Three months ago
Gazing at the scenery of the island from a distance, the unique lush greenery was followed by a rugged, undulating mountain.
Every detail, every charm, was enough to correspond with the contents left behind in the jade slip by Dong Heng.
After observing for a long while, and seeing no signs of human habitation on the deserted island, Chu Weiyang finally let go of the last trace of his thoughts, and his entire being relaxed completely.
With a flick of his finger, a Spirit Stone was sent flying by Chu Weiyang, whistling as it embedded itself into the groove on the cabin door.
In an instant, it seemed to activate some formation, causing the entire solitary boat to radiate with spiritual light.
The next moment, a hazy, translucent halo suddenly appeared, enveloping the boat, deflecting the waves, and even the raging winds could not intrude.
At the same time, Chu Weiyang drew his long sword and leaped down from the bow of the ship.
In his mind, he heard the clear voice of Chunyu Zhi. “How is it? We are getting closer to the Ancient Cultivator's Cave, do you have any expectations?”
Chu Weiyang shook his head. “In the schemes of the Master and Disciple of Baihua Tower, no matter what I obtain in the Ancient Cultivator's Cave, it’s all just a windfall. Just this point is better than anything else!”
In response, even Chunyu Zhi's laughter turned mischievous.
Amidst their banter, Chu Weiyang traversed the muddy beach, stepping onto the damp ground of the island, and entered the dark, jade-black thicket.
After a while, Chu Weiyang stood atop the rugged hill at the center of the island.
At this moment, with his long sword on his back, one hand holding the jade slip and the other clutching the compass, he looked up at the slanted sunlight and then down at the rocky path, feeling a bit dizzy.
Staring blankly at a sharp rock nearby that resembled a dagger, Chu Weiyang weakly spoke, “Didn’t we just pass this place twice? That rock looks quite familiar…”
Just as Chu Weiyang was still puzzled, suddenly, the voice of Chunyu Zhi echoed in his mind. “To your left, just a step away, do you see that rock? Step on it!”
Upon hearing this, Chu Weiyang understood her meaning, and without hesitation, he stepped forward, channeling his profound Qi to shake the five viscera and meridians, gathering all his strength into his foot!
Bang—! The mountain rock cracked in response, and when he looked again, within the shattered stone, there lay a jade talisman intricately carved with cloud patterns, radiating with spiritual light.
Without needing Chunyu Zhi to say anything further, as soon as he saw the jade talisman, Chu Weiyang let his sleeve fall, and with a flick of his palm, a piece of emerald fire descended, enveloping the jade talisman.
In just two or three breaths, accompanied by the sound of fine explosions, when he looked again, only a handful of powder remained at the spot.
Then, as a gust of wind blew by, nothing was left.
When Chu Weiyang raised his eyes again, the rugged hill before him seemed unchanged, yet it felt as if its aura had greatly transformed.
Recalling the feng shui recorded in the jade slip by Dong Heng, he carefully observed, and gradually, he began to find a path among the scattered stones.
“This…” Chunyu Zhi's voice followed, “This is precisely the formation of Baihua Tower. Because the talismans, formations, and restrictions intertwine, they are never separate. The formation in this mountain is almost inherited from the restrictions left by that girl Qing He. If it weren’t for just now having seen through the restrictions, this formation alone could have delayed us for quite some time…”
Upon hearing this, Chu Weiyang chuckled freely and then stepped toward the more perilous areas of the mountain. “Naturally, I must rely on your marvelous methods, Miss Zhi!”
In the narrow courtyard where Chu Weiyang had previously been, in Jing'an Dao City, Shi Yuting removed her veil and stood solemnly in the center of the courtyard.
Behind her, half a step back, was the female cultivator named Lian'er.
Before them, a female cultivator named Qing He was kneeling on the ground in panic.
For a long time, no one spoke in the courtyard.
Shi Yuting's somber gaze seemed to contain genuine power.
Under her prolonged scrutiny, Qing He appeared increasingly terrified, shrinking and trembling until, in a moment, she was shaking like a leaf.
After a long while, Shi Yuting's voice finally broke the silence. “He'er, it has been two years since I have examined you so closely. I never expected, truly never expected, that the shy little child who didn’t even dare to call me ‘Master’ back then has grown up. Now, the grown-up version of you feels unfamiliar to me. In just a blink of an eye, you have learned to play tricks, intercepting from my front, stealing food from others' bowls…”
As she lamented, Shi Yuting seemed immersed in the sorrow of the passage of time, and when she looked again, the fear on Qing He’s face intensified.
“Master, Master…” Not daring to rise, Qing He awkwardly crawled a few steps on the cold ground, stumbling as she raised her hand to embrace Shi Yuting's leg.
But Shi Yuting simply took a steady step back, causing Qing He to fall heavily to the ground.
When she stood up again, half of her face was covered in dirt and tears.
Shi Yuting looked down, her gaze devoid of any emotion, as if she were watching a poor performance.
“He'er, every frown and smile, every sorrowful cry, was something I taught you hand in hand back then… We have not reached this point, and you need not be like this, lest I look down upon you. I have no need to harbor resentment against you for an outsider. Just one thing, He'er, these advancements you have made, you did not learn from me. Within a lineage, there are distinctions of high and low, yet the skills you have learned, I can hardly look upon favorably…”
As she spoke, she noticed a few tears on Qing He’s face suddenly stop, leaving her in a daze.
Before she could think of any words to make amends, Shi Yuting’s expression suddenly changed.
With a flip of her hand, she held a sky-blue jade talisman in her palm, examining it closely.
The spiritual light on the talisman flickered increasingly, and suddenly, cracks appeared on the talisman.
In the next moment, the spiritual light dimmed, and the treasure cried out in sorrow before suddenly shattering.
Shi Yuting opened her mouth, her beautiful face filled with astonishment.
But in the next moment, a radiant smile blossomed on her face.
She raised her hand, allowing the young lady Qing He to observe as the powder from the shattered talisman flowed through her fingers, and then silently dissipated in the wind.
“Look, this is his choice. The vast ancient records up to now do not allow everyone's karma to manifest, nor can anyone rise amidst calamities. But regardless of how weak his cultivation is, the spirit and ambition within him are evident to me.
If your vile schemes could destroy him, then such a person, such karma, would not be worth my anger. Yet he grows ever more resilient… Little hoof, you think your schemes have caused me to lose the initiative, but the matters of karma in this world have never been calculated based on the initiative.
The more I see his character, the more I see his integrity. Even if I suffer some losses, even if I must bow my head in the future, I am willing. This is the path of emotions nurtured in the Baihua Killing, this is the supreme immortal road refined by the heart and mind within our sect’s lineage!”
How can there be a method that satisfies both sides in this world…
At this moment, Shi Yuting's smile grew even more intense.
In the same place, the expressionless Qing He trembled three times, and when she looked again, her delicate face turned pale, devoid of any color.
“If it weren’t for me awakening you, in another eighteen years, you wouldn’t understand these matters either.”
“Your master left early; do you really think I can’t see through it? He’er, you were not always of such dark disposition. Who instigated you? Who incited you?”
“Lian'er, are you really just standing here watching our joke?”
“To speak frankly, this time I resolve karma, and to put it bluntly, it can also be considered as walking through tribulations. At this level, I can also open incense and inherit the lineage, taking disciples and teaching methods; you two, raised before me halfway, are no different from my own disciples. But taking disciples is itself a matter of incense and karma.”
“I do not yet know where my future lies. Originally, I planned to take only one disciple, but now… whoever among you two survives will take this position.”
“It is indeed interesting. I plotted against my master, and in the future, who among you two will plot against me? Us three women…”
With such sighs and reflections, Shi Yuting turned and stepped out of the courtyard.
As she approached the door, she paused, waved her hand, and closed the two doors.
The restriction’s spiritual light swirled, and the sounds from within could no longer be heard.
The higher one ascended, the darker the color of the mountain stones became, increasingly resembling ink.
As he wound through the twists and turns, relying on the compass in his hand and the positioning from Dong Heng’s jade slip, Chu Weiyang leaped several times, soon disappearing among the rugged stones.
The long corridor seemed almost naturally eroded.
The stone walls of the corridor felt almost oiled when touched.
Walking cautiously, in fact, more and more details began to reflect the contents of the jade slip.
Chu Weiyang no longer felt anxious.
The path he walked had long been explored by Dong Heng and his brother; any benefits left behind had long since vanished.
The truly precious thing was still that suspected treasure chamber.
Thus, after several turns, Chu Weiyang traversed through rubble, powder, and decayed earth.
When he finally stood firm again, before him was a jade stone door marked with mottled traces.
Behind him lay ashes and dust; any slight movement would send clouds of gray smoke scattering.
Only the jade stone door before him still radiated with spiritual light.
Raising his sword, he slowly approached the door.
One breath, two breaths, three breaths…
This time, Chu Weiyang did not urge; he simply stood there quietly waiting.
After a short while, suddenly, Chunyu Zhi's clear voice reached his mind. “What Dong Heng said is true; it requires the essence blood of the Five Qi to dissolve the restrictions. Moreover… considering the years that have passed, it has been a long time. Just applying the essence blood will cause this ancient restriction to collapse. Time is like a knife… As for the rest, there is nothing more to say…”
Chunyu Zhi’s tone carried a rare heaviness.
Thus, Chu Weiyang did not ask further, and in place, he calmly raised his long sword.
Swish—!
In the next moment, a violent sound, as if the earth itself were rolling, suddenly echoed, causing Chu Weiyang to stagger several steps.
At one moment, the young man could not stand firm, and as he pressed his hands against the jade stone door—
In an instant, the jade stone turned to powder.
Chu Weiyang suddenly fell into the so-called treasure chamber.
As the powder and dust rose, Chu Weiyang squinted his eyes and looked ahead.
Initially, in the dim chamber, there was a flicker of light resembling a candle flame.
Then, in the next moment, that spiritual light suddenly filled Chu Weiyang's vision, and in an instant, a bizarre illusion unfolded, engulfing Chu Weiyang's figure and even his spirit!
In an instant, the world spun.
Then, the boundless darkness before him had yet to dissipate.
The sounds of a bustling crowd reached Chu Weiyang's ears.
When he suddenly opened his eyes, his figure swayed, and he instinctively pressed against the edge of a large wooden table to steady himself.
Looking around in surprise and panic, he saw vast and continuous mountains, with no seasonal disturbances.
The vitality of everything in the mountains was at its most prosperous state.
Standing halfway up the mountain, he hazily turned to look back, and the narrow bluestone path stretched straight down to the foot of the mountain.
Just as he was lost in thought, staring at the crowded people on the mountain path, suddenly, someone tugged at Chu Weiyang's sleeve.
Turning to look, standing beside him was a girl with a cool demeanor, and upon closer reflection, this was the figure of Chunyu Zhi that had once illuminated his mind.
At this moment, Miss Zhi was very cautious, merely looking at Chu Weiyang with a probing gaze, biting her lip.
Even though she seemed to want to speak several times, not a sound escaped her lips.
At this time, an impatient voice came from across the large wooden table.
Looking in the direction of the voice, he saw a proud young man clad in a dark robe.
“I ask you again, for the third time, which sect are you from, under whose lineage do you cultivate, and have you arranged for accommodation to participate in our Pan Wang Sect's grand ceremony?”
In his dazed state, upon hearing this, Chu Weiyang's expression grew even more bewildered.
He seemed to think of something but hesitated to believe it.
Opening his mouth, he ultimately fell silent again.
Seeing Chu Weiyang's awkward appearance, the proud young man behind the wooden table suddenly burst into laughter.
“Is this your first time participating in our Pan Wang Sect's incense ceremony? Don’t be nervous; just tell me your identity. Even if you fabricate a story, it’s fine. The Pan Wang Sacred Sect is grand and prosperous, and we won’t lack for your meals these few days…”
At this moment, Chu Weiyang slightly calmed his mind.
In a moment of inspiration, he seemed to realize something, looking directly at the proud young man behind the wooden table, and calmly spoke.
“I am a native of Anping Village, thirty miles south of Yusui River, my master is Guo Dian, and I practice the ‘Five Viscera Food Qi Essence Technique.’ I am indeed a disciple of the Pan Wang Sacred Sect!”