No one knew how they met, but they themselves had never thought that they would be able to fight side by side one day.
The Iron-Blooded Cavalry shot sharp arrows at the same time.
The energy breaks through the air, full of power, and the arrow tail trembles.
The twelve sharp arrows seemed to have shattered the night sky. Between heaven and earth, only these twelve sharp rays were so dazzling.
The two women attacked at the same time. A whip flashed from Mei Tao Niang's sleeve, and the whip shadow was like a passing cloud. In an instant, it caught six of the sharp arrows.
The young woman next to her waved her round fan, and a vortex suddenly appeared, sucking the other six arrows away and deviating from their direction.
"Good move!" Mei Tao Niang looked at the vortex next to her.
"What a great whipping technique!" The young woman looked at the thin and long whip in her hand. "There is a girl named Xu Xiaoyan who also knows this whipping technique. Did you teach her?"
Mei Tao Niang was surprised and asked, "Have you seen Xiaoyan?"
Their leisurely and nonchalant attitude angered the Twelve Flying Knights.
The twelve flying knights rushed forward in anger, and their twelve long spears pierced the air with brilliance like the scorching sun.
A fierce battle began at night.
Hou Boming, Taoist Hongshan, and Zhao Kaishan continued to run in the forest, and more and more people appeared on both sides of them.
These people were intertwined with each other, some were trying their best to rush towards them, and some were trying their best to protect them.
Some people shouted, some fell down, and among the crowd of people, they sometimes couldn't even tell who was the enemy and who was the friend.
Taoist Hongshan quietly touched the map in his arms.
Some people want them to send the map out safely, while others want to prevent them from sending it out.
Suddenly, they stopped again... They couldn't stop.
In front of them, there were two old men in brocade robes blocking the way.
The two old men stood side by side, wearing gorgeous golden crowns on their heads and brocade Taoist robes. Everything on their bodies was worth more than a hundred gold coins, even a button was embellished with gems.
"The two gentlemen of happiness and longevity?" Hou Bomin was moved.
The two gentlemen Fu Shou are among the best masters in the Six Gates. Unlike the four great detectives, they have been stationed in the Six Gates' headquarters in Beijing for a long time and rarely take action.
They didn't kill many people, but those who died in their hands were all famous people on the blacklist.
Both of them have the cultivation level of the fourth rank. They were originally famous figures in the Central Plains martial arts world. The Barbarian Court spent a huge sum of money to buy horse bones for them, which gave them priceless wealth and lofty status.
With Fu and Shou standing in their way, there was no hope for them to break through.
Not to mention a breakthrough, they would probably die miserably on the spot in just a few moves... Compared with the two Lords Fu and Shou, their abilities were far inferior.
However, Mr. Fushou did not take any action, but stared at them.
Soon, the three of them discovered that Mr. Fushou's gaze passed over them and looked behind them.
The three of them quickly turned around and found that an old man and an old woman had appeared behind them at some point.
The old man had white hair and was wearing linen clothes. He looked like an ordinary person.
The old woman had a hunched back, leaning on a three-foot-long cane, with her left hand behind her back, and she looked like she couldn't even stand steadily.
Hou Bomin, Taoist Hongshan and Zhao Kaishan had no idea when the old man and the old woman came behind them.
They didn't even know whether the old couple were friends or enemies.
Even so, they still had a glimmer of hope... After all, the three of them were no match for the Fushou couple. If the old couple were also enemies, then they would just die faster.
And since the two Lords of Fu and Shou did not make a move, but only stared at the old couple, it was obviously more likely that the old couple were on their side.
"The Xuanshan couple?" Lord Shangfu, one of the two Lords Fushou, snorted.
The hunched old woman sighed and laughed, "I never thought that even though we have been living in seclusion for so long, there are still people who remember us."
"Since you have been living in seclusion for so many years," said Lord Li Shou, one of the two Lords of Fu and Shou, coldly, "why do you have to come out and sacrifice your life at this time?"
The white-haired old man chuckled and said, "I am just an old man anyway. I will die if I die. There is nothing to be nostalgic about."
Hou Bomin and others were overjoyed... These two old people turned out to be the "Xuanshan Couple" Xuanshan Gong and Xuanshan Lao Yu
They didn't know who invited these two old men who had been in seclusion for many years to come out, but no matter what, these two old men could not be from the side of Man Ting and Liushenmen.
The Xuanshan couple, who were once envied by everyone in the world, have gone from being a handsome man and a beautiful woman in their youth to being white-haired, hunchbacked old men and women now.
His hair and beard turned white and his back became hunched.
But their backbone has remained the same for decades and has never changed.
Mr. Xuanshan and his old lady walked through them. Mr. Xuanshan said, "We will stop these two people. You go first."
As soon as they finished speaking, Mr. Xuanshan and the old woman Xuanshan rushed to the opposite side like a hurricane.
Although the two men looked old, they were extremely ferocious in their attacks, and their astonishing momentum was so overwhelming that the two masters, Fu and Shou, dared not to resist.
Bang, bang, bang, bang, the energy exploded, and in an instant sand and stones flew, and the ground cracked.
The fight between the four was like thunder and lightning, with an astonishing sound.
Hou Bomin and three others quickly left the battlefield and fled at high speed.
Behind them, there was a constant rumbling sound.
Soon, more people were drawn in from all directions. The night seemed to be ignited by lava, with swords and sabers flashing everywhere.
A large number of barbarian soldiers rushed in and rolled towards them. Immediately afterwards, a group of warriors came out from nowhere, setting fires or poisoning people, using various methods.
Although they could recognize some of these warriors, they were not their friends.
These warriors are all from the underworld.
However, these people, whose positions in the martial arts world were completely different from theirs, were protecting them and helping them to retreat at this moment.
The forest is burning, the night is burning, and people's hearts are burning!
This night is destined to be sleepless!
Chapter 257 The Mystery of Pengcheng, the Underground Palace of Western Chu
There were two people standing on the cliff in the distance.
One of the two men was a man with broad shoulders, a square face, and was nearly fifty years old. He was Yue Panlong, who was ranked second on the blacklist.
Next to him was a young woman, about 29 years old, with a beauty so beautiful that she could make fish sink to the bottom of their chests, geese fall to the ground, and the moon hide in shame on flowers.
She stood there lightly, as if she would step into the wind and disappear into the void at any time, with an otherworldly beauty and a mysterious temperament.
—She was wearing a white long dress decorated with pink petals, thin and slender, and her figure below the waist was shaped like a morning glory. Her eyes were like the moon, clear and cold, shining down on the earth.
Yue Panlong said in a deep voice: "The 'two servants and five sufferings' around Lie Zunyi did not make a move!"
The young woman in white clothes spoke in a vague voice, the lingering sound lingering in the air: "This means that the underground palace map we stole is very important, but not so important that it would cause the 'Two Servant Five Sufferings' to take action."
The barbarian emperor is surrounded by "two servants of heaven and earth" and the "five hardships of serving the emperor".
Among them, the "two servants" have followed Lie Zunyi for decades. They are peerless masters trained by Lie Zunyi himself, and both are of the third grade.
The "Five Sufferings of the Lord" are much younger, and all of them have the strength of the fourth rank. Although they have not yet entered the upper rank, they should not be underestimated.
They hoped to lure out the "Two Servants and Five Sufferings" here, but those seven did not show up.
Yue Panlong said: "Perhaps Lie Zunyi is really too old to be without their protection?"
The young woman whispered, "If it were that simple, that would be great!" She raised her head and looked at the half-moon that occasionally appeared among the overlapping dark clouds.
Then he sighed helplessly: "It is more likely that they have discovered that this is our strategy to lure the tiger away from the mountain. The Prime Minister Fu Tu of the Barbarian Court is very wise, and the grandmother Ba of the ancestral altar is also very shrewd. The information we have obtained is still too little to make more inferences."
Yue Panlong said slowly: "Tomorrow is the ninth day of the ninth lunar month, the Double Ninth Festival! We don't have time!"
The young woman lowered her head and watched the fierce battle below the cliff: "Lie Zunyi doesn't have time either. The battle tomorrow may affect the future trend of the entire China and the Jin Clan. Whether it can turn the tide depends on this one move.
His eyes moved slightly: "Senior Yue, did you meet their mysterious 'young master' during this trip to the Evil Lotus Sect?"
Yue Panlong shook his head: "I only saw the master of the Black Lotus Realm, Xuanfeng Huanzhi... Why did Miss Yun suddenly ask this?"
The beautiful young woman said: "It is rumored that the Fire Lotus Blade of the Evil Lotus Sect has a strong restraining effect on Lie Zunyi's Heavenly Plague Demon Secret. However, although this Fire Lotus Blade is recorded in the Night Charm Demon Codex, only the Fire Lotus Blade activated by the 'Demon Lotus Heavenly Yin' can truly restrain the Heavenly Plague Demon Secret.
“This means that even if Xuan Feng Huan Zhi, Yue Yao Tai, and Sha Ling Shan from the Evil Lotus Sect learn the Fire Lotus Blade, they will not be able to use it.
"But now the three sects of the Evil Lotus Sect have united as one, which means their true disciple has appeared. This true disciple was chosen by their 'Secret Book', so she must have amazing talent and extraordinary gifts, and she has inherited the Magic Lotus Tianyin. If she learns the Fire Lotus Blade, she may be able to help us."
The new young master of the Evil Lotus Sect was too mysterious, and the Taisu Immortal Pavilion was unable to find out more.
But come to think of it, the Xie Lian Sect has always only accepted female disciples as true disciples, this "young master" must also be a woman, so the young woman is referred to as "she".
There was some regret in the young woman's tone.
Although from the perspective of Taisu Xian Pavilion, they do not want the Xielian Sect to have another peerless genius like the "Mei Emperor".
But at least, at this moment, the inheritance of the Evil Lotus Sect's true teachings of the Demon Lotus Tianyin and the Fire Lotus Sword can greatly increase the chances of victory for the Chinese martial arts world.
Unfortunately, the "young master" is still a mystery. What is more likely is that although she has inherited the Magic Lotus Tianyin, she is not yet at the point where she can activate the "Fire Lotus Blade".
In that case, it will be too late no matter what...
—
September 8th, Mao time, dawn!
Although the hour of Mao is "dawn", in late autumn the Yellow River is shrouded in fog and nothing can be seen clearly.
The sun in the east has not yet appeared, and the half-moon, which was not very bright to begin with, has sunk instead. There are layers of dark clouds in the sky, and it is certain that there will be a shower today.
At the intersection of Xuzhou and the Grand Canal, a large number of barbarian warships gathered. These warships blocked each other with iron chains, cutting off the Yellow River and the canal. The iron chains were crisscrossed and the security was tight.
The dragons lurked quietly at the bottom of the river, and the barbarian army was unable to detect them.
After entering the Grand Canal and swimming northward for a long distance, they arrived near Xuzhou.
The dragon poked its head out of the river, and Shi Hao, Yue Yaotai, and Xu Xiaoyan emerged from the water as well.
Both the upstream and downstream were blocked by the barbarian army. There was not a single boat to be seen on the wide river channel. It was empty with only the floating river water.
"We are now actually surrounded by the barbarian army!" Shi Hao said, "If the Grand Canal really hides some secrets, the greatest possibility is that it is in this area."
"It looks like it's going to rain heavily!" Xu Xiaoyan looked up. "The shore is probably full of barbarian soldiers. It's going to rain heavily. If that happens, we won't be able to go ashore and rest, right?"
"Are you cold?" Shi Hao put his arms around her from behind, grabbed her slender little hands with both hands, and held them in his hands. Her little hands were as cold as water.
In a season like this, staying underwater for a long time is unbearable even for martial artists.
Yue Yaotai whispered behind him, "Since ancient times, Xuzhou has been a place of many battles. It borders the Yellow Sea to the east, the Central Plains to the west, the Yangtze and Huai Rivers to the south, and Qi and Lu to the north. It connects the east and the west, and the north and the south. If there really is a dragon vein of Shenzhou, Xuzhou must be where it passes."
Xu Xiaoyan said worriedly: "Anyway, let's search this area of water first, shall we? If the Barbarian Court really did something here, it must be a huge project. I don't believe that we won't find anything."
Shi Hao said: "Bai Lan, I have no choice but to trouble you again."
Bai Lan flicked his dragon tail and reached down.
They searched very carefully and found that the canal in this area was much wider than other waterways.
At noon, Bai Lan turned around and said, "Master, I feel a strange aura in this area.
Shi Hao said, "A strange smell?" He looked around, but could not see anything. He just relied on his own Xuan Qi to sense, but could not sense anything.
Bai Lan said: "It feels like it is flowing from the river over there. I don't know what it is, but it seems to have an incredible evil spirit."
Shi Hao said: "Let's go to the surface of the water first."
Bai Lan surfaced, and the three of them looked and saw a tributary winding its way.
Yueyaotai suddenly said, "Young Master, that should be Sishui."
Shi Hao was stunned for a moment: "Sishui? Well, I don't know much about Sishui, and there are not many records about it in history books. I just remember that when Qin conquered Zhou, nine tripods were moved from the Zhou court to Xianyang, and one of the tripods fell into Sishui.
"I didn't think it was anything special before, but now looking at the geographical location, this legend is too strange. The Zhou court was located in Chengzhou, which is now Luoyang, and Xianyang is actually the ancient Daxing City. Xuzhou is located to the east of Luoyang, and Xianyang is located to the west of Luoyang. It is impossible to move the Nine Cauldrons from Luoyang to Xianyang through Sishui.
"If you say that they wanted to bypass Xuzhou, go through the Yangtze River, and then to the Han River, all by water, but at that time there was no Grand Canal connecting the Yangtze River and the Yellow River. Xuzhou was called Pengcheng in ancient times, and it was so far away from the royal city of the Zhou Dynasty. No matter how you think about it, it makes no sense for the Nine Cauldrons to be moved from the Zhou court royal city to Xianyang via the Si River on the Xuzhou side."
Xu Xiaoyan suddenly said, "There is another question. Xuzhou is Pengcheng. Isn't Pengcheng the capital of the King of Chu? The King of Chu is clearly called the 'King of Western Chu', so why is his capital in the east
Shi Hao raised his head, tapped her on the back of the head, and said with a smile: "You are ignorant! During the Warring States period, the Chu State occupied a very large area, far larger than other vassal states. At that time, there was a saying of 'Three Chus'.
"The plains around the Yangtze and Han rivers, where the old capital of Chu, Jiangling, is located, are called Southern Chu, the Huai River and Si River area centered on Pengcheng is called Western Chu, and the Wu and Yue lands conquered by Chu are called Eastern Chu. The Overlord of Chu made Pengcheng his capital, so he was of course the 'Overlord of Western Chu'."
Xu Xiaoyan muttered: "I think the ancients were ignorant. Isn't Jiangling the same as Jingzhou? Pengcheng is obviously in the northeast of Jiangling, but it is Western Chu. Wuyue should be in the south of Pengcheng, right? It becomes Eastern Chu again.
By the way, how could the Chu State have such a large territory at that time? How could it be destroyed by the Qin Dynasty?"