Chapter 807: Ancient Immortal Daoist Rite Temple!
Planet South Heaven. The vast Eastern Lands.
In the middle of a seemingly endless range of mountains was an area that was considered a forbidden zone by Eastern Lands cultivators. Even Dao Seeking cultivators who entered it would never come back out. According to rumor, there were fearsome entities inside that stopped countless explorers in their tracks and made it so that no one dared to ever enter.
Even a Patriarch of the Ji Clan had on one occasion led a group in to search for the Karma within. However, the entire force was completely wiped out except for the Patriarch, who fled back to warn the Eastern Lands’ Ji Clan to never again set foot inside the area.
Actually, that Patriarch still resided in the Ji Clan. He was the peak Immortal Realm young man who had just recently lost his arms!
Even he was incapable of penetrating the depths of the mountain range. En route, his force was completely rocked by the restrictive spells. This place was a mystery relating to the lands of South Heaven, and as such, the Ji Clan Patriarch did not report the matter to his superiors. He knew that… there were far too many terrifying aspects to the place.
He never attempted to enter the place again. As far as he was concerned, the only way to do so was by use of incredibly powerful clan treasures. Without such treasures, it was simply impossible.
However, such powerful clan treasures were few and far between. Furthermore, considering his status in the clan, it didn’t matter that he was in charge of the forces on Planet South Heaven. He still did not have access to such things. The Immortality Bestowal Dais was one such treasure, but it possessed its own consciousness and was not something that he could wield by means of force. Other treasures… were only bestowed upon Chosen disciples of the clan.
No one really understood why Planet South Heaven was so unique. There was actually no single power that held complete sway. Even the Ji Clan’s dominant position was maintained only by the threat of their clan’s military might. It was a sharp contrast to Planet East Victory, where the Fang Clan occupied half of the planet, and yet could easily take over the entire planet if they wished.
In the lands of South Heaven, there were four main areas, each with their own core Daoist teachings and doctrines. If one investigated the matter, it became obvious that… most of the sects on South Heaven did not actually originate there. The majority were auxiliary branches of sects that existed outside the lands of South Heaven.
It was as if most major powers wished to leave some of their core Daoist teachings and doctrines behind there.
Furthermore, it was in the lands of South Heaven that Meng Hao’s father had become the Prison Warden of the Ninth Mountain. At first, the word “Prison” seemed to explain a lot….
And yet, when Meng Hao asked about it, his father told him that the word “Prison” actually didn’t carry the usual meaning of the word!
Regarding the particulars, he offered no further explanation. His expression was vague, as if he himself felt that the truth was so unbelievable that it caused him to be at a loss for words.
In any case, the lands of South Heaven… were completely unique!
Meng Hao had transcended his Seventh Year Tribulation there, and the League of Demon Sealers had also passed down their legacy there. Patriarch Blood Demon had hidden there when the ancient Demon Immortal Sect was destroyed. Even more unbelievable to Meng Hao was that… there was a mighty mortal empire, the Great Tang!
Meng Hao was even more astonished when he thought about the Tang emperor.
One thing that Meng Hao was very perplexed about was the area beneath the Ancient Dao Lakes, where he had participated in the trial by fire and heard the Overseer mention an ancient treaty. And there was… the terrifying experience of the final level.
The Essence of the Divine Flame!
All of it left Meng Hao feeling quite at a loss. Now, here he was, having followed the guidance of the Immortal Ancient Dao Medallion to this place deep in the mountains. When he caught sight of that ancient temple, his heart trembled.
That was because, all of a sudden, his vision swam and he saw a completely different and unbelievable place.
It was a majestic Daoist rite temple that stretched seemingly without end. Mountain peaks, vegetation, everything around him vanished. He now stood on the green limestone-paved main square of that enormous temple.
Countless figures sat cross-legged around him, and each was so powerful that Meng Hao couldn’t help but gasp. They seemed like innumerable Immortal Divinities sitting there in meditation. The music of great Daos floated around in all directions, and the sun and moon trembled in the sky as if here, in this place, they were incapable of emitting any light.
In the middle of the Daoist rite temple was an altar, upon which an old man sat cross-legged. He exuded the air of a transcendent being, and a faint smile could be seen on his lips as he gave a sermon on the Dao. His voice was muffled and indistinct and seemed to harmonize with and meld into Heaven and Earth. Meng Hao couldn’t quite make out what he was saying, but he could see that many of the people who were listening to his sermon seemed to be gaining enlightenment.
It was at this point that the old man lifted his right hand up into the air, waved it about… and caused an enormous “Immortal 仙” character to appear!
It was was an azure “Immortal 仙” character!
It was simply a character, and yet it caused all the colors in Heaven and Earth to fade. The sun and moon dimmed, and Heaven and Earth seemed to prostrate themselves in worship to it in much the same way that people would.
Meng Hao trembled as he looked around at the terrifying world around him. Each green slab of limestone beneath his feet seemed to emanate an indescribable energy filled with Immortal qi. The intensity of that Immortal qi was difficult to even comprehend.
Also visible in the Daoist rite temple were nine gigantic cauldrons scattered about in different locations. Puffs of green smoke wafted out of them, and numerous worlds could be seen inside the smoke as it swirled up into the air.
Up in the sky… were heavenly bodies. A river of stars flowed; the sun and moon rose and fell. Even more unbelievable was that almighty figures could be seen flying about up in the sky. Occasionally, they would stretch out a hand and pluck a star out of the river of stars! It would then be refined by a massive illusory hand. When the hand returned to its owner, the star would be a glittering treasure in that person’s palm!
There were other people who stamped their feet onto the ground, causing massive rifts to appear. Subterranean fire would rise up and transform into living creatures which resembled Earth spirits. The cultivators would snatch them up and then use them to pull war chariots that screamed through the sky, chariots to which were harnessed thousands of Earth spirits.
There was one man up in the sky who laughed heartily then spoke a few words. Popping sounds could be heard as his body grew rapidly. In the blink of an eye, he was so large that you couldn’t even see his entire body. The only thing that could be seen… was a toe that seemed to fill the entire world as far as the eye could see!
As for how large his body was, it was impossible to even imagine.
Flying about and plucking stars!
Refining spirits from the depths of the Earth!
Rising up to shoulder the universe!
All of these images swirled together in Meng Hao’s eyes, finally merging into one… into a dilapidated temple.
The temple’s main door was shut, and the grounds were in a state of complete disrepair. Portions of the outer wall were collapsed, making it so that you wouldn’t even need to pass through the gate as there were “entrances” all around. Through these gaps the inner temple hall could be seen, where there should have been glorious statues of deities. Presently, though, all of the statues were in various states of disintegration. Their former glory now existed only in the praises uttered by later generations, and their eternal legends had long since crumbled into a void of nothingness.
There was a bronze oil lamp, covered in layers of rust that told the story of its ancientness. Oil burned within the lamp, emanating faint popping sounds. Lamplight shone out in all directions, within which could be seen the projections of numerous shadowy figures.
Other than that, everything was completely still and silent.
A well could be seen in the courtyard, the bottom of which was pitch black. Perhaps evil spirits lurked there, but it was impossible to tell. However, a single glance at the well would leave anyone scared stiff. Next to the well was a bamboo trellis, covered with dried-up vines. From the look of it, a grapevine had grown up to cover the bamboo trellis many, many years ago, providing a shady and cool place to rest one’s head.
Underneath the bamboo trellis were some dried up white flowers, which were completely unremarkable in appearance.
Meng Hao stood there quietly. Everything he had seen amidst the silence suddenly caused his scalp to grow numb. Were it not for the fact that his father had instructed him to come here, he would immediately turn around and get as far away from this place as possible.
His heart trembled, and although he felt no pressure weighing down him, he found it difficult to breathe. There was no visible danger, yet he felt an unprecedented sense of crisis in his heart.
Everything about this place was completely bizarre!
Why was there a temple in these mountains? Clearly the temple was not in harmony with its surroundings; it was as if it had flown here from some distant place in some age long past.
Meng Hao took a breath, steeling himself, and then stepped forward. After only walking a few steps, he suddenly heard the sound of weeping. It was woman, choked with sobs, the sound of which caused Meng Hao’s hair to stand on end as it floated past. His cultivation base surged with power, and he whipped his head around to look behind him. However, he saw nothing strange.
There wasn’t even a wind blowing….
After a moment’s silence, his eyes flickered and he slapped his bag of holding. Instantly, the Immortal Ancient Dao Medallion appeared in his hand. Meng Hao wasn’t sure whether or not it was specifically because of the medallion, but now, the place didn’t seem as cold and sinister as it had.
He carefully proceeded forward until he was in front of the main gate. The strangeness of this place made him feel that it would be best not to jump over the wall or find alternate routes to enter. The best way to go in… would be the straightforward and above-board way.
He waved his sleeve, pushing the door of the temple open.
He had assumed the door would actually be difficult to open, but it wasn’t. It creaked open, revealing the courtyard, the main temple hall, and the well.
A cold wind blew, making it seem as if something was walking past him. Meng Hao’s face flickered as the feeling grew stronger. He circulated the Immortal qi inside his body, focusing it on his right eyes. After blinking several times, he looked around.
There was nothing except for ruins.
Meng Hao chuckled bitterly.
“Dad, what the hell kind of place did you send me to…?”
He took a deep breath and then stepped inside. Overall, the temple wasn’t very large, nor was the courtyard. Meng Hao glanced over at the well, and couldn’t shake the feeling that there was something very strange about it. He studied the bamboo trellis for a moment, and was just about to walk further into the courtyard when suddenly his scalp vibrated. He stopped in place and jerked his head to look back at the bamboo trellis. Panting, he walked over to the trellis and looked closely at the dried up little flowers beneath it. He couldn’t prevent a look of astonishment from appearing on his face.
“These…. These are… Resurrection Lilies!” Meng Hao was more than familiar with Resurrection Lilies and was completely astonished to find that… all of the little flowers were Resurrection Lilies!
However, these Resurrection Lilies… were apparently just garden-variety flowers in this place. The scene caused him to breathe heavily; this place really was… completely veiled in mystery.
Currently, the sky was darkening as evening fell. Meng Hao hesitated for a moment as he looked around at the dilapidated statues of deities, and the dust that covered everything. Even the prayer mats that could be seen were old and worn out, but after a moment of thought, he knelt down on one of them and began to offer worship to one of the broken statues.
“Bless and protect me, Divine Immortal. Bless and protect me, Divine Immortal….” After murmuring his worship, Meng Hao felt as if the sinister air around him had again faded a bit. Apparently his prayers were effective. As he rose to his feet, a wind blew, and the lamplight flickered. Dust was lifted up from the ground, causing Meng Hao’s eyes to narrow. Now that some of the dust had been moved, he could see that the ground… had an enormous character carved into it!
Immortal 仙!
It was the same character he had seen in the vision he had experienced moments ago, when the old man had waved his hand.
It looked completely identical!
When he saw the character, a crude and ancient aura blasted against his face, almost as if someone was whispering something to him. It almost sounded like someone giving a sermon about the Dao, an archaic voice echoing out from ancient times.
However, Meng Hao’s heart lightened at the thought of his good luck. He sat down cross-legged and retrieved the Immortal Ancient Dao Medallion, then focused all of his attention on the character.
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This chapter was sponsored by Arhys, Gustavo Gutierrez, Marc Korzeczek, and Deathblade
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Note from Deathblade: I want to thank the team for all the hard work cleaning up this chapter, especially anonpuffs, who really helped me fix some of the major problems. I’m pretty proud of this final product, but I wasn’t happy with my initial translation. In fact, I included a note to the team, which they requested that I share with you. Here it is:
A) I think it’s the hardest chapter I’ve ever translated
B) I think the translation probably sucks
C) Chapters often have a WTF moment or two. This chapter is essentially a string of boundless WTF moments that shake Heaven and Earth, cause the sky to dim, and the land to quake. After reading it, my scalp went numb and my eyes were filled with a look of unprecedented disbelief. I coughed up seven or eight mouthfuls of blood as I thought about the chapter that seemingly contained many truths, as if the emanations of countless Daos floated through the void to the ether of another world that exists in my eyes, like the shining of nine suns in a land of shadows and leaves, thoughtless and yet brimming with a life that seems to surge with apparent realism that is in fact false, and yet true.
Thanks, too, to Azusky, who made memes for every single chapter, even though I let him off the hook and told him he only had to make one. I also added one, so quite the gallery awaits you in the sneak peek chapter!