"Bang, bang, bang......"
The knocking sound started again, but there was no one speaking outside the door. Gui Li frowned and walked over to open the door.
There was only one person standing at the door, a 13 or 14-year-old Miao boy, with an expression on his face that still had a childish air, holding a basket in his hand, with some meat dishes and wine in it, apparently sent by the head of the Tu Ma Ge tribe to bring food.
The young man handed over the basket, and Gui Li nodded and said, "Thank you."
That young man smiled, but only made a "ya" sound. The ghost was taken aback, and it turned out that this young man was actually a mute who couldn't speak, no wonder he just knocked on the door without saying anything earlier.
He couldn't help but take a few more glances at the young man, noticing that his clothes had many patches and were clearly worn for a long time. This was quite different from the Miao people he saw on the streets of Qili Village earlier. It seemed that this young man held a low position here, and was probably an orphan.
As soon as the word "orphan" came to mind, Gui Li's heart skipped a beat, but only for a moment. The young man smiled and nodded at him before turning around and walking away. Looking at his back, there was no sadness or depression, but rather a hint of joy.
The ghost gazed at the boy's back as he walked away, suddenly feeling a strange sense of unease in his heart. He let out a soft sigh and turned around to enter the house, slamming the door shut behind him with a loud "bang".
The sun gradually sets in the west, and the sky gradually darkens. In the seven-li stockade, many Miao people's houses have lit up their lights one by one.
The dim light that seeps out of each window flickers incessantly in the darkness, shining and dying out at irregular intervals, like silent eyes in the night.
Every household under each lamp has its own emotions and life.
The demon stood at the window, gazing out at the distant village of the Miao people, silent and unmoving.
The night wind gradually picked up, and from afar in the Seven-li Gorge, one could occasionally hear the cheerful laughter of Miao people, interspersed with the barking of dogs from who-knows-where. Yet, these sounds carried on the wind only served to highlight the tranquility of this land.
Perhaps these ordinary Miao people are even happier than those who cultivate Taoism.
The ghost slowly closed the window and turned around, isolating himself from the outside world.
He turned his head and was stunned, the little white who had been quietly sleeping just a moment before, somehow sat up, leaning against the wall at the bedside, silently staring at him.
He Lian looked at her and said, "You're awake?"
Xiaobai smiled slightly, gently rubbing his forehead with his hand, and said: "Is there any tea? Pour me a cup! My head hurts a bit."
Gui Li walked over to the table, poured a cup of water and handed it to her, saying: "There's no tea here at Miao Ren's place, have some water instead!"
Xiaobai nodded, took the cup, and drank a few mouthfuls. His spirit seemed to be shaken, and he let out a long breath. He then glanced at Gui Li with a sideways look and said, "Are you blaming me in your heart?"
The ghost let out a cold laugh, shook his head and said: "If it weren't for you, I wouldn't have known that the great shaman of Miao people could possibly cure Bi Yao. Never mind, we'll go see him again tomorrow."
Xiaobai nodded and said: "I'm not very sober after drinking. Have you seen the great shaman of the Miao people?"
"The demon nodded and said: 'He has indeed seen it, and he also admits that he really understands the technique of returning to the soul. However, he must ask about your origin, to figure out how you know this secret, before he agrees.' As he spoke, he couldn't help but feel a little worried in his heart, whether the Nine-Tailed Heavenly Fox would be willing to reveal her identity or not, and he had no idea how Xiaobai would react."
Xiaobai fell silent for a moment before saying softly: "Tomorrow after dawn, I'll go with you to see him!"
Gui Lie nodded and was about to say something else, but Xiao Bai suddenly laughed and said: "Look at this monkey, it's actually drunker than me."
Guilei was still lying beside Xiaobai, while Xiao Hui, who was sprawled out and snoring loudly, glanced over and shook his head without saying a word.
Xiao Bai reached out and touched Xiao Hui's forehead, his gaze inadvertently falling on the third eye in the center of Xiao Hui's forehead. He pondered for a moment before looking up at Gui Li and saying, "There's something I've been thinking about for a long time... it's Xiao Hui's third spiritual eye..."
Before the words had fallen, a huge roar like a dog's bark suddenly exploded in the sky above their house and Qili Valley, shaking the entire mountain range. Even the two of them, who were cultivators, felt their ears buzzing.
Both of them were shocked, Gui Li quickly walked to the door, pulled it open and went out.
The loud noise echoed through the valley of Qiliangdong, with endless echoes ringing in the distance. At this moment, all the Miao people in Qiliangdong were shocked by the huge sound, and the original tranquility was instantly broken.
Gu Lian only saw countless Miao people rushing out of the house, looking far away, with terrified expressions on their faces, and many mouths kept shouting the same sentence, but he couldn't understand what it meant.
Footsteps sounded behind him, and Xiao Bai also walked out, standing beside him, looking at the distant crowd of panicked Miao people, listening to the unceasing shouts among them, his brow furrowed gradually, saying in a low voice: "Something might have happened."
Gui Li also sensed something was amiss and asked: "What's going on? What are those Miao people saying?"
Xiao Bai's face was solemn, and he said: "The huge voice just now is the alarm sounded by the Dog God stone statue worshipped by the Miao people. If it weren't for the moment of great danger when the tribe would perish, the Dog God would not make such a sound. As far as I know, in the past thousand years, the Miao people's Dog God has only issued an alarm once."
A sense of annoyance rose in Gui Li's heart, and at this moment, Bi Yao's life and death were pinned on the mysterious great witch doctor on the Miao people's altar. Just as he was about to say something and ask Xiao Bai for clarification, the originally quiet night sky above Qili Valley began to undergo a huge change.
The night sky, which was originally shining with starlight, suddenly began to gather thick dark clouds, covering up the stars all over the sky. The layers of dark clouds came from all directions, changing rapidly and eerily.
The tiny people on the ground couldn't help but let out terrified screams, countless people started running wildly, and soon even more people began to kneel down towards the mountain peak where the Miao people's altar was located.
Under the dark clouds, this piece of land which was originally full of joy has become desolate.
The ghost's brow furrowed, and he said in a low voice, "Someone who cultivates the Tao has arrived."
Xiaobai stood beside him, gazing at the sky and said: "Where is that place, do you know?"
The demon slowly shook his head and said: "From this technique of manipulating the winds and clouds, it is very strange and does not seem to be a righteous Taoist method from Central Plains, nor is it similar to that of the Devil's Sect."
Xiaobai's mouth twitched slightly, and a hint of unusual expression flashed across his face, as if he had thought of something, but somehow, he still didn't say it out loud.
At this moment, as the dark clouds got lower and lower, the Miao people in Qili Village seemed to find it harder and harder to breathe, everyone was shocked and the scene became more chaotic. Just at this moment of chaos, a figure suddenly jumped out from among the Miao people, looking far away with a stern expression, it was the chief of the Miao people, Tu Ma Gu.
Only to see Tu Ma Ge shouting loudly at the Miao people, his arms waving vigorously. Gradually, the Miao people calmed down slightly under Tu Ma Ge's command. The women and children began to run towards a distant mountain peak, leaving behind only robust men, many of whom held blades in their hands. It was clear that the Miao people also knew that things were extremely urgent and were preparing for a decisive battle to the death.
In the midst of chaos, Tuma Bone glanced at this end of the riverbank and saw Gui Li and Er standing outside the door. He was taken aback for a moment, then nodded in acknowledgement, shifting his attention back to commanding his tribesmen.
The dark cloud was getting lower, and the little white face also looked uncertain. Suddenly, she said in a low voice to Gui Li, "With this profound and mysterious cultivator here, I'm afraid Miao people are not their match, do you want to help them?"
Guilei fell silent for a moment, then nodded and said: "Since Biyao wants to rely on them..."
Before he could finish speaking, a strange and ominous sound suddenly came from the dark clouds in the sky, like thunder, like a beast's roar. In an instant, the dark clouds seemed to be set on fire, bursting with brilliant light, and everywhere within and outside the clouds was filled with intense golden light.
A moment later, a huge fireball fell from the sky amidst thunderous roars, carrying raging flames, but at its very center, it seemed to still be burning with an eerie black flame. Before it even hit the ground, the surrounding trees were all charred. The Miao people were shocked and cried out in alarm, but the speed of the fireball's descent was so swift that before they could even run away, a piercing whistling sound cut through the air as it crashed to the ground with a deafening boom.
Amidst a deafening roar, countless severed limbs and charred bodies flew out in all directions, a ghastly sight, as wails of despair filled the air.
The ghost's face changed, unexpectedly the man in black cloud said he would take action and was about to get up and fly to help Miao people, but suddenly felt his collar tighten behind him, it was Xiaobai who pulled him back.
The ghost was strange in her heart, and she looked at Xiaobai, who glanced far away and said, "Don't worry, look over there."
Gui Li followed her gaze and saw that Xiao Bai was looking at the Miao people's altar on the mountain waist. On the platform above, a withered figure stood tall, gazing up at the sky, illuminated by the fiery flames. Although they were too far away to see clearly, Gui Li recognized the figure as the mysterious great witch doctor from the Miao people's altar.
He stopped in his tracks and gazed intently at the old figure standing far away among the mountains.
The flames in the sky are burning more and more fiercely, dyeing the entire night sky red, like a scene of the end of the world, where heaven and earth are destroyed, and it is being staged in this southern border.
A loud rumble, a fierce gust of wind at night, suddenly a cry of surprise, behind the Miao warrior, a loud shout of killing.
The crowd of Miao people turned pale, and the expression on Tuma's face changed drastically. The Seven-li Gorge was easy to defend but hard to attack, with only one mountain path leading out of the mountains. The Miao people had always stationed a large number of troops here, yet someone had managed to sneak in unnoticed...
Is tonight really the day of the extinction of the Miao ethnic group?
It was just the Miao people who had dominated the southern border for two hundred years, and Tu Ma Gu's body as the head of the tribe, in a state of panic, still managed to calm down, shouting loudly, first rushing towards the back, and soon after, the Miao warriors followed one after another.
The night was as red as blood, countless blades flashed with cold light, and in an instant, they all lit up, cutting through the air, splashing out bright red blood.
Flames engulfed the land, as if heaven and earth were about to split apart. A group of warriors, with ferocious bear head tattoos on their chests, charged out from the darkness like devils, their eyes filled with frenzy and bloodlust. The first one, a giant of a man, his upper body covered in scars, wielded a massive stone axe, cutting down anyone in his path, leaving behind a trail of blood-soaked earth and wails of despair.
The Miao warriors were known for their bravery, but tonight's sudden event, coupled with the ominous howling of the dog god, was a rare and dire omen that left the Miao people's hearts in turmoil and terror. Furthermore, the Li tribe had been lying in wait for a long time and suddenly launched a surprise attack, taking advantage of the two hundred years of hardship and struggle in the southern wilderness to forge their strength, and with the fate of their tribe hanging in the balance, they fought with all their might. As a result, the Miao warriors, who had once dominated the south, were unable to withstand the onslaught and retreated in disarray.
His eyes were about to spout fire as he clearly saw the enemy's appearance, and he shouted: "Li tribe!"
The Naishi tribe's chief swung his axe and beheaded another Miao warrior, then turned to look at them with a ferocious grin. "Miao dogs, the two-hundred-year-old grudge will be repaid today!"
As soon as the words fell, it seemed to echo his words. Countless Li warriors shouted in unison, like beasts howling at the moon, with endless madness, and rushed up one after another. The Miao people were even more unable to withstand, and they were about to collapse.
At this critical moment, a low and mysterious voice suddenly echoed in the valley, like a whisper, like a ghostly murmur, reverberating around every inch of Qiliangdong.
The Miao warriors' faces lit up with joy in an instant, and their spirits were greatly shocked. On the other hand, from the chief of the Li tribe down, they all showed a look of horror on their faces.
The legendary shaman who shook the southern border finally appeared at the most critical moment of the Miao people.
A red glow flickered in the midst of the raging flames, then rapidly expanded, centered on the great wizard standing on the mountain platform, spreading throughout the entire Seven Mile Valley. Wherever it passed, the burning flames were extinguished.
A moment later, the red light had extended to the battlefield where the Miao people and the Li ethnic group were fighting. From behind, the Miao people were safe and sound under the illumination of the red light, but at the end of the red light, a sturdy warrior of the Li ethnic group touched this mysterious red light, suddenly let out a mournful cry, fell to the ground convulsing non-stop, and after a moment, his whole body shook violently, bleeding from all seven orifices until he died.
The Li people were shocked and pale, retreating in a hurry. These warriors were used to fighting and killing, and any strong enemy or beast would make them charge forward without even blinking an eye. But this kind of mysterious sorcery was the most feared power among the southern border tribes, and for a moment, everyone's face showed terror.
The Li tribe's chief also couldn't help but show a look of horror on his face, the name of the Miao people's great shaman was like that of a devil to the other four tribes in the southern border, and at this moment, he deeply felt this.
He didn't order a retreat, instead he looked up at the sky.
That piece of flame burning fiercely in the night sky, intense and surging!
There was laughter, thundering out, with contempt and hostility.
Across the sky, a colorful cloud suddenly brightened, and the burning flame seemed to be transparent and scorching, transforming into a terrifying giant beast in mid-air. The wind assisted the fire, making it even more turbulent, and the changing clouds and winds were like a roaring sea that would not stop.
In front of the cloud, someone suddenly appeared, like a divine being, with flames all over his body, looking down from mid-air, like a proud god.
He was seen waving his arms in mid-air, performing a series of eerie movements. A moment later, as if driven by some mysterious force, he let out a loud roar behind him. Instantly, flames erupted across the sky, and clouds wildly swirled about. A deafening explosion shook the air, and in an instant, countless fireballs plummeted from the heavens, carrying raging flames that charged towards the earth.
Everyone on the ground, including Gui Li and Xiao Bai, changed their faces. Just one fireball had fallen earlier, and its power was already so great. If these countless fireballs fell, the place of Qili Valley would be immediately turned into a sea of flames, and it would no longer be preserved.
Anyone can see that the great wizard naturally also knows this, and the red light in the valley almost lit up at the same time. Looking far away, although his face is still unclear, but the thin figure under the powerful flames of the sky seems particularly old.
At this moment, everyone looked carefully and found that the red light was emitted from the body of the great wizard standing on the mountain platform. To be precise, it was emitted from a wooden stick in his hand. The wooden stick was pitch black and stood up, which was even taller than the great wizard himself. Especially at the top of the wooden stick, there was an inlaid stone that was neither gold nor jade, which emitted more and more intense red light under the mysterious magic power of the great wizard.
The Li people suddenly became agitated, countless warriors instantly turned red-eyed, the Li tribe's chief, that giant let out a loud roar, as if carrying two hundred years of deep-seated hatred.
"Bone jade!"
He looked up at the sky and shouted loudly: "Great Bear God ahhhhhhhhh......"
That sound was mournful and ferocious, shaking the earth, in an instant all the Li warriors shouted together, rushing up, that moment of blood splashing everywhere, was the edge of life and death escape.
The night is on fire, and people are going wild!
The Miao warriors fought to the death, but facing the Li warriors who were like madmen, they gradually lost their courage and retreated.
The river in Qili Village gradually turned red, reflecting countless fireballs falling from the sky!
A red glow surged upwards towards the sky, meeting those gigantic fireballs and forming a blood-colored barrier that enveloped the air above Qili Valley.
Innumerable blazing fireballs, almost at the same time, crashed onto the blood-red curtain, and a huge explosion echoed through the mountains, blasting out massive red flames.
The great wizard raised his hands high above his head, the tall wooden staff pointing straight at the sky, using all his strength to confront the mysterious figure in the air. But as time passed, the pressure coming from the sky grew greater and greater, almost reaching an unbearable level.
The great witch doctor was shocked in his heart, among the Li people, there had never been such a strange technique and method for thousands of years. Otherwise, they would have used it in that decisive battle of the sacred instrument 200 years ago that determined the fate of the two tribes.
However, the mysterious figure in the sky before him seemed like an invincible war god at this moment...
Deep down in the heart of the great wizard, there was an increasingly large dark cloud. This strange and mysterious technique was not from this world at all, but had been secretly passed down for thousands of years in the southern border, a legend of a mysterious devil...
The sky, the flames raging, Ah Hui Tai standing on the cloud edge, his excited face reddened by the surrounding flames, could no longer conceal his triumphant emotions. He who had been deeply shocked by the disaster of his tribe since childhood, abandoned everything and went deep into the mountains of ten thousand, found that demon, begged for his endless and powerful strength, today, finally able to rescue his tribe from the depths of suffering.
The first step towards a better life for the Li people is to trample all over the Miao people, take back the bone jade sacrifice on the sacred object "Black Stick" of the Miao people, and worship the great Bear God. No, what does the Bear God count for? Where was the Bear God when the Li people were suffering?
A Hetai let out a furious roar in his heart, urging on the power of the law. In an instant, another dozen or so huge fireballs burst forth from the clouds, and as he watched with relish the impact of each collision between the fireballs and the red curtain, making that once invincible figure tremble time and again. At this moment, he had already made up his mind: after victory, he would make all the people of the Li tribe convert to the worship of that deity, for only He could bring new life to the Li tribe!
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Note: The Li ethnic group originated from the ancient Baiyue, one branch of which migrated to Hainan Island by sea before the Qin and Han dynasties. During the Sui dynasty, the residents of Hainan Island were called "Lǐlǐ", referring to the ancestors of the Li people. Today, they mainly live in the central and southern parts of Hainan Province, specifically in the Li and Miao Autonomous Prefecture, with the rest scattered among the counties of Wanning, Tunchang, Qionghai, Chengmai, Lingao, and Ding'an, where they cohabitate with the Han people. The name "Li" is a phonetic transformation of their word for "mountain ridge".
