girl let me check

Chapter 409: All Spirits Appear

The dirt road was rugged and difficult to navigate, covered in weeds. When the horse's hooves hit the cold, wet ground, they would always bring up the melted mud when they pulled out.

Fang Weihan was leading three hundred internal guards to the temple twenty miles south of Wuling City.

Wuling is located at the border of Jing and Jiao states, beside Yunmeng Lake, and is a wild land in the Great Zhou territory. It is sparsely populated and full of strange spirits and monsters. The population of the entire Wuling County is only 40,000 households, less than one-tenth of Guangling County, but its area is much larger than Guangling. This is what is meant by "vast land, sparse population".

The army marched along the bank of Yunmeng Lake, with mist rising not far away, the sky shining straight down, and a rainbow across the dome. The gray mist was like a veil blowing through the dense camphor forest, and it was unclear, which was in line with people's imagination of the Peach Blossom Spring.

"I really hate this lousy place called Wuling." Master Zhao used his blood to steam the red tassel tied to the tip of the iron spear dry, and said, "I'm always soaked in water no matter what I do. I'm getting rheumatism."

Wuling was low and humid, and the climate was extremely bad for these northerners. After more than an hour of marching, everyone was covered with a layer of moisture.

Fortunately, it is early February now. If it were in the scorching July, such weather alone would make people lose most of their fighting power.

The morale and integrity of the soldiers led by the Eastern Palace Guards were far beyond that of the general army of the Great Zhou. Even during the long march in such bad weather, few people complained.

They had set out in the afternoon, and now it was approaching night. The sun sets early in winter, and the sky was already dark. With the sharp vision of a Mingwu monk, Fang Weihan saw a glimmer of fire in the vastness.

That should be the station of the soldiers led by the East Palace Guards who discovered this temple.

After informing the soldiers on guard, Fang Weihan led the internal guards into this makeshift and crude camp.

The East Palace Guard here has a battalion of about 300 people, which belongs to the Palace Front Command.

"Yuan Mu, the commander of the Left Central Battalion, meets with the commander of the guards."

Fang Weihan nodded slightly and said:
"Captain Yuan, what's going on in this temple? Can't three hundred people handle it?"

"Wei Lieutenant, it's not that we can't solve it, but we have never seen such a ridiculous thing."

Yuan Mu looked very bad and said.

"Please lead the guards and follow your subordinates."

The two men rode out of the camp, leading a group of East Palace guards and soldiers to the location of the temple that Zhao Mu mentioned.

Only when they got closer did Fang Weihan discover the building that he had not seen before.

This temple was built beside a small lake and had been abandoned for a long time. From a distance, there was only a ruined pagoda and only half of the temple gate left. As for the rest of the buildings, they had long been reduced to rubble, and half of them had sunk to the bottom of the lake.

From a distance, this was a very ordinary abandoned temple. But Fang Weihan observed the warriors' aura and found something unusual.

The cut on the remaining half of the gate was very smooth, as if it was split in two by something at high speed. The pagoda in the distance was also like this.

Years of wind and rain had eroded the stone pagoda into a dead and hideous branch, but Fang Weihan could still vaguely make out its general structure.

The pagoda seemed to have been split vertically in half, one half covered with moss and the other half entangled with red vines, like two rusted bones lying upside down. Through the gap in the middle, one could see the dark sky in the distance.

Fang Weihan roughly compared the angles and found that at a certain angle, the two cracks could fit together perfectly.

"Your Highness, someone has thrown a sword here." Master Zhao said in a low voice.

The old man with a keen eye obviously also discovered the difference of this temple.

"Second Master, can you tell this person's cultivation level?" Fang Weihan said.

After his own cultivation level broke through to the fifth level, Fang Weihan still could not sense Mr. Zhao's cultivation level. This could only mean that he was a sixth-level Mingwu, but for some reason he could only exert the power of the fifth level.

Before, when they were in Changming, Fang Weihan had proposed to ask Xiao Jin to help Mr. Zhao to treat his illness, but he refused.

The old man said that this was not an illness, but a damage to his foundation caused by the secret method he used before, which even gods could not cure. He could only rely on strong liquor to suppress it, but could not eradicate it.

"'Taoist doctor' Zhang Rucheng is helpless against my illness. Your Highness hopes that a little girl like her can figure out something?" said Mr. Zhao at the time.

Even though Fang Weihan insisted again and again, the old man said he would not go at all and was very stubborn. In the end, he had to give up.

"Very high, at least much higher than mine." Master Zhao said solemnly, "If Your Highness feels it carefully, you should be able to detect the remaining sword intent in the two cracks."

Fang Weihan followed his instructions and indeed felt a faint sword intent. This sword intent was extremely sharp, like the bright and blazing sun, which made people feel fearful at a glance.

He couldn't help but frown.

Why does this sword intent feel familiar?
"Looking at the appearance of this temple, it must have been abandoned for hundreds of years. A sword intent can remain in the world for hundreds of years. This person must be more powerful than all the cultivators nowadays." said Master Zhao.

Fang Weihan has already raised his vigilance towards this temple to the utmost.

How could a temple that could retain this level of sword power be an ordinary place?
At this moment, he was surrounded by 600 elite Eastern Palace guards, as well as Wen Zhexue and Zhao Erye, two sixth-rank masters, who were protecting him closely. His safety factor was already very high. If there were any demons or monsters in this temple, he would most likely be able to escape unscathed.

"Captain Yuan, what exactly is wrong with this temple?" Fang Weihan asked.

Yuan Mu rode out first, and when he was still a few dozen steps away from the main entrance of the temple, he dismounted and groped forward cautiously.

"Captain Wei, here. This is the line." Yuan Mu drew out his sword and drew a dirt trench on the ground.

Fang Weihan walked over, and when his left foot just crossed the line, the scenery in front of him suddenly changed as if it was highlighted.

The dark and cold night just now disappeared, replaced by the bright and sunny day. The temple in front of us was made of green bricks and green tiles, which was quite Jiangnan style. The pagoda was towering into the clouds, and the semi-arc top of the tower was inlaid with a huge agate gem. This temple was actually as big as a small manor, far from the ruins on the lakeside.

Smoke was curling above the temple, the rhythmic sound of wooden fish could be heard faintly, and the water was gurgling, creating a peaceful and harmonious scene.

It was this peaceful and harmonious scene that made Fang Weihan's scalp tingle.

Almost instantly, he had drawn out the Luminous Sword.

"Don't be nervous, guard. There is no danger here." Yuan Mu stood a few steps in front of him and said, "Just take a step back and you can leave this world."

Fang Weihan took a step back, and the scenery in front of him suddenly shattered, and the desolate and dilapidated temple appeared again. Everything that had just happened seemed like an illusion.

What's the situation?
"Senior Sister, could you still feel my presence just now?" Fang Weihan asked in a low voice in his sea of ​​consciousness.

"Yes." Wen Zhexue answered quickly, "The anomaly in this temple is somewhat like time and space turbulence, be careful."

"This is not time and space turbulence."

Yun Shu's voice interrupted directly, startling Fang Weihan.

Her figure slowly solidified beside Fang Weihan, and she frowned and said, "This is Wan Ling's method."

Fang Weihan quickly retrieved his impression of Wan Ling in his mind.

There are countless differentiations of pure energy, and according to each kind of power, there is a corresponding path for practice.

The Qinghuo Academy of the Great Zhou Dynasty holds the three paths of Mingwu, Wuxing and Tiangong. To the west of the empire is the Jingtian of Linyuan Pavilion, and to the east is the Yuqi of Xiaoyao Sect. To the north of the empire, the foreign royal court, Chi Lechuan, holds a mysterious cultivation path called Shengzhu.

As for the Hundred Thousand Mountains south of the empire... there is a force that has been secluded from the world for a long time and is often ignored by the people of the world.

The Southern Frontier Fansheng Temple is the last sect that controls the inheritance of all spirits.

The Temple of Saints advocates that ordinary people can also become saints. They believe that there are no so-called saints in this world. Every individual is a saint, and there is no distinction between high and low.

According to legend, the members of the Ordinary Saint Temple are not just humans, but more of various animal spirits. Xie Lingwan once explained the affairs of the Ordinary Saint Temple in detail to Fang Weihan. The last time the Wanling monk appeared was in Jiaozhou in the 14th year of Ruiping. When Tao Yan attacked Panyu, there were monks suspected to be Wanling in the city who participated in the defense.

Apart from this suspected clue, the Wanling monks have completely disappeared from people's sight. It is said that the Wanling monks are good at creating illusions, but because they have disappeared for a long time, even Wen Zhexue has never seen their methods, so she mistook this illusion for time and space turbulence.

Wuling borders Jiaozhou, and to the south of Jiaozhou is the Shiwān Mountains where Wanling belongs. It is not surprising that their traces appear here.

"What is Wan Ling trying to do by setting up such an illusion array?" Fang Weihan asked.

"I don't know, but you must be careful." Yun Shu's face was very solemn. "The spiritual power of the Wanling cultivators is extremely strong, and can even kill people without being seen. Your spiritual power is a shortcoming, so you must always remind yourself not to be bewitched by any form of existence."

"I see."

Fang Weihan looked at Master Zhao and said, "Master, you and everyone else stay here. I'll go in by myself."

"Your Highness, please be careful." Master Zhao did not try to persuade him further.

Fang Weihan took a deep breath and stepped into the illusion. The temple appeared before him again.

"Wait, do you feel that this way of switching into the illusion looks familiar?" Yun Shu suddenly said.

"What?" Fang Weihan didn't react for a moment.

"Did you ever get inexplicably dragged into a fantasy during the poetry gathering at Huanhua Tower?"

After Yun Shu's reminder, Fang Weihan finally recalled this event which happened a long time ago.

That was the first time he, Wang Zhiyou and Shen Yuanxing went to Huanhua Tower, and the Spring Equinox Poetry Festival at that time adopted a format similar to the current one!
"Huanhua Tower...using Wanling's methods?" Fang Weihan always felt that something was wrong.

It seemed that he had forgotten a very important clue.

Just as he was about to continue digging deeper, the sound of wooden fish suddenly came from the temple in front of him.

"King Guangling of the Great Zhou, please come into the temple for a chat."

A solemn voice that was difficult to tell whether it was male or female resounded throughout the valley, echoing loudly.

Fang Weihan felt a little cold on his back.

This thing... is actually directed at him?

……

……

Fang Tang knocked on the gate of Shi Dangliu's courtyard at the hour of Xu late in the night.

The little servant boy on duty was startled and thought that it was the Jinwu Guards who came to the door. He was so scared that he didn't dare to open the door.

"I'm not a Jinwu Guard." said the pleasant voice outside the door.

The little book boy finally breathed a sigh of relief.

But when he carefully opened the door and saw the person standing outside, his face turned pale and he knelt down.

This is not as good as the Jinwu Guard!

"Is your husband here?" Fang Tang asked.

"First... the teacher just fell asleep not long ago, I will go and tell him now." The little servant boy stammered.

"No need." Shi Dangliu's voice came from the inner courtyard.

The white-haired old man opened the door and bowed respectfully to Fang Tang:

"Your Highness, I pay my respects to Her Royal Highness the Princess."

This old man always behaves like this every time he sees me, as if he is oblivious to the olive branch I have thrown him. He is clearly the one who has climbed the highest among the poor, but he is unwilling to work for me.

Putting the previous events aside, Fang Tang was not in the mood to argue with him.

After arriving at the reception room, she directly explained her purpose.

"Master Dean, do you recognize this object?"

The girl carefully placed the sword tassel on the table, looked at it reluctantly, and then gently pushed it to Shi Dangliu's side.

The old minister of the empire was still wondering what it was that made her cherish it so much, and then his eyes fell on the sword tassel.

"This is……"

Shi Dangliu has been working in official circles for decades, and his ability to read people's expressions has long reached the pinnacle.

He didn't even reach out to touch the sword tassel, but stared at it for a long time.

"Your Highness, I do recognize this item." Shi Dangliu pondered for a moment and said, "This should be the tassel of the sword worn by His Highness Prince Guangling."

The girl's heart trembled violently, and the last bit of hope completely disappeared.

Luoying might lie to her, but Shi Dangliu certainly wouldn't. If even he said that this was Fang Weihan's thing, then there was no way this matter could be faked.

The tearing pain reappeared, as if unconsciously. Her fingers on her knees tightly twisted the hem of her skirt, but her expression remained calm.

"Do you know the origin of this thing?" Fang Tang even omitted the honorific this time.

Shi Dangliu noticed that her mood seemed a little strange, but as an old man who had become a wise man, he naturally did not ask any more questions.

"His Highness Prince Guangling's sword is called Liuming, and it was given to him by His Highness Prince Hedong." Shi Dangliu said, "As for where His Highness Prince Hedong found this sword... I don't know."

King of Hedong? The one called Fang Xun?

Fang Tang knew that he was an idle prince, and it turned out that he was the one who gave this sword to Fang Weihan?

"This sword tassel once resonated with my spirit. Do you know what happened?" Fang Tang suppressed the throbbing in his heart and asked calmly.

Shi Dangliu used pure elemental power to carry his spirit, slowly seeping it into the sword tassel as a means of investigation.

There was a faint light flickering on the sword tassel. The white-haired old minister closed his eyes and opened them after an incense stick of time.

"There is a miniature formation inside this object, and the specific principle is still unclear. There is a causal force lingering around it, which should be the work of Linyuan Yuluge."

Shi Dangliu said slowly.

"This formation can be used multiple times, with a certain amount of recharging time between them. Now its energy has just been exhausted. Once the next recharging is completed, the 'resonance' phenomenon that Your Highness mentioned will occur again."

"How long does it take to charge?" Fang Tang asked hurriedly.

"If the sword body is cultivated, it only needs to consume the power of the sword master and it will be completed in an instant. While waiting for the natural replenishment of the sun, moon and stars..." Shi Dangliu made a silent calculation and said:
"About two months."

(End of this chapter)