Chapter 599
After leaving Li Qingyun, Fu Shaoping and Nangong Wan continued their journey. They headed north, crossed the vast mountains, crossed the vast plains, and finally came to a strange country. This country is called "Yangyan Country". According to rumors, there are only men here and no women have ever set foot here. The two were quite curious about this rumor and decided to find out.
After entering Yangyan Country, they found that the architectural style here was completely different from the outside world. Most of the houses were built with huge stones, which looked rough and simple. People coming and going on the streets were all men, some tall and mighty, some thin and strong, and everyone had a masculine look between their eyebrows. The appearance of Fu Shaoping and Nangong Wan immediately attracted everyone's attention. Especially Nangong Wan, as the only woman in Yangyan Country, her appearance was like a stone thrown into a calm lake, stirring up layers of ripples.
The men on the street stopped and stared at Nangong Wan with a look of surprise, curiosity, and even a hint of heat that was difficult to conceal. Nangong Wan felt these gazes and frowned slightly, but did not say much. Fu Shaoping, on the other hand, looked calm, guarding her, and swept his eyes over everyone with a hint of warning.
Soon, the king of Yangyan learned of their arrival and personally led a group of ministers to greet them. The king was a burly middle-aged man with a dignified face and a sharp gaze. He walked up to the two of them, bowed and said, "You two have come from afar, what can I do for you?"
Fu Shaoping smiled slightly, bowed and returned the greeting, saying, "We are just passing by here. We heard that the customs and people of Yangyan Country are unique, so we came to see it." The king nodded, his eyes stayed on Nangong Wan for a moment, and a complicated look flashed in his eyes. He said in a deep voice, "Since ancient times, Yangyan Country has only been visited by men, and no women have ever set foot there. Your arrival has shocked the whole country."
Nangong Wan smiled calmly and said, "We have no ill intentions, we are just curious. Please forgive us if we have offended you." The king pondered for a moment, then smiled and said, "Since you two are here, you are the distinguished guests of Yangyan Country. Why don't you follow me into the palace and let me show my hospitality as a host."
Fu Shaoping and Nangong Wan looked at each other and nodded in agreement. They followed the king into the palace and found that the decoration inside the palace was equally rough and bold. The walls were carved with various beasts, which looked majestic. The king hosted a banquet for the two of them. During the banquet, he tentatively asked, "Do you know why there are only men in my Yangyan country?"
Fu Shaoping shook his head and said, "We are new here and don't understand this. Please help us, King." The king sighed and said, "It's a long story. It is said that a thousand years ago, the ancestors of our Yangyan country had a grudge with a powerful female cultivator. The female cultivator cursed our country with a secret method, so that no women were born in our country from then on. For thousands of years, we have been trying to break this curse, but we have never succeeded."
Nangong Wan frowned when he heard this and said, "Although the curse is powerful, it is not unsolvable. If the king trusts us, we may give it a try." A hint of surprise flashed in the king's eyes, and he quickly said, "If you two are willing to help, the whole Yangyan Kingdom will be grateful!"
Fu Shaoping nodded and said, "We are willing to give it a try, but whether we can succeed depends on God's will." The king was overjoyed and immediately ordered the whole country to fully cooperate with the two.
In the following days, Fu Shaoping and Nangong Wan explored around Yangyan Country, looking for the source of the curse. They found that the power of the curse came from an ancient altar under the palace. The altar was engraved with complex runes, and there was a faint black air flowing between the runes, exuding a cold breath.
The two stood in front of the altar. Nangong Wan circulated her spiritual power and carefully sensed the power of the curse. After a moment, she said in a deep voice, "This curse is indeed powerful, but it is not unsolvable. We only need to purify the altar with pure spiritual power to break the curse." Fu Shaoping nodded and said, "In that case, let's try together."
The two of them mobilized their spiritual power and injected it into the altar. The runes on the altar gradually dimmed under the erosion of the black air and eventually disappeared. As the runes disappeared, the black air on the altar also gradually dissipated, replaced by a fresh spiritual energy.
At this moment, a colorful glow suddenly appeared in the sky of Yangyan Kingdom, and the glow fell on the earth. The whole country seemed to be baptized and glowed with new vitality. The king and his ministers felt this change, and they walked out of the palace and looked up at the sky with excitement in their eyes.
The king walked up to Fu Shaoping and Nangong Wan, bowed deeply, and said: "You two are so kind, and our Yangyan Kingdom will never forget it! From today on, you two are the benefactors of our Yangyan Kingdom. If you need anything, just tell us, and we will do our best!"
Fu Shaoping smiled and said, "Your Majesty, there is no need to be polite. We are just doing our best." Nangong Wan also nodded and said, "The curse has been broken. Yangyan Kingdom will surely prosper in the future."
The king nodded gratefully, and then ordered a grand celebration to be held throughout the country to celebrate the breaking of the curse. Fu Shaoping and Nangong Wan stayed in Yangyan Kingdom for several days, feeling the new vitality of this country, and felt relieved in their hearts.
A few days later, the two said goodbye to the king and continued their journey. They knew that the road ahead was still long, but no matter what difficulties they encountered, they would move forward bravely and pursue their own path.
After leaving Yangyan Country, Fu Shaoping and Nangong Wan continued their journey. They headed west, crossed the vast plains, and finally came to an endless desert. The desert was full of yellow sand, the scorching sun was scorching the earth, and the air was filled with a dry breath. The two walked in the desert for several days and had long been accustomed to this harsh environment.
One evening, the afterglow of the setting sun sprinkled on the desert, dyeing the yellow sand into a golden color. Fu Shaoping and Nangong Wan were looking for a sheltered place to rest, when they suddenly saw a lonely cemetery in the distance. The cemetery was built with several huge stones, and it looked ancient and vicissitudes. The two looked at each other, feeling a little curious, and decided to go and find out.
As they approached the cemetery, they found a stone tablet at the entrance of the cemetery, with a few unclear ancient characters engraved on it. Fu Shaoping carefully identified it and found the six characters "Tomb of Tianji Elder" written on it. Nangong Wan whispered: "Tianji Elder? I seem to have heard of this name somewhere."
Fu Shaoping pondered for a moment and said, "It is rumored that Old Man Tianji is a peerless master who is proficient in the art of divination and can deduce the secrets of heaven and predict the future. He lived in seclusion in the desert in his later years and his whereabouts are unknown. I didn't expect that he was buried here."
The two walked into the cemetery and found that the interior of the tomb was not very large. The walls were engraved with complex runes, and there was a faint spiritual light flowing between the runes. In the center of the tomb was a sarcophagus, which was also engraved with runes, looking mysterious and solemn. Nangong Wan circulated her spiritual power and carefully sensed the breath in the tomb. After a moment, she said in a deep voice: "This tomb seems to hide some powerful power. We need to be careful." Fu Shaoping nodded and said: "Since Old Man Tianji is buried here, he must have left something important. Let's find out."
The two walked to the sarcophagus and found a line of small words engraved on the lid of the sarcophagus: "Those who are destined to get it will get it, those who are not destined to get it should not force it." Fu Shaoping smiled slightly and said, "It seems that Elder Tianji has already expected that someone will come here, let's see if there is a destiny."
He raised his hand and gently pushed open the lid of the sarcophagus. He found that there was no corpse inside the sarcophagus, but an ancient scroll and a crystal clear jade slip. Fu Shaoping took out the scroll, unfolded it, and found that it recorded the secrets of the old man Tianji that he had learned throughout his life, and the content was extremely profound. Nangong Wan picked up the jade slip, activated his spiritual power, and found that the jade slip recorded the future secrets deduced by the old man Tianji, which contained countless secrets.
The two looked at each other and were shocked. Fu Shaoping said in a deep voice: "These things left by Elder Tianji are of great significance to us. If we can comprehend the mysteries in them, it will definitely be of great benefit to our cultivation."
Nangong Wan nodded and said, "That's right, but the secrets of the universe are profound and difficult to fathom. We need to be cautious and not practice rashly." Fu Shaoping agreed, "That's right. Let's put these things away first and comprehend them slowly in the future."
The two put away the scroll and jade slip and were about to leave the tomb when they suddenly heard a low roar coming from deep inside the tomb. The walls of the tomb began to vibrate slightly, and the spiritual light between the runes gradually dimmed, as if something was awakening.
Nangong Wan's expression condensed, and he said: "Not good, the formation in the tomb seems to have been triggered, we need to leave as soon as possible!" Fu Shaoping nodded and said: "Let's go!"
The two rushed out of the tomb quickly. As soon as they stepped out of the entrance of the cemetery, the tomb behind them collapsed with a loud bang, and the yellow sand instantly submerged the cemetery. Fu Shaoping and Nangong Wan stood in the desert, looking at the cemetery buried by the yellow sand, feeling a sense of fear in their hearts.
Nangong Wan said softly: "It seems that Elder Tianji does not want anyone to disturb his eternal sleep. We are lucky to be able to leave safely." Fu Shaoping nodded and said: "Yes, although we have obtained his relics, we must also be respectful and not abuse them."
The two took a short rest in the desert and then continued their journey. They knew that although the things left by old man Tianji were precious, there was still a long way to go, so they had to be cautious and not rush for success.
Under the setting sun, the two walked farther and farther away, and finally disappeared at the end of the desert. They knew that no matter how many unknown challenges lay ahead, they would move forward bravely and pursue their own path.
Fu Shaoping and Nangong Wan traveled to the Styx River. The water was as black as ink and the air was freezing, as if even the air was frozen. There was a suffocating silence all around, with only the occasional sound of the river hitting the shore, like some kind of low whimper. The banks were rocky and the dead trees twisted like ghost claws. The sky was covered by thick dark clouds, without a single star. Nangong Wan clenched the sword in her hand, the blade glowing with a faint cold light, and she whispered, "Shaoping, be careful, something is wrong here."
Before he finished speaking, strange ripples suddenly appeared on the water surface, as if something was stirring under the water. Fu Shaoping's eyes fixed, his hand was already on the hilt of the knife, and he said in a deep voice: "Prepare for battle." In an instant, several black shadows suddenly jumped out of the water, their bodies twisted, their faces hideous, their rotten armor covered with the mud of the Styx, obviously the guardians of the Styx or the cursed undead. They let out a shrill roar, wielded rusty weapons, and rushed straight towards the two.
Nangong Wan flashed, the sword flashed like lightning, and instantly cut off the arm of an undead, but the undead did not fall down. Black smoke poured out from the broken arm and quickly condensed into a new limb. She frowned and said in a low voice: "They can't be destroyed by ordinary weapons!" Fu Shaoping unsheathed his long sword, and the blade cut through the air, cutting an undead in half, but the undead's body turned into black smoke and recondensed. He looked cold and quickly analyzed the situation: "The power of these undead comes from the Styx, we must find their weaknesses!"
The battle became more intense, and the undead came like a tide. The decayed weapons collided with the two men's weapons, making a harsh metal friction sound. Nangong Wan was agile and her swordsmanship was sharp. Every strike was extremely accurate, but the regeneration ability of the undead made her feel difficult. Fu Shaoping was as steady as a rock. He forced the undead back with his long sword and carefully observed his surroundings. Suddenly, he noticed a faint green light flashing in the river, which seemed to be the source of some kind of power.
"Attack the light spot in the water!" Fu Shaoping reminded loudly. Upon hearing this, Nangong Wan quickly adjusted her strategy and pointed her sword directly at the light spot in the water. She leaped up, and the sword flashed like a rainbow, instantly piercing the light spot. As the light spot shattered, the movements of the undead suddenly slowed down, and their bodies began to disintegrate, eventually turning into ashes and dissipating in the darkness of the Styx.
After the battle, Fu Shaoping and Nangong Wan looked at each other, and they both saw fatigue and vigilance in each other's eyes. Nangong Wan whispered: "This Styx is really dangerous, we have to leave here as soon as possible." Fu Shaoping nodded, holding the long sword tightly, his eyes firm: "Let's go, the road ahead is unknown, but we must keep moving forward."
The two continued to move forward along the river bank. The darkness of the Styx seemed endless. The water was still icy cold. The dead trees and strange rocks around them looked even more eerie in the dim light.
The two continued to walk along the Styx, the road under their feet became more and more rugged, the coldness of the river water penetrated through the soles of their shoes into their bones, making them shudder. The darkness around them seemed to have life, constantly squeezing their sight, and the air was filled with a smell of decay. Nangong Wan tightened his clothes and whispered, "This place is really gloomy and scary, we have to be careful." Fu Shaoping nodded, his eyes were like torches, and he looked around vigilantly.
Suddenly, a low roar came from the river, as if some giant creature was waking up. Nangong Wan suddenly stopped, clenched his sword, and shouted, "Something is coming!" Before he finished speaking, the river suddenly churned, and a huge monster jumped out of the water. It was shaped like a snake, but had four sharp claws, its head was covered with sharp bone spurs, and its eyes flashed with a faint green light. It opened its bloody mouth, let out a deafening roar, and rushed straight towards the two. (End of this chapter)