full of hazy mist, so all the scenery within his field of vision could not be said to be clear;

now that the thick mist in the forest has dissipated and the sunlight is falling lightly, Xu Ye finally saw the true appearance of the black mud in front of him.

"He... He Zhizhou?"

Xu Ye was scared enough by him. Even if he could barely guess He Zhizhou's identity, he still had some fear in his heart. He held his breath and endured the stench in the air: "Did you kill someone in the cesspool?"

It didn't have to be like this.

Ning Ning stepped forward and explained softly: "There are cat litter hidden in the secret realm, and the lake is full of blood and a monster called the 'Mirror Ghost'. The Mirror Ghost will lurk in the lake, waiting for an opportunity to drag passers-by underwater. He Zhizhou must have been attacked by it."

Xu Ye was speechless, remembering the way He Zhizhou used his hands and feet to crawl behind him and shouted "Help"...

He also kicked him on the head a few times, like kicking a ball.

"I'm sorry, I'm sorry! I really... couldn't help myself."

Xu Ye was a pure-hearted man and had never done such a thing. He immediately turned into an apology machine and took out several valuable pills from his storage bag: "These are pills for healing. Take them first!"

Although the two of them screamed miserably and howled like ghosts, fortunately nothing serious happened. Ning Ning breathed a sigh of relief and asked slowly, "Have you been injured anywhere?"

Xu Ye shook his head embarrassedly. He Zhizhou felt very aggrieved. His mouth pursed into a circle, then a triangle, and finally an isosceles trapezoid. Black bubbles gurgled out from time to time, "My heart is the most hurt."

He looked really unsightly with blood and mud all over his body. Ning Ning silently recited the dust-removing trick several times, but the effect was just a drop in the bucket.

Unfortunately, the water sources in the secret realm were blocked by formations, and there was no place to wash. She was thinking about how to solve the stench, when she suddenly heard the fox girl beside her say in a deep voice: "There is still a piece of pure land that has not been invaded by the mirror ghost. I can lead you there."

From the initial help in pulling out the arrows to the search for water sources, this unknown fox was extremely attentive, as if she wanted to get to know them.

Ning Ning didn't understand her intentions, and didn't know if she was lying. She raised her eyes to take a rough look at the little fox demon, but her eyes met with the other party's as soon as she raised her head.

"The reason I'm helping you is that I have something to ask of you."

She looked very young, but her eyes revealed a solemnity and determination that was inconsistent with her age. The breeze gently lifted a strand of hair from her temples, and when it brushed past the corner of the girl's mouth, she brought a slight smile: "My name is Qiao Yan, and I am from the spirit fox clan in the secret realm. Because my family has lived here for generations, I rarely have contact with outsiders. If I have offended you, please forgive me."

"Do you have something to ask for?"

Ning Ning responded quickly: "Is it related to the mirror ghost in the lake?"

Qiao Yan nodded and said seriously: "That's right."

She paused for a moment, as if she was organizing her words, and finally frowned her eyebrows and said slowly: "What you don't know is that the mirror ghosts in the lake are actually transformed by the demon clan."

Demon clan.

This word has disappeared from the world of cultivation for many years, and Ning Ning's heart trembled slightly.

This is also a plot that was not mentioned in the original book.

"A few years ago, the demons invaded the secret realm and wanted to snatch the sacred objects of my fox clan. My clan naturally refused to obey and started a big battle with them, but due to the huge disparity in strength, there were heavy casualties."

When saying this, Qiao Yan's eyes became much more solemn, and she unconsciously tightened the longbow in her hand: "My father, as the head of the clan, used all his skills to set up a formation, and then used the vitality of all the foxes in the clan as a guide, so as to severely damage the demons and trap them in the lake."

Ning Ning hesitated and said: "Then your people are now..."

"Most of them were killed by the monsters. The few who survived were all seriously injured and had no spiritual power. They could only lie in bed all day to recuperate."

Qiao Yan said, "I happened to have a cold at that time, or maybe it was because of my parents' selfishness that I didn't know from the beginning to the end that they had set up a formation and planned to die with the monsters. When I woke up, the secret realm was already like this now."

The secret realm is mostly in a closed state, and it is inconvenient for outsiders to enter. It is also difficult for the spirit beasts and monsters inside to escape.

When fighting the monsters, the spirit fox would not be able to ask for help from the outside world, and could only rely on the strength of the tribe to support it. The water mirror illusion is now peaceful and full of vitality. Apart from the terrifying mirror ghosts and blood mud in the lake, there is no trace of the bloody battle.

Xu Ye finally calmed down and asked her curiously after listening, "How can we help you?"

"My mother told me that the power of the formation is getting weaker day by day. If it continues like this, the demons are likely to break out of the formation again."

The little fox demon is a young girl after all. When talking about this, it is obvious that there is a bit more anxiety in her tone: "With the current power of me and my tribe, it is difficult to compete with them. Only by getting the Burning Sun Bow, a sacred object that has been passed down in the tribe for many years, can I kill them all."

"Burning Sun Bow?"

Ning Ning suddenly realized: "Is this the treasure that the demons want to snatch?"

Qiao Yan nodded.

"I, I, I know!"

He Zhizhou usually read a lot of miscellaneous books. He didn't know where he had caught a glimpse of this bow and arrow: "I heard that the Burning Sun Bow was left by a great ancient man. It has slaughtered countless evil demons and monsters. It is said to have the ability to swallow the sky and shoot down the sun. With a whoosh of an arrow, the sun can be shot out."

"It's not that exaggerated."

The little fox was slightly stunned by what he said, and his ears shook suddenly: "If I can really get the Burning Sun Bow, I might be able to fight the monsters. But the bow has been stored in the Qixian Cave for many years, and the jade pendant used to open the cave door..."

She gritted her teeth and said in a deep voice: "Dad died in the battle, and the jade pendant was taken away by the Fire Phoenix on the West Mountain, hiding in a cave to absorb spiritual energy. I am not good enough to defeat it. If you are unwilling to help, the Mirror Ghost will break out of the formation, and this secret realm will be completely finished!"

Xu Yi couldn't hide what was in his heart: "But we are participating in the trial of the Dharma Assembly. If we just fight for the Burning Sun Bow, the number of tokens will be counted down..."

He Zhizhou He slapped his head and said, "You're still thinking about the trial at this time! Those elders are watching the excitement outside the Xuanjing, how could they not know what happened to us?"

As a senior fan of male-oriented cool novels, he dared to bet his pocket money for a whole year and guarantee that if he could solve this kind of adventure, not only would the whole team be successful, but they would also be praised by the elders, who might even let them enter the second round directly.

Moreover, Pei Ji had the aura of the protagonist, and everything under the aura was nothing. It was right to follow him.

"Of course I won't let you help me in vain."

Seeing He Zhizhou's reaction, Qiao Yan secretly breathed a sigh of relief in her heart: "The spirit fox clan is the master of the secret realm. Once I obtain the Burning Sun Bow, I will definitely offer the heavenly treasures as a thank you."

Xu Ye was completely speechless.

"Then," the fox girl sighed and smiled, and her ears, which had been raised high due to nervousness, finally drooped down a little, and her tone was no longer as tense as it was at the beginning, "If you are willing to help... please follow me."

=====

The place where Qiao Yan led them was the only available water source in the secret realm.

Since she appeared without any warning, Ning Ning had some suspicion and fear of this little fox.

But now that she was familiar with the route and knew everything about the surroundings, and she even led everyone to a safe water source, she knew that she was indeed a fox native to the secret realm.

It was just that the matter of the Burning Sun Bow and the demons... I didn't know if there was any catty talk.

I guess she was really tortured enough by the illusions of Galan City and E City. Now whenever she encountered something, she would be suspicious and think about it -

but Rosie refused mercilessly, and was afraid that what Qiao Yan said was true, and in the end the secret realm would be closed, the demons would be rampant, and none of the spirit foxes in the secret realm would survive.

The "water source" that Qiao Yan mentioned was located under a waterfall, and the surging water waves rushed down from the top of the waterfall, converging into a huge elliptical lake.

The lake was filled with the sound of water, and silvery white waves were splashing on the lake surface. The water was misty, and the silver light was like a pile of snow, like a piece of silvery white brocade hanging down from the sky, with jade beads flying.

He Zhizhou was tortured by the mud on his body, but he was afraid of the water in the secret realm. It was not until Qiao Yan reached out to the water and saw that nothing happened that he dared to walk into the lake under great psychological pressure.

With him was Xu Ye, who was covered in mud by He Zhizhou.

Ningning and Pei Ji were not interested in watching the two of them taking a bath, and turned away tacitly.

This waterfall is located deep in the jungle on the mountainside. Looking around, there are several wooden houses standing in rows around it. A little boy with fox ears also met their eyes, with a big furry tail wagging behind him, and ran into one of the houses with a red face.

"That's my neighbor's little brother."

Only here did Qiao Yan finally smile and whispered, "When the war started, he was just a baby in swaddling clothes. Now, only he and I can move freely in the tribe."

Ning Ning remembered what she said before and asked subconsciously, "The other foxes who set up the formation... haven't recovered after so long?"

"Not only the spiritual power consumed when setting up the formation, but also the serious injuries from the demons."

Qiao Yan replied bitterly, "The sea of ​​consciousness, dantian and meridians are all severely damaged. Only by relying on the spiritual medicine I collect every day can they recover a little."

The sea of ​​consciousness is damaged.

Exactly the same symptoms as Wen Hemian.

Ning Ning's heart moved: "Miss Qiao, do you know how to cure this disease?"

"I only heard that there are a few extremely precious herbs that can cure it, but--"

Qiao Yan was slightly stunned before she finished speaking, then frowned and whispered: "Mom, why are you out?"

Ning Ning looked up and saw a shadow sitting on a wheelchair in front of one of the houses.

It was a very beautiful woman, with skin as white as cream and loose hair. Even if she was leaning against the back of the chair motionlessly, she could still exude a natural and warm temperament.

Unfortunately, she was too weak. Perhaps due to overdrawn spiritual power and overwork, her long hair was stained with a grayish-white color like snow and frost, and her pupils were cloudy and lifeless, like a beautiful jade covered with dust.

"Mother is worried about my safety and never allowed me to go looking for the Burning Sun Bow."

Qiao Yan lowered her voice, as if whispering: "Don't let it slip."

Ning Ning nodded obediently.

"I heard that there are new guests."

The woman coughed lightly and was carefully pushed forward by the boy behind her. The closer she got, the more clearly Ning Ning could see her skinny body tortured by illness.

Her temperament was much gentler than her daughter's. When she spoke softly, every word was tinged with a gentle smile: "I am Xiaoyan's mother. The two young Taoist priests can just call me Qin Niang."

After the woman finished speaking, she looked up at Qiao Yan and coughed: "Xiaoyan, go and make a cup of tea for the guests."

Qiao Yan was the most obedient to her mother. Although she was worried that her plan would be exposed, she still responded with a low "OK". Before leaving, she hastily glanced at Ningning, and the hint in her eyes could not be more obvious.

Ning Ning never betrayed her teammates easily, and she had intended to keep her mouth shut, but unexpectedly she heard Qin Niang's voice immediately: "That girl must have begged you to get the Burning Sun Bow for her, right?"

Ning Ning was instantly silent, and glanced at Pei Ji beside her with a guilty conscience.

"I'm her mother, how could I not understand Xiaoyan's thoughts?"

Seeing this, Qin Niang covered her lips and chuckled: "You two little Taoist friends, there is no need to hide it deliberately. Not to mention that in order to get the Burning Sun Bow, you have to defeat the giant beast Fire Phoenix. Even if you can really get the bow, what can you do? With the child's strength, how can he repel the hundreds of Jindan Yuanying demons in the formation?"

She smiled and said, "My fellow tribesmen and I have been seriously injured. Not to mention leaving this secret realm, even walking is not easy. Xiaoyan had the opportunity to leave this place, but she stayed here because of us - I wonder when the trial of the little Taoists will end?"

Ning Ning answered honestly: "Three days later."

"Three days..."

Qin Niang lowered her eyes and murmured softly, and finally said softly: "I hope that the little Taoist friend will not do stupid things with Xiaoyan. Although the Burning Sun Bow is an ancient artifact, it cannot resist the invasion of so many demons. Three days later, when the gate to the secret realm opens, I will persuade her to leave this place."

Ning Ning was slightly stunned: "Then you-"

"We are dying demons."

Qin Niang raised her cloudy eyes, with a faint smile between her eyebrows: "Sealing the demons has consumed most of my cultivation, plus the old injuries in my body that cannot be healed... Now it is extremely difficult to barely maintain the formation."

Pei Ji spoke out for the first time: "Maintain the formation?"

"That's right."

The woman looked at him with a helpless look in her eyes: "Xiao Yan doesn't know, so she won't tell you two. The reason why this formation can still be supported is that I and other tribesmen use the remaining spiritual power to maintain it. Recently, the spiritual power has become weaker and weaker, and it is already difficult to control it... I think ten days is the limit. Even if I don't die of spiritual power exhaustion by then, the old illness of this body will kill me."

Because they are using their lives to support the formation every day, even if Qiao Yan travels through the secret realm to find rare medicinal materials, the situation of the tribesmen has not improved at all.

She must not have thought that while she was doing her best for her tribesmen, they were also paying their lives in secret, using the power of the entire tribe just to keep her alive.

Ten days later, the secret realm was closed, the formation was broken, and the fox clan trapped in the secret realm was destined to be eaten by monsters.

"I have waited for so many years, hoping that the secret realm will be opened one day, so that I can send Xiaoyan away."

Qin Niang said: "It is worth it for us to support it with our crippled bodies for so many years... The world outside is bizarre, and the child will definitely like it." As

soon as she finished speaking, the undisguised footsteps of the girl rang behind her. The

haggard woman put her index finger on her lips, smiled and made a gesture to silence them: "This is our secret, please don't tell her... At least in the last three days, let me and the child live well."

=====

Ningning felt very heavy.

It is not a pleasant feeling to accidentally know someone else's secrets, especially the secrets about life and death.

Qiao Yan knew nothing about everything. After He Zhizhou and Xu Ye finished cleaning, she led the four people to the West Mountain with great confidence.

Ning Ning was thinking wildly on the way, and felt that this matter was not hopeless -

for example, although the elders could not enter the secret realm after it was sealed, there were still many disciples of the immortal sect in the secret realm. If all members worked together to resist the monsters, the outcome would not be too bad.

But that would be a bet on the lives of others. Qin Niang said that the demons were all golden elixir primordial infants, and someone would definitely be sacrificed in the war. Using the lives of several disciples in exchange for the dying lives of the spirit foxes...

a classic tram problem, Ning Ning could not think of a conclusion.

He Zhizhou and Xu Ye were free and easy, laughing and talking all the way.

Qiao Yan looked mature and taciturn, but in fact she was just a simple girl who didn't know how to talk because she rarely interacted with outsiders. When she heard them talking crosstalk, a faint light flashed in her eyes.

"If we can really get the treasure in the secret realm, we will be rich when we get out!"

He Zhizhou took Xu Ye's treasure elixir, and most of his flesh wounds healed. He was talking about his history of poverty in a hurry: "You don't know, I went to the town at the foot of the mountain to train when it rained before, and I was splashed with water by a passing luxury carriage. Not only did the owner not apologize, he also laughed arrogantly. How can I tolerate this! I made up my mind from then on that when I have money in the future--"

He became more and more excited as he spoke, and finally clenched his fist: "I must buy an umbrella of my own!"

"Are you a good person?"

Xu Yi glared at him, "I didn't agree to this job for the sake of the baby."

He Zhizhou sneered, "No way, no way? No way, there is really someone who takes such a big risk just to please Senior Sister?"

Xu Yi was hit in the heart by his words, and his ears blushed in a very unpromising way.

"He is like that," He Zhizhou sneered, turned his head and said to Pei Ji, "Even if he can be with Senior Sister Su in the end, he will definitely be a wife slave - the kind who hands over all his money. Junior Brother Pei Ji, you must not learn from him."

Xu Yi was actually unhappy: "What are you talking about!"

Unbelievable.

He Zhizhou clicked his tongue and shook his head. It was not easy for this kid to be so tough.

Then the next moment, Xu Ye continued righteously: "What do you mean by 'my money'! How can I have money? It must all be my senior sister's!"

Ning Ning on the side couldn't help it, and began to laugh secretly with her lips pursed.

In the era when she and He Zhizhou lived, this kind of behavior was often called "licking a dog", but according to Xu Ye's level, it was no longer as simple as a simple licking a dog.

This must be the ultimate evolution of a licking dog, the king of licking kings standing at the top of the licking world -

the licking wolf.

In this secret realm, it is impossible to fly with a sword. Led by Qiao Yan, a group of people chattered through the jungle and slowly moved forward along the forest path. After walking for more than half an hour, they suddenly noticed that the temperature around them rose sharply.

The flock of birds completely hid their tracks, and the trees around them gradually faded away. When we went a little further, we could only see the remains of old trees that were as dry as bones, like a poor person with only a few hairs left after being completely bald. The dead branches and sparks flew together, and the red mud and the sky were the same color.

"This is the habitat of the Fire Phoenix."

Qiao Yan said, "Everyone, we have arrived at the West Mountain."