Knife splashing

Chapter 374 The Lost Secret

There is something strange about this cave.

It looked closed and dark, but there was no smell of decay. The air was even a little fresh, even though Li Yan was holding a torch.

Li Yan said thoughtfully: "I heard from the Taoist priest that some underground caves are located on dragon veins. Not only are there holes above, but there are also underground rivers flowing below. The doors to the sky and the ground are all open, which is called the flow of vital energy."

"No wonder the ancient Fuxi tribe lived here."

Lu San was a little curious, "Isn't Fuxi an ancient god?"

Li Yan whispered, "Yan Jiuling left a book to research these things, and I also asked Master Lin from the academy."

As he spoke, he drew an "S" shape on the ground. "In ancient times, there was a tribal alliance between Fuxi and Nuwa. They were not just two gods. Their symbolic patterns were birds and frogs, which can be seen on some ancient pottery. It is possible that they gradually expanded and evolved into the sun, moon, dragon and phoenix."

"Among these tribal alliances, there are also the Baihuang clan, the Gonggong clan, and the Dating clan, who take turns to serve as the leaders of the alliance."

"Oh."

Lu San frowned again and asked, "Why do they live in a cave?"

Li Yan held up the torch and looked forward. "In the Fuxi and Nuwa tribes, the wizards communicated with gods and ghosts, comprehended the great Dao, and understood the Yin and Yang and the Eight Diagrams. It is not surprising that they found these dragon veins and acupoints."

"At that time, Ezhou was not the main activity area of ​​the Fuxi and Nuwa tribe, and ghosts and gods were rampant, and there were many wild beasts. Perhaps it would be safer in the cave..."

As he was speaking, a stone chamber suddenly appeared before his eyes.

The stone chamber is very old, with murals all around, as well as stone platforms and broken pottery basins. Various strange knives are scattered on the rotten wooden shelves, all covered with thick dust.

Li Yan picked up a long needle covered with verdigris and frowned, "Is this... an ancient needle?"

He was a little confused and looked at the mural next to him with the torch.

These murals are also very old, depicting a group of little people kneeling before four leaders, while the leaders are sitting cross-legged, with clouds rising from their heads and mountains and monsters appearing...

Soon, the four leaders turned into monsters.

Some look like headless dogs with four wings, some look like winged tigers, and one has a human face and a sheep's body, with eyes under its armpits.

Sometimes they transformed into monsters and ate people everywhere, sometimes they turned back into human form and led their armies to fight, and then they were chained and divided again...

Afterwards, another person turned into a winged tiger, but he was already dead and was placed on the stone platform.

There were two people standing next to him, one was an old man wearing a tall hat, and the other was wearing a small hat and a magpie-like feather coat...

"I understand!"

Li Yan suddenly realized, "No wonder the Tiansheng Sect wanted to find this place!"

"It talks about the four evil spirits in ancient times, Hun Dun, Qiong Qi, Tao Wu, and Tao Tie. Legend has it that they were the untalented sons of Emperor Hong, Shao Hao, Zhuan Xu, and Jin Yun, who were exiled by Emperor Shun."

"This should be the place where Chang Sang Jun lived in seclusion. The one next to him is his disciple Bian Que. From the picture, it seems that they caught a Qiongqi and dissected it for research."

"The Tiansheng Sect's 'Tiansheng Gong' is rumored to be the reincarnation of 'Qiongqi'. All Tiansheng sect members have 'Qiongqi' tattooed on their chests."

Lu San frowned and asked, "Is this 'Qiongqi' a method of transformation?"

Li Yan nodded and said in a deep voice: "According to what the murals say, it is indeed so. It seems to be related to the Fuxi Ancient Cave."

After saying that, he looked upwards again, where there was another cave, which was smaller and only big enough for one person to crawl into.

What’s strange is that there are stone carvings of auspicious cloud palaces around the cave entrance, which seems to mean that by climbing up from here, one can enter the Yunque Fairy Palace.

"Let's go, this should be the passage!"

Li Yan's eyes were solemn, and he turned his head to look at the mural again.

In fact, there was one more thing he hadn't said.

According to the speculation in Yan Jiuling's book, there are two watersheds in the Chinese Xuanmen, one is the Battle of Conferred Gods, and the other is the great flood.

In ancient times, witchcraft was rampant and the most powerful person was usually the tribal leader, who was called "Emperor". But after the great flood, there was no more "Emperor" in the world.

The so-called "Four Evils" are all descendants of the ancient "Emperor" and are likely involved in power struggles between tribes.

Perhaps, it is also the secret method of witchcraft from that barbaric era.

After all, according to some mythological records, many "emperors" often transform into ferocious beasts or divine beasts.

What is hidden in the Fuxi Ancient Cave?
All these mysteries made Li Yan even more curious.

The Yunque Fairy Palace cave was very narrow, and the stone walls were smooth and slanted upward. Even Li Yan could only extinguish the torch and climb inside.

Wuba, who is the largest in size, feels even more frustrated.

Without the lighting of the torches, it was pitch black in front of me and I couldn't see anything. In addition, the space was narrow and if I had claustrophobia, I would probably be scared to death.

This cave was also a bit strange. Its surroundings were extremely smooth, as if it was corroded by some giant worm. It was winding, sometimes up and sometimes down.

Even Li Yan was a little confused.

After lying there for about two incense sticks, Li Yan's eyes suddenly lit up and he whispered, "Shh, stop first, I heard a sound."

After saying that, he pinched his fingers and raised his little finger.

Swish!
A straw spirit paper figure flew out from the leather bag around his waist, and after landing, it ran rapidly along the cave and disappeared without a trace in the blink of an eye.

Li Yan closed his eyes and followed the movement of the paper figure.

Twenty meters ahead is the cave exit.

After leaving the cave, the view suddenly opened up and a huge mountain canyon appeared in front of us. It seemed that the underground rock was split in half, at least twenty stories high.

There was a rumbling sound of water at the bottom of the canyon. It must be an underground river. The water was so fierce that it caused a surge of mist and air.

On the stone walls on both sides of the canyon, there are caves of various sizes, with simple shapes and no complicated decorations.

Between each layer, there are steps carved out of the steep stone walls, and countless hemp rope and wooden bridges connect the two stone walls.

Good guy!
Li Yan was stunned.

He originally thought that the so-called Fuxi Ancient Cave was at most a karst cave or something for ancient ancestors to hide in.

But I didn't expect it to be such a big project.

Moreover, this place was a bit strange, as if there was some kind of restriction. Not only was Lu San unable to summon animals, but even when the two goddesses of Han River took him on a spiritual journey, he did not see the scenery in the mountains.

"Haha, I found another one!"

Suddenly, a rough voice came from a distance.

Then the chieftain princess, Qin Yuner, spoke, "Set up a formation, don't let them escape, and turn them into Yin puppets after you catch them!"

Li Yan's idea moved, and he controlled the Chu Ling paper man to climb quickly along the stone wall. He soon saw the fire in the distance.

At the bottom of the ruins, I saw flickering flames.

There are wide stone platforms built along both sides of the underground river, and the caves dug out are also larger, with towering stone pillars and even carved with patterns, like temples.

Not only that, every few hundred meters on the stone platform, there are stone piers connected to huge water wheels.

Most of the water wheels have long been destroyed, leaving only wooden frames, but some are still in operation. They are made of strange, ink-black wood, driven by groundwater, and rotate rumblingly.

On a stone platform, more than a dozen braziers were burning, and about a hundred people were busy on the stone platform.

Qin Yuner and others inserted wooden sticks, tied red ropes, and surrounded a temple, obviously setting up a formation.

The others stood beside the stone pier.

I saw a thick chain hanging on the stone pier, inserted into the water and shaking violently, as if it was tied to something.

On the stone platform near them, there was a huge toad squatting, with tentacles on its head slowly twisting. It was the East Lake Patriarch.
The underground water suddenly surged, and a huge crocodile emerged from the water with an iron ring around its neck.

It’s Master Tu!
Li Yan's eyes lit up and he breathed a sigh of relief.

But then he frowned.

There was something obviously wrong with Master Tu's situation.

Above his head, there was a huge bronze coffin. Dense black hair poured out from it, wrapping the crocodile master's head.

The crocodile master's eyes also turned white, as if covered by a layer of white film.

The crocodile master was fascinated!

If they guessed correctly, that bronze coffin was the same as the one in which the demon from the Ghost Cult that they had killed in Zigui County had practiced the "Water God's Longevity Technique".

Boom boom boom!
The crocodile master took heavy steps, grabbing the stone wall with his four sharp claws and climbing up. When he reached the shore, he suddenly opened his mouth.

The demon guarding nearby immediately stepped forward and carefully took out something from its mouth. It was a jade cong half a person's height.

The leader of those monsters was a Taoist priest wearing a black robe, with a green face and a poisonous snake coiled on his crown.

"No, it's too slow!"

He was obviously a little anxious, and turned to Qin Yun'er and said, "Daoyou, I counted, we need a total of eighteen, and it took us so many days to find ten. Let's get that big toad to move!"

Tan Yuner glanced at him calmly and sneered, "Who do you think you are? Are you ordering me around?"

The Taoist looked unhappy, but he did not dare to get angry. Instead, he gritted his teeth and said, "Master Huang Liu promised before that I will be in charge here. If my words were disrespectful, please forgive me, Princess."

"Hahaha…"

Qin Yuner smiled charmingly, "Yu Faling, don't take yourself too seriously. Your master swore that he could deal with that kid and handed over the secrets of this place. Senior Huang gave you and your disciple face."

"Now that your master is dead, and you have invited that kid and the imperial navy, what qualifications do you have to preside over this matter?"

"you…"

The Taoist was furious when he heard this, but his tone became much weaker, "This is an emergency. Please tell me what to do, Princess?"

Qin Yuner nodded with satisfaction, then took out a hand drum from her waist and clapped it twice. The Donghu ancestor immediately let out a painful howl.

"Hey, big toad."

Tan Yuner said bluntly: "Did you hear me? Don't make it difficult for me, just jump down and find the things by yourself."

Being humiliated like this, bloodshot eyes flashed again in the East Lake Patriarch's eyes, and a strong wind suddenly blew up around him, filled with murderous aura.

"Humph!"

Tan Yuner sneered, "You are a big toad who doesn't know how to live or die. You are still putting on airs even now. If the Black Water True King of Tusi City came with us, what would you have to do with it?"

"Be smart, or I won't do anything."

As he said this, he picked up the tambourine again.

As if he heard the name of "True King of Black Water", the blood in the eyes of the East Lake Patriarch quickly dissipated, and he suddenly jumped and leaped into the water with a bang.

The controlled crocodile master had no consciousness at all and turned back again and jumped into the water.

"Princess, I've got you!"

Just then, loud shouting was heard nearby.

In the temple, densely packed black dots emerged, and they were all the "Jingren" seen when entering the mountain.

The demon next to him took out a huge bag and stuffed all the "Jingren" into it.

On the high stone wall, the paper figurine of Chu Ling turned into ashes silently.

Li Yan then woke up and narrated the following situation.

Lu San frowned and said, "Aren't they going to find the Buddhist Scripture Forest of Patriarch Wang Chan? Why are they salvaging those jade congs?"

"I don't know."

Li Yan said in a deep voice: "This Fuxi Ancient Cave is a bit strange, but no matter what they are looking for, we must stop them."

"They are numerous and some are experts, so we can't fight them head-on. Let's find a way to rescue the crocodile master first. I'll go into the water first and find a chance to unlock the crocodile master's restrictions. You guys can create some chaos and help me cover."

"Okay!" Lu San agreed without hesitation.

The two continued to climb and came near the cave entrance.

After Li Yan jumped out, he went straight into the cave next to him.

The furnishings inside are very simple, just a stone bed and a stone stove.

There were large and small pottery jars placed in the corners, with obvious "S"-shaped lines and frog and bird patterns on them. There were some wooden utensils hanging on the wall, and the bed was covered with straw, which had already rotted and turned black, and was covered with thick dust.

On the stove, there was a black dry substance in the pottery pot, and it was obvious that something was stewing.

Is this the residence of our ancient ancestors?
Without time to think, Li Yan immediately pinched the magic formula and chanted: "Nuo Gao! Tianzhen Taisu, Ren and Gui's essence..."

Call ~
The wind was howling all around him, and he was quickly wrapped in the mist. His figure seemed to be invisible, and he ran to the bottom under the cover of darkness.

Along the way, Li Yan saw more scenes.

This is a complete tribal gathering place, with not only warehouses for storing food, but also blacksmith shops and cattle sheds.

The deeper you go, the larger the cave becomes and the more luxurious the items inside become, even including jade artifacts and carpets made of animal fur.

Food was being cooked in pottery jars in many caves. Many places were in a mess and rotten bones could occasionally be seen.

Judging from the situation, the Fuxi tribe evacuated very hastily.

What happened then?
Li Yan couldn't help but feel more doubts in his heart.

Could it be that a disaster had occurred here?

Finally, he reached the bottom level.

As we have seen before, the temples below are all used for sacrifices. There are square earthen platforms, stone pillars with carved patterns, and many jade artifacts inlaid.

In that ancient era, jade was used for worshipping gods, and its large-scale use was rare.

What’s even more strange is that none of the jade artifacts contain any evil energy. Perhaps they were once treasures, but now they have become mundane.

There is a depression on the earthen platform inside the temple.

When Li Yan saw it, he immediately understood.

There are about eighteen temples, located on both sides of the ruins. These people salvaged a huge jade cong, probably trying to activate something.

Thinking of this, Li Yan had a bad premonition, and without any hesitation, he secretly went into the water from the place farthest away from those people.

Above, Lu San and Wu Ba quietly climbed out of the cave.

"Woo~"

Just as they were about to go down, they suddenly heard the whimpering of the little white fox behind them.

"Don't mess around..."

Lu San was a little overwhelmed and quickly turned around to remind him, but he was stunned.

The little white fox was holding a little man in its mouth, with a panicked look on its face, dancing with joy...

(End of this chapter)