Volume 4 The Rise of the Dragon
Chapter 368
turbulent world
Attacked in the woods (Part 2)
Volume 4: Rise of the Dragon Chapter 368: Turbulent World Attack in the Forest (Part 2)
(More than ten years have passed in a hurry. The world has changed again and it can no longer be viewed according to real history. Therefore, the first few chapters of this volume can also be regarded as explaining the background of the times and foreshadowing the plot.)
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For mortals, the constant appearance of monsters and monsters and the various changes in heaven and earth are like disasters. Even cultivators are worried and afraid of this situation. Therefore, people will go from the changes in heaven and earth to the current disaster-like situation. The situation is called "magic disaster". The demons here refer to monsters and monsters, and also refer to the demonic energy that has increased significantly due to changes in space.
Previously, due to the large number of wild beasts and monsters in wilderness and woodlands, few people traveled. Instead, the population began to gather in various towns and gathering points. The unity between people was greatly improved, even if it was absolutely necessary. If you want to go out for a walk, you must gather at least dozens of people, and there must be warriors or mages among them, otherwise it will be difficult to move at all. Not to mention the real monsters, even those beasts that have been mutated by evil spirits and evil spirits will frequently attack humans. Therefore, if there are rare poor people or brave people, no one will act alone because it means extreme danger.
However, even so, due to the different strength and temperament of demons in various places, even if you are prepared, it does not mean that you can sit back and relax, because compared to fragile mortals, no matter how bad the demons are, they can pose a fatal threat. However, the number of cultivators who can truly suppress demons is too small to protect everyone's safety. Therefore, in the years before the advent of the "devil-proofing talisman", countless incidents of demons attacking people occurred in various places. According to incomplete statistics, the population of the Song Dynasty alone It will be reduced by 30% (including factors such as low productivity, lack of food, short lifespan, and difficulty in treating diseases in ancient times, which are not entirely the causes of demonic disasters).
But as the saying goes, "Danger breeds opportunity." Demonic disasters bring not only disasters but also positive things. After the argumentation and analysis of many experts in the cultivation world, it was found that the cause of the changes in the world is not only the destruction and fueling of the demonic path in the world (such as the "Sky-Breaking Demonic Array" in Jiutian), but the bigger reason is the "Spirit Sky Immortal Realm" located in a similar plane. "Invaded by the demon world, the demon world as a high demon plane collided with the plane system of the spiritual sky fairy world of the intermediate aura plane, causing time and space to be disrupted. Many of the original powers of the demon world and the spiritual sky fairy world poured into the human world through certain connection channels. The integration of the original plane system and the original power of the plane with the human world has led to certain changes in the concentration and composition of the aura in the human world.
It is not difficult to understand that originally the human world and the demon world were part of the ancient ancient continent. Later, although they were split into different spaces due to the great catastrophe of heaven and earth, they still have a disconnected relationship with each other; not to mention the spiritual and spiritual world. It was a space that was separated from the human world tens of thousands of years ago by people with great supernatural powers. Even the spiritual energy was plundered from the human world. It can be said that the subsidiary planes of the human world are even more closely connected with each other. Changes between them will naturally have a great impact on the human world.
Although compared to the huge original power of the demon world and the spiritual world, the original power lost due to collision is only a small part. But after all, it is a high-level source of energy, which is already a great tonic for the human world that has gone downhill and the regional spiritual energy is poor! The powerful source of demon power not only changes some rules in the human world, but also stimulates more vitality, allowing it to attract and generate more demons and monsters!
Of course, the source power of the spiritual world contained in it has also changed some of the rules. In some places in the human world, the spiritual veins are larger and can attract and generate more spiritual energy. And although demons are low-level, they are not ordinary beasts. They have fur, bones, magic cores, inner elixirs, and even flesh and blood, hair, etc. There are also many plants that have been mutated by the influence of demonic energy and spiritual energy. In the hands of cultivators who are proficient in refining weapons, minerals and ores can become suitable materials to refine various magic weapons and elixirs.
And the low-level demons that continue to appear provide the world of cultivation with dozens of times more materials than usual! The large number of magic weapons and elixirs coupled with the increased spiritual energy concentration and the increased cultivation speed are of great benefit to the world of cultivation.
If we put aside the fact that this demonic disaster is actually a "prosperous era" in the world of cultivation.
However, generally speaking, the proportion of demonic energy in the aura of the human world is constantly increasing. Although cultivators can obtain temporary benefits, if it goes on for a long time, when the demonic energy completely fills the world, those demonic cultivators will be eliminated. Other cultivators will no longer be able to absorb pure spiritual energy. As a result, they will either die or migrate to other spaces or stars. In this way, the human world will become the next affiliated plane of the demon world. This is the real disaster!
Of course, there are many talents in the world of cultivation. No one can't see this trend. They must have made various arrangements for it long ago. However, these are the secrets of each faction and are not known to outsiders.
For ordinary people, the "Evil Talisman" is a treasure that can truly change their destiny. It is simple to use, quick to effect, rich in functions, and practical. Even an ordinary person can become a "master" as long as he affixes a "devil-proofing charm" before its effectiveness disappears, and his survivability is greatly enhanced. Moreover, after regular use of the "Devil-Repelling Talisman", people were surprised to find that their physiques had also improved a lot. Although they could not achieve the effect of being enhanced by the "Demon-Repelling Talisman", they could actually improve people's physique. Some people even claim that if they can continue to use a thousand "Devil Breaking Talisman". At that time, even without the "Demon Talisman", you can become a "Superman" no less than those martial arts masters who have practiced for many years! Even some people with good bones can improve their physique to the level suitable for those practicing sects to recruit disciples!
Not only can it increase temporary safety, but it can also continuously improve the physical constitution of the body. The most important thing is that the requirements for redeeming the "Devil-proof Talisman" are not high, except for purchasing five high-quality papers directly with money. Ten copies of demon blood and some additional mutant ores can be exchanged for a "devil-proofing talisman" that can save lives in critical moments. Even if there are no designated materials, the imperial court has also announced a long list of exchange materials, including demon materials, medicinal materials and ores, spiritual stones and jade, and even food and grain~~~~~~~, etc., etc., all-inclusive, these can be selected. According to the ratio of mutual exchange, as long as enough exchange amount is collected according to this, you can exchange for the corresponding "Devil-proof Talisman".
This avoids the embarrassing situation of people harvesting a lot of materials but being unable to redeem the "Devil-proof Talisman" because of a certain material shortage. This decision greatly facilitated the lives of the people and the Song Dynasty court, which made this decision, also greatly enhanced its prestige and reputation and became more trusted by the people. Of course, the "Devil-proof Talisman" is not the only one. It is also divided into three levels: high, medium and low. It can increase the power by three times, six times and nine times respectively. The exchange price for each level is also ten times higher. However, the price set by the imperial court is not high. Even if it is just a strong man who has practiced martial arts for three years and joins the team to hunt demons, as long as he is lucky and works for a month, he can harvest materials that can be exchanged for low-level demon-proof talismans; if he is more talented and has practiced If the skill is strong enough and you are lucky, even mid-to-high-level magic warding talismans are not unaffordable.
Convenience, practicality, and more importantly, the low price compared to the function is simply high quality and low price; and out of hatred for monsters and worship of the strong, people often praise and envy those who can hunt monsters." The profession of "demon hunter" was born accordingly and developed rapidly. Hunting monsters can not only gain wealth and power, but also gain honor, which is what many people long for; this encourages people to buy "devil-proof charms" and the popularity of going out for hunting has greatly increased. Countless people want to gain honor, master power, and even People who have changed their destiny have joined the team of demon slayers to bravely fight against the monsters invading the world. The human world has also set off a wave of wars between humans and demons.
"This is the worst era. During this period, the sky is shrouded in darkness and monsters are rampant on the earth. Mortals are suffering from killings and disasters; the weak are killed, and the killers are screaming ferociously, bringing darkness and disasters to the world:
This is also the best of times. In this period, the light of hope is blooming everywhere, and the fighting spirit of the brave is burning brightly. Frail humans have withstood attacks from monsters with their weak bodies and continue to grow and strengthen in the flames of war;
The warriors raised their sabers to the demons. The heroes rose in the battle. The powerful demons were still strong and continued to grow stronger, but the fire of human resistance was also constantly burning, eventually forming a prairie fire;
This is the stage for the strong and the stage for heroes. This is a sacred era of demon disaster! "Arion Wright, a legendary bard who traveled to China from the West, wrote this poem after experiencing several years of demonic disasters.
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Of course, mortals are just mortals after all. No matter how strong they are, they have their limits. Even if they are equipped with "Devil-proof Talismans" and weapons, they cannot compare with aggressive and bloodthirsty monsters in one-on-one situations. So people gradually grew up in the baptism of blood and tears of the war between humans and demons. They learned unity, strategy, strategy, and cooperation to use wisdom and strength to hunt monsters. After all, human nature has its glorious side. In disasters, human beings abandon all the bad habits of the past and face life with a more positive attitude.
Of course, all this is inseparable from the guidance of the Song Dynasty court, the famous leader of the world, and the strong support of the major cultivation sects; the existence of the court gave people everywhere guidance and organization for their actions, so that they would not become a mess and waste their strength on In the midst of internal strife; cultivators from various factions blocked the strongest among the few demons (there were so many demons, although most of them were low-level demons), but there would always be some powerful demons and demons that entered the world either accidentally or on purpose. Naturally, they would not will give up killing humans) so that the high-end combat power of both sides can be maintained at a certain balance and will not be at an overwhelming disadvantage; and the auxiliary Taoist charms and magic weapons represented by the "Devil-proof Talisman" are also relatively powerful for mortals to compete with. The battle against low-level monsters provides huge help, allowing mortals to have goals and means to fight.
The sum of these three aspects is the foundation for the human world to maintain and continue to develop; because their existence gives everyone hope to defeat demons, change destiny, and gain power! With hope and goals, coupled with the appropriate guidance and hints from the imperial court and major sects that control public opinion and power, human society does not tend to become chaotic and ensures a positive attitude and enterprising spirit.
Countless histories in the past have taught future generations that only order and hope can bring stability and development, while chaos and despair can ultimately only bring destruction. After all, human nature not only has a good side, but also an evil side. If you can't even see stability and hope, the evil side of human nature will burst out, hurt others, and destroy yourself. "Hope is a good thing, maybe the best thing; as long as you have hope, you must persevere and finally you can welcome a better tomorrow." This sentence spread out from nowhere and is regarded as a wise saying by everyone who has heard it. It also inspires many people who were once despairing. people.
Due to the use of "devil-proofing talismans" and the rise of a large number of "demon hunters", countless demons occupying the wilderness have been expelled or killed. Pieces of originally abandoned farmland have been planted with crops and harvested food again; roads that were once blocked have been opened and filled with traffic. Caravans of daily necessities set out again, bringing wealth and hope to various places; food became abundant, goods began to circulate, prices calmed down, and weapons and equipment were stabilized. Casualties continued to increase and improve through exchanges and mutual assistance. The panic in the eyes of the people began to disappear, and hope disappeared. The light rises again.
Thanks to the efforts of various forces and people in the world, the world has once again prospered. In order to fight against monsters and reduce their own pressure, many cultivation sects have begun to open to the outside world some magic methods and martial arts secrets that are not so secret to the sects through discussions and discussions led by the Song Dynasty court; Choose a satisfactory Kung Fu method from the markets opened by the sects; even under the instructions of some sects that were affected by the imperial court's move to sell "devil-proofing charms", as long as someone can pay the equivalent value of the materials, they can also use it in these martial arts schools and shops. Exchange various Taoist talismans, magic weapons, elixirs, spiritual stones and other materials in the market;
Under the strong pressure from the outside world, those original martial arts sects, except for a few special skills of pressing the bottom of the box, all the secret training secrets and special skills that were originally kept open to the outside world can also be exchanged for materials of equal value if the price is enough. You can even hire experts to teach and give guidance. It's impossible not to do this. Even the extremely powerful, mysterious and hidden cultivation sect has been opened to the outside world. If the martial arts sect continues to be conservative, it will not even be able to recruit disciples. After all, compared to practicing martial arts, cultivation that can lead to immortality is more attractive. If the price of cultivation techniques is too high and the results are slow, and people who urgently need to increase their strength can only quickly gain the power to protect themselves through martial arts training, I am afraid that these martial arts sects will not be able to pass on. . As for tradition, it can only be thrown aside under the pressure of survival. Anyway, using the banner of "benefiting mankind and fighting against demons" is a very suitable excuse.
But after all, everyone has different strengths and weaknesses. It is not the only good way to hire others to protect you when your own strength is weak. Under such circumstances, escort agencies that relied on people's money and martial arts to protect people's property or personal safety, with official and martial arts characteristics, flourished.
Many martial arts masters are employed by escort agencies for the following reasons:
One is to make money, because under the background of demon disaster, the escort agency is very profitable, and the rewards for subordinates are also very high;
Secondly, in order to practice, you will always encounter various monsters, beasts, and even bandits during the dart walking process, and you can also hone your martial arts skills by fighting them;
Third, because of the special nature of escort agencies, every escort agency will apply to the court for business qualifications before opening. If the business qualifications are not strong enough or irregular, they will not be recognized. After being recognized by the court, the agency will arrange for corresponding personnel to guide the establishment of the escort agency and issue a business plaque. This business plaque is not only a decoration and facade, but also a magic weapon! The masters of the Imperial Court's Sacrifice Pavilion participated in the refining, which has the functions of gathering spirits and defending. When not in use, placing spiritual stones in specific grooves can activate the internal spirit gathering array to attract the surrounding spiritual energy of heaven and earth to assist in cultivation; activating defense when encountering an enemy can form a protective shield outside the escort office to defend against external enemy attacks;
Escorts are also divided into three poles and nine levels. The higher the level, the stronger the effect of the plaque, the greater the concentration of spiritual energy absorbed and the greater the defense range. Under such advantageous conditions, it is also a big temptation for those masters who have no backing.
The "Yangwei Escort Agency" is an intermediate-level escort agency officially recognized by the imperial court. It has countless masters who are famous. As for the high-level escort bureau, it seems that only those cultivators or mages are qualified to form an agency that is beyond the reach of mortals.