The winding Red River surrounds the Southern Wilderness, turning it into a dead sea that is inaccessible to outsiders.
The rows of cities and towns are like boats anchored outside the Dead Sea.
Ning Changchun and Lu Jiaojian traveled through wind and snow, riding the sword across tens of thousands of mountains and rivers. Every time they rode the sword for a few days, after a tiring journey, they would find a small town inn to rest for the night.
This world is too vast. Countless peaks, high gorges and deep valleys are natural barriers that surround ordinary people throughout their lives between several city-states. At the same time, those in the Purple Garden realm are also difficult to cross with a sword. In the mountains and rivers, I don’t know how many relics remain, and how many ferocious gods are dormant that have never been recorded in history.
And those towns and villages are scattered among them, like pearls held in huge hands.
"I've been thinking about a question these days." Lu Marry slowly walked on the deserted dirt road, looking at the fresh snow on the wall, and said leisurely.
"What?" Ning looked at her profile for a long time.
Lu Marian said softly: "I'm thinking, if it weren't for you, would I be able to get out of the imperial city alive?"
Ning Jiujiu said: "There is no point in thinking about this."
Lu Marian said: "I just feel terrible."
This is something that becomes more and more terrifying the more I think about it. If I really die in another life, is the previous life a fake, or is this life a fake
Ning Jiujiu reached out and pinched her cheek and said, "What are you afraid of? Am I not really dead?"
"Huh?" Lu Marion reacted after a brief moment of confusion.
Yes, it was unknown whether he would survive, but Ning Jiujiu was actually killed by his master.
Lu Marion felt a little relieved, maybe this was the reason why they were so close to each other.
She bent her eyes and smiled: "Don't worry, you have met a good master in this life, and he will not stab you."
Ning Jiujiu also smiled and said: "If you dare to stab me, then I will definitely catch you when I reincarnate and stab you every day."
Lu Marian's eyes narrowed slightly and she disdained to pay attention to him. She just asked coldly: "By the way, how beautiful was your master in the previous life?"
Ning Jiujiu said sincerely: "I can't remember, but my appearance and temperament should be quite similar to Marry."
"It's very similar?" Lu Marian asked curiously: "Could it be that I am the reincarnation of your master?"
Ning Changjiu thought deeply and said: "No wonder I spend every night avenging the sword in my previous life."
After saying this, Ning Jiujiu felt the killing intent suddenly rising around him.
Everyone in the small town heard a thunderous sound like a thunderbolt from the blue sky.
They pushed open the door and looked up to the sky.
The wind and snow above the head were swept away. Above, there seemed to be a white dragon passing by. Two rainbow shadows chased each other one after another and ran into the distance.
…
The weather is getting colder and the winter snow is getting heavier.
More than a month later, they finally arrived at the end of Nanzhou.
The villages are isolated and the city-states are disconnected. Although they are both in Nanzhou, the geography and customs are completely different from those of Zhao State.
A few days ago, they passed by a village and even saw an activity where five or six-year-old girls were used to worship the river god.
In the middle of winter, they just wrapped a little girl in a coat and pushed her into the cut ice.
Ning Jiujiu stopped them and asked them why they did this. They said that if there were no sacrifices, the river god would be angry and kill the entire village.
Ning Jiujiu and Lu Jianjiu couldn't bear it anymore, so they entered the water together. They spent three days and nights and killed more than thirty river monsters before finally giving up.
But they also know that such things cannot really be eradicated.
The closer one gets to the Sea of Destiny, the more frequent living sacrifices are made to the river god.
Perhaps that sea is really blessed by some kind of luck, which makes the water monsters that are thousands of miles away particularly rampant.
After arriving at the end of Nanzhou, Ning Changjiu did not immediately go to the "sea of no luck" that separated China from Nanzhou. Instead, he turned east and went to another place.
That was the valley he climbed out of after the Broken Boundary City.
Ning Jiujiu followed his memory and found that place in the wind and snow.
He stood on the cliff and looked into the distance.
"That's where I entered the Purple Garden." Ning Jiujiu said.
It was also there that he was stabbed by the little girl during the Inner Demon Tribulation and almost died.
Fortunately, Siming took action.
Lu Marry asked: "Have you traveled the entire distance of Southern Wilderness in Duanjie City?"
Ning Jiujiu nodded and said: "The broken mark of time over there should be buried under the entire Southern Wilderness, and above it is a broken divine kingdom. Of course, we can't see these on the surface."
Lu Marry jumped up gently, and the wind and snow formed a boat under her feet, carrying her leisurely into the deep valley.
Ning Jiujiu followed closely behind.
Lu Marion asked: "Where is the well you came out of?"
Ning Changjiu said: "The entrance to Duanjie City should be due east of here, which is far away from here."
Lu Marian said: "I want to take a look."
Ning Jiujiu shook his head and said: "No, if you want to see it, it will take another whole day's journey. And the well cannot be found again after you come out, just like the Peach Blossom Spring in the story."
Lu Marry looked at the valley buried in the wind and snow, nodded slightly, and asked, "Then where are we going now? Directly across the Sea of Destiny with our swords?"
Ning Changjiu shook his head and said: "Although the Sea of Destiny is not as big as Nanzhou, it still takes ten and a half days to cross. If we are tired and have nowhere to stay, we might as well take a boat across it."
Lu Marry nodded in agreement.
There are many big cities in the ports connecting Nanzhou and Zhongtu. Sculptures about rivers and sea gods can be seen everywhere. From a distance, there are several giant ships parked majestically in the sea. They are connected at a distance and seem to form a city on the sea. .
The Sea of Luck is still rough in the cold winter, with emerald waves rolling in the water, swallowing up the snow falling from the sky.
It was late at night when Ning Changjiu and Lu Jiaojian arrived.
They stood on the rutted street, and the water god statue standing on the shore was ferocious and terrifying, like a huge sea monster fighting against waves.
"Among the ancient gods in the early days, there seems to be a god in charge of the rivers and seas..." Lu Jiayou recalled the records in the book.
Ning Jiujiu nodded and said: "Yes, Xuanze. That was one of the Six Gods of Taichu in mythology. Later, Xuanze fought with Zhulong and was defeated. In ten years, the sea water in the world evaporated and all souls were reduced to ashes."
"The sea water in the world has evaporated..." Lu Yuejou said in fascination: "Has there ever been such a powerful god in the world?"
"Steaming up all the water in the rivers and seas is not a great move. If we go by the legend, even the Golden Crow has done it, not to mention the Zhulong." Ning Changjiu smiled and said: "In mythology and history, the Zhulong was the one who occupied the world in chaos. , the only true god who is the sun when he wakes up and the night when he is sleeping before the great god breaks open the heaven and the earth.”
This myth is widespread and not much of a secret.
"Your Golden Crow is indeed a bit small." Lu Marian listened quietly and suddenly smiled.
She tugged on her cloak and looked at the huge ships, her mind wandering far away.
Ning stood quietly with her for a long time and watched the snow.
Although the two of them were joking and having fun along the way, approaching China-Earth and imagining that huge landmass far away from the ocean, they couldn't help but feel doubts and worries in their hearts.
"By the way, is the man named Siming also in China?" Lu Jiaoyou asked.
Ning Chang nodded without changing his expression and said, "If we are destined, maybe we can meet."
Lu Marian nodded slightly: "Is she really a monster with a green face and fangs?"
Ning Jiujiu said bravely: "It's absolutely true."
Lu Marian looked at him and nodded doubtfully.
Ning Changjiu smiled and turned his head and said, "It's cold outside. Master, please go back to your room to rest first. My disciple will sleep with you."
Lu Marry looked at him coldly and reprimanded: "Can you look like a noble and upright person?"
"How come the Hehuan Sect isn't a famous and upright sect?" Ning Jiujiu argued.
Lu Marion kneaded a ball of snow and smashed it over.
In the distance, a huge building ship docked at night, boxes of goods were unloaded from it, and many people were running around in the wind and snow.
After they chased each other for a while, Ning Jiujiu approached her from behind, took a breath of hot breath into her palms, and gently covered Lu Marian's ears.
They walked slowly towards the city in the night.
Suddenly, Ning Changjiu stopped and looked not far away.
"Is there anyone who transports the coffin?" Ning Jiujiu was slightly confused.
…
In the early morning of the next day, when the heavy snow started to stop, Ning Changjiu and Lu Jiaojiu boarded the building boat.
Traveling by boat is expensive, but luckily Lu Jiaomei has plenty of money. She also often blamed herself. After she became the sect leader, she did nothing practical for the sect and wasted all the sect's money.
Ning Jiujiu disagreed: "Spending money on disciples is investing in the future of Yujian Tianzong."
"Oh, then I have to pay for it myself." Lu Marion became even more sad after hearing this.
The building boat swallowed tens of thousands of tons of sea water, slowly broke through the waves, and sailed towards the direction of China.
The building boat cuts through the water, traveling faster and faster, and its speed is not even inferior to that of flying with a sword. It only takes half a month to reach the Middle Earth.
There was a mixture of fish and dragons on the boat, and the items sold by the vendors were much more expensive than outside.
In the room that belonged to them alone, Lu Yueyue broke the void on her shoulders, took out her luggage, folded the clean clothes and put them in the cabinet. Ning Changjiu hung a few new swords he bought on the road in the nearest place so that he could deal with unexpected changes at any time.
After Lu Marry arranged her clothes, she sat on a chair by the wall, her waist slightly twisted, and her clear eyes fell on the paintings hanging on the wall.
What is painted on this hanging painting is a huge sea monster. It looks like it is made of thousands of snakes, its body is tangled and tied into knots. Half of its huge body sank in the sea water, and its exposed head was cracked with sharp fangs across its head.
There was an introduction to the painting beside it, and Lu Married read it over. Those who go to sea call them sea monsters.
"The monsters in the sea are not as elegant as those on the ground." Lu Marian said.
Ning Jiujiu smiled and said, "We can't generalize. It is said that there is a kind of mermaid in the sea, which is naturally beautiful."
Lu Marion narrowed her eyes slightly and said, "No wonder you don't want to wield a sword but insist on taking a boat."
Ning sighed for a long time, thinking that his master was getting more and more difficult to serve.
Lu Marry sat on the chair and handed over a wooden comb.
He skillfully took the wooden comb, walked behind her, and lifted up Ru Mo's long hair.
The wooden teeth flow into the hair and slide down gently, leaving the ends of the hair as graceful as water.
"There shouldn't be anything happening on the sea, right?" Lu Marion looked at the vast and exciting sea water outside the window, feeling worried.
No matter what level of practitioner you are, you cannot see the scenery in the water clearly with your eyes, so many people have a natural fear of the unknown deep sea.
Ning Changjiu said: "The sea is always calmer in winter, not to mention that most of the truly powerful creatures in the water are of the dragon clan. Since the death of the ancestor dragon, and after several catastrophes, dragons have gradually become extinct in the world. Even those sub-level dragons are very rare."
Lu Marry sighed and said, "Of course I'm not afraid of dragons, but if you are by my side, you might encounter something."
…
…
Each building ship has its own name. This ship is called Haiyue, and it is one of the largest ships among the building ships.
The deck was bustling with people coming and going, but the unknown inner cabin below was dark. In the darkness, there were two vague shadows moving back and forth.
They all wore black robes and swords wrapped with silver wire. There was a red mark on the right lapel of the clothes.
In the passage, one after another huge coffins made of black and red wood were carried down.
Those coffins were strong, solid, and very heavy.
They were pulled into the hidden inner compartment of the building ship and placed one by one. Then looking at the weak light inside, there were at least hundreds of coffins parked inside.
"I don't know if there is any that can be used." He touched it with his fingers covered in a thick black robe and sighed.
"Just complete the task assigned by the master. Success or failure is not what we should care about." Another person said.
"Um."
"We still have to be careful. It is said that Luo Shulou is already paying attention to our movements."
"Luo Shulou?" The man in black robe was slightly shocked: "Why does Shenlou know about this?"
"It's just news, I don't know whether it's true or not."
Luoshu Tower is one of the four major divine towers in China. They are located in the four corners of China. The one in the southwest is Luoshu Tower, the one in the southeast is Piao Miao Tower, the northeast is Xuanhai Tower, and the northwest is Shenhua Tower.
The owners of the four divine towers are more mysterious than the Sword Master of the Sword Pavilion.
The sacred tower records a thousand years of history each, and so does what they guard.
Those landlords seem to be as old as history.
The man in black robe pondered the words "Luo Shulou", sighed, and said: "Don't worry, don't bother yourself. As far as I know, Luoshulou is restoring the history of five hundred years ago, and at a critical moment, it won't Come and pay attention to the commotion outside. What's more, there is a lot of commotion in the Valley of the Gods, and many people have focused their attention there."
"Where is the Slaughter Court?"
"They're just a bunch of killer lunatics... Compared to them, we should pay more attention to the Dianhuan Shen Sect. Although they haven't moved, they are too close to the place of resurrection..."
Dianhuan Sect is also one of the eight great divine sects in China.
"Don't think about that. Let me check if there is anything wrong with this batch of sacrifices first."
"Um."
The man accepted the order and quietly retreated.
The conversation ended in darkness.
A light that was not bright came on.
The coffin boards slid open one by one.
The heaviest mass in the coffin is ice.
The ice had no color at all, filling the coffin, reflecting wine-red light in the lights, and the noisy cold fog was dispersed by a dry palm.
The man in a black cloak leaned down, his eyes in the darkness penetrated the clear ice, and looked indifferently at the little girl frozen in the ice.
These little girls looked about six or seven years old. They were all wearing identical golden robes, which made their pale skin look divine.
They were lying in the solid ice, and their hair, eyelashes, and blood vessels were all very clear. Their hearts seemed to be beating, but they looked like statues that were sleeping forever, and their expressions were as quiet as death.
The heavy coffin panels slid open one after another.
The figure of the man in black robe did not rise and fall. He looked around one coffin after another like water flowing across the floor.
In order for the mission to go smoothly and not attract the attention of the Middle-earth sect, these little girls were brought from Nanzhou.
One of them will be lucky enough to become a god in the future, while the rest can only become unconscious spiritual servants.
The man in black robe was far from satisfied with this group of little girls.
When the sixty-fourth coffin board was pushed, the figure of the man in black robe stopped.
"Huh?" He couldn't help but say softly.
The little girl in the coffin disappeared, and all that was left inside was the coffin full of broken ice!
The man in black robe was stunned.
Of course he didn't believe that these ordinary little girls could wake up on their own and break through the ice to escape.
His first reaction was that their long-planned plan had been discovered, and the man didn't seem to want to confront them, so he stole one of the containers as a deterrent.
This container is quite possibly the nicest of all the little girls.
Luo Shulou? Bianhuan Shenzong? still…
The man in black robe looked at the coffin filled with broken ice, his face faintly reflected in the broken ice.
He dug his withered fingers into the ice.
Under the dark robe, the strange pupils lit up, glowing scarlet. In the center of the pupils, the eyes looked like nails driven into them - those were demon pupils.
Through the demonic eyes, the man in black robe could clearly see that the little girl's hair and fine hair remained on these solid ice seas.
At this moment, he suddenly realized that he had made a huge mistake.
It's too late.
The scabbard on his waist was empty, and a piece of cold steel came out from in front of him.
The sword energy silently exploded inside his body, shattering his internal organs into pieces.
A tender little hand pressed on his back and gave him a gentle push.
The man in black robe fell in the coffin, and the pure ice was dyed crystal red by blood.
The coffin closed silently.
In the darkness, the little girl giggled.
…
…
The cold wave of the Sea of Luck arrived on the fourth day.
The sky that had been clear for a few days started to snow again.
Lu Marian stood by the wooden window, with a jade crown and silver hairpin, and a picturesque sword and dress. Her elegant ponytail was hanging down, revealing her slender jade neck, and the skin on her back collar was as delicate as ivory.
She stood quietly, her tall figure slim and slender. When Ning Jiujiu saw her every day, he felt that she was like a sword that would not be stained by dust. No matter when she drew it out, it would always be as clear as the first time she saw her.
She looked at the behemoth sea swallowing up the snow that fell like hail, while Ning Jiuchuan looked at her quietly.
"Sometimes, cultivating Taoism is like sailing on an ocean." Ning Changjiu said.
Lu Marian asked: "What else do you have?"
Ning Jiujiu smiled and said: "Because no one knows what is hidden under the seemingly gentle water."
Lu Marian asked: "Are you also afraid of the sea?"
Ning Changjiu shook his head gently, looked at the ceiling and said, "I'm afraid of the sky."
Lu Marian's eyes were gentle and she smiled lightly: "I think you are afraid of your master, right?"
Ning Jiujiu stood up and hugged her from behind, "What's so scary about Master?"
"Presumptuous!" Lu Marry grabbed his hand.
The sea breeze was howling outside, but it was very calm inside the house.
Together they looked at the huge waves hitting the snowy sea outside, and a hint of worry slipped through their hearts.
The accident happened an hour later.
The waiter went from door to door as usual to ask if he wanted food. Just when he knocked on the wooden door of Ning Changchun's room, the ship made a cracking sound.
The huge building ship that was riding through the waves on the sea was forced to stop without knowing what it encountered.
Chaos arose on the boat.
In a short period of time, many ascetics with good cultivation on the building had broken out of the window with their swords.
Ning Jiujiu and Lu Marian looked at each other, and they quickly raised their swords and went out.
Outside the building and boat, the tide has risen.
It was even higher than the boat, covered in snow-like white, like the palms of gods slapping down.
This storm came very unexpectedly.
Neither Ning Jiujiu nor Lu Jiaoyou hesitated. The two swords slashed out like dragons and met in the air, turning into a similarly turbulent wave sweeping up.
The sword energy exploded in the water curtain.
When the tide that stood up from the wall really fell on the building and boat, all that was left was the continuous drizzle.
Between the sword energy, they joined forces to break several waves of waves, but what followed was something even more terrifying.
Everyone heard the singing.
It was a sobbing song, coming from far away from the waves, filled with sadness and anger.
"Look there!"
On the boat, someone exclaimed, and then more exclamations rang out.
"what is that?"
"It's the Sea Demon... It must be the Sea Demon! Hide back to the room!"
"No, like a mermaid... where is the great monk worshiped by the captain?"
I would rather follow the sound for a long time.
Among the waves, a smooth, scaly back arched through the water, revealing a giant shadow hidden under the water.
There was more than one giant shadow like that. They surged out from all directions, cutting the water surface like a mountain's backbone. Their scales were huge shield scales, with a rough but hard surface. The bulges of the scales produced huge waves when they swam. The turbulent flow stirs up the nearby waters into chaos when moving at high speed, and even forms small whirlpools one after another.
Ning Jiujiu suddenly missed the Sword Sutra. If it were still in the sea of consciousness, he would introduce its origins in detail at this moment.
Among the crowd, a man in black clothes with long hair looked at the dragons in the sea, and his expression was shocked: "Dragon robbery?"
Why are they here
The man in black immediately put on his hood. He ignored the robber dragons wandering around and blocked the way, and went straight to the secret cabin of the building ship.
He quickly walked into the dark cabin, only to find that all the wall fires in the dark cabin were extinguished. At the same time, the pungent smell of blood came over.
At that moment, an ominous premonition came over his heart. The man turned around immediately without thinking, but it was too late.
On the back of the door, a knife stabbed through his lower abdomen.
The man felt like his whole body was covered in ice.
He turned his head, trying his best to see his assassin clearly.
But he saw nothing.
His body was dragged inside.
The door closed again.
A pair of small cotton shoes walked up the stairs.
The soles of the shoes were very soft and warm. They were given to her by a crying woman before she was sacrificed to the river god.
When she walked out of the inner cabin, the robber dragons emerging from the seawater had already begun to poke out their rugged heads, roaring and singing in the angry seawater against the violent wind and snow.
The reason why tribulation dragons are called tribulation dragons is because they can artificially cause everyone who hears their songs to fall into tribulation.
It was an illusion similar to the inner demon tribulation.
The robbed person will lose himself, then walk step by step to the side of the boat, jump into the sea, and become the food of the robbed dragon.
The psychedelic song had already sounded, but the little girl was not affected at all. She opened her arms and the cold sea breeze caressed her gently.
Her expression is calm and comfortable, like someone listening to music.
This feeling didn't last long.
Suddenly, she raised her eyebrows and looked away.
There were two sword auras lighting up there.
There was a killing intent in her pupils for a moment.
…
…
(From today on, I will try to add a small chapter every early morning~)