The sun rises in the east, and the morning light gradually tears through the night sky, winding down through the layers of branches and leaves, illuminating the faces of everyone in the woods.
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 on his face. He frowned and said, "Senior Brother He, Senior Brother Xu, what are you doing?"
When Xu Ye saw them, he sobbed and thrashed 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. If learning swordsmanship can't save his sister and her people, the kid should give up swordsmanship and take up literature, writing 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 I knew that Zhou was like you. Everything was no longer the same as it used to be.
It was still dark when he saw the clay figure, and the lake surface was covered with mist, so everything within his field of vision was not clear.
Now that the thick fog in the forest has dissipated and the sunlight is shining lightly, Xu Ye can finally see the true appearance of the black mud in front of him.
"He... He Zhizhou?"
Xu Ye was frightened by him. Even though he barely guessed He Zhizhou's identity, he still had some fear in his heart. He held his breath and endured the stench in the air: "You killed someone in the cesspool?"
That doesn't have to be the case.
Ningning stepped forward and explained softly, "There is something fishy going on in the secret realm. Under the lake is blood and a monster called the Mirror Ghost. The Mirror Ghost lurks in the lake, waiting for an opportunity to drag passersby underwater. He Zhizhou must have been attacked by it."
Xu Ye was speechless after hearing this, thinking of He Zhizhou crawling behind him with his hands and feet, shouting "Help"...
He also kicked him in the head several times, like kicking a ball.
"I'm sorry, I'm sorry! I really can't help myself."
Xu Ye was a pure-hearted person who had never done such a thing. He immediately turned into an apology repeater and took out a few valuable pills from his storage bag: "These are pills for healing. Take them first!"
Although they screamed miserably and howled like ghosts, fortunately nothing serious happened. Ning Ning breathed a sigh of relief and asked slowly, "Are you injured anywhere?"
Xu Ye shook his head somewhat embarrassedly. He Zhizhou felt very aggrieved. His mouth was 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."
The sight of him covered in blood and mud was really unsightly. Ning Ning silently recited the Dust Removal Technique 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 all over her body when she suddenly heard the fox girl beside her say in a deep voice: "There is still a piece of pure land here 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 now, this unknown fox had behaved extremely attentive and seemed to be interested in getting to know them.
Ningning didn't understand her intention and didn't know if it was a trick. She raised her eyes to take a quick look at the little fox demon, but the moment she raised her head, her eyes met with hers.
"The reason I'm helping you is because 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 smiled slightly: "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."
"What do you want?"
Ning Ning quickly responded: "But 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. At the end, she frowned slightly and said slowly, "What you all don't know is that the mirror ghosts that do evil in the lake are actually transformed by the demons."
Demon clan.
This word has disappeared from the world of cultivation for many years, and Ningning'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 tried to steal the sacred objects of our Spirit Fox clan. Our clan naturally refused to obey and started a war with them, but the difference in strength was too great and there were heavy casualties."
When he said this, Qiao Yan's eyes became more serious, and he unconsciously tightened the longbow in his hand: "My father, as the head of the clan, used all his strength to set up the formation, and then used the vitality of all the spirit foxes in the clan as a guide, so that he could severely injure the monsters and trap them in the lake."
Ning Ning hesitated and said, "Then your people are now..."
"Most of them died at the hands of monsters. The few who survived were all seriously injured and had no spiritual power left. 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 perish together with the demons. When I woke up, the secret realm was already like this now."
The secret realm is blocked most of the time, making it inconvenient for outsiders to enter and the spirit beasts and monsters inside also find it difficult to escape.
During the battle with the demons, the fox spirits could not ask for help from the outside world and could only rely on the strength of their own clansmen to hold on. Today, the water mirror illusion is peaceful and full of vitality. Apart from the terrifying mirror ghosts and blood mud in the lake, there is no trace of the bloody river during the war.
Xu Ye finally calmed down and asked her curiously, "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 will probably break out of the formation again."
The little fox demon is a young girl after all. When she talked about this, her tone was obviously a little more anxious: "With the current strength of me and my tribe, it is difficult to compete with them. Only by getting the Sunburnt Bow, a sacred object that has been passed down in my tribe for many years, can I kill them all."
"Sunburnt 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 reads a lot of miscellaneous books, and he didn't know where he had seen this bow and arrow. "I heard that the Sun-Scorching Bow was left by a great ancient being, and it has slaughtered countless evil demons and monsters. It is said that it has the ability to swallow the sky and shoot down the sun. With a whizz of the arrow, the sun can be shot out."
“It’s not that exaggerated.”
The little fox was slightly stunned by what he said, and its ears twitched suddenly: "If I can really get the Burning Sun Bow, I might be able to fight the monster. But the bow has been stored in the Immortal 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 by the Fire Phoenix on the West Mountain and hidden in the cave to absorb spiritual energy. My cultivation is not enough to defeat it. If you are unwilling to help, then the Mirror Ghost will break out of the formation and this secret realm will be completely destroyed!"
Xu Ye couldn't hide what was in his mind: "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 slapped his head fiercely: "You are still thinking about the trial at this time! Those elders are watching the fun 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 entire year's pocket money and make a promise: if they could solve this kind of adventure, not only would the whole team be blessed, but they would also be highly praised by the elders and might even be allowed to enter the second round directly.
What's more, Pei Ji has the aura of a protagonist. Everything is nothing under that aura. It's definitely right to follow him.
"Of course I won't let you help me for nothing."
Seeing He Zhizhou's reaction, Qiao Yan secretly breathed a sigh of relief: "The Spirit Fox Clan is the master of the secret realm. Once I obtain the Burning Sun Bow, I will definitely offer the treasures of heaven and earth as a thank you."
Xu Ye was completely speechless now.
"Well," the fox girl sighed and smiled. Her ears, which had been pricked up due to nervousness, finally dropped a little. Her tone was no longer as tense and mature 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.
From the moment she appeared without warning, Ningning had been somewhat suspicious and wary of this little fox.
But now, seeing that she was familiar with the route, and knew the surrounding scenery like the back of her hand, and finally even led everyone to a safe water source, he knew that she was indeed a fox native to the secret realm.
It’s just that the matter of the Burning Sun Bow and the demons… I don’t know if there is any fishy thing going on.
It seems that she was really troubled by the illusions of Jialan City and Goose City. Now whenever she encounters something, she becomes suspicious and starts to have wild thoughts.
But if he rejected her mercilessly, he was afraid that what Qiao Yan said would be true. In the end, the secret realm would be blocked, the demons would be rampant, and none of the fox spirits in the secret realm would survive.
The "water source" that Qiao Yan mentioned is located under a waterfall. Huge waves of water rush down from the top of the waterfall and converge into a huge oval lake.
The lake was filled with the sound of water, and silvery waves were beating on the surface of the lake. The water was misty, and the silver light was like thousands of piles of snow, like a piece of silver brocade hanging down from the sky, with jade beads splashing.
He Zhizhou was tortured to death by the mud on his body, but he was still afraid of the water in the secret realm. It was not until Qiao Yan reached into the water and saw that nothing had happened that he dared to walk into the lake despite the tremendous psychological pressure.
With him was Xu Ye, who was covered in mud by He Zhizhou.
Ningning and Pei Ji were not interested in watching them taking a bath together, so they turned around and looked away tacitly.
This waterfall is located deep in the jungle on the mountainside. Looking around, there are actually several rows of wooden houses standing around it. A little boy with fox ears also met their eyes. His big furry tail wagging behind him kept wagging, and he ran into one of the cabins with a red face.
“That’s my neighbor’s kid.”
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 are able to move freely in the tribe."
Ning Ning recalled what she said before and subconsciously asked, "The other foxes who set up the formation... haven't recovered after so long?"
"Not only is the spiritual energy consumed when setting up the formation, but there are also serious injuries from the demons."
Qiao Yan replied sadly: "My sea of consciousness, dantian and meridians are all severely damaged. I can only rely on the spiritual medicine I collect every day to barely recover a little."
The sea of consciousness is damaged.
The symptoms are exactly the same as Wen Hemian’s.
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 medicinal herbs that can cure it, but—"
Qiao Yan was slightly stunned before she finished speaking, then frowned and whispered, "Mom, why did you come out?"
Ningning looked up and saw a shadow sitting in a wheelchair in front of one of the houses.
She was a very beautiful woman, with skin as white as cream and long flowing hair. Even just leaning motionlessly against the back of a chair, she exuded a natural and gentle temperament.
Unfortunately, she was too weak, perhaps due to overdrawn spiritual power and excessive fatigue, her long hair was stained with a grayish-white color like snow, and her pupils were cloudy and lifeless, like a beautiful jade covered with dust.
"My mother is worried about my safety and has never allowed me to go look for the Burning Sun Bow."
Qiao Yan lowered her voice, as if whispering, "Don't let anything slip."
Ningning nodded obediently.
"I heard there's a new guest."
The woman coughed lightly and was carefully pushed forward by the boy behind her. The closer she got, the more clearly Ningning could see her emaciated body caused by illness.
Her temperament was much gentler than her daughter's. When she spoke softly, every word was accompanied by a gentle smile: "I am Xiaoyan's mother. You two young Taoist priests can just call me Qin Niang."
After the woman finished speaking, she looked up at Qiao Yan and coughed again: "Xiao Yan, go make a cup of tea for the guests."
Qiao Yan was always obedient to her mother. Although she was worried that her plan would be exposed, she still responded with a low "OK". Before leaving, she hurriedly glanced at Ningning, and the hint in her eyes was obvious.
Ning Ning never betrayed her teammates easily, and she had intended to keep it a secret, but she immediately heard Qin Niang's voice: "That girl must have begged you to get the Sunburnt Bow for her, right?"
Ningning was speechless for a moment, and glanced at Pei Ji beside her with a guilty look.
"I'm her mother, how could I not understand Xiaoyan's thoughts?"
Seeing this, Lady Qin covered her lips and chuckled, "You two little Taoist friends, there is no need to hide it. Not to mention that in order to get the Burning Sun Bow, you need to defeat the giant Fire Phoenix. Even if you can really get the bow, what does it matter? With that child's strength, how can he repel the hundreds of demons in the Golden Core Yuanying in the formation?"
She stopped laughing and spoke in a much weaker voice, "I and other people of the tribe were seriously injured. Let alone leaving this secret place, even walking is not an easy task. Xiaoyan had the opportunity to leave this place, but she stayed here for us. I wonder when the trial of the young Taoist priests 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 my little Taoist friend will not do anything stupid 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 is opened, I will persuade her to leave this place."
Ning Ning was slightly stunned: "Then you guys——"
"We are the dying demons."
Qin Niang raised her cloudy eyes, 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?"
"Exactly."
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 hold up is because of the remaining spiritual power of me and other clansmen. Recently, the spiritual power has become weaker and weaker, and it is difficult to control it... I think ten days is the limit. Even if I don't die of spiritual power exhaustion by then, this old illness of my body will kill me."
It was precisely because they were risking their lives every day to support the formation that even though Qiao Yan traveled all over the secret realm to find rare medicinal herbs, the situation of the tribe members could not be improved at all.
She would never have imagined that while she was doing her best for her fellow tribesmen, they were also sacrificing their lives in obscurity, mobilizing the entire tribe’s strength just to keep her alive.
Ten days later, the secret realm is closed, the formation is broken, and the fox clan trapped in the secret realm is destined to be devoured by the 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's worth it that we have been struggling for so many years with our imperfect bodies... The world outside is full of wonders, and the child will definitely like it."
As soon as she finished speaking, the sound of a girl's undisguised footsteps could be heard behind her.
The haggard woman placed her index finger on her lips and gestured to them to keep quiet with a smile: "This is our secret, please don't tell her... At least let me and the child live well for the last three days."
=====
Ningning felt very heavy.
It is not a pleasant feeling to accidentally know other people's secrets, especially those about life and death.
Qiao Yan knew nothing about anything. After He Zhizhou and Xu Ye had finished cleaning up, she confidently led the four of them towards the West Mountain.
Ning Ning was thinking wildly on the way, and felt that this matter was not without hope -
For example, although the elders cannot enter the secret realm after it is sealed, there are still many disciples from the immortal sects in the secret realm. If everyone works together to resist the monsters, the outcome will definitely not be too bad.
But that would be a gamble with the lives of others. Qin Niang said that the demons are all golden elixir and primordial infants, and there will definitely be sacrifices in the war. Using the lives of several disciples to exchange for the dying lives of the spirit foxes...
Ningning couldn't figure out the classic trolley problem.
He Zhizhou and Xu Ye had nothing to worry about and were laughing and talking all the way.
Qiao Yan looks mature and taciturn, but she is actually a simple little girl who doesn't know how to talk much because she seldom interacts with outsiders. Listening to the two of them telling 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 precious elixir, and his flesh wounds were mostly healed. He was talking about his history of poverty in a boastful manner: "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 of the carriage not apologize, he also laughed arrogantly. How could I tolerate this! I made up my mind at that time 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!"
"Do you have any future?"
Xu Ye glared at him and said, "I didn't agree to this job just for the sake of the baby."
He Zhizhou sneered, "No way, no way? Could it be that someone really took such a big risk just to please Senior Sister?"
Xu Ye was struck to the heart by his words, and his ears turned red in a shameless way.
"He's 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 Ye was actually unhappy: "What are you talking about!"
Unbelievable, incredible.
He Zhizhou clicked his tongue and shook his head. It was really 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 belong to Senior Sister!"
Ningning on the side couldn't help it, pursed her lips and began to laugh secretly.
In the era when she and He Zhizhou lived, this kind of behavior was often called "dog licking", but according to Xu Ye's level, it is no longer as simple as just being a dog licking.
This must be the ultimate evolution of a licker, the king of lickers standing at the top of the licking world——
Licking wolf.
It is impossible to fly with a sword in this secret realm. Led by Qiao Yan, a group of people chattered as they passed through the jungle and slowly moved forward along the forest path. After walking for more than half an hour, they suddenly noticed a sudden rise in the temperature around them.
All the birds hid their tracks, and the trees around them gradually faded away. When you go further forward, you can only see the remains of old trees that are as dry as bones, which look like poor people with only a few hairs left on their bald heads. The broken branches and sparks are flying together, and the red mud and the sky are the same color.
"This is where the Fire Phoenix lives."
Qiao Yan said: "Everyone, we have arrived at Xishan."
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