—
Shi Hao followed Jiang Yiran and Chen Feng into an alley, turned around, and then climbed over a house and came to a secret room.
Jiang Yiran breathed a sigh of relief: "Brother Hao, are you injured?"
Shi Hao shook his head: "I'm fine! What happened? Why are there so many people from the Six Gates there?"
Jiang Yiran sighed, "Hero Fu was defeated, and the Barbarian Court ordered the Six Gates to encircle and suppress our Dark Thunder Society, and sent many masters from the wealthy families and a large number of barbarian troops to help. All the strongholds were severely damaged, and our society suffered heavy casualties."
"The base on this side of Daxing City was originally quite hidden, but after someone in the guild was captured, he could not withstand the torture of the Six Gates. In order to cover everyone's retreat, Master Zhu was seriously injured, and most of the heroes of Xunmu Hall were sacrificed."
"The Six Gates still felt that it was not enough, so they left secret agents in ambush here, hoping to wait and see, and lure some people who are unaware of the inside story into the trap. Although we have secretly notified each of the brothers one by one, telling them not to go to the alleys, we still cannot contact you, brother Hao."
"Master Zhu was worried that Brother Hao would not know the situation and fall into an ambush, so he asked some brothers to disguise themselves as ordinary people and guard nearby. We two came here because we had met Brother Hao before. But for some reason we did not see Brother Hao. It was not until the barbarian army in ambush began to mobilize that we knew that Brother Hao had arrived in the alley."
Shi Hao knew that he used his real appearance before entering the alley, and only when he got there did he start using the Evil Shadow Disguise Technique.
Originally, he didn't want to be recognized to avoid trouble, but unexpectedly, he managed to avoid the secret sentry that could intercept him through hidden mines.
He whispered, "I'm sorry to have made you worry!"
Jiang Yiran shook his head. "Brother Hao, I'm glad you're okay. Recently, the Barbarian Court has carried out a bloody crackdown on our guild, and has not spared anyone who has anything to do with the Dark Thunder guild. The Six Gates are cruel, and under the strong pressure, our guild has also produced many traitors. Brother Hao, you'd better stay out of the spotlight these days."
Shi Hao said: "There is one more thing, I hope you two can try to tell the leader of your association..."
He told the story of the barbarian court's construction of the canal, which might have other intentions. He also said, "When the second emperor of the Yang Dynasty died, Emperor Yang Yang also built the canal at all costs before his defeat. There might be some unknown secret behind this."
"Your association is full of talented people. Perhaps you can try to see if you can combine the past events of the Yang Dynasty with the canal renovation by the Barbarian Court to find clues. In addition, you may want to pay attention to the movements of the Ancestral Altar. This time, the Ancestral Altar and the Ghost Extreme Sect had a big conflict in Daxing City. Everyone is clear about the purpose of the Ghost Extreme Sect, but the purpose of the Ancestral Altar is still mysterious, or there are some unknown plots."
Jiang Yiran and Chen Feng looked at each other and were also moved by his guess.
Jiang Yiran whispered, "Don't worry, Brother Hao. I will inform the hall master immediately and ask him to notify the chief leader as soon as possible."
Shi Hao bowed and said, "Thank you for your help!" Then the three of them said "take care" to each other, and Jiang Yiran and Chen Feng left in a hurry.
Shi Hao turned around and after confirming that no one was following him, he changed back to his original appearance, entered the downtown area, and walked among the crowd.
The Man Court finally began to wipe out the Dark Thunder Society with all its might, and even the major powerful families in the Man Court sent out experts. This shows that the Man Court has regarded the Dark Thunder Society as the biggest threat.
The reason why the Dark Thunder Society was able to grow and develop in the past was because they hid in the dark. When the Minwu Ridge battle happened, they began to emerge from the dark. The Dark Thunder Society was clearly behind the uprising in Changbai Mountain. Next, the bloody suppression of the Dark Thunder Society by the Barbarian Court was inevitable.
Although he informed the Dark Thunder Society that there might be hidden reasons behind the Barbarian Court's renovation of the canal, the Dark Thunder Society was now in a difficult situation under the brutal suppression of the Barbarian Court, and it was probably difficult for them to do anything.
He thought quickly in his mind: "The key is what exactly does the ancestral altar want to do in Longshou Mountain? The Ghost Sect obviously wants to use the true dragon energy to create a 'human ghost realm', but what about the ancestral altar? What purpose does Grandma Naba want to achieve with the true dragon energy?"
He thought to himself that maybe he could start with Yueyaer.
He just recalled that from the various signs when he was Yueyaer's bodyguard during those few days, although Yueyaer was highly valued by Grandma Ba, she was obviously still unaware of such core secrets.
After all, Yueyaer is too young. Even if she can gain the trust and cultivation of Grandma Ba because of her family background and her own abilities, it is still unlikely for her to get involved in such secrets.
Although he passed the news to the Dark Thunder Society, Shi Hao was still worried deep down.
—He walked back to Bishu Villa, entered the back garden, and returned to the attic, where he saw Du Yuejiao sitting on the couch in meditation with auspicious expression.
The evil spirit enveloped her, vaguely like a dancing flame or the bright moonlight, giving her a dreamy temperament.
At this moment, she was practicing the "Phantom Moon Demon Flame Art" of the Evil Lotus Sect's Moon God system.
While she was practicing magic, fragrance emanated from her skin, and soon the room was filled with the aroma.
This is the effect of the Taoist inner elixir she practiced!
The Taoist technique that Du Yuejiao originally practiced was the Shenlan Jue. When he reached a high level of perfection, his body exuded a faint fragrance.
After entering the seventh level, it seemed that she was still practicing the advanced skills of Shenlan Jue.
Shi Hao believed that the magic skills she practiced could make her beautiful, and the Taoist skills she practiced could make her fragrant.
I always feel that the technique she practices is a bit subtle.
Shi Hao did not disturb her practice, and left the pavilion and went to the other side. In the incense pavilion where Xiaoyan lived, there was a rapid sound of breaking through the air.
Shi Hao came to the window and looked inside, only to see Xiaoyan waving his sword in the narrow space.
When he went out before, he did not take the sword with him. Now Xiaoyan took it and used it to practice sword fighting.
The sword shadows were swift and sharp, and they were like a straight line, constantly stretching and shrinking, strange and unpredictable. It was the Seven Swords of Qimen practiced in conjunction with the "Black Jade Demon Meteorite Technique".
Since she was also practicing sword, Shi Hao did not disturb her.
After all, when traveling in the world, improving your strength is always the top priority.
Shi Hao walked around the garden. Although he also wanted to start practicing Yin Mei Jiubian, he found that the Nine Yin Magic Yuan in his body was still insufficient.
In fact, skills and martial arts are often separate. Just like the Magic Wuji Skill and the Purple Swirl Sword Skill, the two are used together to achieve excellent results, but if you haven't learned the Magic Wuji Skill, it doesn't actually hinder the practice of the Purple Swirl Sword Skill, it just makes the effect mediocre.
Xiaoyan just started practicing the Black Jade Demonic Meteorite Technique today, but it does not prevent her from practicing the Seven Swords of Magic. The same is true.
However, the Yin Mei Nine Changes is completely different from other martial arts. Before practicing the Nine Yin Demon Yuan Jue to a certain level, it is impossible to practice it.
Shi Hao had no other options.
I picked up a branch and thought that since I had so much free time, I might as well practice sword fighting for a while.
But I saw someone walking towards the garden gate with a gauze fan...
Chapter 135 Demonic Sect
"Young Master!" Sha Lingshan always has a calm and relaxed temperament, waving a round fan in her hand with a graceful figure.
She said, "Elder Shuiyue has arrived and is waiting outside the garden!"
Shi Hao said: "Let her in!"
The gauze fan floated out, and soon she led an old woman in blue clothes into the garden again.
The old woman bowed before Shi Hao: "I pay my respects to the young master!"
Shi Hao said: "Grandma, you're welcome. Get up!"
Grandma Shuiyue stood up and stood aside with a respectful attitude.
Shi Hao asked: "Grandma, what do you think about the integration of the three branches?"
Grandma Shuiyue bowed and said, "Young Master, just rest assured. Although the sects were split in the past, everyone in the split sects actually wanted to rebuild their sects. It's just that the true teachings have not been revealed, so no one can convince anyone else. Now that the young master is the banner, the three altar masters have also clearly notified each altar that there is no problem with the integration of the sects."
Shi Hao nodded. He was not too worried about this actually. With the support of "Charm Emperor", Xuan Feng Huan Zhi, Yue Yao Tai and Sha Ling Shan would naturally be loyal to him.
With these three around, even if there are still others who are dissatisfied, the Demon Sect has its own ways to integrate them.
He said, "The three altar masters all need to prepare for the advancement ceremony. You will be in charge of the sect affairs for the time being. Improving the strength of the sect is the top priority. The Night Charm Codex will be in your care for the time being. You can teach the sect disciples martial arts according to their own skills."
Originally, due to the division of the Night Demon Codex into three parts, some matching techniques and martial arts were separated, such as the Unlimited Magic Skill and the Purple Vortex Sword Skill, the Black Jade Magic Meteorite Skill and the Seven Swords of Wonderful Gate. Originally, they were matching techniques and martial arts, but in the end, there are some techniques but no martial arts, and some martial arts but no corresponding techniques.
Such a split made the original three Evil Lotus Sects become purely small sects in the Demon Sect. When facing a big sect like the Ghost Extreme Sect, they were simply not worth mentioning.
As the young master, he only needs to hold on to the "Secret Code". As for the "Ming Code", he still needs to expand its influence in the sect in order to enhance the strength of the entire Evil Lotus Sect.
He said: "There are two points. The first is to resist the barbarians. Even if it is a demon sect, it is first and foremost a demon sect of China. How can we call home if the barbarian court is not destroyed? Of course, the Evil Lotus Sect is a demon sect, so there is no need to directly fight against the barbarians in public, but in secret, intelligence gathering cannot be neglected, and support should be given to various anti-barbarian volunteer armies under certain conditions.
"In addition, we might as well secretly cultivate our own 'rebel army'. Once the Barbarian Court collapses, we can take advantage of the situation and rise up.
"Another point, quietly arrange personnel to keep an eye on the movements of the ancestral altar, and at the same time pay attention to whether there are any abnormalities in the entire process of the Barbarian Court's construction of the Grand Canal. The two can be compared with each other for reference. If you find anything, notify me in time."
Grandma Shuiyue said, "I obey your command!"
Shi Hao said: "Also, use the Moon Spirit Stone to forge a sword, and then make a Ghost Spirit Banner, and draw the Moon Spirit Picture on it. There are manufacturing methods in the magic book, and you can use them after forging them." This is the material needed for Yue Jiao's magic skills to advance. "
Grandma Shuiyue said, "Young Master, just rest assured. Leave this matter to me."
Shi Hao paused for a moment, then continued, "The Guiji Sect suffered a great defeat in the battle of Longshou Mountain, and suffered heavy losses. I heard that Peng Tianwang was killed by his men while he was seriously injured and escaping. The split of the Guiji Sect is probably inevitable."
"Tell me now, are there any other powerful sects in the Demon Sect?"
Sha Ling Shan waved a small round fan embroidered with a beauty and said in a gentle voice, "Young Master! I will tell you about this.
"Although the Ghost Sect is known as the largest sect among the demon sects, that is only because it has the largest number of members, and therefore appears to be the most powerful. Most demon sects value quality over quantity, unlike the Ghost Sect, which randomly recruits members of varying quality, so it appears that it is not as powerful as the Ghost Sect. However, when it comes to experts, there are at least several demon sects that are no less powerful than the Ghost Sect."
"There is the Poison Sunflower Sect, which specializes in practicing magic. The disciples of the Poison Sunflower Sect roam the world and never let anyone know where their master comes from. Therefore, not many people in the martial arts world know about the Poison Sunflower Sect, but among the magic sects, it is an extremely sinister and difficult sect. Moreover, most of their magic sect rituals are related to poison, which often causes disasters where no grass grows and people are calamities."
"Young Master, if you encounter a warrior whose internal energy carries a deadly poison in the martial arts world, you must be careful. He is most likely from the Poison Sunflower Sect."
Shi Hao nodded. The internal force was poisonous, and this kind of thing was indeed insidious and difficult to deal with.
Sha Lingshan continued, "The Huadie Sect, this sect has many handsome men and beautiful women, and is quite evil. They are not the lowly evil sect that takes yin to replenish yang or takes yang to replenish yin. They are closer to the effect of our Xielian Sect's Moon God system after practicing to the extreme. There are not many descendants, but each of them has a unique temperament. If they are not handsome young men, they are stunningly beautiful ladies."
"They are also very well hidden, and because of their temperament and skills, they are very good at disguising themselves. When walking in the martial arts world, they often pretend to be disciples of famous families. If you are not a truly powerful person, it is difficult to force them to reveal their hidden magic skills. They like to seduce famous young men or famous women in the martial arts world, play with them and then discard them like a worn-out shoe. Similarly, few people in the martial arts world know about the Flower and Butterfly Sect, but we must be on guard against them."
"In addition, there are not many descendants of the Flower and Butterfly Sect. Generally, they will never appear in the martial arts world if they have not cultivated to the middle level or above. Therefore, every descendant of the Flower and Butterfly Sect is extremely powerful."
"In short, whether it's the Poison Sunflower Sect or the Flower and Butterfly Sect, they are both sects that are not well known to the outside world, but all of their disciples are masters. Once you encounter them, you will be extremely troublesome. In addition, there is the Tianxie Sect. This sect knows a lot more. After the Guiji Sect weakened, the biggest beneficiary was the Tianxie Sect."
"There are many masters in the Tianxie Sect, including several fourth- and fifth-grade masters, and even more sixth- and seventh-grade masters. The leader of the Tianxie Sect, Elder Scorpio, should have already reached the upper grade, but not many people know about it. After all, the Tianxie Sect is also a demon sect. Although there are more people, most people in the martial arts world know that there is such a demon sect, but the masters inside are quite mysterious."
"The Tianxie Sect is ruthless. Once you become their enemy, they will often use extraordinary means to wipe out the entire family. They are cruel, secretive, and unscrupulous. There are very few people in the martial arts world who have the courage to offend the Tianxie Sect. Therefore, although their momentum is not as strong as that of the Guiji Sect, not many people dare to offend them. Many people would rather be the enemy of the Guiji Sect than avoid the Tianxie Sect!"
"There are also some other sects that are almost all passed down from one person to another. These sects are even more secretive..."
Shi Hao listened to her explanation one by one and felt that the Demon Sect was indeed the Demon Sect. Each of those sects was truly strange and evil. Many of them behaved in a way that was simply incomprehensible to outsiders.
"Oh right!" Shi Hao looked at Sha Ling Shan and said, "Sha Tan's main training is also the Illusionary Color System, right? I wonder how you advanced to the fifth level?"
Sha Ling Shan covered her lips with her small round fan and said with a smile, "Young Master, you are talking about the 'dawn killing' in the ritual, right? In fact, if it's just the dead, it wouldn't be that difficult. There is always endless fighting and killing in this world. The key is still the time point of 'dawn'."
"At dawn, the sky is already bright. For many people, after a night's rest, they have energy, but not yet full of energy. This time is not conducive to sneak attacks or decisive battles. It is indeed very troublesome to create a killing calamity at this time."
"I knew about this ceremony a long time ago, so I made plans several years in advance, controlled a gang, and forced them to attack another gang at dawn, causing both sides to suffer losses. In this ceremony, although I absolutely cannot intervene in the battle, there is nothing wrong with making plans in advance."
"Of course, because the ceremony must be performed on the battlefield, it must be undisturbed for at least a quarter of an hour, and the location must be chosen well, and it would be best if there were someone to protect it."
Shi Hao thought about it. Although her method was good, it took too long to prepare. It took several years to completely control a gang and enforce its orders. He probably didn't have that much time!
We can only take one step at a time and see!
He looked at Sha Lingshan curiously: "The Xuanfeng altar master and the Yue altar master have already left the villa to prepare for their respective advancement ceremonies. Why does Sha altar master still look so leisurely? Could it be that the materials and ceremonies for advancement have been prepared long ago?"
Sha Ling covered her face with the round fan and sighed faintly, "When the young master advances to the fourth level, he will know that the materials and rituals for this level cannot be prepared at all. It is purely a matter of fate."
Shi Hao said "uh" and began to feel something was wrong.
Of course, it was a bit far-fetched for him to consider this.
Although the benefits of practicing both the Taoist and the Demonic sects are self-evident, the disadvantages are also obvious... The Taoist immortal materials and the Demonic sect's rituals require double the amount of preparation.
Sha Lingshan said, "This villa is just a temporary residence. Young Master, are you interested in going to the Shuiyue Pavilion in Jinghua Lake and allowing us to entertain you wholeheartedly?"
Shi Hao shook his head: "The situation is becoming increasingly chaotic, and there is not much time to relax. I plan to take Yue Jiao and Xiao Yan and leave early tomorrow morning. If we have time, we will go to Jinghua Lake again!"
She covered her chest with the round fan and bowed slightly, "In this case, I will be waiting for you at Jinghua Lake.
Shi Hao also discussed some directions of sect integration with Sha Lingshan and Grandma Shuiyue. He did not want to interfere too much in the specific affairs of the Xie Lian Sect. If he interfered too much in such things, it would only interfere with cultivation.
He himself is only a sixth-rank, and in this world, personal strength is more important than anything else. The Evil Lotus Sect can be a great help to him, but if he himself is not strong enough and cannot convince others, the help may not necessarily become a hidden danger.
In comparison, he was more willing to believe in his own strength, and together with Yue Jiao and Xiao Yan who had also begun to practice Taoism and magic.
As long as they follow him and improve quickly, they will become his wings, making him even more powerful.
Chapter 136: Jianghu
The dark clouds in the sky were not dense, but just scattered. Although it didn't look like it was going to rain, it made the world seem even more depressing.
In fact, the wheat has not yet reached the harvest time, but the wheat fields at the foot of the mountain are mottled and in a mess.
The barbarian cavalry swept into the stone town, and there were cries and shouts in the town. After a while, many farmers were escorted out in shackles.
No laws or explanations are needed; the method of conscription is simple and brutal.
Shi Hao, Du Yuejiao and Xu Xiaoyan looked at the devastated scene at the foot of the mountain.
"They just arrest people like this?" Du Yuejiao was shocked at this moment. "Aren't these soldiers afraid that someone will report them to the court?"
Xu Xiaoyan turned her head and looked at her as if she was a fool.
Shi Hao shook his head: "This is not just the case here. I'm afraid it's the same in all the provinces. Building the canal requires people, and doing odd jobs in the army requires people. The more rebel armies there are, and the more barbarian armies are fighting fires everywhere, the more people are needed."
"Where do these people come from? Aren't they just arresting people everywhere? The lives of ordinary people are nothing to them."
Xu Xiaoyan said sarcastically: "You only know this now? What world are you living in?"
Du Yuejiao was speechless for a moment.
Shi Hao knew that it wasn't her fault.