Although these young people in the reserve force of the "Shenji Battalion" made different choices at different crossroads, under the influence of Kongxuan Sanren's Karma and Taoism, they all finally gathered on the "Juxian Terrace".
At this moment, Du Jingjing’s mind was completely blank.
She knew that people like Gu Xu, Chen Yanping and Shangguan Jin were all outstanding beings even in the "Shenji Camp".
They either have extraordinary backgrounds, outstanding talents, or many means.
Du Jingjing did not feel that she had the ability to kill them and destroy all evidence.
"It's over now..." Despair surged into her heart like a tide.
At this moment, she even had the idea of jumping off the cliff and dying.
…………
At the same time, Shangguan Jin came to Xiao Shangzhen, squatted down, and observed his condition.
She saw that the normally lively fourth prince had dull eyes and no color on his face.
It is not difficult to see that his vitality is slowly draining away.
Shangguan Jin narrowed his eyes slightly, pinched Xiao Shangzhen's wrist, and let a trace of true energy pass through his flesh and blood and penetrate into his meridians.
Immediately, Shangguan Jin activated the magical power of "Heavenly Calculation".
Xiao Shangzhen's vital signs and true energy status were clearly presented in front of her in the form of data.
Although in everyone's perception, Shangguan Jin, the exorcist doctor, is a martial arts master - she has practiced all the moves such as "Cloud Sea Galaxy Sword" and "Meteor Walking on the Moon" pioneered by Luo Si. Must be extremely skilled.
But in private, she is also a master of poison.
She is familiar with the strange poisons in the world, and is well versed in the refining methods of various lethal poisons, intoxicants, charm potions, power-dispersing potions, etc.
The magical power of "Heavenly Calendar" also makes her even more powerful in using poison.
It’s just that she rarely uses these methods.
On the one hand, this is because monks who use poison usually have a bad reputation; on the other hand, she feels that poison should be used as a hidden trump card so that it can work wonders at critical moments.
Because of this, she quickly recognized what happened to the fourth prince.
"Did you feed him the 'Shengshengdan'?" She looked at Du Jingjing with a cold look.
"Life-devouring Pill..."
Gu Xu read through the classics and naturally knew about this terrible pill that could swallow up a monk's true energy and vitality.
It is extremely toxic, has rare raw materials, and is extremely expensive to make.
Thinking about Xiao Shangzhen's identity again...
Gu Xu immediately guessed that Du Jingjing's assassination probably stemmed from the power struggle of the Daqi royal family.
He couldn't help but sigh silently.
To be honest, when Shangguan Jin told him that the restrictions in the Laoshan ruins could block the secrets of heaven, he felt an ominous feeling in his heart.I had a premonition that something unexpected might happen in this ruins.
It’s just that he didn’t expect that the situation would be worse than the “murder and treasure grabbing” he expected.
The matter of a prince seizing the legitimate heir can be regarded as a dangerous muddy water. As long as you are involved in it even a little bit, it may be beyond redemption.
With Gu Xu’s usual character, he naturally hides as far away as he can.
But today, under the influence of Kong Xuan Sanren’s law of cause and effect, we happened to run into this kind of thing.
This gave him a huge headache.
…………
Du Jingjing did not reply for a long time.
At this moment, she fell to the ground, her face as white as paper, and her expression was lost.
Her behavior clearly acquiesced in Shangguan Jin's judgment.
"What a bunch of idiots." Shangguan Jin commented lightly.
However, she did not continue to question Du Jingjing. Instead, she took out a pill from her pocket and stuffed it into the mouth of the dying fourth prince Xiao Shangzhen.
"Your Highness, I do not carry the antidote for the 'Sheng-eating Pill' with me," Shangguan Jin lowered his head and said to Xiao Shangzhen with a serious face, "This 'Breaking Pill' can only Temporarily slowing down the loss of your vitality, but it cannot completely eliminate the toxicity of the 'Life-eating Pill'.
"You need to return to the capital within five days and ask the Chief of Staff to help you detoxify. Can save life.
"It's just...because the poison has damaged the foundation of your meridians, I'm afraid you won't be able to continue practicing in this life."
Xiao Shangzhen swallowed the pill, and after a moment of silence, Slowly said: "You...you mean, I can only be a mortal from now on?"
Shangguan Jin nodded: "If nothing else, it should be."
Xiao Shangzhen stopped talking.
Before this, he was extremely tired of practicing and hated all the spells and martial arts that his sister, Princess Zhaoning, forced him to practice. He wished he could sneak out of the house every day and play with the tops leisurely with other children. .
But now, when he lost his cultivation and could no longer practice, his mood was particularly complicated.
"Sister...she should be very disappointed with me..."
…………
At the same time, Chen Yanping’s face suddenly changed. It must be extremely gloomy.
The fourth prince Xiao Shangzhen is the only son born to the current queen Chen Anzhi.
He not only carries the expectations of Princess Zhaoning, but also carries the future of the Chen family in Xiangyang.
According to their original expectations, if Xiao Shangzhen can inherit the "Tai'a Sword" and become the next emperor of the Daqi Dynasty, then the Xiangyang Chen family will also soar into the sky and become the most prominent family in Daqi. gate valve.
But now, because of an inconspicuous little girl and a small "life-devouring pill", Chen's plan in Xiangyang was in ruins.
If the head of the Chen family were here, will definitely want to cut Du Jingjing and the main messenger behind her into pieces.
Thinking of this, Chen Yanping said to Du Jingjing in a cold tone: "Who ordered you to do this?"
Du Jingjing lowered her head and said nothing.
Chen Yanping continued: "You should know very well that murdering the prince of Da Qi is a serious crime against the entire clan. If you can answer my questions truthfully, maybe I can help you intercede in front of the emperor. , Spare your family’s life.”
Du Jingjing clenched her fist with her left hand and pinched her nails deeply into her flesh.
"I...I have no family..." she said with a trembling voice.
"What about the main messenger?" Chen Yanping raised his voice slightly, "Who ordered you to assassinate the fourth prince?"
"There is no main messenger!" Du Jingjing said with a cry, " I wanted to do this myself! I hate the fourth prince!"
As soon as she finished speaking, something happened.
She suddenly turned purple, convulsed all over, and black mist appeared around her, making her look particularly ferocious and terrifying.
"She wants to cut off her own meridians!" Chen Yanping immediately realized what she was doing.
But it all happened in a flash, and he had no time to stop it.
The next second, Du Jingjing fell to the ground and died.
…………
Gu Xu stood aside and watched all this silently.
Under this situation, he couldn't help but think of two things -
The first was that in the Tongfu Inn in Laizhou Prefecture, Du Jingjing asked him for advice on the art of seal script. scene.
At that time, Gu Xu did not know everything Du Jingjing was secretly planning - but he could clearly feel that her eyes eager for knowledge were absolutely sincere.
The second is that on the day of departure, Du Jingjing asked to accompany him in the Yamen of the Exorcism Department of Laizhou Prefecture.
Because Shangguan Jin and Chen Yanping were also present at the time, this was obviously a request that would be rejected.
Gu Xu guessed that her motive for doing this was to create a "weak and helpless" image for herself - so that when the prince was killed, she could ignore herself Suspicion on the body.
But when Gu Xu recalled the original scene, he felt that her acting skills were really poor - she lowered her head, her eyes were erratic, and her tone was trembling, undoubtedly trying to hide her thoughts.
Gu Xu sighed.
He knew that a simple girl like Du Jingjing was just an inconspicuous chess piece in the hands of a big shot.
Even when she cuts off her meridians and dies, maybe the big shot behind her will be very happy - after all, after she dies, she can no longer reveal the secret.
Then Gu Xu’s eyes fell on the fourth prince Xiao Shangzhen.
This cynical young man has a dazed expression at the moment, as if he has not yet recovered from what just happened.Come back to your senses.
Although he was lucky enough to save his life, he has lost all his cultivation. From now on, he will basically miss the "Tai'a Sword" and the throne of Daqi.
If the man behind the scenes was really one of his brothers, he would surely be secretly having fun under the covers after hearing the news, right?
But these things have nothing to do with Gu Xu.
He came to the Laoshan ruins today just to look for opportunities.
No matter who is sitting on the throne in the future, he doesn't care.
…………
“Your Highness, if you don’t return to the capital, I’m afraid it will be too late to detoxify.”
At this moment, Shangguan Jin suddenly spoke, The brief silence was broken.
At the same time, she picked up the luggage Princess Zhaoning prepared for Xiao Shangzhen from the ground and handed it to Xiao Shangzhen's hands.
Xiao Shangzhen said "hmm", took the bag, and got up from the ground with difficulty.
However, during this process, the "Magic Token" in his pocket accidentally fell to the ground.
It is turned upside down, revealing the unicorn pattern carved on it.
Since Gu Xu, Shangguan Jin and Chen Yanping had already guessed the identity of "Qilin", their expressions did not change at all when they saw this scene.
Only "Bifang" Chu Wei, who stood silently next to him, stared at the token that fell on the ground and opened his mouth involuntarily.
"It turns out...it turns out that Your Highness is the 'Qilin'..." Chu Wei stammered.
He recalled that on the day he set out from the Yamen, the fourth prince raised his chin and said to him arrogantly, "Girl Qilin has a distinguished status, and people like you can't reach it." That aggressive attitude was obviously I want to hide my secret!
Unknowingly, a beautiful fantasy deep in Chu Wei's heart was quietly shattered.
"Well, let me just say, how can there be a gentle and kind-hearted woman like the 'Qilin Girl' in this world?" He thought with despair, "It turns out that it was a prank by a young boy after all. That's all."
At the same time, after hearing Chu Wei's words, Xiao Shangzhen immediately picked up the "Magic Token" from the ground and walked down the mountain the way he came without looking back. go.
At this moment, he would rather be stabbed to death by Du Jingjing with a dagger than experience such a hellish thing.
Although he barely managed to survive physically, his soul was already dead.
…………
Although the assassination of the fourth prince was a major event that shocked both the government and the public.
But for the young monks in the "Shenji Camp", no big thing can compare with their own cultivation.
At this moment, in their minds, there is only the inheritance of Kongxuan Sanren.
After a short silence, "Candle Dragon" Chen Yanping took the lead to leave the "Juxiantai".
Xiao Shangzhen’s cultivation was abolished, which was a huge loss to the Chen family in Xiangyang, and alsoThis made Chen Yanping feel a little unhappy - in his opinion, only by winning the Immortal's inheritance could he ease his irritable mood slightly.
Immediately, Shangguan Jin also straightened his clothes, came to Gu Xu, smiled at him and said: "I was busy dealing with things just now, and I forgot to mention it - Gu Daoyou's posture of walking on the snow. , He looks like a god."
Gu Xu said lightly: "Fellow Taoist Shangguan is too praised."
"I don't have much time, so I won't chat with you here. ," Shangguan Jin then said with a smile, "I hope we will have a chance to meet in the future."
"I hope so!" Gu Xu said politely.
But in his heart, he just wanted to rush to his destination as soon as possible alone, and never wanted to experience such trouble again.
As a result, the two soon embarked on the mountain climbing again.
Just one to the left and one to the right.
With Gu Xu’s departure, the white snow on the “Juxian Terrace” also disappeared completely.
Only "Bifang" Chu Wei was left, standing there blankly.
After a while, he took a deep breath, finally recovered from the terrible incident that "the 'Qilin Girl' is actually a man", and set foot on the mountain climbing road again.
At this time, Chu Wei had almost lost all worldly desires.
He deeply realized that feelings and everything else are all lies.
Only pursuing the avenue is the true meaning of life.
…………
In the dark sky, the curved moon climbed higher and higher.
Su Xiao, the "white tiger" from Jiange, walked on the mountain climbing stairs with flying strides.
Like other monks, he also encountered many forks in the road while climbing the mountain.
No matter what choice he made, he did not see other climbers.
However, Su Xiao has never struggled with these issues.
His idea is simple.
If you encounter any obstacle, you only need to cut it with one sword and you will be able to reach the top.
…………
Gu Xu continued to walk along the mountain road in the woods filled with the chirping of cicadas.
Under the spell of "The Silence of Everything", snowflakes fell from the sky like salt, dyeing the tall trees silvery white, and making the pressure on the mountain road disappear.
A gust of cool wind blew by his ears.
Thousands of cicadas suddenly flapped their wings and rushed toward him like a violent storm, instantly occupying his entire field of vision.
The continuous chirping of cicadas became as loud as thunder, making Gu Xu feel dizzy.
He immediately realized that the cicadas in the woods were also part of the Laoshan Restriction - the chirping of the cicadas contained extremely terrifying spiritual attacks that could directly attack the monks' souls.
The "Dirty Talisman" that Gu Xu had engraved in the sea of consciousness in advance split ten times in an instant.
"That's all!" He smiled.
Then, a raging fire burned around him, turning the silver-covered mountain forest into bright orange.
The cicadas flying all over the sky were instantly reduced to ashes.
The mountains and forests fell completely silent.
…………
After the dense forest, there is the seaside.
A quarter of an hour later, Gu Xu followed the stone steps surrounding the mountain and arrived at a small hill near the sea on the east side of Laoshan Mountain.
The clouds and mist are slightly hidden here.
Silver moonlight shines on the sea.
The moon in the sky and the moon in the water complement each other.
The breeze blows slowly, the sea is calm, the floating light leaps into gold, and the still shadow sinks into the jade; it is as spectacular as being in a painting.
It can be said that "the mountains are clear with smoke and the moon is small, and the sea is calm at night and the tide is flat."
Gu Xu saw the reflection of Mount Laoshan from the calm sea.
On the top of the reflected mountain, there is a building with a simple shape - like a mirage, like a dream.
However, when Gu Xu raised his head and looked at the real mountain top, he found that the fog was thick on the top of the mountain and no buildings could be seen at all.
"It's really magical!" Gu Xu sighed silently in his heart.
However, just as he was walking and admiring the scenery, the moonlight reflected on the sea suddenly turned into countless silver blades, flying straight towards his location.
Because the blade flew so fast, several cuts were made in Gu Xu's clean black robe in an instant.
A few strands of black silk fell to the ground, like butterflies with broken wings.
However, Gu Xu’s eyes remained unmoved.
He immediately waved the "Jinghong Pen", using the entire sky as paper, and performed the "City-wide Wind Catching" technique.
The snowflakes in the dead of winter instantly turn into catkins in late spring.
It used four ounces of force to invisibly resolve the murderous intention coming from the moonlight.
But Gu Xu did not relax his vigilance.
On the contrary, his heartstrings tightened.
The restrictions set by the Ascending Immortal are indeed extraordinary - every scenery on Laoshan Mountain may contain hidden dangers, and you will die here if you are not careful.
He must not be careless.
…………
On the top of Laoshan Mountain, there are clouds and fog.
As Gu Xu saw his reflection in the sea, there was indeed an ancient building standing here.
With sky blue tiles, vermilion walls, and gray-white stairs; surrounded by green trees and clusters of flowers and plants, it looks like a fairyland on earth.
Above its gate, there is a plaque with the four characters "Dongtian Paradise" written in regular fonts.
And on its doorpost, there is a couplet——
The first couplet: The body is like a wandering cloud, the moon shadow and the stream light prove the nature;
Second line: Hearts and flowing water, the sound of pines and the color of bamboos, we forget togethermachine.
Outside the gate, under the stone steps, stood two Taoist boys.
One is wearing black and the other is wearing white.
They were motionless, with their eyes closed, looking like two sculptures.
However, when Gu Xu and others climbed up the mountain road, a burst of golden light suddenly appeared on the body of the little Taoist boy in white. Then he opened his eyes and said: "Brother, there are two people now. Passed the 'Tianhai Yueming' successfully."
Hearing his words, the little Taoist boy in black also opened his eyes.
He was silent for a long time and then commented: "This group of guests who came today...seem to be very interesting!"
"Senior brother, how do you say this?" The little Taoist boy in white said asked.
The little Taoist boy in black replied: "I wonder if you have noticed that the plain-looking guy with two swords, who deliberately pretends to be cold, has shockingly few causes and effects - he is the thickest. A thread of cause and effect is actually connected to the iron sword in his sheath."
"It seems that he is a sword fanatic!" The little Taoist boy in white commented expressionlessly, "It's just that the immortal master was the best at that time. I hate sword cultivators, but I don’t think he can reach the top.”
The little Taoist boy in black continued: “There is also that handsome young man who is good at using talismans, but he is involved in a frightening number of causes and effects. ——I have never seen such a person, who is covered with threads of cause and effect from head to toe."
"His understanding is indeed good," the little Taoist boy in white said lightly, "It's just an immortal master. He once said that it is taboo to involve too many causes and effects on the way to seek Taoism. I am not very optimistic about him."
The little Taoist boy in black continued: "There is also a woman who looks like a sword. Xiu is actually a poisoner - all the vicious apes in the forest were poisoned to death by her."
The little Taoist boy in white responded: "It seems that the immortal master was right. Wrong, beautiful women are dangerous."
"..."
The two Taoist boys stood motionless outside the house, discussing in a tone without any emotion. Young monks climbing a mountain.
As for the fourth prince’s assassination and Du Jingjing’s suicide, they were indifferent.
It seems that in their eyes, the losers on the hiking trail have no discussion value at all.
A few minutes later, the little Taoist boy in black said calmly: "That woman also successfully passed the 'Tianhai Yueming'."
"What is behind the 'Tianhai Yueming' ?"
"It's the 'Pine Forest'."
"Brother, how many of them do you think can pass the 'Pine Forest'?"
" That sword idiot has a chance... As for the others, I can’t say.”
…………
At the same time.
"Bifang" Chu Wei stopped in the woods filled with the sound of cicadas.
The mental attack originating from the chirping of cicadas hit his soul directly, causing him to endure torture-like pain.bitter.
His face was pale and he was covered in cold sweat. He was obviously frightened by this.
In his perception, he was just a little bit away from losing his mind and body and dying.
"Is it necessary to continue?" He took a deep breath and asked himself in his heart.
A group of cicadas almost killed him; if nothing else happened, the road ahead would only be more difficult.
He deeply felt that this crisis-ridden Laoshan ruins might not be the opportunity he could hope for.
After all, he has always been at the bottom of the reserves in the "Shenji Camp".
I am afraid that only the proud ones with extraordinary backgrounds and unique means will have the opportunity to climb to the top of the distant mountain and seek the illusory destiny.
Inadvertently, he remembered the words engraved on the boulder at the fork of the mountain road - "There is a time in life that must be there, but there is no time in life, so don't force it."
Chu Wei is no longer an ignorant and passionate young man.
He has family and concerns - it is very irrational for him to fight for the inheritance of the immortal.
He shook his head slightly, finally looked up at the mist-shrouded mountain top, then turned around and walked along the way he came.
At this time, he had mixed feelings in his heart, including regret and relief.
…………
After leaving the cliff by the sea, the pressure on Gu Xu suddenly disappeared.
He then removed the spell of "Wonderful Silence" and put the "Jinghong Pen" back into his pocket. The silvery white snow on the mountain road also melted.
After turning a few corners, Gu Xu walked into a dense pine forest.
Under a tall pine tree, an old Taoist with a white beard sat cross-legged.
He was wearing a dark blue robe, holding a whisk in his hand, with his eyes closed, as if he was dozing.
Gu Xu could tell at a glance that the appearance of this veteran was exactly the same as the appearance of Kongxuan Sanren in the library materials.
But this person obviously cannot be the real Kongxuan Sanjin. After all, the real Kongxuan Sanren had already survived the thunder tribulation and ascended to immortality twenty-three years ago.
"This should be another test set by Kong Xuan Sanren!" Gu Xu secretly guessed in his heart, "If I guess correctly, the old Taoist in front of me should be just a phantom."
At this moment, the white-bearded old man under the pine tree suddenly opened his eyes, looked at Gu Xu and said, "Your Majesty, why do you come to my forest?"
Gu Xu thought. After a second, he clasped his fists with both hands, bowed to the old Taoist and said, "This disciple came here to seek the great way, and I would like to ask the immortal master for some advice."
Hearing his words, the old Taoist narrowed his eyes slightly, She looked him up and down, and then responded: "Seeking Taoism is much more difficult than you think. A young man with red lips and white teeth like you may not be able to endure the hardship!"
Gu Xu saluted again and said firmly:"Master Immortal, I am not afraid of hardship."
What he said was not a lie.
Because ever since he traveled to this world and found out that he was not going to die soon, he has been practicing hard day and night. At the same time, he was crazy about taking on tasks for training resources, and rarely had any time to rest.
If you don’t have strong willpower and self-discipline, you will definitely not be able to do this.
"In that case..." The white-bearded old man smiled, conjured an old iron ax out of thin air, and handed it to Gu Xu's hand, "Then go help me chop wood first!"
Gu Xu took the heavy axe.
The moment he touched the axe, he found that the true energy all over his body was blocked by a mysterious force, as if he had become a mortal and could no longer use any extraordinary abilities.
At this moment, he was very grateful to Chen Jisheng, who had risked his life to pick the snow ginseng for him from the chassis of the "Yishan Snow Girl", so that his body was no longer as weak as before.
Otherwise, Gu Xu might not even be able to pick up the ax, let alone chop wood.
…………
At the same time, "Spirit Fox" Shangguan Jin also carried an ax and chopped firewood in another corner of the pine forest.
Although she is a close confidant of the head of the exorcism department and a proud person who is looked up to by countless young monks in Daqi.
But after the true essence was blocked, she was just an ordinary woman.
In just a few minutes, she already felt her arms were sore and sweating profusely, and she could no longer carry the heavy iron axe.
“I really don’t understand why Kongxuan Sanren, as a practitioner who has ascended to the immortal world, set up such a boring test,” she complained silently in her heart, “Practice tests the true essence; Comprehension, not physical strength. This is simply torture.”
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(2) "The body is like the idle clouds, the moon shadow and the light of the stream are proof of nature; the hearts are like the flowing water, the sound of the pines and the color of the bamboos are forgotten together." - "Meditation" by Wang Yan of the Qing Dynasty;
(3) Some level settings of Laoshan Ruins are inspired by the "Twelve Scenes of Laoshan".