Chapter 345: "Fair" Competition [5500 words]
"Yingli..."
Cangkong stared at Li Chu blankly, a little confused about the situation.
Lead the way...lead what way?
You look like you're going to kill the head of the state religion with a knife. Is there something wrong with your murderous aura? Where's my gentle and lovely Ying Li? "Someone escaped from prison!"
"Lord Cangkong! How dare you release Lord Chief's prisoner without authorization!"
Suddenly there was a shout from the other side.
With a loud bang, seven or eight female guards in armor rushed out.
"I'm not... I didn't... don't talk nonsense!" Cangkong quickly raised his hands and denied three times in a row.
The laws of Huaxu State are strict. Jailbreaking and kidnapping are serious crimes. If you don't give up resistance quickly, you will most likely be killed on the spot.
But in her horrified gaze, Li Chu had already strode forward.
"Stop! Give up resistance!"
There was a clanging sound of swords being unsheathed, and a bunch of sharp weapons were pointed at Li Chu. The true energy was surging and the blade light was looming on them. It was obvious that these guards had excellent cultivation.
Li Chu's eyes swept over their weapons. They didn't know if it was an illusion, but the guards felt that his eyes were a little strange, as if he was... picking goods? Just when they were about to stop "being gentle" and take action, they saw the other party suddenly raise his finger.
Bang, bang, bang…
Cangkong was looking at him with an unwilling look on his face, begging Yingli to stop his strange behavior as soon as possible and not be killed by the guards.
It was discovered that he had used some kind of magical power or sorcery to make all the guards stiffen in an instant, fixing them in place.
"Huh?"
Cangkong was stunned.
Then, Li Chu stepped forward and took out a shining long sword, put it into the sheath, and put it on his back.
Although the sword equipped by the guards of Huaxu Kingdom cannot compare with the famous swords of later generations, it can still be considered a sophisticated weapon and can still be used.
"Why are you still standing there?" Li Chu looked back at Cangkong.
The look was very clear, and the words were the same.
lead the way.
"Ah... OK." Cangkong didn't dare to say no anymore. He ran out of the cave and turned back to smile awkwardly, "Follow me."
As soon as we came out of the cave, the sunlight was quite dazzling.
This prison was unexpectedly built at the very top of the mountain. Looking down, one could vaguely see most of the features of an ancient city-state.
The buildings made of various white wood and stones, the round roofs, and the colorful flags fluttering in the streets are all 100% realistic.
If this is indeed a projection, it would take considerable magical power to materialize.
After Cangkong brought Li Chu down the mountain, they did not go into the city, but went to another mountain which was far away.
A mountain that is obviously much larger and deeper.
"This is the forbidden mountain of the national religion... It is heavily guarded." When they reached the edge of the mountain, Cangkong lowered his voice and said, "No matter what happens, don't make trouble. Once we are discovered, we will surrender quickly. With the king's reliance on me and the chief's expectations of you, it shouldn't be too difficult for us..."
"Who is it?"
Before she could finish her words, a woman in red wearing a battle robe suddenly jumped out from behind a huge rock in front of her. There were three strange streaks of oil paint on her face and two magic flags were stuck behind her.
"We are good citizens--" Cangkong quickly raised his hands high.
Then I heard a familiar sound... bang.
"You're crazy!" Cangkong's eyes widened, "How dare you attack the disciples of the state religion?"
In Huaxu country, there has always been a consensus that it is better to offend the officials appointed by the court than to offend the disciples of the state religion. The state religion has a transcendent status, and the head of the state religion of this generation has cruel methods and has always been feared by people.
Li Chu shook his head and said, "Keep leading the way."
In his memory, the forbidden mountain of the state religion was indeed strictly forbidden to Huaxu citizens. Ying Li had no idea how to get there before.
Officials like Cangkong were fortunate enough to accompany the king to the summit only once or twice and could barely remember the way.
The further up the road, the more dangerous it became. She really didn't want to go any further, but Li Chu had already started... She could only bite the bullet and let him go...
Then the two of them climbed up the high mountain behind.
"You have subdued more than thirty disciples of the state religion along the way. It's simply..." Cangkong looked at Li Chu in disbelief, "Too crazy."
Li Chu looked at the deep cave in front of him and just asked, "Is this the place?"
"It should be..." Cangkong said weakly.
"I'll just go in by myself from now on, thank you."
Although he had not yet stepped into the cave, Li Chu had already scanned it with his mind. The thick demonic energy almost covered everything and contained hundreds of restless and dangerous auras.
If we bring Cangkong in again, it might be dangerous.
Seeing Li Chu's back walking into the cave, Cangkong suddenly felt confused.
Who am I, where am I, what am I doing? I went to visit him in prison for no reason, but it seems that I became his accomplice in escaping from prison and then hitting the forbidden mountain? What an unprovoked disaster.
But……
Although it was a huge sacrifice, I just saw that incredibly handsome face saying thank you to me...
I still feel very relieved.
Ying.
…
"roar--"
"ah……"
"Kill! Kill! Kill!"
Going down along the deep cave, Li Chu subdued many guards of the national religion along the way.
When we reached the depths of the cave, we saw a horrifying scene.
In this huge cave, there are more than a hundred prison cells, which are more like cages than cells.
In the narrow space, numerous complicated iron chains and talismans suppressed the existence in the cage. And the person locked in the iron cage was no longer known to be a human...
Some were swollen with flesh and blood, with bloodshot eyes, some were covered with long brown and yellow hair, and it was hard to tell whether they were human or beast, some had completely lost their human form, had tentacles all over their bodies, and only their eyes could reveal some emotions...
The demonic energy is surging.
At this moment, they were all in their respective iron cages, either going mad or wailing, and it seemed like hell on earth.
Li Chu walked among them, taking every step with extreme caution...
Relying on the familiar smell in his memory, he found a relatively quiet cage deep inside.
The reason why this place was relatively quiet was because the surrounding iron cells were empty. Not empty, but full of blood and broken pieces of flesh.
It looked like something tragic had happened.
"Changzi?" Li Chu tried to call out.
In the middle of the iron cage was a little girl who was not very demonized and retained most of her human body signs, except that she had seven or eight long purple tails and her limbs had turned into sharp claws.
She raised her eyes, and her pupils had turned purple.
"elder brother?"
Her voice seemed uncertain, and she looked at Li Chu with suspicion.
"It's me." Li Chu came to the iron prison.
"Are you my brother?" Chang Zi's eyes were still flashing purple, as if it was difficult to confirm.
Maybe it was because of her demonization and Li Chu's change...
As the closest person, even if she was unconscious now, she still had a deep sense of connection with him. She did not simply believe his identity based on his appearance.
Li Chu didn't argue much, but continued: "I'm here to save you."
"save……"
Chang Zi's eyes flickered for a while, and then finally softened, as if Li Chu's words made her let go of her hostility and believe in his identity.
"Brother...please leave quickly..." She looked at the cave where she came from, "You can't save me..."
Li Chu has already drawn his sword.
Since he has received the mission, he will naturally not allow failure.
"It's useless..." Chang Zi continued to shake his head, "Even if you break through this iron cage, I can't walk in the sun. We are both monsters who cannot stand the light..."
"Hmm?" Li Chu stopped.
Because Chang Zi's words reminded him that this mission didn't seem so simple...
Is the so-called "salvation" really as simple as releasing her from the cage?
So he put down his sword and asked one more question: "How did you become like this?"
"It's Master..." Chang Zi said, hesitating, and changed the subject: "The head of the national religion, she is crazy..."
"She claimed that she had received a revelation from the gods that Huaxu State was going to perish... She said that the only way to save Huaxu State was for the whole country to rise to prominence."
"sublimation?"
"I don't know where the chief monk got the Eye of the Beginning Demon from..." Chang Zi said, "After being illuminated by the Eye of the Beginning Demon, the body will be transformed and greatly sublimated..."
She said with a wry smile, "Just like us."
"She calls this sublimation?" Li Chu frowned.
“Yes, we did gain extremely strong power… but this power, accompanied by bloodlust and madness… is completely uncontrollable…” Chang Zi said painfully: “I have practiced my soul before, so I can barely suppress it. Those ordinary warriors can’t struggle at all… They have all turned into monsters…”
Li Chu didn't waste any words and asked directly: "How can I save you?"
"It's very difficult..." Chang Zi held his head with his claws and said, "Some people have tried it, but even death can't free them. I'm afraid there is no other way except to destroy the Eye of the Originating Demon..."
I see……
Li Chu understood in his heart, maybe this is the real content of the mission? "Where is that thing?" he asked again.
"Only the head of the state religion knows where it is..." Chang Zi replied: "Only the head of the state religion can summon it and drive it. The power of the Eye of the Origin... is unmatched..."
She suddenly raised her eyes and asked again in confusion: "Are you really my brother?"
"I……"
Li Chu hesitated.
Because I don’t know what the most appropriate answer is.
In such an open world, it would be terrible if something was said wrong and affected the direction of the subsequent plot.
Admit it? Or not?
Or ignore it? Just as he was thinking, there was a sound of footsteps outside.
"Yingli!"
It was Cangkong. She didn’t leave but ran in again.
"What's wrong?" Li Chu asked.
"The First Master has received the news..." Cangkong came forward in a hurry. Although everything around her was shocking, this was not what she was most worried about.
"Yingli, stop it." She said anxiously, "There are only disciples of the state religion outside!"
"Oh?" Li Chu raised his eyebrows. "The head of the national religion is here too?"
"It seems that there is no such thing..." Cangkong said:
"The Lord Chief just said the other day that he would be in seclusion in the temple before the Spring Festival... No, Yingli, what's with that lost look in your eyes?"
As she was talking, she was suddenly startled by the change in Li Chu's eyes.
Are you disappointed that you didn't provoke the chief to take personal action?
Isn't it good to be alive? "In this case... it is not a wise choice to fight with the people outside." Li Chu said.
"Of course!" Cangkong bowed his head and said, "Yingli, you finally figured it out. Surrender is the most...wise... thing to do... Hey, what are you doing?!"
She was halfway through her words when she saw Li Chu suddenly point his halberd upwards and with a clang, his sword came out of its sheath.
Then, Li Chu grabbed her arm and pulled her onto the sword.
Although Cangkong is a civil servant, as a woman, she has been taught the method of physical training since birth, and her physique is already quite strong. She should be able to withstand a short period of sword riding, right?
A streak of light suddenly emerged from the cave.
In the blink of an eye, they had landed within the city wall of Huaxu State.
boom--
After it fell to the ground, a cloud of smoke and dust filled the sky.
"Are you okay?" Li Chu asked.
When the smoke and dust cleared, Cangkong was seen lying on the ground in a big letter shape, his body and limbs twitching constantly, humming indistinctly, and there were faint signs of rolling his eyes...
"Hey..." Li Chu called again.
His own flying sword was indeed not so gentle, so he never dared to bring anyone with him easily. Just now, he felt that it was not good to leave Cangkong alone there, so he tried to take her with him...
"Ah." Cangkong groaned, and seemed to come back to his senses, "This...where is this..."
She looked around, then suddenly glared at Li Chu and said, "You are not Ying Li!"
“…”
Discovered? Li Chu was silent for a moment, weighing the necessity of killing to silence the witness.
Who knew that Cangkong would say, "You are a god!"
After saying this, she fainted very cleanly.
Li Chu observed her with his mind and found that there was nothing wrong with her body. It was just that the speed just now was too fast and she couldn't bear it. She should wake up after a while.
So he simply left her where she was.
There is no danger of being arrested by the state religion here. As for what to do next, it will be up to her to decide when she wakes up.
not to mention……
After she wakes up, it is not certain whether Huaxu Kingdom will still have a head of the state religion.
Li Chu sheathed his sword and walked towards the direction of the temple in his memory.
…
The State Religious Temple has a long history, numerous buildings, and its area is constantly expanding. It is already larger than the Palace of the Kingdom of Huaxu.
After Li Chu arrived, he flashed directly, passed through the high wall and came into the temple.
The roads here are complicated and the buildings are difficult to distinguish, but Li Chu doesn't care. He directly uses his mind's eye technique to lock onto the strongest aura in the center.
That person must be the head of the state religion.
After walking along the way for a while, they arrived at a white palace that was not tall but very elegant.
The purpose of this trip is inside.
Without much to say, Li Chu stepped forward and wanted to go straight to the point.
As soon as I approached the palace, I heard one of them say loudly: "Master! No matter what, you must take care of yourself and can't skip meals! You work hard on state affairs and worry about the people all day long. If you don't come out to eat now, what will you do if you become hungry and thin? I will feel bad for you."
The voice was very shrill, and sounded like a voice that had been through a lot...
But for some reason, this strange voice gave Li Chu a sense of familiarity...
"Get lost." This was the woman's deep response.
"Okay."
After being scolded, the owner of the shrill voice still had a very happy tone and turned and left.
Li Chu was slightly surprised when he saw the figure walking out of the palace.
It was indeed him.
Then Chen Huaji was seen walking out happily, wearing a dark red brocade robe and a small hat.
Li Chu ambushed at the corner and pulled Chen Huaji over when he passed by.
"Please spare my life, sir!"
Chen Huaji's first reaction when he was frightened was to squat with his head in his hands at lightning speed...
In this way, even if someone wanted to kill him, they would not have time to do so, and would be confused by his decisive decision to give up resistance. If the other party made further moves, he still had a backup plan - kneeling down.
"It's me." Li Chu said.
"What?" Chen Huaji looked up, and was immediately surprised and delighted: "Isn't this the little pride of Yuhang that I admire the most, Taoist Priest Xiao Li?"
Li Chu didn't bother to pay attention to the strange name he called, and asked directly: "Why are you here...what are you doing?"
"this……"
When talking about his life story, Chen Huaji's lips suddenly flattened, his nostrils expanded, and his big eyes were filled with tears...
"Master Xiao Li, I am no longer complete..."
"..." Li Chu was silent for a moment, not knowing how to comfort her.
"When I was illuminated by the bright light, I found myself in this holy temple of the state religion, and I was a close confidant of the chief monk. There was nothing wrong with it, until I felt like peeing..."
Chen Huaji sobbed and said: "I found that I couldn't find the tools to commit the crime..."
Seeing that he was crying more miserably, Li Chu had to persuade him: "Squatting is more environmentally friendly."
"Wow——" Chen Huaji was about to cry out loud.
Li Chu quickly said, "Tell me who you are first."
"Oh..." Chen Huaji stopped crying and introduced himself, "I am a steward in the temple, my name is Wu Ji..."
What an apt name, Li Chu thought.
But he didn't dare say it out loud, after all, Chen Huaji had just held back his tears.
"I am responsible for taking care of the chief's food and daily life all day long. There is nothing else important to do." Chen Huaji continued.
"Oh..." Li Chu nodded.
So is it that I am the only one who has complicated tasks?
"Hey, Taoist Xiao Li, why are you coming to the temple? Who are you?" Chen Huaji asked.
Li Chu did not hide anything and told everyone his identity and goals.
Who knew that after he finished speaking, Chen Huaji was suddenly shocked, "Ah? You want to kill the chief?"
"Why?" Li Chu looked at him strangely, "No?"
"Alas..." Chen Huaji sighed, "At this point, I have no way to hide it. In fact, in addition to being the manager of the temple, I secretly have another identity... I am also the toady of the head of the national religion."
"These two identities... don't conflict at all, right?" Li Chu wondered.
"No." Chen Huaji shook his head and said, "I was also a son of a wealthy family before, but later my family committed a serious crime and almost all of us were executed. It was the lady who had not yet become the chief seat who saved me. From then on, I have remembered her deeply in my heart."
"Later, she became the abbot, but I was just a useless person who couldn't practice the Huaxu Sutra. I thought... since I can't be with the person I love, what's the point of this iron rod?"
Li Chu grinned.
A real man.
"So I cut off the root of my troubles with a single blow, and then threw myself into the temple, and diligently practiced the Huaxu Sutra, just to protect the safety of the chief master. Even though she has great magical powers and does not need my protection... I am always ready to sacrifice my life to protect her..."
Li Chu looked at his moved expression and asked, "Is this a background story or your personal experience... Why do you seem so involved..."
"Oh, haha." Chen Huaji was stunned for a moment, then smiled embarrassedly, "It's mainly because Wu Ji's character is so similar to mine, I feel very involved with him."
As he spoke, he scratched his head and said, "And I seem to have a feeling that... I must protect the First Lord and not let her get hurt. I must also help her accomplish what she wants to do. Only in this way can I get something."
"Oh?" Li Chu blinked, "Then it seems that your mission... is to help the chief?"
"But doesn't this conflict with your mission..." Chen Huaji looked at Li Chu in embarrassment, "What should I do?"
"There's really no good solution..." Li Chu was very calm and said slowly: "In this case, let's compete fairly."
"Huh?" Chen Huaji's face was filled with fear, and his voice was filled with tears. "Is this really fair?"
(End of this chapter)
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