Zhuxian Prequel: Wilderness

Chapter 36

Qingyun Mountain, Tongtian Peak.

There are many majestic palaces and pavilions in the front mountain of Tongtian Peak, as well as many beautiful scenery. Among the famous six scenic spots of Qingyun, three are here, namely Hongqiao, Yunhai and Cuiping.It is also very lively on weekdays, and there are often disciples in the sect walking around to practice. In addition, the Yuqing Hall, the center of gravity of the sect, is also on the top of the front mountain, adding a bit of solemnity.

In contrast, the mountain at the back of Tongtian Peak is much quieter. Looking around, there are green pines and cypresses everywhere, towering ancient trees. Apart from the occasional crisp birdsong from the depths of the forest, there is a faint mist floating in the air. In the middle, there is almost no sound anymore.Few people come here on weekdays. A mountain road winds forward and goes straight into the depths of the forest. It doesn't know where it leads, and it looks more and more remote and mysterious.

Around noon of this day, the sun was high, after Daoxuan dealt with many matters at hand in the Yuqing Great Hall, he explained a few words to the people around him, then left quietly, and then appeared on the mountain road behind Tongtian Peak.

Walking all the way into the forest, his expression looked solemn and even a bit stern, and there was a hint of worry in his eyes.

After walking deep into the forest for a while, Daoxuan saw that the mountain road in front of him suddenly split into two roads, and a stone tablet was erected beside the road. It might be a bit hesitant to others, but he clearly knew the terrain nearby. Without even looking at the stele, he turned a corner and walked towards the road on the right.On the stone tablet standing silently behind him pointing to the direction of another mountain road, the handwriting of Huanyue Cave Mansion can be faintly seen.

This road leads to Qingyunmen's other important patriarch's ancestral hall. This hall enshrines the spirits of Qingyunmen's predecessors. It is hidden among pines and cypresses.

On the bluestone clearing in front of the main hall, many dead pine needles fell, and there was a trace of fresh forest fragrance in the air. On the few steps ahead, facing Daoxuan was the main gate of the Patriarch's Ancestral Hall.Although it was noon, the patriarch's ancestral hall was still very dark, with heavy curtains and silence, only a few candles burning silently in the darkness, emitting some light.

Daoxuan walked over, stopped at the door, glanced across the hall, but didn't see anyone for a moment.He frowned, hesitated for a moment, and then said loudly: "Master, disciple Daoxuan is here."

There was no movement in the patriarch's ancestral hall, and no one responded to him, only the faint candle flickered a few times suddenly, as if he was a little frightened, but he returned to normal soon.

Daoxuan waited for a while, and when he saw that there was no response, he called out again. After a while, Tian Chengzi's voice suddenly came from a dark place in the ancestor's ancestral hall, which seemed to be tired and indifferent. , said: "what's the matter?"

Daoxuan didn't dare to neglect, he bent down to salute, and then said respectfully: "Master, this disciple is here to invite you back to Yuqing Hall."

Tian Chengzi said: "I've been here several times in the past few days. Didn't I tell you everything clearly? After I was seriously injured, my Dao heart became disordered. The front mountain is too noisy, so I need to recuperate here."

Daoxuan's eyes became more worried, and he lowered his head and said: "Master, the rise and fall of Qingyun's sect depends on you alone, and the reputation and talents of the disciples are all insufficient. These days, acting as the head of the sect is really overwhelmed. I am afraid that I will lose the great trust of my master. The reputation of a disciple is a small matter, but if I miss the Qingyun sect, there will be no redemption. I implore the master to return to the mountain to take charge of the overall situation and make decisions for my Qingyun sect."

Tian Chengzi was silent for a moment, then slowly said: "But someone is dissatisfied with your handling of matters big and small?"

Daoxuan was stunned for a moment, then shook his head and said, "That's not true, it's just..."

Tian Chengzi interrupted him, and said: "Since that's the case, what do you have to worry about, don't say any more, I won't go back."

Daoxuan was dumbfounded, looking at the dim hall in front of him, the rows of solemn and solemn spirit cards and spirit tablets in the candlelit room behind the heavy curtains, all seemed to be like giants with incomparable majesty, looking at him coldly people.His lips trembled a few times, and a trace of deep but helpless anxiety flashed across his eyes. Just as he was about to try to say something again, he suddenly heard a burst of violent breathing from the depths of the hall. , After a while, it seemed that something suddenly fell to the ground, and there was a crisp echo.

"Ding……"

A small black thing rolled out from somewhere in the shadow, and made a big circle on the ground. After shaking a few more times, it stopped still and stopped on the ground of the Patriarch's Ancestral Hall.

Daoxuan looked over, and saw that the thing on the ground looked like a small round iron cover, it was dark, and there was nothing strange about it, it was also dim when it stopped there.

At this moment, Tian Chengzi's voice suddenly came over again, and his tone became a little indifferent, saying, "What are you still doing over there?"

Daoxuan's complexion changed slightly, after he gritted his teeth, he didn't dare to say anything more, bowed his head and retreated.When he walked down the stone steps and looked back, he couldn't help but look back, and saw that the solemn and heavy hall seemed to have fallen into silence again, and he didn't see the figure of his mentor from the beginning to the end. At this moment, it seemed to be hidden in the darkness, and it became more and more blurred.

※※※

Wan Jianyi and the other five walked in the desert for a few more days, only to feel that the climate ahead was getting drier, and the loess Gobi on the ground gradually began to transform into a complete desert. It seemed that they were approaching the entrance of the wild.The Northwest Wilderness is a famous dangerous and fierce place in the world. According to legend, it is also the place where the Demon Cult originated. Since ancient times, it is said that there are countless dangers lying in the wilderness, and outsiders can hardly penetrate into it.

On this day, Wan Jianyi and the others suddenly noticed a large group of figures in front of them, all of whom seemed to be members of the Demon Cult.

All five of them were taken aback, because the remnants of the Devil's Cult they saw along the way were obviously scattered, and most of them were running around in small groups, and it was rare to see such a large gathering.And looking at the location, it seems to be at the edge of the entrance to the wild desert, which seems to add a bit of subtlety.

In this marginal area, there are almost no mountains, let alone forests and grass, but sand dunes piled up with fine sand have begun to appear.Wan Jian and the others found a sand dune and looked there from afar.

After watching for a while, Wan Jian said, "Looking at the situation over there, it looks a bit like the people of the Ghost King Sect in the Devil's Cult."

Cangsong, who was lying next to him, watched for a while, and faintly heard some crying sounds coming from the ghost king's clan, so he said softly to Wan Jian: "Senior Brother Wan, have you noticed that the people inside seem to be It's a mess, like something happened?"

"En." Wan Jianyi nodded slightly, but after pondering for a moment, he said decisively: "Forget it, let's not meddle in our own business, the business is important, let's go."

The rest of the people had no objection, so the five of them went down the sand dune quietly, made a big bend to avoid the chaotic Ghost King Sect team, and continued to move forward.Not long after, I felt that the temperature outside my body suddenly started to rise, the scorching sun was in the sky, and the yellow sand was long, and I was already in the wild desert.

The boundless desert looks as if it stretches to the horizon. There are countless large and small sand dunes scattered in the desert.

At the same time, when the five members of the Qingyun Sect took a brave step and entered the mysterious and unpredictable wilderness, among the Ghost King Sect members on the border of the wilderness, there was a gloomy cloud. Kneeling down in front of a tent in the middle, wearing sackcloth and filial piety, weeping loudly.

Last night at [-] o'clock, the ghost king, who was highly respected and famous in the holy religion, was seriously injured and died suddenly and forever.

The ghost king sect immediately stopped walking as if mourning for his concubine. The ghost king who was originally acting as the suzerain had tens of thousands of disciples. He was so grateful for the teacher's kindness that he couldn't live without crying.

The ghost king's sect was in chaos, and everyone was in danger, which soon alarmed the nearby holy sects, and some people with status came to mourn.

The four great envoys of the Demon Cult soon arrived at the ghost king's camp. Qinglong first went to burn incense in front of the spiritual throne, then came over and lifted the white cloth covering the ghost king's face, took a last look at the ghost king's remains, and then sighed deeply. Xiao Suo said: "The hero is gone, the holy religion is in decline."

After saying that, he turned his head and glanced to the side, only to see Xiaowan kneeling in front of the coffin in a sackcloth. He hadn't seen him for a few days, and he looked as if he had lost weight, with sunken eye sockets , the energy and spirit seemed to be exhausted in an instant.Qinglong shook his head and walked towards him.

Behind Qinglong, the other three envoys also came forward to offer incense and salute, but compared to Qinglong, except for Suzaku, who was dressed in black and masked with a black scarf, whose expression could not be seen clearly, Baihu and Xuanwu seemed to have different expressions on their faces. It's a bit subtle, of course, it's impossible to be happy, but it doesn't seem to see much sadness.After looking at the ghost king's remains, the two exchanged a glance, and walked slowly to a secluded place, and after a while, Suzaku also came over.

Seeing that there was no one around for the time being, Xuanwu suddenly said softly in a voice that only Baihu and Suzaku could hear: "I did some unseen things in my early years, you all know about these things, right?"

Bai Hu glanced at him and said, "Yes, what's the matter?"

Xuanwu smiled, his expression didn't change much, but his voice softened a bit, and he said, "Someone has dealt with that face of the Ghost King Sect Master."

Baihu and Suzaku turned their heads to look at him at the same time, Xuanwu shrugged but said nothing.

After a while, Baihu frowned and said, "What do you mean?"

Xuanwu said indifferently: "I guess our senior suzerain, I'm afraid it didn't just pass away at the second watch last night."

(End of this chapter)