Next to the ancient willow, Bai Jun spit out the letter and made a low neighing sound.
There are long and narrow underground passages under the earth and rocks, with countless black ants running around, doing their own thing.
There is a small palace in the underground world, which is made of dirt and gravel. There is an ant queen walking upright like a human in the stone hall, and the two tentacles on her head receive information from the outside world.
The queen also communicates with the creature through low-pitched echoes unique to the creature.
Under the boulder is the nest and foundation of this ant colony. Among them are the queen ants who have become demons, and a group of carnivorous ants that have undergone special mutations.
Bai Yan had known about their existence for a long time, but rarely asked about them and never interfered with their reproduction and survival.
They have a symbiotic relationship, like allies, feeding off each other.
Even though the ant colony has multiplied to such an extent that its number and strength are now terrifying, the yin and yang are mutually reinforcing and are always restrained by natural enemies.
There are many pangolin monsters in the forest, and there are even anteaters that feed on predatory ants. Frogs, brown bears, hedgehogs, spiders, etc. all eat ants.
After leaving Wan She Mountain, even if their number doubled again, they would only be exhausted in the face of countless natural enemies of monsters in the Nuo Da Forest.
Most of the natural enemies of carnivorous ants are snakes. Only when the demonic aura of the green and white snakes are present can they develop stably.
Naturally, if you use the strength of the other party, you will get something in return. Snakes have difficulty dealing with large beasts, but they happen to be the ones that carnivorous ant colonies are best at dealing with.
In this Ten Thousand Snake Mountain, there are thousands of snakes in the open world and hundreds of millions of ants in the dark, living together.
Even though the number of snakes in the mountains has been severely affected by the severe drought and has dropped from tens of thousands to tens of thousands, the snake-ant symbiosis still exists.
Bai Jun informed the ant queen that there might be incoming Seven Gu Sect practitioners, and hoped that she could use the ants to monitor various mountain intersections.
The Queen Ant has developed her intelligence, so she naturally knows the seriousness of the problem. After all, carnivorous ants are also insects, and they are also worried about those unpredictable bewitching arts.
The number of snakes in the mountains was greatly reduced, and other species of creatures occupied a lot of living space. Bai Jun did not intervene, because relying on the reproductive ability of the snake dens, as long as the thirteen snake dens are safe, the snakes will return to the Ten Thousands sooner or later. The status of the dominant ethnic group in Snake Mountain.
However, there are exceptions.
On this day, after Bai Jun got up in the morning and recited the scriptures, surprise flashed in his eyes. Due to the blessing of the authority of the mountain, he could see most of the Wanshe Mountain, but there were also many places that were unexplorable, so he asked carnivorous ants to supplement it.
Today he did see a familiar monster.
On the west side of Wanshe Mountain, a huge, pied-skinned wild leopard nearly ten feet long was staring coldly at a foot-long black python in the grass ahead.
The python coiled up and spat out messages, warning constantly. The giant leopard in front of it gave it an instinctive fear, and the python did not dare to turn around and expose its back to the other party.
There is still a scar on the left half of the wild leopard's face. Although the injury has healed, the scar cannot be erased. He saw that the big python in front of him was afraid of him, and he couldn't help but feel proud. He released a trace of evil energy, and the terrifying evil wind rushed straight at the python, so shocked that it couldn't even lift its head, and its whole body was paralyzed.
A burst of pleasure arose in the heart of the wild leopard. So what about the python? Shouldn't it still surrender at my feet? Back then, I was slapped on the tail by that damn white snake, and my skin was torn and bloody. The wound happened to be infected by the mountain rain, and I almost died in the mountain rain that time.
To this day, I have been practicing demon transformation for more than a hundred years, my spiritual wisdom has been greatly expanded, my magic skills have been accomplished, and I have dominated the mountains and forests, but I still have not left here.
Because he wants revenge, but if he doesn't take revenge, the hatred in his heart will never go away.
The white snake was in the mountain. He felt that the demon power was getting stronger and stronger, and he practiced for several hours every day. His diligence was far beyond that of ordinary monsters. Even if the white snake was powerful, he would definitely be able to defeat it if he practiced hard for a hundred years.
Thinking of this, the leopard looked coldly at the big python that was frightened by its evil spirit, and jumped to bite it seven inches away.
But at this time, a strange wind suddenly blew up in the mountain forest, and the strong wind suddenly rolled up the leopard.
The flower-skinned leopard was shocked, and his body weighed thousands of kilograms and sank with a flash of yellow light.
He looked around cautiously. The leopard's eyes were solemn but not fearful. Since the crossbones had not yet been refined, he could only let out low beast roars in demonstration.
The surrounding strong winds gathered into a tornado, and the clouds in the mountains turned into a snake-shaped tornado and rolled towards it.
The flower-skinned leopard roared, and three figures instantly separated into three figures. The four wild leopards fled in four directions: east, west, north, and south.
The wild leopard jumped ten feet away and ran away for dozens of feet in the blink of an eye. Only then did he relax a little and thought it was time to escape.
But at this moment, a low-pitched man's chuckle suddenly sounded in the air: "I underestimate you, where are you going?"
The wild leopard was frightened and quickly ran away to the west.
But a demonic wind blew up, forming a mighty tornado over the mountain forest, sucking the wild leopard into it, and then turned into a gust of wind and blew it into the distance.
…
Ye Bao shook his head drowsily, suddenly remembering that he had been captured by the mysterious demon. His muscles tightened instantly, and he raised his head and looked around.
All he saw was a small pool in front of him, and a huge weeping willow beside him. The afterglow of the setting sun cast a bright glow on the pool. A man in white was sitting on the edge of the big stone with his back to him, playing softly at the moment. He was holding a bamboo flute, and the melodious and calming sound of the flute sounded.
The wild leopard hesitated for a moment, gave up the idea of sneak attack from behind, and instead quietly fled out of the valley. He is not a fool. Normal humans would never ignore a wild leopard behind him, and most of the people in this wilderness are not human.
Suddenly, the sound of the flute stopped, "Why have you forgotten who I am?"
The wild leopard's paws suddenly paused and turned back.
But the man in white turned around slowly and turned into a huge white python in an instant.
Wild Leopard's heart thumped, it's broken! This white snake actually has such strong demon power, he is no match. But the other party can still remember him, so there is no way to survive, he can only fight to the death!
The wild leopard instantly burst out with terrifying sprinting power, and the demonic power transformed into three leopard shadows that rushed towards the white snake like lightning.
However, White Snake turned around and transformed into a human form. A willow leaf happened to fall in front of him. Bai Jun flicked the willow leaf with his hand and flew out like a vicious lancet, stabbing a wild leopard.
"Boom~"
The wild leopard flew out upside down, but he was knocked back by the power brought by this willow leaf. The willow leaf even penetrated deep into the center of his eyebrows. If it were an inch deeper, he would probably be dead.
Yebao stood up despite the severe pain, and when he saw Bai Jun slowly walking towards him, he trembled and backed away.
"There is a big difference between you and me. Even if you practice for another thousand years, you will still be unable to defeat me. Today I will give you a path to take. Respect me as the supreme one, and you can take the path of survival. If you don't want to, I will send you to the road of death. You don't have to go." Bai Zhen gently turned his body to one side and waved his hand. The bamboo flute shot through the air and was inserted three inches in front of the wild leopard. The bamboo tail was still trembling.
Ye Bao was stunned. This damn white snake was actually willing not to kill him but to let him live?
The demon is no longer a beast, wisdom has emerged. The will to live outweighed the hatred he once remembered in his heart. He whimpered, lowered his head next to the bamboo flute, and fluttered forward with his paws to express his surrender.
When Bai Jun saw this, he chuckled and shot out with a flick of his finger. A small drop of demonic power penetrated into the center of Ye Bao's eyebrows.
"This is the poison I have cultivated. Only the poison of a hundred snakes can be refined into a drop. As long as my demon power seals it in the body, it will be fine. However, after three months, the demon power dissipates and the poison enters the flesh and blood, and there is no way to survive. If you are loyal No two, I will naturally renew the seal for you, if you still have bad intentions, you will turn into a pile of bones in the blink of an eye."
When the wild leopard heard this, he was so frightened that he kowtowed and begged for his life.
Bai Jun was unmoved and just said: "From now on, your cave will be a hundred miles west of Wanshe Mountain. You go and guard it. Don't let a human come over."
Ye Bao had no choice but to drag his seriously injured body out of the valley and head to the west side of Wanshe Mountain to find a place to stay. The opponent can transform into a human form and speak human words, and his strength is no longer comparable to his. But the hatred in his heart was still there, burning deep in his heart, giving him the strength to carry on.
Bai Jun didn't want to resolve the hatred in the other person's heart. Sometimes, isn't hatred a force that can be used?
Even if Ye Bao has practiced hard for more than a hundred years, he is still far from his opponent. After all, Bai Jun has had several opportunities to swallow spiritual fruit elixirs, learn the Tona method, and have the blessing of the authority of the mountain to gain combat power. Only under the great demon in disguise.
Even without powerful attacking magic, Bai Yan still had a way to make up for it.
Although Qing Cang had the ability to attack evil spirits and obtained the magical purple energy, he was still no match for him. There are many factors that influence the combat power of monsters. Apart from external objects, they also include magic, physical body, and deep monster power.
Although the difference in demon power between Qing Cang and Bai Jun is not that big, Bai Jun's demon power of more than three hundred years is far more than double Qing Cang's demon power of more than two hundred years.
After nearly two hundred years of swallowing moonlight, the power of Taishao and Shaoyin in Bai Jun's body accumulated more and more. The two powers of Taiyin and Shaoyin gradually merged and turned into a full moon. The energy of water and wood gradually merged into the full moon, expanding the moon. Beads.
It's just that after more than three hundred years of demon power, there is still too little.
Bai Jun began to calm down and continue cultivating. The green snake looked at the sun and the white snake swallowed the moon. The sun and the moon continued to alternate, and the years passed by.
…
More than ten years later, Bai Jun turned 200 years old.
He swallowed the treasured molting flower in one gulp and began to shed its skin.
Outside the cave, the green snake stopped practicing and coiled in front of the cave to protect the law.
"Hoo~"
Storms and clouds suddenly rose in the sky, and heavy dark clouds shrouded the sky in all directions, making the sky dark and terrifying.
"Boom~"
Thunder shook the sky.
"Ah~"
White snake sheds its skin.
Severe pain spread all over the body, which was different from the previous molting. There was no impatient itching feeling, only the pain that was so painful that he almost fainted, which made Bai Yan go crazy.
In extreme pain, Bai Jun seemed to have hallucinations in front of his eyes. He saw a big snake, a snake bigger than the sky!
The giant snake wanders around the world, and its huge body fills the sea and the mountains. The circumference of the world is the length of the giant snake. Its body is engraved with countless light blue ancient inscriptions. Each ancient inscription exudes the breath of the great road. Mang Rutian's head turned and looked at Bai Jun.
The huge beast's pupils are filled with strange colors. Its left eye is the color of glazed light, while its right eye is the color of dead black. The left eye contains vitality and creation, but the right eye is the color of cold death and decay.
The eyes of life and death fell on Bai Yan, and after just looking at each other for a moment, Bai Yan completely fainted.
Outside the cave, the mighty thunder of the sky swept away, but it never fell. Qing Cang was frightened by the terrifying thunder, but he did not leave the cave.
The moment Bai Jun passed out, the thunder in the sky silenced, the dark clouds dispersed, and the sky and the earth returned to clarity.
…
Bai Yan slowly woke up and saw Qing Cang beside him. He smiled lightly and said, "Don't worry, this is a blessing in disguise for me."
Qing Cang rarely spoke up and said, "But your skin is still on your body and has not shed."
Bai Jun smiled, his body glowed with a faint white light, and the snake slough that was still bound to his body disappeared.
His body as smooth as jade swam slowly, and now he was more than twelve feet long. From a distance, he looked like a white dragon coiling around the cave.
Qing Cang looked at it doubtfully, then picked it with the snake's tail, "Where did the snake slough go?"
"Of course it's on me." Bai Yan regained some strength, crossed his body, and said with joy: "This is the magic I learned in life and death. It can protect my life!"
"What is that?" Qing Cang asked, still confused.
"This needs to be kept secret. The less people know about it, the greater the power!" Bai Jun joked: "Why ask so clearly? Do you want to learn? You can't learn."
Qing Cang muttered: "Mysterious, it must be useless."
The corner of Bai Jun's mouth twitched. He had learned to use the word useless. It seemed that his teaching was really good. He should teach him more knowledge in the future so that he could become a learned snake demon.
…
Yinzhou, Qi County, Xiahe Village, the ancestral home of the Lu family.
The maid Xiaoyue walked to the main house, knocked on the door softly, and whispered: "Madam, are you awake? I have to get up early today, and I need to discuss with the clan elders about moving the ancestral hall."
After a while, a lazy voice came from the room: "Come in and wash up for me."
Xiaoyue hurriedly waved back, followed by four maids, carrying copper basins, wooden basins, tooth powder, ponytail brushes and many other things for washing. They followed Xiaoyue into the main room one after another.
At this time, Madam was already sitting in front of the dressing table, rinsing her mouth, cleansing her face, etc. After the four little maids had finished serving, Xiaoyue carefully combed and tied Madam's hair.
Xiaoyue was very cautious and did not dare to hurt his wife. This wife was the first wife who had been with the master all his life. Even though the most favored wife in the house was the third concubine, the one whom the master respected the most was always the one who had been with him since he was young. His wife is beside him.
The lady looked at her slightly wrinkled face in the dark brass mirror and said calmly: "Last night, did the master rest at Mrs. Li's place again?"
Xiaoyue's heart trembled, and she hurriedly said: "Yes! The master went to the third aunt's house yesterday to see the fourth young master. Maybe he took a rest there after a tiring day."
When the lady heard this, she chuckled and said, "That's alright. It's rare for him to return to his old house, so let him go with him. When he goes to Yunzhou to take office in August, this Li family can't afford to make trouble."
Xiaoyue nervously waited on Madam to dress up, and after having breakfast, she took four or five maids to the living room of Lu Mansion.
The furnishings in the hall are simple but grand, and the luxury within is low-key but cannot be ignored.
Lu Yutang looked at his first wife, Wang, who was dressed solemnly and decently, walking calmly, and couldn't help but feel relieved. His wife still knew the rules. If the third-room concubine was only thinking about dressing up in a fancy way, let him be among a group of clansmen. It's embarrassing in front of the old man.
With a slight smile on her face, Madam greeted many elders and finally came to Lu Yutang and stood next to the main seat.
Lu Yutang smiled and said to everyone in the hall: "Elders, please take a seat. Yutang invited the elders from the fifth server today. I believe everyone knows what is going on.
I specially invited Yuan Tianshi, a Feng Shui master from Jinjing, to come to the ancestral house to explore the Feng Shui. Our Xiahe Lu family has been passed down for more than a hundred years, and the clan ancestral hall was built in a hurry, and the Feng Shui aspects are conflicting.
So I specially asked Master Yuan to explore the mountains and rivers, and found a geomantic treasure, which I bought and prepared to rebuild the ancestral hall. "
As soon as he finished speaking, an old man with a white beard said: "Oh! My eldest nephew, we have to call you magistrate outside, but in the house we are all your elders. I have to say a few words to you. , where in the wilderness at the foot of Qianshan Mountain can it be used as an ancestral temple?"
"Yes, your second uncle is right. Jade Hall, it costs a lot to build an ancestral hall, and the large-scale construction also disturbs the peace of our ancestors!"
All the elders in the clan were opposed to it.
…
Xiaoyue, who was standing next to the madam, looked at the disapproving clan elders below and couldn't help but think of the night she sent medicinal meals to the madam and accidentally overheard what the master and madam said.
Then Master Yuan who came from Jinjing is a liar. It's just that he wants to move the ancestral hall. What's ridiculous is that he, a court official of the fourth rank, actually said that it was Liu Xian who entrusted him with the dream.
Until today, when she saw the master's arrogance and firm attitude, she couldn't help but have an idea, could it really be Liu Xian who had a dream? Could it be that there are some gold and silver treasures in the new ancestral hall? Or is it something that Liuxian protects?
Otherwise, if just a dream can make the court officials obedient, wouldn't it mean that anyone can become an official?
Although Xiaoyue had a lot of guesses in her mind, she knew that as a servant, the more she knew, the faster she would die. There were countless darkness in a wealthy family. She firmly kept this suspicion in her heart.
Sure enough, this matter finally came about through the master's insistence and threats and bribes to induce the elders of the clans to agree to the relocation of the ancestral hall.
As a local magistrate, even if he is not an official of Yinzhou, he is not someone who can be offended by the magistrate of Qi County.
Therefore, the Lu family ancestral hall was quickly built and stood at the foot of Qianshan Mountain, separated from the boundary of Wanshe Mountain by only a large river.
After the ancestral hall was built, few people paid attention to the craftsmen who built the ancestral hall. Local gentry came to congratulate them one after another. What they valued was the Lu Yutang of the Lu family built on this ancestral hall.
At the age of 23, he passed the college examination and became a scholar. At the age of 30, he was ranked second in the Yinzhou Township Examination and passed the Yayuan Examination. At the age of 34, he passed the Jinshi Examination and ranked third in the Palace Examination. Liu Yuanshan's disciple has been promoted to the prefect of Daoguang Prefecture in Yunzhou at only forty years old. It can be said that he has a bright future.
These squire and nobles did not notice that the craftsmen who participated in the construction of the ancestral hall were moved to Yunzhou one after another, and the past events were not mentioned at all.
…
One year after the completion of the Lu Family Ancestral Hall, the memorial tablets of ancestors were placed in the hall, incense and candles were constantly burning, and the light was still shining at night. On the tall beam, a white snake slowly crawled down the giant pillar.
