Of course, there were also juniors in the true sense of Wu Xie in the banquet, that is, his second apprentice Qin Jing and third apprentice Lin Xiao.

Qin Jing and Qin Mianzhi are now the head of the forbidden army of the Great Chu State, and he has seven masters under his command who are like Xiong Qiuye at the beginning. However, he, the head of the sect, basically didn't care about anything, and handed over all kinds of chores to his subordinates, in addition to strengthening his own cultivation, he was busy teaching the elite.

"For the general forbidden army, as long as the order is forbidden, it is enough to fight a war by discipline and bravery, and personal force is the icing on the cake, it is good to have it, it doesn't hurt if you don't have it, and it is not worth spending too much money to pursue." Qin Jing, who is nearly fifty years old, has already grown two mustaches and looks a lot more mature. Regarding the management of the forbidden army, he has a completely different view from the past generations of sect leaders.

"The forbidden army serves no more than two purposes, one is to play a key role on the battlefield as the strongest army in the whole country; The other is to keep the royal family safe and guard against situations such as the Bear Ho Rebellion. The former can be accomplished by improving the discipline and bravery of the team; The latter use requires a group of solid and reliable masters!"

There are more than 100 elites under his command, each of whom is a meritorious son who has served the country for generations, loyal and reliable. And they are not only loyal to the country, but also have both talent and hard work, never complain about being tired when training, and their martial arts improve quickly.

Qin Jing has lived in the capital for thirteen years, but he has only been officially an official of the imperial court for five years, and he has only served as the head of the forbidden army for three years. But in the past three years, he has trained a group of young people who originally had no foundation except enthusiasm and determination into a group of masters who have almost stepped into the acquired realm.

Among the seven kingdoms of Kyushu, there was originally only a big Han who could have such an elite forbidden army, but now there is one more.

This group of elites is not a martial arts idiot who only knows how to practice martial arts, they often engage in various tasks under Qin Jing's arrangement, patrolling the city, arresting thieves, and suppressing bandits...... They even often disguise themselves as ordinary dart masters and travel with caravans to other countries to increase their knowledge

According to Qin Jing's conception, he hoped that this group of people could grow into the seeds of the future forbidden army of the Great Chu State, even if he did not continue to serve as the head of the forbidden army in the future, they would be able to grow up from generation to generation according to the established strategy, maintain the strength of the forbidden army, and deter all kinds of enemies at home and abroad, and make contributions to the country.

Qin Jing's thinking has been endorsed by many generals, so much so that although he has never been on the battlefield for a day, he has also won the reputation of "knowing soldiers".

"I don't care if I know it or not. What I care about is when I'll be able to step down from this position. When Wu Xie told him about this, Qin Jing replied with some distress, "My dream when I was a teenager was to become a martial arts master, and now it has come true. But I have already seen a higher realm, and it is natural to continue to strive for it...... The work of the head of the forbidden army is really a bit delayed, and I hope that I can resign as soon as possible and concentrate on cultivation. ”

"Second Senior Brother is right! The position of power in the world, or even fame or something, actually doesn't mean much. The only thing that is truly worth pursuing is immortality and transcendence!" Lin Xiao nodded again and again, agreeing with Qin Jing's statement. Looking at the apprentices, Wu Xie smiled and said nothing. The disciples have a heart for the Tao, which is of course a good thing. As a master, he naturally hopes that his apprentices can be positive and can continue to move forward on the immortal road.

As for the fame and wealth of the mortal world...... It's good when they're puffy clouds.

Wu Xie is concerned about the Chu State, but this concern will not exceed his desire to seek the truth. The apprentices are willing to do their best for the country, and he naturally will not object, but if he can, he still hopes that the apprentices will do something for the country like himself, and it is enough to do something, and there is no need to follow Lin Lushan and put his whole life on the line.

After all, immortal cultivators are people outside the world, and being too nostalgic for the red dust is not a good thing after all!

However, there are always exceptions to everything, and immortal cultivators who are too nostalgic for the red dust do exist.

"Don't want to see me?" Wu Jie, who was about to return to the Prime Minister's Mansion after the banquet, was slightly stunned, and asked the girl standing in the shadows, "Does his old man have anything to instruct?"

"Master didn't say it, he only asked me to invite you to come over once." Lu Ji lowered her head, her short white hair seemed to glow slightly in the shadows, and the feeling on her body that was not very harmonious with the world made Wu Xie frown secretly - he was a half-human and half-soul, why should he pass on this kind of Taoism to his predecessors? Just pass on the swordsmanship!

After a little thought, he accepted the invitation of his senior, followed the girl, and walked towards the corner of the palace in Changning City.

There are many areas in the palace of the Great Chu Kingdom that are forbidden for outsiders to enter, but there is one area that is the most peculiar. As far as the rules are concerned, this is not a forbidden place, anyone who has the right to enter the palace can come here; But in fact, it was a well-known forbidden place, and the palace ladies and eunuchs almost changed their colors, and only some of the bravest guards would set foot in it when they were forced to do so.

Because, it is a "dead place".

In what had once been a courtyard, there was now only a huge tree that was beyond imagination, this tree had no leaves, and its iron-gray branches were bare and metallic.

With it as the center, there is a gust of wind and cold air in the surrounding area of about 50 zhang. I also heard a lot of grumbling and sad words coming from unknown places, which made people feel creepy.

"This place really looks like the Netherworld Realm—" Wu Jie's voice suddenly stopped, his eyes widened, and he stared at the giant tree that seemed to have withered a long time ago.

At the base of the giant tree, there is a gray breath that constantly overflows. This is the aura he is very familiar with—the Yin Wind of the Netherworld!

"Huh? This is truly the gateway to the Netherworld!" He couldn't help but exclaim, "Won't there be any problem in communicating the Netherworld with the human world?"

"So far, there have been no problems." The green-clothed and white-haired girl replied, "Because the yin wind does not blow out, but rotates around the dead tree according to the formation, and after a circle, it returns to the Netherworld." The result is to create such a ghost in the world, if you don't have enough cultivation, just walk in and inhale the yin wind, you will get seriously ill. ”

Wu Xie nodded slightly, he now understood why Lu Ji wanted to transform into a half-human and half-soul physique.

Although this girl who chased and killed Xiong Hao together at the beginning has already stepped into the innate realm, the physique of the innate martial artist cannot withstand the invasion of the Netherworld Yin Wind at all. If she touches it occasionally, she may be able to carry it, but she obviously often has to go in and out of this human world, so she has to transform herself into an existence between life and death, so that not only can she not be injured by the invasion of the yin wind, but she can cultivate with the help of yin qi, which can be described as killing two birds with one stone.

But Wu Xie did not approve of this approach, half-human and half-soul was not the right path after all, and even if he could continue to cultivate, the future prospects were really not bright.

Even if Midori Ji can cultivate to the realm of jealous seniors, after all, she will only be three hundred years old, and if she doesn't get the protection of humanity, I'm afraid she will not be able to live for so many years. But if she cultivates according to the authentic method of the Dao Gate, with her heart and qualifications, she can break through the barrier of seeing and seeing, and even accumulate and step into the realm of refining, which is a logical thing.

Not to mention anything else, the monks in the Refining Gang realm have at least four hundred years of lifespan, which is more than one-third more than that of their predecessors. If Lu Ji can further condense into the true yuan, or even understand that the original heart is still successful, the longevity will be greatly increased - not to mention the most important thing, the tribulation and ascension!

No matter how strong and powerful a person is, if he can't ascend, he will not be detached after all. For example, the Taixu Patriarch back then was obviously invincible in the world, but he never took that step, and he could only sit down and pin his hope of ascension on the ethereal afterlife.

Wu Xie had heard a lot of things about his predecessors, and although his realm was not very high, his combat effectiveness was very strong, and he had killed many Refining Gang Flying Immortals under the double sword, and even the great grandmaster of the Ning Yuan realm had died under his sword, as if he was a shrunken version of the sword god abandoning the sword.

But no matter how powerful the predecessors are, they are still limited to the realm after all, not only is their longevity limited, but they also have no chance to go further or even surpass the mortal world.

There is a road ahead, but I can't walk it, what a sad and helpless thing!

He sighed secretly as he followed Midorihime slowly in the ghost of the world, and soon came to the bottom of the giant tree.

Not far from the tree was a small room, in which a woman in a blue-purple gown was reading. She felt Wu Jie's gaze from a distance, raised her head to look at him, raised her eyebrows slightly, and lowered her head again.

At the moment when she raised her head, Wu Xie looked at her, only to feel that those purple-red eyes seemed to have the magic of seducing the soul, as if just looking at each other could cut off people's vitality, and even more make people feel that life is impermanent, and they couldn't help but have the absurd idea of breaking this life.

Fortunately, Wu Xie cultivated deeply, and regained control of his mind in an instant, eliminating that strange illusion.

"Who's that?" He whispered, "That's amazing!"

"That's Her Royal Highness the Eldest Princess. She is an extremely rare innate psychic physique among the royal family of our Great Chu Kingdom, and she has been able to communicate yin and yang since she was a child, and then she naturally entered the Tao and cultivated immortals. It's just that the sky is jealous, and when the bear is in turmoil, she casts a secret method and dies with the killers, and her soul is attracted by this tree of death, and since then she has become a ghost locked under the tree and cannot leave. There was obvious sympathy and sadness in Midorihime's voice, probably she had a good relationship with the eldest princess.

"Haven't you thought about sending her to reincarnation?" Wu Xie frowned slightly, and asked, "With the ability of the royal family of the Great Chu Kingdom, it shouldn't be difficult to send a ghost to reincarnate and reincarnate, right?"

"Alas! It's hard to do! The secret method came from a fragmented ancient secret scroll, and she hadn't actually studied it thoroughly at the time, but only used it with a half-understanding. It didn't take long for the side effects of the spell to appear—the tree of death kept attracting people to their deaths, and at its peak, ten people came running up to them a day for no apparent reason, throwing themselves into the underworld of the tree, turning into all dead souls. ”

Wu Xie was taken aback, and couldn't help but criticize: "This spell is too evil!" Not the right way!"

"We also know that the way is not the right way, but it is too late to regret it. At this time, she found out that she and the Tree of Death were actually one, so she came up with a solution to the problem, sealed herself under the tree, and sealed the power that can tempt others to die in her body......" Midorihime sighed deeply, "Over the years, she has really worked hard!"

Wu Xie also sighed and turned his head to look at the majestic tree.

Who would have thought that such a big tree would be a terrible evil star that would invite death!

Maybe this is the same as the Great Chu State, which seems to be very prosperous at first glance, but in fact it is full of dangers, and this danger may erupt at any time, making the people in it miserable.

Over the years, relying on the sacrifices of Lin Lushan and others, this tree of death called "The Great Chu State is about to perish" has not been able to harm people, but Lin Lushan is about to die, and their generation is about to pass away......

In the future Great Chu Kingdom, I don't know how much bloody rain there will be in the Dao!

After some sighing, Wu Xie followed Midori into a hole under the Tree of Death.

The hole was wide enough for him to walk through it with his head held high. Every other way, the cave wall is inlaid with a night pearl that emits a faint light, the beads are wrapped in translucent crystals, and the light that is transmitted is not very much, which makes the cave have some eerie feelings.

But the cave was not gloomy, Wu Xie could clearly feel that when he stepped into the cave, the yin wind around him suddenly disappeared, and the air became refreshing again

This is because there is a spiritual vein hidden in the depths of the cave, and the power of the spiritual vein blocks the yin wind out of the cave, so although there is a ghost outside, the inside of this cave is the world.

They walked forward a little further, only to feel that the Heaven and Earth Yuan Qi was gradually thickening, although it seemed too heavy, but at least it was very abundant, and it could even be easily absorbed.

It seems that the depths of this cave cannot be regarded as a human world, but should be regarded as a blessed land!

The hole in the ground is not very long, and it will come to an end in a while. There were three things at the end of it, a translucent blue light suspended in the air, a spiritual field planted with precious medicinal herbs, and a huge ice block placed under the blue light.

A human figure can be faintly seen inside the ice, and I think it is the jealous predecessor who has frozen himself here.

Wu Xie observed the blue light attentively, and felt the vigorous vitality from it, and a thriving aura was constantly emanating from it, nourishing the spiritual field, and also moisturizing the sword old man in the Xuan Bing.

He looked at his predecessors, and saw that as Xiao Buyi said, this strong man who used to slash the evil with two swords in his hand was already full of cracks at the moment, if it wasn't sealed by solid ice, I was afraid that his body would have been torn apart and completely collapsed!

Looking at his appearance, Wu Xie couldn't help but think of the scene when he saw him when he had just sold King Sam. At that time, he was so powerful and free, and he was the best example of the strong sword of his predecessors.

From that time to now, almost thirty-six years have passed, and the ignorant young man Wu Xie is already a world-famous Taoist master; And the free and powerful predecessors have become the appearance that may completely collapse at any time.

The force of time is terrifying!

"Wu Xie meets his seniors!" Wu Xie sighed secretly in his heart, but he took a step forward and saluted the jealous seniors in the Xuanbing - the jealous seniors had the grace to guide him, and he deserved to be worshipped, "I don't know if the senior of the Dao called me here, what do you want to order?"

There was silence in Xuan Bing for a long time, and a thought that seemed to have frozen even his thoughts slowly came out, rippling in Wu Jie's heart, turning into a clear and old voice

"I can't call myself a senior in front of you - compared to the invincible Vulcan Son back then, what a hellish senior am I!" There was a bit of a joke in the words of the seniors, "The reason why I invited you over is mainly because there are some things I want to ask you ......"

"Senior, it's impossible for me to stay here for the rest of my life to take care of the Xiong clan of the Eastern Chu Kingdom!" Wu Xie immediately guessed what he meant to be jealous of his predecessors, and immediately persuaded, "Senior, you want to find someone to help take care of Chu Guo, with the current situation of Chu State, there are many people who are willing to help you take care of Chu Guo!"

"But what I want is not the immediate benefits, but to let the Great Chu Kingdom survive the difficult years in the future, and fully grow up, and there will be an enlightened and prosperous era again!"

Wu Xie nodded slightly, but he did not agree with the idea of jealousy of his predecessors, but persuaded him: "Seniors, you must know that there is no banquet in the world that will not be dispersed. You have been protecting this country for 300 years, and you have done your duty, don't put any more burden on yourself!"

Senior Ji was silent for a while, and replied very slowly but resolutely: "Serving the country, I have no time to take care of myself." Passing on the torch to successors!"

"You have paid so much yourself, and you have no regrets, but what about others? Doesn't everyone have no regrets?"

"What if you lose one person and benefit one country, what if you have grievances and regrets?"

"You can't say that!" Wu Xie persuaded, "Voluntary sacrifice is noble; It's not right to sacrifice others!"

"Can you ask Midorihime, if she complains, if she has any remorse?"

Wu Xie was silent for a moment, and looked at Lu Ji, who was busy in the spiritual field—she didn't need to ask to know that she must be willing to sacrifice. ”

He had the heart to refute, but he was afraid that too strong words would make his predecessors sad, so he was silent for a while before he said slowly: "Everyone thinks differently, Green Ji has no regrets, it doesn't mean that others are the same!"

"So...... What about you?" The senior finally asked the most critical question.

Wu Xie stared at the jealous seniors who were frozen in the Xuan Ice, as if his entire body might be torn apart at any time; Look at Midorihime, who is busy in the fields and can't see the slightest hint of the strong man's breath; Turning his head again, the thick earth, he imagined the eldest princess sitting under the tree reading.

He pondered for a long time, and then clenched his fists and shook his head fiercely.

Although he admires such a person very much, he can't accept such a life!

"I can help the Great Chu Kingdom save some vitality when they are in danger, but I can't devote my life to this matter!" He looked at the old man in the ice and said categorically, "I have my own things to do!"

Senior Ji was silent for a long time, and finally sighed deeply.

"It's enough to protect them." His transparent figure appeared in front of Wu Jie, and he also saluted Wu Jie, "This worship is for the Great Chu State." Even if there is only a glimmer of life, it is still life after all!"

Wu Xie looked at the jealous predecessors who were frozen in the Xuan Bing, seeing that his body was about to collapse, but he still wanted to fight for a glimmer of life for the Great Chu State, and naturally remembered Lin Lushan, who had become ill after years of hard work and was still struggling to write a book.

The spring silkworm is dead to the end, and the wax torch turns into ashes and tears begin to dry!