“How long do you plan to stay here?” Shaoyang Zhenren said indifferently. “Are we not continuing forward?”
The Heishi carved with Yushan Shengren’s “relic” still lay quietly by the bridge, but everyone’s steps could not linger there any longer.
After all, every moment now was precious. The rain in Duzhou continued to fall, and messages from transmission talismans reported that the floodwaters had already reached halfway up the mountains. If this continued, the common people would have nowhere to hide and could only sink into the great waters along with the mountain ranges.
Yushan Shengren had, after all, ascended a hundred years ago. His relic remaining here could only prove that he had once been to this place.
“Let’s enter the halls,” Rongshuang gripped her long sword tightly and was the first to walk down from the bridge.
Beyond the stone bridge, the clouds and mist before the halls dispersed, and the great hall hidden in the misty colors gradually became clear.
This was a dilapidated palace hall.
It was extremely vast – at first glance, much larger than the main hall of the Taiyan Sect. Carved flowers decorated the corners and corridors everywhere, with exquisite eaves and walls. It didn’t look like a dharma hall, but rather like a palace where immortals of the ninth heaven lived – golden halls with rainbow pipes and nine branches holding candles.
However, both inside and outside the hall were covered with a layer of faint gray.
This palace hall was already quite dilapidated.
It seemed that years ago, whoever lived here had already left, leaving only these traces to reflect past prosperity.
“Do you all feel the spiritual qi around us gathering toward the center?” Fu Ronghua suddenly spoke.
Actually, without him saying so, everyone could feel it now. It was as if something in the hall was opening its great mouth, desperately absorbing the surrounding spiritual qi. Their elemental power was involuntarily flying toward the center, and the elemental power within everyone’s bodies was gradually decreasing.
“Not only that,” Rongshuang’s expression was grave. “I think I also hear… the sound of water.”
Like torrential rain boldly pouring down from the sky, or like a long waterfall heavily falling from hanging stone cliffs, splashing in stream valleys, the noisy sound came from deep within the great hall, yet there wasn’t a single splash of water on the ground.
Everyone’s hearts couldn’t help but lift with tension.
This place was truly strange.
“Should we continue forward?” Bujiang urged impatiently.
“Let’s go,” Shaoyang Zhenren said.
Having come this far, no matter how many strange things there were, they could only steel themselves to investigate. Moreover, if cultivators didn’t even have this much courage, they would stop here for life and find it difficult to achieve the great Way.
Zanxing walked at the very back. Mimi jumped to her feet, looking at her with some hesitation.
The Yinlang Shi always loved to run at the front – this was the first time its steps had been uncertain.
Zanxing touched its fluffy big head and said softly: “Let’s go.”
Passing through layers of curtains and crystal bead screens, the view suddenly became open and spacious.
This was a huge dharma hall, yet completely different from the dharma halls in sects.
This dharma hall was in a gentle circular shape, white all around, as if enveloped in a void. At the four corners of the dharma hall stood four enormous silver pillars reaching straight into the clouds.
Yes, this dharma hall had no roof – above was a vast expanse of white mist, floating and swirling endlessly.
But to say it was a cloudy sky wasn’t quite right either. This cloudy sky seemed to have been punctured in one corner, and from that corner, countless snow-white streams of water fell.
The “splashing” sound of water came from here.
However, when the waterfall landed on the ground, it didn’t create a single splash – it only scattered in the air for an instant before turning to smoke and dust and disappearing. Stepping onto the ground, there seemed to be a warm sensation reaching one’s body.
“Wojiao,” Shaoyang Zhenren suddenly spoke.
“Wojiao?” Tian Fangfang didn’t understand. “What is that?”
Gu Baiying looked at the great waters falling from the sky and answered his confusion: “Yi shot nine suns, which fell and became Wojiao.”
Legend said that the brave Yi shot and killed the suns, and the nine suns he shot fell into the great sea and became Wojiao.
“Water pours on it endlessly, yet a hundred rivers flowing into the sea cannot fill it,” Meng Ying murmured. “Could this be a hall built from Wojiao stone?” Because it was so scorching hot, water streams would immediately disappear upon touching Wojiao.
Otherwise, such a great torrent could submerge the great hall in an instant.
The sound of water continued incessantly, yet the great hall was empty and desolate.
No, to say it was empty and desolate wasn’t quite right either. In the very center of this great hall, it seemed someone had used a ruler to divide it into countless squares. At first glance, it was easy to overlook, but looking carefully, one could see these squares divided the center of the great hall into a chessboard.
On this chessboard were placed many glowing small figurines.
Zanxing’s heart stirred. She walked to those small figurines and crouched down to examine them carefully.
The small figurines were made of some unknown material that felt smooth and cool to the touch, like white jade. They appeared to glow with clear features, lifelike, only about the size of a human fist.
The one before Zanxing was an elder with his hair combed meticulously, his expression rigid and stern, seeming somewhat uncomfortable, holding a blood-colored long blade in his hand.
Though it was just a small figurine, when Zanxing looked at it, she seemed to gaze across distant time and space at this elder, as if she could still glimpse the cold, hard expression in his eyes.
Next to this small figurine, carved with a knife tip, were several vigorous large characters: Kongtan Laojun.
Zanxing hesitated and asked: “Who is Kongtan Laojun?”
“Kongtan Laojun?” Fu Ronghua looked at Lingxin Daoren. “Isn’t that your sect’s ancestor?”
Back then, Kongtan Laojun and Yushan Shengren were both renowned masters of Duzhou with comparable cultivation. Near the time of ascension, Yushan Shengren successfully ascended while Kongtan Laojun perished. Perhaps out of jealousy, everyone in Chihua Gate found the Taiyan Sect particularly disagreeable from then on, constantly making snide remarks and picking fights. This grudge had lasted for many years.
When Kongtan Laojun perished, no one saw it – only his disciple received his transmitted final words. Yet now, they had discovered Kongtan Laojun’s small figurine here.
Could it be that Kongtan Laojun had also been to this place?
Lingxin Daoren’s expression was greatly shaken. He quickly walked to Laojun’s small figurine, and perhaps being too shocked, he couldn’t speak for a long while.
Not only Kongtan Laojun – over there, Rongshuang said: “This is… the small figurine of Soul Dream Master Zhuang Mengdie?”
The young man on this small figurine was extremely handsome, smiling at everyone with a blue butterfly perched on his fingertip. Facing those smiling eyes, one seemed to enter a beautiful spring dream, bringing to mind chaotic spring flowers and willows, brocade fragrance.
Fu Ronghua said in wonder, “Zhuang Mengdie was Duzhou’s first and only Soul Dream Master. I heard his spiritual power had been cultivated to its peak, and he could cause tens of thousands to fall in dreams. Back then, he also had a hope of ascending. Later…”
“Later, this person disappeared, and outsiders all spread rumors that he had perished,” Bujiang finished his remaining words. Seeing Zanxing looking at her, Bujiang spoke again carelessly: “I heard this person was born with unparalleled elegance and worldly charm. Back then, I was interested in meeting him, too. But later I heard he died, so I gave up.” Her gaze lingered on that small figurine for a moment. “Seeing this small figurine now, it seems this person’s appearance was indeed superior, not just rumors.”