() The Xiao clan lived in Nansha City, a small city on the northern border of the Kunwu Department of Nangong Prefecture.

The geography of the city is extremely harsh: it is surrounded by desert and the Gobi Desert, and there is only a small river five miles to the west.

Originally, there shouldn't be a town in the place where the bird didn't, but this was the area closest to the core of the Nangong family. More than 60 miles northeast of Nansha City, there is a big city of Kunwu Nantai City. Nantai City is the main city of the Nantai system, and it is the border town closest to the core, and the towering mountains surrounding the core are twenty miles across the river around the city. Therefore, Nantai Castle can be said to be a bridge connecting Nangong Mansion and the kernel, and although the bridge is "one-way", it does not affect its attractiveness to people in the slightest, and everyone wants to see the appearance of the inner core area at the nearest distance. More importantly, Nantai City is also the last place for the contestants to rest and prepare before the Fengyun Conference. As a result, the number of people in Nantai City increased year by year, and they had to find new places outside the city to build several small cities, and Nansha City was one of them.

In fact, Dingcheng is a helpless move here, because there are no good places near Nantai City, and other places are even worse.

The town is small and the environment is harsh, so the Nantai faction sent a few small families with little strength to take charge, and the Xiao family is one of them.

The plaque with the word "Xiao Fu" written on it has been exposed to wind and rain for many years, and the patent leather has fallen mottled, and the plaque surface is also full of cracks. On the black wooden gate, the lion's head swallowing ring has also been polished to a shiny, and the fine shape can no longer be seen.

"It's a little chilly on the outside, but it's okay on the inside. Come in with me!" Xiao Baoqing said, pushing open the door.

With a long "squeak", the scene in the Xiao Mansion unfolded in front of him.

Gardens, ponds, rockeries, promenades, all kinds of elegant scenery are readily available. Among the lush green leaves, the blue glazed tiles, gray and white floor tiles, purple columns, and red willow green, clear water and blue sky can be seen in the distance.

The two followed Xiao Baoqing through the corridor, crossed the Tang Bridge, and came to the inner courtyard.

Xiao Baoqing pointed not far away and said, "Well, the back wall is at the back of those two rows of buildings." ”

Xiao Tianhe looked around. The Xiao Mansion is not big, but it is very quiet, there are no servants or maids in the courtyard, and there are no cultivators.

"There are more than 80 people in our Xiao clan living here. Xiao Baoqing said again.

"Why don't you see anyone coming out to cultivate?" Xiao Tianhe asked. Depending on the situation, the Xiao Mansion should be the only spacious place. Moreover, after the three of them had flown all night, it was already early in the morning of the second day.

"They're all cultivating elsewhere. I'll show you around in a moment. Xiao Baoqing said, "There are no prominent families in Nansha City, this Xiao Mansion is a quiet and elegant place, don't blame me for being inconsiderate." ”

Nangong Xue smiled: "I really like the scenery here. Surrounded by barren land, it is full of business. ”

"Oh, it's good that Miss Xue doesn't dislike it. Xiao Baoqing led the two of them through the small courtyard again, turned two corners on the path, and came to a side room. "It's for two people to rest. Usually no one comes here except for the cleaning servants, so you don't have to worry about being disturbed. Xiao Baoqing pushed open the door.

The furnishings in the room are simple, but they are very clean and tidy. There are two beds against the east and west walls, and a small square table is placed in the middle.

"It's good here. Xiao Tianhe was very satisfied, "But senior, I'm afraid I don't have much time to stay here, after all, I still have to prepare for the Fengyun Conference, and I still have some things to do." ”

"Oh, it's okay, you should have come as a guest at my invitation for a day or two. Xiao Baoqing said with a smile.

"Senior Xiao, that ......" Nangong Xue suddenly became squirming, "We...... There are two of us, there is only one room here......" Before she finished speaking, Nangong Xue's face turned red.

Xiao Baoqing said apologetically, "I'm sorry, Miss Xue." We don't usually have people here, so we only have this one room. You two are just here to make do with it, you see, there's a curtain here. Xiao Baoqing walked to the window, pulled the red rope hanging from the ceiling, and a thin roll of green light yarn unfolded and hung down to the ground, separating the east and west beds.

"What's the use of this...... both thought to themselves.

Xiao Tianhe paced to the window and looked at the scenery in the distance. Behind the house are a few moonflowers, and then there are several large trees. There is also a well platform next to the tree, and at the mouth of the well is a wooden barrel with hemp rope hanging from it. "The well dug in the desert must be very deep. Xiao Tianhe thought to himself. Just as he withdrew his gaze and turned around, something caught his attention.

Above the dense canopy of trees, a small, cyan spike emerged, and when you looked closely, it was the spire of a tower. Judging by the situation, the tower is not high, otherwise you should have seen it as soon as you entered the Xiao Mansion.

"Senior, what is that tower?" Xiao Tianhe asked, pointing to the spire.

"You've got a good eye. It was the grandest building in my Xiao Mansion, the Flame Tower, which was twelve stories high. Xiao Baoqing rarely showed a trace of pride.

Xiao Tianhe didn't believe it: "Twelve floors? No, it shouldn't be too far, the spire just exceeds the canopy, and there are only three or four floors at most, how can there be twelve floors?"

Xiao Baoqing laughed: "If you don't see everything with your own eyes, don't jump to conclusions." Because of the big trees, you can't really see it at all. Let's go, I'll take you there. ”

Xiao Baoqing led the two back to the courtyard, and after walking along the corridor for a while, they came to the end of the corridor. There is a small door in the wall here, but it is made of fine copper

, the edge is wrapped in iron leaves, the door is riveted, and there is a thick copper pin with a bowl mouth, and a huge black iron lock is hanging on the pin, and the lock is open at this time.

"Senior, what treasure is hidden here?" Xiao Tianhe joked.

"Go in and see. Xiao Baoqing pushed open the bronze door, and outside the door was a sandy path that led to the Flame Tower. Just now, due to the obstruction of the roof of the corridor and the wall, Xiao Tianhe still didn't see the appearance of the Flame Tower clearly, but now he can see it at a glance.

"I see......" he muttered.

What Xiao Baoqing said is true, the flame tower does have twelve floors, but there are only three floors above the ground, and there are nine floors below the ground. Where the flame tower is located is a large pit, and the base of the tower is at the bottom of the pit. The path leads to a stone bridge that leads to the first level above ground, which is the tenth level of the tower.

"I really didn't expect that the Flame Tower was actually built in the pit. But I don't understand, why do you have to build the tower in such a painstaking way?" Nangong Xue asked curiously.

"The pit was originally used to dig a well for water, but I didn't want to dig something more precious. ”

Crossing the stone bridge, the three of them walked into the Flame Tower. The moment he pushed the door in, a scorching wave of heat rushed into his face, mixed with some strange smells.

"The smell is...... Casting!" Xiao Tianhe immediately reacted, when he was in the Taiqing Sect, he had seen Master Yu Ruijiang casting swords, and the room was filled with this smell.

Nangong Xue said: "Not only that, but there is also the herbal smell of alchemy. Senior Xiao, could it be that this flame tower is the place where the Xiao family alchemy and forged swords?"

Xiao Baoqing replied: "So to speak. In addition, this is also the place where my Xiao clan practiced. The reason why there was no one cultivating in the courtyard was because they were all in the Flame Tower. ”

"All the clansmen are here?" Xiao Tianhe remembered that Xiao Baoqing had said that there were more than eighty people in the Xiao family living in the Xiao Mansion.

"Definitely. There are only people from the Cave Void Realm and the Void Realm here. Xiao Baoqing replied, "I have the highest realm in the clan, in the middle stage of annihilation, and there are two in the early stage of annihilation. Among the remaining people, there are eight people in the Cave Void Realm, nineteen people in the Void and Netherworld Realm, twenty-one people in the Harmony Realm, a total of eighteen people in the Zhuji and Qingling Realms, a total of sixty-nine people, and seven foreign friends and ten children.

Xiao Tianhe found that there was a realm missing: "What about the people in the Yuanying realm?"

"According to the clan rules, after reaching the Yuanying realm, you must go out to practice penance, and you can only come back after reaching the realm of emptiness. Xiao Baoqing shook his head lightly, "Xiao Daoyun secretly worshiped the evil sect of the rivers and lakes when he was traveling abroad, and finally ended up miserable. ”

Hearing the words "Jianghu Evil Sect" again, Xiao Tianhe suddenly understood one thing, no wonder Nangong Ting said that the sects were all founded by some unknown people or people from the sidelines, it seems that those crooked sects are the main reason for the sect's defeat in the Heavenly Flame Continent. ”

Nangong Xue was very puzzled: "If you are training outside, won't you lose an opportunity to participate in the Demon Treasure Conference?"

Xiao Baoqing explained: "During the period from twenty-one to twenty-five years of the path of cultivating demons, the gap between strength and weakness caused by the realm is too large, and if you don't reach the realm of the void and the underworld, you will only fail miserably in the ring. In addition, the experience outside can increase knowledge, so that those young people will not be arrogant. set the rule that they couldn't go back to Xiao Mansion until they were empty, and they didn't dare to slack off at all. In fact, in the final analysis, it is because of this flame tower that the Xiao family is proud of. Not to mention the children of the Xiao clan, even other families want to come here to cultivate!"

"What is the mystery of this pagoda?" Xiao Tianhe was a little interested in the Flame Tower.

"Come down with me to the bottom and you will understand. Xiao Baoqing also whetted his appetite.

In the center of the Flame Tower, there is a huge pillar that runs up and down, and stairs coil down the pillar. Each floor of the tower was of average size, with seven or eight rooms in a circle, and the doors were closed, with occasional bright light shining through the window paper. The smell of casting and alchemy wafted from these rooms.

The further down they went, the higher the temperature in the tower became, and by the time they reached the bottom of the tower, the three of them were already sweating, and the hot and dry air made people breathless, and a stream of blazing heat came through the soles of their shoes, as if they were stepping on a cauldron instead of stepping on the ground.

Xiao Baoqing turned to the back of the stairs and squatted down to fiddle with something.

"Brother Xiao, there is a very strong magic circle here. Nangong Xue approached Xiao Tianhe and whispered.

"The pagoda is heavy, this is normal. ”

"This is a compound formation made up of two magic circles superimposed. One large and one small, the big one covered the entire flame tower and the deep pit outside, while the small one only covered the two feet in a radius. Nangong Xuedao, "I'm curious, what is the purpose of this small formation?"

The answer lies ahead. Xiao Tianhe saw Xiao Baoqing clicking on several positions on the ground, and a dark grid suddenly popped up on the giant pillar of Zhongtong, and there was a copper ring connected to the iron chain inside. Xiao Baoqing grabbed the copper ring and pulled it out, and the ground at the end of the stairs was separated from the left and right, revealing the stairs that continued to go down.

Xiao Tianhe and Nangong Xue glanced at each other, and the two of them stepped forward to take a closer look, the space below was very narrow, there were zigzag stairs about one person wide and about ten zhang high, and there were gray-black rock walls on both sides.

Xiao Baoqing took off an oil lamp hanging on the wall, walked down, and turned around and waved to the two.

As soon as he entered the "cellar" at the bottom of the tower, Xiao Tianhe felt that it was even hotter here, and the heat wave that was surging upwards made people have to squint their eyes. After walking back and forth on the stairs a few times, the three of them finally descended to the bottom and stepped on

on the ground. However, this is still not the end of the trip. There is a hole in the rock wall opposite the staircase that is more than one person high, and it continues to the front.

"Activate the Xuan Force, it is difficult to resist the heat in the cave with your body alone. Xiao Baoqing reminded.

The walls of the cave are smooth and appear to have been excavated by hand. "When an ancestor of the Xiao family dug here, he stumbled upon an unusual small hole in the wall. So he continued digging down the little hole to get there. Xiao Baoqing stopped and pointed ahead.

The three of them had come to a slope where the direction of the cave had turned sharply downward, with no end in sight. Xiao Tianhe and Nangong Xue looked around, but apart from the rock wall or the rock wall, the two of them did not find anything strange.

Xiao Baoqing suddenly blew out the oil lamp, and the cave suddenly dimmed, Xiao Tianhe and Nangong Xue were startled, and hurriedly looked back.

"Don't panic, I'm here to make it easier for you to see. That's the secret of the Flame Tower. ”

"Ah, there's light there!" Nangong Xue exclaimed.

Xiao Tianhe stared into the distance, and sure enough, in the distance below the slope, there was a faint red light that was almost invisible, and in the darkness around him, he also needed to widen his eyes and observe carefully to find out.

"Hey, what is that?" Xiao Tianhe became more and more curious, and was about to walk down the slope closer, but Xiao Baoqing hurriedly stopped: "Don't go over, it's too hot there, it's dangerous!"

Xiao Baoqing took out the fire fold and lit the oil lamp again, and the light in the cave was restored, and when he looked down the slope, the faint red light was no longer visible.

"What the hell is that?" Xiao Tianhe asked. There is something so hot that even people in the Cave Void Realm can't get close, and it's really amazing.

"The red light you just saw is really just a rock crevice. Xiao Baoqing said with a smile.

Nangong Xue suddenly realized: "Ah, Senior Xiao, could it be that behind the rock crack is magma?"

"That's right! It's magma! magma that is essential for cultivation!"

What do you mean? Xiao Tianhe and Nangong Xue looked at each other.

"The sword method in the world is divided into three methods: yang, middle and yin, and my Xiao family's knife method is based on the method of yang. Therefore, the blazing heat of this magma gushing up is an excellent thing to assist in cultivation. However, because the heat was inconvenient to collect, my Xiao clan seniors decided to build a tower on the spot for the cultivation of future generations. ”

"Yang, medium, yin. These three methods are no different from the immortal cultivation methods of the Qinglong Continent. Xiao Tianhe thought to himself. Since the "Source Shadow Sword Book", "Yutian Sword Codex" and "Peng'an Sword Codex" that he had cultivated were all sword books and sword techniques of neutral methods, although he knew that Xiuzhen had these three methods, he didn't know much about the details. He also knew that there was no superiority or inferiority between these three cultivation methods, and the Red Sun Sect and the Cold Moon Sect in the Blue Dragon Continent were the best proof of this.

"Among the three sword classics of my Nangong family, there is exactly one of the three methods of yang, middle and yin. The Flame Sword Code is the Yang Method, the Wave Shadow Sword Book is the Yin Method, and the Green Wind Sword Book is neutral. Nangong Xue Dao, "But does this have anything to do with the environment that the cultivator is in?"

"Of course. The so-called method actually refers to the vehicle that uses the Xuanli Zhou Tian in the body to run during cultivation. Demon cultivators absorb the Xuan Qi of Heaven and Earth and turn it into Xuan Power, but this Xuan Power is an illusory thing, without a carrier, how can it work? Don't you know?" Xiao Baoqing asked.

Xiao Tianhe and Nangong Xue shook their heads. "I usually practice according to the mantra of the sword code, and my father didn't mention these when he instructed me on the knife technique. "Nangong Snow Road.

"Alas, too. A small family like ours doesn't have any powerful sword techniques, and they tend to choose sword law classics based on their cultivation environment. The three sword canons of the Nangong family are all so strong, they don't need to care about the cultivation environment at all. Let's go up, talk as we go. Xiao Baoqing sighed and led the two to walk back.

"You should all know that there are yin and yang in the human body, right? It is the yin and yang qi that usually wanders between the meridians and the dantian, and it is also the carrier of the operation of the Xuan force. As the saying goes: 'One yin and one yang, it is the way.' In fact, yin and yang are also immeasurable things, but everything has a principle of yin and yang. The difference between the three types of magic cultivation is that those who cultivate to the Yang Sword Method carry the Xuan Power to run the Yang Qi, while those who cultivate to the Yin Sword Method operate with the Yin Qi. As for the neutral knife technique, it is naturally a mixture of yin and yang. After returning to the bottom floor of the Flame Tower, Xiao Baoqing restored the mechanism to its original state.

"It's a clever circle. "Nangong Snow Road," you can press the mechanism when you enter, and you can quickly restore the formation when you leave. ”

"It's just a little trick in the formation technique, and it's nothing compared to Miss Xue's formation. Xiao Baoqing said modestly.

"Senior, I don't understand, everything has to pay attention to the balance of yin and yang. If you cultivate to the Yang or Yin Exercises, isn't the body out of balance between Yin and Yang?" Xiao Tianhe asked, "Maybe it wasn't obvious at first, but when the cultivation became more and more advanced, wouldn't the body be finished?"

Xiao Baoqing smiled: "You still haven't figured it out yet. As long as a person's body is healthy, yin and yang will naturally be balanced. Although Yin and Yang are two opposite sides, they can be transformed into each other. There is a phrase called 'the opposite of the extremes of things', which is used to describe the two qi of yin and yang, although it is not very appropriate, but the general meaning is similar. When yin is in full bloom and yang is declining, yin can be transformed into yang, and the same is true when yang is in full bloom and yin is declining. With the ascension of the realm, it is only the gradual increase and enhancement of the Xuan power, and the two qi of yin and yang are still in absolute balance. I don't know if you understand that?"

"Black and white are opposed, and yin and yang are born together. This sentence in the opening chapter of "Yutian Sword Codex" suddenly appeared in Xiao Tianhe's mind, and he suddenly realized something.