It was already late afternoon, with the sun setting in the west. In the slanting sunlight, flocks of geese flew across the sky, and crows cawed in the evening. The sky was already darkening.
Jiang Liu didn't want to go any further. He was just about to find a cave to settle down when he stopped and looked down. He saw a child's hat. It was peculiar in shape, made of neither silk nor hemp, exquisitely woven, and still had a fresh color, as if it had been left there not long ago.
"There seems to be a tribe of little people near Baiyang Mountain! And what about the Three Corpses? The treasures in the mausoleum of the Yellow Emperor, including the Haotian Treasure Mirror and the Nine Doubts Cauldron, are all priceless treasures. I can't remember everything recorded in the book, but following this clue will lead to the same thing!"
With this in mind, Jiang Liu was not in a hurry. He found a cave to meditate for three days and took out a ten-thousand-year-old warm jade to nourish and heal his injuries. In just three days, he recovered to about 70-80%.
After searching the forest for a short while, they found many tiny human footprints on the ground after the rain. A narrow path, barren of grass, was clearly a forest trail.
Jiang Liu followed the trail and saw small buildings nestled among the mountains and forests, each one smaller than a normal house upon closer inspection.
As he strode away, he heard a cacophony of voices, not human speech but like birdsong, high-pitched and thin. Jiang Liu made no attempt to hide, and the group immediately spotted him. Suddenly, a scream rang out, and they darted through the woods like birds in flight, their shadows flashing by in an instant.
"Such speed! This kind of physique is much stronger than that of ordinary people! It's like the essence of good things comes in small packages. A small body doesn't mean weak strength, otherwise it would be impossible to survive in these dangerous mountains and forests."
Jiang Liu flashed and arrived at a flat area. Before him stood hundreds of tiny figures dressed in flowers and hats, each only two feet tall, carrying a bow and sword, arranged in neat rows. In the center, on three small wooden chairs, sat a man and two women. The man was slightly taller, seemingly the king of the tiny figures.
With a shout, the little men raised their weapons at Jiang Liu. Just then, the little king suddenly stood up, walked forward, and made a "yi-ya" sound. One of the little men stepped out from the group, trembling as he approached Jiang Liu a few steps, first throwing down his bow and sword, then gesturing wildly with his fingers and feet, chattering incessantly.
Jiang Liu naturally couldn't understand and shook his head. Unable to communicate due to the language barrier, he couldn't obtain the information he wanted. Just as he was about to leave, he suddenly saw another group of small figures rush out from the peach grove by the roadside, about a hundred or so. More than thirty of them carried a wicker basket on several bamboo poles, with a hunched-over woman who looked like an ordinary person sitting in the middle. Behind them, dozens more carried the heads of several large snakes, running towards them as if flying.
Before they even got close, the camel-riding woman was already chattering loudly, clearly speaking the words of that scoundrel.
After a string of nonsensical words was spoken, Xiao Wang's expression changed drastically, and he immediately prostrated himself on the ground, kowtowing several times. The other servants also kowtowed repeatedly.
Just as Jiang Liu was puzzled, he heard the camel woman speak loudly in human language: "Immortal, please don't be offended. They are all born villains in this mountain and cannot understand human language."
As she spoke, she stood up. Her left leg was broken, and she only had one right leg. A small figure standing beside her handed her a pair of crutches. The hunchbacked woman took them, tucked the two crutches under her arm, and hopped over. Although she was only one leg, she moved with agility.
Upon reaching Jiang Liu, she threw down her staff and knelt down, saying, "I am Min Xiangwa, originally from a noble family in Chu Nan. When I was a teenager, I was abused by my stepmother and fled to this mountain. A tiger swallowed my leg, and I was on the verge of death. Fortunately, the old king here shot the tiger with a poisoned arrow, rescued me, and took me to the king's cave. He cut off my leg and used local medicinal herbs to heal my pain, thus saving my life. Because their tongues are too sharp, they cannot learn to speak like us, but otherwise they are the same as us. I have not seen any other people of my kind for many years, and I have also learned their language. I have taught most of the farming, weaving, and hunting here. The new king is also my disciple, so he treats me very well."
"Those two-headed snakes that the immortal eliminated the other day were a great calamity for us mortals. We have nothing to thank the immortal for, only some spiritual fruits, and we are willing to build a shrine to him to accumulate merit for him."
Jiang Liu shook his head and said, "There's no need for a shrine. I have some questions, so please explain them to me in detail."
"Please speak, Immortal! I will answer all your questions!"
Do you know if any demonic corpses have appeared in this area?
"Demon corpse?" The hunchbacked woman chattered on to the King of the Little People before saying, "Immortal, there is a legend in the Little People's Kingdom that countless years ago, a demon ravaged the tribe. However, due to the passage of time and the fact that the Little People have no written language, we can no longer be certain about it."
"Ask them again if they've recently discovered any human activity in this area!"
The hunchbacked woman pondered for a long time before speaking to Jiang Liu.
Jiang Liu immediately felt that the trip had been worthwhile, saving him a lot of time searching for clues.
Chapter 109 The Demonic Path
Wherever there are people, there is a world of intrigue, and these remote, inhabited lands are no exception. The struggle for power is always bloody, with no regard for feelings between fathers, sons, or brothers.
The camel-riding woman slowly recounted her story, and Jiang Liu gained a general understanding of this Lilliputian kingdom.
The land of little people, formerly known as the land of the leopards, has existed here since the time of the emperor. Even now, due to natural disasters and man-made calamities, only a few tribes and tens of thousands of people have survived by sheer luck.
There have been many natural and man-made disasters in recent years.
Before the New Year, a two-headed serpent wreaked havoc in the land of little people. Its venom was so potent that countless people died. Dozens of little people were ordered by their king to go to the high mountains to pick snow lotus and ice chrysanthemum to prepare the antidote for the whole country. On their way back, they saw a transparent tent made of solid ice under an ice cliff. Inside, a person was meditating with his eyes closed.
There were several pools of blood on the ice cliff, along with many flags and banners, surrounded by five-colored smoke.
The Lilliputians lived far from the world, barely surviving deep in the mountains. Apart from the hunchback girl, this was the first time they had seen such a large person. Seeing his ugly appearance and the constant flashes of lightning around him, they suspected he was a mountain god. They did not dare to disturb him, but quietly bowed to him before returning.
After returning home, the herb gatherers told the camel woman what had happened. She said the man was definitely not a good person; even if he were a god, he would be a fierce and malevolent one. Fortunately, they had already gathered a considerable amount of snow lotus and ice chrysanthemum, enough for a year's use.
The hunchbacked woman repeatedly warned everyone not to provoke him. If they were to encounter him unintentionally, they should quickly find a place to hide so that he would not see them and bring about a great disaster.
It was also fitting that the Lilliputian Kingdom was facing a great calamity. The Lilliputian King had a younger brother named Crowley, who had long coveted the throne. Upon hearing this, he harbored wicked thoughts. On his first trip to the snow mountain, he saw that the man had many rare treasures beside him and that the man sat in the ice house as if he were dead. He was immediately filled with greed.
So he devised a plan. Under the pretense of gathering grain and hunting, he led about a hundred men out of the cave. When they reached the snow mountain, they were still some distance away. He pretended that he was afraid of disturbing the demons in the ice house and could not go any further, so he sent the men who had accompanied him away to ambush them. He then pretended to lure the goats and rabbits out so that they could be surrounded.
The hunt was a ruse; in reality, he secretly led four trusted men to the ice house in the snowy mountains to steal treasure.
Although Yali was fierce and violent, he was also extremely cunning. Upon arriving at the snowy mountains and icy cliffs, he dared not risk his life. He sent only two trusted men inside first, while the remaining two lay in ambush behind, ready to launch a surprise attack. He himself hid in a very secluded snow cave, observing the situation.
The result was predictable: three of his trusted confidants died on the spot, which led to the exposure of the sorcerer.
The Lilliputians suffered thousands of casualties at the hands of that sorcerer, but fortunately, the sorcerer did not eat humans. He only allowed them to be offered rare herbs and fruits to avert disaster.
But this was just the beginning. The cunning Crowley went up the ice cliff a second time and joined forces with the sorcerer. Using the sorcerer's power, he launched a rebellion. The king of the Lilliputian Kingdom had already failed to defeat the two-headed serpent and had lost the hearts of his people. Many of the Lilliputians were dissatisfied, which Crowley took advantage of.
As the camel-woman slowly recounted the situation in the Lilliputian Kingdom and detailed the sorcery of the demon, Jiang Liu gained a general understanding.
Such a person is naturally a heretical individual, and as for their strength, that can only be known after a fight. However, no matter how strong they are, how strong can they really be? The White-Haired Dragon Girl, Cui Wugu, died at his hands, and Jiang Liu's confidence increased greatly.
The demon's lair was hidden deep in a dark valley on a cliff, with steep cliffs and narrow paths leading up to it, making the terrain extremely dangerous.
As I strolled upstream, the mountain mists suddenly parted, revealing the moon shining brightly through the forests and valleys, creating a scene as clear as a painting. After walking another six or seven miles, I turned a corner on a winding path through a valley, and suddenly the view opened up before me.
A full moon hung high in the sky, unusually large, like a silver plate. Under the moonlight, the ice cliffs were crystal clear, like the moon palace.
Looking down the river, at the end of the valley, the terrain suddenly opened up, revealing a wide, square cliff several tens of feet high, facing a secluded valley with lush forests and backed by a towering wall covered in snow.
The Demon Ice House is located in the middle of an ice cliff, covering an area of about one acre and standing ten zhang high.
With snow as its top and ice as its walls, the crystal-clear surface seemed to rival the brilliance of the stars and moon.
Outside the igloo, there were about a dozen tiny figures leaping and tumbling on the cliff. Upon closer inspection, it was clear that the feet of those tiny figures were floating on air, sometimes even soaring several feet off the ground.
"These little people have actually cultivated some kind of technique and have already embarked on the path of cultivation!"
As the moon rose, Jiang Liu shot straight toward the ice house. Seeing that someone was attacking, the little men shouted loudly and rushed toward Jiang Liu with their weapons.
Jiang Liu grinned maliciously, raised his fist, and punched the ice house, shattering the ice wall with a single blow. Snowflakes flew everywhere, revealing a Taoist priest standing inside the ice house. He had a sharp, angular face, thin lips, and eyes that looked like those of an eagle.
Holding a small banner in his hand, he shook his palm, and large wisps of black mist billowed out.
Jiang Liu smiled slightly upon seeing this. The power of this banner was far inferior to that of the Green-Robed Ancestor's "Hundred Poisons Asura Banner," and it couldn't compare to the "Mysterious Yin Gathering Beast Banner" of the Demon Corpse Valley Chen. The eighty-one "Mysterious Yin Gathering Beast Banners" could be arranged into the Mysterious Yin Soul Refining and Spirit Gathering Array. If it hadn't been incomplete at the time, Jiang Liu would have been lucky to escape unscathed, let alone steal the treasure.
The power of this banner is comparable to that of a "Mysterious Yin Gathering Beast Banner".
"Where did this thieving dog come from? Die!"
Black mist instantly filled the air, accompanied by gusts of eerie wind. This black mist seemed to possess life, the fog intertwining to form various terrifying and grotesque shapes, like smoke and mist, sometimes transforming into a skull, sometimes into a vicious wolf, and sometimes into a serpentine woman with disheveled hair, moving about from time to time, sometimes close and sometimes distant, ethereal and unpredictable.
"A trivial skill!"
Protected by the "Nine Heavens Primordial Yang Ruler," Jiang Liu approached. This was Guang Chengzi's treasure for cultivating Tao and subduing demons; nine golden flowers and a wisp of purple energy, specifically designed to vanquish ghosts, evil spirits, and demons. As the golden flowers unfurled, they were like a bright lamp in the dead of night, dispelling all the dark energy.
The result was obvious. This sorcerer was no match for Jiang Liu. Within seconds, his limbs were broken, and he was carried by Jiang Liu, his face bruised and swollen. And this was only because Jiang Liu wanted to capture him alive; to kill him, a single punch would have been enough!
The remaining villains, who had originally intended to swarm forward, all took a step back upon seeing this.
Jiang Liu swept his cold gaze across the crowd, and the little men immediately took three steps back. Some of the more cowardly ones had already dropped their weapons and fled in terror. Jiang Liu's gaze then fell on a little man dressed in brightly colored clothes; this was none other than the rebellious Ya Li. Just as he was about to escape, Jiang Liu kicked one of the little man's spears. With a "whoosh," a sharp light flashed, pinning the little man to the ice wall.
Then, carrying the demon, he leaped a few times and disappeared into the moonlight.
After some torture, the sorcerer confessed clearly how many times he had wet the bed as a child and how many women he had slept with.
This man is named Xijiao, and he is the wicked disciple of Zhong Ang, the leader of the Golden Flower Cult.
He recounted most of the details about his sect, the three corpses in the Wuhua Ancient Tomb, and the information about the Xuanyuan Sacred Mausoleum.
Jiang Liu then decisively rotated his head 360 degrees.
Chapter 110 The Unadorned Demon Corpse
The Xuanyuan Sacred Mausoleum possesses supreme treasures, a fact known to all cultivators in the world, yet few dare to covet them.
There are many reasons for this. Firstly, the rumors of a priceless treasure have been circulating for a long time, and no one dares to be certain that there is truly a heaven-defying treasure inside. The effort put in is disproportionate to the reward, naturally discouraging anyone from stealing the treasure. Only a few people with inside knowledge know the specifics of the sacred tomb. Naturally, they all keep quiet, waiting for the day they can open the tomb and retrieve the treasure.
Secondly, the Sacred Mausoleum is riddled with traps. Because of the protection of the Nine Provinces Dragon Vein, all Taoist magic and supernatural powers cannot be used within the Sacred Mausoleum. One can only obtain treasures with one's physical body, and it is further sealed by the Sacred Emperor's divine talisman, making it impossible for mortals to enter. In addition, the sixteen ancient immortals who have visited the mausoleum throughout the ages have added numerous restrictions, making it difficult for either immortals or mortals to seize the treasures.
However, in the last decade or so, the Han dynasty's fortunes have gradually declined, and the land of China has been occupied by the Manchus. Hundreds of years ago, the Mongol Yuan dynasty destroyed most of the various protective barriers within the sacred mausoleum. Now, the land of China is once again ravaged, and the sacred emperor's divine talisman has lost its power. It is time for a treasure to emerge.
Even so, few people can predict the exact time when the treasure will appear.
Even if a powerful expert about to ascend to immortality could calculate it, he would not dare to retrieve it personally. On the contrary, he would try to stay as far away from the sacred tomb as possible.
Disturbing the peace of a saint is a grave sin, and one's ascension to immortality will naturally be thwarted.
Unless he doesn't want to ascend... and he has cultivated for countless lifetimes seeking ascension, how could he possibly bring trouble upon himself for a mere treasure?
Therefore, the Three Immortals of the East Sea, the Two Elders of Mount Song, the Divine Nun, the Ancestor, and so on, could not personally visit; at most, they would send a disciple to see if there was a chance to obtain the treasure. Some, fearing karmic repercussions, even further restricted their disciples from approaching.
Moreover, with the establishment of the Emei Prefecture imminent, the battle at Ciyun Temple had offended many evil sects, and Ling Hun's attempt to seize Qingluoyu on the Sichuan-Tibet border had attracted many evil sects to engage in magical duels.
This situation actually benefited those who were planning to steal the treasures of the Xuanyuan Sacred Mausoleum.
Among them were ancient demon corpses from roughly the same era as the Holy Emperor. Two of these three demon corpses were originally rulers of the ancient mountain people. The older one was named Wu Hua, and the younger one was named Rong Dun. They were father and son in life.
Both of these men lived in the same era as the Holy Emperor Xuanyuan. Rong Dun was born with the perverse energy of heaven and earth, and possessed divine strength from a young age, capable of wrestling flying dragons and tearing apart rhinoceroses and elephants. The people of the Three Wildernesses were all wild and valued strength, so both father and son were revered by the people of the country, and they did not suffer because of his cruelty.
Na Rongdun was on good terms with Chiyou and participated in the Battle of Zhuolu. He was also captured by Xuanyuan and imprisoned for three years and five months. Later, after his father confessed his guilt and pleaded, he was released by Emperor Xuanyuan.
Rong Dun, being of a violent nature, regarded this incident as a great disgrace. The more he thought about it, the more resentful he became. Despite his illness, he set off on his journey, but upon reaching the capital, he died of anger. His father, Wu Hua, upon seeing his beloved son's death, was filled with resentment and grief, and died less than a year later.
A country cannot be without a ruler for a day. After the death of Emperor Wu Hua, a powerful minister under his command usurped the throne and succeeded him. His name was Bei Che.
After ascending the throne, Bei Che, under the pretext of gratitude for the virtue and power of his predecessor, devised a treacherous scheme. He mobilized 100,000 laborers to build an enormous tomb for himself and his son in this region, imprisoning all of Wu Hua's close ministers within, while telling the people that they had voluntarily committed suicide. The construction took seventeen years to complete. The immense exploitation of the people's wealth led to widespread resentment, and by the time Wu Hua's tomb was finished, the entire country was in turmoil. This powerful minister ultimately died at the hands of a mob.
After the tomb was completed, Wu Hua and his son were naturally buried there. Because the burial site had excellent geomantic energy, and because the father and son were extraordinary people, over time they actually absorbed the spiritual energy of the earth and became powerful enough to transform into zombies.
If the father and son had cultivated themselves in the right direction, they could have achieved enlightenment. Unfortunately, Rong Dun's perverse nature was incorrigible, and he ultimately became a monster. Two thousand one hundred years after their deaths, having achieved success in his cultivation, he gradually emerged from his lair to wreak havoc. This five-hundred-mile area of the Wuhua Tomb became Rong Dun's hunting ground, where he committed countless acts of slaughter.
Not to mention the living beings of heaven and earth, countless cultivators in the vicinity have also perished.
Fortunately, although Wu Hua allowed his son to commit murder, he still had some understanding of the difference between good and evil. He only allowed his son Rong Dun to harm living beings within a radius of 500 li around the mountain to vent his eternal hatred, but he did not allow him to go beyond 500 li, lest he commit more injustices and suffer divine punishment.
The father and son even fought over this, otherwise the harm would have been even greater.
It wasn't until Master Baiyang came here to cultivate that a great battle broke out between the two sides. The Wu Hua family father and son were no match for him, so the master used great magic to suppress them again.
The immortal Baiyang ascended to heaven, and the suppressing seal had not been repaired for many years. Coupled with the natural disaster of earthquakes, it gradually became ineffective. Fortunately, the seal at the cave entrance was intact, and the demon corpse was severely injured, its primordial spirit withered, and it was still unable to emerge.
The only way to escape was to break through the earth's veins from within the tomb. During this process, the father and son expended considerable effort, managing to excavate the earth's veins and travel hundreds of miles away, inadvertently opening the Netherworld Palace that sealed away Qiongqi, one of the Four Fiends. The two corpses fought Qiongqi fiercely for many days, eventually becoming acquainted through their conflict and joining forces with it.
As for that sorcerer Xijiao, he was a disciple of Zhong Ang, the leader of the sorcerer Golden Flower Cult.
Zhong Ang, the leader of the Golden Flower Cult, was also a master of the evil sect who had cultivated a primordial spirit. Several years ago, for reasons unknown, he went to steal medicine from the Three Immortals of the East Sea. He was killed by the True Man Miaoyi, but his primordial spirit escaped back to the sect using the Blood Light Escape Technique. Knowing that his sect was wicked and that he would be even less tolerated by the righteous sects after his death, he consulted the oracle and found that the Wuhua Tomb in this place could be a place for him to hide.