Chapter 37: Nine Doubts Mountain Buries the Spiritual Vein
Lu Qingyang stepped on a broken section of Dragon Ridge Rock, the Nine Doubts Spiritual Mist coiling around his fingertips, glowing with a withered, greyish-blue hue.
The prophecy peeled from the Other Shore Flower seeds last night was now flowing across his palm, its blood-thread-like seal script intertwining with the qingmu spirit pearl's patterns, dyeing the reflected morning dew into a turbid amber.
He exhaled a mouthful of stale alcohol into a rock crevice; his Nascent Soul Middle Stage Divine Sense actually perceived a dragon-shaped spiritual marrow curled deep within the earth vein: "Ye Wuchen's grave-digging ability is even more efficient than a Tomb Raider's."
Yinghuo's silver bells on her wrist shattered the clouds gathered at the cliff edge, and nine layers of thunder fire surged from the southeast.
Lu Qingyang backhanded his wine gourd towards the thunderclouds; the lightning-avoiding Talismanic Incantations on the gourd's surface surged upon encountering the tribulation fire, actually condensing into a partial chapter of the Tai Xu Controlling Thunder Skill in mid-air.
He used his fingers to extract three wisps of thunder essence and stored them in a jade bottle; cracks on the bottle's body suddenly blossomed into a star map: "This spiritual liquid, tempered by thunder fire, makes better tea than the Drunken Immortal Pavilion's aged Pu'er..."
A rumble came from deep within Nine Doubts Mountain, and three hundred and sixty Spirit Suppressing Pillars broke through the earth.
Su Li's Puppet Silk entangled a tilted stone pillar; the moment the silver needle pricked into a crack, the verdigris peeling from the pillar's body actually condensed into a half-scroll of the Burial Spirit Secret Record.
Lu Qingyang twirled the fragmented page and sniffed it, then suddenly spat a mouthful of blood towards the southwest: "These old geezers from Taiyi Pavilion, their methods for nurturing Spiritual Veins are even more sinister than a demonic Cultivator's."
At the third quarter past noon, the three stepped into the core area where the Spiritual Vein was depleted.
Three hundred Netherworld Glaze lamps hung above the nine-turn circulating altar, each lamp wick imprisoning a Nascent Soul Cultivator's Divine Soul.
Lu Qingyang plucked a spiritual mist crystal dangling from a lamp eaves; however, what flowed within the crystal was not Spiritual Qi, but dense, intricate Soul Locking Contracts.
He flicked his finger at a lamp, and in the bursting netherfire, a scene of Ye Wuchen gouging out spiritual marrow was actually revealed.
"Kan Palace Five Steps, Xun Wind Dispels Calamity!"
Yinghuo's chensha stone struck the Zhen position array eye, temporarily stabilizing the rampaging Tomb Guarding Puppet.
Lu Qingyang seized the opportunity to pry open a hidden compartment in the altar; inside was not a classic text, but half a jar of spiritual marrow wine covered in cobwebs.
He dipped his finger in the wine and drew a crooked Talismanic Incantation on the ground; as the wine Qi steamed, a secret history of Taiyi Pavilion's first Ancestral Master extracting souls to nourish the Spiritual Vein was actually revealed.
Cracks appeared in the Spiritual Vein ruins at Shenshi, and nine layers of jade steps were immersed in never-dissipating resentment Qi.
Lu Qingyang picked up a wisp of resentful spirit and pressed it onto the surface of the qingmu spirit pearl; the blood patterns, upon encountering Yin Qi, actually bloomed into a thousand Udumbara flowers.
He stepped on the flower shadows and leaped towards the earth vein's opening; the lightning-attracting array patterns hidden in his boot soles reacted with the resentment Qi, and in the exploding green smoke, a star chart of the ancient Su Clan kingdom actually appeared.
"This deal is worth it!" He scooped up a falling meteorite in mid-air and stuffed it into his qiankun bag; upon touching the blood patterns, the stone suddenly played a section of the Nine Doubts Soul Soothing Melody.
Su Li's Puppet Silk pried open a rock crevice, revealing half of a Tomb Guarding Seal that fit perfectly with the jade pendant in his embrace.
The cinnabar remaining on the seal knob suddenly came alive, spreading a thousand-mile map of mountains and rivers across his Sea of Consciousness.
At midnight, a sudden Yin wind arose, and ninety-nine bronze hanging coffins emerged from deep within the earth vein.
Lu Qingyang stepped on the coffin inscriptions and leaped towards the main tomb chamber; the Burial Spirit Secret Record in his embrace suddenly spontaneously combusted, and golden powder seal script appeared in the ashes: "Once the Spiritual Vein is buried, it must be guided by a Soul Transformation bone."
He backhanded the golden powder onto the Talismanic Incantation of the tomb door; the cinnabar-drawn soul-suppressing patterns suddenly wept blood, dyeing the entire dome of the underground palace red.
The tomb chamber murals suddenly came alive, and Lu Qingyang slid along a gold-painted pillar towards the epicenter.
Within the seven-layered profound ice coffin was sealed a skeleton entangled in spirit-locking chains; the depression at its skull was actually identical in shape to the qingmu spirit pearl.
He pulled half a shroud and wrapped it around his wrist; the moment the fabric touched his skin, the Tomb Guardian's whisper suddenly boomed in his Sea of Consciousness: "He who steals the secrets of heaven shall endure ten lifetimes of Reincarnation tribulation."
The entire underground palace suddenly collapsed into a Spiritual Qi vortex, and Lu Qingyang dragged the two of them towards the earth vein's spring eye.
The qingmu spirit pearl spontaneously activated the Tai Xu Swallowing Sky Skill, devouring the chaotic Spiritual Qi as resources for breaking through his cultivation bottleneck.
He felt a warm object at the spring eye—it was actually a Soul Nurturing Lamp engraved with the character "Ye"; the lamp oil, mixed with Soul Transformation blood, was slowly condensing into the eyebrows and eyes of the first Ancestral Master.
The fifth watch drum sounded three times, and Nine Doubts Mountain began to tremble violently.
Lu Qingyang collapsed onto the fractured Dragon Head Rock, and the remaining Spiritual Vein tendrils wrapped around his fingertips suddenly spoke: "The qingmu tribulation bearer shall perish by devouring the Nine Doubts Dragon Qi."
He sneered, pressing the tendrils into the qingmu spirit pearl's opening; the Dragon Soul within the pearl suddenly opened its eyes, but what it spat out was not a curse, but half a sentence of the Earth Vein Soul Soothing Ode.
As dawn broke, a sword cry that rent the air came from behind the three.
Lu Qingyang backhanded the Soul Nurturing Lamp towards the source of the sound; the lamp flame, upon encountering the Sword Qi, surged into a netherworld Azure Dragon, tearing the pursuing Taiyi Pavilion Elder's Dharma Idol into pieces.
He raised his cup towards the dissipating morning glow; what floated in the wine was not a reflection, but the complete qingmu spirit pearl from the forehead of the skeleton in the profound ice coffin.
"This burial item," he crushed the Spiritual Vein crystal in his palm, "Mr. Lu will graciously accept it."