The Evergreen Sacred Tree stands towering in the sky, and its thick roots are as huge as the hills. The goddess walks barefoot among them, and the praises and songs of the shrine's shamans are faintly heard in the distance——
"There are trees that are auspicious, their branches are numerous, their fragrant leaves are carrying the wind, and their veins are written in writing. The principles are cut out to show the people, and peace is announced to the king. Good harvests come many times, and auspiciousness comes, and there is no way to repay kindness.
…”
The ancient and distant eulogy echoes among the branches and leaves, and the pure faith condenses into little bits of light visible to the naked eye, constantly nourishing the evergreen sacred tree.
The wind blows from all directions for no reason, blowing the branches and leaves, and the goddess senses that the divine tree connects the heaven and the earth, and endless opportunities for change gather here. It is so vast and mysterious that even immortals who have been watching for a long time do not dare to boast that they can grasp it all at a glance.
The goddess stopped and instinctively raised her hand to make a false move, and a leaf fell from thousands of branches into her palm.
Examining the veins of the leaves, the goddess remained silent for a long time, then she jumped towards the outside, her movements were vigorous and light, leaving little bits of emerald light behind her, just like the plants and trees transformed into a graceful woman.
The goddess walked all the way to the outlying huts. Yongcui Temple did not have any tall and luxurious buildings. Even the man-made objects were perfectly integrated with the surrounding mountain and forest scenery.
"Great Witch Zhu, the high priest has just arrived with a message, saying that he has something important to discuss." A wizard from the shrine said respectfully.
After the marriage between Shengsi Valley and Yongcui Temple, the goddess was also given the title of Great Witch Zhu to show that she was on an equal footing with the high priest, and the couple jointly ruled the Jiuli Kingdom. Now that the high priest Li Chun is in charge of the army outside, the goddess is responsible for presiding over the affairs of the country.
Government affairs.
The folk customs in the southern part of Kunlun are different. In many tribes, the female leader is in charge, and it only depends on whether the person is worthy of the big job. Therefore, the high priest and the goddess share the power, and no one in Jiuli finds it difficult to accept it.
"I understand." The goddess waved her hand and asked the other shamans to retreat. She went to the depths of Yongcui Temple and found several barks and wooden boards with various strange patterns carved on them. The goddess took the leaves in her hand and
After comparison, it took a while to decipher some of the meaning.
"Strange." The goddess was a little puzzled, then she flicked her fingers at the withered night owl tree next to her and used a spell, asking: "Are you listening?"
Li Chun's voice came from the vividly carved night owl, with a unique echo: "I'm here, could it be that the sacred tree has another warning?"
The goddess smiled and said, "How did you guess that?"
"Only the sacred tree's warning can prevent you from replying for a long time." Li Chun replied.
"Indeed." The goddess looked at the veins of the leaves in her hand seriously: "What warning did the sacred tree send out this time?"
"Could it be that Zhao Shu is coming to the front line to fight with me?" Li Chun said with a smile and a hint of eagerness to try.
"The warning from the sacred tree will not be so clear." The goddess explained: "But the sacred tree did mention that you will face danger."
"You don't need to say this with the sacred tree, everyone knows it." Li Chunyan said: "I am on the front line right now, and the soldiers and horses of both sides have clashed many times. How can the battlefield be without danger?"
"If it is nonsense that everyone knows, the sacred tree will not warn you for no reason." The goddess added: "The warning leaf book also recommends that you return to Yongcui Temple, so that it can be preserved."
"Return to Yongcui Temple?" Li Chun was puzzled: "If you let me leave the front line at this time, there will be no one to coordinate the army. I'm afraid the front line will collapse immediately."
"Of course I know!" The goddess was a little worried: "I'm worried that someone is going to deal with the sacred tree!"
"Who?" Li Chun immediately became alert.
"I don't know, and the sacred tree didn't give a clear warning." The goddess said.
Li Chun's sigh was heard in the withered night owl tree: "If you care, you will be in trouble. As a great shaman who enshrines the Evergreen Divine Tree, and is responsible for interpreting the warning leaf book of the sacred tree, isn't it the most taboo to have partial thoughts?"
"Do you think my interpretation is wrong?" the goddess asked.
"I'm not questioning you, but even if I return to Yongcui Temple now, it will be useless." Li Chunyan said: "In addition to me, who else in Jiuli Kingdom can command this army now? If I am not on the front line, I can't.
Take control of the situation. Returning to Yongcui Temple may be saved as the sacred tree said, but once the front line is defeated and facing the huge military force of the Bear Kingdom, what is the use of me sticking to Yongcui Temple?"
The goddess said: "You should know that your current magic power is all due to the gift of the Evergreen Divine Tree. If the Divine Tree is in trouble, you will be knocked back to your original shape immediately."
"Isn't there a mountain ghost muke who has lived in seclusion for many years in Yongcui Temple? They usually never show up. Once a foreign enemy invades and intends to harm the sacred tree, they will kill the invading enemy regardless of their own safety." Li Chun is quite confident.
: "If the Evergreen Sacred Tree really relies on its ability to predict good and bad luck, it won't be able to stand for a long time."
"I just feel a little uneasy for no reason." The goddess couldn't convince Li Chun, maybe it was just a whim.
"The war has begun. You, me, the Yongcui Sacred Tree, and even the Jiuli Kingdom share weal and woe. Anyone else would be upset. I don't blame you." Li Chunyan said.
The goddess sighed silently and looked at a warning leaf in her hand. In fact, in the long history of the past, there were many cases where the divine tree warnings were unpredictable and the people involved were in dilemmas.
Just like the Tianxia Dynasty's large-scale expansion of the southern land, the only thing Yongcui Temple could do was stay out of it in order to protect itself.
But now that the Shengsi Valley and the Yongcui Temple are married, facing a massive attack by the Xiong Kingdom, the Yongcui Temple cannot avoid it. Once the Jiuli Kingdom is defeated, both the Yongcui Temple and the Sacred Tree will be implicated.
"How is the situation on the front line now?" the goddess asked, trying to ease her uneasiness and anxiety.
"The Xiong Kingdom is worthy of being the most powerful among the five Kunlun Kingdoms." Li Chun's tone was slightly serious: "Three groups of soldiers and horses advanced by land and water, totaling more than 100,000 people. It is difficult for me to relax for a moment. This is still a problem.
The Xiong Kingdom abandoned the Qianji Pavilion and abandoned those ingenious creations, pottery and iron figurines."
"Didn't you send an envoy to Yaochi Kingdom before to make an appointment with King Baixiang to send troops together?" The goddess was puzzled: "Did he fail to fulfill his promise?"
"This is a private agreement. If he doesn't fulfill it, I can't force him." Li Chunyan said: "I just hope that King Baixiang will not be too stupid. Once our Jiuli Kingdom falls, it will be his turn next! Someone sent by the Xiong Kingdom
One Zhao Shu, colluding with Chi Yundu, has caused Huaxu country to suffer serious consequences, and the country will soon be destroyed! They will definitely launch a large-scale attack from all directions next."
"I really didn't expect that Zhao Shui actually came back from the dead." The goddess secretly thought, Yongcui Divine Tree didn't discover this secret. Could it be that he has exceeded the limitations of his spirit?
"The resurrection from the dead is a lie. In the final analysis, it is because an expert intervened and rescued him from Difei Mountain." Li Chun immediately made a judgment: "I have been in seclusion for more than ten years, and I will not come out until I have made great progress in cultivation."
Guan, the intention is very clear, Shangjing Zong must have had a lot of involvement in it."
The goddess was puzzled: "What was the purpose of Shangjingzong rescuing Zhao Mian?"
"What other purpose can there be? It's just to use him to restore the inheritance of the Tianxia Dynasty's Praise Officer." Li Chun sneered a few times: "The people I sent to the Imperial Capital reported that almost all the teachings and teachings of the Praise Department have been streamlined. Later, they made great efforts to cultivate officials of praise and appoint them in various places. The intention is very obvious. The Xiong Kingdom believes that it is the continuation of the orthodoxy of the Tianxia Dynasty and must imitate everything."
The goddess said: "If we talk about the orthodox inheritance of Zanli Guan, you are not inferior to Zhao Miao, right? I remember that your ancestors were among the first people in the South to follow Zanli Guan to study rituals and rituals. From then on, they guarded the Huode Temple in Shengsi Valley for generations. "
"That's why I determined that the Xiong Kingdom will definitely send Zhao Shu to compete with me, and only Zhao Shu can be my opponent." Li Chun was very confident: "Zhao Shu is indeed proficient in rituals and rituals, but he is far from what he is now. I compare them to each other. There are countless dead souls in the Netherworld, all of them are soldiers and horses under my command. Even the officials of the Tianxia Dynasty who hold the orders of the twelve earthly branches are just like chickens and dogs in front of me."
"Don't forget, this is the work of the sacred tree!" the goddess reminded with a smile.
"Of course I won't forget it." Li Chun also laughed loudly: "I promised you that in the future, you and my heirs will be the lords of Kunlun!"
While the goddess was daydreaming about the future, she added: "It's a pity that all the thirty-six God-killing nails were used against Liang Tao that year. If some of them can still be left, it might be a sharp weapon to destroy Zhao Shu's ritual."
"It doesn't matter, the evil weapons made from the remains of several demon gods also have similar magical effects." Li Chunyan said: "In addition, you can personally remind the remaining demon gods that if you still want to keep the remaining blood food, just be obedient. Help us fight the enemy on the front lines."
"I understand, I will leave later." the goddess replied.
…
Zhao Shu slowly opened his eyes. At this moment, he was sitting still in the wilderness, surrounded by vines and green vines like a house, isolating the downpour that had just occurred.
Looking at the puddles formed by heavy rain not far away, Zhao Shu concentrated his breath and stood up quietly. He was surrounded by dense jungles that were rarely visited by people. On the ground, there were either roots of big trees competing for soil or piles of trees. Years of fallen leaves and decay left almost no flat place to stay.
At this moment, Zhao Miao was dressed in old kudzu and short brown, with mango shoes on his feet, a wooden stick in his hand, and a rattan basket on his back. He looked like a herb gatherer in the mountains and fields, without any energy or magic floating around his body.
After previously secretly discussing with Han Yuanzi and He Qingchen, Zhao Shu made some arrangements and went to Jiuli Country alone without anyone.
Although there are now nearly 300,000 troops from Xiong and Jiuli on the border, hundreds of miles of battlefield front lines, large and small battles almost every day, and frequent scouts and reconnaissance, this cannot hinder Zhao Shu's march south at all. With such footsteps, no one could even notice Zhao Shu passing by quietly.
Considering that the Yongcui Sacred Tree was likely to have roots in the earth and branches reaching up to the sky, Zhao Shu did not dare to fly into the sky, but just relied on his legs to measure the earth along the way, just like an ordinary person, without revealing the mountains and dew.
Although he did not fly into the sky, with Zhao Shu's cultivation, he was still able to run day and night without eating or drinking. Without the burden of the army's baggage, Zhao Shu moved very quickly on his own, and reached the depths of the southern soil in ten days.
On this journey south, Zhao Shu could see with his own eyes the customs and customs of the Jiuli Kingdom. Even if Li Chun re-established the old system of Tianxia and planned to establish counties in the Jiuli Kingdom, the biggest constraint was the lack of sufficient officials to implement it. appointment.
Some of the officials in the newly established counties were either Li Chun's cronies. Most of them did not understand the local people's conditions. After taking office, they often caused chaos. The tribal chiefs led the natives into rebellion, and the local officials did not have strong soldiers.
Can suppress chaos.
If the powerful local tribesmen were directly appointed as officials to exercise restraint, it would be the same as before. Although they were called officials, they were actually chiefs, barbarians, and there was no change.
In Zhao Shu's view, even if the Xiong Kingdom attacked and destroyed the Jiuli Kingdom, it would still be very difficult to change this situation. Due to the separation of mountains and rivers, the Southern Barbarian tribes had been a small country with few people in the long past.
Moreover, due to poor farming practices and scarce products, there was no such thing as a good old days when chickens and dogs knew each other and no contact existed until old age and death. Neighboring tribes attacked and killed each other, plundered land and water sources, forest hunting grounds, and even robbed each other's people into slavery.
These are common things.
As for those humanoid barbarians, they have been reduced to a level of ignorance that is almost immature. Killing and cannibalism are regarded as ordinary, and they are no different from wild beasts.
Just as He Qingchen said, if it weren't for the Tianxia Dynasty's large-scale border expansion in the past, including the southern land into its territory, and trying to implement various laws and regulations, Li Chun would not be where he is now.
Even if things are difficult to handle, and even there is only a little progress after hundreds of years, but taking a long-term view, this progress is slowly advancing with an irreversible momentum.
Walking in the vast mountains, forests and lakes of the South, which are almost uncultivated, Zhao Shu felt the traces left by the creation of heaven and earth over the years, experienced the changes in the sea, and silently deduced it in his heart.
Zhao Shu discovered that the soil in southern Kunlun is humid and warm, and vegetation naturally flourishes. The biggest difficulty for local people working in agriculture is to compete with the growing vegetation for land.
Most of the low-lying, flat lands are contiguous lakes and swamps. Not only do they have little place to stay, but they also have long-term accumulation of rotten air. They are favored by insects and miasma, making it difficult for humans and animals to live for a long time. Therefore, most people in the south live in the mountains and lakes and swamps.
Living on a slope is equivalent to being trapped in a narrow boundary, making it difficult to stretch up and down.
In fact, there are several counties in the southernmost part of the Xiong Kingdom, and the situation is similar to that of the Jiuli Kingdom. According to Zhao Shui’s knowledge, He Qingchen ordered the local officials to teach the people how to farm with fire and water, build fields around lakes, and also asked the government to prepare agricultural tools.
Farming cattle is a lot of work.
Zhao Shu did not underestimate He Qingchen's actions, but if the energy of heaven and earth did not change significantly, the situation in Nantu might not be able to be reversed by human diligence alone.
But for Zhao Shu, who personally changed half of the atmosphere in the east, changing the atmosphere in the south is not completely unimaginable.
But before doing this kind of thing, Zhao Shu didn't dare to be careless. He needed to have a sufficient understanding of the southern mountains, rivers, water, soil, animals and plants, etc., and the creation of heaven and earth. He also needed to consider the changes in this land through the ages, so as to deduce various possibilities in the future.
, rather than simply exhausting the natural world for human use.
Along the way, I allowed my body and mind to understand the creation of heaven and earth, and deduce the changes in ancient and modern times. I walked aimlessly, climbing over mountains, crossing lakes, and finally passing through a mountain forest. Suddenly, a clear view appeared in front of me.
What Zhao Shu saw in front of him at this moment was a flat wilderness with no end in sight. The ground was overgrown with weeds. There were not many tall trees. There were several streams winding down from the mountains and seemed to converge into lakes in the distance.
Suddenly there was a feeling in the dark, and Zhao Shu found that this place had a slight connection with him, and then he understood it——
"It turns out that the star finally landed here." This chapter has been completed!