Chapter 777: The Secret Cave Inside The Mountain
Translator: Sparrow Translations Editor: Sparrow Translations
The appearance of Shi Xingyun’s soul was not that of a human but that of a vivacious Immemorial Celestial Dragon. It was clear and vivid as if it were corporeal.
The dragon soul stared at the Da Kong Monk with such a ferocity that the monk felt chills creep down his spine. "This girl’s soul is too powerful for a nascent soul stage cultivator. Even if she assimilated the dragon soul of an undying demonic stage dragon into her own soul, she shouldn’t be at this level… Wait, maybe she’s the incarnation of a Celestial Dragon?"
The Celestial Dragon Soul opened its mouth and let out a piercing roar.
The roar shook even Zhu Yi as his magic treasures started to react with faint trembles.
It was very different from the battle she had with Sang Luohe during the Spiritual Conference of Huanghai. She had held back most of the strength of her soul, but she was unleashing every ounce of it now. It was not just the pressure that came from her power – she channeled esoteric techniques that were previously unbeknownst to the world.
The Dragon Emperor’s Celestial Roar!
The rippling strength of the dragon soul stirred up the clouds all around as the space-time in the immediate vicinity started to twist out of proportion.
The power of her soul reached a level that it even affected matter and had an effect on material things. This power was rarely seen even in immortal soul cultivators.
Shaken by Shi Xingyun’s Dragon Emperor’s Celestial Roar, the Da Kong Monk could already feel the immense pressure on his Buddha Spell Body that had already sustained multiple injuries. He felt as if he was a sand-castle faced with a tide of crashing waves.
The intensely destructive of the Buddha’s Rise Into Nirvana spell held off Zhu Yi and the Bodhi Soul, but now it had to contend with the Dragon Emperor’s Celestial Roar. Under the overwhelming pressure from all sides, there was no way the Da Kong Monk could sustain it and it was cut off in its midsection as the air of Buddhist lights all around dissipated in an instant.
Zhu Yi fired rows of Light and Darkness Characters as they started to form a paragraph which eventually transformed into a sprawling golden bridge that surged towards the Da Kong Monk.
There was nothing the Da Kong Monk could do. With a long sigh of defeat and exasperation, the Da Kong Monk waved his arm and dozens of relics were tossed outwards.
The Forever-Bright Bodhi Heart Lamp changed his stance as he swept up the relics in a burst of Buddhist light but withdrew his assault on the Da Kong Monk.
The Da Kong Monk started treading slowly across the void and white lotus flowers appeared beneath his feet with every step.
The appearance of the white lotus flowers blocked off Zhu Yi’s golden bridge, but the formidable force of the golden bridge caused the white lotus flowers to break apart and shatter continuously.
The Da Kong Monk continued forward as white lotus flowers continued to appear beneath his feet to replace the ones that were destroyed by the golden bridge. This was another powerful Escaping Spell of the Great Thunderclap Temple – the Lotus Flower March.
It was dissimilar to the pure speed of the Garuda Windsurfing Technique. The nature of the Lotus Flower March was similar to the Celestial Spell of Elusiveness from the ancient Heaven’s Gate Sect – it had a unique and profound strength to it and was used to break through or fend off against the obstructive spells of the adversary.
Even though his injuries were getting worse, he no longer had to suppress the golden body of the Great Sun Holy Man and the Da Kong Monk actually became a little more powerful than before.
Zhu Yi watched the Da Kong Monk with his escaping spell as he sat cross-legged on top of the Kirin cosmic form. He stood up all of a sudden as all four forms started to chant words and eight limbs worked together to produce books, pen and paper, rulers and even a zither as they performed an ancient ceremony.
With the support of the Supreme Holy Ancient Apparel, the Essay of the Sages was even more powerful than usual as the golden bridge erupted with power and collectively suppressed the lotus flowers beneath the Da Kong Monk’s feet.
The Four Appearances Sky Formation transformed into a patch of thick light mist that blanketed the cosmos and clashed heavily with the Da Kong Monk’s Buddha Spell Body.
The Da Kong Monk grunted a single time as his Buddha Spell Body started to crack like a porcelain vase that was about to shatter.
"Have mercy on my soul, Buddha!" The Da Kong Monk exclaimed as a golden cloth banner appeared on the forehead of his Buddha Spell Body with rows of scripture written in red ink.
There was no overwhelming aura of destructiveness, no flashing of Buddhist light and neither were there any special transformations.
However, the Da Kong Monk’s cracking Buddha Spell Body miraculously re-solidified itself with the appearance of the golden banner. Even though the web-like cracks were still there, it stopped spreading.
At this very moment, in the space above the raging battlefield, the void finally descended into chaos as uncountable numbers of black holes appeared in midair and tore the void into pieces.
After experiencing the Da Kong Monk’s Rise Into Nirvana Spell, Shi Xingyun’s Dragon Emperor’s Celestial Roar and Zhu Yi’s final assault, the spiritual energy in the midsection of the mountain finally lost control and became highly unbalanced. The power of the Ying Sea and the defensive mechanisms of the Yingzhou Celestial Mountain were triggered as the mountain sought to suppress the disturbance.
The pressure from the cracks were too much as Zhu Yi’s eyes started to flash with bright lights – he had no idea where he was about to be sent to by the Yingzhou Celestial Mountain.
The Forever-Bright Bodhi Heart Lamp was with him as the Da Kong Monk was swept away by another black hole, and Shi Xingyun as well.
The Da Kong Monk exchanged a final look with Zhu Yi before they were separated as he gazed deep into Zhu Yi’s soul with an expressionless face and nodded his head in silence.
Shi Xingyun was in a slightly more jovial mood as she pointed towards somewhere behind here. If one followed the direction of her finger, cone would be able to see that the Hornless Dragon Spirit that she had let go of was not so lucky and ended up being sucked into the same black hole that Shi Xingyun was in.
The environment around Zhu Yi changed in an instant as blinding colors flashed in front of his eyes. When he finally settled down and oriented himself, he found himself at the entrance of another tunnel.
"Thankfully, we haven’t been expelled by the Yingzhou Celestial Mountain," Zhu Yi chuckled as he turned towards the Forevever-Bright Bodhi Heart Lamp and then at the stirring Great Sun Golden Form that was still being suppressed by the Eternal Night Demonic Stele.
"Bodhi Soul Senior, what plans do you have after this?" Zhu Yi was the first to speak as the Bodhi Soul entered a state of contemplation.
He was a metaplasia-level magic treasure, and without the direction of an owner, it would be extremely difficult for him to move around.
The Eternal Night Demonic Stele transformed into the form of a black-clothed middle-aged man and said, "Leave with us. Even though the leader of our sect is born only into the current Age, his level of mastery is unprecedented and he has great potential. He will have the power to seek justice for the Great Thunderclap Temple in the future."
"The leader and his disciples, including my master, Zhu Yi, will try our best to find the remaining missing relics and return them to the pagoda forest inside the Great Thunderclap Temple for a proper burial. There’s also an immortal soul stage cultivator from the Great Thunderclap Temple taking up residence with our sect, and he’s collecting the missing archives and encyclopedias from the Great Thunderclap Temple."
The Bodhi Soul’s expression changed a little. "Oh? If that’s the case, then I’m willing to travel with you guys."
He turned towards Zhu Yi. "It seems like the group of you have an interest in the Yingzhou Celestial Mountain as well. I am willing to travel along and do my best to help you realize your ambitions, although I hope you will help me return to the Divine Lands as well. If what he said is the truth, then you and your sect will be the savior of the Buddhists – I am also willing to be assimilated and refined to serve the greater good."
Zhu Yi immediately nodded his head and answered, "If that’s the case, then let’s go."
He retrieved the Great Sun Golden Form from beneath the Eternal Night Demonic Stele and continued forth into the tunnel that had appeared in front of him.
The illusion at the core of the Yingzhou celestial Mountain had been broken, and wresting control of the mountain was at hand.
Zhu Yi felt his heart skip a beat as he was walking and could feel thick waves of spiritual energy at the end of the tunnel. The feeling of his destination was vast and profound with no end in sight, as if it was an independent world.
It was not just the volume that was incredible – even the quality was extraordinary.
Zhu Yi found his discovery a little strange as he quickly stepped forward. In no time, his eyes flashed once as he reached the end of the tunnel and found himself the witness of a spectacular sight.
He was inside a gargantuan stone cave, and it resembled an independent world with no Sun and Moon.
The midsection of the Yingzhou Celestial Mountain was hollow – a giant cave existed within.
There was an enormous jade-stone pillar inside the cave that extended from the ground all the way up, and was so tall that Zhu Yi could not even see its tip. His guess was that the pillar extended directly into the summit of the mountain and had a height that was over ten thousand feet high; it was like mountain inside a mountain.
Zhu Yi stared at the white jade-stone pillar that seemed as if it bore the weight of the world upon it and started to feel the formidable forces of power stored within.
Even though it was hidden away in the midsection of the mountain, this giant jade pillar still gave off an aura as if it could support the entire world.
As calm and composed as Zhu Yi typically was, a haze of astonishment came over him as this white jade pillar somehow felt increasingly familiar.
"I’ve seen this before somewhere… The Celestial Wonders World, inside the Yin-Yang Sea beneath Mount Yujing!" Zhu Yi took in a deep breath as he started to write ‘calm’ a few times with his right index finger in midair to actually calm himself down.
"I’ve seen this during the battle of Xiling City, when master battled the Saintly Celestial Sword and the Great Void Holy Pavilion!"
"I’ve seen it during the clash between the Immortal Dragon City and the Imperial Palace!"
"I’ve seen it inside the Yin-Yang Sea, inside that golden sphere!"
Zhu Yi’s mouth curled a little as he exclaimed, "This is a Magic Treasure Embryo that can give birth to a destiny-level magic treasure!"
He continued to feel the concepts of power contained within. It was nothing like the overbearing aura of the golden sphere inside the Yin-Yang Sea that forced people to turn away.
On the contrary, the power contained within was a lot more mature and stable. It was much more extensive and colossal in volume, and there was a greater level of autonomy about it.
Even though the golden sphere inside the Yin-Yang Sea was also a Magic Treasure Embryo, it was still far from ripening and maturing. On the other hand, the white jade pillar before him was clearly a mature Magic Treasure Embryo that could be used by powerful cultivators to forge a destiny-level magic treasure right away.
Still, the process of forging a destiny-level magic treasure was tedious and would take a long time. Furthermore, there were other uncertain factors such as luck and whatnot.
The tremendous energies contained within the white jade pillar proved that this Magic Treasure Embryo had fully matured and was as autonomous as it could get. This was completely dissimilar to the golden sphere, which could lose control at any moment.
Zhu Yi suddenly recalled his discussion with Lin Feng, Li Yuanfang and the Green Glass Soul about the Yingzhou Celestial Mountain and the Nameless Ancient Formation.
"The Nameless Ancient Formation is not man-made, and came about by natural forces along with the rise of the Yingzhou Celestial Mountain. The changes of the ancient formation will therefore cause the nature of the Yingzhou Celestial Mountain itself to change along with it."
"The formation has become weaker and weaker over the years. In comparison to the strength of the mountain, the latter should be moving towards the other end of the spectrum – it should be getting more and more powerful."
"This kind of strength cannot be exhibited purely in the concept of power of the mountain."
"It’s not a complete impossibility that the mountain could start to develop a certain level of intelligence as well."
Zhu Yi ran through these discussions in his head and glanced at the white jade pillar before him. He started to feel a little dizzy as thoughts raced about in his mind.
Who would have thought that the changes in the nature of the Yingzhou Celestial Mountain would lead to such a situation? It was not as simple as the mountain developing its own intelligence – it was something far more frightening.
The mountain took the mysterious connection it shared with the Nameless Ancient Formation and the Ying Sea and concentrated the spiritual energies around the Ying Sea into itself to give birth to a Destiny-Level Magic Treasure Embryo!
This phenomenon could be said to be unprecedented and never to be replicated.
The value of the white jade pillar itself could rival even that of the entire Yingzhou Celestial Mountain.
He confirmed his own judgments and analysis before he tried to voice-project his discovery to Lin Feng but was unable to do so.
Zhu Yi frowned as he exited from the stone cave and tried to set up communications again. However, the dome-like mass of spiritual energy coming from the white jade pillar cut off even the tunnel from the outside world.
There was no way out on the other end of the tunnel and Zhu Yi returned into the stone cave. He started to feel a headache coming on as he stared at the white jade pillar.
He was unable to contact the outside world, and he was not powerful enough to assimilate the white jade pillar himself. If someone gained control of the mountain, it was possible that the white jade pillar would end up in this person’s hands. Leaving the tunnel would be a mistake as well as he ran the risk of relinquishing this precious item to someone else who found their way into this tunnel.
His master was holding the fort outside and was standing off against Liang Pan and Shi Yu. If he knew what was happening, he could help Zhu Yi make the decision.
Zhu Yi heaved a sigh of defeat. The precious item that he had just discovered unintentionally suddenly became a hot potato.