Chapter 276: Chapter 276: A Shrine, The Collapsing Mountain Gate
Among mountains, in front of the dilapidated palace and pavilion ruins.
Tianyizi’s expression was solemn, his gaze icy as it swept over the architectural remnants that had decayed and crumbled for who knows how many years. He stood still, silently contemplating for a long time.
“Shande, do you know what this palace used to be?” he suddenly asked, turning his head to look at the middle-aged Taoist beside him.
“I do not know,” Taoist Shande shook his head. He appeared to be in his forties, with a benevolent face and a calm demeanor, “Judging by the style of the architecture, it seems to be of the style from the southwestern region during the Central Dynasty era.”
After the war of Tianyang, the original Central Dynasty was divided into three nations, and over time different customs and architectural styles evolved, differing from those before the war of Tianyang. Those who were knowledgeable could easily tell the difference.
“That’s correct, this was once the residence of the Chixu Sect’s mountain gate,” Tianyizi said with his hands behind his back as he walked forward, stepping over the more than broken mountain gate and climbing the crumbling stairs towards the palace ahead, which was now but ruins and broken walls.
“The Chixu Sect?” Taoist Shande was taken aback, looking around in surprise and confusion, “It is said that the Celestial Man of the Chixu Sect fell mysteriously during the war of Tianyang, and even their original mountain gate residence disappeared without a trace, to be tucked away inside this Cave Sky?”
“That’s correct,” Tianyizi confirmed as he walked and nodded, “However, it wasn’t the work of a Celestial Man. If I’m not mistaken, this Cave Sky should contain not only the mountain gate of the Chixu Sect but perhaps also that of the Sword Pavilion.
“And other places such as the supreme Pure Dao, Pure Land Sect, and the Ten Thousand Laws Uniting Sect, which mysteriously disappeared during the war of Tianyang, are likely all within this particular Cave Sky.”
“How is that possible?!” Taoist Shande was shocked. Each of the sects mentioned by Tianyizi had been incredibly prominent and thriving right before the war of Tianyang.
Some originated from the legacy of the Middle Ancient Nine Saints, while some existed since the Ancient Mythological Era. Apart from lacking a Divine First Rank, the number of Tao Lords was not few.
“What’s so impossible? During the war of Tianyang, without a Divine First Rank, one didn’t have the power to control their own destiny,” Tianyizi continued walking forward, then suddenly he chuckled and shook his head, “No, even with Divine First Rank, it might not be enough…”
At this point, he suddenly paused, stopping his steps, and with a quickly emerging smile said, “We’ve arrived.”
Shande also stopped and looked around.
Here lay a massive foundation made of jade stone, atop which emerged a heap of broken, decaying architectural fragments, piled up like a mountain, so much so that the original structure was indiscernible.
However, beneath these fragments, something seemed to be buried, and now only a small part of it was faintly visible.
“This is the grand front hall of the Chixu Sect’s former mountain?” Taoist Shande’s expression also grew solemn as he carefully inspected the ruins of the building before him.
The grand front hall is usually the grand palace located in the area right after entering a sect’s mountain gate, where a statue of a teacher recognized by the sect as only second in status to the founder would be enshrined.
This palace was second only to the Founder’s Hall in terms of architectural specifications and overall standing, even higher than the Teacher’s Hall.
During the Middle Ancient period, this was a very common layout for buildings.
“Indeed, it is the grand front hall of the Chixu Sect.”
Tianyizi nodded slightly, and then suddenly waved his sleeves, stirring the ether from all directions, which immediately gathered into a whirlwind that scattered the ruined palace’s debris.
The stone fragments from the jade foundation were caught in the fierce wind and fell behind the grand front hall, and the object previously hidden beneath them was finally exposed to daylight again.
It was a collapsed shrine.
Inside the shrine was an enshrined statue.
The statue depicted a Taoist holding a jade slip, wearing a tall headpiece, clad in a ceremonial robe, with clouds carved in relief beneath his feet—the craftsmanship was nothing short of divine.
“This is the statue of the ‘Qing Yu Taoist’, the third patriarch of the Taixu Sect,” said Tianyizi with a complex expression as he gazed at the statue, sighing softly, “He attained the rank of Tao Lord during the Dark Era, he should have led the Taixu Sect to prosperity, yet he fell at the hands of the Thirty-Six Celestial Hands.
“However, it was precisely because of his strength that the Taixu Sect managed to endure through the most difficult times, enabling it to survive until the prosperous Middle Ancient Era after the downfall of the Thirty-Six Celestial Hands.
“Only then did the Middle Ancient era witness the rise of the ‘Yuan Yi Taoist,’ who attained Divine First Rank, establishing the sect’s glory that once rivaled ours at Taixu Viewpoint, Pure Yang Palace, and Tasang Dao Palace…
“What a pity that the Taixu Sect has eventually declined. I recently heard that the current head of the Taixu Sect is merely a Seventh Rank Warrior, which is truly laughable.”
“Yes,” said Shande, nodding as he spoke, “The Taixu Sect was attacked by the heretical Nine Deaths Sect three years ago. The sect master, elders, and all warriors of the Middle Third Rank were killed in battle. Nearly all the sect’s archives were plundered.”
“This sect, once glorious and carrying on the legacy from the Ancient Mythological Era, now likely has no future.”
“Indeed,” Tianyizi nodded lightly, his face reflecting pity.
He then stepped forward, slowly walking up to the statue of Qing Yu Taoist, placing his hand upon the jade slip held by the statue, and said, “Qing Yu, the Taixu Sect is nearly gone, the divine skills of the sect have been lost. Do you know this?”
The statue remained covered in dust, unmoving, offering no response.
Tianyizi stood there for a long while, his eyebrows beginning to furrow. Just as he was about to say something more, he suddenly sensed a change in the surrounding chi of heaven and earth.
It seemed as though someone was rapidly flying towards them.
“It’s those three from the Pure Yang Palace.” Shande, as a Fifth Rank Sect Master with a fully formed Dharma Phase and strong Divine Sense Perception, instantly detected the movement of Zhou Heng and his companions.
“Flying?” Tianyizi was slightly startled and questioned, “With a magic weapon?”
Zhou Heng and his two companions had not reached Secret Six Rank, nor did they have any Protectors accompanying them. Under normal circumstances, they would not be able to fly unless they possessed a special magic weapon.
“Hmm, it’s a magic weapon,” confirmed Shande with a nod.
“Pure Yang Palace… Taixu Sutra…” The thoughts in Tianyizi’s mind spun swiftly. After a moment of contemplation, he said, “Shande, when they pass by here, knock them down. I want Zhou Heng and Cheng Jianjian alive.”
“Yes,” Shande responded respectfully.
…
Above the clouds.
Zhou Heng, Cheng Jianjian, and Zhu Zhenzhen were seated on a cloud of light, speeding through the air. After flying over the vast grasslands, they finally glimpsed the undulating mountains, and excitement stirred in their hearts.
—This flying magic weapon only required a burst of Inner Qi to activate; the actual flight consumed a type of Spiritual Material known as ‘Yuanshen Crystal’. A single Yuanshen Crystal could sustain flight for a million miles.
“The presence of mountains suggests that this world isn’t just grasslands. As long as we keep flying forward, we might find populated areas,” Zhou Heng said, smiling at the distant peaks.
“I still have plenty of Yuanshen Crystals, enough for us to fly for a long time,” Cheng Jianjian nodded and laughed, “We should have enough to find some clues.”
“It’s baffling, what did Zhao Zhen or Zhao Qin have in mind by bringing us to this world?” Zhu Zhenzhen pouted, her face etched with confusion.
“We’ll probably have to wait until we find…” Zhou Heng’s words suddenly stopped. He stood up abruptly, his expression turning grave as he declared in a deep voice, “Just now, a Divine Sense swept over us; someone is spying on us. Be careful.”
His Divine Soul had already broken through the limits of a Seventh Rank Martial Artist on the Martial Path and was on par with any Secret Six Rank, and due to the enhancements of his spirit and Spiritual Root, his perception even surpassed that of the majority of Secret Six Rank practitioners.
Therefore, although Shande was a Sect Fifth Rank powerhouse, he had not deliberately concealed his traces in his previous probing, which naturally led to Zhou Heng detecting him.
Upon hearing this, both Cheng Jianjian and Zhu Zhenzhen’s expressions became grave.
Especially Cheng Jianjian, who with a gentle pat on the jade gourd at her waist, immediately saw five mystic treasures fly out, each glowing with different colors, encircling the three of them and forming a defensive perimeter.
These mystic treasures, which included shields, screens, and objects of silken appearance among others, were all glowing softly, closely interconnected, instantly creating a simple defensive formation.
With such full of spirit and wondrous effectiveness, most of them were likely treasures of the Secret Six Rank.
At that moment, Zhou Heng couldn’t help but feel that Cheng Jianjian was exuding an aura of wealth.
Where on earth had this girl acquired so many Secret Six Rank treasures?
It was almost too many.
However, this sentiment only lasted for a few short breaths.
After they traveled a distance forward, a sword light suddenly rose from between the mountains, shooting up into the sky and targeting them.
This sword light was immensely powerful, piercing through the clouds in an instant, reaching the heavens as if it were a beam connecting heaven and earth, splitting the world ahead into two halves.
An incomparable and terrifying might was contained within that sword strike, as if the laws of the world around them had all submitted to this sword light, and everything else was overshadowed and lost its color.
Faced with such a sword light, an ordinary Peak Seventh Rank warrior wouldn’t even think of resisting.
Because it was truly too strong.
Under normal circumstances, even the most powerful Peak of the Seventh Rank, when faced with such a sword light, would feel as insignificant as an ant, utterly inconsequential.
But neither Zhou Heng nor Cheng Jianjian were ordinary Peak Seventh Rank warriors, and this was not a normal situation.
Almost the instant the sword light surged towards them,
The five Secret Six Rank treasures activated by Cheng Jianjian sprang into action. They had already been arranged into a defensive formation, forming a multicolored light barrier which protected the three of them within.
Boom!
With a loud crash, the sword light struck the barrier, and in just an instant, Cheng Jianjian’s face turned pale, blood oozed from the corner of her mouth, the barrier shattered on impact, and the five Secret Six Rank treasures emitted mournful cries, falling upon the clouds above.
After all, Cheng Jianjian was not truly of the Secret Six Rank, and though she could activate five Secret Six Rank treasures simultaneously, she couldn’t unleash their full power.
With her current cultivation at the Peak of the Seventh Rank, to block such a sword light for even an instant was already her limit.
However, even if it was just that instant, it had provided Zhou Heng with a sliver of an opportunity to resist.
He threw Cheng Jianjian and Zhu Zhenzhen to the sides with all his strength, facing the sword light alone, and was instantly annihilated by the sword light, shattered to pieces.
Yet, there was no blood to be seen, only paper effigies shredded by the sword light.
In the instant before the sword light hit, Zhou Heng had executed the art of wood escape dozens of times, using paper effigies to flash away from that terrifying sword light.
At the same time, the group of cloud mystic treasures were completely shattered by the sword light, turning into light fragments and dispersing like smoke.
The three of them fell from the high skies.
Cheng Jianjian, acting decisively, forcibly channeled her Inner Qi, activating a red silk-like magic weapon. Instantly, a long streak of red light stretched out, catching all three of them.
But this red silk magic weapon had no ability to fly, and could only drag the three of them down towards the mountains below.
At this time, at the ruins of the Taixu Sect gates.
Shande, looking at the red light in the sky, couldn’t help but marvel and laughed, “These three actually have such skill. They truly deserve to be the strongest of the young generation from Pure Yang Palace.”
“After all, Pure Yang Palace is a place that can stand side by side with our Taixu Viewpoint, it should not be underestimated,” Tianyizi said quietly, watching the red light falling from the sky, “Shande, you must be careful with that Zhou Heng. This great reincarnated spirit has an unusually excessive number of contingencies.”
“Yes,” Shande nodded.
He did not make another move, after all, his initial intention was only to bring Zhou Heng and the others down, not to kill them, and for that very reason, the sword strike he had used did not even utilize one-tenth of his strength.
Thus, Zhou Heng and Cheng Jianjian had the opportunity to defend and dodge.
A moment later, Zhou Heng, Cheng Jianjian, and Zhu Zhenzhen descended into the ruins amidst the red silk glow, encountering the collapsed shrine of the Pure Virtue Taoist.
They also saw Tianyizi and Shande.
“Tianyizi? Why were you also captured by Zhao Zhen and Zhao Qin?” Zhou Heng’s gaze swept over Tianyizi and Shande, speaking in a deep voice, “You should know what they are trying to do.”
“No, you are mistaken,” Tianyizi shook his head and laughed lightly, “I do not know what they want to do, nor am I interested. I just wanted to come to this Cave Sky world.”
“Is there something special here?” Zhou Heng tried to pry more information.
“Indeed, it is somewhat special,” Tianyizi noticed Zhou Heng’s intentions but didn’t expose them for some reason. Instead, he continued, “This is the former site of the Taixu Sect’s gates. This shrine is that of the ‘Pure Virtue Taoist’ who led the Taixu Sect through the Dark Age.”
“What are you trying to say?” Zhou Heng frowned.
“The ‘Taixu Scripture’ which the Pure Yang Palace’s entry-level disciples study comes from the Taixu Sect’s founding master, the Taoist Guardian Jingjing,” Tianyizi’s smile grew thicker, “I would like you to do me a favor.”
“What if I say no?” Zhou Heng’s eyes began to blur slightly; he was ready with several special skill cards, prepared to use them at any moment.
A formidable Fifth Rank Sect Master was present, and precautions were necessary.
“Unfortunately, you do not have the luxury of refusal,” Tianyizi’s smile intensified as he suddenly turned sarcastic. Standing with his back turned, hands behind him, he spoke lightly, “Shande, kill Zhu Zhenzhen first.”
Before his voice faded, Shande made his move.
At the same time, Zhou Heng acted as well, pointing a finger at Shande.
“Pregnant!”