manynovel Chapter 288: Kirin Lying on a High Tomb
Chapter 288: Kirin Lying on a High Tomb
Chapter 288: Kirin Lying on a High Tomb
A gust of cold wind blew, and a violent storm like a fierce sea and sky lurked in the darkness, brushing against everyone's clothes. In a short period of time, even the young and strong men could not help but break out in cold sweat. Looking at the "human charcoal" that died in various hideous and weird ways, they always felt that these emaciated dead skeletons seemed to be staring at them quietly.
Jiang Wen stood in the dark area of the mine, leaving a blurry black and white figure to everyone. There was a faint sound of a dragon roar coming from the scabbard, as if it would burst out at any time, but he remained in a stalemate with the darkness for a long time, and even though the fishy wind blew in his face, there was still no movement.
Everyone was a little puzzled and wanted to step forward bravely, worried that Jiang Wen seemed to be emotionally stable but had actually been walking for a long time. However, they were startled when Jiang Wen suddenly turned around.
"…Senior, I've been waiting for you to explain the details for quite some time, why did you stop?"
"Oh? What else do you want me to say?"
Yuan Louzi stood there, looking at Jiang Wen with a squint, and said unhappily, "I can see at a glance that you are as reckless as I was when I was young. How could you be scared off by a single sentence? Actually, I was even more reckless than you when I was young. Do you believe it?"
Jiang Wen picked his ears and asked in confusion: "What did you just say, 'Don't go in'?"
Yuan Louzi chuckled: "That's what I said, but it doesn't mean I'm against you going in."
"..."
Jiang Wen couldn't help but sigh, inequality problems are really fast.
Jiang Wen actually understood what Yuan Louzi meant. The reason why he said it was extremely dangerous inside was not to stop Jiang Wen from entering, but to use this method to make Jiang Wen more vigilant. Once one is on guard when traveling in the world, it is natural for him to be able to escape danger.
"Okay, okay, I now believe that you and Master Yuanhua are close brothers."
After hearing what Jiang Wen said, Yuan Louzi broke free from the support as if he had won a battle. He slowly walked to Jiang Wen's side and pointed to the dark depths of the cave and said.
"On the day I first arrived, I sneaked into this cave and found that the criminals were forcing the villagers to hold torches and go deep into the cave to search for something. After a while, the firelight became dim, and I heard clanging sounds inside. The villagers disappeared completely, and then the criminals used the ropes around their waists to pull the bodies back, often holding some rotten knives and swords in their hands."
The old Taoist recalled with a fearful look on his face, "Every time they saw the fire go out, they would send another person in, and repeat this cycle. When they had collected enough broken swords and knives with human lives, they would step out of the cave as if they had found a treasure. During this whole process, the criminals did not dare to take even half a step into the depths. Even if the villagers died in a corner visible to the naked eye, they would never cross the line..."
Jiang Wen frowned and said, "A rotten sword? Isn't this a mine?"
Yuan Louzi stroked his beard and said, "The art of sword-making depends on the secret technique, magic iron, the right time, and the right place. The criminals learned Ou Yezi's method of using human charcoal to build a huge furnace, chose the original site of Zhanlu Mountain to forge swords, and waited for an opportunity here day and night. Naturally, they thought the problem was with the raw materials."
Jiang Wen slowly understood that the so-called sword-making by these arrogant thugs was probably an attempt to replicate the sword-making process of Ou Yezi two thousand years ago. In order to ensure that the raw materials were exactly the same as before, they even selected the ancient swords left in the cave for refining and re-casting, just to restore those earth-shaking magic weapons.
"Ah? So this isn't a mine, but the site where Ou Yezi forged the sword?"
Jiang Wen muttered to himself, tightening his clothes, "But from the way he looks now, I feel a sinister aura."
Yuan Louzi stared into the darkness and slowly replied, "Ou Yezi forged a sword that cut a horse and an ox on land and struck a swan and a goose on water. On the day the sword was forged, the sky shone with brilliant colors and the earth gave birth to five colors. All these are just fabrications of later generations. How many people really witnessed the scene of sword forging back then?"
"I have been traveling among the tombs of the pre-Qin period for many years, and what I have seen is not the rule of a sage ruler or a wise ruler. I only know that a person was sacrificed for every step, a prisoner was killed every three feet, human heads were cooked in copper steamers, children's corpses were locked in clay pots, and the foundations of the pillars were filled with piles of bones. If you wanted to forge a sword at that time, wouldn't the cheapest and most convenient thing be human lives?"
"It's funny to say that when Lei Huan dug up the old prison in Fengcheng, he ignored the layers of bones piled up for sword making and the strange shapes on the ground, and only focused on taking away the two swords in the stone box..."
Jiang Wen did not expect them to be so gentle and calm when it came to sword-making two thousand years ago.
Jiang Wen remained silent. The Xia, Shang and Zhou dynasties were all about setting up a master and performing rituals on corpses. The source of this ritual was the primitive worship of corpses. Not to mention the corpses of Xia Geng, Nv Chou and Wang Zi Ye that were frequently mentioned in the Classic of Mountains and Seas - all of them clearly stated that their bodies were disfigured and they had died but not been buried.
It can only be said that compared to the illusory ghosts in the underworld, corpses, as the last remnants of the deceased in the world, are inherently more concrete, more terrifying, and more possessing supernatural qualities. Jiang Wen can even infer without any hesitation that, as Yuan Louzi said, China's worship of the divine power and witchcraft beliefs about corpses have never really disappeared, but have been disguised and hidden in some more hidden corners.
"Senior, is there anything else you can teach me?"
Seeing that Jiang Wen understood the hidden meaning of his words so quickly, Yuan Louzi began to look at him sideways. After thinking it over again and again, he reminded him vaguely.
"As for the other things... I haven't been able to find out much either. I just vaguely guess that they are related to the Kunwu Kingdom of the Three Ancient Dynasties..."
Kunwu is an ancient tribe. The Kunwu people are good at metallurgy and pottery making. It is said that Kunwu knives can cut jade. It is said that even the Nine Cauldrons representing royal power were cast by the Kunwu clan. Therefore, until the Zhou Dynasty, officials who made bronze ware were called Kunwu.
The bronze inscription of "Kun" has a "日" on top, referring to the sun; and a "比" on the bottom, referring to "people everywhere", meaning "many slaves working under the scorching sun". These are used to refer to things that are cautious and careful, and it is hard for Jiang Wen not to associate them with the scene of corpses lying on the ground before his eyes.
"Thank you, senior!"
After hearing this, Jiang Wen bowed and showed great respect. In his heart, he had already sensed some unusual meanings. He knew that Yuan Louzi sincerely did not want Jiang Wen to be involved with outsiders. This kind of mind was exactly the same as Yuan Huazi's, so he deserved his greeting.
"Do you really want to go in?"
Even though Yuan Louzi had anticipated this, he still asked one last time.
Jiang Wen smiled and nodded, which made Yuan Louzi feel dazed for a moment, his eyes filled with his own youthful vigor and vitality.
"Well, there are reasons why I have to go."
------
In the darkness, the ancient Zhanlu sword revealed a mysterious color as deep as water, with layers of flowing light lingering on it, as if it would turn into mercury and disappear without a trace at any time. Jiang Wen was groping in the darkness, step by step going deeper into this ancient cave with an unknown end.
He did not choose to hold up the torch, because the light surging in the darkness, like the vitality in a dead end, the candlelight in the eyes of a moth, is most likely to make people chase it blindly and recklessly, which will lead people to death.
Jiang Wen chose to blend into the darkness, and use his remaining senses, which were almost sharper than vision, to touch this isolated cave world bit by bit.
After walking for an unknown amount of time, a drop of condensed water from the stalactite above his head smashed onto Jiang Wen's shoulder. Jiang Wen felt a hint of coolness penetrate into the fabric of his clothes and touch his skin, but the coolness quickly expanded and he suddenly realized something was wrong.
When he woke up from his state of unconsciousness, the chill had already turned into a slight stinging pain and a bit of stickiness, slowly flowing down along the cut fabric and the cut skin...
is blood!
Jiang Wen closed his eyes tightly, and tried every possible way to search for the source of the drop of condensed water, but its appearance was invisible and colorless, just like a hasty accident in an ancient cave. It unexpectedly encountered Jiang Wen, who did not belong here. There was a hint of innocence and helplessness in his expression. He watched the snow on the thousands of mountains and the misty clouds in the distance, and then it disappeared without a trace.
After all it's just a drop of water.
But the next moment, the tip of Jiang Wen's sword had already touched another drop of condensed water. The same innocence, the same helplessness, but on the tip of the Zhanlu sword, which had stood firm for thousands of years, a low buzzing sound was produced. Jiang Wen, who was holding the sword with one hand, felt his shoulder fall, and the ancient sword was almost out of his hand.
"Ding……"
The buzzing hum was like a spell, instantly spreading in the dark cave. Jiang Wen closed his eyes and listened quietly. Just by the premonition of the vague pain in his skin, he could guess that at the top of the dark cave, there were thousands of equally innocent and helpless drops of condensed water about to drip, which would turn into raindrops and fall on his body at any time, leaving Jiang Wen full of wounds and blood.
The buzzing sound continued to spread, as if a tuning fork was playing tricks in the dark. Ripples spread in the darkness, transforming into the dilapidated shapes of ancient swords, which were now inserted into the wall of the cave, constantly beckoning Jiang Wen to take it, and then fight to the death in this sky full of cold water killing array.
The clear sound lingered in the ears. Those extremely tiny things flowing in the crystal condensed water seemed to be stars, and they interacted with each other with some diamond-like structures, like extremely tiny swords, penetrating into the softest condensed water in the world.
This is sword energy that is so pure that it is unimaginable. It is something that cannot be described in words. If one hears it in the morning, he can die in the evening. Only a few people who have climbed to the highest peak in the way of the sword are qualified to get a glimpse of it before they die.
A drop of water turns into a sword without revealing its edge. This is the most profound sword technique Jiang Wen has ever seen. The mystery of the sword technique has almost penetrated into all things in the world. Every blade of grass and every tree can be a sword. They don't want to kill Jiang Wen, but just because Jiang Wen appears here, the ending he faces is already a destined cause and effect.
But Jiang Wen smiled slightly. Even though life and death were almost beyond his control, he was still calm as if he was out of the world. The ancient Zhanlu sword in his hand drew a very unique arc, like the hideous spine of a towering corpse. Even though he had been dead for a long time, it was still pointing angrily at the sky.
The condensed water has begun to drip, but the world that Jiang Wen lives in seems to have entered a slow-motion camera. He sees the tip of the Zhanlu sword drawn but not unleashed, and the acupoints all over his body turn into bellows. Every slight breath that Jiang Wen takes causes the cold air in the ancient cave to rise and fall, and every beat of Jiang Wen's blood regulates the subtle trend of the condensed water dripping.
In a split second, just when Jiang Wen's breathing reached a mysterious state, his originally scattered senses were instantly gathered together, condensing into a light that was sharper and more unruly than the ancient sword in his hand, and attacked back towards the sky full of condensed water. An unprecedented sharp sword intent was spreading from Jiang Wen's body.
In the darkness, Jiang Wen's fearless sword intent rose from the ground, competing with the rain condensed from countless sword qi. Countless tears appeared on his clothes, and blood gushed out from them, dyeing the cloth red. The pain in his skin had not yet subsided before it was swept away again, as if he was undergoing the torture of being cut into pieces by thousands of knives in the hell of knives. Every second, hundreds of swords rose up and thousands of swords were extinguished, and they were eliminated passionately and heroically between death.
But Jiang Wen was originally an unrivaled swordsman. Under the urging of the external sword energy, he had condensed his sword intent into substance and was able to contend with the sinister sword energy from the outside world. In just a few dozen breaths, the condensed water with mysterious sources and subtle traces on the stalactites above his head had dried up to the limit. Even the originally moist and shiny surface of the stalactites had cracks as if it had been dried and weathered.
But only when you get closer can you find that there are deep and visible sword marks on it, which are inexplicably scattered on the surface of the stalactites. With the strong wind brought by Jiang Wen's footsteps, it may be turned into dust at any time!
Jiang Wen, using his body as a sword, moved through the cave like a ghost. Countless broken swords and rotten knives stuck on the walls were clashing with each other at the same time, changing from their previous cold appearance to repeatedly making sounds like dragon roars and tiger howls. Then, their broken bodies could not bear the burden and turned into powder, floating in the cold and humid air, and were controlled by Jiang Wen to fly against the wind.
The closer Jiang Wen got to the truth, the more awe-inspiring his sword intent became. The ancient Zhanlu sword in his hand continuously defeated the sword energy that quietly dissipated into the whistling cold wind. With his other hand, he took advantage of the situation to hold out the Mani Pearl that emitted colorful light, which immediately illuminated this dark underground world.
In Jiang Wen's eyes, the ancient cave had turned into a tomb for burying swords, with layers of ancient swords that were reluctant to die. They were allowed to be corroded by rust, oxidized by air, soaked by water vapor, and buried in darkness. It seemed that a super-physical force had taken their lives, so they could only be buried in this cave like mummies, in a calm, silent and stubborn posture...
The howling cold wind did not come from an underground river. At the end of the cave was a rather spacious place where countless abandoned swords were piled up, almost filling up the empty space. If it were not for the ancient pebbles and dragon-shaped dam that appeared in the darkness, Jiang Wen would not have realized that at the end of the pitch-black cave, there lay a man-made abyss and ancient walls.
The abyss that Jiang Wen had originally mistakenly seen was actually eight dark wooden pillars that supported the sky and the earth. Deep holes were burned and dug out in them. They looked like ancient chests, and also like the immortal ship coffins that Jiang Wen had seen in the Wuyi Mountains.
The sword energy was even more fierce and dangerous here. The walls of the suddenly widened cave were covered with sharp sword marks. Each mark left on the stone wall meant an extremely dangerous sword move. Now these sword marks surrounded Jiang Wen and formed a killing array, making him realize that this was no longer a duel, but a contest of martial arts!
"What a powerful sword..."
If the ultimate of Qi Sect is to control the sword with Qi and condense sword energy, then the ultimate of Dugu Nine Swords that Jiang Wen learned is to transform the body into a sword.
This grotto contained some unknown secret energy, which made the collision between the two martial arts, which should have existed only in concepts, suddenly become so concrete that Jiang Wen could hardly control his joy.
At this moment, in this ancient cave in the rock, the sword energy was condensed but not dispersed, and the sword intent soared into the sky. The duel between the Qi Sect and the Sword Sect, and between the sword energy and sword intent, had already exceeded the scope of what the world could imagine!
Jiang Wen, who was immersed in martial arts, suddenly saw an old man sitting cross-legged not far away, but when he approached, he disappeared out of thin air, leaving only mottled and chaotic sword marks on the stone wall, slowly condensing into lines of iron-like and silver-like handwriting.
Jiang Wen felt a sense of being spied on from behind, just like the feeling he had at Chessboard Rock, until the last stroke of the handwriting almost tore through the stone wall and broke through the wall, instantly creating a shadow as if the sky was falling and the earth was collapsing, and a noise that shook the earth as well!
[I have always loved swords. I have searched for swords, collected swords, stored swords, and forged swords. Over the past fifty years, I have built the Mingjian Villa...]
The loud clanging sound seemed to mean that the fight was coming to an end. Everything finally returned to calm. Even the dense wounds and bloodstains on Jiang Wen's body disappeared into thin air. Only an old man was left sitting cross-legged in front of him.
When I looked more closely, I saw that the cartilage of his nose had collapsed. He was actually a dried up corpse, sitting cross-legged between eight gloomy wooden pillars. His legs were hunched and deformed, and he had been dead for who knows how many years.
Jiang Wen understood that the criminals might have made a serious mistake. This was most likely not the place where Ou Yezi forged the sword, but rather the place Jiang Wen had been trying to find.
Jiang Wen did not feel any negligence. Instead, he sheathed the Zhanlu sword and bowed slowly. Driven by a sense of unreality that spanned thousands of years, he felt a deep and profound gaze in the dark eye sockets. He involuntarily put his two fingers together on the bluestone and drew three deep sword marks, representing the sacrificial wine and cigarettes he was enjoying...
(End of this chapter)