"Brother Zuo, I haven't set foot in the Great Zhou Dynasty for eight years since Jiangling. I didn't expect that in just a few years, the weather in the Great Zhou Dynasty would be different. This Northern Expedition actually captured thousands of miles northwest of Mangzhou in one fell swoop. Let the Zhou Dynasty add another province!"
The salty and hot Mangyuan milk tea flowed all the way down the esophagus. Zong Diansheng's pores were opened and dripping with water. He put down the copper cup in his hand and looked at the northern cloud sky with twinkling eyes.
"The Great Zhou Dynasty is still the same Great Zhou Dynasty. Compared with eight years ago, there are not many changes. The reason why Li Province was able to be taken down is because of the emergence of the Zhenjun Hou Jiang Li. His reputation shocked the world. On the 27th of the Zhou Dynasty The people of the province don’t know who they are!”
When Zuo Tianlang recalled the war in the northwest, he still couldn't hide the admiration and yearning in his heart, "The young military commander is young and promising, decisive and ruthless, with shocking strategies. He may be able to completely change the pattern of Kyushu. If he had not entered the ancient times, I would really want to invest in him." Under his command, he kills with passion and attacks in all directions, how joyful it is!"
"Brother Zuo can't obey orders under the command of the Zhenjun Marquis, so he simply recruits the Zhenjun Marquis as his son-in-law. With your family's background and Zuo's niece's national beauty and beauty, who is not worthy of being a hero in the world?"
Zong Diansheng laughed, looked at the girl beside Zuo Tianlang, and joked: "Niece of the Zuo family, what do you think?"
"Uncle Zong, if you make fun of me again, I will never ignore you again!"
The girl's cheeks were slightly red, and she waved her pink fist in anger.
She was twenty-eight years old, with fair and translucent skin and exquisite facial features, especially a small nose, as delicate as a finely carved jade. At this time, she pouted angrily, and her cute and cute look made the sect master laugh.
"I'll tell you the truth, brother Zong, I really mean this. Wan'er has been well-behaved and sensible since he was a child, and has excellent qualifications. How can he take advantage of those ignorant and unskilled nobles and shabby boys?"
Zuo Tianlang sighed: "It's a pity that the Zhenjun Marquis has already been engaged. He was arranged by the eldest lady of Zhenwuhou Mansion to marry into Liu Honglie's Mansion as his son-in-law, although Emperor Jing has already exempted him from the status of son-in-law. , but the engagement has not been terminated yet!”
"Is there such a thing?" Zong Diansheng was stunned when he heard this, and couldn't help but be very curious.
"These things are a long story. The tower has arrived and will be opened soon. Let's talk as we go!"
Zuo Tianlang stood up from the ground, turned to look at the nearby tribesmen, and said loudly: "Excuse me, does any of you know the shortest route to the court of Mang Khan? I need a guide, and I will be rewarded with twenty taels of silver! "
"The guests are going to admire the miracles sent down by God the Father in Heaven?"
A dark and short Mang boy happened to be leading the horse by. He paused and turned around to ask.
"Have you been to Mang Khan's Royal Court?"
Zuo Tianlang looked at the young man who spoke to him.
The boy looked about fifteen or sixteen years old. His skin was rough and dark red due to years of exposure to wind and sun. There seemed to be a layer of scabs on his face that could never be washed away. He looked dirty.
A tattered, patched mang robe was worn casually on his body, revealing half of his strong chest. The leather boots under his feet were big and torn, with his toes exposed.
At first glance, he looks like an ordinary boy from the Mang tribe.
"I know the way!"
The young man nodded, pointed to the northwest, and said: "If the guests want to take the fastest route to the royal court, they can only go around in this direction. If they go straight, they will encounter a large swamp. At this time of year, the water in the lake evaporates and sinks, leaving only a muddy swamp, which even a boat can’t cross!”
"Can you lead the way?"
Zuo Tianlang couldn't help but feel happy when he saw that the young man was thinking clearly and speaking accurately.
The Mang people are far away from the middle land and make a living as nomads. Although they are superb and skilled in horsemanship and are natural cavalry, they are also reckless and rough. Not many people can speak Zhou Yu so clearly.
"I also want to worship God Father!"
After glancing at Zuo Tianlang, the young man pointed at the long sword of one of his followers and said, "I don't want any silver, I want that sword!"
"Can!"
Zuo Tianlang was slightly startled, then nodded with a smile.
Iron weapons are scarce in the Mang tribe, and an ordinary long knife has to be passed down from father to son from generation to generation.
He took the long knife from the servant's hand and handed it to the young man, and said with a smile: "Without further delay, you can lead the way!"
"Then you keep up!"
The young man took the long knife and didn't look at it carefully. He just hung the knife on his waist and climbed onto the horse's back with a slight movement.
He patted the horse's neck, sat down and the horse neighed and rushed out.
"This Mang boy is quite interesting!" Zong Diansheng said with a smile.
"The Mang people are ignorant and closed-minded. If they don't read the books of sages, they naturally don't know etiquette!"
Zuo Tianlang also quickly mounted his horse, summoned the surrounding retainers and entourage, and chased the Mang boy together.
Zong Diansheng also took the people from Siren Valley and mounted their horses together.
More than twenty people ran out of the col in the blink of an eye.
"It's amazing that I can lose people!"
On one side of the mountain, there was a fat old man with a big black dog and a deer demon sandwiched between him, with a look of confusion and surprise on his face.
He looked around and sensed that the target Qi machine he had just locked on mysteriously disappeared.
"If you can be followed by a senior, isn't that a human being?"
The deer demon was trapped under the fat old man's armpit, feeling that his neck was about to break. It stretched its neck to breathe hard, feeling hesitant in its heart.
I have obviously calculated that person’s fortune!
"Hahaha, the old man's luck has arrived!"
The fat old man stood stupidly for a moment, but then he suddenly thought of something. With a look of surprise on his face, he patted the deer demon's head hard and said with a big smile: "Your calculations are really accurate. This man's luck is really good. He must be Somehow he noticed that I was being followed, or there were other circumstances, and by chance, he dumped me!"
"Senior, please clarify!" Lu Yao was a little puzzled.
"You should know the meaning of Feng Shan Jian's hexagram. How can a person with such luck be easily caught up and controlled by others? Using his own luck to make clothes for others?"
The fat old man said happily.
"Senior's words make sense!"
The deer demon also suddenly realized that the so-called fortune is actually nothing more than turning danger into safety, smooth sailing, and becoming more powerful than a tiger.
He can even throw away immortals. He is worthy of being the man who established the destiny of an eight-hundred-year-old dynasty!
"Let's go directly to the Ancient God Tower and wait. I have memorized that person's aura and vitality. There is absolutely no way he can be lost again!"
The fat old man turned around, raised his foot, and was a hundred miles away again.
The big black dog and the deer demon only felt that the scene in front of them had changed instantly, and the surrounding environment had already been completely different.
There is a feeling like being in a dream.
"Old senior, are you really a fairy?"
The big black dog swallowed his saliva, gathered up his courage and asked, "Which medieval era figure was he from?"
"The past is gone and not worth mentioning!"
The fat old man waved his hand and said nonchalantly: "As for the human immortal, if you are as lucky as me, you happen to be stuck in a certain position in the space of the divine tower, ignored by the perception of the divine tower, and trapped inside for a thousand dollars. Years later, you can also become a human fairy, uh, a dog fairy!"
"A thousand years!"
The hairs on the hairs of the big black dog and the deer demon stood on end.
The passage of time in the God Tower space is different from that in the outside world. It is rumored that even in the first layer of space, the space flow rate is several times slower than the outside world.
Doesn't it mean that this old man is trapped...
A dog and a deer were trembling.
This shortcut to becoming a human being?
It’s better not to!
No wonder the fat old man is a human immortal, but he looks like a nervous ghost.
But how did he get stuck?
…
"Dad, isn't that Beimang boy tired? We've been running all day long, why doesn't he want to stop?"
The setting sun sets and the cold moon rises.
The figures of more than twenty riders were running under the moonlight, and their shadows were cast on the grass, elongated obliquely by the moonlight.
Zuo Zhiwan felt that his buttocks were almost swollen. He had been riding his horse all the way since early morning. Even an innate warrior in the sixth martial art realm could not bear it.
"Niece Zuo, the divine tower is about to open. We only have nine days at a time. It would be great if we could arrive before the divine tower opens. If we stay in the divine tower for one more day, our chances will be greatly increased!" Zongdian Health Tao.
"Wan'er, now you know how powerful the Mang tribe's cavalry is. An ordinary Mang tribe boy has such riding skills and perseverance, let alone the Mang tribe's army!"
Although Zuo Tianlang was a little surprised by the tenacity of the Mang boy, when he thought that this was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to educate his daughter, he also put on a calm posture, secretly adjusted his sitting posture, and said: "You are the one you are now. With your delicate appearance, how will you go to Anmang City to join the army in the future?"
"If the person leading the team in front was the Zhenjun Marquis, I wouldn't have complained for three days and three nights!" Zuo Zhiwan said with little confidence.
"Haha, that's fine. Once you get out of the sacred tower, I will send you to Anmang City to see if the Zhenjun will accept you!" Zuo Tianlang said with a smile.
"Of course I'll take it!"
The voices of several people came from behind, and Jiang Li smiled slightly. He did not expect that his deeds in the northwest wilderness would have spread so widely.
Although Zuo Tianlang and others did not reveal their identities, Jiang Li roughly guessed their identities from the conversation between them.
Zong Diansheng and his group of seven people came from a maritime force in the South China Sea called Siren Valley.
Although it is not a top force like the ten major sects of the Zhou Dynasty, it still has considerable influence in one sea area. It is a force organization between maritime merchants and pirates, both good and evil.
Zuo Tianlang was born in the Five Elements Sect, one of the ten major sects in the Great Zhou Dynasty. Although he was not the sect leader, he was also a protector and elder.
"We will rest here tonight and set off immediately tomorrow morning!"
Jiang Li rode his horse to a dry grassland, gently pulled the reins, and slowly slowed down. He pointed not far ahead and said: "This is what I call Daze. Although it looks covered with weeds, it is full of silt underneath. , if you are not careful, you will fall into it!"
"Thanks for the advice, brother!"
Zuo Tianlang nodded. He indeed smelled the moisture in the air. Without Jiang Li's guidance, he might have rushed into the seemingly dry Daze without warning.
"It finally stopped!"
Zuo Zhiwan turned over and dismounted, feeling that his feet were soft, as if he had stepped on cotton when he stepped on the ground.
She took a peek at the Mang boy in front of her and couldn't help but feel surprised.
It was obvious that the other party was similar in age to me, and his martial arts realm seemed to be only in the late stage of the martial arts realm. However, after dismounting, his pace was steady and natural, and he was not affected by the one-day rush at all.
Are all Mang people born like this?
She was still slowly adapting to the feeling of walking on land, but Jiang Li had already taken out the flint and lit the withered grass to expel the surrounding moisture.
People from the Five Elements Sect and Siren Valley also took out ingredients and simply boiled and grilled some food to replenish their physical strength.
Some people also set up tents and spread animal skins.
Zuo Tianlang originally wanted to invite Jiang Li to rest in his tent, but he saw that the latter had led his horse away from the campsite at some point, spread an animal skin on the grass several hundred meters away, and lay down directly.
"Brother Zuo wants to take this young man into the Five Elements Sect?" Zong Diansheng saw the admiration in Zuo Tianlang's eyes.
"Although this young man comes from the Mang clan and has a mediocre martial arts foundation, he is calm and measured in his actions. He is a good young deacon!"
Zuo Tianlang nodded: "If it develops better in the future, it can at least become the backbone of the sect!"
"Hey, if he hadn't grown up on land and couldn't handle water, I would have wanted to take him back to the South China Sea!" Zong Diansheng said.
The reason why the two of them viewed this way was not because they thought Jiang Li had shown any amazing talent, but because they valued his temperament.
A force like the Five Elements Sect and the Siren Valley not only need talented martial arts wizards and Taoist monsters, but also many ordinary people with average qualifications.
As the leader of the sect, he naturally has to consider the sect at all times. It is normal for him to bring back some seedlings worth cultivating every time he goes out.
Only with the continuous influx of new blood can a sect and force remain strong for a long time.
"It's obviously very ordinary!"
Zuo Zhiwan rarely went out with his father. Seeing that both Zong Diansheng and Zuo Tianlang were very fond of Jiang Li, he curled his lips, but still looked at Jiang Li a few more times.
A night of silence.
In the early morning of the next day, the team set off again, galloping towards the depths of the wilderness.
Although the speed of walking alone was much faster than that of riding a horse, Jiang Li recalled the throbbing in his heart before and the vision of the cauldron and golden pages. Jiang Li felt that it would be safer to mix with the teams of Five Elements Sect and Siren Valley.
The arrival of the divine tower has attracted the attention of countless forces. He hastily used all his magical powers in the wilderness, which is likely to attract the attention of some extraordinary beings.
The cavalry traveled for two days and finally arrived at the sphere of influence of Beimang Royal Court at noon on the third day.
On a flat wilderness, a glass beam of light dozens of feet thick rises into the sky from the depths of a crack in the earth, reflecting nine completely different worlds of light and shadow in the sky. Various images in it flicker endlessly, as if It's like nine real running worlds.
Jiang Li stood at the edge of the wilderness and looked up. He could even clearly see the movement of the sun and the moon and the changing of seasons in the world of light and shadow.
The clouds gathered from all directions rotated into vortices, covering hundreds of miles of cloud sky. It was spectacular and breathtaking.
A gray stone tower is suspended in the center of the nine-layer halo world, like a world pillar, running through the nine worlds.
The originally sparsely populated wilderness was now full of people.
Jiang Li looked around and saw that there were at least one hundred thousand figures near the glazed light pillar, divided into four major camps and countless scattered teams.
The largest number of them are the Mang Khan camp in the north and the Great Zhou camp in the south.
Both sides commanded tens of thousands of elite soldiers and set up camps, facing each other from a distance, tit for tat.
The forces of the Western Regions and the Kingdom of Daluo in the west have a relatively small number of troops, but there are no less than 10,000 soldiers and horses guarding the camp.
Among the four national forces, there are countless various teams.
There are more or less people, and there are strong auras emanating from them. It is obvious that those who come are not weak.
And except for the forces of Beimang and Dazhou, all the figures who appear in the wilderness rarely show their true faces.
They cover their faces with gauze, masks, and bamboo hats, or wear wide hoods and cloaks. They keep a certain distance from each other. Even if they communicate with each other in the same team, they whisper in whispers and are very careful.
When Zong Diansheng, Zuo Tianlang and others were about to approach this area, they each took out the ghost face masks from their arms to cover their faces.
"Little brother, after we enter the tower, you will stay here to look after the horses for us. When we come out, we will be thanked in large sums of money!"
Zuo Tianlang said.
Not knowing when the sacred tower would be opened, everyone found a relatively secluded spot, set up their tents, and waited quietly.
Jiang Li looked around and knew that most of the forces in the Nine Provinces were gathered in this place.
Warriors from the Ten Thousand Fu Realm and the Yiwu Realm can be seen everywhere, and there are also many masters from the Divine Transformation Realm.
There are also many figures with no aura. Although their bodies are relatively fragile, their eyes are clear and their spirits are reserved. They are obviously advanced practitioners of Taoism.
Boom boom boom
Outside the wilderness, there are still teams of people coming on horseback to join the queue waiting for the opening of the altar.
Although more and more people gathered, there was not much noise in the wilderness.
Only occasionally, a violent and clueless fight would break out very suddenly.
It started suddenly and ended quickly.
It often ends when one of the parties is killed.
People nearby will also wisely stay away and never participate indiscriminately to avoid getting angry.
Jiang Li was surprised at first, but soon became accustomed to it.
Although these teams and forces that plan to enter the tower hide themselves very well, it is still difficult to hide them from some enemies who have deep memories.
"Here, this is the pastry my father bought from Qingfangzhai in Shengjing City. You can only buy one for one tael of silver!"
The divine tower was not opened, so Jiang Li sat quietly next to the camp every day, raising his head to observe the divine tower. The true energy in his body continued to circulate, and he was only half a step away from the ninth realm of Qi Meridian Qi Sect.
Zuo Zhiwan didn't know when he sat next to Jiang Li and handed a delicate osmanthus pastry to Jiang Li.
Most of the disciples of Five Elements Sect and Siren Valley are around forty or fifty years old, and Zuo Zhiwan is not allowed to interact with other teams. The girl is a lively girl, and she is trapped in a small camp every day without anyone to talk to.
Only Jiang Li was similar in age to her, so in the past two days, Zuo Zhiwan came to talk to Jiang Li when he was bored.
But more often than not, Jiang Li was just a listener, listening to what Zuo Zhiwan said that he found interesting.
"You must know Zhen Junhou. He is the enemy of your Mang people, but maybe he won't be in the future. One day he will unify Bei Mang for Emperor Jing, and the Mang people and Dazhou will be one family!"
Zuo Zhiwan looked at Dazhou's camp not far away, his eyes full of expectation, "Do you think the Zhenjun Hou will be in Dazhou's camp now?"
"Won't!"
Jiang Li shook his head. He looked at the delicate pastry in his hand, and the shadow of Chu Chu appeared in his mind.
"You're talking nonsense. The Zhenjun Marquis is deeply trusted by Emperor Jing. How could he be left out of such an important matter!" Zuo Zhiwan couldn't help but feel a little annoyed when he heard this.
"oh!"
Jiang Li nodded and had no intention of arguing with Zuo Zhiwan.
"The Zhenjun Marquis must be here!"
Zuo Zhiwan vowed, she put her head with both hands and sighed again: "Do you think Zhen Junhou is really as good-looking as the legend says? I was also present during the Great Zhou Martial Arts Competition, and I saw the Qilin appear from a distance. , but couldn’t see Jiang Li!”
"It's just so-so!"
For the sake of the sweet-scented osmanthus cake, Jiang Li replied casually.
"Huh, I must be ten thousand times prettier than you!"
Zuo Zhiwan's teeth were itching with anger, and he really wanted to snatch the sweet-scented osmanthus cake from Jiang Li's hand.
This Mang boy's words are so annoying!
He must be jealous.
"Ignore you!"
The girl jumped up from the ground, turned around angrily, and walked back to the tent. She saw her father Zuo Tianlang and Zong Diansheng walking out of the tent quickly, looking at the clouds above their heads in surprise.
Zuo Zhiwan was startled and turned around quickly to see that the ancient divine tower, which had been floating quietly in the nine-layer halo, finally started to move.
(End of chapter)
