This is the highest point in the entire snow area.
The huge snow-capped peak is covered with snow that never melts all year round. Countless temples are built at its foot, prostrating themselves under its majesty. On the top of the peak are numerous exquisite and complex palaces.
—Snowland Temple.
At this moment, Fu Chaosheng was standing in the main hall of the temple.
The cold moonlight poured in from outside the temple door. Several monks in crimson robes walked slowly outside the temple. There were three monks sitting cross-legged inside the temple. They were all in the Nascent Soul stage. They were holding a hand drum in one hand and a vajra bell in the other, and were chanting non-stop.
But no one could see him.
Fu Chaosheng is a big demon.
Even though it was already sunset, and his cultivation had been almost weakened to the lowest level by the rules governing the operation of heaven and earth, he could still walk in this holy temple as if he were in an empty space, and no one could detect him.
Spreading out his perception, the entire temple, even the entire holy mountain, every hall and pavilion, every table and chair, and even every move of every monk, all appeared clearly before his eyes.
Either it is a quiet self-cultivation, or it is unbearable to look at...
But the only person he was looking for was not there.
A huge statue of Sakyamuni Buddha is enshrined in the main hall, but because there is little light in the hall at the moment, there is a sense of silence in the darkness.
Fu Chaosheng frowned slightly and glanced at it.
His eyes were calm, without any feeling, nor any so-called awe or piety, just like looking at any clay puppet in the world.
Even if a real Buddha was here, he wouldn't even look at him twice. What's more, what about the dead things in this temple
Retracting his gaze, he walked calmly between three monks who were chanting on the ground. The corner of his robe embroidered with dark green patterns swept across the shaking vajra bells in the monks' hands.
They still know nothing.
After walking around the altar in front and the huge Buddha statue, Fu Chaosheng went straight to the back of the hall.
The huge temple is like a magnificent community.
There are tall pagodas and sutra pillars scattered around, and the bright or dark shadows are cut and scattered by the upturned eaves or rotating prayer wheels. He walks among them like a ghost.
In this way, we passed through layers of palaces and pavilions and finally arrived at the temple.
It was a vast ice field, illuminated by the bright moon in the sky, and it looked as clear as glass.
However, the first thing that catches people's eyes is not the ice field itself, but the huge lake embedded in the ice field like a sapphire.
Under the moonlight, the wind blew and there were gentle ripples on the lake.
It is wide and vast, like a sea spread out on an ice field.
—The Holy Lake Galan, the highest lake in the entire 19 continents, is called the "Lake in the Sky" by the monks and all believers in the Snowy Land.
Fu Chaosheng hadn't been here a few days ago.
But perhaps because he had gained nothing in the past few days, he felt a bit bored and wanted to explore, so he passed through the temple and came to the lake.
The feeling at that moment was completely clean and pure.
He has the eyes of the universe, not to mention his own immense power. He is a mayfly, but with Kun by his side, it is no problem for him to traverse the heaven and earth. He has already seen all kinds of fantastic scenery from the isolated island on earth to the 19 continents.
But none of them could give him the same feeling as this lake.
I forgot where I came from and where I was going. My heart and eyes were filled with only this lake and that pure breath that was close to the sky.
For a moment, Fu Chaosheng thought of a word: conversion.
But just a moment later, the word fell apart in his mind, and all thoughts and tendencies about Buddha and the emptiness of the four elements disappeared.
A hint of dark blue ink appeared in his eyes, which reflected the passage of time.
Then all the mysterious and unpredictable aura of the lake before my eyes disappeared, leaving only the enchantingly clear lake bottom and a pair of quietly opened eyes.
It was as if someone had woken me up from a beautiful dream, and I felt the coldness of the lake, the vastness of the night sky, the slowness and mystery...
Fu Chaosheng watched quietly, a faint smile on his lips, and said, "Should I call you Jiye or Jialan?"
"Crash..."
The eyes at the bottom of the lake were open, staring at Fu Chaosheng standing by the lake, but did not answer.
Only the wind blew, bringing up shallow waves that gently lapped against the lake shore, adding a touch of moving sound to this dark and quiet night.
The edge of the snow.
Jianchou and Xie Buchen had been standing there for a long time.
It was not until the thin moon disappeared into the clouds and the mirage at the end of the sky slowly disappeared in the gradually darkening shadows of the clouds that the two people came to their senses.
What a magnificent view this is
Unheard of, unseen.
There is a kind of elusive pure power that vaguely reveals itself, which in a trance washes away all the dirt on the body and heart, and returns to the most authentic state.
even…
Even hatred is forgotten.
After a long silence, Jianchou finally regained his composure. He took a deep breath, feeling the cold air surging in his chest, and looked back, "Further ahead, we should reach the real Snow Region. My master has always been unreliable. I wonder if Master Hengxu has any instructions for Daoist Xie?"
This is spying.
Xie Buchen naturally wouldn't mention anything about the Nine Doubts Cauldron, and only said, "The Snow Region is dangerous, and Master didn't mention much. We have to wait until we get in and see what happens. But when the Kunwu Yashan and the other sects had an accident, Master had investigated the location of the accident, which was just outside this Snow Region. I plan to go to the accident site as soon as possible to collect the remains of my fellow sect members. What do you think, Daoist Jianchou?"
Naturally, she had no objection.
In fact, Jianchou also had a copy of the approximate location where the Yashan disciples had the accident, which was given to her by Fudaoshanren when she left.
If we can get there as soon as possible, there might be some clues to be found.
She said nothing more, and the Burning Lamp Sword, which had been suspended in the air for a long time, turned to the northwest without hesitation and rushed out.
Xie Buchen followed immediately.
After entering the snowy area, what we saw was very different from before.
The junction of the Tomorrow Star Sea and the Snow Region was deserted, with few monks to be seen. But after crossing this cliff and walking more than 30 miles inward, scattered settlements could be seen.
Low houses are built on the gentle slopes of the mountains or scattered in the canyons.
Jianchou was at a high place, looking down, and could see countless colorful prayer flags hanging from the heights near these settlements, red, yellow, blue, green, white...
Most of the houses were dark, with only a few dim lights visible.
In the middle of the night, you can occasionally hear the howling of nocturnal beasts.
After all, we have entered the snowy area, and no one knows what we will encounter here.
Although both of them had the method of concealing their aura given by Fudao Shanren and Hengxu Zhenren, they were still much more cautious and did not dare to rush on their journey as recklessly as before.
As a result, the speed slowed down a lot, and when we arrived at the place where the incident happened, it was already dawn.
Thick fog buried the canyon ahead.
The broad river beach became blurred in the white mist, and could not be seen clearly with the naked eye. But the sound of the flowing water penetrated the mist and reached Jianchou's ears.
The smell of blood had faded a lot, but it still lingered in the air, stimulating Jianchou's sensitive sense of smell.
"Pah..."
When I landed, my feet stepped on the small stones piled on the river bank, making a slight sound, as if disturbing the quiet dawn.
Jianchou was standing on the edge of the riverbank and the thick fog, holding the Ran Deng sword in his hand, but he suddenly felt suffocated and his feet felt heavy as if they were filled with lead.
However, Xie Buchen beside her was not affected.
They all knew that the river valley ahead was the place where all the Kunwu monks of Yashan died, but the difference was that Jianchou regarded Yashan as his home, while Xie Buchen had only superficial feelings for Kunwu.
Kunwu had no mercy on him, and Zhenren Hengxu had no deep master-disciple relationship with him. Coming to the Snow Region to investigate was just a cold task for him.
In other words, even if there is a master-disciple relationship, it is nothing in his eyes.
So at this moment, Xie Buchen's performance was much calmer and more cold-blooded.
There was no change in his facial expression as he stepped directly into the thick fog. He gently raised the Human Emperor Sword forward and a transparent ripple spread out in all directions.
It was as if a gust of breeze blew by, and the thick fog that buried the entire valley suddenly dissipated for the most part.
Then, the river beach stained with blood appeared clearly and without any obstruction before his eyes, and also before Jianchou's eyes.
The clear river water flows quietly.
The bloodstains on the rocks and in the cracks by the river had been washed away by the water, leaving no trace. But deep sword marks were left in places farther from the river!
Large patches of dried reddish-brown blood were smeared on the messy river beach...
It was obvious that a long time had passed, and even the smell of blood was so faint that it was almost inaudible.
But the moment he saw it clearly, Jianchou still felt a sinking feeling in his heart.
The bloody smell in her throat was heavier than the bloody smell floating outside. She had to clench her hands and use all her strength to suppress it, so that she could lift her heavy steps and walk slowly over.
Walking through the flowing river, walking through the sword marks on the ground, walking through the blood dripping all over the ground...
The expression on Jianchou's face looked a little numb.
She knew clearly that all these sword marks came from Yashan, and she also knew clearly that all this blood also came from Yashan. But there was no body in sight, as if all the people who had died here had disappeared into thin air.
At that moment, an absurd thought flashed through Jianchou's mind: Maybe, what she saw was an illusion, maybe the disciples of Yashan whose names were written on the fate cards were not dead yet...
But just the next moment, this unrealistic fantasy was shattered.
Xie Buchen's footsteps stopped in front.
It was a steep canyon, the upper reaches of a river, with countless sword marks, bloodstains, and...
Corpses lying one after another!
Look at the clothes, they are all from Kunwu.
Most of the bodies were intact, and some even had frozen expressions on their faces, as if life had passed in a flash, and they had no time to adjust their facial expressions to face death.
Some are desperate, some are frightened, some are angry...
Twenty-three people, not one less, all are here.
Xie Buchen glanced at these people indifferently, without looking back, and said: "The twenty-three people from Kunwu are all here, and there is no one from Yashan."
But Jianchou seemed not to hear it.
When Xie Buchen looked back, he only found that she was looking at a certain spot in the river in front of her, without moving at all. After a long time, she leaned over, reached out her hand and picked up two pieces of debris from the shallow river water.
That hand seemed to tremble.
Two dark black fragments.
The ancient landscape pattern was carved, and the two words "Yashan" on it should have carried an air of etherealness, but at this moment it was broken diagonally in the middle, split into two halves that could not be restored.
Yashan Order...
At the edge of the fracture, there was a thin line of blood that the river water had not completely washed away...
At this moment, Jianchou thought of the armory.
I remembered the dozens of long swords that were returned to Yashan because they were lost by their owners, I remembered the hot blood on the long swords, and I remembered the blood-red color that was always spreading and growing on the sky!
The disciples of Yashan have never done anything that would bring shame upon heaven and earth, whether in their actions or in their character.
But now, such a disaster has befallen them...
Snowy…
Tantra!
Her five fingers, which were soaked in the river water and turned cold, slowly closed and pressed the broken Yashan Order tightly into her palm. The sharp edges of the broken part pierced her palm and finally brought back her reason.
A cold, injustice, and murderous intent was hidden deep in those flickering eyes.
Jianchou calmly looked at where Xie Buchen was, and finally walked over.
Twenty-three bodies, not one missing, lay before my eyes.
Judging from the traces left around, it was similar to what Zheng Yao and the others had said about the previous incident at Yashan. The incident happened almost at the same time, and everyone was killed in one blow, without even any room for resistance.
"There aren't many external injuries, and there's no blood or flesh blurring. Your elder didn't have his Nascent Soul self-destruct." Jianchou also took a look around, "It seems that the perpetrator's strength is at least in the world, and the magic used is also aimed at the soul. But this kind of magic is rare in the Yashan Sutra Pavilion, and it is extremely difficult to practice. If you're not careful, it will backfire. It's a bit strange that it appeared on the outskirts of the snowy area."
Whether listening to her voice or looking at her expression, she didn't have the slightest flaw.
But Xie Buchen knew that she was not as calm as she appeared to be.
But it had nothing to do with him.
To a certain extent, the more troubled one is, the less difficulties he will face.
Xie Buchen did not show any sadness on his face. He just glanced back at the bloodstains on the riverbank and said, "Everyone is dead. It's not surprising. But the people of Kunwu are here, and there is no trace of Yashan monks nearby. It's very strange."
There were no traces of any fierce beasts on the ground.
Moreover, even if a fierce beast passed by and ate the corpse, there was no reason for it not to move the Kunwu monk who was not far away.
This situation looked more like someone had come here on purpose and buried the corpses of Yashan's disciples. But this was not right. If this happened, the person who did it must have had some connection with Yashan. However, Jianchou, a disciple of Yashan, knew nothing about this.
Not to mention Xie Buchen, even Jianchou couldn't understand it.
But compared to Xie Buchen, she had more thoughts. In just a moment, she thought of Zhong Lanling whom she met in Jiyu...
There is still reincarnation in the Snow Region, and it has many connections with the Polar Region. No one knows whether there is a conspiracy hidden behind this disappearing corpse.
Jianchou's brows were deeply furrowed, and a myriad of thoughts flashed through her mind, causing her eyes to be filled with a bit of lingering hostility, but she hid it and did not express it.
She couldn't answer Xie Buchen's question, so she didn't answer.
He just took a step and walked around twice among the corpses, and then suddenly looked at the oldest corpse among them.
He is the elder of Kunwu.
There was not a drop of blood on the dark grey robe; only the dawn dew had wet the surface, making the color appear darker, closer to black.
Perhaps because the body had been left for some time, his entire wrinkled face had a slightly blackened look.
Logically speaking, this is a perfectly normal corpse.
It can be seen that the sad gaze lingered there for a long time, or rather, it lingered for a long time on the black part of the face and the dark part of the clothes that seemed to be wet with dew.
Xie Buchen also noticed her gaze, of course: "Daoyou Jianchou, what did you find?"
“Buzz!”
What responded to him was not Jianchou's voice, but a burst of spiritual light bursting out from Jianchou's fingertips, like a golden waterfall falling from the sky, rushing towards the corpse of Elder Kunwu!
The pure spiritual energy filled the shriveled body almost instantly.
The elder's dry face seemed to have a divine light. Under the influx of Jianchou's spiritual power, even the wrinkles on his face were stretched out, and his whole face became smooth.
As a result, the strange phenomenon that was previously hidden deep under the dry straw surface finally had nowhere to hide.
At that moment, a creepy feeling instantly spread throughout his body, and his entire scalp felt numb!
This turned out to be a ball of black gas that looked like a living creature!
Previously, she felt that the elder's face was slightly dark, perhaps because the body had been left for several days. But at this moment, under the urging of her spiritual power, she was shocked: How could the face be dark due to the storage of the body
Elder Kunwu's face was clearly as pale as ash, and it looked black because of the dark energy lurking underneath!
Not only on the face, but also on the body.
Right there where it looks like it's wet with dew and has a darker color.
They were all clusters of black air, as if they were disturbed by the urging of Jianchou's spiritual power and were forced to float up from the elder's body. They seemed unwilling to leave their original place, so they struggled and squirmed outside the spiritual light!
Even someone as calm as Xie Buchen, his expression suddenly changed when he saw the emerging black air.
His slender five fingers lightly touched the scabbard of the Human Emperor Sword. In an instant, the sword hummed in the scabbard, and a string of dark golden runes emerged from the scabbard along with the sword's hum and wrapped around his fingers.
“Puff!”
He pointed his fingers like knives at the black energy!
Just like a drop of cold water splashing into an oil pan, when the dark golden rune fell, the black air trembled violently, as if letting out a shrill scream!
They squirmed madly, gathered together in an instant, and split into two, forming two ferocious giant mouths, and pounced towards the two people respectively!
The cold breath, carrying eternal brutality and cruelty, pierced into Jianchou's mind like a sharp thorn!
She blanched almost immediately and gasped.
It was just because, the feeling of facing this black air at this moment was exactly the same as when he faced the centipede-like ferocious creature in the dungeon of the Night Ship!
This change happened in just a moment.
Jianchou had no time to react at all. At this moment, it was as if a blessing had come to his mind. He shook his left hand, and with his thumb, which had been pressing against the hilt of the sword, he pushed forward. The Randeng sword that was originally hidden in the sheath suddenly came out of the sheath!
"puff!"
An illusory lotus lamp was instantly lit up.
The warm yellow flame was burning in the center of the lamp, and the black gas that turned into a ferocious giant mouth was blocked by this lamp when it rushed over!
“Shhhhh!”
The light in the wick shone brightly, as if forming a solid barrier, firmly blocking the black air out. When the dim flame was lit, all the black air seemed to be ignited and turned into a cloud of green smoke!
After the green smoke dissipated, the entire lotus cup slowly dimmed, and a small "卍" light print appeared at the bottom, which quickly disappeared along with the dimming lotus cup.
From the transformation of the black gas to the disappearance of the lotus lamp, it only took a moment.
The accident was sudden and extremely dangerous. It was not until the Randeng Sword automatically returned to its sheath and made a slight sword hum that Jianchou came to his senses.
Then I found that my back was covered in cold sweat.
The black gas just now was actually heading straight for her soul. If she hadn't reacted quickly, she would have been among the corpses on the ground.
Only at this time did she have time to turn her head to look at Xie Buchen.
The Human Emperor Sword had been unsheathed without anyone noticing, and the black aura had disappeared. It seemed that Xie Buchen was just like her, responding to danger at the critical moment and avoiding disaster.
But his complexion looked really bad, it was extremely pale and even his lips had lost their color.
Jianchou felt bad because his soul was already incomplete, and he was quite clumsy in dealing with such attacks on his soul. But Xie Buchen's face was also so bad...
Is it because your cultivation is not enough
Such a thought flashed through her mind.
But at this time, it is obviously not appropriate to think about these irrelevant issues.
In a flash, she had gathered all her scattered thoughts, grasped the Lantern Sword tightly in her hand, and raised her alert to the highest level. She glanced around at the corpses of Kunwu disciples lying around them, and felt a chill in her heart, as well as a spooky ghostly aura!
There was a faint black aura lurking on the body of each corpse.
But whether it was Jianchou or Xie Buchen, they didn't dare to act rashly at this moment - just a little bit just now almost cost two people's lives!
What a shocking and vicious method this is!
The person had been dead for several days, but the black gas attached to him was like a cancer that had not left. It seemed that devouring the soul was not enough, and it wanted to suck out the essence of the body as well...
"It's Shao Ji..."
Jianchou finally remembered this name, a name that the Night Cruiser monks rarely dared to mention. It was the withered statue deep in the Night Cruiser's old nest, the existence in the dungeon that carried a wild aura, and the existence that had fought against the great demon Fu Chaosheng...
I still remember the last time we met in Xinghai, Fu Chaosheng said that he was going to the Snow Region.
It means that when one has doubts or puzzles, he tries to seek answers from the Holy Son Jiye.
But among them…
Is it also related to the black air at this moment, and to the centipede-like statue that mysteriously appeared in the sea of stars
Jianchou's mind was full of thoughts.
But Xie Buchen didn't know about this. When he heard her say the word "Shao Ji", he realized that Jianchou knew more about this matter than he did, and his brows tightened slightly.
But he didn't ask any more questions, only said: "It seems that the journey to the Extreme Territory is ten times more dangerous than you and I imagined."
They had just arrived at the place where the incident happened when this unexpected danger occurred. It is conceivable that if they had followed their original plan and continued to go deeper, how many more unimaginable dangers would they have encountered
When Jianchou thought of this, his eyes were filled with frost.
The cloud of doubt hanging over their heads is too deep and too heavy—
Why did something happen to the disciples of Kunwu Yashan
This is clearly where the incident occurred, so why are there only corpses of Kunwu disciples, but no corpses of Yashan disciples
Where do these strange black auras come from that seem to be closely related to the so-called "Great Master Shao Ji"
…
"Now that we are here, we should investigate the matter. Besides, I think that Master Hengxu went to great lengths to arrange for Fellow Daoist Xie to come to the Snow Region. He must have something else to do. It is impossible for him to just go back like this, right?"
Jianchou finally smiled slowly and turned around to look at Xie Buchen.
"There are so many corpses on the ground. It is impossible for us to investigate with just the abilities of you and me. Thank you, fellow Daoist, or—"
At this point, the ending tone suddenly became sharp.
At that moment, Jianchou's body was tense to the extreme. Almost at the same time as he sensed that breath, he suddenly turned around and looked towards the other end of the deep canyon!
But Xie Buchen's reaction was actually faster than hers!
The moment she looked, the figure that was originally not far away from her had suddenly disappeared from the spot, and suddenly reappeared where her sight reached, standing next to the "intruder"!
The five slender fingers, like a deadly blade, clasped the man's neck indifferently and accurately!
Is a young man.
He must have just walked over from nearby, wearing the crimson monk's robes they had seen before. His once handsome face was now dark circles under his eyes, his eyes were rolling around, his eyes were empty, and his cheeks were deeply sunken, giving people an extremely uncomfortable feeling.
At this moment, there was only complete fear on his face. He was so frightened by the sudden appearance of Xie Buchen that he couldn't even scream!
Tantric monk.
Although there was still some distance between them, Jianchou, who had had several contacts with Tantric Buddhism, recognized the identity of this "uninvited guest" almost at a glance!
But at this moment, the question that came to her mind was not why this Tantric monk appeared here, and what connection he had with the dead disciples of Yashan Kunwu.
But...
Thank you Buchen for the teleportation!
Build the foundation to control the weapon, golden elixir to fly in the air, and Nascent Soul to teleport!
But she had sensed clearly just now that Xie Buchen disappeared from her side without any warning and reappeared at the place where the Tantric monk was...
Then, Wu Duan's words when he talked about Xie Buchen echoed in his mind:
"Thank you, Junior Brother, for your extraordinary talent. When he was just building his foundation, I saw him flying in the air over the river..."
The tense body and the shrunken pupils...
All the details in an instant brewed a cold and terrifying murderous intent. Jianchou stared at the figure of Xie Buchen in the distance without moving a step.
However, Xie Buchen seemed to be unaware of all this. The spiritual light emanating from his five fingers had easily locked onto the frightened Tantric monk in front of him.
In the middle stage of Jindan, it is easy as pie.
His cold eyebrows did not change at all. He only glanced at the man, then turned back indifferently and asked Jianchou, "Daoyou, do you know the art of soul searching?"