Chapter 110 – Guardian Spirit of the Sacred Land
“Can I really walk down that path into the primal chaos of the Ancient Sacred Institution?” The little guy muttered to himself, then quickly shook his head. From his understanding today, he already knew that this holy institution couldn’t be randomly opened. Having it open for one person in over ten years was pretty good already.
However, this time, the Heaven Mending Pavilion already picked Shi Yi to enter. No one else would have the opportunity to enter again. Despite the fact that the elders of the sacred land had said that ‘as long as someone had an outstanding performance with extraordinary natural gifts, they would have the opportunity,’ these were only words of encouragement.
“Ancient Sacred Institution….” The little guy said out loud before turning around with determination.
A young man was advancing down that path. He had the reputation of an existence equal to a God within his age group. It was as if the heaven and earth blended together as large amounts of divine voices echoed outwards. It seemed like the ancient Gods were chanting.
The little guy did not allow himself to become distressed, and quickly ditched this matter from his mind. He grabbed Hairy Ball by the tail, then slipped away into a mysterious area like a thief.
Although it was currently deep into the night, the surrounding scenery was all clearly visible.
This was an extremely large courtyard with all kinds of growing vegetation. There was also a little stream flowing underneath the bridge, as well pavilions everywhere. There was a certain characteristic to these structures, and they were all very old-fashioned. The bridge and the pavilions all seemed as if they could collapse at any moment, since they haven’t been repaired for thousands of years.
The vegetation was still growing, but this arched bridge and other structures seemed like something that had existed since ancient times, and was already on the verge of collapsing. He quietly tiptoed inside while grabbing Hairy Ball by the tail.
Hairy Ball’s large pair of eyes swivelled and turned. It was not angry after being grabbed by the tail. Like the little guy, it was curious as well, and it surveyed this entire place.
This was the most mysterious place in the Heaven Mending Pavilion, and it occupied from ten to a hundred li. It was the huge ancient courtyard where the Guardian Spirit lived in seclusion. Normally, no one dared to venture inside.
This was because of the fact that they had all been warned before.
There was no one guarding this place, because such a thing was absolutely unnecessary. Would the Heaven Mending Pavilion’s Guardian Spirit need protection from humans? The Guardian Spirit was the one that guarded this entire sacred land.
“Master Guardian Spirit, I’ve come here here harboring a heart full of reverence. Wasn’t it rumored that some fated disciples could obtain your guidance? With a devout mind, I have come here to ask for your guidance.”
The little guy muttered as he swept his gaze around this entire place. He was searching the ground for some spirit medicine. Hairy Ball’s little nose was constantly breathing in as his eyes shone and surveyed in every direction.
“How could the place where the Guardian Spirit is staying be so empty?” They walked inside, and the further they walked in, the more amazed they were. The amount of vegetation decreased, and the ground became even more barren until not an inch of grass grew.
When the little guy arrived here, he felt the divine light within his body explode forth and started to shine. Strands of essence energy were leaving his body as all kinds of mysterious patterns appeared on the ground.
Hairy Ball cried out in fear as well. It struggled free from the little guy’s hands, and scuttled onto his shoulders while exposing its frightful expression.
The little guy sucked in a breath of cold air; he finally understood why this place was so empty. There was a demonic power that drew out the energy from the earth, and deprived this entire place of life.
It was strange that he only felt it after entering this region. If he backed off just a bit, he would not feel that kind of power anymore.
“What happened to the Heaven Mending Pavilion’s Guardian Spirit? Is there something wrong with it?” The little guy was constantly bewildered as he carefully paced forward.
The barren land ahead of him was like a desert. It seemed as if he arrived at a great desert, since there was only sand and stone here. It was incredibly quiet, and the sound of his footsteps were able to transmit very far away.
“Guardian Spirit, I’m here show my worship for you. Doesn’t every disciple have a chance? You can’t make a mistake,” the little guy garrulously muttered. He was genuinely curious as he walked inside even further.
This quiet and silent place was incredibly desolate and remote. He advanced over ten li, and his entire body shined like a sun as symbols densely covered his body. They were constantly protecting him from the demonic power.
“So powerful. It absorbed the energy of the courtyard here, and devoured the essence of the heavens as well. Is the Guardian Spirit cultivating some type of mysterious technique?” he muttered to himself.
When he lifted his head, he was able to see strands of strands of divine light pouring down from the sky. The stars and the silver moon in the sky all sprinkled down a silver radiance. It was as if silver raindrops were falling into the abyss of the desert.
He was finally drawing near. There were signs of vegetation that appeared after the little guy arrived in front of an ancient courtyard.
This was a courtyard within a courtyard, and walls surrounding it. The passage of time had left this entire place riddled with many scars.
The doors had rotted a long time ago, and the walls were full of ordinary vines. There were no spirit medicines, nor were there any precious trees growing here. There was only the most ordinary of vegetation here.
“How come the essence energy here is not deprived?”
The little guy was amazed since this courtyard was truly ancient. There was only a single stone remaining, and all the structures had collapsed with vines overrunning them.
Sprinkles of light descended into the courtyard. These ordinary plants had received some of this benefit. As a result, they flourished extravagantly, and this place did not become a desert.
“This looks like the courtyard of an ancient family!” The little guy noticed the abnormality after entering, and revealed a surprised expression.
There were three layers to this courtyard. Drizzles of light flourished within the rear courtyard as a skyful of moonlight descended into it. The Guardian Spirit was clearly over there.
The little guy crossed this place and discovered that all of the houses here had already collapsed and were buried beneath the weeds. Even that arch bridge made of rocks was collapsed with vines running all over it now.
The more he looked, the more he felt as if this was the residence of an ancient family.
Finally, he approached the rear yard, and became extremely nervous. When he arrived, the essence energy inside his body was no longer being drained, and instead, an indescribable reverence overcame him.
“Respects to the Guardian Spirit!” He spoke when he was very far away, then he softly and quietly entered the rear yard.
“This is…” He finally understood. A shocked expression spilled out of the little guy’s eyes as he faced something he could never have imagined.
Endless drizzle of light sprinkled here, making silver splendor evaporate into the air. It made this place appear holy and auspicious. A plant which was precisely the Heaven Mending Pavilion’s Guardian Spirit grew there. It was completely different from what he had imagined. It wasn’t resplendent nor was it green. It was yellow and sickly, as if it was about to wither away.
This was a gourd vine that crawled over a pile of stones. There was no splendor nor divine light coming from it. It was simply yellow and withered. It was not very big at all, with a length of five to six meters. Its leaves were sparse, as if autumn had arrived to suck away its life force.
The dried up vine only had a bit of its life force left. It was surrounded by yellow leaves, and even the light rain that filled the skies could not cure its condition.
The starlight and moonlight was resplendent as they poured down, making this entire rear yard appear like a vast expanse of whiteness. They poured into the vine, but it still appeared low spirited like before, and was seriously lacking in life force.
This was the Guardian Spirit of the Heaven Mending Pavilion, an ancient vine that lived for countless years. It made people heart tremble even though it already looked weak and sick. It seemed to have reached it twilight years, yet it still had an indescribable might like a God!
This should not really be a God right? The little guy muttered to himself in his heart. He shut his mouth, and did not speak it out.
An unknown amount of time had passed before he finally managed to speak again. He repeated those words he had spoke earlier while he walked over. His large black eyes shot sneaky glances at the vine to see its reaction.
The quiet and soundless ancient vine seemed like it had lost its life force.
“Yi, there’s another gourd!”
Under the cover of the yellow leaves hid another green gourd. It was similar in size to the glistening yellow gourd that the old elder of the Heaven Mending Pavilion had. They were both the size of a palm, but their colors were different.
The little guy’s large eyes stared perfectly round as he discovered that this gourd was very magical. The more he looked at it, the more fearful he became. It seemed as if it contained a world inside of it, and could oppress him whenever it wanted to.
Furthermore, the aura of primal chaos that lingered around that area seemed to be bottled up within the gourd.
Hairy Ball obediently laid on his shoulders. It was rare to see the creature not daring to move a single inch. In reality, it was the same as the little guy. It wanted to take this gourd away so much, only, it was something that he could say, but could not do.
“It seems like this is a pretty good place for cultivation,” the little guy muttered. He sat around and allowed the light rain scatter onto him. After he received a part of it, his entire body relaxed, and symbols began to resonate.
He stole a glance at the Guardian Spirit, only to find that the vines were motionless. Its leaves were quiet without any reactions at all.
“Uncle Guardian Spirit, you’re not against me cultivating here right?” The little guy asked, then quickly added, “Are you hurt? I know of a willow tree that suffered a far worse injury than you. Its entire body was barren, and only one of its branches remained, but it was still able to once again revive.”
The little guy wanted to be friends with it. However, after he spoke, the vines still remained motionless. It was not injured by any external forces. It was only because it had lived a long life, and had exhausted too much of its life force.
“As long as there is hope in your heart, even if the entire world is lost, you can still live wonderfully. I’m rooting for you, uncle!” The little guy waved little fist.
He stole another glance with his large eyes and found the Guardian Spirit still did not have any reactions. He could not help but let out a long sigh before muttering, “It’s sleep? Fine then, I won’t be courteous and cultivate here.”
The little guy visualized the True Primordial Record in his heart, and carefully examined the mysterious usage of the symbols that was recorded on there. He sat beneath the vines of the gourd while remaining very solemn; he quickly settled himself in place.
A gentle breeze blew past, and the yellow leaves swayed. The entire gourd vine gently swayed as silver drizzles of light sprinkled down. It made this entire place appear especially holy and auspicious.
Without knowing how much time had past, the little guy continued to comprehend the True Primordial Record until he faintly heard a large cry. He suddenly opened his eyes to find the green gourd was moving. There was an ancient symbol flickering on top of it, accompanied with an aura of primal chaos that made it appear especially mysterious.
He was alarmed. He wanted to see the symbols clearly, but after continuously trying, he still failed. It was simply impossible to see it clearly.
He calmed his mind once again, and noticed that on the area where the symbols flickered, the heaven and earth was rumbling. He discovered that it was much easier to comprehend than the True Primordial Records.
The little guy become excited. This was truly an exceptional place!
In the depths of the night, there was not a sound to be heard. The little guy woke up after settling down for a while. He knew that he should leave, and should return during the night.
When he left, he was startled. Could this really have been an ancient household, and this gourd vine was planted by those people? Could it be that it never wanted to leave this place?
After seeing this ruined courtyard and desolate place, a strange feeling overcame him. Over ten li around this area became a desert, and only this place was the same as before where ordinary grass still grew. Was the Guardian Spirit deliberately preserving this place to make it look like it had been in the distant past?
Was it reminiscing or thinking back to something? The little guy felt that this Guardian Spirit had its own ‘story.’
Finally, he paid respects to the rear courtyard behind him once again, then turned around and left. He decided that he would come back tomorrow night.
As soon as he stepped out from the courtyard, the little guy suddenly became horrified, and he took a few steps back. Hairy Ball was screeching non-stop too as all of the hairs over its body became erect.
The little guy widened his large eyes and stared forward. Outside the gates, there was an elder with a full head of grey hair and an empty pair of eyes. His head was stabbed through by an ancient sword mottled with rust.
His arms were hanging down, and his half a foot long fingernails were pitch-black and absolutely terrifying.
His clothes were incredibly ancient; it looked exactly the same as the styles in ancient books, and made people’s hairs stand up. Was this an ancient person?
He did not breathe, nor did he have a pulse; there wasn’t a single trace of life force on him anymore. He only stood there as his two empty eyes that seemed like two black holes terrified everyone.
“Senior…you’re blocking my way,” the little guy spoke.
Soundlessly and breathlessly, this elder disappeared like he had never appeared before. However, the little guy felt his back turn cold, then he suddenly turned around, and his scalp instantly became numb.
In addition, Hairy Ball was even more scared to the point the it jumped up and down on the little guy’s shoulders, because this grey haired elder was behind the little guy. He was practically sticking onto the little guy’s back.
The little guy’s hairs stood erect, and he could not help but take a step back.
Shua!
This elder disappeared soundlessly and breathless once again. This time, he did not appear behind him, and instantly appeared between the courtyard’s ruined walls. Furthermore, it emitted some wuwu sounds like it was crying.
It was too fast; it simply seemed to appear out of nowhere as it recreated its body. This scene was absolutely horrifying.
“He lacks life, and the life force within his body was broken. How can he still behave like this…” The little guy took a step back.
Wuwu…
His forehead was penetrated by an ancient sword as his dishevelled hair swayed back and forth. It even seemed like it went to the rear courtyard and stood by the Guardian Spirit while constantly crying. Then it finally appeared in front of the little guy again to block his way.