Chapter 194 - 187: Daluo Dao Formation Land
Several days later, at the Cyan Mountain Daoist Temple.
In the courtyard, beneath an ancient tree.
Two aged figures sat facing each other.
One was withered and gaunt, his aura obscure and profound, like a candle about to burn out. This was none other than the Blood Demon Master, Deng Yin.
The other had a plain, simple face, like a common old man from the countryside. He held a verdant Bamboo Staff and was the one who wielded authority in the Holy Sect, Nan Dou Master.
There was no tea on the stone table, only a solidified silence and an intangible weight.
Nan Dou Master’s turbid gaze fell upon Deng Yin as he slowly began to speak:
"Have you decided? You’re letting him walk that path?
He is the ’Pathfinder’ you personally selected.
If he fails, if he falls trying for the [Venerable Dao Foundation]...
When you undergo dissolution and reincarnation, and your Soul Spirit returns, who will be there to guide you back to the Sect and help you resume your path of cultivation?"
Elder Master Deng Yin’s eyelids lowered slightly. He looked at his own withered, twig-like fingers and spoke with an indifferent tone, as if discussing a matter that had nothing to do with him:
"Senior Brother, it’s too early to talk about that.
Dissolution and reincarnation are fraught with unpredictable dangers. If my Soul Spirit simply dissipates within the cycle of rebirth, there’s no point in talking about returning, much less needing a Pathfinder."
"Don’t jinx it!" Nan Dou Master cut him off, his brow furrowed. His tone carried a trace of unquestionable authority.
"Saintly Might True Monarch is already aware of your decision and has personally sent word.
This time, when you undergo dissolution and reincarnation, you alone will bear all karmic consequences.
But if any outsiders, regardless of their power or affiliation, dare to interfere with your reincarnated body or returning Soul Spirit during this period...
The True Monarch will personally pay them a visit and tear their sect to the ground."
Hearing the name "Saintly Might True Monarch," along with those domineering words of protection, a ripple finally passed through Elder Master Deng Yin’s placid eyes, a flicker of an indescribably complex emotion.
He fell silent for a moment before saying in a low voice:
"I am indebted to the True Monarch... Senior Brother, if you see the True Monarch in the future, please... thank him on my behalf."
"Enough with the pleasantries." Nan Dou Master waved his hand, bringing the conversation back to the main topic.
"That boy, Qi Yun, are you really going to let him attempt to form that... [Venerable Dao Foundation]?"
His gaze sharpened, and he stared intently at Deng Yin.
"You, of all people, should know what that means."
However, facing Nan Dou Master’s gaze, Elder Master Deng Yin slowly and firmly shook his head.
"Senior Brother, you misunderstand."
His voice remained hoarse and flat.
"I have never given him any explicit instructions, nor have I forced him to make a choice.
From the very beginning, the choice of which Dao Foundation to pursue has been firmly in his own hands.
Whether to seek a stable but mediocre future, or to risk everything for that sliver of a possibility...
That decision is his alone to make."
Hearing this, Nan Dou Master gave the Elder Master a deep look, as if trying to pierce through his withered shell and see the true thoughts hidden in his heart.
The courtyard fell silent once more.
Only the faint whistling of the mountain wind passing through the temple could be heard.
After a long moment, an almost inaudible sigh escaped Nan Dou Master’s lips.
It was a sigh of complex meaning.
He said no more. He simply stood up slowly, leaned on his Bamboo Staff, and, just as quietly as he had arrived, walked away from the increasingly somber Cyan Mountain Daoist Temple.
He left Elder Master Deng Yin alone, still sitting withered beneath the ancient tree. The Elder Master’s turbid gaze was fixed in the direction of Qi Yun’s courtyard, as if it could pierce through the layers of mountains and buildings to see the young man struggling with his choice at the crossroads of fate.
...
"Teacher."
In front of the Cyan Mountain Daoist Temple, Qi Yun gently knocked the mottled wooden door knocker. The sound was exceptionally clear in the quiet mountains.
However, there was no response from within.
After a moment’s wait, the door let out a CREAK and slowly opened a crack on its own.
The Daoist Temple was empty.
Only a few wisps of an unknown Clear Wind stirred, sending a few withered leaves on the ground spiraling and creating a desolate feeling of abandonment.
Qi Yun’s expression tightened. He stood at the entrance in silence for a moment, which finally ended in a barely audible sigh.
He did not step inside. He only bowed slightly to the empty Daoist Temple before turning and slowly walking away, his steps somewhat heavy as he descended the stone stairs he had come up.
...
About the time it takes for an incense stick to burn, behind Cyan Mountain, before a steep, vine-covered cliff face in a rarely visited area.
Space distorted slightly, and two figures emerged without a sound, as if seeping out of an ink wash painting.
It was Qi Yun and Elder Master Deng Yin—the very two who were supposed to be at the Daoist Temple!
"Did anyone follow us?"
"No one. I was very careful and circled around several times. Besides, with the enhancement from the [Formless Divine Talisman] you gave me, Teacher, it’s impossible to be detected unless a Golden Core True Monarch deliberately scans this area."
"Good. Follow me."
Their voices faded as the two figures furtively made their way to the back of Cyan Mountain.
They arrived before a stone wall that was utterly unremarkable, showing no signs of anything special.
The two figures were indeed the Elder Master and Qi Yun.
Walking up to the seemingly solid rock face, the Elder Master’s withered fingers pressed lightly on several seemingly natural rock protrusions in a specific sequence.
As Spiritual Light flickered at his fingertips, the surface of the mountain wall rippled like water, revealing intricate and complex concealment runes that vanished in a flash.
The two looked around, and after confirming once more that their surroundings were completely safe, they took a deep breath and stepped forward. Their figures merged into the solid rock face as if melting into water, disappearing without a sound.
It was like passing through a cool curtain of water. After a brief moment of darkness and weightlessness, the scene before them changed abruptly.
This was not a dark mountain belly, but a strange space, vast and immeasurably wide!
What entered their vision were enormous bookshelves, arranged in neat rows that stretched out as far as the eye could see!
These shelves were not made of wood or stone, but seemed to be of jade or gold, emitting a faint Spiritual Light.
Upon them, sorted and categorized, were countless densely packed Scrolls, Jade Scrolls, Silk Books, and Bone Fragments... far more than ten thousand volumes!
A vast and majestic aura of knowledge washed over them.
"Gasp—" Even though Qi Yun was somewhat prepared, he couldn’t help but gasp at the sight, which resembled the core secret vault of a Sect’s Scripture Pavilion. "Teacher... you are quite the scholar."
"Enough with the flattery." The Elder Master cut him off, his tone flat. "Back then, I went to great lengths to find a cure for my old injuries, but it was all in vain. This is only a part of that effort.
Follow me."
He didn’t linger, leading Qi Yun through this vast sea of the Daoist Canon, heading straight for the deepest part of the space.
The deeper they went, the more surreal the surrounding light became, and an indescribable, ancient Dao Rhyme began to permeate the air.
Finally, they stopped at the entrance to a naturally formed stone grotto.
Stepping inside, the sight before him made Qi Yun instantly hold his breath, his pupils contracting sharply!
In the center of the grotto, which wasn’t particularly large, the entire floor was carved into an immense and ancient Array Map, so complex it was dizzying to look at!
This Array Map was not made of ordinary Magic Patterns. Instead, it was formed by three colossal Talismans of incredible profundity, which seemed to contain the birth and death of the Cosmos and the supreme principles of the Great Dao!
These three Talismans intertwined and coiled around each other, yet each remained distinct.
They exuded a vast aura that transcended time and space, one that reigned above the Ten Thousand Laws.
Merely gazing upon them was enough to make one’s Divine Soul tremble.
It was like facing three formless, intangible, yet omnipresent Supreme beings!
And above this mystical Array Map, there was no solid rock ceiling, but a hazy, ever-shifting cloud of nine-colored vapor!
The colors of this vapor were dazzlingly brilliant yet blended harmoniously. It swirled and flowed slowly like a living creature, emitting a soul-refreshing fragrance and a boundless, vibrant Spiritual Rhyme.
Strands of the nine-colored vapor drifted down, faintly resonating with the three great Talismans on the ground.
This bathed the entire grotto in a vast, ethereal, and extraordinary Realm!
"This is..."
Even though Qi Yun had already witnessed many grand scenes, such as the Pot Valley Yin Ruins, the Divine Silkworm Ruins, and the Black Death Treasure Vault, his Heart and Spirit were shaken by the profound sight before him, which defied all description.
For a moment, he was dazed, as if he had stepped into a Sacred Land that existed only in myths and legends.
Standing at the grotto’s entrance with his hands behind his back, Elder Master Deng Yin’s gaze grew incredibly profound.
He stared quietly at everything before him, his eyes filled with extremely complex emotions—reminiscence, wistfulness—which finally dissolved into a long sigh.
He slowly began to speak, his voice echoing in the strange space, carrying the weight of an eternal secret being unveiled:
"This is..." He paused, then said, word by word:
"The Daluo Dao Formation Land!"
...