Please call me Huanxian

Chapter 238 No One Can Stay Away
Zeng Shanlang wore a straw hat, walked on the sand, and breathed slowly like fire.

He really liked the desert environment which was so hot that it made his skin tight, accelerated the flow of his blood, and filled his body with strength.

Following Taoist Master Xu to the top of a sand dune, Zeng Shanlang was surprised to see a majestic city towering into the sky in the distance. Various strange and ferocious beasts and blurry black shadows were fighting with monks and Dharmadhatu who were wearing ancient battle robes and divine armor, but no sound was heard.

The extremely gorgeous magic light exploded in the air, the light waves were dazzling, and limbs and bodies were broken, and blood and flesh rained down.

The sword light spanned hundreds of miles, and wherever it passed, the space was slightly distorted and ripples appeared.

There were black-armored warriors as big as mountains, fighting with giant beasts with fists in left hand and broadswords in right hand. They were as fierce as tigers, chasing for hundreds of miles. One punch could cause mountains to collapse and the earth to crack, and the heaven and earth would shake.

Zeng Shanlang was stunned on the spot, it was so shocking.

Xu Yuanchang narrowed his eyes slightly, observing the rare mirage spectacle. He recognized the battlefield where the afterimage reappeared.

"The Battle of Stone Castle! Shocking the world and making the gods weep!"

The rabbit, who had been in seclusion and sleeping for more than a month and ignored Xu Xiaozi, suddenly came out from its crystal nest.

"Did you see the afterimage of the Battle of Stone Castle? Tell me who participated in the battle and why did you see the black shadows of monsters that looked like humans but were not?"

Xu Yuanchang heard a hint of urgency in the rabbit's words, and transmitted his voice: "The image of the mirage in the desert in front of us shows a solitary mountain in the distance. In the air, there are monks and Dharma images wearing ancient battle robes and armor, fighting with ferocious beasts and vague black shadows. The power of their magic and swordsmanship is extraordinary.

"Those black shadows can flash and fly in the air. The spells they cast are very strange, and seem to be curses on the soul. The monks who are hit will go crazy and fight and kill indiscriminately without distinguishing between friend and foe. There are physical warriors wearing black armor who can fight hand-to-hand with giant beasts with thick skin and flesh."

The battlefield scenes he saw were consistent with the few descriptions recorded in ancient books.

Rabbit's voice was a little low: "It is the reappearance of the 'Stone Castle Decisive Battle' twelve thousand years ago. The Shinto monks acted as the main force to resist the invasion of the black spirits from the 'Dark World'.

"Back then, the entire Thousand Square World was almost destroyed. The gods, immortals, and demons joined forces to fight back, paying a terrible price to drive the black spirit back to the dark world. After the war, only 20% to 30% of the creatures in the Thousand Square World remained. The prosperity of the world was burned to ashes, and countless powerful races disappeared in the catastrophe that lasted for a hundred years."

He didn't want to talk about some of the dirty intrigues between races.

Otherwise, the war situation would not have deteriorated to the point of being out of control.

Xu Yuanchang was in awe after hearing this. There were not many records about the decisive battle of Shibao City in the classics because it happened too long ago.

Or maybe his identity is not high enough to access the ancient secrets.

"Fellow Daoist Li, did you participate in the decisive battle of Stone Castle?"

"You think too highly of me. I was not even born then, and our Fantasy Beast Clan was not left out. We were almost wiped out in that catastrophe. No, many branches of our clan were already wiped out. We knew we would die, but we had no choice but to face death."

A strange laugh came from the rabbit's mouth, which sounded like crying but not crying, as if it was mourning the deaths of the ethnic group that year.

After a long while, the rabbit calmed down and continued:
"Three thousand years later, that is, nine thousand years ago, a powerful Shinto figured out at the cost of his life that the gate to the dark world would open again. Masters from all walks of life made arrangements in advance, opened up supply resources, and cultivated the talents needed. When the gate to the dark world opened, they took the initiative to launch a cross-border war.

“I was fortunate enough to participate in the expedition into the Dark Realm along with my father and grandfather. It was during the second cross-border expedition that Taoist Master Yanshan emerged and grew rapidly.

"It was a narrow escape from death. Groups of cultivators and demon cultivators from the Thousand Square Realms rushed into the Dark Realm one after another, vowing to kill all the black spirits and monsters. After the hundred-year war, those who came back alive became masters. Sigh, it was tragic! It was tragic!"

He used the word "very miserable" twice in a row, and the few members of the Fantasy Beast Clan that had recovered were almost wiped out.

Unable to bear the past, he later chose to be free and wander around the world.

Xu Yuanchang listened and thought for a while, then asked, "Have the dark spirits and monsters in the dark world been completely eliminated?"

"It's impossible to wipe it out completely. Later we found out that the Dark Realm is a huge springboard connecting the lower world and the Black Spirit Realm. It appears about once every three thousand years and disappears about a hundred years. We broke into the Black Spirit Realm, but the environment inside was too harsh and not suitable for us to fight. Various problems arose and we suffered heavy losses. We had to withdraw and chose to block several passages between the Dark Realm and the Black Spirit Realm."

Rabbit calmed down and laughed, "According to the time, it's almost time for the Dark Realm Gate to open. You are lucky to be able to catch up. Cherish the peaceful time now."

Xu Yuanchang muttered in his heart, "It happens once every three thousand years." It's really unfortunate that such a bad thing can happen. He said, "Don't forget that you are still in the ring space. My risk is equal to your risk, so don't gloat too early."

"Haha, that's different. Don't worry about me. Just take care of yourself..."

The rabbit suddenly thought of something bad, and the shouting stopped abruptly. He turned around and thought, and suddenly jumped up and cursed as if his tail was burned: "Yanshan old bastard, you are plotting against me again, I will not participate this time even if you kill me, I will definitely not participate! You black-hearted bastards have suppressed me for eight thousand years, and you still want me to help, I spit in your face, you are just thinking about beautiful things, I will not go, I will not go even if you kill me, it is none of my business!"

He suddenly remembered that the laws of the dark world were different from those of the lower world, and people below the level of immortals would not encounter heavenly calamities.

The seal that suppressed him just happened to decay at this juncture, and he happened to be taken in by the designated disciple of Yanshan Lao Zamao with the Fantasy Fairy Ring, thus protecting him from the heavenly calamity in the lower world. Those old guys had planned everything as they wished, and actually wanted him to show up in the dark world and fight the black spirit to the death.

He was almost mad. Why should he contribute?
Even if you give him ten thousand reasons, he doesn't care about life or death in the lower world.

When he was suppressed in such a miserable state with his body and soul separated, who said a fair and heartwarming word on his behalf?

They all watched the show and applauded, saying that there would be one less trouble in the world from now on.

Xu Yuanchang was confused. What was the rabbit doing crazy?

However, he felt inexplicably happy about all the things that could upset the rabbit, and he couldn't stand seeing the rabbit showing off.

Could it be that Taoist Master Yanshan and the others had calculated what would happen eight thousand years later and wanted Rabbit to not be left out of it?

If war breaks out, he wouldn't dare let the rabbits out to serve.

As the rabbit suppresses his immense hatred for the world, he will be the first to suffer.

"By the way, the three-legged turtle Yuan Zhu is also wandering around the underworld. Now that the gate to the dark world is open, he can't just ignore it, right?"

"Bah, you are just as idealistic as those old bastards. Yuan Zhu is only focused on breaking through and ascending to the immortal world, so why should he care about the lives of ants in the lower world? He can just pat his butt and fly to the upper world, out of sight, out of mind, or watch the lower world in chaos, and you won't be able to find him."

The rabbit was very angry and had no place to vent.

The way he jumped up and down had nothing to do with elegance. He looked like a rogue rabbit who wanted to fight someone but couldn't find his target.

After cursing for a long time, he went into the crystal nest and fell asleep.

He just let Xu Yuanchang shout and ignored him.

He was very hurt and just wanted to sleep until the end of time and lick his wounds alone until the end.

"You are so hypocritical. You want me to let you out? No way. Brother Li, your clumsy tricks are useless to me."

Xu Yuanchang sneered, and when he saw that the rabbit didn't react, he ignored it.

He continued to observe the afterimages and mirages that were who knows how far away in the sky. The secret methods of the Shinto and immortal powers were too profound for him. He could neither understand them nor learn them.

Look at Zeng Shanlang who is fascinated by the show. Can the little guy understand the martial arts of the black-armored warrior?
After about half an hour, the afterimage slowly disappeared in the air.

The setting sun dyed the desert red like blood. Zeng Shanlang woke up with a feeling of unsatisfied desire. Seeing the Taoist looking at him, he scratched the back of his head and said, "That senior who cultivated the black armor body was so imposing and courageous that I was immersed in it as I watched. I didn't see what it was all about, but I felt my blood boiling, as if my chest was filled with endless fighting spirit."

Xu Yuanchang smiled and agreed. Being able to feel the endless fighting spirit was already a great gain.

Pointing to the sand dune valley in the leeward direction, he said, "There is no rush to leave today. Set up camp and rest. Spend more time figuring it out. You don't have to imitate Senior Black Armor deliberately. You should be good at applying it to your own benefit."

As a person with experience, he offered guidance based on his experience, but did not provide any specific suggestions.

They had only walked about a hundred and fifty miles into the desert.

After settling down and pitching the tent, Xu Yuanchang filled the bamboo box with half a pot of water. Before setting out into the desert, he and Zeng Shanlang made sufficient preparations and carried plenty of water and food.

Then he taught Zeng Shanlang to collect water in the desert using the condensation method.

Several deep pits were dug diagonally into the sand dunes, covered with thin tarpaulin, and diversion grooves were built with thin wooden sticks, with leather bags connected underneath.

"Can this create clean water?"

Liu Xianfeng turned into a small one and sat on his shoulder. The setting sun shone on his little face, which looked like a bright red apple. He was very curious and said, "Why don't you use the 'water condensation method'? No matter how dry the desert is, you can condense some water. Why bother with this?"

Xu Yuanchang laughed and said, "The mountain man has a clever plan. Tomorrow morning you will drink different water. Tonight you are not allowed to secretly lift the oilcloth, otherwise the plan will not work."

"Oh, then I'd like to taste the water you made to see if it's any different."

As dusk falls, the desert looks even more desolate and lonely.

……

Xiyuan, the main peak of Wangjian Mountain.

The old swordsman with white hair and a back as straight as a sword listened to his subordinate's report, looked at the image in the image stone, and waved his hand to let him go.

"The afterimage of the 'Stone Castle Battle' appeared in the desert. What was supposed to come finally came. If it was a hundred years later, I might not have seen the Dark Realm gate open. At this old age, I just happened to encounter the foreign black spirit and seek a breakthrough. It's a pity that we in Dingzhou don't have enough talents. No one has achieved the sixth level in all these years. I don't know how many lives will be lost in this battle?"

The old sword master walked around and thought for a moment, then sent a message to summon Yu Fengwu, the person he valued the most.

"Mr. Yan, I was just about to talk to you about something. In two months, I want to cross the deep ocean and travel to Juzhou, Hezhou, and Laizhou for twenty years. I want to meet the sword masters in the world and exchange sword skills from different schools."

Yu Fengwu bowed and smiled gently.

She had been traveling in Dingzhou for six years, and had lived in Wangjian Mountain for only a year. However, her cultivation had advanced by leaps and bounds, and she had already advanced to the middle stage of the fourth floor. Her sword skills had become more and more pure. The path of sword cultivation had never been one of stagnation and isolation, but rather fighting power gained through enlightenment through combat.

The wrinkles on the old swordsman's face relaxed, and he smiled and shook his head: "I would have allowed you to travel earlier, but not now. You have more important things to do."

A fighting spirit emerged in the depths of Yu Fengwu's eyes, waiting for the old sword master to reveal the answer.

"Have you ever heard of the 'Dark World'?"

"No, there seems to be no record of the Dark World in the classics."

"Some secrets cannot be accessed without the fifth level of cultivation. The Dark World is one of them. Your ancestor knows the secrets, but he dared not reveal them to his descendants before the time was right, so as not to disturb people's hearts."

The old swordsman stood on the steep cliff pavilion with his hands behind his back, looking at the endless dusk scenery of the mountains in the south, and said: "The Dark Star Gate opens once every three thousand years, and the people of the world will face a catastrophe. It is also a good opportunity for us cultivators to make achievements and seek a breakthrough, provided that we survive until we leave the battlefield."

The significance of the existence of Xiyuan Holy Land is not only to suppress and balance the forces of various dynasties.

It is more to cope with the need of catastrophe.

Since the old Sword Saint took over Wangjian Mountain, he has sent his men deep into the ruins of the Stone Fort City in the desert for three hundred years. Once the afterimage of the "Battle of Stone Fort City" appears, they will immediately take a picture and report it.

Other ancestral holy sites have similar arrangements.

In the past, the seniors suffered a great loss. A powerful sorcerer used the remains of an eighth-level mirage monster and made an arrangement under the ruins of Stone Fort City. He could use the reappearance of the mirage to give warnings about ten years in advance in order to gain the initiative.

The Dark Star Gate, which opens once every three thousand years, is often late or one or two hundred years early, but it is never absent.

As the resources of the lower realm were increasingly consumed and were insufficient to supply masters above level six, five thousand years ago, masters of the Shinto and Immortal ways went to the upper realm one after another. The passages between the upper and lower realms were cut off, leaving the way for sixth-level cultivators to survive minor tribulations and ascend to the upper realm, or to find weak spatial nodes to sneak to the upper realm.

The passage to the dark world also changed accordingly, and three thousand years ago, it restricted entry to masters above level six.

However, there are always more solutions than problems. Several masters who were staying in the dark world to sleep and recuperate entered the dark world through other means and turned the crucial battle situation around.

After listening to the old swordsman's detailed account of the secret, Yu Fengwu thought for a moment and asked, "Master Yan, are there any masters above the sixth floor in our lower world?"

"No, the spiritual energy in the lower realm has become thinner. If they can stay for another two thousand years, they will already be at great risk of regressing in their cultivation. After the last war, the few masters who survived all survived the minor heavenly tribulation and went to the upper realm."

After saying so much, the old swordsman said, "We can only rely on ourselves. No one can stay out of it. Tomorrow you and the other peak masters will go to the ruins of Stone Castle. There will be several opportunities to observe the afterimage mirages of the past. You should learn about the black spirits and monsters you will face in advance."

"Yes!"

"Take this sword master card. Ten days later, you will be in charge of the affairs of Wangjian Mountain."

The old swordsman took out a dark red plate in the shape of an ancient sword, handed it to Yu Fengwu, and reminded him: "There are still a few years to hone your skills. When the time comes, you will lead the second batch of Dingzhou's three-story sword cultivators into the dark world. Life and death are determined by fate, so try to survive well."

He was going to lead the first group of fourth-level sword cultivators into the dark world.

Together with other monks, he carved out a foothold in the dark world with blood and sword.

Yu Fengwu took the sword card with both hands and asked, "Master Yan, when I take my men to the Dark Realm, who will take over Forgotten Sword Mountain?"

"You choose the person who will carry on the torch."

"Yes, Feng Wu will take her leave."

Yu Fengwu felt that the burden on her shoulders was heavy.

The setting sun gradually dimmed, and the old figure turned into a sword light and went towards Wuyan Mountain.

No matter how decadent Wuyan Mountain is, it is still the ancestral home of sorcerers.

Some plans must be led by Wu Yanshan.

……

(Volume 2, Qian Qiuxue is finished)

(End of this chapter)