Witch Wind

Chapter 169: The Duke of Jieshi (Part )

Eastern China, deep mountains in the northeast.

The vast mountains are covered with ancient trees and forests that are several people thick enough to hug. Eagles and vultures are circling in the sky, and bears and wolves are wandering on the ground. From time to time, there is a faint light flashing. In broad daylight, there are all kinds of monsters and mountain ghosts. Occasionally, there is a gust of fishy wind, which is a giant python as thick as a water tank swimming through the treetops.

In the mountains and forests, deep pools and waterfalls can be seen at any time. Toads the size of water tanks can often be seen crawling beside large and small pools. On the reefs below the waterfalls, turtles as huge as cars squint their blurry eyes, worship the sun during the day and the moon at night. Occasionally, their throats swell and they let out a long roar like a dragon's roar, and the continuous sound waves can be heard for hundreds of miles.

This is the ancestral land of the Jade Clan.

The outside world has already fallen into the Dharma Ending Age. In the mountains and forests covering hundreds of miles in radius, thin wisps of primordial Qi are constrained by geography and forcibly retained in the human world, barely maintaining the amazing sight of dragons and snakes hidden in the deep mountains and dense forests.

In the core area of ​​the mountains, a volcano thousands of feet high has been extinct for who knows how many tens of thousands of years, and the crater has become a large lake with a diameter of more than thirty miles and an unknown depth.

The lakeside is dotted with pavilions and terraces, each of which is extremely exquisite and made of extremely precious wood worth thousands of gold.

The lake breeze blows, and a lot of light gauze flutters between the pavilions. There are faint smoke coming out of the pavilions, and occasionally you can hear the sound of chanting scriptures and mantras. In the open space by the lake, there are bonfires burning day and night. Some men and women wearing animal and bird head masks, wearing long robes made of colorful cloth strips, holding bells and small drums, dance around the bonfires.

The crazy dancing of these men and women mixed with the hazy sounds of chanting scriptures and incantations made this small world by the lake become blurry and unreal, like a dream.

The thin primordial Qi in the mountains and forests outside became much thicker here.

Visible to the naked eye, wisps of Taichu Qi, as thick as arms and three to five feet long, were like rainbow light, sparkling in the sun, like a group of dragons circling and dancing around the lake.

To the north of the lake, large groups of wild beasts such as bears, tigers, foxes, and dogs, gathered in groups of three or two, squatting by the lake, swallowing the primordial Qi in big gulps.

On the south side of the lake, in the pavilions, there were large groups of men and women wearing dragon robes, python robes, Taoist robes, or monk robes, sitting cross-legged quietly practicing qi, with all kinds of strange lights floating on their bodies.

Occasionally, on the south bank of the lake, three or two flying swords would soar into the air with a piercing whistle, leaving extremely fine water marks on the lake surface, like lightning, piercing the north bank. On the north bank, beasts roared continuously, and various fangs and claws flew out from the beasts, flashing in the air and turning into various flying knives, flying swords, flying wheels, flying guns, etc., also turning into streams of light and passing over the lake surface.

With a "clang" sound, various treasures collided in the center of the lake, tempering each other. The impurities inside turned into sparks and scattered everywhere. These flying swords, or weapons transformed from animal teeth, became tougher and sharper.

Leaving behind those people who were practicing various methods, he jumped from the center of the lake, diving all the way down to a depth of three thousand feet underwater. A thirteen-story pagoda with ancient colors stood at the bottom of the lake.

Dense precious light covered an area of ​​a thousand acres. Within this area, the pagoda combined with the geography to form an extremely powerful formation, which trapped extremely dense and pure primordial qi here. The primordial qi here was stacked and crowded, almost turning into a substance like flowing water. For practitioners, the environment here was no different from a thousand years ago.

Inside the pagoda, the space is folded. It is a small pagoda, and each floor is dozens of miles in radius. There are all kinds of thatched huts and grass houses inside. Some men and women with strange appearances sit in them silently, honing their cultivation and tempering their bodies bit by bit.

In some places, the primordial Qi was drawn in and transformed into rainbow light that shone on the stacked coffins.

Most of these coffins were carved from beautiful jade, with a large number of talismans painted on them, sealing the coffins tightly. But occasionally, extremely strong energy seeped out from the coffins, which attracted the surrounding Taichu Qi, and suddenly the wind and clouds were turbulent, and there were large areas of lightning and thunder, which shook and roared in all directions.

At the very top of the pagoda, the internal space is extremely spacious, and there is a small world with a radius of three hundred miles.

There were green mountains and clear waters here, and many small caves were opened up in the mountains, and terrifying auras like gods and demons were hidden deep in them. In some caves, you could sometimes see phantoms of various animals and birds soaring into the sky, and occasionally you could see various swords, vases and other spiritual objects flying into the sky, and there were also a large number of flags waving, and there were halos of stars spreading.

In the heart of these mountains stands an ancient temple of substance.

A monster with a fox's head and a human body, who was so old that he could not stand up straight, with almost all the hair on his body falling off. He walked with a trembling voice, as if he could fall to the ground and die at any time. He was carrying a wine gourd and walking slowly around the hall.

He took two steps, drank a sip of wine, and then took a deep breath. He took away 30% of the primordial Qi gathered around the hall. He smacked his lips a few times, and the big demon coughed a few times. A lot of primordial Qi flowed back into the world. A little blood spurted out from the corner of the big demon's mouth and fell on the ground. The soil rolled and several bright and colorful Ganoderma lucidum quickly grew out.

"Humph!" The demon muttered in a low voice: "Each generation is inferior to the previous one."

"Wrong!" The big demon shook his head vigorously. "The children of the Jade Clan are still very capable. It was these foreign demons who made us blind and bewildered back then. How could we agree to join them and unite the two clans into one?"

"Ah, bah, it's all their corrupt luck that's dragging down the Jade Clan."

"It must be like this. Their descendants were incompetent back then, allowing the barbarians to invade their territory with their powerful ships and cannons. Now, the Great Jade Dynasty established by my Yu Clan is in the same situation, being bullied by the former barbarians."

"Alas. Each generation is worse than the previous one."

"When a hen crows at dawn, it is a sign of the fall of a country."

"If it weren't for the protection of these Qing monsters, would the young woman who is ruling the country from behind the scenes have been able to act so arrogantly? The ancestors would have dealt with her long ago. But, what can we do? These Qing monsters are so powerful."

The demon walked around the hall a few times and returned to the main entrance. He stuck his head out and looked at the natal spirit lamps enshrined on the densely packed altars in the hall. He curled his lips and said, "Aobai, that old Qing demon, has come out of the mountains?"

"Hey, no one is more arrogant than this guy."

"I really hope he runs into someone who's hard to talk to outside and cuts him into pieces. Oh! Beautiful, that would be so beautiful." The demon thought of the proud part, laughed a few times, coughed violently a few times, and bared his teeth and cursed: "Chongzhen, you are not a son... You are the emperor of the Ming Dynasty, but you actually resorted to all means to plot against me behind my back."

"Hey, are you practicing Buddhism or immortality? This injury has been bothering me for six hundred years. Six hundred years. Hey!"

While cursing someone under his breath, the big demon suddenly shuddered.

In the main hall, there was a three-foot-tall lamp made of bronze. It shone brightly, with a flame as big as a fist, completely suppressing the flames of hundreds of nearby natal spirit lamps. Suddenly, it exploded with a "pop".

The natal spirit lamp shattered, and the ball of light floated into the air. The light quickly became dim, and then a large number of sinister runes continued to emerge from inside. After a few flashes, the ball of light disappeared without a trace.

The big demon was stunned.

He stared at the remains of the natal spirit lamp and said in a hoarse voice, "Aobai was killed? His soul couldn't escape. His soul was imprisoned. Even the little bit of true spirit in this natal spirit lamp was taken away by someone with great magic power?"

The demon's stiff face suddenly revealed a very bright smile bit by bit, and he suddenly shouted at the top of his voice: "Hey, old ghosts, wake up, wake up, there is a terrible bad news - hey, Aobai is in bad luck, people have been killed, and his soul has been imprisoned, this, this, this, what kind of trouble has he encountered?"

"How should we deal with this? Let me make it clear first. I am seriously injured and I am not going to fight to the death. You guys should make your own plans. How should we deal with this matter?"

"Hey, the one called Dorgon, although you are only a clone staying in the ancestral land, aren't you the one who makes the decisions on all matters big and small in the Qing Dynasty? Hurry up and come back to your soul, and tell us how to deal with it. Aobai is a staunch supporter of your Qing Dynasty, and we can't just ignore him."

In this small world, among dozens of mountain peaks with animal and bird-like shadows surging, the mountains suddenly shook, low and strange laughter could be heard faintly, and suffocating waves of magic power swept through the void.

In the twenty or so mountains with swords, weapons, and banners waving in the air, angry roars rose to the sky. The next moment, the door of a cave on a mountain opened, and black air rolled out. The next moment, an old zombie about two feet tall, skinny, with green ghost lights in his eyes, long arms and legs, and arms almost hanging to the ground, wrapped in a nine-dragon robe, strode out.

With a long 'squeak', the old zombie raised his hands, and jet-black sword lights shot out from his fingertips, circling around him. Wherever they passed, the void of this small world was cut into extremely fine cracks.

"Hu Laosan, what did you say? How could Oboi be killed?" "Who in this world can kill Oboi?"

"He has thirteen pieces of armor protecting his body. These thirteen pieces of armor carry the destiny of our clan's founding. After thousands of years of training, he has already transcended the realm of celestial immortals and reached the realm of golden immortals."

"Aobai has even more knowledge of life and death, and he controls the power of the Northern and Southern Dippers, forming a great formation that cannot be broken even with a hundred times the power."

The old zombie took a big step, and in a flash, he crossed a hundred miles and came to the door of the main hall. There was a raging ghost fire in his eyes. He glanced at his natal spirit lamp on the altar in the main hall, and suddenly let out an angry squeak and roared in frustration.

"waste!"

"What a waste!"

Hu Lao San fanned the flames: "Dorgon, you are powerful, you are awesome, you are not a waste, why don't you come out of the mountain? Tsk, your Hanba clone is a physical body at the peak of the Golden Immortal Realm. Nothing can break it in this world. Why don't you come out of the mountain and avenge Oboi!"

Dorgon's eyes flickered, and he said slowly: "This Hanba clone's nature has not yet been erased, so I can't take action."

Hu Laosan gave a thumbs up and said, "Then, let Aobai die."

Dorgon snorted coldly, then laughed strangely, turned around suddenly, and shouted sternly: "Duoduo, Shang Kexi, Kong Youde, you go to Fentian City."

The ghost fire in Dorgon's eyes spewed out several feet long, and the dense ghost fire rushed straight to Hu Laosan: "Don't rush to find the person who killed Aobai. You go to Fentian City to guard the current queen mother. Hehehe. My great method must rely on the national destiny of the Dayu Dynasty to gradually erase the nature of this clone. It has reached the final moment."

"You just stay in Fentian City, and let him handle other matters. When I am done, this body of Hanba, with pure physical strength, will be able to run rampant even in the end of the law."

A thick evil aura mixed with a surging bloody light rushed out from the three mountains. A tall, white-faced, beardless, feminine and treacherous man wrapped in a dragon robe walked out slowly with two old men with long beards wearing dragon robes and full of murderous aura. They bowed deeply to Dorgon.

"Bring more people." Dorgon said quietly, "In this world of the last dharma, the magic skills that our boys have cultivated are of little use if we take them out. The cubs of the bear, tiger, fox, and dog families have cultivated magic skills and bodies that can give them 70% to 80% combat power in this world of the last dharma. Bring more of them with you."

Hu Laosan was anxious. He cursed angrily: "Dorgon, are you still a human being? You don't take your own sons out, but you take our sons to fight to death? This doesn't make sense, no..."

Dorgon opened his mouth, and blood rushed out. He spurted out a zombie relic the size of an egg, which was polished and carved with countless blood essence. He held it between his fingertips and shook it towards Hu Laosan: "Here, a zombie relic refined from the blood essence of a million people is enough to heal your six hundred year old wound. Do you want to go, your group of fox cubs and dogs?"

Hu Laosan grabbed the zombie relic in his hand and said with a smile: "Go, those who don't go are grandsons. Well, it's okay, just take them out, take as many as you want, just leave a few for breeding. Our clan is different from you humans, there are more than a dozen in a nest, no matter how many casualties there are, we can make up for it in a few decades."

Dorgon smiled sarcastically.

Duoduo, Shang Kexi and Kong Youde laughed weirdly.

About an hour later, a gust of evil wind, carrying a lot of sand, rushed out of the deep mountains and forests.

Outside the forest, a train station that was usually deserted and only had a battalion of soldiers stationed there suddenly became busy. Four locomotives that were maintained all year round and had boilers that were always burning were spewing out billowing steam, dragging long trains out of the station at lightning speed, heading straight for Fentian City without stopping.

Burning Sky City.

In the Forbidden Palace.

In the lake, more than 20 dragon boats have completed the dragon boat race. The winning team, with more than 20 rowers, are all princes and grandchildren from various royal palaces.

Each of them wore a jade-colored belt around their waist, revealing their sturdy bodies. They proudly held up huge wine vessels and gulped down the mellow and delicious tribute wine. They laughed and mocked and provoked the other defeated dragon boat rowers.

Anyone who can enter the Forbidden Palace Lake to row a boat during the Dragon Boat Festival, can be a good person?

These defeated rowers also came from various royal palaces, as well as the residences of dukes, military ministers, and grand secretaries. The mothers of many of them were princesses and princesses from the royal family, so none of them had weak backing.

Hearing the taunts and provocations from the victorious opponents, these guys, who were already angry because of their losses, all started to retort.

For a while, everyone was laughing and cursing, exposing each other's shortcomings and shameful secrets, and even making secret appointments with each other to meet outside the city another day to have a good fight.

On the stands nearby, however, there were clusters of flowers. There were also young ladies from various royal palaces, dukes, marquises, and even the residences of many important officials in the court. They were dressed up beautifully, with the latest head ornaments on their bodies and colorful seasonal flowers on their heads. They sat in the stands with handkerchiefs in their left hands and round fans in their right hands, commenting on the young men and princes below who were full of testosterone.

When women get together, even if they are rich girls, when they talk about men, the topic becomes a little inappropriate.

For a moment, cute laughter, angry scolding, and all kinds of weird and plastic-flower-scented whispers came like a tide. There were also bold and favored princesses who came up to the Queen Mother and stomped their feet in a coquettish manner. It was very lively for a while.

The current empress dowager was wearing a purely Western-style court dress, with her hair tied up like the court ladies of hundreds of Western countries. She had at least half a pound of specially formulated perfume sprinkled on her body, which was so fragrant that it attracted a large number of butterflies and bees from three to five miles away.

She listened to the laughter and scolding of the many little girls who were as pretty as flowers, smiling with great enjoyment, squinting her eyes, and her clear eyes, with a hint of pink charm, swept over the naked bodies of the young men and princes below without blinking.

They are all good kids.

Each of them has smooth and shiny skin, fair skin, strong body and handsome appearance. Although they are princes, they work hard to hone their bodies and build up their strength. They are talented men who have not let down their swordsmanship and horsemanship.

Alas, each one of them is in line with the old queen's aesthetic.

The old queen's eyes subtly swept over Ecan who was serving diligently and never leaving her side. She pondered for a moment, then chuckled and said, "Ecan, you have been with me for many years. It's a pity that you are always by my side. It will delay your future. Otherwise, I will give you a good place. You can go there to gain experience for a few years, and then you can come back to take over your father's position."

Ecan felt as if he was struck by lightning.

He raised his head blankly, looking at the empress dowager's face, which was as bright and tender as a young girl's. He was silent for a moment, then fell to his knees with a thud, and said with great fear and trepidation: "Ecan, thank you, old saint, for your great grace!"

The Queen Mother smiled, glanced at Princess Xihe beside her, and pointed at a young man with an exceptional appearance in the victorious oarsman below: "That boy, is he the fifth boy from Prince Zheng's mansion? A few years ago, his mother brought him into the palace to pay respects. At that time, he was just a little kid three feet tall."

"Tsk, I haven't seen you for a few years. You've grown so handsome now?"

Princess Xihe covered half of her face with a round fan and laughed softly, "Indeed, this boy has a nickname in Fentian City, called 'Nine Bull Prince', which means that he can drag nine big bulls backwards and run wildly. He is a 'good man' with great 'strength'."

The Queen Mother's eyes became softer. She chuckled and was about to say something when a palace maid in soft-soled boots walked over silently and handed a small note to Princess Xihe.

Princess Xihe took a look at the note and her face suddenly changed for the worse.

(End of this chapter)