Chapter 292: The Cabin in the Forest
"Roar!"
As the massive Taowu landed on the public square on the Heaven-Reaching Peak, the destruction it brought forth was devastating. The rumbling shockwaves and clouds of dust instantly enveloped the entire peak, continuously spreading towards the sky above the sea of clouds. Visitt novelbin(.)co/m for the latest updates
From the Dao of the Major Evils of the Heavens and Earth emerged a beast known to be “Arrogant and Ferocious” or the “Untameable.” It was the most savage and ferocious creature. Its enormous head, resembling that of a tiger or a leopard, was adorned with a fiery mane around its neck. Its fangs were terrifying, with a biting force capable of crushing mountains!
Aside from its massive size, this vicious beast naturally emanated a murderous aura. The moment it appeared, it would stir up storms and cause the peaks to tremble. Clearly, it wouldn't stop until it crushed all thirty-six peaks!
The moment this beast appeared, Venerable Wen Yuan reacted. As an eighth-realm cultivator and a powerful cultivator at the Heavenly Origin Realm, he once suppressed a True Dragon with one hand. Naturally, he wouldn't be weaker than this vicious beast.
But when Venerable Wen Yuan raised his hand, he saw a mass of dark clouds above him. It was as though the curtains of the heavens had opened.
A gigantic face wrapped in countless chains, emerged from the clouds. Many present immediately recognized what it was.
"Evil Ksitigarbha!" countless people exclaimed.
Indeed. However, it was not just the Evil Ksitigarbha. It was the True Form of the Evil Ksitigarbha whose presence was like a god and devil.
This was ranked tenth in the Catalog of the Mortal World's Ten Thousand Treasures—the True Form of Ksitigarbha!
This diabolical legendary artifact belonged to the Dark King Sect and was the foundation of their power.
What price did Lu Chengchou pay to convince them to bring this to Mount Shu today?
This was not just a legendary artifact. No sect would allow an ordinary disciple to leave their headquarters with the legendary artifact.
If a legendary artifact were to be brought out of the sect, an eighth-realm cultivator must be the one carrying it! No one could bear the consequence of losing such a treasure.
Given that the True Form of Ksitigarbha appeared, it indicated that the leader of the Dark King Sect was definitely present as well.
This mysterious figure who could command the foremost diabolical sect was undoubtedly a powerful eighth-realm cultivator.
With a legendary artifact, an eighth-realm cultivator could be considered as having stepped into the eighth-and-a-half realm, capable of slaying other cultivators at the Heavenly Origin Realm!
Rumble!
Thunder rumbled and clouds swirled chaotically!
Venerable Wen Yuan's eyes grew serious as he gazed upon this scene.
For the first time ever, a solemn sparkle of light was revealed in his eyes.
For these supreme beings who were in control of their Heavenly Origin, they had one foot in the heavens, leaving only half a step in the mortal realm. Normally, the mundane matters of the world rarely stirred their emotions.
Thus, Lu Chengchou's earlier antics were mere trifles in his eyes.
But this was different. Only another cultivator at the Heavenly Origin Realm could make supreme beings in control of their Heavenly Origin take things seriously.
As Venerable Wen Yuan gazed up at the sky, he seemed to see a towering figure in the clouds, overlooking the entire world with an icy gaze.
The Dark King!
When the True Form of Ksitigarbha appeared, four colossal entities appeared as well, coming from four directions.
A black whale, as large as a mountain, glided through the clouds as if swimming in the Northern Abyss, casting a massive shadow. On its back stood numerous diabolical sect cultivators, each exuding fierce auras.
There was also a pavilion adorned with intricate carvings and decorations, with red lanterns and colorful banners fluttering.
The pavilion slowly drifted over. As the door of the pavilion creaked open, a figure in red appeared.
A skull as large as the Heaven-Reaching Peak, surrounded by thunderclouds and crackling lightning, appeared. On the back of the skull was a deep fissure that had yet to be repaired.
The most peculiar sight was a vast azure waterfall flowing from the distant sky. As the waves splashed in the river, one would realize that the river was filled with human faces wailing in agony.
The Northern Abyss Hall... The Scarlet-Robe Hall... The White-Bone Hall, the Vermillion-Azurite Hall...
The Four Halls of Darkness had assembled!
The Dark King Sect's army had surrounded the Mount Shu Sect!
Those righteous cultivators from other sects, who initially distanced themselves thinking it was an internal conflict within Mount Shu, now witnessed the arrival of the diabolical sect.
Obviously, there were those upholding justice feeling the urge to help the Mount Shu Sect.
But immediately, some people amidst the spectators rushed out while shouting, "Darkness never dies!"
They then started hacking and killing the people around them!
Earlier, when the two had fallen here, the man in the black robe had pursued them closely. In a moment of desperation, Jiang Yuebai had taken Chu Liang and traversed through the mountain wall.
The stealth traversal art itself wasn't difficult, but traversing through the wall while carrying someone would require a very high level of skill. This showed that Jiang Yuebai's current mastery of the art had indeed reached an astonishing level.
After waiting for a while, Jiang Yuebai continued to traverse forward. She didn't dare to retrace her steps and instead traversed through the mountain wall. After traveling more than ten zhang, they suddenly found an open space.
It was a bright and open area.
Behind the mountain wall, there was a spacious valley with lush green grass.
There was even a wooden cabin on the open ground!
"Is there really such a place behind this mountain wall?" Chu Liang looked at the space in front of him, quite amazed.
As they traversed through the stone wall in an instant, they unexpectedly emerged into another hidden valley within the mountain. This place was already beneath the sea of clouds, and so well-hidden that they might never have found it if not for a stroke of luck.
"Are there actually people living beneath the sea of clouds on Mount Shu?" Jiang Yuebai was also very surprised. "Let's go in and take a look."
"It's fine to go in and take a look ..." Chu Liang said somewhat embarrassedly, "but Senior Sister Jiang, could you put me down first?"
Being held in Jiang Yuebai's arms wasn't a bad experience, but as a grown man, being carried like a princess by a young lady was somewhat embarrassing.
"Can you manage?" Jiang Yuebai, unconcerned with formalities, asked with a hint of concern.
"I'm much better now," Chu Liang quickly replied.
In fact, the reason he had been so weak earlier was because the Azure Ophidian Sword had instantly drained all his foundational qi as well as the three energies—vitality, qi, and spirit.
It wasn't that he had been injured.
But through the crazy recovery speed of his ultimate-tier Golden Cores, his Sea of Qi had recovered by half. He had returned to his normal state.
Nowadays, if there was one thing Chu Liang could boast about, it was his unparalleled recovery speed among his peers.
Since he said he was fine, Jiang Yuebai put him down, and the two walked side by side towards the wooden cabin.
"It looks like it has been deserted for a long time," Chu Liang said, looking at the thick dust piled up at the door as they approached the wooden house.
With that, he gently pushed the door.
It opened effortlessly, creaking because of its age and decay, and half of it fell off with a push.
A cloud of dust blew into their faces. Chu Liang waved his hand, and a breeze swept the dust away. Only then did the two enter the house.
The interior was very simple: a small bed, a desk with writing materials, and a yellowed book. It looked like the rough paper used by Mount Shu children to practice writing.
Chu Liang leaned closer to look and confirmed it was the familiar paper. Out of curiosity, they flipped through it.
The first page had the scrawls of a child.
"Haha, my teacher thinks making me reflect on my mistake while facing a wall is a punishment? Dream on! Who would've thought there would be a valley hidden beneath the sea of clouds? From now on, this is my secret hideout, and no one on Mount Shu knows about it!"
"The monkeys in this mountain are so annoying, always trying to invade my territory."
"The people on Mount Shu aren't as good as these monkeys; at least the monkeys are willing to be my friends."
"Oh no! I think Lu Wuqi found out that I would secretly traverse through the wall to this valley while I am supposed to reflect on my mistakes while facing the wall. How smart of him!"
"Hmm?" Upon seeing the name, they both exclaimed in surprise, "Is the disciple who recorded this from the same generation as Venerable Wuqi? That would make him an esteemed senior from at least four or five hundred years ago..."
It was astonishing that this rough paper had survived for so long. As they continued reading, they saw a mix of childish trivia and teenage concerns. Learning about the growth of an esteemed senior from hundreds of years ago was truly fascinating.
"The Mount Shu Summit is essentially held just for Lu Wuqi. There's no real competition for the head disciple. It is already very good that I was able to get second place."
"Teacher said it's a pity that his father is the sect leader. Otherwise, with his extraordinary talents, he would surely lead Mount Shu. But I think, if his father being the sect leader disqualifies him from becoming the sect leader, isn't that unfair?"
"So my mother was..."
"No wonder..."
"Why...why?!"
Something must have happened in between, as there was a long gap before the next entry. Chu Liang could tell there was a long gap because the handwriting on the next page was noticeably more mature and steady, indicating years of growth and experience.
"What should I do?"
"So, my mother has been trapped within the Demon-Suppressing Pagoda all these years! It was for my sake that she... Caiyi told me that I can only find the way to break the Demon-Suppressing Pagoda in the Divine Ruins Monastery."