Chapter 0701: Stop the Invaders

As soon as Yishijun entered Zhibubang, he hid the old man's body, and his soul jumped into the vast sea, first turning into a fish, and then into a crow after reaching the shore. He had long known the existence of the flawless ice mirror and could easily avoid surveillance.

After Mu Xingqiu crossed the waves, he only heard a message from the sea: Don't reveal my whereabouts, I'm waiting for you on the Yuanhuang Peninsula.

Zhibubang is located on the westernmost coast of the continent. Twenty or thirty miles further west, across the sea is the Yuanhuang Peninsula - it was originally connected to the continent, and the passage was destroyed by magic a long time ago, and the peninsula became a pure island, but the name did not change.

Mu Xingqiu flew in the air and saw the Yuanhuang ancestral fire that had been burning for more than 100,000 years.

The island is very large, almost the same area as Zhibubang on the opposite side. The flames cover 70% to 80%, but the momentum is not particularly fierce. It looks like an ordinary wildfire. Mu Xingqiu's Tianmu can't see any traces of magic.

A circle of trees was planted on the edge of the island, surrounding the flames. There were three layers of trees in total, the inner layer was almost black, the middle was brown, and the outer layer was green. Those were the remnant trees that blocked the ancestral fire of the remote wilderness. They were also plain and ordinary. The tallest one was only more than ten feet tall and as thick as a bowl. They looked like saplings that had not grown up yet. They probably had no chance to grow up there.

Mu Xingqiu didn't look too closely. He took the golem and flew straight to the palace on the coast.

There were obvious magic restrictions on the land. Mu Xingqiu followed the local customs, landed on the ground, and walked up the mountain along a dirt road. The road was not long and he would soon reach the end.

There were many flowers, plants and trees planted on both sides of the road, but there were no houses.

Mu Xingqiu hadn't walked far when he heard a clear voice from the mountain, "Who are you? Tell me your name."

"My name is Mu Xingqiu." This name is quite famous outside Zhibu State, but it has no impact here. He added, "I used to be a Taoist priest in Pangshan."

"You, you said you are a Taoist priest?" The voice on the mountain suddenly became panicked.

Mu Xingqiu looked up, but because of the angle, he couldn't see where the speaker was. "I used to be, I have withdrawn from the Taoist tradition, and now I am just an ordinary person. I bring some important news. Please introduce me to the king of Zhibu State."

"Taoist priest, how could it be a Taoist priest..." The people on the mountain became more and more panicked, and even the voice disappeared.

Mu Xingqiu continued to walk up. He had heard about the ban on Taoist priests entering Zhibu State, but he didn't expect it to cause such a big reaction.

After turning a corner, the road suddenly became steeper, and the end of dozens of stone steps was the base of the palace. Mu Xingqiu stood in front of the stone steps and found a group of soldiers blocking the way.

Although they are called armored soldiers, their armor is very strange. It is made of wood chips, as if it is the relic of the Far Wilderness Peninsula. The black color protects the head, heart and other vital parts, the brown color covers other parts of the body, and the green color is used for decoration. Even the swords and guns in their hands are made of black wood. The style is rough and old, and there are no scratches on them. It seems that they are rarely used.

"Stop, intruder." An officer with more black armor ordered, "His Majesty the Fire Tree King has not summoned you yet."

Mu Xingqiu glanced around. He didn't know much about Zhibu State. So far, the impression he got was that this place was not big, there were not many people, but there were many trees. It was located in the extreme northwest, but it had a bit of southern style.

The army of Zhibu State should not be large in scale and its combat effectiveness was not strong. At least the dozen soldiers blocking Mu Xingqiu were very ordinary. They were not as strong as the beast monsters, and they had no spells on them. Those ridiculous wooden armors seemed to be only decorative.

It's no wonder. The war in the outside world has never stopped, but it has never involved Zhibu State. For more than 100,000 years, peace has been maintained here, and managing tree planters does not require too much force.

What about the desperate criminals who broke into Zhibu State from various channels before? They can't all be so honest. How did they integrate into Zhibu State? Mu Xingqiu made a note of this question in his heart.

"What did you bring?" the officer asked, looking very curious.

"A statue. ׺°" ˜˜`"°º×"

"Is it also wearing armor?"

Compared with the simple wooden armor on the soldiers of the Zhibu State Palace, the armor of the golem is a bit too exquisite. Although the golem is tall, the armor is not perfunctory at all. It is completely made according to its body shape. Every part fits well. The tree branch pattern engraved on it is simple but not rough, revealing a sense of mystery.

"Silver Soul Armor." Mu Xingqiu said. The golem followed behind him, with its feet less than a foot off the ground. He cast a spell to bring it here, but the closer it got to the palace, the stronger the magic restrictions that permeated the surroundings became, making it increasingly difficult to drive the golem. He began to understand why all the intruders over the years had been so obedient.

"Silver Soul? All of it?" The officer showed a surprised expression, and he and the soldiers around him looked at each other, all a little unconvinced.

"Yeah." Mu Xingqiu had seen a lot of silver soul armor, but customizing silver soul armor for a three-meter-tall golem was indeed a rare and generous move, and it was no exaggeration to say that it was priceless.

"If this is really silver soul armor, His Majesty the Fire Tree King will be very happy. He will give you a generous reward and send you to the best place, maybe as a guard in the palace." The officer's tone softened a lot.

The Zhibubang Palace was built on a stone platform, with many official residences on both sides, and many civil and military officials coming in and out. There was a wide passage in the middle, and there seemed to be a large area behind the main hall, which Mu Xingqiu could not see from where he was standing.

The golem soon attracted a lot of attention. More and more humans and monsters gathered around to watch and gently touch the silver soul armor.

Mu Xingqiu stood aside and continued to observe. There was indeed no barrier in Zhibubang. Humans and monsters were mixed together, wearing the same official uniforms and talking enthusiastically. He did not see any beast monsters. The language here was also very strange. Mu Xingqiu could hardly understand a word, but when talking to him, these officials and soldiers could speak fluent human language.

"Who was the one who shouted to me on the mountain just now?" Mu Xingqiu asked the officer.

"Minister Nan Jing."

"He doesn't seem to like Taoist priests."

"Hehe, maybe it's because of the prophecy. We've never seen Taoist priests here...You and I don't imagine Taoist priests the same."

"Because I have already left the Taoist tradition." Mu Xingqiu smiled. The people of Zhibu State looked simple and innocent, and they were not aggressive to the new outsiders. "What prophecy can make the minister dislike Taoist priests?"

"It's not that I don't like them, but I'm a little afraid. The prophecy says that if Taoist priests enter Zhibu State, the fire on the island will be extinguished, and Zhibu State will be destroyed. But who believes it? The ministers believe it, but I don't. The ancestral fire has been burning for more than 100,000 years, and a Taoist priest can put it out? Tell me, do you have the ability to put out the fire?"

Mu Xingqiu smiled and shook his head. So far, he really doesn't have this ability.

"That's it. I know why you came to Zhibubang."

"Really?"

"You used to be a Taoist priest, but not now. You must have offended the Taoist tradition and came to Zhibubang to seek refuge. There are many people like you here, but they just offended different people. So, even if you have the ability to put out the fire, why would you put it out? If the fire is gone, Zhibubang will be gone, and your refuge will be gone, right?"

Mu Xingqiu nodded again, "I did offend the Taoist tradition."

The burly golem and the smile on his face made Mu Xingqiu very popular. The officer pulled him aside and whispered, "The Fire Tree King will definitely like your gift. If he lets you choose a place to go, don't choose the palace. You will know in the future that this place is boring and has no money. Go to the island to be a tree protector, and you will thank me then."

"Thank you now. Let me ask, who are the people who plant trees on the island?"

"Demon slaves, you can get a lot of benefits from them." The officer squinted his eyes, indicating that everything was tacitly understood and there was no need to say more.

Mu Xingqiu really wanted to fly to the island immediately to find the whereabouts of his relatives in Yelin Town, but he held back. The island was huge, and it was inefficient to search for people randomly. If he could get the help of the Fire Tree King, things would be simpler.

An order finally came out from the palace, and those who came in entered the palace, and the statue stayed outside.

Mu Xingqiu walked to the main hall under the guidance of a minor official, and did not move the golem.

The onlookers gradually dispersed. The guards in front of the palace felt that the golem was blocking the way. When they started to move it away, they were surprised to find that the statue was not as light as it looked. It was as heavy as if it had roots. A dozen soldiers could not move it at all.

This was the first time that the subjects of Zhibubang saw the difference of the Taoist priests. Before this, all intruders would lose their special powers after setting foot on the land of Zhibubang, and it was impossible for them to transport such a heavy statue alone.

In the cold palace, the ministers and assistants lined up in two rows. The Fire Tree King sat on the throne, facing south and back to the north, waiting for the visitor to come. He decided to forget the ominous prophecy for the time being. He had heard that the statue outside was wrapped in silver soul armor. He thought that the Taoist priest who could bring gifts should not bring destruction.

Mu Xingqiu stopped at the signal of the guide. The palace was also the place with the most powerful magic confinement. The eighth level of illusion could only exert the power of the third or fourth level.

Mu Xingqiu had no intention of using force, so he bowed to the Fire Tree King on the platform.

The atmosphere in the palace suddenly became cold. It was just an ordinary bow, too sloppy. The visitor seemed to think that he could be equal to the Fire Tree King, which was an extremely rare thing.

The Fire Tree King did not intend to speak. The cordial comfort could only be given to those humble helpers. To the reckless visitors who did not know etiquette, he showed only majesty.

"Mu Xingqiu, tell me the purpose of your visit to Zhibu State, and what gifts you brought?" A minister spoke up. Having assisted the Fire Tree King for many years, he could guess the emperor's intentions without any hints and knew when he should stand up.

"Sorry, the statue outside is not a gift. As for the purpose, I have several." Mu Xingqiu said, his eyes swept over every human and demon in the hall, "One of them is particularly important to your majesty: I want to get rid of several treacherous ministers for you."

There was an uproar in the hall, but Mu Xingqiu continued to observe. He believed that the soul changers of the Longbin Society would not be willing to be inferior to others in Zhibu State, and must be hiding in the palace where power is most concentrated.