I saw a young man with an iron sword on his waist, a young girl holding a thin stick at her side, and a young woman waving a beautiful round fan embroidered with a beauty.
The three of them didn't make any move, only the girl, who was about twelve or thirteen years old, tapped the table with her finger and said coldly, "Get lost!"
When she shouted "Get lost", Zuo Wuxiong took three steps back with a glared expression, his face changing drastically.
"General Zuo?" A warrior next to him still didn't know what was going on. Although he was forced to retreat just now, he didn't see anything in front of him. He felt that the scene of the breeze blowing and the flying needles piercing his face was all his imagination.
The four people at that table did not intervene, only the pretty little girl said "get out" coldly, and the general was so frightened that he took several steps back.
This situation seemed strange because it was abnormal, and it made his scalp tingle, but he didn't know what was going on.
Zuo Wuxiong gritted his teeth, turned around and said, "Let's go!"
The others also looked at the girl, and suddenly thought of someone. They didn't dare to stay any longer. As Zuo Wuxiong got on their horses, "Remnant Gold" Jiang Yimeng also hurried to follow.
More than twenty riders galloped away into the distance, raising a cloud of dust. They came suddenly and left quickly.
The young woman, the Taoist, the bald man, and the Confucian scholar were stunned for a while, and then they all looked at the girl sitting quietly at the table.
For some reason, their faces were also extremely ugly. The young woman bowed and said to the little girl, "Thank you!"
The four of them hurried to the other side without even daring to look back, and they escaped very quickly.
Xu Xiaoyan snorted: "These four people are really rude. The senior saved them, so they should have said a few more words, but they ran away so quickly?"
Sha Ling fanned herself and smiled, "Why do I feel like they are even more afraid of Senior Ming Yue Shu than those thugs just now?"
Shi Hao asked, "Yue'er, do you recognize those four people?"
Ming Yueshu shook his head gently: "It's the first time I've seen this too! But that woman surnamed Zhao might have some relationship with 'Xuan Wei Sword' Zhao Jinghua."
Chapter 281 Immortal Palace, Ghost Cave, Ye Family
Shi Hao raised his head and said, "'Xuanwei Sword' Zhao Jinghua? I have heard of this person. I heard that he once built an army in Lingnan to resist Hong Leichi's atrocities, but he was defeated and died in the end?"
Ming Yueshu nodded slightly: "Hong Leichi's brutality is even worse than that of the barbarian court. He is truly a perverse person. More than ten years ago, Zhao Jinghua led many heroes from the Lingnan martial arts community to resist Hong Leichi's brutality."
"This Zhao Jinghua only has the strength of the fourth rank, but he is daring and daring, and is proficient in some mysterious and unknowable strange magic array. He is not only good at arranging troops, but also possesses the secret art of Qimen Dunjia. The righteous army he led brought great trouble to Hong Leichi in Lingnan."
"There was even one time when Hong Leichi personally went into battle to kill him, but he was trapped in the Qimen Dunjia formation set up by Zhao Jinghua. He was almost killed in the formation. That was probably the most dangerous killing calamity in Hong Leichi's life."
"It's a pity that the righteous Lingnan martial arts world led by Zhao Jinghua ultimately failed. I heard that there was a traitor among them, which caused a mistake at the critical moment when Hong Leichi was about to be killed, causing Zhao Jinghua to miss the only chance to kill Hong Leichi."
"Since then, the rebels he led suffered heavy casualties under Hong Leichi's brutal revenge. It was a major event in Lingnan martial arts. I don't know how many families were hanged on the roadside outside the city by Hong Leichi. I heard that there were corpses on both sides of the road at that time. The people were panicked and dared not pass by."
She sighed softly, "Unfortunately, at that time, I had just entered the upper level not long ago, and was busy suppressing the monsters in the Three-Tassel Ghost Cave, so I was unable to help.
"I heard that, until now, the people of Lingnan still secretly worship this Zhao Jinghua. In the hearts of the Lingnan martial arts world and the people, although he is dead, he is like a god who protects the area and is always remembered by people. Afterwards, Hong Leichi did not dare to press too hard on other lands outside his sphere of influence, which was also related to the fierce battle that year."
Xu Xiaoyan was quite yearning: "Hong Lei Chi is too abominable, it's a pity for this hero Zhao... The girl just now seemed to have the surname Zhao, could she be the descendant of the hero Zhao Jinghua?"
Ming Yueshu whispered, "It is very likely. I did hear that Zhao Jinghua had a daughter who was sent away at the risk of her life. The man who had the divine crystal 'Wei Tu Zhi' in his body should be 'Jueding Fandi' You Sankuan. Jueding refers to his bald head, and Fandi refers to his magical power.
"If he is You Sankuan, then the Taoist should be Taoist Master Hu Pi, the 'Elephant Turtle Blade', and the Confucian should be Taoist Master Wu Chunbo, the 'Dry Straight Sword'. These three people once followed Zhao Jinghua and fought against Hong Leichi's powerful army together with Zhao Jinghua."
Shi Hao seemed to be thinking: "That 'Thousand Splitting Explosion' Zuo Wuxiong is a fourth-rank master, and the people he brought with him are also strong. Yue'er, you scared them away so easily, there is no way those four people could not guess your identity, Yue'er."
"Logically speaking, they should have made some friends. Even if they didn't, they were being targeted by the Wei Ba Army. Where else in Lingnan would be safer than staying with you, Yue'er? Why did they leave so quickly? It's as if they were afraid of getting involved with you, Yue'er."
Ming Yueshu said: "This..."
She had a calm temperament. Although she was a top-grade official, she didn't often interfere in the affairs of the martial arts world, and she rarely made enemies with others. For a moment, she couldn't understand why the four people left in such a hurry.
She said, "Never mind! I just guessed that it was related to 'Xuan Wei Sword' Zhao Jinghua. Zhao Jinghua has done favors for the Lingnan martial arts community and the people, so I just helped out. They left in a hurry, probably because they had something else to do. We just need to do our own thing."
Shi Hao asked: "Yue'er, what does the monster in the Three-Tassel Ghost Cave look like?"
Ming Yueshu said softly, "According to the records of our ancestors, the monster was shaped like a dog, but it did not have seven orifices. It had been suppressed by a magic circle in the pre-Qin period, but was released by accident during the Sima Dynasty. The subsequent rebellion of the kings and the Five Barbarians' Rebellion were also related to this monster."
"This monster aims to wreak havoc on China. If it is released, it will cause further chaos, so it must be suppressed underground in Tianying Immortal Mansion. However, about two hundred years ago, an astonishing force hit the underground magic circle, causing murderous energy to overflow and the magic circle to be incomplete. The people of the Ye family were affected by the magic circle, went crazy, and killed each other."
"This is also one of the powers of the monster. In that battle, many members of the Ye family died, and only a few escaped. The Ye family is a witch family from before the Qin Dynasty. The magic circle that suppressed the monster can only be repaired by people with the blood of the Ye family."
"In the past three hundred years, China has been ruled by the Barbarian Court. The Ye family dared not ask for help from the government, and even dared not let outsiders know, in order to prevent the Barbarian Court from interfering and using monsters. They can only rely on the remaining people to continue to enter the Three-Tassel Ghost Cave. The ghost cave is filled with murderous energy. Although the Ye family members who entered have repaired the magic circle intermittently, they can no longer come out. Even if they can come out, they will inevitably fall into madness."
"Since the accident two hundred years ago, the Ye family has been small in number, and the magic array has to be replenished. Generation after generation, now, I am the only one left in the Ye family."
She lowered her eyes and let out a soft sigh.
Shi Hao, Sha Lingshan, and Xu Xiaoyan had never imagined that the Ye family would bear such a heavy responsibility, and they all sighed.
Xu Xiaoyan looked at Shi Hao: "Then why can he help?"
Sha Lingshan couldn't help but look at her young master.
Shi Hao did not tell them about Fairy Shengxuan. He just pretended to be mysterious and smiled: "The secret... cannot be revealed!"
Xu Xiaoyan muttered: "How many secrets do you have? I always feel like you can get involved in everything. The strangest thing is..."
The strangest thing is that he actually called the "female infant" Mingyueshu "Yue'er".
She's ranked third on the blacklist, a second-grade master. It would have been better if you called her "Miss Yue", but you just called her "Yue'er". Does that make you older than her
As they were talking, a head appeared from behind a tree in the distance. Looking closer, they saw that it was the escaped teahouse owner. He was probably surprised that the teahouse had not been demolished yet.
Xu Xiaoyan smiled and said, "No need to hide, those people have all left."
The boss then dared to come over and kept apologizing to them with a smile, as if it was all his fault.
Sha Lingshan wanted to pay for the table next to her, but he refused to accept it no matter what.
Nowadays, even if you are running a small business, you have to have some foresight. Those people have all left, but these four are still sitting here, drinking tea and chatting. These four people must be extraordinary.
Sha Lingshan smiled, put the stacked copper coins on the table, and did not allow him to refuse. Then the four of them floated away.
The four continued on their journey, and one day, they finally arrived at the Sanying Ghost Cave.
The Sanying Ghost Cave is located between chaotic mountains. This area is surrounded by high mountains and deep ravines, and there is no human habitation within a hundred miles.
There are jagged rocks and dense thorns. At the beginning, you can see towering ancient trees. The closer you get to the Three-Tassel Ghost Cave, the more you can feel the emanating malice. The trees seem to be petrified, withering and becoming gray.
Standing at the entrance of the Three-Tassel Ghost Cave, there is no grass growing here. There is a steep cliff behind and a tortoise-shell-like mountain range in front. The sky is dull and gray, as if it was stained with a hazy gray veil by the ominous air emanating from the ground.
Just standing in such a place, one would feel a chill in the heart for no reason, and at the same time, a feeling of disgust towards the world would surge up.
There is a crack on the hillside ahead. Under normal circumstances, such a crack would be difficult to be discovered.
But at this moment, it was surrounded by dry, hardened trees with a black aura surging inside, as if there were rolling, unknown creatures surging wildly, which was daunting.
Even Sha Lingshan, although a fourth-rank master, did not want to take another step forward at this moment.
Ming Yueshu turned around and looked at Sha Lingshan and Xu Xiaoyan, and said softly: "We will go in and seal the monster first. You two wait here and do not enter without permission."
Sha Lingshan gently waved her round fan: "Don't worry, senior!"
Xu Xiaoyan thought, we will never "enter rashly"... I don't want to go in just by looking at it.
Shi Hao said: "Little Jade, you should wait outside as well."
Little Jade appeared: "Yes! Young Master!"
Xu Xiaoyan turned her head and looked at Little Feicui. Little Feicui had been invisible and silent, and she almost forgot that Little Feicui was still following them.
Now little Feicui suddenly appeared and spoke, which scared her.
Ming Yueshu held Shi Hao's hand, and a clear air enveloped Shi Hao as well, and the two walked towards the mountain crevice ahead together.
Sha Lingshan and Xu Xiaoyan looked behind them.
Ming Yueshu always maintains the appearance of being about twelve or thirteen years old, and is petite. Shi Hao is already a young man, and although he does not look as strong and tall as Shi Hao because he does not major in external skills, he is quite tall.
The two of them held hands and went inside together.
Rather than saying that a top-class master is leading a mid-level master into a dangerous area, it seems more like an adult man is trying to trick an innocent little girl into some deserted, remote place to do something unspeakable.
It's really not their fault. The invisible malice emanating from this place makes them inevitably think the worst of everything.
Seeing the two men entering the dark crevice, as if they were being swallowed by the black monster inside, the two of them couldn't help but feel their hearts in their throats and were extremely nervous.
Sha Ling fanned herself and said, "Xiaoyan, what do you think the relationship between the two of them is?"
Xu Xiaoyan muttered, "How should I know? There is no one more mysterious than this guy. Humph, I don't believe you didn't investigate him before. I see you didn't find anything out."
Sha Lingshan smiled and said, "Although we haven't found anything, we do have some guesses."
Xu Xiaoyan turned her head to look at her and asked curiously, "What guess?"
Sha Ling fanned herself and said, "Oh, I was just talking casually, I can't remember it for a moment."
Xu Xiaoyan gritted her teeth... This woman is also hateful.
In front, Shi Hao and the little girl beside him were walking together in the surging black fog.
The drifting mist was like a ferocious beast, baring its fangs and waving its claws around them, emitting a heart-pounding but silent roar. Although they could not hear anything, the roar echoed in their hearts, making their scalps numb.
Chapter 282: Distorted Illusion
Various hideous stone statues twisted in the mist, looking grotesque and terrifying.
Ming Yueshu whispered: "This was originally a stone formation set up outside the Tianying Immortal Mansion to block possible trespassers. These stone peaks were not like this at first. They were just ordinary stone peaks that relied on their position to block outsiders.
"Ever since the underground magic circle was damaged and the evil energy leaked out, it has slowly become like this."
These stone peaks, twisted into various shapes, look like ghosts and are truly captivating.
Even if the stone peak was twisted and deformed, it would not turn into such a horrific shape. It can be imagined that this evil energy was aimed at the weak points of people's hearts. Even this ignorant and unconscious soil and stone were twisted into such a horrifying appearance.
Under the drifting mist, these ghosts seemed like they would come alive and pounce on them at any time.
Passing through these stone peaks, Shi Hao turned back from time to time and looked behind him. He would not feel at ease if he did not do so.
Just being in it, every cell of his body seemed to be gradually freezing.
This was the first time he felt this kind of palpitations. Logically speaking, no matter what, he was at least a fifth-rank master and had seen a lot of things since he entered the world of martial arts.
But this kind of atmosphere still inevitably made his hair stand on end.
Passing through these scattered and disorderly stone peaks, there is a ruin ahead.
Various crooked, collapsed buildings were shrouded in a mist that was gradually turning blood-red, and dark red threads were moving among the ruins.
"This is where the ancestors of the Ye family lived before!" Ming Yueshu said sadly, "It wasn't like this before. A long time ago, this place was called the Immortal Palace. It was an unknown paradise with unique spiritual energy. It was a paradise outside the world."
Shi Hao thought to himself that Sister Ziyin also lived here when she was young.
Walking between these buildings, there was dead silence all around.
It was very quiet, so quiet that it seemed to be tearing their hearts into blood bit by bit, and then turning them into nothingness, blending into the dark red blood light.
They continued forward and passed through a stone gate. The stone walls on both sides were deformed, and a broken bronze gate lay at their feet.
Ming Yueshu said: "This place used to be the forbidden area of the Ye family. Generally, only the direct descendants were allowed to enter. The core of the magic circle that suppresses monsters is here."
They held hands and walked through the stone gate. A scream came from behind them, and the space seemed to be breaking apart piece by piece. The dark red mist quickly transformed and rushed towards them frantically.
Only a stream of pure air flowed out from Mingyueshu's slender little hand, protecting Shi Hao.
Amid the loud bangs, Shi Hao felt that the space was breaking apart piece by piece, crackling and rolling in gray vortices in all directions.
Crack! The gravel was thrown into pieces and the earth and rocks underfoot were shaking wildly.
Ming Yueshu said, "That monster is also using the magic circle here to attack people who enter. Every time someone from the Ye family enters here, they are fighting with it for control of the magic circle. The airflow covering you is a mysterious spiritual energy hidden in the blood of the Ye family. If it were an outsider, no matter how powerful he was, he would have been shattered to pieces by now."
Shi Hao said: "Is this the main reason why people who enter the Three-Tassel Ghost Cave cannot leave alive?"
Ming Yueshu nodded gently: "This monster is terrifying. It escaped once during the Sima Dynasty and brought disaster to countless people. I don't know how much effort and how many lives were sacrificed before it was captured. It has been silent since then."
"When it was dormant, it was like a dead object. More than two hundred years ago, it was impacted by an unknown mysterious force and came back to life. It also has its own wisdom. The magic array that our Ye family needs to rely on blood to control is also being reversely controlled by it bit by bit."
"The Nine-Star Locking Vein Formation you brought is my only hope. Without it, I don't know what to do with it after a long time."
Shi Hao was led by her into a secret passage that sloped downward and turned many times.
Bang, bang, bang, bang, the space was like a beating heart, squeezing towards them with all its might.
The surrounding stone walls were painted with mysterious runes. These runes were intertwined and entangled with each other, as if resonating with the moon and resisting the force pressing down on them.
When we got underground, the view became much wider. There were stone pillars all around, and on the four pillars burned eternal flames of four colors: red, blue, yellow, and white.
The silent roar of the beast directly impacted their minds, and then spread from their minds to their bodies, causing their bones, blood, muscles, etc. to all vibrate.
Ming Yueshu frowned and said, "Today this monster is even more active than usual."
Shi Hao pretended to be relaxed: "Perhaps it also knows that it will be completely suppressed today, so it is anxious."