Chapter 148
They gathered outside the Anxi Pass, naturally because they were lucky and felt that their relatives were not dead yet, but just lost somewhere in the hundreds of miles of desert.
The Inhuman War forty years ago was unprecedented.
One hundred thousand elite troops were wiped out, and only one person survived. This was an unprecedented and brutal war in the history of Kyushu.
In terms of the death toll alone, there have been more deaths than this in history.
But one hundred thousand people died, including the city of Anxi, and everyone disappeared without a trace, leaving no trace... This made the matter seem complicated and confusing.
In the few years after the war, many people believed that those soldiers were not dead, so many people from Zhongzhou came to the desert to look for them.
But as time passed and with the establishment of the Anxi Pass, their hopes gradually faded.
And the family letters in the hands of these townspeople, including the innkeepers... were not intended to be sent to the dead, but to the living.
This glimmer of hope is what keeps them stuck outside this peaceful pass.
.....
The checkpoint door slammed shut.
The figures of Qiao Mu and the old woman disappeared from everyone's sight.
Mr. Hai sighed, silently adjusted his breathing, and used his energy to repair the damage inside his body.
"Brother Damu gave me a bad idea this time." Mr. Hai shook his head and said:
"Although the "Violent Blood Technique" he gave me can temporarily enhance my eyesight and reaction speed, even if I use this "Violent Blood Technique", it will still be no match for that Iron Lady..."
"This matter may need to be discussed in the long term... huh? Where is Brother Damu? Wasn't he still in the crowd just now?"
He searched among the crowd, but found nothing.
.....
The interior of Xi'an Pass is not large, and the buildings inside are the residences of the soldiers.
There are not many soldiers stationed here, only one or two hundred in total, and these soldiers are obviously not elites who have fought in hundreds of battles, and their strength is average.
There are less than one-third of the inner-strength warriors who have entered the level.
It can be seen that the Great Yan court does not seem to attach much importance to this Anxi Pass. This can be seen from the number and strength of the soldiers.
The only strange person is the female general guarding the gate.
She is a third-level god-refining martial artist. Although she is old and her energy and blood have declined, her strength is obviously still there.
Weak soldiers with strong generals? This is unreasonable.
The appearance of a third-grade martial artist in the God Refining Pass in this Anxi Pass is actually an anomaly.
The old woman led Qiao Mu up to the city wall of Xi'an Pass and asked the soldiers who were following her to step back.
Looking down from the city wall, you can see the cemetery in the distance. There are many tombstones, densely packed like a forest.
"Mr. Qiao, your martial arts skills are amazing, I can't stop you." The old woman looked at the forest of steles from a distance and spoke first:
"As for the hundred-mile desert outside the pass, if you have anything to ask, you can ask me here."
Is this your defensive attitude? And wasn't she quite domineering towards the ordinary townspeople just now... Qiao Mu couldn't understand why this old woman's attitude suddenly changed.
But he didn't care about such trivial details. After thinking for a moment, he asked the first question:
"Where did you learn the "Martial Saint Rhinoceros Technique"? Is it related to the Martial Saint or the Martial Jihui?"
The old woman was obviously startled, and she was surprised that the first question asked by Qiao Mu was this.
"What I practice is not the "Martial Holy Spirit Rhinoceros Technique", and I have nothing to do with Wu Shengren or Wu Jihui."
"If you want to ask me why I guard this pass, this is actually my personal wish."
"How could you have an intuitive connection with me if you haven't practiced the "Martial Holy Spirit Rhinoceros"?" Qiao Mu asked.
The old woman had a deep look in her eyes and was silent for a moment, but she did not elaborate further:
"Mr. Qiao, this problem has nothing to do with the desert."
"You are a rare master. You may have a certain chance of survival if you enter the desert, so I just want to do my best."
"But that's no reason for you to pry into my details."
"You want to help an old man entering the desert, but why do you stop the townspeople from entering?" Qiao Mu asked again.
"This is naturally because the desert is very dangerous and a restricted area of life." The old woman said calmly:
"If ordinary people enter, it can be said that there is no chance of death. A master like you may have a chance of survival... Of course, whether you go or not, I can't stop you."
"Tell me about the specific dangers in this desert?" Qiao Mu asked again.
"Although this desert is only a hundred miles in radius and is not comparable to the wild desert in the west of Kyushu, almost all the people who have entered the desert over the years have gotten lost in it and never returned. It is a natural maze."
"In addition, there are also rumors like 'Yin soldiers crossing the border'. It is said that travelers who go deep into the desert will sometimes encounter a gathering of Yin soldiers who are as white as paper and hear the hallucination of horns..."
Qiao Mu nodded.
These words seem to be consistent with Daozhen's remarks.
"You said that this Anxi Pass cannot stop real masters. Does this mean that there were other masters who broke through the pass before me?" Qiao Mu asked again.
"That's right. The recent master who broke through the level is quite famous. You may have heard of it." The old woman said:
"Lu Yanbei, the Sanren of the Wooden Sword, has reached an advanced level in swordsmanship and is ranked 30th on Tingchao Tower's 'skill list'. In terms of swordsmanship alone, he may be among the top ten in the world of swordsmanship."
“He also has a disciple named ‘Dragon Claw’ Hu Han, who has become quite famous in Zhongzhou in recent years.”
"Hmm... So, what about the man who was number one in the world forty years ago, the sword-banished immortal? Did he also get through this?" Qiao Mu asked again.
There was an obvious look of surprise on the old woman's face.
Jian Banxian was the best martial artist in the world forty years ago. In front of an elderly martial artist like her, her reputation was naturally astonishing.
"I don't know that." She said:
"The top ten masters in the world, headed by Sword Exorcist, disappeared ten years after the Alien War, which is now thirty years ago. At that time, there was no such thing as a rest."
Qiao Mu nodded thoughtfully, and then asked the last question:
"I once heard someone say that all the 100,000 officers and soldiers back then were not dead, and there are still people trapped in Anxi City in the desert... As the guard of Xi'an Pass, have you ever heard of the news?"
Chapter 176 Entering the restricted area
As soon as Qiao Mu said this.
The old woman looking at the forest of steles in the distance looked obviously stunned. Her hands that were pressed against the fence subconsciously clenched tightly, and her finger joints were slightly white. She was obviously not at peace in her heart.
"Mr. Qiao was joking." The old woman's tone was still calm:
"It has been forty years since the Alien War. Even if there were survivors after the war in the early years and the entire army was not wiped out, how could they still persist in this desert for forty years?"
"Even if it is a fictional story made up by storytellers, the remnant army still clings to the isolated city for forty years when it is isolated and helpless. It is already so bizarre and absurd that no storyteller would dare to make it up."
The old woman paused and glanced at the small town outside the pass.
"Most of the people in this town are relatives of the one hundred thousand soldiers in the past. Many of them were lucky many years ago, but now the number of people in the town is gradually decreasing."
"Forty years is such a long time?" The old woman's eyes were dark, and her long gray hair was flying in the strong wind.
"The lifespan of a martial artist is not much longer than that of ordinary people. Forty years can turn a beauty into gray hair, and a hero will also grow old."
"Only strangers pursue immortality, have a long lifespan, and can span a long time..."
When talking about strangers, the eyes of the female general guarding the Anxi Pass became darker and darker, like a bottomless pool.
"Mr. Qiao, your martial arts cultivation is so good, maybe you have already reached the first level, right?"
"As a first-grade martial artist, you may know how powerful the aliens are than I do." The old woman sighed slightly.
There are nine levels of martial arts in the world. The first level is the ultimate in martial arts and is the top martial artist designated by the imperial court.
Although there is also a difference between the strong and the weak among the first level, only on this peak can we see how far the martial arts is from the immortal way above the clouds.
"Nine Immortal Sects are overwhelming Great Yan, and an alien war has shattered the entire Great Yan's literary spirit and martial arts backbone."
"So, the strength of such a powerful Nine Immortal Sects is so different from the original one hundred thousand Great Flame soldiers. How could it be possible for those original one hundred thousand soldiers to survive to this day?" The old woman asked in a deep voice:
"If Mr. Qiao is lucky and wants to step into the desert with this kind of consciousness, then please come back."
"Although I can't stop you, I also know that you will definitely die if you do this."
It sounded like she was questioning this outrageous rumor from Qiao Mu, but when Qiao Mu listened carefully, it sounded like the old woman was talking to herself, pouring cold water on the luck in her heart.
Qiao Mu could only remain silent. In fact, he was very puzzled by this question and had no way of answering it.
Daozhen, a disciple of the Dao Dao Sect, told him that there was still a lone army in the desert, and what they had to face were the nine immortal sects that were far stronger than them.
Let’s not talk about whether they still have the will to fight for forty years...
The power of the Immortal Sect has surpassed that of the Great Yan Dynasty. If this lone army is still there, then the first prerequisite for their ability to survive so far is: either the Immortal Sect does not care about their life and death at all, or the Immortal Sect has other purposes and is deliberately for it.
The Immortal Sect treats mortals like ants and mayflies, like cats playing with mice. The gap between the two is as vast as the heavens.
"Since I, Qiao Shuangsen, am here, I will not leave." Qiao Mu said seriously:
"If there are still lone soldiers holding out in this desert, then I will try my best to help them escape."
"If this is just a scam, a baseless rumor, then it's not so bad." Qiao Mu said quietly:
"At least it's not like there is such an iron army fighting alone and without any support until now. Thinking about such days is painful."
If there really is such an iron army that has persisted for forty years, what is the most bitter thing?
It's not that they are alone and no one knows they are fighting.
But while this remnant army has been fighting bloody battles for forty years, the Great Yan Dynasty has already bowed its knees to the Nine Immortal Sects and devoted all the manpower and material resources of Kyushu to provide for the nine superior Immortal Sects.
There are even many people in Jiuzhou who don't know that strangers are so-called immortals, and they still worship the immortals on the shrines and offer incense.
Qiao Mu was born to be immortal. His life was worthless and he could always squander it at will. Therefore, he was brave and brave all the way and dared to enter this restricted area of life alone.
But in the eyes of this old woman, it made her, a veteran who had guarded Xi'an Pass for many years, dazzled.
"Just for a baseless rumor? Are you willing to gamble with your own life?" Her voice was still as cold as before, but her expression clearly fluctuated.
Qiao Mu only responded with a faint smile.
"If there really is such a remnant of the Great Flame, then their lives will naturally be more important than the life of this old man who is half-stepping into the coffin."
"Since I know this, how can I sit idly by and ignore it?"
Qiao Mu kept his words true.
After all, his life was worthless, not to mention the remnants of the Great Flame, just the possibility of being the best sword-killing immortal in the world in the past was worth the gamble.
Anyway, he is in a win-win business. He makes money whether he wins or loses the bet!
But these words had a different taste in the ears of the old guard.
"Mr. Qiao is so righteous." The old woman suddenly stood in awe. She, who had always been as cold as ice, bowed her hands towards Qiao Mu and saluted:
"I will continue to sit here and wait for Mr. Qiao's return. If Mr. Qiao needs anything else, feel free to ask."
After saying that, she called the soldiers around her, went to the warehouse and brought some water bags and dry food, and asked Qiao Mu to take them away.
"There is nothing more needed... why not spread my name well?"
Qiao Mu stroked the white beard at the corner of his mouth and said with a heroic smile:
"I have nothing in life but a good reputation. I like to show my holiness in front of others."
"You should keep my name in mind and don't let me die quietly. This is the greatest help you can give me."
Finished.
Qiao Mu laughed and turned around, jumped up, and was already walking towards the open gate of Anxi Gate alone.
Outside the door is a desolate desert, with strong winds blowing in the face along with yellow sand, and distorted heat waves blurring the vision.
A Xi'an Pass is the dividing line between Zhongzhou and the desert.
The guarding old woman followed the back of the old man who was walking away alone, and her heart was filled with awe again.
Qiao Mu's last words were actually the truth.
But when he said it on this occasion, it seemed like a heroic joke.
"Praise your name? If such heroic figures really care about reputation, how can they talk about it?" The old woman sighed: