Although these young people in the reserve force of the "Shenji Camp" made different choices at different crossroads, under the influence of Kong Xuan 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's side, squatted down and observed his condition.
She saw that the normally lively Fourth Prince had dull eyes and no color on his face at the moment.
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 master of martial arts - she is particularly skilled in the moves such as "Cloud Sea Galaxy Sword" and "Meteor Walking on the Moon" pioneered by Luo Si.
But privately, she was 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, intoxicating drugs, love potions, power-dispersing potions, etc.
The magical power of "Heavenly Calculation" 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 gaze.
"Life-devouring Pill..."
Gu Xu read through the classics and naturally knew about this terrible elixir 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 had an ominous premonition in his heart, thinking that something might happen in the ruins.
But 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 heir apparent can be regarded as a pool of 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 would naturally hide as far away as he could.
But today, under the influence of Kong Xuan Sanren's karma and Taoism, this happened to happen.
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 'Life-eating Pill' with me," Shangguan Jin lowered his head and said to Xiao Shangzhen with a serious face, "This 'Breaking Pill' can only temporarily delay the loss of your life. , but it cannot completely eliminate the toxicity of 'Shengshengdan'.
"You need to return to the capital within five days and ask the Chief Secretary to help you detoxify in order to save your 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, he slowly said: "You...you mean that I can only be a mortal from now on?"
Shangguan Jin nodded: "It's no accident, it should be."
Xiao Shangzhen stopped talking.
Before that, 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 in me..."
…………
At the same time, Chen Yanping's face suddenly became 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 could inherit the "Tai'a Sword" and become the next emperor of the Daqi Dynasty, then the Xiangyang Chen family would also soar into the sky and become the most prominent family in Daqi.
But now, because of an inconspicuous little girl and a small "life-devouring pill", Chen's plan in Xiangyang was ruined.
If the head of the Chen family were here, he would definitely want to cut Du Jingjing and the person behind her into pieces with a thousand knives.
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 family. If you can answer my questions truthfully, maybe I can help you intercede in front of the emperor and spare the lives of your family. "
Du Jingjing clenched her left hand into a fist and pinched her nails deeply into her flesh.
"I...I have no family..." she said in 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 master messenger!" Du Jingjing said with a cry, "I want to do this myself! I hate him! I hate the fourth prince! I want him to die!"
As soon as she finished speaking, something unexpected 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 is the scene where Du Jingjing asked him for advice on the art of talisman and seal script in Tongfu Inn in Laizhou Prefecture.
At that time, Gu Xu didn't 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 at 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 remove herself from suspicion.
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 looked in a daze at the moment, as if he had not yet recovered from what had just happened.
Although he was lucky enough to save his life, he 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 sits 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, breaking the brief silence.
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, in the 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 remembered that on the day he left the Yamen, the fourth prince raised his chin and said to him arrogantly, "Girl Qilin has a distinguished status, and people like you cannot reach it." That aggressive attitude was obviously to hide his secret. !
Unknowingly, a beautiful fantasy deep in Chu Wei's heart was quietly shattered.
"Well, let me tell you, how can there be a woman as gentle and kind as 'Qilin Girl' in this world?" He thought with despair, "Turns out it was just a prank by a young boy."
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 along the way he came without looking back.
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 to their own cultivation.
At this moment, in their minds, there was 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 for the Chen family in Xiangyang, and also made Chen Yanping feel a little unhappy - in his opinion, only gaining the inheritance of the immortal could alleviate 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 - Taoist friend Gu looked like a god when walking on the snow. .”
Gu Xu said calmly: "Fellow Taoist Shangguan is overly praised."
"We don't have much time, so I won't chat with fellow Taoists here," Shangguan Jin continued 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 road to mountain climbing again.
Just one to the left and one to the right.
With Gu Xu's departure, the white snow on the "Juxiantai" 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 deceptive.
Only pursuing the great road is the true meaning of life.
…………
In the dark sky, the crescent moon climbed higher and higher.
Su Xiao, the "white tiger" from Jiange, walked as fast as he could on the climbing stairs.
Like other monks, he also encountered many forks in the road while climbing the mountain.
But no matter what choice he made, he didn't see any 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 walking along the mountain road in the woods full of cicadas.
Under the influence of the "Ten Thousand Sounds of Silence" spell, snowflakes fell from the sky like salt, dyeing the tall trees silvery white, and making all 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 "Decontamination 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 mountain forest 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 here are slightly hidden.
The 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 full of 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 mountain in the reflection, 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 of winter instantly turn into catkins of 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 Ascension Immortal are indeed extraordinary - every scenery on Laoshan Mountain may have 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 could see from 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——
First couplet: The body is like a wandering cloud, the shadow of the moon and the light of the stream prove the nature;
Second line: Hearts and water flow together, the sound of pine trees and the color of bamboos make us forget our memories together.
Outside the gate, under the stone steps, stood two Taoist boys.
One is wearing black and the other is wearing white.
They were so still, with their eyes closed, that they looked like two sculptures.
However, when Gu Xu and others were climbing up the mountain road, a burst of golden light suddenly appeared on the little Taoist boy in white. Then he opened his eyes and said, "Brother, two people have successfully passed the 'Tianhai Yueming' ”
Hearing his words, the little Taoist boy in black also opened his eyes.
He was silent for a long time and then commented: "The guests who came today...seem to be very interesting!"
"Senior brother, how do you say this?" the little Taoist boy in white 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 a frighteningly small amount of cause and effect on his body - the thickest line of cause and effect on his body, It's actually connected to the iron sword in his sheath."
"It seems that he is a swordsman!" The little Taoist boy in white commented expressionlessly, "It's just that the immortal master hated swordsmen the most back then. 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. There are so many karma involved in him that it is scary - I have never seen such a person. He is covered with karma from head to toe. line."
"His understanding is indeed good," the little Taoist boy in white said calmly, "but the immortal master 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 cultivator, but is actually a poisoner - all the ferocious 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, beautiful women are dangerous."
"..."
The two little Taoist boys stood motionless outside the house, discussing the young monks who were climbing the mountain in a tone without any emotion.
?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 value in discussing at all.
A few minutes later, the little Taoist boy in black said calmly: "That woman also successfully passed the 'Tian Hai Yueming'."
"What's behind 'Tianhai Yueming'?"
"It's 'Pine Grove.'"
"Senior 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 forest 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.
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 immortal's inheritance.
He shook his head slightly, and finally looked up at the mist-shrouded mountain top, then turned 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 "Ten Thousand Sounds of Empty 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 fly 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 old Taoist was exactly the same as the appearance of Kong Xuan 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 mind, "If I guess correctly, the old Taoist in front of me should be just an phantom."
At this moment, the white-bearded old man under the pine tree suddenly opened his eyes, looked at Gu Xu and said, "Your Excellency, why do you come to my forest?"
Gu Xu thought for a second, then clasped his fists with both hands, bowed to the old Taoist and said, "This disciple came here to seek the great way. I would like to ask the immortal master for some advice."
After hearing his words, the old Taoist narrowed his eyes slightly, 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 do it. It’s bitter!”
Gu Xu saluted again and said with firm eyes: "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 had been practicing hard day and night, while frantically taking on tasks for training resources, rarely having any time to rest.
Without strong willpower and self-discipline, it is definitely impossible 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 turned into 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, "Linghu" Shangguan Jin was also carrying an ax and chopping firewood in another corner of the pine forest.
Although she is a close confidant of the head of the exorcism department, she is the pride of heaven 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 felt her arms were sore and sweating profusely, and she could no longer carry the heavy iron axe.
"I really don't understand why Kong Xuan 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 and understanding, not physical strength. This It’s just torture.”
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Note:
(1) "The moon is small on the misty mountains, and the sea is calm at night." - Lin Shaoyan of the Qing Dynasty;
(2) "The body is like idle clouds, the shadow of the moon and the light of the stream are proof of nature; the heart is like the flowing water, the sound of pines and the color of bamboo 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".
