Zhao Yan has always believed that "flint" is her destiny.
She was born into the world with the "body of the flame spirit", her talent for cultivation is rare in the world, and she has a high degree of compatibility with the "Holy Fire Totem" passed down from Dayan's ancestors.
Although the Yan Kingdom has nominally given up its belief in the God of Fire since it surrendered to Emperor Taizu of Qi, and converted to "Tai Shang Haotian" and "Emperor Ziwei", the worship of the God of Fire among the people has never been cut off.
Many people in Youzhou believe that Zhao Yan has received the care and blessing of the great Fire God and is destined to lead the Northern Territory to prosperity.
Especially when she advanced to the fifth realm and mastered the ability to leave the body, some people thought that she was the reincarnation of a "holy girl".
"Saint" is the legendary disciple of the God of Fire.
In the dark age when the method of spiritual practice had not yet been born, the "Saint Girl" has been following the God of Fire, killing demons and monsters with her.
When the Vulcan stole the fire and created the flint, the "saint" with the "flaming spirit body" became the first "guinea pig" - she relied on the "flint" to fully awaken the power of her bloodline and gave birth to a pair of capable "Fire Phoenix Wings" that burn ghosts.
Therefore, she is also called "Phoenix Girl".
After the "Vulcan God" was killed with thunder by the gods above the nine heavens, the "Saint Girl" became the new leader of the human tribe, inheriting the legacy of the Vulcan God and protecting the human homeland.
As an ancestor and hero respected by the people of Youzhou in the north, the "Saint" was enshrined on the altar together with the God of Fire and was worshiped.
And Zhao Yan's spirit is also a golden phoenix - so people can't help but associate her with the legendary "saint".
Zhao Yan initially dismissed the idea of "reincarnation".
She has a proud personality and feels that she will be able to achieve great things by relying on her own strength in this life, without relying on the reputation of her predecessors.
But later, as her strength grew, her practice began to cause her to feel more and more intense pain.
In addition, she often has terrible hallucinations in her sea of consciousness, seeing a dim and lightless wasteland, catching glimpses of flickering fires, hearing the howls of ghosts and wolves, and the screams and sobbing of people...
This wasteland was a place she had never been to in reality, but she felt inexplicably familiar - it was like she had never met Gu Xu before, but she felt like she had seen him before.
She once asked her father and the priests in the family for advice on this issue, but they could not give a reasonable explanation.
Because of this, she inadvertently associated this issue with mysterious aspects such as "gods", "reincarnation", and "reincarnation".
…………
At this moment, when she saw the item in the cabinet door, Zhao Yan's mood was like surfing on the sea, first climbing to a high point, and then falling to a low point in an instant.
This thing is indeed the "flint" she has dreamed of.
Its entire body is black with a dull luster, and its surface is engraved with natural patterns, which have many similarities with her "Holy Fire Totem".
Zhao Yan knew that these complicated patterns were the formation patterns drawn by the legendary "Vulcan" himself.
Once she touches it, these formations will be connected with the "Holy Fire Totem", igniting her bloodline and allowing her to fully awaken the "power from her ancestors".
Unfortunately……
"I should have thought of this a long time ago," Zhao Yan pursed her lips slightly, staring at the dilapidated "flint" in the cabinet, and said silently in her heart, "In the concept of the descendants of Dayan, the 'flint' is a treasure given by God. But for others, 'flint' is useless.
"Especially in the eyes of Emperor Da Qi, this thing is a hidden disaster - he cannot use it himself, and will never allow it to return to the hands of the Youzhou people.
"Therefore, the best way for him to deal with it is to destroy the 'flint'.
"But the problem is, why didn't I think of it in advance?"
As Zhao Yan saw, the "flint" in the cabinet had been broken into several pieces, and the patterns on its surface had lost its effectiveness.
It had long been quietly destroyed by the Daqi royal family.
This undoubtedly means that Zhao Yan's recent efforts - whether it is the hard training without sleep and food, or the five levels and six generals in the "Dragon Secret Realm", or the twists and turns of breaking into the royal family's inner treasury, and countless late nights. Secret plotting is futile and meaningless.
The fragmentation of the "flint" was not only the destruction of a precious magic weapon, but also the destruction of the faith of the people in the north, and the instantaneous collapse of Zhao Yan's spiritual pillar.
"Maybe it's because in the hearts of us descendants of Dayan, the 'flint' is too sacred, so it is impossible to consider the possibility of it being destroyed." Zhao Yan thought silently.
There was no blood on her face at this moment, and there was a bitter smile on her lips.
The heartstrings that had always been tense were suddenly severed at this moment; the fragility that was usually deeply hidden in my heart also surged into my heart at this moment like spring water.
Her legs softened, as if she had been swallowed by sugar, and she slowly fell to the ground, no longer caring about maintaining her usual strong and fearless image.
At this moment, "Bai Chen" not far away suddenly turned around and walked towards her direction.
In addition to the Feng Shui compass, he also had a square, jade object in his hand.
"That's the 'Jingshan Bi', the imperial seal of the Chu Dynasty." Gu Xu came to her side at some point and said softly to her.
"I know." Zhao Yan nodded.
She had collected information about the royal family's inner treasury before, and had a basic understanding of many of the collections there.
Then she raised her head and looked at Gu Xu: "Did you find what you wanted?"
Gu Xu nodded.
"I originally planned to leave this place directly after getting the things," he continued, "but the exit of the royal treasury was blocked with space magic. With my ability, I can't break it for the time being."
Zhao Yan could hear the hidden meaning in his words——
The person who sealed off the royal family's inner treasury must be "Bai Chen", it couldn't be anyone else.
The two of them were already in a desperate situation without knowing it.
"So you've come to me to join a group to keep warm?" She forced a smile and said to Gu Xu in a teasing tone, "It's just that in this situation, I may not be able to help."
Perhaps it was because the shattering of the "flint" was such a huge blow to her - when she heard the news that the royal treasury was blocked, she found that her mood was unexpectedly calm, like a frozen lake. ripple.
Gu Xu also noticed that something was wrong with Zhao Yan's mental state at this time.
Although her words are still sharp, her usual unruly and fearless temperament has changed.
Disappeared without a trace - this made Gu Xu couldn't help but sigh, it turns out that a proud daughter like Zhao Yan will show the vulnerability and helplessness of a young girl after taking off the armor called "strong".
He lowered his head and saw the broken black stone in the cabinet.
He recognized that this must be the "flint" that Zhao Yan had mentioned to him before - but it had now been broken into several pieces, and the formation patterns on it had lost their effectiveness.
It can be said that it is no different from ordinary gravel on the roadside.
Zhao Yan's abnormal mental state is most likely related to it.
However, when Gu Xu's eyes fell on the broken formation pattern of "Flint", he felt inexplicably familiar, as if he had seen it before.
Then he quickly remembered that there were many complicated, obscure and dizzying patterns carved on the stone walls of the "Longevity Cult" lava cave.
From those pictures, he understood the "Karma Fire Sutra" and learned from its profound meanings to improve the "Red Flame True Technique" he practiced. m..
Although the patterns in the cave were very different from the patterns on the "flint", he intuitively felt that the two were of the same origin and concealed a very similar true meaning of the great avenue.
Even the "Hui Lu" rune in his conscious world trembled slightly for a moment, seemingly echoing the "Flint".
"What is the connection between the 'Changshou Cult' in Daguguan and the 'Vulcan Cult' in Youzhou?" Such questions couldn't help but arise in his mind.
But because the situation was urgent at this time, Gu Xu didn't have the time to think about this issue, so he put it behind him for the time being.
"I think I should have guessed this guy's identity." Gu Xu narrowed his eyes, looked at Bai Chen in front of him, and said calmly.
"Who is it?" Zhao Yan asked.
"It is the 'fierce god'-level ghost that was transformed from the resentful soul in the imperial mausoleum of the Da Chu Dynasty," Gu Xu replied, "the 'Mangshan Ghost King' that makes the Da Qi royal family and the Luo Jing government very afraid."
The "Ghost King of Mangshan" is not the real "Ghost King", and it has never held a special promotion ceremony. The so-called "Ghost King" is just his self-proclaimed title.
However, due to its fierce reputation and full of evil, people gradually accepted its title.
"'Mangshan Ghost King'?" After hearing Gu Xu's words, Zhao Yan had a surprised look on her face.
Although she was born and raised in Youzhou, and her mother, Mrs. Qu, was killed in Luojing, Zhao Yan has always disliked the Daqi court and the Daqi royal family.
But she fully recognized the cultivation of Emperor Tianxing and the power of Luo Jing's "Tianlong Formation".
Because of this, Zhao Yan found it unbelievable when a "fierce god" level evil spirit broke into Luojing City, sneaked into the "Secret Realm of Heavenly Dragon", and blinded the eyes of His Majesty the Emperor and several saints.
"The 'Mangshan Ghost King' was born in the imperial mausoleum of the previous dynasty. He is the aggregation of the remnant souls of many Da Chu emperors. The destruction of Da Chu is undoubtedly the deepest obsession in his heart," Gu Xu said, "The 'fierce gods' around Luo Jing There are not many super-level ghosts. Only this 'Ghost King of Mangshan' would make such great efforts to obtain the jade seal of the Great Chu Dynasty.
"It's just that in the books I've read, it's never been officially recorded what the 'Mangshan Ghost King' looks like and what skills he possesses.
"In the stream, some said it was a skeleton wearing an imperial crown, some said it was a rotting corpse, and some said it was a disembodied ghost...
"I didn't expect to see it here today."
Before Gu Xu finished speaking, "Bai Chen" - no, "Mangshan Ghost King"'s eyes fell on him.
After getting the "Jingshan Bi", the aura of the "Mangshan Ghost King" becomes stronger than before. As it moved forward step by step, the air in the room became colder and colder, and the flying dust slowly sank, as if it was prostrate in worship before it to show its surrender.
Its eyes stayed on Gu Xu for a while, and then looked at Zhao Yan next to him.
"Your blood is very pure," I heard the "Mangshan Ghost King" say in a cold voice, "The legendary 'saint' among you Youzhou people should be nothing more than this. If it weren't for your father being my ally , I really want to make you my 'ghost attendant'."
"My father?" Zhao Yan suspected that she heard wrongly, "How could he be your ally?"
"Mangshan Ghost King" did not answer her doubts.
It stared at Gu Xu for a while again, and then said: "Your physical condition is very strange - it is weak, riddled with holes, and seems to be overwhelmed. But it can still hold such a strong and powerful body." Yuan Power and perfectly accommodates two souls.
"If Chief Luo of the Exorcism Department hadn't solemnly told me not to do anything to harm you, otherwise I would have really wanted to take you to Mang Mountain and make you a 'Ghost Attendant' to study your thin body. What secrets are hidden?”
Luo Sishou actually had secret contact with the "Ghost King of Mangshan"?
A look of surprise flashed in Gu Xu's eyes.
Then he thought that he had doubts about Bai Chen not long ago, thinking that there was a secret organization hidden behind him, and reported this matter to Luo Sishou.
However, the Exorcism Department's investigation into this matter has made no progress.
Luo Sishou's art of divine deduction, which he claimed to be "knowing everything about the world," seemed to have completely lost its effectiveness in the face of this matter.
"If Luo Sishou is also involved in this, then everything will be explained," Gu Xu thought to himself, "But the question is, what is the purpose of Luo Sishou doing this?
"He is now a highly respected minister and a powerful saint who is highly respected by the people of Qi. Colluding with ghosts and ghosts in private will not benefit him at all under normal circumstances.
"unless……
"Does he want to take this opportunity to change the fate of the Daqi Dynasty?"
Gu Xu took a deep breath and made a very bold guess in his mind.
In addition, the "ghost servant" and "two souls" mentioned by the "Ghost King of Mangshan" also made Gu Xu's mood difficult to calm down for a while.
"Ghost Warrior", if he guessed correctly, should be a spell mastered by the "Mangshan Ghost King" - through this spell, it can turn monks with excellent blood and outstanding physique into its own puppets.
As for “two souls”…
"Is it because I am a time traveler?" Gu Xu thought to himself, "It saw the remnant soul of the original owner of the body and my soul of a time traveler from another world?"
"I will keep my promise and not hurt you, but I don't want you to hinder what I want to do later," after a pause, "Mangshan Ghost King" continued, "I have put a seal on this room. In Luojing City Before it breaks, you just stay here and don't go anywhere."
Then it held the "Jingshan Jade" in its hand, built a space passage again, and soon disappeared into the dim warehouse.
Only two young men with stunned expressions were left, looking at each other. _&
