Although these young people from the reserve of the "Shenji Battalion" made different choices at different forks, under the influence of the Empty Xuansan People's Cause and Effect Dao Method, they all finally gathered on the "Juxiantai".

At this moment, Du Jingjing's mind was already blank.

She knew that people like Gu Xu, Chen Yanping, and Shangguan Jin, even in the "Divine Machine Camp", were extremely outstanding existences.

They either have extraordinary backgrounds, or they are talented, or they have a lot of means.

Du Jingjing didn't feel that she had the ability to kill them and destroy all the evidence.

"It's over......" despair welled up in her heart.

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 fourth prince, who was usually alive and kicking, had a dull look in his eyes at the moment, and there was no blood on his face.

It is not difficult to see that his vitality is slowly draining.

Shangguan Jin narrowed his eyes slightly, grabbed Xiao Shangzhen's wrist, and let a trace of Zhenyuan pass through his flesh and blood and into his meridians.

Immediately, Shangguan Jin activated the "Heavenly Calculation" supernatural power.

Xiao Shangzhen's vital signs and true yuan status are clearly presented in front of her in the form of data.

Although in everyone's perception, Shangguan Hibiscus in the exorcist Shiro is a master of martial arts - Luo Sishou pioneered the "Cloud Sea Star River Sword" and "Meteor Walking the Moon" and other moves, she is extremely skillful.

But in private, she is also a master of poisoning.

She is familiar with the strange poisons in the world, and is well versed in the refining methods of various lethal poisons, ecstasy drugs, flattering drugs, and scattered medicines.

The "Heavenly Calculation" magic power also made her more powerful in using poison.

It's just that she rarely uses these methods.

On the one hand, it is because the monks who use poison usually have a bad reputation; On the other hand, she thinks that poison should be used as a hidden hole card in order to play a miraculous effect at a critical time.

Because of this, she quickly recognized what had happened to the Four Princes.

"You fed him the 'Life Devouring Pill'?" She looked at Du Jingjing coldly.

"Devouring Pill ......"

Gu Xu had read through the classics, and naturally he had also learned about this terrifying elixir that could devour the true essence and vitality of the monk.

It is extremely toxic, the raw material is rare, and the cost is extremely expensive.

Thinking about Xiao Shangzhen's identity again......

Gu Xu immediately guessed that Du Jingjing's assassination should come from the power struggle of the Great Qi royal family.

He couldn't help but sigh silently.

To tell the truth, when Shangguan Jin told him that the ban on the Laoshan ruins could shield the heavens, he had an ominous premonition in his heart, feeling that there was likely to be an accident in this ruins.

It's just that he didn't expect that the situation would be even worse than he expected.

The prince's seizure of the heir is a dangerous pool of troubled water. As long as it is slightly involved, it may be a catastrophe.

With Gu Xu's consistent character, he naturally hides as far as he can.

But today, under the influence of the Void Xuansan Cause and Effect Dao Method, I just ran into this kind of thing.

It was a big headache for him.

…………

Du Jingjing didn't reply for a long time.

At this moment, she sat on the ground, her face as white as paper, and her expression was dejected.

Her performance like this obviously acquiesced in Shangguan Jin's judgment.

"What a bunch of idiots." Shangguan Jin commented lightly.

However, she did not continue to question Du Jingjing, but took out a pill from her pocket and stuffed it into the mouth of the dying fourth prince Xiao Shangzhen.

"Your Highness, I don't have the antidote of the 'Life Devouring Pill' on my body," I saw Shangguan Jian lower his head and said to Xiao Shangzhen with a serious face, "This 'Doom Breaking Pill' can only temporarily delay the speed of your vitality, but it cannot completely erase the toxicity of the 'Life Devouring Pill'.

"You need to return to the capital within five days and ask the head of the department to help you detoxify in order to save your life.

"It's just...... Since the poison has damaged your meridian foundation, I'm afraid you won't be able to continue cultivating in your life. ”

Xiao Shangzhen swallowed the pill, and after a moment of silence, he said slowly: "You...... You mean, I'm going to be a mortal from now on? ”

Shangguan Jin nodded: "No accident, it should be." ”

Xiao Shangzhen stopped talking.

Before that, he used to be extremely tired of cultivating, hating all the spells and martial arts that his sister Princess Zhaoning forced him to practice, and he longed to sneak out of the house every day and play with other children leisurely.

But now, when he lost his cultivation and could no longer cultivate, his mood was extremely complicated.

"Sister...... She must be disappointed in me......"

…………

At the same time, Chen Yanping's face next to him suddenly became extremely gloomy.

The fourth prince, Xiao Shangzhen, is the only son born to the current empress Chen Anzhi.

On his body, not only the expectations of Princess Zhaoning, but also the future of the Xiangyang Chen family.

According to their original expectations, if Xiao Shangzhen can inherit the "Tai'a Sword" and become the next emperor of the Great Qi Dynasty, then the Xiangyang Chen family will also soar to the sky and become the most prominent family in the Great Qi Dynasty.

But now, because of an inconspicuous little girl and a small "Devouring Pill", Xiangyang Chen's plan has been burned.

If the head of the Chen family was here, he would definitely want to cut Du Jingjing and the main messenger behind her with a thousand knives.

Thinking of this, Chen Yanping said to Du Jingjing in a cold tone: "Who instructed you to do this? ”

Du Jingjing lowered her head and did not speak.

Chen Yanping continued: "You should know very well that murdering the prince of Great Qi is a serious crime for the whole clan. If you can answer my question truthfully, maybe I can help you intercede in front of the emperor and spare your family's life. ”

Du Jingjing's left hand clenched into a fist, and her nails pinched her flesh deeply.

"I ...... I don't have a family ......," she said in a trembling voice.

"What about the messenger of the Lord?" Chen Yanping raised his voice slightly, "Who ordered you to assassinate the Four Princes?" ”

"There is no messenger of the Lord!" Du Jingjing said with a crying voice, "I want to do it myself!" I hate him! I hate the Four Princes! I want him to die! ”

As soon as she finished speaking, something happened about her.

I saw that her face suddenly turned blue and purple, her whole body spasmed, and a black mist appeared around her body, which looked particularly hideous and terrifying.

"She wants to cut off her meridians!" Chen Yanping immediately realized what she was doing.

It's just that it all happened in the flash of light, and he didn't have time to stop it.

In the next second, Du Jingjing fell to the ground and died of exhaustion.

…………

Gu Xu stood beside him, silently watching all this.

In this situation, he couldn't help but think of two things-

The first is the scene in the Tongfu Inn in Laizhou Mansion, where Du Jingjing asked him for advice on the art of talisman seals.

At that time, Gu Xu didn't know everything Du Jingjing was secretly planning - but he could clearly feel that her eyes thirsting for knowledge were absolutely sincere.

The second is that on the day of departure, Du Jingjing asked to accompany him in the yamen of the Exorcism Division of Laizhou Mansion.

Because Shangguan Jin and Chen Yanping were also present at the time, it was obvious that this was a request that would be denied.

Gu Xu guessed that her motive for doing this was to create an image of herself as "weak and helpless" - so that when the prince was killed, she could get rid of her suspicions.

It's just that when Gu Xu recalled the original scene, she felt that her acting skills were really clumsy - 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 man after all.

Even, when she died by cutting off her meridians, maybe the big man behind her would be very happy - after all, she died, and she couldn't divulge secrets anymore.

Then Gu Xu's gaze fell on the fourth prince, Xiao Shangzhen.

This cynical teenager had a trance-like expression at the moment, and it seemed that he had not recovered from what had just happened.

Although he was lucky to save his life, he lost all his cultivation, and in the future, he would basically miss the "Tai'a Sword" and the throne of Daqi.

The main messenger behind the scenes, if it was really one of his brothers, must have been secretly having fun in the bed after learning the news, right?

However, none of these things have anything to do with Gu Xu.

When he came to Laoshan Ruins today, he was just looking for an opportunity.

In the future, he didn't care who sat on the throne.

…………

"Your Highness, if you don't return to the capital, I'm afraid it won't be too late to detoxify."

At this moment, Shangguan Hibiscus suddenly spoke, breaking the short silence.

At the same time, she picked up the bag prepared for Xiao Shangzhen by Princess Zhaoning from the ground and handed it to Xiao Shangzhen.

Xiao Shangzhen said "um", took his bag, and got up from the ground with difficulty.

However, in the process, the "Divine Machine Token" in his pocket accidentally fell to the ground.

It is turned side up, revealing the unicorn pattern carved on it.

Since Gu Xu, Shangguan Jin, and Chen Yanping had already guessed the identity of the "Qilin", when they saw this scene, the expressions on their faces did not change in the slightest.

Only "Bi Fang" Chu Wei, who was standing silently next to him, stared at the token that fell to the ground, and involuntarily opened his mouth wide.

"Original...... It turns out that Your Highness, you are the 'Qilin'......" Chu Wei stammered.

He remembered that on the day he set off from the Yamen, the fourth prince raised his chin and said to him domineeringly, "The 'Qilin' girl has a noble status, and people like you can't climb high" - that aggressive posture is obviously trying to hide his secret!

Unconsciously, a beautiful fantasy in Chu Wei's heart was quietly shattered.

"Alas, I'll just say, how can there be a gentle and kind woman like 'Kirin Girl' in this world?" He thought to himself, "It turned out to be a prank of a hairy boy after all." ”

At the same time, after hearing Chu Wei's words, Xiao Shangzhen immediately picked up the "Divine Machine Token" from the ground, and walked down the mountain along the road he came from without looking back.

At this moment, he would even rather be stabbed to death with a dagger by Du Jingjing than experience such a hellish thing.

Although he barely survived a life physically, his soul was dead.

…………

Although the assassination of the four princes can be called a major event that shocked the government and the opposition.

But for the young monks of the "Divine Machine Battalion", nothing big can compare to their own cultivation.

At this moment, in their minds, there is only the inheritance of the Empty Xuansan people.

After a short silence, "Candle Dragon" Chen Yanping took the lead in leaving "Juxiantai".

Xiao Shangzhen's cultivation was abolished, which was a huge loss for the Xiangyang Chen family, and it also made Chen Yanping feel a little unhappy - in his opinion, only by winning the immortal inheritance could he relieve his irritability a little.

Immediately, Shangguan Jian also straightened his clothes, came to Gu Xu's side, smiled at him and said, "I was busy dealing with things just now, and I forgot to say it for a while-Gu Daoyou's posture of stepping on the snow looks like a fairy." ”

Gu Xu said lightly: "Shangguan Daoyou has a good reputation. ”

"I don't have much time, so I won't be chatting with fellow Daoists here," Shangguan Jin then smiled, "I hope that on the follow-up road, we will have a chance to meet." ”

"I hope so!" Gu Xu said politely.

But in his heart, he just wants to get to his destination as soon as possible alone, and he doesn't want to go through this kind of trouble again.

So, the two soon set out on the path of climbing again.

Just one to the left and one to the right.

With Gu Xu's departure, the snow on the "Juxiantai" also disappeared cleanly.

Only "Bi Fang" Chu Wei was left, standing in place in a daze.

After a long while, he took a deep breath and finally came back to his senses from the terrible incident that "the 'Kirin girl' was actually a man" and set back on the path of climbing.

At this time, Chu Wei had almost lost all worldly desires.

He deeply realized that feelings and everything are deceitful.

Only by pursuing the avenue is the true meaning of life.

…………

In the dark sky, the moon climbed higher and higher.

Su Xiao, the "White Tiger" from the Sword Pavilion, stepped on the ladder of mountaineering, walking like flying.

Like the other monks, he encountered many forks in the road as he climbed the mountain.

But no matter what choice he made, he didn't see any other climbers.

However, Su Xiao has never been entangled in these problems.

His idea was simple.

If you encounter any obstacles, you only need to slash them with a sword, and you can reach the top.

…………

Gu Xu walked along the mountain road and continued in the woods full of cicadas.

Under the effect of the spell "Ten Thousand Sounds of Silence", snowflakes fell from the sky like salt, dyeing the tall trees silver-white, and also making the pressure on the mountain road come to naught.

A cool breeze blew past his ears.

Thousands of cicadas suddenly flapped their wings and swooped down on him like a raging storm, occupying his entire field of vision in an instant.

The continuous sound of cicadas also became as loud as thunder, making Gu Xu feel dizzy.

He immediately sensed that the cicadas in the woods were also part of the Laoshan ban - the cicada chirping contained an extremely terrifying spiritual attack, which could directly attack the monk's spirit.

Gu Xu's "Defilement Rune" engraved in the sea of knowledge in advance split ten paths in an instant.

"But that's it!" He smiled.

Then, a raging fire burned around him, turning the snow-covered mountain forest into a bright orange.

The cicadas flying in the sky instantly turned to ashes.

The mountains and forests were completely silent.

…………

After the dense forest, there is the seaside.

A quarter of an hour later, Gu Xu walked along the stone steps around the mountain and came to a small hill near the sea on the east side of Laoshan Mountain.

The clouds and mist here are faint.

Silvery moonlight sprinkled on the sea.

The moon in the sky and the moon in the water shine together.

The breeze is coming, and the sea is not waves; Floating light leaps into gold, and the still shadow sinks; As in the painting, it is magnificent.

It can be said that "the smoke and the moon are small, and the night is quiet and the sea tide is flat".

Gu Xu saw the reflection of Laoshan Mountain from the calm sea.

On the top of the hill in the reflection lies a quaint building – like a mirage, like a dream.

It's just that when Gu Xu raised his head and looked at the real mountain top in reality, he found that the fog on the top of the mountain was thick, and he couldn't see any buildings at all.

"It's amazing!" Gu Xu sighed silently in his heart.

However, as he walked and enjoyed the scenery, the moonlight reflected on the sea suddenly turned into countless silver blades and flew straight towards his location.

Because the speed of the blade's flight was too fast, Gu Xu's clean and neat black robe was instantly cut a few cuts.

A few strands of black silk fell to the ground, like butterflies with folded wings.

However, Gu Xu's eyes were still unwavering.

He immediately waved the "Shocking Pen", used the entire sky dome as paper, and performed the technique of "full of wind and flocculents".

The snowflakes of winter instantly turned into catkins in late spring.

In the way of four or two thousand catties, it invisibly dissolved the killing intention from the moonlight.

But Gu Xu did not let his guard down because of this.

On the contrary, his heartstrings tightened.

The prohibition set by the Ascended Immortals is really extraordinary—every scenery on this Laoshan Mountain may hide a hidden crisis, and if you are not careful, you will die here.

He can't afford to be careless.

…………

On the top of Laoshan Mountain, clouds and fog are entwined.

As Gu Xu could see in his reflection in the sea, there was indeed an ancient building standing here.

sky-blue tiles, vermilion walls, off-white stairs; Surrounded by green trees and flowers, it looks like a fairyland on earth.

Above its gate, there is a plaque with the words "Cave Heaven and Blessed Land" written in a dignified font.

And on its doorpost, there is a couplet—

Shanglian: The body is more than the idle clouds, and the moon shadow stream is provable;

Downlink: The heart is flowing with the water, and the sound of pine and bamboo is forgotten.

Outside the gate, under the stone steps, stood two little road boys.

One in black and the other in white.

They were motionless, their eyes closed, and they looked like two sculptures.

However, when Gu Xu and the others climbed up the mountain road, a burst of golden light suddenly appeared on the white-clothed little dao boy, and then he opened his eyes and said, "Senior brother, now there are two people who have successfully passed the 'Tianhai Yueming'. ”

Hearing his words, the black-clothed little Taoist boy also opened his eyes.

He was silent for a long time, and then commented, "The guests who came here today ...... Seems interesting! ”

"Senior brother, what do you mean by that?" The white-clothed boy asked.

The black-clothed boy replied, "I don't know if you have noticed that the guy with two swords, who is plain-looking and deliberately pretends to be cold, has very little cause and effect on his body - the thickest thread of cause and effect on his body is actually connected to the iron sword in his sheath. ”

"Looks like a sword idiot!" The white-clothed Dao Tong commented expressionlessly, "It's just that the immortal master hated sword cultivation the most back then, and I don't think he can reach the top." ”

The black-clothed boy continued: "There is also that handsome young man who is good at using talismans, and he has a terrifying amount of cause and effect involved in his body—I have never seen such a person, and he is actually tied to the thread of cause and effect from head to toe. ”

"His comprehension is indeed good," the white-clothed little Taoist boy said lightly, "It's just that the immortal master once said that on the road of seeking the Tao, it is taboo to involve too much cause and effect." I'm not very optimistic about him. ”

The black-clothed Daotong continued: "There is also a woman who looks like a sword cultivator, but in fact she is a poisoner—a whole forest of fierce apes, all poisoned by her. ”

The white-clothed little Taoist boy responded: "It seems that what the immortal master said back then was right, beautiful women are dangerous. ”

“……”

The two little Taoist children stood motionless outside the house, discussing the young monks who were climbing the mountain in a tone that was not mixed with the slightest emotion.

As for the assassination of the four princes and the suicide of Du Jingjing, they were indifferent.

It seems that in their eyes, the losers on the trail are not worth discussing at all.

A few minutes later, the black-clothed Daotong said lightly: "That woman has also successfully passed the 'Tianhai Yueming'. ”

"What's behind 'Tianhai Yueming'?"

"It's a 'pine forest.'"

"Senior brother, how many of them do you think will be able to pass through the 'pine forest'?"

"That sword idiot has a chance...... As for the rest, I can't say. ”

…………

Meanwhile.

"Bi Fang" Chu Wei stopped in the woods full of cicadas.

The spiritual attack that originated from the cicada's chirping just now once hit his soul, causing him to suffer as if he was tortured.

His face was pale and he was covered in a cold sweat, and he was clearly apprehensive about it.

In his perception, just a little bit, he will be distraught and die.

"Is it necessary to continue?" He took a deep breath and asked himself.

A group of chirping cicadas almost killed him; If nothing else, the road ahead will only get tougher.

He deeply felt that this dangerous Laoshan relic may not be an opportunity that he could ask for at all.

After all, in the reserve of the "Shenji Battalion", he has always been the bottom existence.

I am afraid that only those proud sons of heaven with extraordinary backgrounds and different means will have the opportunity to climb to the top of that distant mountain and seek that ethereal immortal fate.

Inadvertently, he remembered the sentence engraved on the boulder at the fork in the mountain road - "There are times in life when you have to have it, and there is no time in life when you can't force it."

Chu Wei is no longer an ignorant and hot-blooded teenager.

He has a family and worries - it is very irrational for him to work hard for the inheritance of the immortals.

He shook his head slightly, looked up at the mist-shrouded top of the hill one last time, and then turned and walked along the path he had come.

At this time, he had mixed feelings in his heart, both regret and relief.

…………

After leaving the cliff by the sea, the coercion on Gu Xu's body suddenly disappeared.

He withdrew the spell of "Ten Thousand Empty Silence" and took the "Shocking Pen" back into his pocket. The silvery-white snow on the mountain trail also melted.

After turning a few corners, Gu Xu walked into a dense pine forest.

Under a tall pine tree, a white-bearded veteran sits cross-legged.

He was wearing a dark blue robe, holding a whisk in his hand, and his eyes were closed, as if he was pretending to sleep.

Gu Xu could see at a glance that the appearance of this old Taoist was exactly the same as the appearance of the empty Xuansan people in the library materials.

But this person obviously can't be a real empty man. After all, the real Void Xuansan people had already survived the Thunder Tribulation and ascended to immortality twenty-three years ago.

"This should be another test set by the Kongxuansan people!" Gu Xu secretly guessed in his heart, "If I'm not mistaken, this old Dao in front of me should just be a 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 came to my mountain forest, why did you do it?" ”

Gu Xu pondered for a second, then clasped his hands into fists, bowed to the old Dao and said, "The disciple is here to ask the Immortal Master for guidance." ”

Hearing his words, Lao Dao narrowed his eyes slightly, looked him up and down, and then responded: "Seeking the Tao is much more difficult than you imagined. A young man with red lips and white teeth like Your Excellency may not be able to endure hardship! ”

Gu Xu saluted again, and said with a firm gaze: "Immortal Master, I am not afraid of hardship. ”

This is not a lie.

Because since he crossed over to this world and found out that his life was short, he had been cultivating desperately day and night, and at the same time, he had been frantically taking on tasks for cultivation resources, and he had very little time to rest.

If you don't have strong willpower and self-discipline, you can't do this.

"In that case...... Whitebeard smiled, conjured an old iron axe out of thin air, and handed it to Gu Xu, "Then go and help me chop wood first!" ”

Gu Xu took the heavy axe.

The moment he touched the axe, he found that the True Yuan on his body was blocked by a mysterious force, as if he had become a mortal, and he could no longer use any transcendent abilities.

At this moment, he was very grateful to Chen Jisheng, who had risked his life to go to the chassis of the "Yishan Snow Girl" to pick the snow ginseng for him, so that his body was no longer as weak as before.

Otherwise, Gu Xu might not even be able to pick up this axe, let alone chop wood.

…………

At the same time, the "spirit fox" Shangguan Hibiscus also carried an axe and chopped wood in another corner of the pine forest.

Although she is a close confidant of the head of the Exorcism Division, she is the pride of heaven who is looked up to by countless young monks in Daqi.

But after Zhenyuan was blocked, she was just an ordinary woman.

In just a few minutes, she was already feeling her arms sore and sweating profusely, and she could no longer carry the heavy iron axe.

"I really can't understand why the Kongxuansan people, as a cultivator who has ascended to the Immortal Realm, would set up such a boring test," she silently complained in her heart, "The test of cultivation is the true element, the understanding, not the physical strength. It's nothing short of torturous. ”

PS: 7,000 words for a monthly pass!

…………

Exegesis:

(1) "The smoke and the moon are small, and the night is quiet and the sea is flat. —Qing Lin Shaoyan;

(2) "The body is more than the idle clouds, and the light of the moon shadow stream is proven; The heart flows with the water, and the sound of pine and bamboo is forgotten. - Qing Wang Yan, "Meditation";

(3) Some of the level settings of Laoshan Ruins are inspired by the "Twelve Views of Laoshan Mountain".