Qilidong, the altar of the Miao people.
The great battle last night didn't seem to have affected the peaceful atmosphere here. Under the leadership of the young wizard, Ghost Li and Xiao Bai walked in the altar in silence. Xiao Hui, who was lying on Gui Li's shoulder, seemed to be much quieter now, as if the gloomy atmosphere around him had calmed him down.
Walking through the long corridor, before arriving at the stone room deep in the altar, the young wizard nodded slightly, turned around and left without saying anything to them, and disappeared into the darkness after a while.
Around, only the two of them were left. Gui Li and Xiao Bai looked at each other, Gui Li said indifferently: "Let's go in!"
Xiaobai nodded in agreement, and the two walked in together.
The room was still very dark, and a pile of flames was still burning in the depths in front of it. In front of the flames, there was still a hunched figure sitting with his back facing them.
In this familiar scene, in a trance, what happened last night seemed unreal, maybe it was just a dream...
A slight cough sounded from the old man, and his back under the light of the fire trembled violently, breaking the silence here and bringing people back to reality.
"You are here," the great wizard said slowly in a hoarse voice after the cough stopped, "Come here!"
Gui Li and Xiao Bai walked behind him and sat down quietly, in front of this thin old man, for some reason, both of them felt that they didn't know what to say.
The great wizard seemed to sigh softly, and said: "The people of mine were rude to you just now, don't be offended."
Gui Li nodded slightly, said: "Don't dare."
The great wizard coughed twice again, but fell silent, saying nothing more. Gui Li and Xiao Bai had to wait patiently, but unexpectedly, after waiting for a long time, the great wizard seemed to be asleep, motionless, and had no reaction at all.
Ghost Li became more and more anxious. Firstly, he didn't know what the great wizard was thinking. Secondly, the sudden turmoil last night made him almost regret his whole life. If he missed Baguio because of himself, what a shame There is no redemption for a hundred deaths.
At this moment, after waiting for a long time, the great wizard still didn't seem to speak, Xiao Bai next to him was still patient and not in a hurry, but Xiao Hui was already impatient. Playful like a monkey, at this moment he couldn't stand the solemn atmosphere here, grabbing this place, slid here and there, and slipped off Ghost Li's body quietly.
Gui Li was anxious in his heart, he really didn't want to delay any longer, he immediately said: "Senior, the one I asked you for..."
Before the word "matter" came out, the great wizard suddenly interrupted: "Young man, let me tell you a story!"
Gui Li was stunned, glanced at Xiao Bai next to him, but saw that she also frowned, her eyes were full of confusion, obviously she didn't know what this old guy was thinking. It's just that at this moment, after all, there is a need for others, Gui Li can only sigh in his heart, restraining the impatient anxiety in his heart, and patiently said: "Senior, please tell me!"
The great wizard's hoarse voice resounded faintly in the depths of this dark altar, as if thousands of years had passed, and at this moment, it quietly turned back...
"Our southern border is located in the south of the vast land of China. It has never been as prosperous as the middle land, but it has its own unique origin..."
Ghost Li nodded silently, the unique customs here in Southern Border are indeed different from those in Central Earth.
"Everyone in the world now knows that here in southern Xinjiang, there are five clans standing side by side and living together on this land. But in fact, a long, long time ago, the five clans of Miao, Li, Zhuang, Tu, and Gaoshan were actually They belong to the same ancient clan, named 'Witch Clan'."
Both Gui Li and Xiao Bai were taken aback, not to mention that Gui Li had never heard of these things, even Xiao Bai had no impression of them.
The back of the great wizard is slightly distorted by the burning flames, reflecting on the ground. In his voice, there is also the "cracking" sound of firewood cracking in the flames, faintly, carrying the past time the vicissitudes of life.
"There is a legend in the clan that in ancient times, the ancient witch clan ran the southern frontier and had a powerful influence. The clan gave birth to aliens with profound witchcraft power. Among them, the witch maidens who served the witch gods in each generation were the most powerful in witchcraft."
"The so-called witch maiden is to select a virgin with the highest spiritual power from each generation of the ancient witch clan, serve the witch god in the altar, study witchcraft, and lead all the witch clan. This kind of life has been passed Many years, many years…”
Both Ghost Li and Xiao Bai raised their heads slightly, they are both smart people, they both know the key point that the great wizard said at this moment, they are about to come out. But at this moment, Xiao Hui, she didn't know where she was groping quietly in the darkness.
"However, in the third year after the succession of the eleventh generation of the witches of the ancient witch tribe, a sudden change occurred among the 100,000 mountains on the border of southern border." The voice of the great wizard was still hoarse, but his tone , but quietly rose, as if the vague excitement in his heart was slowly revealing.
"Among the Hundred Thousand Mountains, there unexpectedly appeared a monster known as the 'Beast God'. No one knew the origin of that monster, as if he just appeared out of nowhere in the precipitous and ferocious Hundred Thousand Mountains."
"At the beginning, no one noticed the existence of that monster, but gradually, the ancestors of the Wu tribe felt the change. Although the rolling mountains of Shiwanda Mountain are steep, there are lush forests and many animals. The hunters have always been able to enter and hunt. But since then, a vicious miasma has suddenly been born in the 100,000 mountains. If a person inhales it, his whole body will fester and die. What is even more strange is that the originally normal beasts have also appeared one after another. Weird changes have taken place, some monsters have turned into beast-headed and human-shaped monsters, they are extremely ferocious, they will kill anyone they see, and they will dismember their corpses and eat them, it is creepy, and the people of the witch clan are panicked for a while."
Gui Li and Xiao Bai couldn't help but glanced at each other again, all the things the great wizard said were really weird and unheard of.
The great wizard paused for a while, as if he was also immersed in the past that had been lost in the ancient history. After a while, he continued slowly: "At that time, the witch empress called the leaders of the wizards in the clan to discuss, and finally dispatched A team of powerful fighters led by three wizards went to the Hundred Thousand Mountains to find out what strange things had happened, causing poisonous miasma to suddenly appear in the mountains, and animals to change. But on the tenth day after the team entered the mountain, God, only the leading wizard with the strongest witch power escaped back, and his whole body was festered, and it was still ineffective despite the best efforts of the witch maiden. dead!"
"Beast monster..." Gui Li and Xiao Bai both said the name slowly in their hearts.
"From this time on, the ancestors of the Wu Clan finally knew that a monster appeared in the Hundred Thousand Mountains. Later, after many investigations, and after the sacrifice of many warriors' lives, they gradually realized that this monster suddenly appeared on the Hundred Thousand Mountains. In the forest, there is an unimaginable and strange power. Under his magic, the mountains that were originally lush forests turned into barren mountains, the clear rivers were full of venom, and poisonous miasma was everywhere. And the original animals in the forest, He was also turned into a monster by his demon method, and turned into various monsters such as bear man, tiger man, leopard man, werewolf, etc., ferocious and cannibal, extremely terrifying... "
The corner of Gui Li's mouth twitched suddenly, and cut off: "Is there a kind of murloc among them?"
The great wizard's back was shocked, and he was silent for a moment, as if he was thinking about something, then nodded slowly, and said: "Yes, there is indeed such a group of murlocs among the ferocious barbarians in the Hundred Thousand Mountains. Why, don't you..."
Gui Li pondered for a moment, and finally said: "That's right, I have seen such a monster with a fish head and a human body in the Western Great Swamp."
The great wizard's body was shaken, and finally he couldn't bear it any longer, he turned his head suddenly, the flames shone on his wrinkles, like the deep rings carved by the years, and his voice was hoarse at this moment: "You, you are really Did you see these monsters?"
Gui Li was silent but affirmative, nodded.
The great wizard's face turned pale, and he said: "It has appeared, it has finally appeared, God's will! God's will... But why did they appear in the west? Isn't the entrance of Shiwan Dashan guarded by Fenxiang Valley who cultivates Taoism?" what..."
On his old face, there were times of fear and confusion, and the expression kept changing, as if he was in a trance.
Gui Li stretched out his hand and patted the old man's shoulder lightly.
The great wizard shook his body, as if suddenly awakened, looked at Ghost Li, his expression gradually calmed down, then turned his head again to face the flame.
"I, let's continue talking! Anyway, if it is God's will, we mortals are powerless."
There seemed to be a little more desolation in his voice: "After knowing the monster of the beast monster, the people of the witch clan never lived a stable life, and as time went by, the monster under the beast monster All kinds of monsters gradually began to come beyond the 100,000 mountains. In this way, the news of the murder of the tribe continued to spread from all over the place, and the number of people was increasing. It really reached the point of panic. In the end, ordinary Wu people They even began to abandon their homes and migrate to the north recklessly, and it seems that if this continues, the entire Wu clan will be destroyed."
"The witches of that generation originally wanted to inquire more about this monster, and then discuss how to get rid of this monster. But at that time, there was a lot of anger among the witch clan, and the situation was at its most critical moment. She finally It is decided to call all the wizards and warriors in the entire Wu Clan to fight against this unrivaled monster and fight him to the death to save the Wu Clan."
"Unexpectedly, on the night when the Witch Empress made this decision, the Beast Demon led his countless demon subordinates, suddenly rushed out from the Hundred Thousand Mountains, and directly rushed to the place where the ancient witch clan altar was located. The witch clan altar, It is the place where the Wu clan people worship the witch gods. It has always been the lifeline of the clan and is sacred and inviolable. That night, it can be said that all the Wu clan people, regardless of men and women, even older children, all rushed to the battlefield to fight against those vicious Demons fight to the death!"
The great wizard's voice stopped slightly when he said this, while Gui Li and Xiao Bai each held their breath. The bloody fight in ancient times, as if in the surrounding darkness, in the words of the great wizard's desolate vicissitudes, quietly emerged again.
"That fierce battle is by no means what we can imagine. What my ancestors of the Miao nationality have passed down from generation to generation is nothing more than a scale and claw depicting that war. After the land, after countless warriors of the witch clan died with the demons with their bodies, the beast monsters finally brought some demons and rushed into the altar of the witch gods guarded by the witch maiden. Outside the altar, they are still fighting..."
"It's just that the great witch god has finally begun to protect his people at this moment, and the witch maiden of that generation is recognized as the most powerful witch in the past. After a shocking battle, the beast monster and his few A powerful subordinate monster was finally trapped by the witch maiden with the 'eight evil mysterious fire magic circle' handed down by the ancient witch god in the altar..."
"What?" Gui Li and Xiao Bai suddenly lost their voices at the same time.
The great wizard looked back at them strangely, and said, "'Eight Vicious Black Fire Array', what's wrong?"
Gui Li and Xiao Bai looked at each other, were silent for a moment, and said: "This name is quite strange."
The great wizard sighed, and said: "This magic circle was handed down by the ancient witch gods. It was activated with the rare treasure 'Xuan Huo Jian', the essence of all fires. The magic circle was trapped within it. The morale of the people of the witch clan was greatly shaken, while those monsters were in a state of confusion, and they were finally gradually repelled."
"It's just that although the magic power of the 'Eight Fierce Profound Fire Formation' is boundless, the power of the beast monster is really extraordinary. It was able to be burned day and night by the eight wild fire dragons. Although it was seriously injured, it still survived, and it was impossible to stand against the witch lady. Rest. At that time, in the entire altar, because the magic power of the magic circle itself was too strong, none of the wizards in other clans could approach to help. , when the entire Wu Clan people were almost crazy about it, the beast monster broke out."
"However, although the beast monster escaped, it was already dying from being burned by the magic circle. It didn't dare to stay for a while, and flew back to its lair in the 100,000 mountains. When everyone rushed to the altar, the witch lady She was also exhausted, so tired that she almost ran out of fuel. It's just that the witch maiden is really an admirable figure. She just rested for a day, but she decided to enter the Shiwan Dashan alone, to Get rid of the beast monster. Because if the beast monster recovers, I'm afraid the end of the witch clan will really come."
Xiaobai sighed lightly, and said: "This witch girl is really a hero among women, with a heart of Bodhisattva, she is so self-sacrificing for others!"
The great wizard said indifferently: "Here in southern Xinjiang, we don't believe in Bodhisattvas."
Xiaobai smiled, but didn't speak.
The great wizard continued: "At that time, none of the witch clan agreed with what the witch lady did. Everyone knew that she might never come back after she left. But the witch lady was determined and finally went It’s just accompanying, and there are the bravest warriors among the seven witch clans. Eight of them entered the extremely vicious Shiwan Mountain like this.”
"They traveled all the way, overcoming obstacles and killing countless monsters. Finally, on the sixth day, they came to the ancient cave where the beast monster lived. At this moment, the witch made an unexpected decision. She made the other seven people, Waiting outside the cave, she was the only one to enter the ancient cave. Naturally, the seven warriors refused, but the witch maiden was extremely determined, and she bluntly said that they would not help the matter if they went in, but would drag her down. In the end, the seven warriors also I just have to agree."
"After the witch lady entered the ancient cave, there was no news. The seven warriors waited outside the ancient cave for two full days and two nights. Finally, two of them couldn't bear it anymore and rushed into the ancient cave to look for the witch lady. But the other five thought that You should continue to wait and obey the order of the witch maiden. The seven warriors quarreled like this, and finally, those two warriors entered the ancient cave, and they never heard from them again."
"In this way, until the fifth day, when the remaining five warriors gradually lost their confidence, Mistress Miraculously staggered out of the ancient cave. At that time, Mistress, the whole person It was as if he had completely lost blood, and his face was frighteningly pale. But the five warriors were so overjoyed that they didn't notice this at all. The witch maiden summoned the five warriors to her side, and gave each of them a gleaming piece full of strange witch power. and told them that these five holy artifacts were refined from the body of the beast monster after she got rid of it. , the soul lingers."
"The five warriors turned pale with shock, and the witch lady said again, as long as the five holy artifacts don't return to this ancient cave, the beast monster will never be revived! After she finished speaking, her body trembled repeatedly, and all seven orifices suddenly bled. The five warriors were shocked, and the witch maiden exhausted her last strength and told them to ask the witch clan to guard the five holy artifacts forever, and never let the beast monster come back to life, otherwise, it would be the end of the witch clan and the world. You must stay outside this ancient cave forever, use your own soul to subdue all evildoers, and lock them in the ancient cave. After barely saying this, the shaman lady couldn't hold on anymore, so she stood up and passed away. After a while, she His body turned into a stone statue facing the depths of the ancient cave!"
The great wizard's voice slowly sank.
In the firelight, everyone's faces were a little strange, with an indescribable expression. After a long time, Xiaobai let out a long breath, and said, "What a lady! But you, great wizard, tell us this story. But for what?"
The back of the great wizard, as if bent by an invisible burden, was extremely bleak. He didn't answer Xiaobai's question. Instead, he continued on his own: "The five warriors returned to the witch clan after weeping bitterly. The great enemy was finally suppressed in that ancient cave, and the people of the Wu Clan were sad, but also a little bit happy. However, at this moment, the five warriors who had a high reputation because of the return of the demon, but because of Competing for the position of leader among the witch clan, and fighting among themselves."
"The most regrettable thing is that each generation of witch maidens in the witch clan is appointed by the previous generation of witch maidens, but this generation of maidens did not leave any instructions, and at that time, the five warriors all forgot to ask this question." Question. In this way, the Wu tribe, which has always been prosperous and strong, gradually split under the quarrel of the five warriors, and the people each supported one of them. Finally, it gradually split into the Miao, Li, Zhuang, Tu, and Tu in southern Xinjiang. The five clans in Gaoshan, and the five key sacred artifacts are also in charge of each of the five clans."
When this ancient but soul-stirring story finally came to an end, Gui Li took a deep breath, looked at the back of the great wizard, and said slowly: "Senior, after you have said so much, do you want me to help you find the holy artifact of the Miao people?" return?"