Zongwu: Aspiring to be the mastermind behind the scenes

Chapter 229 Desert Dried Fish, Loulan, the Kingdom of Faith
Xiao Li is an incredibly mysterious girl.

Her mystery lies not only in the power hidden within her body, but also in the mysterious connection between her and the Dragon Soul.

The dragon soul, which had been dormant for countless years and existed in the form of a stone sphere, suddenly transformed into its original form after encountering Xiao Li.

Moreover, he naturally possessed a sense of intimacy with Xiao Li, as if they were her destined master.

Therefore, after the Qin army surrounded them, Tianming and Shaoyu were simply locked up in an iron cage, while Xiaoli was bound so tightly.

Soldiers patrolled the area.

However, most people wouldn't pay attention to a small, extremely agile creature that easily slipped in from under their feet.

It was a creature with yellow fur that looked like a young lion, but with small, pointed horns on its head and a pair of small wings on its back.

It was the original form of the dragon soul, the ninth son of the divine dragon left behind to protect Loulan, the Pixiu!
The Pixiu sneaked into the cell and, taking advantage of the surrounding patrolling soldiers' inattention, bit the iron lock.

Its tiny yet incredibly sharp teeth crushed the iron lock, chewed it a couple of times, and then swallowed it whole.

In a moment, all the restraints on Xiao Li's body were swallowed by the Pixiu.

Xiao Li picked up the Pixiu and secretly ran to the storage area of ​​the mechanism in the cabin. After destroying the mechanism lock with the Pixiu's teeth, she stole a pair of mechanical bat wings from inside.

This was also a creation of the Gongshu family, capable of making people fly.

Meanwhile, on the deck, Tianming and Shaoyu had also escaped, but faced with numerous Qin soldiers and several experts on the ship, they were quickly forced into a corner.

In the moment of crisis, Xiao Li appeared on her mechanical bat wings and rescued the two.

"Chase me!"

Gongshu Chou was furious.

But how can a ship sailing in the desert match the speed of a bat's wings flying in the sky?

Fortunately, the Great Master of Fate intervened in time, unleashing a Skull Blood Handprint, where terrifying crimson true energy transformed into a flying skull.

Xiao Li manipulated the mechanical bat wings, narrowly dodging the attack, but was still grazed by a wisp of true energy, causing damage to the mechanical bat wings.

The mechanical bat wings wobbled precariously, yet they still managed to carry the three of them away.

On another part of the deck, Zhong Wugu frowned: "They actually managed to get away with those kids. Logically speaking, given the strength of the Qin people, this shouldn't be the case."

"That's definitely not right."

The Wood Taoist appeared silently.

"Master."

"grown ups."

The wooden Taoist looked at the distant horizon where only a small black dot remained of the mechanical bat wing, and said, "The direction that little girl ran away from is Loulan. Now, this big ship seems to be tracking that little girl, but in reality, it is heading to Loulan."

Marco said, "Does Your Excellency mean that the Qin army deliberately let them go and are fishing here?"

Was it fishing, or was it really just a momentary lapse in attention?

The truth is probably only known to Gongshu Chou.

But just now, when these little guys ran away, there was only Da Siming on the ship. Only after they ran away did he unleash the Skull Blood Handprint.

Apart from the others, no one else took action from beginning to end; they merely ordered their Qin soldiers to capture them.

Wei Zhuang and his two companions did not even show up.

The vast desert stretches to the horizon.

It looked like there was nothing but yellow sand.

However, beneath the yellow sand, various creatures still tenaciously survive in this harsh environment.

A giant fish suddenly leaped out from beneath the sand, drew a curve in mid-air, and then disappeared back into the sand.

Shi He was stunned.

"That was... a fish? Fish can actually live in the desert?"

Marco laughed and said, "The world is vast and full of wonders. All kinds of rare and exotic animals exist in the world, so why can't there be fish in the desert?"

Zhong Wugu exclaimed in amazement, "In the legends of immortals, there is a record of the immortal 'Magu,' who witnessed the East Sea turning into mulberry fields three times. This vast desert today may have been a sea countless years ago."

Marco said, "Senior Tiegu is right. This kind of fish is called the Dry Fish. It does not actually live in the desert, but lives in the underground river beneath the desert."

However, if the underground rivers gradually dry up, they will move to other places to live. Only then will they appear on the surface of the desert.

Therefore, each appearance of these fish signifies the drying up of an underground river, which is why they are called "dried fish."

Shi He said, "So, the appearance of dried-up fish here means that one of the underground rivers has dried up?"

Marco said, "Not only on the ground, but also beneath the earth, all sorts of things seem to be happening every moment. But I wonder how this underground river dried up."

He soon found out.

In the distance, endless sand dunes were sinking downwards, forming a huge whirlpool.

The vortex was enormous, with a diameter of several tens of feet and a depth of several feet at its center.

"I see. It is probably the continuous flow and impact of the underground river that created a huge underground cavity, which led to the sinkhole and submerged the underground river, forming this whirlpool of quicksand."

Marco analyzed in a low voice.

Gongshu Chou, however, looked excitedly at the towering sand dunes on both sides of the underground vortex.

As the shifting sands continued to recede, the two dunes visibly sank, gradually revealing two enormous dragon head statues!

"Good! Loulan, I have finally found it!"

Gongshu Chou was overjoyed.

"Oh?" Zhong Wugu said, "It seems that the Qin state still has a lot of information that we have no idea about."

In fact, it was only natural that the Qin state knew about Loulan.

Leaving aside the traitor who took the Dragon Soul out of Loulan, over the years, Loulan has sent out hundreds of people to search for the Dragon Soul.

Inevitably, some of them were captured by the powerful figures of the seven kingdoms and, under severe torture, leaked information.

Some people saw the allure of the outside world and were so captivated that they had no desire to return to Loulan. Instead, they used the intelligence they possessed to exchange for wealth.

After all, not everyone is like Old Man Lü, who is not only resolute, capable, and resourceful, but also extremely loyal to Loulan.

As a result of all these factors, the seven kingdoms had known a great deal of intelligence about Loulan many years ago.

At that time, the seven kingdoms were fighting each other fiercely, and none of them had the spare resources to search for Loulan.

Ultimately, with the Qin state's conquest of the six states, all intelligence was gathered in Qin's hands.

Even so, the Qin state did not actually attach much importance to the Loulan matter.

It wasn't until Gongshu Chou saw this intelligence that he expressed his desire to study the war machines of ancient times.

Despite his respectful demeanor towards Wei Zhuang, he is still the Grand Tutor of Qin, and a single word from him can send his subordinates running around like crazy.

If the Qin state is truly interested in this Demon God of War, even if they don't send 100,000 troops, they should at least replace the current 3,000 Qin soldiers with the Qin state's most elite 3,000 Golden Fire Cavalry!

Gongshu Chou was extremely excited and quickly took control of the huge desert vessel, activating various powerful mechanisms to forcefully clear a path to the underground river, braving the quicksand.

As you ascend the underground river, you'll see peculiar plants growing along both sides, emitting a ghostly blue light.

At first there were only one or two plants, but as the group moved forward, the number of plants increased significantly. When they finally arrived at an underground lake, the area around it was covered with these plants.

A deep blue light illuminated the entire space, making it appear dreamlike and ethereal.

Everyone lowered their voices, afraid of disturbing this dreamlike scene.

Even Wei Zhuang was no exception.

Gongshu Chou suddenly let out a strange, cacophony of laughter, took out a simple map from his robes, and said, "This should be the core waterway of Loulan, below Crescent Bay."

"This should be the core of Loulan, the Temple of the Heavenly Goddess!"

The Temple of the Goddess of Heaven was a sacred temple built for the Nine Heavens Mysterious Lady. To build this temple, the Loulan people leveled a mountain and built the temple on the mountaintop.

In front of the temple stands a tall statue of the Goddess of the Nine Heavens, with her hands cupped in front of her chest to form a platform.

In front of the statue is a large, clear lake.

In the square in front of the lake, people of Loulan, some with black hair and black eyes, others with blond hair and blue eyes, gathered. It is clear that the Loulan Kingdom was actually a mixed-race society.

On the stone statue's hands, Tianming, Shaoyu, Xiaoli, and even Gai Nie were all tightly bound.

Loulan soldiers, clad in golden armor, stood guard behind them.

The High Priest of Loulan stood to one side, holding a scepter and the dragon soul that had turned into a stone ball in one hand, and shouted: "People of Loulan, after a hundred years, the dragon soul that belongs to Loulan has finally returned to our hands."

From then on, the desert and sandstorms would no longer be a threat to Loulan!

Loulan will be great again!

After saying that, she suddenly chanted an ancient incantation, and her inner energy surged out, transforming into a mysterious light that lifted the dragon soul and sent it flying upwards.

Above the head of the Xuan Nu statue, there is a round hole the same size as the dragon soul.

At this moment, the dragon soul slowly floated in and fit perfectly into the round hole.

In that instant, the methods left behind by the Mystic Maiden were activated once again. The boundless aura of metal was attracted, then absorbed by the Pixiu, and then transformed into the aura of water, which circulated to both sides of the statue.

Suddenly, large swathes of clear water gushed out from the dikes on both sides, pouring directly into the lake in front of the statue.

The pervasive moisture carried a coolness, which transformed into a gentle breeze that blew across the square.

Everyone was excited.

The water level, which had been declining for over a hundred years, began to rise at this moment.

The sense of crisis that had been lingering in people's hearts also dissipated.

"The High Priest!"

"Great! Loulan is saved!"

"The High Priest!"

People cheered and jumped for joy.

Once the noise subsided slightly, the high priest continued, "At this time, we have also captured a Chi You woman who had infiltrated and her companions. We will execute her here!"

As she spoke, Xiao Li was pushed out by the soldiers.

"Chi You people?"

Some people are confused.

But someone else immediately jumped out: "Chi You deserves to die!"

"Kill her!"

"High Priest, kill them all!"

"Kill her!"

In a corner of the distant palace, the wooden Taoist quietly peeked out, frowning as he asked, "That girl, what kind of Chi You person is she? Could she be a descendant of Chi You's tribe?"

"she is not!"

The golden light vibrated and transformed into a gate of light.

Kinshu, Aizen, and Kengoku emerged one after another.

Looking at the indignant Loulan people in the square, Jin Jiu couldn't help but sneer: "They really are blind!"

Aizen smiled at Mokudojin and said, "Gin, you've worked hard."

"It's my duty to serve the organization."

The wooden Taoist said, "Isn't that girl a member of the Chi You clan? I almost had to step in to save her just now."

Aizen said, "Strictly speaking, there isn't a single Chi You person in the Nine Provinces and Four Seas right now. Or rather, Chi You people are everywhere!"

In ancient times, Chi You's tribe was the strongest, and the alliance of the Yan and Huang tribes was weaker than Chi You.

What happened to the people of Chiyou's tribe after Chiyou's defeat?

Of course, they were integrated into the Yanhuang tribe.

Are we supposed to kill them all?
Since they were integrating with each other, they naturally intermarried. Over countless years, the bloodline of the Chiyou tribe had long been integrated into the entire Yanhuang civilization.

Anyone who claims to be a descendant of Yan and Huang could actually be a descendant of Chi You.

Therefore, these kinds of old, trivial matters that happened thousands of years ago are no longer mentioned by anyone.

Even the concept of bloodline is rarely taken seriously.

Surprisingly, people in Loulan still believed in this.

However, considering the current situation of Loulan, it seems quite normal.

Loulan is said to be a country, but in reality it was only the size of a city, and it was closed off from the outside world for thousands of years.

In other words, the dragon soul was lost outside, and Loulan kept sending people out to search for it, thus obtaining information from the outside world.

If it weren't for this incident, they might still think the outside world is still the era of the Yellow Emperor and the Yan Emperor.

For thousands of years, Loulan has governed its people through faith.

Therefore, the highest leader of the Loulan Kingdom held the position of High Priest, not King.

In Loulan, the Nine Heavens Mysterious Lady is like God, and the High Priest is the angel chosen by God.

As for the Chi You people, they were naturally demons.

Therefore, the Chi You people mentioned by the Loulan people do not refer to a specific ethnic group, but rather to a symbol of evil.

However, in Xiao Li's case, this symbol suddenly became a specific race.

Even the high priest himself probably didn't expect that there really were people like Chi You in this world.

When she first saw it, she thought she must have been seeing things.

But later, evidence was found on Xiao Li.

The evidence is simple: it's actually a necklace on Xiao Li's body.

Loulan has a portrait of Chi You, and in that portrait, Chi You is wearing a necklace.

Guess what? It's exactly the same as the one on Xiao Li's body!
If there's even a slight resemblance, that's one thing.

The key point is that it is exactly the same, not a single bit different.

There's nothing we can do about it.

The high priest immediately confirmed Xiao Li's identity as a Chi You person.

Having grown up listening to the legend of the Nine Heavens Mystic Maiden, she naturally regarded her as the 'demon' Chi You in the story and wanted to kill him directly.

As for Xiao Li's true identity...

"Gin, you should be able to sense the terrifying power hidden within her, right?"

"I can indeed sense it."

"Hehe, that power was left behind by the Nine Heavens Mystic Maiden!"

"What?! The Nine Heavens Mystic Maiden?!"

Mu Daoren never expected that a figure from mythology would have a power that has survived to this day.

No wonder that power felt so terrifying to him.

"So, this girl is actually an envoy of the Nine Heavens Mystic Maiden?"

"Not bad!"

Mu Daoren nodded, and a hint of mockery crept into his gaze as he looked at the Loulan people in the square.

Haha, they've worshipped the Nine Heavens Mystic Maiden for so many years, yet they're completely unaware of her messenger right in front of them.

Instead, they should be killed.

No wonder Gin & Wine said these people are blind!
(End of this chapter)