Must Investigate Him

Chapter 33: Must Investigate Him

Su Yun returned to Tianmen Town. Before entering the Heavenly Gate, he sniffed himself carefully again, ensuring there was no smell of blood, before walking into the town.

"The little brat did something bad!"

As soon as he entered the town, he felt a tap on his head, and a small stone rolled from his feet into the distance.

Su Yun looked up, a sunny, childish smile gracing his face, the kind only a youth possesses: "Uncle Qu, you're slandering me."

Uncle Qu, as usual, was perched atop the Heavenly Gate, tapping and carving.

The old man put down his axe and chisel, chuckling, "You look like a little fox who just stole a chicken, all shifty and sneaky. And you say you didn't do anything bad?"

He sat on the scaffolding, leisurely saying, "You still have the smell of blood on you. You can't fool me. Come up, let's talk!"

Su Yun hesitated.

Among all the townsfolk in Tianmen Town, he was closest to Uncle Qu. However, ever since he had accidentally opened the Heavenly Gate's spirit and entered another world, only to see Uncle Qu's corpse there, he had been unconsciously distancing himself from the old man.

In the past, he often climbed onto the scaffolding to listen to the old man tell all sorts of strange and bizarre stories, like the Ghost Market at midnight, or dragons falling from the sky—tales that would scare him sleepless at night.

Su Yun climbed the scaffolding and came up beside Uncle Qu.

"Tianshiyuan is a remarkable place."

Uncle Qu lay back, hands behind his head, and said, "Tianshi means heavenly city, and yuan means city walls. Our Tianshiyuan is said to be a heavenly city that fell to the human world. That's why strange things always happen here. Little brat, your eyes are almost healed, right?"

Su Yun also lay down. His vision was still dark; he couldn't see the sky above Tianmen Town. "Almost. If I fully circulate my Blood Essence, I can push open whatever is blocking my pupils, but only for a very short time. However, if I cultivate the Great Furnace Transformation to the sixth level, the shadow of that Immortal Sword will no longer be able to block my pupils."

"That person named Qiu Shuijing is a very talented individual."

Uncle Qu smiled, "When your eyes are fully healed in the future, don't be surprised if you see strange things. Because this is Tianshiyuan, the strangest place in the world."

Su Yun's expression was calm, and he nodded silently.

He had seen Uncle Qu's corpse on a stone bridge in another world. Uncle Qu said this because he was worried that Su Yun would not be able to accept the truth he saw after his eyes healed.

Uncle Qu continued, "Tianshiyuan is said to be a city where immortals reside. It fell into the mortal realm at some unknown time and for some unknown reason. Many people have tried to find the secret to eternal life and immortality here, but all have failed without exception."

He sat up, filled with emotion, "How many kings, nobles, and generals have there been throughout history, generation after generation, all turned to dust. They built their tombs here, hoping for eternal life, only to end up as mere dirt."

He picked up his axe and chisel and continued carving the Heavenly Gate. "Little brat, when Old Cen brought you here six years ago, he said your blindness was related to us. Tianmen Town owed you, and we had to raise you, not let you die out there. Old Cen is a senior, and we agreed with that. Not long ago, Old Cen left, and your eyes are about to recover. When your eyes are healed, we will no longer owe you. That will be the day you should leave."

Su Yun was stunned. "Uncle Qu..."

Uncle Qu said leisurely, "You carry the aura of battle; you've grown up. These past few days, I've seen you handle danger with decisiveness and resolve. Your mindset has also matured. When your eyes are healed, you will be an adult who no longer needs our care, no longer the little brat. Go down now."

Su Yun was stunned. Uncle Qu has been secretly watching over me? He knows about the dangers I've faced these past few days...

His heart was filled with emotion as he silently walked down the scaffolding. "Actually, I've always been indebted to Uncle Qu. Uncle Qu took care of me in Tianmen Town, and in another world, I encountered the Immortal Diagram beside his corpse, gaining immense opportunities and making rapid progress in my strength. What does it matter if Uncle Qu is a person or a ghost?"

Two days later, the Origin Energy within Su Yun was as pure and white as furnace fire, and the Great Furnace Transformation had been cultivated to the fifth level.

His physical functions became even more powerful. His heart was like a constantly burning furnace, providing immense blood to his body. His lungs were like a giant bellows, capable of stoking the furnace at any time, making his Blood Essence surge several times over!

His body also grew stronger bit by bit, allowing him to contain more Blood Essence.

His limbs could manifest Flood Dragon claws with Blood Essence, allowing him to move swiftly on cliffs without the aid of the Immortal Rope.

Whenever he circulated his Blood Essence to his eyes, he could even feel the imprint of the Immortal Sword loosening, as if it could be broken open by his Blood Essence at any moment.

Once he broke open the Immortal Sword imprint in his eyes, he would be able to see the truth of Tianmen Town.

Su Yun hesitated again and again, but he still did not do it.

He had always longed to heal his eyes and go to the city to study, but now that the day had arrived, he still hesitated.

It wasn't that he didn't want to grow up, but he didn't want to leave this homeland, to leave the lovely people here.

He even felt a sense of fear and resistance towards seeing the truth of Tianmen Town!

However, as his cultivation progressed, with the fifth level of the Great Furnace Transformation reaching new heights, his Blood Essence would become increasingly potent.

When his Great Furnace Blood Essence evolved to the sixth level, and the furnace fire turned blue, regardless of whether he wanted it to or not, his powerful Blood Essence would surge into his eyes, making the Immortal Sword imprint unable to block his pupils!

The Immortal Sword imprint and the Tianmen Town imprint would not disappear because of this; they would remain in his pupils, but they would no longer be able to affect his vision!

Qiu Shuijing was an extraordinary person. His diagnosis of Su Yun's eye condition was extremely accurate, living up to the praise the residents of Tianmen Town had for him.

Flower Fox and the three little foxes returned from Huangji Town, and Su Yun's life returned to its usual rhythm. Every morning, he would wake up early to cultivate facing the sunrise over the sea, then hunt and forage with the foxes, and then go to the Niu Family Village's vegetable patch to steal vegetables.

If there was moonlight at night, they would collect moon essence together.

They would occasionally go to Snake Ravine to catch fish. Now that "The Whole Village Eats" was gone from Snake Ravine, it had become much safer, and the villagers from Huang Village and Linyi Village dared to come here.

The fish in Snake Ravine were very rare. Because it was close to Dragon Burial Mound, it was rumored to have dragon bloodlines. They were tender, delicious, and tasted excellent. Simply steaming them with a little scallion, drizzling hot oil, made for a mouth-watering delicacy.

The most peculiar thing was that eating fish from Snake Ravine made one feel their Blood Essence surge, and their cultivation speed increased significantly.

"No wonder 'The Whole Village Eats' always stayed here. It turns out there's this benefit," Flower Fox said enviously.

Their cultivation speed had also become very fast recently. Flower Fox had cultivated the Great Furnace Transformation to the fifth level, and the three little foxes had reached the fourth level. Clearly, the fish from Snake Ravine had benefited them greatly.

Su Yun was also getting closer to the sixth level of the Great Furnace Transformation. Occasionally, when he felt Blood Essence surging into his eyes, he could vaguely see an Immortal Sword spinning in the air.

As his Blood Essence increased, this Immortal Sword became clearer. Besides that, the imprint of Tianmen Town was also in his eyes.

And those eight Chao Tian Que were also gradually becoming clearer.

In his eyes, besides Tianmen Town, there was also the North Sea. A colossal water pillar, its height unfathomable and its width immense, spun upwards, reaching another world beyond the heavens!

Countless ships sailed on the turbulent North Sea, some navigating the water pillar itself, appearing and disappearing amidst the waves as they journeyed towards that other world!

This was the last scene Su Yun witnessed six years ago.

In the valley of the Dragon Burial Mound, Su Yun closed his eyes. This scene was seared into his pupils, impossible to erase even with his eyes shut.

"Little Yun Ge, hurry over!" Hu Buping called from ahead.

Su Yun opened his eyes and walked forward. Every night, the Dragon Burial Mound became extremely dangerous. Dragon Spirits would appear, circling around their own bones. The oppressive, powerful Blood Essence would seal their five senses and six perceptions, leading to death without even knowing how they died!

But during the day, the Dragon Spirits vanished, and the place became quite safe.

During the day, Su Yun and the four Fox Demons would come here to "examine dragon bones" in a rather methodical manner.

Investigating things to gain knowledge—this was the marvel of cultivation.

Back then, "Team Leader Senior Brother" led the scholars of Tiandao Academy to examine dragon corpses, comprehending sixteen volumes of methods. They were able to deduce remarkable cultivation techniques and Spiritual Powers. Su Yun and Flower Fox were confident they could do the same.

However, the dragon corpses at this time were devoid of flesh and blood, leaving only bones. Thus, they could only "examine dragon bones."

They had all cultivated the Crocodile Dragon's Roar and observed the process of The Whole Village Eats evolving into a Flood Dragon. Su Yun had even transformed the Crocodile Dragon's Roar into the Flood Dragon's Chant, and Flower Fox was also in the midst of transformation. Therefore, examining dragon bones was extremely important to them.

Su Yun had obtained the divine essence of the Flood Dragon form from an Immortal Diagram in another world and observed The Whole Village Eats transforming into a Flood Dragon, gaining Flood Dragon Blood Essence. However, he had never seen the dragon's bones, muscles, sinews, meridians, veins, or internal organs.

Now that the dragon bones were laid out before him, he naturally couldn't let the opportunity pass.

As the saying goes, it's easy to draw a skin but hard to draw bones. The difficulty lies in the fact that ordinary people cannot get close to bones. For instance, when envisioning fierce beasts like tigers or crocodiles, or even demonic creatures, ordinary people can only observe from afar. If discovered by such a beast, survival is unlikely.

But "investigating things" requires close observation—observing their essence, spirit, and energy, observing their movements. It even requires dissecting the beast and observing the operation of its various organs while it's still alive, understanding its principles, and discerning its mysteries. It also involves observing the dynamic movement of its bones during action. For ordinary people, this is simply impossible.

For scholars, it is also incredibly dangerous. Only with the guidance of a renowned master, or the immense financial resources of a powerful clan, is it possible to learn the essence of this practice.

But for mythical beings like true dragons, which exist only in legends, even renowned masters and powerful clans often can only teach scholars using sculptures or paintings. It is utterly impossible to find a real dragon!

Before Su Yun lay the bones of a true dragon!

"Dig it out!"

Flower Fox stood before the Dragon Burial Mound, brimming with spirit, and commanded the little foxes: "Dig it out and examine it!"

Zhai Zhu: Humph, last night I dreamed that a round blue stamp was placed on my butt, and then I was pushed into a marketplace. Zhai Zhu discovered many people holding recommendation tickets to buy me. Is this what it feels like to be doted on? So happy, hmph hmph~~