txolops Chapter 229 The Gate of Ten Thousand Cultivators! The Lion Beast!
Chapter 229 The Gate of Ten Thousand Cultivators! The Lion Beast!
"here it is……"
Bai Yaoyi steadied herself and looked around curiously.
The spiritual energy inside the cave was extremely rich, even several times stronger than the secret ice field of the Arctic Palace. Every breath felt refreshing and invigorating.
However, when she scanned the cave with her divine sense, she discovered that it seemed to have only one exit: the teleportation array they had entered through. Moreover, when her divine sense touched the cave wall, it was blocked by an invisible force and could not penetrate it.
Fu Cheng also looked surprised and doubtful. He tried to inject a wisp of magic power into the teleportation array, but the array didn't react at all. "A one-way teleportation array? You can only go in, but not out?"
"Go out and see for yourself."
Lin Chuan remained calm and took the lead in walking towards the only dark exit of the cave.
He was familiar with the original work and naturally knew that this was inside Kunwu Mountain. The teleportation array was set up by ancient cultivators to urgently recall living beings from the outside world, and it was naturally one-way.
Fu Cheng and Bai Yaoyi exchanged a glance, suppressed their doubts, and quickly followed.
Stepping out of the cave, you find yourself on a narrow stone path that can only accommodate a few people side by side, winding upwards.
The three of them walked along the stone path, and the light became brighter and the air fresher as they went, with the spiritual energy so rich that it was almost impossible to dissolve.
After walking for about the time it takes for an incense stick to burn, the view suddenly opened up, revealing a stone platform protruding from the mountainside. The platform had a simple stone railing along its edge, as if someone had once leaned on it and gazed into the distance.
The three of them stepped onto the platform and looked out. They were so shocked by the sight before them that they were speechless!
Their location seemed to be at the bottom of an extremely deep, giant canyon with sheer cliffs on both sides!
Looking up, the sky was only a narrow line of light, as if it were a gap squeezed out by two incredibly tall mountains!
Sunlight struggled to penetrate the narrow passage, casting dappled shadows across the canyon.
"What a deep canyon!"
Bai Yaoyi exclaimed in amazement.
"Fly upwards and see what's up there," Lin Chuan said, then took the lead in riding his escape light, flying straight upwards along the steep cliff. Fu Cheng and Bai Yaoyi followed closely behind.
With the speed of a Nascent Soul cultivator, they flew upwards for thousands of feet before the "narrow passage" in front of them gradually widened. Finally, they broke out of the canyon completely, and the world in front of them suddenly opened up!
However, when they steadied themselves and looked back to see the full view of the "canyon" they had flown out of, and the scene before them, even though Lin Chuan was mentally prepared, he couldn't help but feel an indescribable shock.
What canyon is that?
That was clearly a colossal mountain of indescribable size, with a tiny, insignificant crack thousands of feet deep at its foot!
They just flew up from the bottom of this "crack"!
And now, what is revealed to them is the true face of this giant mountain!
The mountain is so high that it seems to connect heaven and earth. As far as the eye can see, the summit is not visible at all. The upper half of it has disappeared into the clouds and mist, its height unknown!
The mountains are so vast that they stretch endlessly. As far as the eye can see, there is no end to the mountain range in either direction. It is as if an ancient divine wall stretches across the earth, dividing the whole world!
The mountain is majestic and precipitous, with craggy rocks, towering ancient trees, and waterfalls and streams. There are also countless remnants of pavilions, towers, palaces and temples scattered at different heights. Although most of them are dilapidated, one can still glimpse their former glory and otherworldly grandeur.
What's most astonishing is the spiritual energy this mountain possesses!
It's so rich, pure, and magnificent that it's unimaginable!
Even if they just stand near the foot of the mountain and take a breath, the spiritual energy will flow into their bodies as if it were a tangible substance, ten or even a hundred times more concentrated than the spiritual energy they feel when cultivating near any top-tier spiritual vein or spiritual eye spring!
It's as if the entire mountain is a single, enormous, and immeasurably high-grade spirit stone! Cultivating here for a day is probably equivalent to several months of arduous training outside!
"What...what kind of mountain is this? How can there be such a blessed land with spiritual energy in this world?!"
Fu Cheng stared in disbelief, feeling the almost liquefied spiritual energy, his voice trembling with excitement.
He had no doubt that if he could seclude himself in this mountain for a hundred years, his chances of succeeding in breaking through to the late Nascent Soul stage would greatly increase with his accumulated knowledge!
Bai Yaoyi's beautiful eyes widened, her cool and aloof face filled with disbelief.
The Arctic Palace is located in the Northern Dark Ice Plains, which is already a rare and sacred place in harsh cold. However, compared with this mountain, it is like the difference between a barren desert and a blessed land.
"Kunwu Mountain".
Lin Chuan slowly uttered three words, his gaze lingering on the mountain peak that disappeared into the clouds. Although he had expected it, seeing this legendary number one sacred mountain in the human realm with his own eyes still stirred his emotions.
"Mount Kunwu? The ancient sacred mountain Mount Kunwu?!"
Fu Cheng and Bai Yaoyi gasped in surprise at the same time, their faces instantly filled with ecstasy and disbelief.
The legend of Kunwu Mountain is familiar to any high-level cultivator. It is a sacred place for cultivating immortality that exists only in ancient books and imagination, and it is the ultimate training ground for ancient cultivators!
Did they accidentally get teleported here?
Did they accidentally get teleported here?
"That's right, it's Kunwu Mountain."
Lin Chuan affirmed:
"It seems that the seal rift that the Ye family painstakingly opened happens to connect to the teleportation array we are in. The seal on this mountain has been broken, and soon a large number of cultivators will flood in. Opportunity lies ahead; let's rely on our own abilities."
Fu Cheng and Bai Yaoyi recovered from their initial shock, and their eyes instantly ignited with a fierce flame.
Kunwu Mountain!
Any ruin here might hold an ancient legacy; any spiritual herb might be ten thousand years old! This is an immense opportunity that could change the fate of any cultivator!
"Fellow Daoist Lin is absolutely right! Now that we've entered this treasure mountain, how can we return empty-handed!"
Fu Cheng said excitedly, his eyes burning as he looked at the faintly visible remnants of the palace on the mountain.
"Let's go!"
Bai Yaoyi also took a deep breath, suppressing her turbulent emotions, a determined look flashing in her beautiful eyes.
The three of them stopped and each took flight, speeding along the ancient stone steps that were clearly man-made and winding upwards, heading deeper into Kunwu Mountain!
The figure quickly disappeared into the vast mountain mist and towering ancient trees.
At almost the same time, somewhere on the mountainside of Kunwu Mountain.
A vast expanse of white mist shrouded the area, and in front of it stood a colossal archway, hundreds of feet tall, carved entirely from pure white jade, with an ancient and grand design.
In the center of the archway, three large characters written in ancient seal script, with a vigorous and powerful style, are written: "Gate of Ten Thousand Repairs"!
Beyond the archway, the white mist thickened, making it difficult for divine sense to penetrate; clearly, it was a powerful, restricted barrier.
In front of the archway, the nine Nascent Soul cultivators of the Ye family had just landed their escape lights.
Apart from the Confucian scholar elder, Ye Yuesheng, the second elder, and Ye Ming, the other six people all looked somewhat tired.
Forcibly breaking the seal at the bottom of the lake and traversing the unstable spatial rift took a considerable toll on them.
"This place is the 'Gate of Ten Thousand Cultivators,' the first formal mountain gate established by ancient cultivators. Only by passing through this gate can one truly enter the core area of Kunwu Mountain."
The Confucian elder gazed at the massive archway with a solemn expression. "The archway itself has no offensive capabilities, but behind it lies a portion of the power of the 'Minor Sumeru Vajra Formation,' forming a spatial illusion and defensive restrictions, making it extremely difficult to pass through by force. Fortunately, my Ye family ancestor once followed ancient cultivators in participating in part of the construction of Kunwu Mountain, leaving behind some records about the weaknesses of this formation."
He pointed to an inconspicuous crack at the base of the third jade pillar on the right side of the archway:
"Start from here and concentrate your attack to weaken the restriction as much as possible. Everyone should rest for three hours to recover to peak condition, then work together to break through this gate in one fell swoop!"
"yes!"
The crowd agreed, sat down cross-legged, took out pills and swallowed them, and began to seize the time to restore their magical power.
Time was of the essence; they had to obtain the two crucial spiritual treasures before others found the correct path into Kunwu Mountain.
Three hours passed swiftly in silence.
When everyone opened their eyes again, their eyes shone brightly, and they had recovered to their peak condition.
"Make your move!" the Confucian elder commanded.
The nine people instantly dispersed, forming a semi-circle around the jade pillar on the right side of the archway, while simultaneously making hand seals and unleashing their magical treasures!
In an instant, various lights shone, and nine powerful magical treasures, including flying swords, precious mirrors, copper hammers, and jade rulers, whistled through the air and struck the crack at the bottom of the jade pillar at a specific rhythm and angle!
"Boom! Boom! Boom—!"
Deafening explosions rang out one after another, the jade pillar trembled violently, and dense golden runes appeared on its surface, forming tough light screens that stubbornly resisted the nine people's bombardment.
The entire archway began to sway slightly, and the thick white fog behind it churned even more violently.
They didn't choose to slowly study how to break the formation, because time was of the essence!
The only way is to use the most brutal and mana-consuming method, focusing on one point and forcibly breaking the restriction!
However, just as they were attacking the archway's restrictions with all their might, and the golden light screen was beginning to show signs of instability, another unexpected event occurred!
"Gah—!!!"
A sharp, piercing cry, seemingly capable of penetrating the soul, came from the distant horizon without warning!
Before the words had even faded, a swirling, gray, and demonic mist, emanating from the mountainside, hurtled towards them like a meteor!
The speed was astonishing!
"Be careful!"
Hazuki Sei's large head suddenly turned towards the gray mist. He reacted the fastest and shouted, spitting out a silver light. It was a flying knife magic weapon as thin as a cicada's wing and shimmering with silver light!
The throwing knife transformed into a silver lightning bolt, striking first and disappearing directly into the gray mist!
"Ding! Clang! Pfft—!"
A series of ear-piercing clangs of metal clashing, and the muffled thud of something sharp piercing flesh, echoed from within the gray mist. The mist abruptly paused, then churned wildly as if enraged!
"roar--!"
A ferocious roar replaced the bird's cry, and the gray mist suddenly contracted inward, revealing the true form of the terrifying creature within!
That was a colossal monster, over ten zhang long, shaped like a giant lion, but with a ferocious eagle's head!
Its body is covered with thick, bluish-gray scales, and it has four pairs of large, powerful fleshy wings on its back!
At this moment, its fleshy wings spread out, its wingspan nearly twenty zhang, casting a large shadow. Just now, Ye Yuesheng's flying knife had been embedded in the base of its third fleshy wing on the left side. It hadn't penetrated deeply into the flesh, but it had caused the scales there to break, and dark green blood flowed out, further arousing its ferocity.
"A lion-beast?! And with eight wings at that!"
Hazuki Sei gasped, his eyes filled with shock.
The Lion-Beast is an ancient ferocious beast that has long been extinct. A fully grown ten-winged Lion-Beast can even rival a Nascent Soul cultivator! Although the one before us only has eight wings, the ferocious aura it exudes has reached the level of a tenth-level demon beast, which is comparable to a late-stage Nascent Soul cultivator of the human race!
What's more troublesome is that this beast has a strong body, amazing scales for defense, and it can no longer fly, making it extremely difficult to deal with.
"Form a defensive array! Trample it!"
The Confucian elder's face darkened, and he shouted sternly. He hadn't expected to encounter such a troublesome guardian beast so soon after entering Kunwu Mountain.
However, the lion beast was too fast!
After being injured, it became extremely ferocious. With a sudden flap of its eight wings, its massive body transformed into a blurry gray shadow, instantly breaking through the several interception spells hastily set up by the Ye family cultivators and appearing beside a Ye family Nascent Soul early stage cultivator who was a little further away!
The cultivator didn't even have time to make an effective defense. He only felt a blur before his eyes, and a huge claw covered with bluish-gray scales and gleaming with cold light was already upon his body!
"Pfft—!"
Blood splattered! Accompanied by a short scream, the cultivator's entire right arm, along with half of his shoulder, was torn off at the root by the lion-beast's sharp claws!
The protective aura of his magical artifact was as fragile as paper. Had he not desperately dodged at the last moment, this claw would have been enough to disembowel him!
"How dare you, you beast!"
The remaining Ye family cultivators were both shocked and furious, and various magical treasures and spells rained down on the lion-beast.
However, the lion-beast's scales shimmered with light, and most of the attacks that landed on them only produced bursts of spiritual light, failing to cause any real damage!
It withstood the attack, opened its massive maw, and swallowed the nascent soul of the one-armed cultivator who had fled in panic. It didn't even chew before swallowing it into its stomach, and a cruel and satisfied light appeared in its crimson eagle eyes.
A Nascent Soul cultivator in the early stages perished in the blink of an eye!
"Damn it!"
Ye Ming's eyes were bloodshot with rage, and he was about to unleash his natal magic weapon in a desperate attempt, but the Confucian elder raised his hand to stop him.
"let me!"
The Confucian elder's face was ashen, a hint of pain flashing in his eyes, but he still slapped the back of his head without hesitation and spat out a beam of dark light.
The dark light swelled upon exposure to the wind, transforming into a strange longsword about seven feet long, entirely black as ink, with a blood-red glow flowing through its blade.
As soon as the long sword was drawn, a fierce, domineering, and terrifying aura that seemed to devour everything spread out, causing the Ye family cultivators present to feel a chill in their hearts. Even the ferocious lion-beast's crimson eagle eyes narrowed slightly, revealing a trace of instinctive fear.
The Ye family's heirloom – the Black Blood Blade!
Legend has it that this sword needs to be nourished with essence, blood, and soul to possess immense power, but each use of it also causes considerable damage to its owner.
"cut!"
The Confucian elder bit his tongue, spitting a mouthful of blood onto the Black Blood Blade.
The blade shone with a bright crimson light, emitting a mournful hum, and transformed into a terrifying crimson rainbow that tore through the sky, slashing towards the lion-beast that was about to pounce on another Ye family cultivator with lightning speed!
The lion-beast sensed a deadly threat and its eight wings vibrated wildly as it tried to dodge, but the black blood blade seemed to have locked onto its aura, with its blood-red rainbow following it like a shadow!
"Sizzle—!"
The blood-red rainbow swept across the bottom right wing of the lion-beast, severing half of its wing as if a hot knife were cutting through oil!
Dark green demon blood gushed out like a fountain, spilling onto the ground and causing it to sizzle as it corroded it.
"roar--!!!"
The lion-beast let out a roar of extreme pain and rage, its massive body swaying as it lost its balance.
Its crimson eagle eyes stared intently at the Confucian scholar elder, who held the black-blooded blade and whose face had instantly paled. It then swept its gaze over the Ye family members who were eyeing it menacingly, a hint of weighing its options and resentment flashing in its eyes.
Ultimately, its fear of the black-blooded blade and its weakened state after being injured led it to make a choice.
It let out a venomous shriek, and with a powerful flap of its remaining seven and a half fleshy wings, it stirred up a stench that filled the sky. Its massive body turned into a gray streak and fled back towards the deep mountains it had come from without looking back, disappearing into the horizon in the blink of an eye.
"Huff...cough cough..."
Seeing the lion-beast retreat, the Confucian elder breathed a sigh of relief, then coughed violently a few times, a trickle of blood spilling from the corner of his mouth, his aura noticeably weakened.
Activating the Black Blood Blade was a huge burden for him.
"Elder!" Ye Ming and the others rushed forward.
"It's alright, you won't die."
The Confucian elder waved his hand, took out a scarlet pill and swallowed it. After a moment of meditation, his complexion improved slightly.
"We can't stay here any longer. The lion beast might return, and it could attract other things. Continue breaking the restrictions! We must enter the core area before more people arrive!"
"yes!"
The remaining eight Ye family cultivators responded in unison, turning their gaze once again to the "Gate of Ten Thousand Cultivators" archway.
This time, however, a sense of solemnity and indignation lingered on everyone's faces. While the opportunities at Kunwu Mountain were immense, their dangers far exceeded their expectations. They had only just begun, and one person had already perished. The road ahead would likely be even more arduous.
Chapter Update Notice: Chapter 229 The Gate of Ten Thousand Cultivators! Lion Beast!, Read here.