Yan Nantian's speed was extremely fast. By the time his voice was heard, he had already jumped off the platform and was heading towards the outside of the cave.
Chen Yangting also hastily climbed down the mountain. Although I didn't have much intention to help, I was interested in the Xiang Liu. Thus, I followed behind Chen Yangting.
When we reached the outside of the cave, Yan Nantian didn't go far. He stood there and looked down at the golden ropes hanging from the terracotta figures. When he saw us come out, he said, "The Xiang Liu needs a few minutes to eat. You two stay here. After five minutes, you will start to check the golden ropes from here. I will start from the other end of the cave. If you see the ropes turn red, immediately shout. Do you understand?"
Chen Yangting nodded. "I understand, Master."
Yan Nantian nodded in satisfaction. Just as he was about to leave, he suddenly stopped. He pointed at me and said to Chen Yangting, "Be careful. Keep an eye on that kid. Don't let him play any tricks."
After Chen Yangting nodded, Yan Nantian's body flashed and disappeared from the other end of the cave.
After Yan Nantian left, Chen Yangting and I remained silent. After about five minutes, when I was about to leave, Chen Yangting suddenly called out to me, "Brother Zhou."
I was stunned by the way he addressed me. I turned to look at him, feeling a little playful. I smiled and said, "I don't deserve to be called brother by Chen Daozhang. What's wrong? Does Chen Daozhang have something to say?"
Chen Yangting lifted his head to look at the other end of the cave. As he walked forward, he lowered his voice and said, "Brother Zhou, we've been fighting for our lives. I know that you have a conflict with me. That's normal. But now, we're both under the control of this old thing. We have to work together to escape."
His words confused me. I stopped and looked at him vigilantly. This fellow had just called me Master, and now he wanted to discuss how to deal with Yan Nantian?
Was he being sincere or was he trying to trick me?
I maintained my vigilance as I slowly walked forward. I asked, "The one in danger should be me. Yan Nantian said that he wanted to take you as his disciple. Becoming the disciple of a Heavenly Teacher isn't a disgrace to you. Why are you being controlled by him?"
When Chen Yangting heard what I said, he proudly raised his head and said in a clear voice, "I am the disciple of Celestial Master Zhang of Mount Longhu. It's true that this old thing is a Celestial Master, but even ten Celestial Masters can't compare to Celestial Master Zhang. If I sincerely worship him as my master, wouldn't I be abandoning the light for the dark?
I had no choice but to address him as Master. Brother Zhou, don't underestimate the pride of the people of Mount Longhu. "
At this moment, I finally believed Chen Yangting's words. I couldn't help but look at him in a new light. This fellow had targeted me time and time again, so we had a deep grudge against each other. However, these were two different things. His words of loyalty to his teacher sounded very responsible.
It was laughable that Yan Nantian was such a cunning old thing. He had been hunting geese all day, but had been pecked blind by geese. He had actually been tricked by Chen Yangting.
My expression didn't change. I lowered my head to check the ropes on the terracotta figures as I asked him, "Chen Daozhang is telling me to cooperate with you, but if we really escape, won't you still want to deal with me because I'm a remnant of the witch race?
My cultivation isn't as good as yours. If I escape from Yan Nantian's tiger's den, won't I have to enter your wolf's den? "
Chen Yangting hastily shook his head. "Brother Zhou, don't worry. Times have changed. If we really escape, I'll let you go and won't attack you. Even if we meet again in the future, as long as there are no outsiders present, I won't attack you. What do you think?"
His words were extremely sincere. Since he could trick Yan Nantian, it wouldn't be a problem for him to trick me. I really found it hard to believe him.
In reality, if I didn't have any other choice, I wouldn't have any other choice but to cooperate with him, regardless of whether I believed him or not. However, I had already thought of using Xiao Jin's transformation to deal with Yan Nantian, so there was no need for me to take the risk.
Thus, I shook my head and said to Chen Yangting, "Of course I'm willing to agree to your conditions. However, you have to know that Yan Nantian is a Celestial Master. You and I only have Glorious Consciousness cultivation. Why do you think Yan Nantian would leave the two of us here while he went ahead to check on the situation?
It's not because he trusts you, but because in front of absolute power, tricks are useless. Yan Nantian doesn't care at all.
Moreover, it's fine if I escape, but even if you escape, there's still Yan Nantian's pill in your body. How are you going to neutralize it? "
Even though I said it perfunctorily, Chen Yangting replied seriously, "You don't have to worry about that. My Dragon Tiger Mountain has a tradition of two thousand years. How can a small Celestial Master be compared to it? As long as we escape, Celestial Master Zhang will naturally cure me of the poison.
As for what you said, I understand. However, we don't have any other choice. Once this matter is settled and we're brought out of this cave, I'm afraid we won't have another chance to escape. "
I couldn't help but admit that his analysis was reasonable. It was a pity that I only had to be responsible for my own life. His life and death had nothing to do with me.
I grinned. "There will always be a chance. Since Yan Nantian left the two of us here, he must be on guard. This isn't a good chance to escape. Chen Daozhang, please don't be impatient."
After saying that, I ignored him and continued to check on the ropes on the terracotta figurines.
Chen Yangting's face was filled with constipation. He stood on the spot and stared at me for a long time. Then, he gloomily followed me. He didn't try to persuade me anymore, but just lowered his head and looked around.
I laughed coldly in my heart. When this fellow injured Tong Tong to kill me, he didn't hesitate at all. Now that he was in trouble, he knew to come and try to cooperate with me. He even promised me an empty promise. He didn't even mention making a Dao heart oath. How laughable.
The two of us didn't talk anymore. We walked along the mountain wall and silently searched for more than one hundred meters. Then, I saw a blood-red rope not far from us.
I walked forward and lowered my head to check. Then, I called Chen Yangting and pointed at the rope. "I found it. Call your master here."
Chen Yangting glared at me, and his ruthless expression became thicker. After a while of silence, he lowered his head and put away his ruthless expression. When he lifted his head, he squeezed out a smile and shouted at the end of the cave, "Master, we found it!"
After shouting several times, a white shadow quickly appeared. Yan Nantian didn't open his mouth to ask. He just lowered his head and scanned the surroundings. Then, he saw the blood-red rope. He rushed to the terracotta figurines and carefully pulled the rope up to check. Then, he said to me, "Take out your sword. When I pull the figurines out, quickly cut off Xiang Liu's head. Do you understand?"
I nodded and took out my magic sword. I was ready.
Yan Nantian placed his hands on the terracotta figurines. However, he suddenly stopped. After thinking for a while, he called Chen Yangting over and asked me to give him the sword.
I grinned. This old man still didn't trust me. Unfortunately, he didn't know that I was much more loyal than Chen Yangting.
However, I didn't explain and just gave the sword to Chen Yangting. Then, I hid in the corner and watched the show.
Yan Nantian didn't worry anymore. He grabbed the terracotta figurines and pulled it off the wall.
When the bottom of the terracotta figurines was pulled out, Chen Yangting held the sword with both hands. A cold light flashed. Without any hesitation, he directly cut off a section of the soft tube.
Yan Nantian moved faster. Right when Chen Yangting's sword slashed, he took out a black cloth bag and put it on the broken part of the soft tube. Then, he pinched the tube through the bag and pulled it out of the terracotta figurines. I didn't even have time to see Xiang Liu's head before Yan Nantian stuffed it into the bag.
On the ground next to the bag was the remains of a mouse. It was obvious that Xiang Liu's body hadn't finished eating yet.
After finishing the job, Yan Nantian stood up in satisfaction. Looking at the black bag in his hand, he couldn't help but laugh.
After laughing, he turned around and patted Chen Yangting's shoulder a few times. He praised loudly, "Well done. This Xiang Liu is a treasure. I won't forget you when I get the benefits. After this matter is over, I'll help you improve further and break through to the Celestial Master Realm after we get out."
Chen Yangting's face beamed. I didn't know if it was true or not.
"All right."
After making his promise to Chen Yangting, Yan Nantian put the bag on his body. Then, he took us out of the cave.
I guessed Yan Nantian was in a good mood because he had successfully captured Xiang Liu. On the way, he pointed at the terracotta figurines and said to me, "Kid, didn't you ask why Xiang Liu is only one thousand years old?
It's not a difficult question. Lower your head and look at these terracotta figurines. Do you see anything? "
Terracotta figurines?
I had looked at these terracotta figurines many times. Was there something I didn't see?
I didn't ask. After looking at them for a long time, I answered, "I didn't see anything. Besides some simple lines, there's nothing else."
"Haha, the problem lies in those simple lines."
Yan Nantian shook his head and said, "Although the Shang Dynasty belonged to the Antiquity Time, it had already given birth to an ancient civilization. The sacrificial ceremony was the most important thing in the country. From the emperor to the common people, everyone had to participate. The sacrificial ceremony was very luxurious and exquisite.
Look at the inside of the cave. No matter if it's the sacrificial altar outside or the terracotta figurines in the cave, everything is extremely simple. It has nothing to do with luxury or exquisite.
Especially these terracotta figurines. They can't even be compared to the ancient porcelain excavated from archeology. How could the sacrificial ceremony of the Shang Dynasty be so simple? "
I was surprised. I hadn't thought about this before.
Yan Nantian didn't wait for me to think more and said, "Moreover, there's another big problem. Where are we?"
"Shenzhen," I answered subconsciously.
"Yes, Shenzhen.
During the Shang Dynasty, other than the land of Bashu which had other civilizations, after Lingnan, it was a barren land. Why would anyone travel thousands of miles, cut through brambles and thorns to come to Shenzhen and specially build such a simple and crude place of worship? "
When I was in university, I studied ancient Chinese, so I was familiar with history. Yan Nantian was right. During the Shang Dynasty, although Guangdong wasn't a barren land, it was thousands of miles away from the Central Plains. There were no interactions between the two. The power of the Central Plains also couldn't reach here. Even if there was a sacrificial ceremony, it could only have been done by the local tribes. It was impossible to have a sacrificial ceremony for the Mystic Bird.
Moreover, this cave was extremely large. With the power of the small tribes, it was impossible for them to build such a huge project.
I couldn't help but be curious and asked, "How did this cave come about?
Was it built a thousand years ago? "
Yan Nantian nodded. "That's right. This place was built according to the sacrificial ceremony of the Shang Dynasty. Moreover, you must have heard of the person who built it.
At that time, the foreign tribes invaded the Central Plains, burning, killing, and pillaging. They borrowed the power of the Northern Dragon Vein to destroy the Middle Dragon Vein and seize the fate of the Han people.
This person used his power to lead the Han people to resist. At the same time, he found the Tai Sui and imitated the ancient ritual of the Shang Dynasty. He used the Tai Sui to stabilize the fate of the country and the True Dragon Vein to revive the Southern Dragon Vein. He built this sacrificial ceremony here in an attempt to save the country from collapse. Unfortunately, he failed at the last step. He couldn't wait for the Tai Sui to be completely transformed … "