In front of the South Shaolin Temple, there are some 30 feet of climbing stone steps.
There are seven jagged boulders scattered on both sides that were blown down from the mountain by rain and wind in an unknown year.
The seven boulders, which have not been broken or moved due to various reasons, have been covered with thick soil deposits over the years, covered with layers of moss, and are entangled by the roots of the old trees nearby. Not only have they not become smaller, but they have become smaller.
It keeps getting newer and bigger over time.
Unknowingly, the huge boulders had already merged with the climbing stone steps, but it also made the mountain path, which was originally about ten feet wide, only able to accommodate three people walking side by side.
Times have changed, and things that should have been considered roadblocks have become geographical indications.
To most southern Shaolin monks and pilgrims visiting the temple, these seven tall boulders, which require three or four people to surround, are no different from the welcoming stones.
Seeing the Seven Giant Stones, especially Southern Shaolin, makes me feel very friendly.
But for Jiang Yichen and the other five people who had just broken through the encirclement, the seven huge rocks in front of them were like huge rocks in the waterway. They not only narrowed the passage area, but also increased the risk of running aground on the rocks.
Looking down from the sky, the huge rocks are divided into two rows, upper and lower, shaped like the teeth and beak of a giant beast, as if it will close in the next moment and swallow the five people into its belly.
Just as Jiang Yichen issued a warning to the other four people, the navy blue sky suddenly lit up with light.
Little lights glow with the dawn.
But it is not the real dawn breaking through the clouds.
Soon, the bright lights connected together, and they were dense and overwhelming, falling straight towards the area where Jiang Yichen and the five people were standing and the surroundings!
There is no sun in the blue sky, so the light that lights up half the sky is naturally not stars, but fire arrows!
The thousand stone steps in front of the South Shaolin Temple are the most suitable place for setting up an ambush. Of course, the pass is occupied by seven huge rocks that occupy most of the moving space!
The faint smell of alcohol floating in the air is probably due to the internal expert evaporating the alcohol and using it to fuel the fire.
"It's really careless." Ji Zhe, who was panting heavily, sighed heavily, but there was no trace of nervousness in his words.
"Well, I got a little hot-blooded in front of the stable. I should be more careful from now on." Shi Zhonghuo also reflected on himself.
"Be careful." Meng Chaoge said this to Dong Qing and Jiang Yichen.
Apparently, the five of them already had a countermeasure shortly after the fire arrow appeared.
Meng Chaoge, Shi Zhonghuo, and Ji Zhe stayed among the piles of boulders, standing with their backs to each other, forming an iron triangle, working together to block the arrows.
Dong Qing and Jiang Yichen each went together to find the source and find out the enemy's situation.
Kill as many shooters hiding in the dark as you can. If you are unable to catch them, retreat and join together.
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As the ancient saying goes, generals die on the battlefield and swordsmen die in the rivers and lakes.
The general idea is that if everyone dies, the best destination is the place where they become famous.
Because once a general enters the arena, he is likely to die inexplicably and worthlessly.
However, when a swordsman fights on the battlefield, even if he can kill ten people in one move, he can only affect the small situation, but it is difficult to change the overall situation.
In the end, it will only become a puddle of mud under the horses' hooves, and no one will remember it after death.
Although in Zhongzhou's more than two thousand years of history, especially in the past hundred years, there have been enough soul-stirring stories of people dying on the battlefield to prove that nothing is constant and nothing is absolute, no one has ever denied that one's own strength can defeat thousands of troops.
The force is weak.
The fire arrows falling from the sky are no better than the arrow formations on the battlefield, they are neat and large-scale, one after another, leaving people with nowhere to hide.
But it was like a heavy downpour, completely covering the climbing stone steps about ten feet in front and back.
Not a battlefield, but better than a battlefield.
It is worth raising a question mark as to how long the masters of martial arts can survive in this situation and escape unscathed, or even be safe and sound.
What's more worth asking is, if the ambush party is still from the Red Sect, does that mean that the other party has the ability to form an army to fight?
The five people present were either gang leaders or elders and guardians of the gang. Those who could hold such a position in a relatively large gang in the Zhongzhou arena were certainly not ordinary people.
But if you want to take on this exam that looks like a battlefield, you really can't do it without some strong skills.
Dang Dang Dang!
Fire arrows were approaching. Meng Chaoge, Shi Zhonghuo, and Ji Zhe were three feet away from their heads and were blocked by swords.
The fire arrows came out of the blue, and the three of them had no time to jump onto the boulders. In order to prevent the fire arrows from hitting the objects around them and rebounding, they had to find a spacious place nearby that was slightly separated from the boulders to defend themselves.
Fortunately, this gap is enough for the three of them to swing their swords without constraining each other, and their overall defense is not compromised, so they can naturally resist for a longer period of time.
In fact, in the face of such a dense and breathless fire arrow offensive, even a top-notch expert without some means of defeating the enemy may not be able to remain on the defensive for a long time without being distracted or injured.
Jiang Yichen has the eight formations taught by Xuan Xiao. The Ximen Wind Wall is a sharp weapon to prevent hidden weapons and arrows. As long as Jiang Yichen keeps breathing, the wind wall will be able to survive.
However, none of the five people were equipped with double thorns, so using other weapons to perform the eight-door formation would inevitably arouse suspicion.
In order to continue to hide Jiang Yichen's identity, and to avoid falling into total passivity and becoming a piece of meat on the chopping block, the five of them decided that Jiang Yichen and Dong Qing would take the initiative to find traces of the enemy and wait for an opportunity to drain the enemy.
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There is fire in the sky, there is fire on the stone steps, there is fire on the mountain walls on both sides, and the vegetation on the mountain walls feeds the fire one by one.
The rain of fire has lasted for nearly a cup of tea, turning this large section of the mountain climbing path into a river of fire.
The sky was stained by firelight and smoke, changing from navy blue to brown.
A cup of tea does not last long, but it is only against five Jianghu people. He is willing to ambush and has the strength to carry out a fire arrow offensive that can completely trap and kill a hundred-man regiment. It is evident that his background is deep and his determination is firm.
A cup of tea is not a short time, and for Meng Chaoge and the three of them who were trapped in the river of fire, this quarter of an hour passed slower than an hour.
Compared with the raining fire arrows, the high temperature and thick smoke pose a greater threat.
Although the alcohol smell in the air is weak, it provides a good medium for the fire to expand and spread.
When the fire arrow fell, the air around the three people seemed to be ignited, with traces of sparks and lines of fire.
With the skills of the three people and the internal energy protection, they were not burned by the fire, but the scorching temperature made people feel uneasy and restless.
The smoke is getting thicker and thicker, as if there are waves pushed by external forces, one wave is darker than the other, one wave is thicker than the other, rushing towards the face, not only choking the nose but also disturbing the sight.
After experiencing the initial burst of smoke and fire, the three of them already understood that the fire rain might not stop for a while.
Therefore, they did not just stay where they were, and were slowly transformed into smoked duck and grilled shrimp.
Instead, he tried to go back down the mountain.
After all, the danger ahead is unknown, and the worst situation behind is just that the men in black from the stable did not withdraw, waiting for them to fall into the tiger's mouth.
Just to ensure that they were buried here, the "river of fire" prepared by the other party was longer than expected.
Coupled with the fire falling from the sky, thick smoke and arrows everywhere, every time the three of them moved down the stone steps, it felt like they were walking in a swamp several feet deep.
Very difficult!
It was clear that in less than a stick of incense, the three of them had not yet escaped from the stone stage where the seven boulders were.
But all of them were sweating profusely, their hair was disheveled, and their faces were both red and dark.
Affected by the external environment, the concentration of the three people inevitably declined.
Meng Chaoge was gradually overwhelmed by the incoming fire arrows.
Under Shi Zhonghuo's meticulous defense, arrows slipped through the net from time to time.
Fortunately, there was always a stable sword that appeared at the right place at the right time, acting like the last and most stable barrier to protect them.
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That steady sword is named Shensha.
According to legend, it was made by resmelting nearly a hundred weapons from an ancient sunken ship that was salvaged.
The sword is three and a half feet long, the blade is three fingers wide, the spine of the sword is raised, the whole body is earthy yellow, and the sword light is restrained, giving off a bit of ancient flavor.
With its rich history, Shensha Sword has enough capital to be world-famous.
It is a pity that the owner of this sword has never been good at competing for fame and wealth, and rarely shows an aggressive attitude, so he remains unknown to this day.
Many people may not have forgotten that Luo Piaoling and one other person teamed up to make a fool of themselves during the scandal involving the theft of the Shaolin gold seal two years ago.
For this reason, they all went to Jinju City to make a fuss.
At that time, many people in the world couldn't help but gnash their teeth when mentioning this person's name, wishing they could cut him into eight pieces to relieve their hatred.
But as time went by, Yinluo Piaoling became so dazzling, and because he was used to keeping a low profile, everyone became indifferent to his impression.
More people may only vaguely remember that there is a substitute in Tingyu Pavilion whose appearance, height, and demeanor are very similar to Luo Piaoling. If you really want to attack Luo Piaoling, you must remember to know whether it is the real person.
Ji Zhe was one of the old people who luckily escaped with his life from the massacre in Shi Mansion.
He is also one of the most trustworthy right-hand men of Meng Chaoge and Luo Piaoling.
In those days, Shi Mansion was full of talented people, two of whom were privately evaluated by Shi Xin as outstanding talents.
Shi Zhonghuo, who is slightly older, works diligently with the big housekeeper to take care of all matters of Shi Mansion. He is often called "Little Shi Butler", and he is one of them.
The other younger one is Ji Zhe.
Long Yao once had the idea of taking Ji Zhe under his wing, but later he thought that Ji Zhe was in Shifu and could be taught at any time, so he did not insist on it.
Ji Zhe benefited a lot from Long Yao's personal guidance. Although there was no master-disciple relationship between the two, they were actually master-disciple.
Ji Zhe, who had nothing to repay, did not say thank you, but just stayed with Long Yao's five disciples silently.
Not only did he accompany them to eat, drink and have fun, he also helped them relieve their worries, and he also acted as a sparring partner and gave them tricks.
Since then, Ji Zhe has been prepared to sacrifice his own life for the chance of survival of even one of the five of them if necessary.
Ruan Gu's death made him feel quite guilty.
After Han Wuyue arrived at Tingyu Pavilion, Luo Piaoling was almost in danger of dying, so Ji Zhe could accompany Meng Chaoge southward without hesitation.
How could Luo Piaoling and Meng Chaoge, who grew up together with Ji Zhe, not understand his thoughts.
But this trip is so important that Ji Zhe is indispensable.
Because apart from this layer of undisclosed but well-known thoughts of each other, only a few people in the world know how strong the owner of the Sinking Sand Sword is.
The exclusive sparring partner for Long Yao's apprentice who has been trained since childhood.
The initial sparring partners were Meng Chaoge, Ruan Gu, Zifeng and Weiwei.
Then all the above four people.
Then there was Luo Piaoling, one of the Four Young Masters.
After the destruction of Shifu, Ji Zhe had not been a sparring partner for a long time.
I have been a sparring partner for the last few times, after Tingyuge became famous.
Among these opponents, some of them used Piaoying to fight one after another on a whim.
After joining Tingyu Pavilion, Dong Qing occasionally felt unbearable.
There is also Mo Shang, who was a "guest" in Tingyu Pavilion, the current leader of Xiaoyue League, and the current leader of Yubei League.
Ji Zhe is like the Sinking Sand Sword. It probably won't be an invincible sword, but it will definitely be a sword that is difficult to defeat!
If you want to fish successfully, you must first have a bait to lure the fish to the bait, and secondly, you must have a sharp hook and superb fishing skills.
The three gold seals of Southern Shaolin are the bait, the villagers in the stables are the bait, and the master of Tingyu Pavilion, Meng Chaoge, is also the bait.
Regardless of the fishing results of the first two and who the angler is, Tingyuge must ensure that its own baits are complete.
Dong Qing and Jiang Yichen are the two sharpest pairs of thorns on the fishhook. Anyone who takes the bait is bound to be injured and killed by the fishhook.
The fire in the stone is the fishing line hanging on the fishhook. Unless it is torn off by force, it will always be tightly connected to the bait.
Ji Zhe is the hidden thorn hidden in the bait. Any fish that thinks it has escaped the punishment of the fishhook and is about to succeed will pay a heavy price in front of it.
In addition to the members of Tingyu Pavilion who rushed to Putian in advance and have now lost contact with each other, this is the fishing and killing game that Tingyu Pavilion has used to scrape bones and cure poison in Zhongzhou Wulin.
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Half an hour later, Meng Chaoge and the others finally exited the area where the "river of fire" flowed.
No more fire arrows will fall from the sky.
In fact, when the three decided to retreat, the fire arrow offensive had begun to gradually weaken.
However, the three of them could not determine whether the enemy's fire arrows were on the verge of being exhausted, or whether they were being harassed by Dong Qing and Jiang Yichen.
Not long after, Dongqing, whose clothes were still neat when she left, but now dyed reddish-brown, appeared in the sight of the three of them.
When Dong Qing came closer, the three of them discovered that his hands and the double daggers were almost integrated into one body, and the thick blood was wrapped like red mud from the blades of the double daggers to his elbows.
Dongqing shook her head slightly, indicating that she was fine.
Seeing the three people looking equally embarrassed, I thought I should smile to ease everyone's mood.
Habitually raising his elbow to wipe his mouth, he smiled gently.
I thought my smile was like the warm winter sun that warmed people's hearts, but little did I know that the lower half of my face was completely covered in blood.
Who can see his smile?
Then Jiang Yichen also returned to the five-man team.
His situation seems to be better than Dongqing's.
He also held a knife in his hand. It was not a good knife, nor was it the knife he got from the man in black in the stable when he went there.
He and Dongqing exchanged looks.
Obviously, Dongqing killed more fiercely and killed more people.
Jiang Yichen relied more on his superb Qinggong to kill his enemies skillfully.
His dark dumb sword was still hanging upside down on his waist, but the sword in his hand was slashed one after another.
Before the five people could calm down their moods, the stone stage where the "river of fire" was located, tongues of fire jumped up and down, shaking violently!
Then a strong wind with a scorching breath hit him.
Everyone raised their eyes and looked forward, and a shirtless and muscular figure gradually became clearer.
