Outside the mysterious mirror, the atmosphere was boiling.
"It's amazing! Just a little girl can fool the people from the other two sects. This is really exciting with endless twists and turns!"
"Now Haoran Sect and Neon Island are seriously injured. Ningning not only took away the rare spiritual plants, but also looted all the luggage on Neon Island. Even if others are furious, they can't do anything to her in her current state of being covered in wounds and with her cultivation severely damaged."
"Now she is sitting on the mountain and watching the tigers fight. I don't know how happy she is, haha!"
He Xiaochen, the head of Liuming Mountain, laughed out loud: "She is worthy of being the disciple of Elder Tianxian! This unconventional approach really has some of her master's charm."
The female nun of the Wanjian Sect, who was almost so angry that she broke the Xuanjing, let out a sigh of relief and chuckled, "Xu Ye, that kid... Fortunately. But how could Elder Tianxian know before that Xu Ye's rebellion was a trap?"
"ah?"
Tian Xianzi swallowed the cake that filled his mouth, and wolfed down a sip of tea, then pretended to be mysterious and chuckled: "Look at your apprentice's silly look, is he the kind of person who can come up with a plan to surrender to the enemy and betray?"
The female cultivator's mouth twitched: "Tianxianzi, let's fight with swords!"
Tian Xianzi dodged and hid behind Zhen Xiao: "Brother, she is mean to me!"
Zhen Xiao ignored him. His eyes, as indifferent as the wind and snow, swept across the mysterious mirror coldly. His voice was also very calm: "As a sword cultivator, why do you have to scheme against each other? If others are not convinced, just draw your sword and make them obey."
He Xiaochen knew the temper of his old friend and shook his head to refute: "That's you. Ningning is just a little girl, with wolves in front and tigers behind. Even if she is talented, she can't resist the combined efforts of Haoran Sect and Neon Island."
Someone chimed in with a smile, "I've heard for a long time that Zhenxiao Sword Master is the best swordsman in the world. Today I see that it's true. In front of his sword skills that surpass all the heroes, all the schemes are vulnerable."
Zhenxiao was silent for a moment.
Zhenxiao: "No. It's just that if the battle of wits is too fierce, I can't understand it."
After a pause, he turned his head and looked at Tian Xianzi behind him: "Junior brother, what did Ning Ning do just now? Please explain it to me briefly."
I almost forgot that this unparalleled Zhenxiao Sword Master doesn't seem to have a very high intelligence level. I heard that the reason why he practiced swordsmanship so hard was because he failed the exam in school. From then on, he understood a truth:
I don't look stupid, but I'm really not smart. To an ugly person, looking closely is cruel; and to a stupid person, forcing him to pass an imperial examination is murder.
Everyone thinks that Zhenxiao Sword Master is cold-blooded and ruthless, and that he can respond to any change with his sword. He would never say a single word if he could avoid it.
Only a few fellow apprentices who were on good terms with him knew that this guy was just dumb and couldn't speak, and his brain couldn't think straight, so he just fought whenever he encountered trouble, so that he would never suffer any loss.
"What's wrong with intrigue? The little white flowers are bland, and the thorny ones are more interesting to eat."
A female cultivator in white pursed her lips and chuckled. As soon as she spoke, several men present looked at her sideways.
She has an absolutely beautiful appearance, like an ethereal and untouchable immortal in the sky. Three thousand strands of black hair were casually tied behind her back, a few strands brushed across her flawless white porcelain face, and fell on her slender and fair neck. Occasionally, it moved gently with the movement of her body, brushing against the tender flesh under her neck, which aroused endless reverie.
This female cultivator has almond eyes like stars and cherry lips that are naturally red. At first glance, she looks pure and otherworldly, like a shining jade, not like someone from this mortal world.
However, when she curled her lips and smiled, her whole face suddenly became charming, and the fairy turned into a soul-stirring enchantress.
This person is the owner of Neon Island, Qu Feiqing.
Tian Xianzi glanced at her and said, "Why? It seems that the island master is very fond of my little disciple?"
"More than liking it."
Qu Feiqing smiled softly with her lips covered. With just a slight bend in her eyes, spring water would flow into her eyes, and her gaze would flow: "I have seen many people on Neon Island deceive others and then be used in return, but this is the first time. Ningning is really interesting. If Elder Tianxian is willing, why not send her to the island as a guest for a few days and let me serve her personally."
If Ningning were to be served personally by this person, wouldn’t she become a mummy when she returned? No, even whether she could return alive was a very serious question.
Tian Xianzi was frightened by her suggestion and waved his hands repeatedly: "No, no, Ningning is still young. I beg the island master to show mercy and use your great mercy to nourish other lands."
Qu Feiqing snorted coldly, still with a determined smile on her face, but she changed the subject: "After this incident, I'm afraid that the disciples of Neon Island and Haoran Sect will be sad for a long time."
Rong Ci is the most talented disciple she has met in recent years, so it is inevitable that he has developed an arrogant temperament.
His strategies almost never failed, and he was an expert at manipulating people's hearts. However, he did not expect that this time he would run into an unconventional person who not only saw through his purpose clearly, but also used a counter-espionage strategy to turn Rong Ci into a tool to be used.
In that conversation between him and Ningning in the cave, it seemed that Rong Ci had all the initiative, leading the girl step by step into his arms and making her reveal the secret out of guilt and sympathy.
As a result, Ningning turned the passive situation into the active one. At first glance, she seemed to be naive and was being led by the nose, but in fact, she was the one who was secretly controlling the situation.
Even Rong Ci's strategy was part of her well-thought-out plan.
He even got injured on purpose just to get close to Ningning. When the kid finds out the truth, he will be furious.
The elegant female cultivator, who was as pure as an immortal, smiled even more deeply, looking at the face of the girl in the mysterious mirror, with a strong look of expectation in her eyes.
=====
Ningning had no idea what the elders outside the mysterious mirror thought. What she was concerned about at this moment was where the three of them should go next.
Although she claimed that she wanted to get all the benefits, she was not a cruel devil after all. After going to the cave where Neon Island was stationed, she only took away a few herbs for detoxification.
After He Zhizhou and Xu Ye took the herbs, their crazy and delirious states finally improved a lot.
Thinking of the various scenes of swimming to immortality and giving birth to children, the two upright swordsmen looked at each other in silence, with tears streaming down their faces.
Of course they would not return to the previous cave, and after some discussion, the three decided to head to the ancient forest on the top of the mountain to see if they could try their luck and find some precious spiritual plants that were very old.
"Ancient Woods Sea, just by listening to the name, you can tell that it must be a very mysterious place."
He Zhizhou held the grilled fish and eel he hadn't finished eating in his hands, and said mysteriously, "I heard that the frequency of spiritual plant stone mines above the Heavenly Rank there is particularly high. It is well-deserved to be a legendary mobile game with a super high explosion rate. One hit will explode 999 gold weapons. It is a paradise for gold-making with cool equipment. You can still beat the local tyrants without recharging."
This person thinks that the ancient woods and forest are just playing with the blue moon.
Xu Ye didn't understand what he meant. He just thought that this man hadn't recovered from the mushroom poison. He glanced at the eel in his hand and frowned: "Last time it was poisonous mushrooms, and this time it's this smooth thing again. Can you eat something normal?"
"What do you know? This is called "Don't skip stewing eels because they are small. Make the eels as delicious as possible and finish them well. What a good meaning! You will have good luck if you eat it. It's not like grilled fish. When I see it, I think of the classic saying, 'There is a strange light in the fish's eyes'."
He Zhizhou shook his head and said nonsense: "You are still talking about me, but aren't you also poisoned by mushrooms?"
"I, I didn't eat the poisonous mushrooms you cooked!"
Xu Ye blushed immediately: "I was poisoned after eating a rabbit that was poisoned by poisonous mushrooms. It doesn't count as eating random food!"
He Zhizhou made a pause gesture: "Friend, nesting dolls is prohibited."
So Xu Ye stopped talking.
The otaku from Xuanxu Sword Sect who cried after being bullied by a seven-year-old monk is indeed not a normal person as his reputation says.
"Oh, right! I have something I must tell you."
He Zhizhou seemed to remember something and swallowed the last bite of the grilled fish: "Aren't we going to fly to the ancient forest on a sword later?"
He smiled sheepishly: "Well, well, actually I'm afraid of heights."
=====
“Ah ...
He Zhizhou's screams were like the cries of monkeys on both sides of the river, and they turned into dolphin sounds at high speed: "Prosperity, democracy, civilization and harmony! Mom, save me! Hallelujah!"
Xu Ye was annoyed: "Shut up!"
How could a cultivator be afraid of heights, especially since he is a sword cultivator! Could it be that this person has never tried flying with a sword since he was a child? It is truly a shame for sword cultivators!
"It's not like I can't fly a sword, but you know, every time I stand in the air, I feel dizzy and want to cry, as if I'm going to die in the next second."
He Zhizhou clung to him tightly, like a koala hugging a tree: "Ningning, please tell me a few jokes to distract me, please!"
Ning Ning stood on the Xinghen Sword, and was amused by him: "I don't know how to make jokes, so why not ask the great scholar He to recite a few poems."
"Recite, recite poetry."
He Zhizhou shivered, not daring to open his eyes, his head was a mess: "The beauty rolled up the pearl curtain, and the traces of people disappeared from the thousands of paths... I took off my battle robes with you, and spent the spring night in the warm hibiscus tent. A spring night is worth a thousand gold, and I know that this matter must be done personally..."
Xu Ye's figure shook violently. As a pure young man who grew up under the light of righteousness, his ears turned red in shamelessness: "He Zhizhou, shut up!"
Amid He Zhizhou's cries and Xu Ye's cursing, the three finally arrived at their destination, the ancient forest.
The Ancient Woods Forest is located at the top of Xiaochong Mountain. It is said that it was born from the essence of the sun and the moon, and is a well-deserved place where spiritual energy gathers.
It was already night, and the towering trees pierced the vast sky. The lush and verdant leaves were densely packed together, and the moonlight cast a somewhat cold white color.
Looking around, there are vigorous and tall ancient trees all around. The tangled roots look like the wrinkles on an old man, which inexplicably reveals a sense of solemnity.
The leaves almost blocked out the moonlight, but fortunately there were many glowing spiritual plants growing in the woods.
Moonflowers dotted the grass like stars, emitting a pale white glow; the fluorescent grass looked like numerous light blue lanterns, quietly hanging on the treetops; the leaves of some unknown trees were also full of light, and at first glance, it looked as if the whole tree was inlaid with jade.
Ningning was just a young girl after all. It was her first time seeing such a scene. She couldn't help but look around with stars in her eyes. Occasionally she lowered her head to touch the moonflower, and her slender fingers were illuminated as white as snow.
"If this place can be developed into a tourist attraction, Liumingshan will definitely make a lot of money."
He Zhizhou had not yet recovered from the fear of flying on a sword. He patted his chest with lingering fear, his face pale. "I remember there are Moon White Stone, Ghost Crying Rock, Water Dragon Grass and Immortal Pure Spring here. If I'm lucky, I might even come across the rare Seven Treasures Colored Glass or Mahayana Buddha Grass."
Ningning looked at the map and nodded thoughtfully.
Although Liuming Mountain gave everyone a map and the distribution of spiritual plants below the treasures, the markings were only approximate and did not specify the specific locations, so everyone needed to find them on their own.
As for rare treasures and above, they are hard to come by. Even the host Liu Mingshan doesn't know where to find them, so they will not appear on the map at all.
The ancient forest is famous for its rich resources, so naturally there are many monks coming here.
Before, on the hillside, Ningning had never seen anyone else except the medical cultivator, Yun Duan Yue, and the Neon Island and Haoran Sect who came to cause trouble on purpose. Not long after arriving, I saw several men and women wearing different uniforms walking by one after another.
One of them seemed to recognize He Zhizhou. He chuckled and then turned sideways to whisper something to his companion, probably telling about his glorious deeds.
"Everyone comes here for the treasures, but there are too many people and too little food."
Xu Ye calmly analyzed the situation: "The ancient forest is very large. We can continue to go deeper and choose places where few people go. I heard that there is a ten thousand year old dragon blood tree deep in the forest. Even if we don't get anything, it would be a good experience to see it."
"Xu Ye is so amazing."
Ning Ning blinked her eyes: "You seem to know everything. It was the same when you told us Rong Ci's identity before. You just said it without thinking too much."
Xu Ye pulled the corner of his mouth: "Of course you have to make full preparations before coming."
Nonsense, he searched room by room slowly, and he knew almost all the identities, personalities, and strengths of the disciples, and even what they did on the night they arrived at Liuming Mountain.
When Xu Ye thought of the scene he saw outside the guest room of Xuanxu Sword Sect that night and then looked at Ningning's innocent smiling face, he felt very complicated.
How could such a good girl...
well.
"strangeness."
A sigh welled up in his heart, and Xu Ye suddenly heard He Zhizhou's voice: "Do you feel... there seems to be some strange noises in the distance?"
Weird noise?
The ancient woods were famous for their tranquility, elegance and rich resources. Xu Ye didn't think anything unexpected would happen in such a peaceful forest, so he just raised his eyebrows lazily and listened attentively to the vague sounds coming from the woods.
It seemed like the clattering footsteps of several people running, and the interweaving of footsteps...
"Help" and "Run away"?
This thought was like a sharp sword piercing through the mind, causing the young swordsman's spiritual energy to suddenly tense up.
At the same time, he heard Ning Ning hurriedly shouting, full of disbelief and surprise: "Look at those trees!"
I saw a bush emitting a bright green light in the distance suddenly shaking, and the green light surrounding the leaves instantly turned into a terrifying scarlet like blood.
That rich and pure color was like a tide, rushing forward relentlessly. Wherever it passed, the flowers, plants and trees were dyed an extremely strange red. Combined with the cold moonlight like frost, it reminded people of a lifeless funeral hall.
Given the positions that the three of them were in, they naturally couldn't escape such a fate.
"What's going on?"
The scarlet color covered the entire forest like ink; even the leaves seemed stained with blood. When they swayed gently in the wind, they looked like bony bones that had just crawled out of hell.
He Zhizhou was confused about the situation, so he looked up and saw two people running towards him.
"Hurry, run!"
The young man on the left was pale and panting: "Something happened in the woods!"
Xu Yiba raised his voice: "Daoyou, what's going on?"
“Those trees, those trees seemed to be alive… The entire ancient forest has gone crazy!”
The young man's expression changed as he spoke, and he pointed at Xu Ye and shouted, "Fellow Daoist, watch out behind you!"
Before he finished his words, a vine as thick as a human arm suddenly rose into the air and rushed towards Xu Ye with lightning speed!
All the three people's attention was on the young man, and they turned back hurriedly when they heard his voice. The vines were already so close that there was no time to draw the sword or dodge. Xu Ye could only roughly make a sword gesture and stab hard.
Unexpectedly, the vine was extremely strong, and the sword moves made in an instant were not very powerful. After the lightning contact with the vine body, it was bounced back and had no effect anymore.
"Xu Ye!"
The sword technique was deflected, and Xu Ye was also knocked far away by this amazing force. He fell heavily to the ground with a terrifying muffled sound.
The vines actually still had the momentum to catch up. Seeing that the situation was not good, He Zhizhou quickly drew his sword and chopped hard on the vines.
With this chop, most of the vines were finally cut off, but the remaining part not only showed no sign of retreating, but instead seemed to be enraged, hanging in the air and shaking desperately.
Another flash of sword light passed by.
A vine attacked He Zhizhou's neck directly, but was cut off by Ningning's sword.
"It's the same inside... No, it's scarier inside than here!"
The young man was so panicked that his voice was shaking and he didn't even dare to run away. After everyone dealt with the suddenly rising vines, their expressions eased a little: "You guys should run away too! Find an open area to fly with your swords, this place is not right!"
Ningning clenched the Star Mark Sword in her hand, her eyes slightly gloomy.
Something is wrong... What kind of plot is this?
She remembered that in the novel she had read, Pei Ji should have also come to the ancient forest tonight and unexpectedly obtained a treasure. His experience was so lucky that it was dull and boring. There was no description of this accident in the entire plot.
——How is it possible that there is a plot that is completely different from the original work?
Ning Ning calmed down, her heart pounding. "What caused the incident? Do you have any idea?"
"The first thing that was wrong was the thousand-year-old dragon blood tree."
The female cultivator beside the young man was still in shock, her bloodless lips trembling constantly: "Without any warning, it oozes bright red resin all over the ground, and the branches and vines suddenly rise up and attack a disciple of Xuanxu Sect, and then the whole forest...ah! Gatekeeper, are you also from Xuanxu Sword Sect?"
A disciple of the Xuanxu School.
Ning Ning's eyebrows jumped, and a strange feeling rose in her heart for no reason: "Sister, can you roughly describe the appearance of that disciple?"
"A tall and thin young man with a small mole at the end of his eye. His black clothes were embroidered with the cloud pattern of the Xuanxu Sword School. He looked very handsome."
The woman and the young man looked at each other and said, "He must have acted alone and was very skilled. When the two of us fled, the young man was still fighting with the dragon blood tree, but unfortunately... he was outnumbered and seriously injured. Now he must be exhausted and has no strength to fight back."
"No way."
He Zhizhou helped Xu Ye up from the ground and handed him a handkerchief to wipe the blood from the corner of his mouth. He was stunned when he heard this: "The one wearing black clothes... could it be Pei Ji?"
No, it shouldn't be him.
Ningning bit her lip subconsciously. Xiaochongshan should have been calm tonight, and Pei Ji would not encounter any accidents.
In the original novel, as the protagonist, he never encountered any life-threatening situations. Like all upgrade and counterattack novels, he was able to easily escape danger every time. How could it be possible...
How could he be exhausted and seriously injured, especially in a plot that was never mentioned in the original book?
"Everyone, please flee from here as soon as possible. This forest is very evil and it is not advisable to stay here for long."
The young man grabbed the woman's wrist and looked at the bloody forest behind him with lingering fear: "We two will take our leave first, take care."
"Take care of yourself!"
He Zhizhou said goodbye casually, and sneaked up to Ningning, his eyes full of curiosity: "What is the plot of this part? Have you read the original novel? Can you give us a spoiler? We should be fine, right?"
This is the weirdest part.
The original book did not mention a word about Pei Ji's hard fight or the strange changes in the ancient forest. She tried calling the system in her mind, but got no response.
Ning Ning glanced at Xu Ye, who was in so much pain that he could hardly move after being attacked, and then looked at He Zhizhou, who was completely confused. She took a deep breath and said, "Take Xu Ye away on the sword first. I want to go in and take a look."
The current situation was completely beyond her imagination. Ningning would feel uneasy if she didn't go in and find out what was going on.
The young man in distress mentioned by the female cultivator should be Pei Ji.
If this was a plot that was omitted in the original novel, then she would have the aura of a vicious female supporting character, and no matter how she tried to commit suicide in the depths of the forest, she would not have died heroically.
If the current development goes beyond the original plot...
Pei Ji's life or death is uncertain, and he has no one to rely on. As a senior sister, she should also try to save him.
No matter what, there is a sense of fellowship.
Moreover, if you think from a deeper level, if the male protagonist dies here, her suicidal mission will naturally fail halfway.
Even the premise for carrying out the mission will no longer exist. When she is no longer of any use, the system will definitely not keep her, and she will be dead.
Ning Ning didn't want He Zhizhou to worry, so seeing his confused expression, she chuckled and comforted him, "My mission has come again. Follow the original instructions. I'll be fine. You guys go first."
"Oh! Good luck then!"
He Zhizhou smiled knowingly and nodded: "Xu Ye and I will be waiting for you at the place where we grilled the fish before. Come back early!"
Ning Ning clenched the Xinghen Sword in her hand, her knuckles turning slightly white: "... Yeah."
=====
"You're already in this state, and you still want to fly with a sword?"
He Zhizhou rejected Xu Ye's plan to try manned space flight, looked into his eyes and said righteously: "Although I am timid, for my friends, what does fear of heights matter? Xu Ye, your injury is the most important thing, you don't need to worry about it at this time."
He looked serious, and for the first time he looked serious and reliable.
Xu Ye's internal organs were almost dislocated by the giant vine and he was in so much pain that he could hardly move. When he heard his words, he gritted his teeth and forced a smile.
It seems that this person is still reliable at critical moments.
So He Zhizhou took the lead, and after Xu Ye stepped on the flying sword, he began to move shakily.
On one side were the extremely strange vines that could send people to heaven at any time, and on the other side were the sword-flying options that were safe and would at most cause some mental damage. He Zhizhou chose the latter without hesitation.
Although he was not skilled, he still remembered the general steps of flying a sword. At this moment, the Baihong Sword was shaking like an old man in his seventies or eighties. After shaking for a long time, it finally moved forward a little.
And then a little bit more.
It’s not easy.
He wanted the sword to fly, which was as sad as the Chinese nation standing up.
"I did it! Xu Ye, I did it!"
He Zhizhou's eyes were filled with tears: "Press the clutch to the bottom, and get ready for the accelerator! Speed up and overtake, 86 wins, 86 is the real driving god of Akina Mountain!"
Xu Ye was probably in great pain and ignored him.
He Zhizhou's small flying sword was like a broken tricycle, swaying slowly forward. After swaying for a while, he suddenly heard a laugh in his ear.
In a blink of an eye, it turned out to be a talisman cultivator walking with a whisk.
He Zhizhou saw him laughing so hard that he couldn't help but ask curiously, "Friend, what are you laughing at?"
"Hmm? You ask me?"
The man laughed so hard that his shoulders were shaking. He took a long while to speak, "There's a guy over there. He was probably flying with his friend, but he was thrown off by a grunt. He was running and shouting while chasing, but his friend didn't hear him at all. He just staggered away. That guy's expression - hahahaha, it's so amazing, so sad, I want to laugh every time!"
He Zhizhou imagined the scene at that time and laughed along: "That guy is not the funniest, his friend is the funniest! That idiot probably thought he was staying behind, and they were brothers."
He took a breath and continued, "Do you think he would be so stupid as to talk to the air, not realizing that there is no one behind him? Hahaha!"
Fu Xiu laughed so hard that he couldn't stop laughing: "How unlucky I am to run into a friend like this! That idiot must have already disappeared just now! He was even talking to the air, there must be something wrong with his brain, hahahaha!"
When you think about it this way, it’s pretty unlucky.
He Zhizhou scratched his head: "Hey, Xu Ye, I think the guy who was dumped is quite pitiful, why don't we give him a ride as well, how--" He was afraid of heights and didn't dare to look back, so he could only turn his head slightly and talk to Xu Ye behind him. However, halfway through his words, he suddenly heard the dry, somewhat frightened voice of Fu Xiu.
"Fellow Daoist, there is no one behind you. Who are you talking to?"
Thunder strikes from the sky.
He Zhizhou: “…”
Fu Xiu: “…”
The two looked at each other and understood each other at the same time without words.
The happy atmosphere in the air came to an abrupt end, and the two people on the flight fell into embarrassment at the same time.
He Zhizhou's heart skipped a beat.
He Zhizhou turned around expressionlessly.
Behind him, there was only his own white shirt rustling in the wind; there was no trace of anyone else.
Fu Xiu beside him stopped laughing, coughed lightly, looked away, and flew away quickly.
Leaving as if nothing had happened was the last kindness he gave to He Zhizhou.
It was drizzling, but He Zhizhou felt that today's rain was heavier than the day Yiping went to her father to ask for money, and more heartbreaking than the day Chu Yuxuan and Murong Yunhai broke up.
He originally thought the plot was about friends walking together for life and brothers returning home together.
What he never expected was that he would head north, leaving Xu Ye behind.
And on the distant hilltop, a lonely figure was staggering. Xu Ye's face was covered with rain and his expression could no longer be seen clearly.
There was a light in his eyes that was stranger than that of a dead fish.
A drop of transparent liquid passed through the corner of He Zhizhou's eye.
He Zhizhou: "Ye ah——!"
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