Chapter 674 - 621: Each Gains Something
Jiang Yuebai ascended the water staircase step by step, the splashes underfoot dancing around her, surrounded by clouds and mist, as if she were in the sky.
The celestial palace’s precious pavilion, jade towers, and exquisite buildings suspended above her, with only a nine-foot-wide flowing water sky stairs beneath her feet, leading upwards with no other path.
The surrounding clouds and mist gradually thickened, enveloping her in a veil where she couldn’t see her hand before her face, or like she was submerged in water, her entire body chilled.
Jiang Yuebai couldn’t help but move her hand through the air, causing the clouds to ripple like water, spreading outwards.
Where were they now, in the sky, or in the water?
Jiang Yuebai unconsciously slowed her steps, gaining a sense of insight, as she had experienced when first stepping into the domain of the Immortal Palace, being eroded by the Dao Fruit of Immortal Monarch Chongmin.
But the Daoist erosion here was even stronger, more gentle, and more pervasive, so Jiang Yuebai didn’t notice it at first.
Beside her, Lu Nanzhi also slowed down, her gaze into the surrounding mist growing more profound.
Jiang Yuebai pondered, why is the sky the sky, and the earth the earth? Why couldn’t the sky be the earth, and the earth the sky?
Clouds are in the sky, rivers on the earth, but clouds are formed from river water, gathering into form. Are they not just another form of river?
And when clouds gather to a certain extent, they turn into rain and return to the earth. Are rivers not another form of cloud?
Rivers to clouds, clouds to rivers, doesn’t this align with the Dao of Yin-Yang transformation?
Extreme Yin must turn to Yang, and extreme Yang to Yin. When anything reaches an extreme, it will transform toward another direction.
Yin and Yang oppose and give birth to each other.
As Jiang Yuebai pondered, the clouds above her head rolled, transforming into two fish chasing each other, like the Tai Chi symbol.
Jiang Yuebai gradually entered a mystical realm, the power of Yin and Yang converging from the heavens, pouring into her Sea of Consciousness through the Baihui Acupoint.
Her Divine Sense stirred by the Tai Chi of clouds above, merging and rotating, it traveled down her spine, transforming directly into Chaos Qi, entering her Dantian.
Like tides at the seashore, wave after wave crashing into the barriers of her cultivation...
Lu Nanzhi was completely unaware of the anomaly surrounding Jiang Yuebai as she also pondered whether her sword could be like these clouds and mist, silent and imperceptible, unending and all-pervasive, gentle yet lethal?
Water can transform into mist, mist can gather into water, and also condense into ice, the process should be seamless.
Water, mist, ice...
One after another cloud drew by Lu Nanzhi’s Sword Heart transformed into feather-like soft Cloud Mist Sword Aura, turning to ice, melting into water, dispersing into mist, as light as a swan feather.
Swan feathers drifted around her body, and Lu Nanzhi herself gradually blurred into mist, merging with the surroundings as her understanding deepened.
Within the mist, the Sword Qi was restrained, like thunder within clouds, colliding to create sudden new changes!
Crack!
A thunderclap resounded, Jiang Yuebai abruptly returned to her senses, her foot stepping into emptiness, and she unexpectedly fell into the icy river below.
Jiang Yuebai felt as though she suddenly lost her cultivation, struggling for breath like a mortal in the water.
As she struggled, she noticed a faint light ahead and swam desperately toward it.
Upon getting closer, she discovered it was an eye, with a sky-blue background, scattered with white clouds.
Under this dome-like sky, she felt as small as dust, unable to discern the full scope of the giant being.
Um—
A sound echoed, both whale’s cry and eagle’s cry, a giant black sphere appeared in the eastern part of Jiang Yuebai’s Sea of Consciousness, paired with a white hollow ring in the west.
Emitting an ancient and desolate aura, when Jiang Yuebai’s Divine Thought focused on it, many complex and indescribable things exploded in her mind.
Although she used all three paths of her Divine Thought, she couldn’t fully comprehend it, feeling like her mind was about to burst from the vast amount of information.
She quickly retracted her Divine Thought, not daring to contemplate the two objects in her Sea of Consciousness further.
Judging by their appearance, they resembled the Taiyin Tenuous Light and Sun Candlelight she saw at the Nine Dragon Ruins.
But what was in her Sea of Consciousness seemed to be mere symbolic imprints, not the real Taiyin Tenuous Light and Sun Candlelight.
Um—
The sound came again, Jiang Yuebai’s Sea of Consciousness trembled, and the scene before her eyes shifted once more; she found herself back on the grand plaza at the top of the Divine Palace.
Jiang Yuebai felt as though she hadn’t breathed for a long time, her chest feeling ready to explode, so she quickly took a deep breath, noticing Lu Nanzhi was right beside her, eyes closed, unresponsive.
Moreover, Lu Nanzhi’s body appeared ethereal and misty, like water or mist, harboring a power that made Jiang Yuebai’s scalp tingle.
Recalling her recent experience, Jiang Yuebai understood that Lu Nanzhi had surely also received something, was having an epiphany at the moment.
Jiang Yuebai quickly became vigilant of the surroundings, protecting Lu Nanzhi.
At the far end of the plaza stood only one grand glass palace, reflecting the sky, dreamlike, ethereal with Immortal Qi.
The palace doors were ajar, indicating someone had already entered.
A sound of heavy breathing startled Lu Nanzhi awake, an intense aura erupted from her body, colliding with the air to produce sparks of thunder.
The thunder dissipated into mist, vanished into the void, but the aura still rushed fiercely toward Jiang Yuebai’s face.
Her Spiritual Sense sharp, she quickly gathered Protective Gang Qi in front of her to block it.
Zheng!
Jiang Yuebai widened her eyes, seeing outside her Protective Gang Qi countless Cloud Mist Feather Swords vibrating in mid-air, tipped with silver arcs. Lu Nanzhi frowned, her gesture dismissing them.
"Sorry, Little Bai, I lost control for a moment."
Jiang Yuebai retracted her Protective Gang Qi, shook her head, "It doesn’t matter. As long as there’s something gained. Let’s go inside."
With Jade Talismans masks their tracks, the two entered the main hall, and exchanged brief words about the recent events on the way.
Both Lu Nanzhi and Jiang Yuebai had seen that sky-like eye pupil, but Jiang Yuebai had seen it underwater, whereas Lu Nanzhi saw it in the sky.
Without a doubt, it was the Kunpeng!
The thing Jiang Yuebai obtained clearly related to Yin Yang Power. According to ancient records, Kunpeng is an entity that mastered both Taiyin and Solar Powers.
What it left in Jiang Yuebai’s Sea of Consciousness, she didn’t have time to carefully explore at the moment, and could only wait to find a safe place to imagine after exiting the Secret Realm.
However, just that instant of contemplation made her feel her Divine Soul fuller, that item might fill the lack in her Divine Soul Power.
What Lu Nanzhi received was obviously related to Sword Dao, and she comprehended the Thunder Generation Method within Clouds, which she even claimed this harvest was impressive, even greater than what she had attained at Pojun Mountain in the Shaking Light Realm.
The specifics, both of them tacitly understood, and asked no more.
Just as Jiang Yuebai and Lu Nanzhi stepped into the Divine Palace’s highest great hall, Immortal Monarch Chongmin’s servant, Wen Su, appeared soundlessly at the Divine Palace’s entrance.
Seeing the palace doors open, a trace of joy flickered across Wen Su’s eyes.
Passing through the doors, Wen Su saw through the Hidden Immortal Array on the plaza at a glance, observing within it the life force of Xiong Yanhong, trapped in an Illusion Realm, almost extinguished.
Wen Su’s expression grew complex, she pinched her fingers, ultimately choosing to look away, stepping directly upon the Flowing Water Sky Stairs past the Hidden Immortal Array.
Years ago, she met Xiong Yanhong in the Kunxi Secret Realm. He killed for treasures, yet also saved her by doing so.
But their fate ceased the moment he refused her.
Since then, like strangers, she has been turning a blind eye to his ventures into Secret Realms was already an act of great benevolence.
Matters of life and death, let destiny decide.
Zhuge Ziyin, seeing Wen Su from within the array, was startled, turning pale, but fortunately, Wen Su only glanced once before leaving.
Her presence here must indicate the opening of the Divine Palace.
There were rumors that over the years, it wasn’t that no one had passed the celestial trials to enter the Divine Palace, but rather that those who entered never made it out alive.
Wen Su reaching Late-Stage Divinity Transformation at such a young age when most her age barely reached the Divinity Transformation Stage.
With such talents, yet staying by Immortal Monarch Chongmin’s side, severing her own Immortal Path, was largely due to this reason!
Whether the rumors were true, no one knew. Immortal Monarch Chongmin remained silent on the matter, which only suggested the rumors were false.
But Zhuge Ziyin was still worried about the safety of Jiang Yuebai and the others, but was unable to leave due to his ongoing alchemy.
At a complete loss, a few people entered from outside the Divine Palace, causing his eyes to brighten with hope.