The entrance to the Jade Void Palace was a grand hall flanked by bronze pillars and perpetually burning lamps. Beyond the hall stretched a corridor that meandered over an endless, waterless flat lake. The lake was dark and unfathomably deep, as if leading straight to the Nine Nether Hells, sending shivers down one’s spine.
The corridor was built from wood unfamiliar to Meng Qi, exuding a faint fragrance of grass and trees. Its color was a deep blue verging on black. Stepping upon it, there was no sound of landing, nor any sense of physical contact, as though one were walking in empty space.
Meng Qi dared not delay. While carefully checking the forbidden spells, he moved forward swiftly but dared not rise above or deviate from the corridor, for the waterless lake exuded an extremely terrifying danger.
After flying for a while, the corridor ahead remained straight, the lake still waterless and deep, its appearance unchanged with no sign of an end. Meng Qi began to feel puzzled. The Jade Void Palace was the residence of the Kunlun sect—such an excessively long corridor seemed inconsistent with daily needs.
Could it be that the Jade Void sect had a method to quickly cross this place?
Reckless haste was not the right path. A brief pause for thought might hasten progress. Meng Qi was in exactly this state now, slightly slowing his pace to observe his surroundings.
The waterless lake bore no lotus, no fish, no visible bottom—no reference point. The scenery ahead was identical to the starting point, as if he had never moved forward. Meng Qi soon sensed the strangeness. He focused again on the corridor, which stretched straight and uniform, each section indistinguishable from the next. Flying for two heartbeats made no difference from not flying at all.
Looking back, the entrance hall had vanished into the distance. The view remained unchanged—only the waterless lake and the repeating corridor.
In this eerie silence, Meng Qi flew a long distance, yet without any reference point, he couldn’t even determine if he had moved.
He couldn’t keep flying blindly! Suddenly, Meng Qi descended, stepping onto the corridor floor. He shut his eyes and ears completely, relying solely on his mind to perceive the surroundings.
One step forward landed him in the same place. Another step, still the same spot. Meng Qi abruptly opened his eyes. Was he merely walking in place?
Trying various methods, Meng Qi remained stuck in this state of motionlessness. A chill crept down his spine.
Stay calm, stay calm! This was precisely the moment when calmness was most needed. Meng Qi took a deep breath, dispelling the anxiety born from uncertainty.
His mind cleared, and suddenly he understood. The Jade Void Palace was the abode of the Primordial Beginning Heavenly Venerable, the symbol of the beginning of all things—without self or others, without front or back, without up or down, without past or future. How similar this was to his previous experience!
The forbidden spells of the Jade Void Palace should indeed be like this!
A sudden relaxation surged within him. He unsheathed his long blade, which flashed like lightning, dazzlingly brilliant. With an unstoppable and unbreakable force, he slashed forward.
Creation of heaven and earth, division of yin and yang, self-generated path!
Crack! The blade light seemed to freeze before Meng Qi’s eyes. Then, the “void” split open. The lake and corridor collapsed to either side. Beyond the fissure stood a grand pavilion with eaves, entirely in dark yellow hues.
Meng Qi leaped forward, diving into the crack. Yet before he could reach the pavilion, he saw two figures standing at its entrance.
One resembled a legendary giant, with gray-black skin and knotted muscles. Clad in a dull yellow Daoist robe, his hands hung naturally at his sides, white as jade, forming a bizarre contrast with his dark skin. The other wore a deep red robe, a graceful and beautiful woman, tall and well-proportioned, wielding a three-foot cold blade. These were the two Grandmasters who had accompanied King Zhuang of Chu.
They weren’t searching for treasures but had instead come here to block his path? Meng Qi was astonished. Behind them, several Law Bodies might soon arrive following their sensing. Yet these two Grandmasters were waiting here so calmly!
The giant’s expressionless face bore ancient features. Slowly, he lifted his right foot, as if stepping forward.
“My master’s command: killing you outweighs acquiring treasure!”
A deep, dull voice rumbled. In a single step, the giant reached Meng Qi, raising his right hand high. His fingers, spread wide and white as jade, radiated a strange, divine glow. Darkness gathered before his palm, as if the entire heaven and earth had shrunk into that space!
In that instant, Meng Qi seemed to see a mountain connecting heaven and earth, so tall that he had to tilt his head to its limit to glimpse the peak—just the giant’s hand. Then, the mountain broke, the sky tilted northwest, and the land sank southeast.
In a daze, the palm descended. Heaven and earth inverted. The surrounding void twisted and bent. Meng Qi not only felt bound and unable to move but was also irresistibly drawn toward the descending hand, as if his body were collapsing inward.
A Grandmaster’s Domain combined with the genuine Heaven-Upturning Seal? Meng Qi had no ability to evade, like a trapped beast. Gritting his teeth, his body expanded rapidly, surpassing ten feet in height. Yet no matter how tall he grew, the jade-white hand still struck from above, unreachable.
Peng! Peng! Peng! Explosions erupted around Meng Qi’s body, as if the Heaven-Imitating Art had shattered countless invisible shackles. Though his body remained heavy and his movements sluggish, he could now act!
Gritting his teeth, as if carrying a mountain on his back, he swung his blade and sword, attempting to shift from stillness to motion, combining Heaven-Piercing and Creation-Returning to Primordial Void, clashing head-on with raw power and counterattacking with offense.
At that moment, an extreme sense of danger surged in Meng Qi’s heart. His spiritual awareness reflected the beautiful woman.
She now held a fan made of multicolored feathers, each brimming with apocalyptic heat and flames. Around her echoed cries of phoenixes, pengs, and peacocks. The fan’s front bore numerous talismans and seals, glowing with light, ready to unleash flames!
A Divine Artifact!
The Five Flames and Seven Birds Fan?
This was truly a deadly formation aimed at his life. One attacked relentlessly, indifferent to collateral damage. The other locked on and prepared to strike for an instant kill!
Meng Qi’s pores tightened, his hairs bristling. Suddenly, two arms sprouted from his back, each gripping a three-foot wooden whip. Without hesitation, he poured true yuan and summoned celestial forces, fiercely striking Yang Xizhi, nearly abandoning resistance against the giant, though secretly reserving some strength.
The wooden whip emitted ten thousand golden rays. Its outer shell peeled away, revealing a golden body with glowing talismans. Instantly, it froze the multicolored flames—crimson, orange, yellow, white, green, blue, and purple—surging from the Five Flames and Seven Birds Fan.
Crack!
The whip struck down, extinguishing the flames. Yang Xizhi flew backward, spitting blood.
Had the Divine-Beating Whip not been a divine treasure specifically for gods, and without the Seal of Investiture, it would have been merely an ordinary divine weapon against other races. This strike could have killed Yang Xizhi outright. After all, the Five Flames and Seven Birds Fan was a treasure-type divine weapon, not meant for direct combat. Struck directly, it naturally paled in comparison!
At this moment, the giant Gu Heng’s Heaven-Upturning Seal descended. Meng Qi, fully focused on controlling the divine weapon, could only slightly guide his blade and sword, finally activating the Polar Magnetic Robe at the last moment. It slightly twisted the giant’s hand, preventing it from striking his face directly. Otherwise, within the terrifying domain of twisted void, even his spirit might not have escaped.
Crack!
A flash of pale gold vanished. Part of his robe shattered. Meng Qi’s left shoulder collapsed from his neck down to his chest, reduced to pulp.
Were it not for the Eight-Nine Art’s excellence, another person would have been flattened into paste even without a fatal strike.
Meng Qi forced a breath, drawing slightly on the Undying Seal Art’s power, and shot forward, passing Yang Xizhi and rushing into the pavilion.
Activating the divine weapon and the robe had nearly drained him!
Yet he dared not stop. The giant was chasing him, a thorn at his back. Catching a brief breath, he immediately used the last of his strength to activate the Earth Magnetic Radiance Escape Talisman. His figure suddenly accelerated, flashing low to the ground, vanishing from the giant’s perception.
Gu Heng halted, turning to look at his junior female apprentice, Yang Xizhi.
“No problem. The Jade Void Palace is this small. Where can he run?” Yang Xizhi swallowed a pill, collecting the scattered flesh Meng Qi had left behind. Even though it had no vitality, its essence had already decayed.
…
While fleeing, Meng Qi felt utterly drained, unable even to move a finger. He silently prayed, hoping not to trigger any forbidden spells. He wished the light would vanish into an alchemy room, allowing him to find top-grade elixirs like the Eastern Longevity Pill. Whether the healing pills from the Huamei Villa or those from Red Cloud Daoist, they would require one or two hours to restore him.
Crack! The talisman’s power vanished, and Meng Qi fell to the ground.
Before he could even see his surroundings, voices like Buddhist chants and Daoist recitations echoed:
“Xiangliu has nine human heads, a snake’s body, and is green in color…”
“The god of Zhong Mountain is named Zhuyin. His gaze brings day; his closed eyes bring night. His breath creates winter; his exhalation brings summer. He neither drinks, eats, nor breathes; his breath becomes wind. His body spans a thousand miles…”
“There is a bird, shaped like a crane, with one leg, red markings, green body, and a white beak, named Bifang. Its cry sounds like its name. Its appearance heralds false fires in the land…”
One by one, characteristics and origins of ancient great demons and deities were recited, as if a hundred monks were chanting sutras, a continuous buzzing. Yet Meng Qi’s face lit with surprise and joy—this was exactly what he needed!
The first eighteen transformations of the Eight-Nine Profound Art were species-based changes. For example, transformations into flying insects covered everything from mosquitoes and flies to fleas. The Solar Transformation could range from miniature to fully mature, from newborn to aged, depending on one’s cultivation. Starting from the thirty-sixth transformation, the changes involved grander and subtler forms—transformations into divine beasts, great demons, and deities. Each transformation was unique, allowing one to become the Polar Magnetic Beast, or transform into Bifang or Zhuyin. Different practitioners chose different paths based on their inclinations.
However, there was a problem. Although the art contained techniques, if one lacked sufficient knowledge of the transformed entity, cultivation would be inefficient or even impossible.
At this moment, the chanting voices resolved many future cultivation issues for Meng Qi!
Surveying the surroundings, Meng Qi found himself in a quiet chamber, the voices emanating from all four walls.
“This is the place for cultivating the Eight-Nine Profound Art?” Meng Qi first took out several pills and swallowed them.
…
Before the pavilion, Yang Xizhi and Gu Heng chased after Meng Qi, leaving the place once again in ancient, unchanging silence.
At this moment, a figure wrapped entirely in black robes emerged from the shadows, glancing at the direction they had left. He murmured softly, his voice aged, indifferent:
“Lu Ya actually wants to ruin my plans? Has his heart been unable to calm after being suppressed by Yuan Shi?”
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