Chapter 177 Epidemic

Chapter 177 Epidemic

Chapter 177 Epidemic

Hong Changbao smiled and nodded when he heard this.

To put it bluntly, it means to fight against the Demon Sect together and leave Hongmuling as a thorn in Miaojiang.

That’s good for Redwood Ridge.

Next, I have to tell Zhengdao the value of Redwood Ridge.
"Fellow Daoist, what do you think of this Lost Lake? I have been defending the lake, and the Demon Cult has been besieging it for three years without success."

Cheng Xinzhan nodded. "It occupies the natural barrier of the middle section of Wujiang River, with natural fog as a barrier, which is easy to defend and difficult to attack. It is also located between the Immortal Cave and the Qinglong Cave, which is an excellent location."

Hong Changbao smiled slightly.

"But please forgive me for being blunt. At the moment, if the Wujiang River is used as the boundary, Jiangbei can be regarded as the last pure land in Miao territory. If Master Hong wants to restore his religion and seek revenge, he should not think of living in seclusion."

Hong Changbao's expression changed, "Of course not!"

As if he was afraid that the Taoists might not believe him, he looked very serious.
"Sitting in the Lost Lake is just a temporary measure, just to rest and recuperate. When the time comes, we will go out and counterattack the south!"

Hong Changbao understood, and knew in his heart that if he led the remaining troops of Hongmu Ridge to settle down in Mizong Lake, not to mention whether he could survive the siege of the Demon Sect, his value to the righteous sect would be much smaller. Of course, the revenge of the destruction of the sect and the death of his master did not allow him to live in peace, otherwise he could have chosen to join the Demon Sect when the sect was destroyed.

Cheng Xinzhan nodded, as long as Hong Changbao remained confident.

"Which immortal ordered the Taoist priests to come here this time?"

Hong Changbao asked, he also had to find out the extent of support that the righteous path had for Hongmu Ridge. If it was just a few young people who came here on a whim to slay demons and eliminate evil, then he might as well continue to stay in the Lost Lake and wait for the opportunity.

Cheng Xinzhan smiled when he heard this.
"Master Hong, please take a look. The people from Sanqing Mountain and Wanshou Palace are already here. Master Hong should have also seen the commotion outside just now. They are several top disciples from Bingfeng Mountain, Juqu Mountain, and Gezhao Mountain. Each of them has a golden elixir. Haha, this is not the decree of any real person, but the will of the righteous alliance."

Shen Zhaoming and Huang Miaoluo nodded, but thought in their hearts that Xinzhan was really good at talking. Even a command from the alliance could sound so high-sounding.

Hong Changbao was overjoyed when he heard this. It was good. With the presence of various Taoist sects, there was no need to worry about the righteous sects not paying attention to this side.

Now that both sides have expressed their stance, the next step will be easy.

"Master Hong, can you tell me more about this Lost Lake?"

Hong Changbao nodded and began to explain to the three righteous people.

It turned out that this Mysterious Lake was originally one of Hongmu Ridge's back-up plans. This was normal. Even a cunning rabbit has three burrows. Which big church doesn't have such a back-up plan? Moreover, Cheng Xinzhan dared to be sure that Hongmu Ridge had more than one back-up plan. And big churches like the Four Masters and Two Ge and the Three Mountains of Talismans, which have been in existence for thousands of years, would have even more back-up plans.

This Mysterious Lake is extremely deep. The word "mysterious" does not only refer to the fog on the lake that makes it difficult to tell the direction, but also to the countless water caves crisscrossing underground and the turbulent undercurrents.

In the past, this was the territory of a third-level black water mystical snake. Every night, the black snake would sacrifice its inner elixir, absorb moonlight, and release mist. Over time, the elixir mist mixed with the miasma of the mountains and rivers to form this Mysterious Lake.

The black snake grew up in the Wujiang River. It could create fog and waves, and ordinary people could not hurt it. Even if a powerful person came to catch it, the black snake would drill into a maze cave under the lake and then escape into the Wujiang River. No one could do anything to it.

However, people in the world do not know that this black snake is actually the adopted son of the Red Haired Ancestor, named Wu Xuanmiao. He has inherited all the skills from the Red Haired Ancestor and, under the guidance of the Red Haired Ancestor, he turned the fog above the Mysterious Lake and the water cave below into magic circles. No matter how strong the attack is from the water or how sneak from underwater, it will not work. This is the backup plan of Redwood Ridge, and only Hong Changbao knows it.

As the few people talked about it up to now, Hong Changbao didn't seem to have any intention of introducing Wu Xuanmiao. It seemed that he still wanted to keep this backup plan hidden.

When Cheng Xinzhan heard this, he asked,
"Master Hong, Senior Red Hair has foresight. It is true that this Mysterious Lake is easy to defend but difficult to attack. However, with nearly 10,000 people practicing daily and resisting external attacks, I'm afraid it's a bit difficult to continue, right?"

Hong Changbao smiled bitterly. As expected of a disciple of a great sect, this question hit the nail on the head. It was not an easy task to maintain the practice of nearly 10,000 people. In the past, the practice of 50,000 disciples in Hongmuling needed the spiritual objects produced by hundreds of miles of mountains and the labor support of thousands of Miao villages around. Now nearly 10,000 people were crowded in this Mizong Lake. Just the daily practice of eating Qi was almost draining the Mizong Lake.

Moreover, Hongmuling is a side sect, and what is cultivated is blood and qi like the sea. In addition to eating qi and taking pills, meat is also needed to supplement. Now they have not eaten meat for three years and still have to resist foreign enemies. Now everyone is a little listless and their essence and blood are depleted.

"It can still last for another year or so."

Hong Changbao did not elaborate, but just said one sentence to express the current predicament. He also understood that the demons outside attacked fiercely in the beginning, but later they basically just surrounded the place without attacking. They just sent people to harass them every day to keep the people inside on edge. They must have seen through this point.

"What was Master Hong's original plan?"

Hong Changbao hesitated for a moment, but then he thought, what can these disciples of the big sects covet from a group of stray dogs like him? So he told them frankly,

"My brother-in-law has gone out to make contacts. Qinglong Cave and Xianren Cave previously had a relationship with Hongmu Ridge. This time, he has used up all his connections. I hope to gain something. In addition, my brother-in-law can also speak to the Eighteen Monsters of Wujiang River. Let's see if he can find some help to help us escape from this predicament."

Cheng Xinzhan nodded but said nothing.

"I don't know what you think?"

Seeing that Cheng Xinzhan was just asking questions over and over again without offering any good advice, Hong Changbao took the initiative to ask.

Cheng Xinzhan was not in a hurry to answer, "Master Hong, can you allow us to walk around and take a look at the terrain?"

Hong Changbao had no idea what Cheng Xinzhan was trying to say, so he just nodded sullenly.

"Then I'll leave you. Taoist priests, please don't go outside the fog, and don't go underwater. Only my brother knows the way there. Even if I go down there, I won't be able to find the direction."

Several people nodded, and Hong Changbao left in a hurry. It seemed that there were still many things waiting for him to do.

After Hong Changbao left, the three of them went out to look around on their own. Cheng Xinzhan first took out the sound transmission talisman and briefly told the outsiders about the situation inside to report that they were safe. Then Shen Zhaoming asked,
"Xinzhan, what do you think?"

Cheng Xinzhan opened the sound transmission note and said, "When I read the intelligence from the alliance earlier, it seemed that Hongmu Ridge was in danger and was suffering heavy casualties under the siege of the demon sect. But after coming in, I found that it was not the case. The Red Hair Ancestor is worthy of being a demon sect. It is no wonder that Hong Changbao is valued by the Red Hair Ancestor. Things are not as bad as we thought."

Shen Zhaoming nodded, "Yes, I thought we were going to have a big fight when we came in."

"So there's no need to be so anxious about this matter. Hongmu Ridge has gone to seek external assistance. Ji Shu, I think you don't have to stay outside. It's better for you to go around Miaojiang and talk to the Immortal Cave and the Azure Dragon Cave. They have been hiding in their shells since the Demon Rebellion. What does that mean? If you're worried about the Green Robe Patriarch, you can form an alliance with us. At the same time, you can express our attitude towards Hongmu Ridge.

"Ziwei Mountain has a lot of things to do, so we should not bother the alliance. Let's see if we can mobilize the local Taoist forces. With more people, we can do great things. We don't have to just think about rescuing Hongmu Ridge. Aren't there the Eight Vajra? Let's see if we can take one or two of them."

Song Jishu's voice came from the other side of the sound transmission talisman, "Don't worry, Xinzhan, we know what to do. You three just be careful in there." The sound transmission talisman was pinched outside, and it seemed that it was time to take action.

"How do you want to eat them? Now that the Southern School is unified, there are many masters of the third realm, but only the Eight Vajra have been selected. These eight are all well-known figures, so it is not easy to eat them."

Huang Miaoluo asked.

"In a war, we need favorable weather, favorable terrain, and favorable people. As for weather, the only favorable weather we can take advantage of right now is the summer flood. It's late spring now, not far from the summer flood, so we can wait for that time. As for terrain, naturally, it's the river water and the fog. The summer flood and the river water, Zhao Ming should like this."

Shen Zhaoming smiled when he heard this, "I will definitely not let Xinzhan down then."

"As for the mist, we'll see what the black snake is capable of. If he wants to help, I can also contribute. As for the harmony among people, there are two aspects. On our side, the more people who can help, the better. This also depends on how many people Ji Shu and his team can bring. As for the Demonic Sect, their disharmony is our harmony. The three families obviously have their own ulterior motives. Yao Kaijiang is the least popular, so just chase him and beat him up."

Huang Miaoluo nodded. She was good at one-on-one fighting, but she was not very interested in planning these things. She concluded,
"That means we wait until the summer flood arrives, use the power of the river and the fog to cover us, and attack Yao Kaijiang together to catch him off guard?"

Cheng Xinzhan nodded, "That's about what I mean."

"The right time and place are easy to deal with, but the right people are the most difficult. Look at the people in Hongmu Ridge. They are all very weak. I'm afraid only Hong Changbao and Wu Xuanmiao can help. The rest are probably of little use!
"And how can we coordinate internal and external forces and bring all the forces together? Yang Xuanla and Long Youpo naturally understand the principle of the lips and teeth being cold. We must injure Yao Kaijiang before they can react."

Shen Zhaoming added.

“That’s the key.”

Cheng Xinzhan confirmed Shen Zhaoming's statement, "Hong Changbao has good intentions towards us, but he doesn't fully trust us yet. For us, counterattacking the Demon Cult is just a move to kill the demons, but for the remaining soldiers of Hongmu Ridge, it is a matter of life and death and even the continuation of the legal system. With our current relationship, he will never listen to us easily. Now we are walking around to find an opportunity to make them more convinced of us."

Shen Zhaoming and Huang Miaoluo nodded and looked around aimlessly, just like Cheng Xinzhan did.

"Look at those people from Redwood Ridge. Whether they are injured or not, they all look so pale. Could it be that they have been poisoned?"

After looking at it for a while, Huang Miaoluo expressed his doubts, thinking that he had found something strange.

It is no secret that the magic in southern Xinjiang is poisonous.

Shen Zhaoming had already noticed that the people from Hongmu Ridge were not in a good state. After hearing this, he made a hand gesture and a ball of water appeared out of thin air on his fingertips. He looked at it, smelled it, and said,

“There’s nothing wrong with the mist or the river water.”

"What's the reason for that?"

Huang Miaoluo still felt that it was a bit strange. A cultivator, even if surrounded, would not be in danger of his life. As long as he had a proper amount of food, he could practice fasting. If he lacked spiritual energy, his practice would at most be slower. So why did he have a sallow complexion and a thin body?

Shen Zhao meditated for a moment, then said, "The Redwood Ridge sect cultivates physical Qi and blood, and is good at blood refining. Their spells and magic weapons all rely on their own abundant Qi and blood to perform. So unlike our Taoist sect, which only absorbs the spiritual energy of heaven and earth, they also need blood to replenish their body. I think it must be because they have been trapped in one place for a long time, and they have to fight against the invading demon sect, which has caused their Qi and blood to go out but not in, and that's why they are like this."

If Hong Changbao were here, he would definitely praise him after hearing this.

This made a lot of sense, and Huang Miaoluo nodded after listening.

However, Cheng Xinzhan looked at those listless people, as if he was thinking about something, and did not immediately respond to Shen Zhaoming's words.

"Xinzhan, what's your opinion?"

Shen Zhaoming asked.

"What Zhao Ming said makes sense. It must be because of the lack of blood food. But I think that since the Lost Lake is the backup of Redwood Ridge and its owner is the Black Snake Demon, there should be some blood food stored. In such a difficult situation, even if the blood food is scarce, it should be provided to some people first, at least to resist the external enemies. I don't think everyone should be so weak and skinny."

Shen Zhaoming frowned slightly when he heard this. "What Xinzhan said makes sense, but I've tried it. The water and the mist are not poisonous. Can the demons outside poison people out of thin air? If it's a spell, then to cast a spell on nearly 10,000 people, they must hold a fasting ceremony. I don't think these demons have that ability. Even if they do, Hong Changbao should be able to spot it with the noise of a fasting ceremony."

"Of course I believe in the magic of the dark."

Cheng Xinzhan didn't even say a word to comfort him.

If there was a poison in the water that even the Jindan cultivators of the Jingming Sect could not detect, then the person who poisoned it would not have gone through so much trouble and would have easily poisoned everyone inside to death.

"vomit!"

At this time, there was a small island next to the three people, where many wounded were being kept. One of them suddenly leaned over and vomited, but the stomachs of cultivators were full of essence and energy without any debris. This was especially true for the Redwood Ridge disciples who had been starving for years, so what they vomited out was just a pool of dark green gastric juice.

Seeing this, Cheng Xinzhan's eyes suddenly lit up, and then he looked at Shen Zhaoming,
"What Zhaoming said just now is right. If the demon cult outside wants to pass the poison in, it is impossible if it is not through the river water and fog. I also believe in Zhaoming's water magic. There is no poison in the water. However, Zhaoming, tell me, is there something that is not poisonous and difficult to detect, but can also be spread through water, which can weaken people or even kill them?"

Shen Zhaoming also obviously thought of something.
"Epidemic?"

Cheng Xinzhan nodded.

"How dare they!"

Shen Zhaoming's hand holding the whisk suddenly tightened, and his veins bulged.

Throwing plague into the water is a crime that is condemned by the world and is more heinous than slaughtering a city! According to the laws of the Jingming Sect, those who are caught throwing plague will be thrown into the mirror prison and punished by burning their blood and peeling off their souls!
"Yes or no, you will know once you try it."

Cheng Xinzhan knew how bold Modao was, because he had a poisonous insect in his body that could spread the "blood plague".

Cheng Xinzhan came to a wounded man, and under his horrified gaze, he sacrificed a mosquito poison and dropped it on his shoulder.

Mosquito-gu not only sucks blood and spreads blood plague, but it can also feed on the tiny pestilence insects in the blood. This is a great delicacy for mosquito-gu.

Since being re-refined by Cheng Xinzhan, these mosquito poisonous insects have been drinking the essence and blood overseas, but under Cheng Xinzhan's control, they have never released the "blood plague", and have never eaten the plague insects in the blood.

But this time, the poisonous insect finally smelled the scent of the plague insect and sucked it up greedily.

(End of this chapter)