After a few words of greeting, everyone returned to the pavilion in the peach forest and sat around the stone table. Next to the stone table, a copper pot was warming the wine. Xiao He looked at the copper pot and couldn't help but smile.
At this time, Dugu Huntian jokingly reminded: "Brother Xiao He, the scenery today is pleasant and the scenery is great. I have plenty of time. Please drink slowly this time and don't be greedy!"
Xiao He smiled. That day at Feilai Peak, he drank a jar of Thousand Days Wine. Now he is known as a drunkard among the thirty-six caves. However, at this moment, Xiao He's eyes and heart are not filled with fine wine at all. But the woman sitting opposite him.
The person sitting opposite him was Dugu Yixue, still dressed in white, standing tall and graceful, making people afraid to approach. Xiao He looked at her quietly, looking at the fairy-like Dugu Yixue, reflected in the pink background of Taozhiyaoyao.
Many years later, the world has changed. Xiao He can still remember that afternoon in the peach blossom forest, wine was brewed in a copper pot. Before the cup was picked up, people were drunk with the peach blossoms.
"Brother Xiao He, what are you thinking about?" Su Lanyue suddenly asked.
Xiao He came back to his senses and didn't know how to answer for a moment, so he had to say: "I was wondering if the two senior sisters are going to drink this Thousand Days Wine with me and Brother Dugu today?"
Hearing what Xiao He said, Su Lanyue smiled with joy and said with a smile: "Sister Yixue and I are both weak women, but we don't have the capacity of you two. We only drink peach blossom wine. Brother, do you want to try this? My sister brewed it myself, right?"
Xiao He waved his hand and said, "Sister, this wine is too gentle. My brother is a rough man. If I drink it, wouldn't it be a waste of natural resources?"
While the three of them were pushing cups and changing cups, Dugu Huncai told Xiao He that he originally came to visit the master of Taoyuan Sect today. After all, Su Lanyue followed him and was seriously injured and lost an important magical weapon in the sect. No matter what, I should come to the door in person. After Dugu Huntian arrived, Su Lanyue made arrangements to invite Xiao He to come and drink together. Thinking that the departure day was approaching and Xiao He was not familiar with the route, she simply invited Xiao He.
Speaking of this matter again, Xiao He said to Su Lanyue: "Xiao He has something to ask, but I don't know whether to ask it or not."
Su Lanyue smiled charmingly again and said to Xiao He: "Sister, I don't have any inconvenience for you. My brother can just ask."
Xiao He smiled bitterly in his heart, and he was slowly getting used to this senior sister with a rather "bold" personality, and continued to ask: "I wonder if this magical weapon, senior sister, was refined by myself?"
Su Lanyue wondered why Xiao He asked such a question, shook her head, and replied: "No, I heard from my father that this precious armor has been passed down from generation to generation for some years, but it was not refined by my sect. The specific method of obtaining it has long been unknown.”
"Oh!" Xiao He agreed, but he was thoughtful in his heart. Dugu Huntian noticed Xiao He's strangeness, but did not ask any questions.
"What's wrong, brother Xiao He?" Su Lanyue asked.
"It's okay." Xiao He said with a smile. "Is sister going to this trip to Tianyuan Academy?"
Su Lanyue smiled brilliantly and said: "My injury is no longer serious. I have to go to Tianyuan Academy no matter what. I heard that after passing the test of Tianyuan Academy, I will have the opportunity to aspire to the top of immortal cultivation. I have thought about it for a long time. tried!"
"Oh? Is there such a statement?" Xiao He asked.
"It's true!" Dugu Huntian said: "Except for the secluded casual cultivators, the real masters in the world today are all in the top sects such as the Zhenwu Divine Sect, the Shanhai Divine Sect, and the Cantian Sword Sect. If If you want to continue practicing in these sects, you must pass the assessment of Tianyuan Academy. Only after being baptized by Tianyuan Academy can you enter these sects to practice. Therefore, in the eyes of the cultivators of Thirty-Six Cave Heavens, Tianyuan Academy is the starting point for cultivation. , this can also explain why there is an essential difference between the Thirty-Six Cave Heavens and the Seventy-two Blessed Lands. Although the overall strength may be higher or lower, in the eyes of the Thirty-Six Cave Heavens, the sects in the Seventy-two Blessed Lands are not considered cultivation at all. , just laying a good foundation."
"But every sect has elders who are over a thousand years old!" Xiao He asked.
Dugu Hantian continued with a smile: "They may be stronger than you at the moment, but that's where it stops. Without joining a top sect, they can't break through the current bottleneck of cultivation. As long as you can join the Zhenwu Divine Sect, It is only a matter of time before we surpass these old men."
Dugu Huntian's words almost changed Xiao He's perception, and he continued to ask: "When I first started cultivating immortality, I heard my master mention that there seemed to be people who could ascend a thousand years ago. How did they break through the bottleneck of cultivation?"
Dugu Huntian continued: "The matter of ascension, after thousands of years, seems to have become a legend now, but I have also heard the elders of the sect mention it. They said that the spiritual energy, fortune, laws, and even everything in the world have changed today, but There is no way to know why this is so, because it is just a legend, so it is impossible to delve into the cause and effect."
"How could such a thing happen?" Xiao He said again, whether he was talking to himself or asking Dugu Huntian.
"Brother Xiao He, such a major event in the lifeline between heaven and earth cannot be solved by you and me at the moment. Tomorrow we will set off to Tianyuan Academy. After passing the assessment there, it is the most important thing at hand."
"Brother Dugu is referring to the entrance examination of Tianyuan Academy?" Xiao He asked.
Dugu Huntian shook his head and said with a smile, "No, it's the entrance exam."
Xiao He heard this, dumbfounded and said, "I didn't expect there would be an exam for admission!"
"Brother Xiao He, it is rumored that Tianyuan Academy's entrance examination is extremely harsh. You should prepare yourself early!" Su Lanyue said.
In fact, without her having to say anything, Xiao He could imagine that it was not easy to join this academy, so he still asked: "What will be tested then?"
Su Lanyue shook her head, waved her hands and said, "I don't know. Those who know the answer to this question are already among the major divine sects."
On this day, Xiao He drank with the three of them until late at night. They talked a lot while pushing cups and changing cups. He also became very good friends with Dugu Huntian and Su Lanyue. Only Dugu Yixue never spoke much, and Xiao He was drunk. Looking at each other, I just feel more drunk.
This peach forest is on the highest peak of Taoyuan Cave. When the moon is shining in the sky, Su Lanyue and Dugu Yixue both go back to sleep. Only Dugu Huntian and Xiao He are left in the pavilion.
Everyone left, and Dugu Huntian and Xiao He became even more drunk. Dugu asked Xiao He, "Brother Xiao He, what did you mean by asking Su Lan Yue Bao Jia during the day?"
Xiao He made no secret and told what he knew: "According to the current situation, there must be a powerful organization attacking the Zhengdao Sect. I have been wondering what their purpose is, and now I seem to have discovered a pattern. .”
"What's the pattern?" Dugu Huntian just asked without much surprise.
Xiao He continued to answer: "Their goal seems to have always been related to a certain magic weapon. My sect Guiyan Peak was exterminated, the death of Shaolin Master Ji Ku, and now Su Lanyue. There is one thing between these things. What they have in common is that one of the magical weapons is missing, and these magical weapons are quite mysterious and were not refined by the sect itself."
"Oh? It's actually like this." Dugu Huntian responded.
Xiao He continued: "Furthermore, when I observed the expressions of other people in the ruins that day, it seemed that there were other caves that had been attacked by this organization, but they had not yet spoken out. Now that things have happened frequently, I think all caves have stepped up their precautions. , in the short term, the other party may not be able to succeed so easily."
Dugu Huntian thought for a moment and said, "The organization you mentioned is most likely the Shadow Alliance."
"Shadow Alliance?" Xiao He asked doubtfully.
"Yes!" Dugu Huntian nodded and continued: "No one knows who they are or where they are. They haven't appeared on the mainland for a long time. Like you, I made a guess based on what happened recently. , but because we know very little about this legendary organization, we are not sure! Usually the Shadow Alliance is hidden in the sea of people, and no one can find it. If the recent things are really done by them, even if the mainland is not It’s going to cause a bloody storm!”
"The major divine sects can't do anything to them?" Xiao He asked.
Dugu Huntian said: "No! Indeed not. It is said that Shenzong has also searched for the whereabouts of the Shadow Alliance, but has never succeeded. Moreover, it has been a thousand years, and such a powerful sect acts low-key and hides its capabilities and bides its time. Who else can We know what the Shadow Alliance will develop into now."
"If this is really the case, the righteous way of cultivating immortals will actually have no way to deal with this Shadow Alliance!" Xiao He sighed.
"The key is that there are very few records about the Shadow Alliance. It is rumored that this Shadow Alliance is composed of twelve elders with unpredictable magical powers. They have countless followers, all of whom have considerable strength!" Dugu Huntian said.
"Twelve!" Xiao He's heart sank, as if he remembered something.
Seeing this, Dugu Huntian quickly asked: "Brother Xiao He, what's wrong with you?"
There was a trace of fear on Xiao He's face, and he said: "Brother Dugu, if it is as you said, I may have seen the twelve elders of this Shadow Alliance."
"Brother, what you said is true!" Dugu Huntian was shocked when he heard this. In his knowledge, everyone who had seen the Shadow Alliance was already dead.
Xiao He said affirmatively: "Yes, but there is a fate."
At this time, Xiao He was not too prepared for Dugu Huntian, so he told Dugu Huntian about the twelve mysterious masters he met when he fled to the Juliu River and was chased by Liuguang Blessed Land. After hearing this, Dugu Huntian was also afraid for Xiao He. If any of the twelve people had made a move at that time, Xiao He would not have the ability to resist. However, why the twelve people spared his life made Xiao He and Dugu very strange. I can’t figure it out.
Thinking of this, combined with what happened before and after, it seems that Beiluomen's sect leader Zha Muyu told the truth before he died. Xiao He can almost conclude that the tragedy at Guiyan Peak does seem to have nothing to do with Liuguang Blessed Land and Beiluomen. , looking at it now, this matter is more likely the work of the twelve elders of the so-called Shadow Alliance.
Xiao He clenched his fists with a fierce look in his eyes. Dugu Huntian quickly comforted him and gradually calmed down Xiao He. By this time, the drunkenness was gone. Xiao He and Dugu Huntian returned to the guest rooms of Taoyuan Cave to rest, just waiting for tomorrow. , went to Tianyuan Academy together, waiting for the unknown test.
