The vast Kunlun Mountains stretch across the land, winding like a giant dragon. To the north of the Kunlun Mountains is the grassland where the Tie'e people thrive. .dt. The grassland stretches for tens of thousands of miles from west to east. The sky is like a dome, and the land is vast and sparsely populated. After the First World War at Zhenhaiguan, only three tribes of Qidingwei Falcons and Gaoyantuo were left. Life, wolves are infested on the grassland, and the iron-fronted cavalry on patrol come and go like the wind. When they come, the dust is flying, and the horses neigh with joy. After they leave, the sun and moon shine in the sky, and the green grass is silent.
Qi Gu, the high priest of the Gaoyantuo tribe, is still alive. He is extremely old. He lies motionless all day long, seeming to be awake but not awake, and not sleeping. A wrinkled old skin is draped over the bones. My hair and teeth were all gone, and I couldn't even open my eyes. I had to drink mare's and goat's milk to survive. Occasionally, when I ate meat, I pounded it with a mallet, rolled it into small pills, and swallowed it with milk like a pill.
But he is still alive.
Many years ago, Qi Gu lay dying like this in his tent. Young and strong warriors on the grassland died one after another. Even Khan Bamusa passed away, and he was still alive feebly.
No iron-fronted man has ever lived as long as him. On the grasslands, aging means death and making room for younger generations. Even the khans of the iron-fronted tribes, few can take care of themselves. Years of old age and old age died in the tents. They either died on the horses in the battle or died at the hands of ambitious generals or equally ambitious princes.
Qi Gu is still alive because when he was young, he fell down a cliff in a bloody manner, hugged the overgrown pine tree, accidentally entered the cave left by the immortal, and found three pills, a rotten silver ring, and an article of more than a hundred words. Tips. The elixir prolongs life but cannot prevent aging. The key to sacrificing the ring cannot directly point to the avenue. The opportunity for praying for bones is limited to this. This adventure allowed him to secure his position as the high priest of Gaoyantuo tribe and won the trust of Bamusa. , below one person, above ten thousand people, he can get wind and rain, but it is not enough to ensure that he will continue to enjoy prosperity and wealth after Bamusa's death.
Fortunately, he has vision and foresight and has a good apprentice.
Qigu's disciple is Gueding, the youngest son of Bamusa. Gueding's mother was a captured Han slave and died in childbirth. He was not taken seriously since he was a child and was ostracized by several of his brothers. Fortunately, his birth was destined to Instead of being able to inherit the position of Khan of the Gaoyantuo tribe, he was able to stay away from the whirlpool of fighting and practice witchcraft with Qi Gu in peace.
Que Ding was a wise man. Taking advantage of his father's good health and Qi Gu's status as a high priest, he bid farewell to the Khan and his master, took enough gold with him, and traveled to the Central Plains alone, visiting the capital city of Xiongguan. I visited famous mountains and rivers, made friends with a bunch of heretical cultivators, each got what he needed, and learned a few sects of magic, but they were all unfashionable three-legged cats who could only fool people. Gueding knew clearly in his heart that although money and silk could attract people's hearts, the magic that money could buy could only be to this extent at most. The truly profound Xuanmen magic, let alone the chance to see it, even if he could get it, he would not be able to learn it with his qualifications. Come.
The most important thing for a person is to be self-aware, isn't it?
Gueding stayed in the Central Plains for more than ten years. Although the place where the Han people lived was good, it was not a place where he could stay for a long time. He spent all his money and was penniless. The blue eyes around him turned white. He didn't care much and set off back to where he was born. The Tie'e grassland where he was raised returned to Qi Gu and served his master wholeheartedly. After a long journey, Gueding's horizons were broadened, and his temperament was smoothed away, becoming a bit gentle. He tried the bone prayer several times, and seeing that he was sincere, he gave him an elixir and handed over his mantle. Teach each other carefully, give guidance carefully, and keep no secrets.
One year before Bamusa's death, Guoding, the leader of the bone prayer team, succeeded him as the high priest of the Gaoyantuo tribe, and he did not hesitate to use ruthless means to remove all obstacles for him. He used various methods to defeat his brothers and successfully ascended to the position of high priest.
Not long after, the South Dipper star fell, and Yongye spread its dark and cold wings, shrouding the sky over the grassland. Gaoyantuo Khan Bamusa passed away, and his eldest son Huge led the main force of the cavalry. With the strong support of Qi Gu and Gueding, he defeated several brothers in three battles and took the lead in entering the royal court to worship the gods and ancestors. For Khan.
The weather was freezing, life was cut off, and the pastureland turned into a wasteland. The wolves had nothing to eat and launched crazy attacks on the Iron-fronted people. The most frightening thing was that they were no longer beasts that fought against swords and fire with their claws. There are countless powerful and cunning monsters mixed in, which even the iron-fronted priests find troublesome.
The wind and snow were raging, cattle and sheep died in droves, and food was scarce. The situation became more and more serious. Famine and plague spread on the grasslands. The Tiebou people suffered heavy casualties and were unable to protect themselves. They were driven by wolves and continued to migrate westward, falling behind. None of the old, weak, sick, women, children and children survived. In the end, the three tribes of Tiebei people, Qiding Wei Falcon and Gaoyantuo who safely retreated to the royal court were less than 10,000.
Tie'e Royal Court is located on the coast of the North Sea, in a valley surrounded by snow-capped mountains. The terrain is dangerous, easy to defend and difficult to attack. The ice and snow cliffs are like unreachable and unbreakable city walls. There is only a narrow path that winds to the last fortress of the Tie'e people. .
The wolves surrounded the snow-capped mountains, howling day and night, trying to attack from time to time, wearing down the courage and physical strength of the survivors. Under the threat of death, the three iron-fronted people put aside their past grievances, twisted into a rope, and pushed Led by Khan Huge of the Gaoyantuo tribe, he dispatched priests and warriors to guard the royal court and keep away the hungry wolves.
The wolves were not afraid of death and took turns to attack. The dead wolf carcasses served as food, so there was no need to worry about starvation. Gueding led three priests to attack, but they were often entangled by powerful monsters and were unable to escape. They suffered many casualties and had to retreat to the royal court. The trapped iron-fronted people lacked food. After days of fierce fighting, they were hungry and could no longer lift. He raised his sword and gun, but he couldn't hold his eyes any longer.
On this day, the wolves suddenly no longer attacked the royal court, but started fighting and devouring each other, as if there was internal strife. The Tiebou people were relieved to survive the desperate situation, thinking that it was the blessing of gods and ancestors. The worst days were over. They even ventured out of the royal court, secretly dragged the wolf corpse back, and shared it with others to satisfy their hunger, saving many lives. Dying life.
However, resurrecting a desperate situation is just a beautiful fantasy. The wolves have not yet retreated. New demons have appeared in the royal court, killing the Tiele people without anyone noticing. Every day, a fresh corpse is discarded on the ground, and a bloody wound is opened in the chest. There was a big hole, the heart was missing, the head was lifted off the spiritual cover, no brain matter was left, and the state of death was horrific.
Huge suspected that a monster had sneaked into the royal court, transformed into a human form, lurked day and night, and ate the heart and brain to satisfy his appetite. He summoned everyone to discuss it several times, but they couldn't come up with an idea. He could only watch the warriors die miserably one by one, and was helpless.
Gueding carefully observed the dead Tiele people and found that all of them had been killed with one blow, their hearts had been gouged out, and they died cleanly with no signs of struggle or resistance. Except for the heart and brains, the bodies had no other defects. He remembered that when he was traveling in the Central Plains, he heard people say that most monsters are very picky about eating people. They mostly suck warm blood and devour soft and juicy internal organs. As for opening the Tianling Cap to suck brains, it is extremely rare. It seems to be a habit only possessed by bird monsters.
He guessed that the man-eating monster was not lurking in the royal court, but living in the snowy mountains.
