A bone-chilling cold capable of freezing even primordial spirits and terrifying curses filled the boundless darkness. The austere vastness of the starry cosmos remained undiminished by the presence of the Nine-Headed Worm’s ancient abode; instead, it corroded and “weathered” the ruins incessantly.
Jiuli swiftly recalled the contents of the videos she had watched and the teachings of her parents, striving to remain calm and composed. Then, mimicking the composed demeanor of the leader and the authoritative tone of her parents, she said, “Don’t rush to open the abode. First, thoroughly search the mountain peak to confirm there are no remnants or hidden traps, and observe the flow of natural energies and the changes in the Dao’s resonance.”
The former was to ensure there were no hidden mysteries or sinister ambushes, while the latter was to gather useful details for deciphering the abode’s entrance seals and preparing to break them.
“Agreed!” Ao Qin, though consistently arrogant and dismissive of ordinary demons without noble lineage, had been chosen by the Arctic Little Sage for this crucial mission. Aside from being a less-noticed descendant whose actions drew little attention, he undoubtedly possessed remarkable abilities and knew when to prioritize the greater good.
As soon as he spoke, a layer of frost-like radiance surged around him, enveloping his two demon-venerable subordinates. They flew out of the airship and plunged into the frigid, endless void of the cosmos, descending upon the peak where the Nine-Headed Worm’s abode lay, surrounded by layers of curses.
Within that icy glow, curses of dark green and pitch-black hues froze into shapes resembling writhing serpents and maggots.
With a flicker of the frosty light, the motley colors vanished. Ao Qin turned and nodded, indicating that the mountain’s remnants still retained basic defensive capabilities, capable of filtering curses and resisting the cold.
Seeing this, Gu Yue summoned swirling azure winds around him, forming a vortex interwoven with thousands of sinister, venomous shadows. They carried him through the airship’s barriers, across the cold and curse-laden void, landing smoothly on the mountainside. Meanwhile, Golden Scale Fairy was buoyed by surging azure waves that repelled all else, propelling the radiant maiden toward the foot of the mountain. Each of them was accompanied by two powerful attendants below the Dharmakaya level.
“After you, Moonfall Sir,” Jiuli said with a faint smile, maintaining her composed demeanor.
He Mu returned the courtesy with a smile, processing his first impressions of the abode and the mountain. Then, five-colored sword light—red, azure, yellow, white, and black—soared into the sky like a meteor, leaving a trail of brilliant fire across the icy void before landing swiftly near the summit.
Jiuli gave a slight nod and suddenly clapped her hands. A matronly figure, whose aura was no weaker than hers, stepped forward to take command of the airship, activating its formations to confine the numerous demonic warriors and maidservants within their chambers.
They had been brought along to portray the arrogance and indulgence of these privileged scions, who insisted on being attended even during travels, thereby minimizing suspicion from prying eyes.
Now, to prevent spies or disturbances from sabotaging their mission, they were all placed under the watch of trusted aides.
With this done, illusory wings unfurled behind Jiuli, their patterns resembling ancient characters that exuded a sacred aura of the Five Virtues.
One by one, the “characters” lit up, finally settling into a profound yellow radiance that coalesced into a hazy thirty-three-tiered exquisite pagoda hovering above her head, from which strands of meritorious yellow qi descended.
Stepping forward, Jiuli, accompanied by two demon-venerable maidservants, traversed the dark, frigid void as if it were her own garden. In moments, they arrived unscathed and undisturbed before the abode’s entrance.
As expected, they all possess divine weapons or equivalents… He Mu nodded slightly, unsurprised.
As privileged descendants of demon gods or lesser sages, it would be suspicious if they lacked divine-tier artifacts when venturing out.
However, overly powerful high-tier items would undoubtedly draw unwanted attention, so they wouldn’t have those either.
Without further words, the five parties began scouting their surroundings, scrutinizing every detail for anomalies.
After a considerable time and several rotations of their assigned areas, they pooled their findings. The mountain’s defensive formations, eroded by the relentless passage of time and the cold, cursed void of the cosmos, had weakened to the extreme. Any lingering sinister traps had long since dissipated, requiring no further concern.
Next, the patterns on Jiuli’s wings shifted from profound yellow to black and white, transforming the exquisite pagoda into a diagram of the Great Ultimate.
The illusory diagram descended, merging into her eyes as the observed flows of natural energies and Dao resonance details “poured” in, spinning and deducing ceaselessly.
Thanks to preliminary reconnaissance by the initial discoverers, the Radiant Little Sage and Arctic Little Sage were not entirely ignorant of the Nine-Headed Worm’s abode. From traces and clues, they had deduced possible types of entrance seals and taught Jiuli, Ao Qin, and others the relevant formations and their variations.
Combining these insights, it took only the time of a cup of tea for Jiuli’s eyes to clear as she nodded slightly. “The Myriad Heavens Bloodfiend Formation—a renowned ancient prohibition. But it, too, has weakened to a certain degree, no longer the inescapable trap it once was for gods and demons.”
He Mu, his left hand hidden in his sleeve, verified part of Jiuli’s conclusion using the Jade Void Divination. Though unfamiliar with the Myriad Heavens Bloodfiend Formation, he could deduce other aspects.
“I’ll trigger the formation and bear its backlash. When the formation reaches the cycle of bloodfiend generation and dissipation, Moonfall Sir will strike the nine-headed bird emblem at the lower left of the entrance,” Jiuli assigned tasks methodically.
As the leader, she had to take the lead initially. Moonfall, being a recent addition, needed to prove his capability and commitment, hence this arrangement.
Just as He Mu was about to agree, his gaze swept over the nine-headed bird emblems adorning the entrance, each exuding a primordial aura. Frowning slightly, he asked, “Don’t these emblems seem like distinct, unusual characters?”
“What of it? Their influence on natural energies is already accounted for. What does it matter if we recognize them or not?” Ao Qin scoffed, dismissing He Mu’s concern as nitpicking.
He Mu pondered. “What if they’re crucial hints?”
Gu Yue replied coldly, “If the Nine-Headed Great Sage was indeed the ancient demon god Nine Phoenix, then these emblems, if characters, must be from the Primordial Era. Could you possibly recognize them?”
After a pause, He Mu said, “I have some knowledge of ancient scripts. Given time, I might decipher them.”
“You? Know ancient scripts? Ridiculous!” Ao Qin burst out laughing incredulously.
As a descendant of a legendary figure, even he had never encountered Primordial-era scripts or artifacts. Even his ancestor, the Arctic Little Sage, knew little of them. How could an ordinary demon like He Mu claim such knowledge?
He must be bluffing to elevate his status!
Gu Yue’s gaze turned dismissively toward the entrance, wholly unconvinced. Golden Scale Fairy covered her mouth, whispering to Jiuli, “Shall I assist you instead?”
He Mu, ever cautious, turned to Jiuli earnestly. “The ancient abode of a Great Sage is no trivial matter. We mustn’t act rashly. Jiuli, grant me fifteen minutes. If I fail to decipher them, we can proceed with opening the door.”
Ao Qin’s face darkened, ready to rebuke, but Jiuli raised a hand to stop him. “Your point has merit. The abode of an ancient Great Sage is indeed not to be taken lightly. Moreover, this concerns your own interests, so I trust you’re not speaking idly. However, the longer we delay, the greater the risk of exposure and disaster. Thus, I can grant you only the time of a cup of tea. At the very least, within that time, you must show us progress.”
He Mu nodded solemnly. “You have my word, Jiuli.”
All scripts evolved from Dao patterns—the higher their tier, the closer to the Dao’s essence. The ancient Vermilion Bright Jade Script was one such example, and Primordial scripts were no exception. While lower-tier scripts might elude him, higher-tier ones would share common traits.
As he spoke, He Mu discreetly activated his Myriad World Communicator, navigating to a forum dedicated to ancient scripts. He sketched one of the nine-headed bird emblems and posted it with the title:
“Can anyone identify this ancient script? Sincere inquiry, awaiting responses!”
Simultaneously, he uploaded the remaining emblems to other forums and discussion groups, ensuring redundancy to avoid deception.
With the Myriad World Communicator, he wasn’t fighting alone!
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