FVN Chapter 71: [Tai Xu] Opens
Chapter 71: [Tai Xu] Opens
Dali River.
The water is calm and tranquil, with steep cliffs and dense forests on both sides.
In the past, birdsong would bring clear skies, but now all was silent and solemn.
"Is this where the [Tai Xu] Secret Realm opens?"
Qi Yu hid in the water, blending in with the fish swimming below. His eyes sparkled as he looked out of the water.
The white jade turtle nodded and said:
"You just wait and see how things change."
Qi Yu waited for a while, and then saw streaks of light suddenly gathering from all directions in the sky.
When the arc of light dissipated, a series of treasure ships were revealed, with cultivators dressed in various colors and with different expressions standing on them.
One can judge their lineage from the aura they exude.
"Tsk tsk, even the weakest one is at the late Foundation Establishment stage. I bet all the sects have sent their strongest disciples."
Looking at the extraordinary cultivators on the treasure ship, Qi Yu was filled with amazement.
Just then, a female cultivator flew into the air from a white jade treasure ship that was smooth and shimmering with spiritual light, her gaze falling on a treasure ship bearing the name of the Chang Geng Sect.
Her face was cold and frosty as she spoke in a deep voice:
"Ji Si, you scoundrel! Get out here right now!"
Upon hearing this, everyone else turned their gazes toward him, their faces showing expressions of anticipation for a good show.
"Fellow Daoist Chu Yun, why are you so angry?"
A young Taoist priest dressed in a yellowish-brown robe flew out of the treasure ship of Chang Geng Sect. He sat lazily in mid-air, looking up at the female cultivator opposite him.
Looking at his pretentious demeanor, Chu Yun's anger intensified. Her eyes flashed with coldness as she said in a deep voice:
"After entering the [Tai Xu], you and I will fight at the [Shui Ze Tan]."
"Hmph, [Water Marsh Pool] is the place where a true master of the [Water Virtue] path fell. Do you think I, a [Earth Reclamation] cultivator, am going to fight you, a [Water Abode] cultivator?"
"Where do you want to fight?" Chu Yun asked coldly.
"I'm not going." Ji Si stretched and yawned.
"Fellow Daoist Chu Yun, don't forget the purpose of our visit. We're not here to lose sight of the bigger picture."
"you!"
"Alright, fellow Daoists, stop arguing."
At this moment, Li Shangyu suddenly appeared between the two, smiling as he said:
"I urge you two fellow Daoists to set aside your grudges for now and join forces to deal with the Thunder Palace's forces."
"Speaking of which, why haven't the Thunder Palace members appeared yet?" a cultivator on another treasure ship asked.
"Judging by the time, it should be around soon, right?"
As soon as he finished speaking, thick dark clouds gathered on the horizon, thunder rumbled, and flashes of lightning could be faintly seen.
Amidst the clouds, one can even see a dragon churning.
In an instant, almost all the Foundation Establishment cultivators on the treasure ships flew out of the ships, stood in mid-air, looked up at the approaching thunderclouds, their expressions solemn, ready for battle.
"They're here."
Qi Chengheng said softly, then lifted his leg and stepped into the air, placing one hand on the hilt of his sword, his heart filled with uncontrollable excitement.
"Here it comes!"
Underwater, Qi Yu, who was hiding, was extremely excited, his eyes wide open:
"Brother Li should be here too!"
The white jade turtle also stared intently.
"Boom!"
As a bolt of lightning, shaped like a branch, suddenly struck, more than a dozen figures instantly appeared in the sky above Dalichuan.
The three leaders were naturally Li Wu, Pei Xiyan, and Ying Zichu.
Behind them were several Wood Virtue cultivators from Yulin Mountain and several dragon-type dragons.
Silver-white lightning flashed intermittently in Li Wu's eyes. He glanced around indifferently and saw that almost everyone looked as if facing a formidable enemy. Then, he saw a familiar face and chuckled softly.
"Fellow Daoist Chengheng, it's been a long time."
Qi Chengheng, seeing Li Wu mention him, revealed a satisfied expression and said proudly:
"Fellow Daoist Li Wu, it has been ten years since we last met."
Li Wu raised an eyebrow, slightly surprised, and said:
"Fellow Daoist Chengheng has a good memory."
Underwater, looking at the tense atmosphere among the group, Qi Yu asked in confusion:
"Won't this turn into a fight?"
The white jade turtle shook its head and said:
"Of course not, this battle will definitely take place inside the [Tai Xu] Secret Realm."
"Why?" Qi Yu looked at it, puzzled.
Now that Li Wu and his men are surrounded, isn't this the perfect opportunity to strike?
The white jade turtle shook its head without offering any explanation.
And just as the white jade tortoise had said, the cultivators from the other sects all stared at Li Wu and his group with solemn expressions, their hands forming hand seals, but not one of them made a move.
Just as the stalemate was at its peak, signs of good fortune appeared.
More than ten beams of light suddenly lit up in the bright sky, each a different color, growing larger at a speed visible to the naked eye as they approached from afar.
Until you can see the scene inside through this point of light.
There are thousands of miles of frozen, snow-capped mountains, raging lava flows, and magnificent palaces that gleam with golden light...
The points of light kept approaching, but then stopped abruptly just before they reached the top of everyone's heads, hovering in mid-air.
The white jade tortoise explained to Qi Yu:
"These scenes are all the manifestations of a Purple Mansion True Person after his death, and many spiritual objects and inheritances corresponding to the Dao will arise from them."
"Where is our [Longevity Qi] path?"
Qi Yu looked through all the cave heavens, but he didn't see the [Longevity Qi] cave heaven, or even the Thunder-attribute cave heaven.
The white jade turtle explained:
"Originally, there were some, but when the [Tai Xu] Secret Realm first opened, the True Monarchs used magic weapons to shatter them, and they were scattered in other grotto-heavens."
"So, I have to go to other grotto-heavens to find spiritual objects related to the [Longevity Qi] path?" Qi Yu confirmed.
"That's right." The white jade turtle nodded.
"All right."
Qi Yu nodded, then looked at the others. He would wait until they had all left before entering the cave.
Li Wu gazed at the dozen or so grotto-heavens that appeared in the sky, then turned to Pei Xiyan and said in a deep voice:
Which one should we go to?
"Whatever."
Pei Xiyan didn't know which grotto-heaven the spiritual objects of the [Divine Thunder] and [Thunderous Thunder] lineages had been taken to.
Ying Zichu then said:
"Then let them go first."
As he spoke, Ying Zichu looked up at the cultivators from other lineages around him and said with a smile:
"Gentlemen, don't wait for us any longer. If you don't go in now, you'll be captured by the cave."
These grotto-heavens, transformed from the Purple Mansion True Persons, capture spiritual energy and objects from the corresponding Dao path each time they appear, including these cultivators.
Li Wu, Pei Xiyan, and Ying Zichu need not worry.
The grotto-heaven they belonged to had long been destroyed, its fragments scattered throughout countless other grotto-heavens.
At this moment, Qi Chengheng said loudly:
"Fellow Daoist Li Wu, I'll be waiting for you at the Water Marsh Pool."
Having said that, he flew into the cave of the [Water Virtue] sect with his sword.
As soon as he entered, the others followed suit and flew into their respective sects' grotto-heavens.
In an instant, only Li Wu and his group remained in the entire Dalichuan region.
"Where are we going?" Li Wu asked again.
Ying Zichu did not answer. Instead, he looked around and said with a serious expression:
"Why don't we destroy these treasure ships before we go in?"
This treasure ship is quite expensive. Although it won't make the Purple Mansion forces behind these people feel the pinch, it will still annoy them for a while.
Upon hearing this, both Li Wu and Pei Xiyan couldn't help but twitch at the corners of their mouths.
"Brother Zichu is truly... quite interesting," Li Wu said, shaking his head.
Pei Xiyan didn't reply, but looked up at the cave and said:
"Let's just go into any one."
"Either is fine."
Then, the three of them flew into the magnificent, golden palace.
…………
In the vast emptiness.
When the Four Immortals saw that the two Leis and one Lu had all entered the grotto heaven, they felt greatly relieved.
"What follows is beyond our control."
Although they are all Purple Mansion True Persons with supernatural powers, this [Tai Xu] Secret Realm only allows Foundation Establishment cultivators to enter, and even they cannot force their way in.
They couldn't even bestow their supernatural powers upon their respective disciples in advance.
"This time, we'll see what these younger generation can do."
"With the addition of the [Divine Thunder] variable this time, it's uncertain whether the situation can proceed normally," a True Person said with concern.
Upon hearing this, the other True Person nodded and said:
"Last time, the Tianxuan variable occurred, which led to the loss of the Purple Mansion spiritual treasure of the [She Lei] path. Now, it has even caused him to break through to the Purple Mansion and hide in the East Sea."
"If the Purple Mansion spiritual treasures of [Thunderclap] and [Divine Thunder] are taken away again this time, the situation will be very different."
At this point, many of the masters looked at the Taixi Master, who remained silent and meditated with his eyes closed.
Noticing the gaze, Master Taixi had no choice but to speak calmly:
"Gentlemen, there is no need to worry. The chessboard of the world is in the hands of a true master. We simply need to obey orders."
Upon hearing this, the previous aggressive and accusatory attitude vanished instantly, replaced by a smile:
"What Master Taixi said is true."
After saying this, the masters dispersed.
Since they cannot interfere with the cave, there is no need for them to gather here anymore.
To prevent some real people from staying too long from going off to fight in another place and ruining the harmony.
…………
After Li Wu and his group flew into the golden, dazzling cave, the scene before them suddenly changed.
The magnificent palaces stretch endlessly, with golden pillars reaching the sky and jade steps paving the ground. Amidst the swirling clouds, one can vaguely see the jade palaces and pavilions.
However, upon closer inspection, these palaces appear translucent, seemingly existing between reality and illusion, with golden specks of light occasionally drifting from the palace rooftops and falling into nothingness.
"Whose legacy is this...?"
Li Wu looked around, his eyes flashing with lightning, trying to see through the true nature of this cave.
Pei Xiyan reached out and caught a falling golden speck of light, closed his eyes to sense it for a moment, and said:
"He seems to be a true master of the [Jin De] path, but his aura is mixed, so there should be others among them."
Ying Zichu nodded seriously and said:
"The Taixu Secret Realm has been opened several times, and the various grotto-heavens are no longer what they used to be."
"In the cave of this [Jin De] True Man, there are countless fragments of other caves that have been shattered."
"That's exactly right."
Pei Xiyan nodded in agreement:
"That's why we came in to search for the spiritual objects in the Purple Mansion, namely [Lu Qi], [Divine Thunder], and [Zhen Thunder], which are scattered throughout any of the grotto-heavens."
Upon hearing this, Li Wu frowned slightly.
"Wouldn't that be like looking for a needle in a haystack?"
"That's all we can do."
Pei Xiyan nodded, then looked at the disciples of Jade Forest Mountain and the dragon-type cultivators, and said:
"This cave is extremely vast; please search separately."
"Yes."
So everyone went their separate ways.
"Let's go then." Li Wudang took the lead.
The three had only taken a few steps when the jade steps beneath their feet suddenly trembled, and several cracks appeared in the ground, from which golden mist surged forth.
The mist condensed and transformed into human form, which turned out to be three phantom soldiers dressed in golden armor, holding long spears, blocking the way for the three.
"Unauthorized trespassers shall die."
The voices of the golden-armored soldiers were hollow.
Li Wu glanced at them, and lightning flashed at his fingertips. Three thin, silver lightning bolts shot out and accurately pierced the foreheads of the three golden-armored soldiers.
"boom!"
The golden-armored soldiers instantly disintegrated, turning into countless golden specks of light that scattered across the sky.
"These are guardians born from the will left behind by the Purple Mansion True Person in the cave heaven. They will attack cultivators who do not follow the corresponding path on their own."
None of the three of them belonged to the [Jin De] faction, so they were naturally targeted.
Pei Xiyan then said:
"The closer you get to the place where the Purple Mansion Immortal perished, the stronger the guards become."
Li Wu nodded, and the three continued on their way.
Along the way, golden-armored soldiers kept appearing, starting in small groups of three or five, then growing into teams of dozens, and even a golden-armored general riding a golden horse appeared.
Li Wuyi struck them all with lightning; silvery-white lightning flashed through the palace, turning all the illusory guards into dust.
Ying Zichu followed leisurely to the side, even having the leisure to offer his comments:
"Brother Li, this [Divine Thunder] is truly a deadly weapon."
Li Wutou didn't turn around either:
"If Brother Zichu is bored, why not give it a try?"
"I belong to the [Lu Qi] path, and I am not good at fighting."
Ying Zichu smiled and shook his head, saying:
"Brother Li, you've gone through a lot of trouble."
Li Wu chuckled and shook his head.
The three of them continued on their way for about an hour, and finally arrived at an extremely magnificent palace.
Then the palace doors were wide open, and inside, it shone with golden light and was filled with countless spiritual objects: gold essence stones, black gold iron, golden marrow fungus... all of which were rare items of the [Gold Virtue] path.
However, at this moment, the golden energy around them suddenly rose up and gradually converged in one direction, eventually forming a golden-armored giant.
The giant was over a hundred feet tall, with a golden crown on its head and golden armor on its body. Its face was indistinct, and golden flames burned in its eyes.
Li Wu and the other two immediately retreated dozens of feet.
Ying Zichu said with a solemn expression:
"This thing might be difficult to deal with."
He could sense that the giant's aura was at least at the peak of the Foundation Establishment stage.
However, this shows that there must be something precious inside that hall.
Pei Xiyan shook his head and said coldly:
"In the end, it's nothing more than Foundation Establishment level."
After saying that, a purple bow appeared in her hand. She drew the bow and nocked an arrow, and purple lightning appeared around her.
The electric arc converged towards the bowstring, gradually forming a purple lightning arrow.
"Sizzle!"
The arrow shot out as fast as lightning.
"boom!"
However, in the next instant, two figures appeared in front of the giant.
Then a female cultivator produced a thin, round, golden iron plate in her hand and blocked the arrow.
"Clang!"
The sound of metal clashing was crisp and piercing; the moment the purple lightning arrow collided with the golden iron plate, it burst forth with dazzling light.
Li Wu frowned slightly, then unleashed a bolt of lightning, attempting to bypass the golden shield. However, the golden iron plate spun on its own, transforming into a round shield about ten feet in size, blocking all the lightning arcs.
At this moment, the two figures blocking the giant's path were fully revealed.
A man and a woman, both dressed in gold and white Taoist robes embroidered with the characters "Golden Axe".
Li Wu looked at the two words and said in a deep voice:
"Are you cultivators from the Golden Yue Sect?"
Li Shangyu's face was cold and indifferent as he looked at Li Wudao:
"【Divine Thunder】It was a momentary oversight on the part of my 【Golden Axe Sect】 that allowed you to grow to this point, but today, it is time for you to die."
Li Wu's gaze sharpened as he pondered:
"Both of these two are at the peak of the Foundation Establishment stage, and they cultivate the [Gold Virtue] path. They will have an amplification here, so they may not be easy to fight."
At this moment, Zhang Zheyuan, who was standing next to Li Shangyu, produced a large golden bow and said:
"The three of you will stay here today."
"Stay here?"
Upon hearing this, Li Wu showed no fear whatsoever. Instead, he chuckled lightly, his eyes flashing with silver-white lightning.
"Just the two of you?"
Zhang Zheyuan's expression darkened, and the golden bow in his hand hummed and trembled. A golden arrow of light condensed on the bowstring on its own, and its sharp aura spread out, leaving fine cracks in the air.
"And what about the guardians of metal in this grotto-heaven?"
As soon as Li Shangyu finished speaking, the golden-armored giant took a step, and with each step, the entire palace trembled.
The giant's gaze locked onto Li Wu and the other two. He clenched his fists, and golden energy condensed at the tips of his fists, transforming into two giant golden hammers, each tens of feet long.
It was obvious that Li Shangyu and Zhang Zheyuan, because they cultivated the [Metal Virtue], had been regarded as the same kind by this giant.
"This is bad."
Ying Zichu's expression also turned serious.
He then raised his hand and waved it, and suddenly his court robes, official seal, and scepter appeared on his body, each of which was a spiritual object of the Foundation Establishment level.
"I am not good at fighting; I can only assist you two."
Upon hearing this, Li Wu nodded slightly. With a thought, a halberd appeared in his hand, two [Golden Mirrors] floated behind him, and [Thunderous Flying Swords] surrounded him.
As for Pei Xiyan, he had already condensed purple lightning into a dragon, and the precious bow in his hand was constantly gathering power.
Li Wu's expression was solemn as he looked at Pei Xi and said:
"Senior sister, you can take the male cultivator with the bow; I'll handle the other two."
Upon hearing this, Pei Xiyan frowned slightly and said:
"Your cultivation level is lower than mine, so I'll fight two of you instead."
"I have already used a secret technique to notify the other disciples of Yulin Mountain and the dragons. They will arrive here in a quarter of an hour at most."
Even though the enemy has the advantage of playing three against three, it's still easy to delay them for 15 minutes.
"go."
However, just as they were talking, Zhang Zheyuan released the bowstring, and a golden arrow shot out at great speed.
Pei Xiyan kept her spiritual sense locked on them at all times, and the moment Zhang Zheyuan made his move, the purple lightning arrow in her hand shot out simultaneously.
"boom!"
The two arrows collided in mid-air, and golden and purple light exploded outwards, their sharp energy intertwining with the purple lightning.
Purple arcs of electricity crackled and shattered the jade steps on the palace floor.
Li Shangyu also chanted incantations and made hand seals, and the golden shield in his hand spun rapidly, shooting towards Li Wu.
Li Wu's gaze sharpened, not daring to be careless. He made a hand seal, and the [Golden Mirror] behind him immediately shot out two beams of golden light, which struck the flying golden shield.
"Bang! Bang!"
After repelling the golden shield, Li Wu's figure transformed into an arc of lightning, appearing behind Li Shangyu in an instant. He swung the halberd, slashing down heavily from above.
"boom!"
The halberd fell, accompanied by a bolt of silver-white lightning that crashed down.