Chu Wanning said, "If it was the real Gou Chen Upper Palace, how could it only move dead objects and not living people?
Although this person's magic power is not bad, it is definitely not on the same level as an Incipient God. "
This made sense, but Mo Ran was still suspicious, "Did Master only know that the person was an imposter when he saw this … this dead fox?"
Chu Wanning shook his head, "No."
"Then how did you know …"
Chu Wanning said, "Do you remember what this Gou Chen asked me when he appeared?"
Mo Ran thought for a while, "I think he asked about your weapon?"
"That's right," Chu Wanning said, "I didn't hide the Divine Martial aura on my body, so he could sense it.
However, as the Master of Weapons, he didn't realize that I had two of Jin Chengchi's weapons, and I only had one.
At that time, I was suspicious, but since it was related to the sword, I couldn't say much. However, I kept an eye on everything I did, so I didn't fall into his trap. "
"But …" Mo Ran said, "If he wasn't the Gou Chen Upper Palace, how could he forge the Divine Martial?"
"First, the Gou Chen forging swords is only a rumor. No one really knows why there are so many weapons at the bottom of this lake, so the Divine Martial might not be made by the Gou Chen.
Second, this person only took the weapons from the Divine Martial Armory for you to choose from, so no one knows if those weapons are his or not.
Also, I carefully looked at Xue Meng's and Shi Mei's weapons — they are fake. "
Mo Ran was shocked when he heard this. "Imitation?"
"Yes."
"…" Mo Ran was stunned for a while, then he thought of himself, "Then what the hell …?"
Chu Wanning said, "The hell is real.
However, his goal isn't just to give you the weapons. "
"Then what does he want to do?"
Mo Ran said as he looked at the strange fox corpse on the stone bed with disgust, "First, he put in so much effort to lock us in the secret room, then he made this thing to disgust us.
What are you after? "
Chu Wanning said, "For you."
"Ah?"
"You were only half right just now.
That Gouchen didn't go through so much trouble to lock us up. In the end, the one he wants is you. "
"What does he want from me?" Mo Ran laughed dryly. "I'm just an idiot."
Chu Wanning said, "I've never seen an idiot who could form a spirit cultivator within a year."
Mo Ran was about to say something when he seemed to have realized something and suddenly froze.
Was Chu Wanning … praising him?
This realization made his heart beat faster. He opened his eyes wide and stared at Chu Wanning. After a while, he slowly blinked his eyes. His face, which had always been thick-skinned, actually turned slightly red.
Chu Wanning didn't look at him. Instead, he muttered, "Also, Tianwen and Jianghui seem to have some connection with the willow tree in the courtyard. I once read in an ancient book that when Gouchen descended to the mortal world, he brought back three willow branches from the Heavenly Court.
However, the ancient book was very lost. I never knew what Gouchen did with the three willow branches. "
He paused for a while, then continued, "However, if the rumor is true, it seems that Tianwen, Jianghui, and the old tree in the courtyard are the three willow branches.
Two of them became Divine Martial Arts, and one of them was cut at the bottom of Jincheng Lake, becoming a powerful guard of Gouchen's armory. "
Mo Ran said, "But what does this have to do with me?"
Chu Wanning shook his head. "How is it not related? You're the one who awakened Jianghui."
Mo Ran sighed. "Like I said, Jianghui is really Jianghui!"
"I'm guessing that his final request is related to the willow tree in the courtyard.
However, from what I know now, this is all I can guess.
I can't think of anything else for now. "
Although most of these were just Chu Wanning's guesses, Mo Ran felt that Chu Wanning was very smart, so his guesses should be close to the mark.
While thinking about this, they walked quickly in the dark underwater secret passage.
After passing through the passageway with many twists and turns, they finally arrived at the exit. They took advantage of the time when the Flood Dragon Human patrolling back and forth was unprepared to escape.
The entrance to the underground secret room was located in the courtyard where the giant willow tree was planted. As soon as they came out, the scene in front of them gave Mo Ran a huge shock.
There were four coffins in front of the giant willow tree. One of them was empty, while the other three had Chu Wanning, Shi Mei, and Xue Meng lying in them.
Mo Ran's face turned pale. "What's going on?!"
Chu Wanning said, "These are Corpse Sacrificial Coffins. Look at the edge of the coffin, there's a vine attached to it, and the other end is connected to the giant willow tree.
The fake North Star only needed you. After he drugged us, he had the Flood Dragon Human bring you to the secret room and put the three of us in these coffins.
Through the Corpse Sacrificial Coffins, he can transfer the spiritual cultivation of the people in the coffins to the giant willow tree.
It's just like sucking blood. "
Seeing Mo Ran's ugly expression, Chu Wanning said, "Don't worry, Shi Mei and Xue Meng are not injured.
At that time, I pretended to be unconscious and waited for an opportunity to get rid of the three Flood Dragon Human guarding the coffins. The three people you see now are actually the corpses of those demons. "
His words were simple, but Mo Ran couldn't help but lift his eyelashes and sneak a glance at him.
How deep was the cultivation of the Flood Dragon Human in the Jincheng Pool?
Chu Wanning's so-called "waiting for an opportunity to get rid of the Flood Dragon Human" meant that he had to quietly get rid of all three of them in one strike.
How good was this person's skills …?
It had been too many years since he fought on par with Chu Wanning, so when Mo Ran heard this, he was momentarily dazed. It was as if the shocking figure of his previous life flashed before his eyes. His face was slightly tilted, and his eyes were like stars.
Chu Wanning saw that he was in a daze, so he asked, "What's wrong?"
Mo Ran was suddenly jolted awake, and hurriedly said, "Nothing."
"…"
"I just find it strange, how did Master turn the Flood Dragon Human into this?"
Chu Wanning sneered and said, "It's just a trick. Do you think I don't know the fake North Star Imperial Palace Meeting?
I left my fake body here to avoid being discovered by those loaches.
As the saying goes, give them a taste of their own medicine. "
Mo Ran, "…"
This place was dangerous, so the two of them could not stay for long. After resting for a while, they immediately left.
However, when they ran to the agreed location with Xue Meng, they saw that it was empty. There was not a single person there.
Mo Ran's face turned pale, "Where's Shi Mei?!"
Chu Wanning's expression changed slightly, but he did not answer. Instead, he lifted his ring finger, and a layer of golden light appeared on the tip of his finger.
Before going to Xuying Peak, he had pinned a begonia flower on each of his three disciples for tracking purposes.
After a while, Chu Wanning cursed in a low voice and retracted the light. "Something must have happened here as well. They must be trying to avoid the Flood Dragon Humans patrolling the area. The two of them have already escaped from this mansion and are heading towards the market.
Let's go and take a look. "
The two of them were extremely skilled, so they quickly avoided all the patrolling Flood Dragon Human. They flew over the tall courtyard wall and headed to the market that the North Star Imperial Palace brought them to during the day.
There should be no day or night under the water, but Jin Chenghu was different from other places. He could sense the rising of the sun and the setting of the moon.
At this time, the long night had broken, and the sun was rising from the east.
Mo Ran saw that the market in Jin Chenghu had already started in the morning. The market was bustling with activity, and he could not help but feel slightly relieved.
It seemed that Shi Mei and the rest were fine. Otherwise, this place would not be so peaceful.
For some reason, Chu Wanning's expression was not particularly good, but he did not say anything. He silently pulled Mo Ran over.
"Master?"
"Come here."
"What's wrong?"
"Don't go too far."
Chu Wanning's voice seemed to be filled with self-blame, even though he was as cold as usual, "Xue Meng and Shi Mei have already gone missing. I'm afraid that if I'm not careful, you'll also …"
Mo Ran saw that Chu Wanning's face was somewhat pale, as if he was worried about him. At first, he was stunned. Then, for some reason, his heart faintly moved, and he opened his mouth to comfort him, "I won't go missing. Let's go, Master. Let's quickly go find them."
As he spoke, he walked forward, and at the same time, he turned his wrist and casually grabbed Chu Wanning's hand.
"… …" Chu Wanning's fingertips seemed to tremble slightly in his palm.
But that tremble was too quick and too light. Mo Ran was worried about Shi Mei, so he did not pay much attention to it. He only thought that it was his own illusion.
"Fish blood mantou, freshly made fish blood mantou."
"The snake slough of the Ruiran snake, the best material for clothing. Last three feet, if it's sold out, I'll have to wait for this servant to shed my skin next time."
"Selling cuttlefish daiko, this young master just spat out some ink this morning. It's perfect to use this daiko to draw — hey, hey, young lady, don't go."
The sounds of hawking in the market did not stop, and the strange sights were too much for the eyes to take in.
Mo Ran grinned as he pulled Chu Wanning two steps forward. Suddenly, he realized that something was wrong. He stopped abruptly, and his eyes widened in an instant. It was as if his blood had turned cold in an instant.
Something was wrong!
Something was wrong here!
He looked around, and sure enough … …
A headless ghost was sitting in front of a stall selling hair brushes and cosmetics. A pair of long nails with bright red cardamom was holding a comb. She placed her bloody head on her knees. While combing her hair, she said softly, "A fine bone comb. Customer, take one with you."
It was true!
It was really true!
In this bustling city, everyone's actions, words, and expressions were exactly the same as when Gouchen had brought them to the palace yesterday!
Mo Ran suddenly took two steps back and bumped into Chu Wanning's arms. He immediately raised his head and said hoarsely, "Master, this is?"
Chu Wanning seemed to have expected this, but when he saw it with his own eyes, his heart sank. He grabbed Mo Ran tightly.
"How can this be?
What is this?
Is this a mirage? "
Chu Wanning shook his head, but after thinking for a while, he suddenly said slowly, "Mo Ran, have you ever thought about this? There are many strange beasts in the Jincheng Pond, and some of them have seen the real Gouchen Upper Palace.
So, why can't they recognize this impersonator? "
Mo Ran's face was pale, and he was a little frightened, "That's … right."
Chu Wanning said, "Let me ask you again, if you were the one impersonating the Gouchen Upper Palace and hiding in the Jincheng Pond, how would you make others say what you want to say, do what you want to do, and act for you?"
Mo Ran suddenly understood.
This was a delicate chess game!
Once the black and white pieces fell, the world would follow the heart.
No one knew the power of this forbidden technique better than him.
He almost blurted it out, but when he saw Chu Wanning's gaze, he immediately stopped.
How could a sixteen-year-old like him think of the Three Great Forbidden Techniques so easily?
Mo Ran said, "This is very difficult."
"No." Chu Wanning said, "This is very simple."
He paused, then said, "It's fine as long as they're all dead."