The next day, the Elder of the Nine Sacred Demon Gate had everything prepared and invited Li Qiye to proceed. Chief Grand Protector Yu He personally served as Li Qiye's driver, taking him into the deepest reaches of the Nine Sacred Demon Gate's ancestral grounds!
Yu He possessed King Marquis level strength. Let alone within the Nine Sacred Demon Gate, even across the entire Ancient Niu Jiang Kingdom, he was a great figure capable of suppressing an entire region. A King Marquis level expert could make the earth tremble three times with a single stomp.
Yet today, a great figure like Yu He could only serve as Li Qiye's driver. If word of such a thing got out, no one would believe it.
The Nine Sacred Demon Gate had been founded by the Nine Sacred Great Sage. After generations of ancestors had built it up, the Nine Sacred Demon Gate had become extremely powerful. Its overall strength was absolutely first-rate throughout the Middle Grand Territory!
The Nine Sacred Demon Gate's earth veins were vast and majestic, with Heaven and Earth Essence pervading the area in great abundance. It shrouded the Nine Sacred Demon Gate like mist that lingered without dispersing. Within the sect's ancestral grounds in particular, the Heaven and Earth Essence was so dense that it seemed impossible to dissolve.
At the deepest point of the Nine Sacred Demon Gate's ancestral grounds stood a lone mountain. Upon that mountain was an ancient cave, sealed away for who knew how many years. The old vines beside it coiled around their roots like horned dragons, while purple ganoderma grew as large as parasols. Before the ancient cave, everything was mottled and timeworn, eroded by countless years.
This was the Nine Sacred Demon Gate's forbidden ground. Within the Nine Sacred Demon Gate, only figures of Elder rank and above could come here.
The Sacred Cave had been an itch that generations of the Nine Sacred Demon Gate could never scratch, because heaven-shaking treasures were hidden within. This cave had been left behind by the Nine Sacred Demon Gate's founder, the Nine Sacred Great Sage. For millions upon millions of years, none of the Nine Sacred Demon Gate's successive sect masters or powerful experts had been able to open it.
Legend said that after founding the Nine Sacred Demon Gate, the Nine Sacred Great Sage had left behind his lineage and passed down his many lifelong cultivation methods and secret arts to later disciples. Yet he had still sealed certain things within the Sacred Cave.
One legend held that the Nine Sacred Great Sage feared his descendants might prove unfilial, so he had left behind a foundation. Should the Nine Sacred Demon Gate decline one day, as long as the Sacred Cave remained, the Nine Sacred Demon Gate would have a day of resurgence.
What treasures lay inside the Sacred Cave was one of the mysteries guessed at by generations of Nine Sacred Demon Gate disciples. However, the sect masters and Elders of every generation all believed that there was definitely an Immortal Emperor Artifact within the Sacred Cave.
This was because legend said that after Immortal Emperor Mingren bore the Heaven's Will and ruled the world, he rewarded the Nine Sacred Great Sage for his great merit in protecting the Dao by bestowing upon him an Immortal Emperor Artifact. Yet afterward, the Nine Sacred Great Sage had never passed this Immortal Emperor Artifact down to his disciples or descendants. Thus, generations of Immortal Emperor Mingren's disciples had all guessed that the Sacred Cave definitely contained an Immortal Emperor Artifact!
An Immortal Emperor Artifact was an invincible treasure weapon personally forged by Immortal Emperor Mingren. It had once accompanied him in battle across the nine heavens and ten earths. Such an Immortal Emperor Artifact was far, far more powerful than a Great Sage True Artifact.
Though it was not an Immortal Emperor True Artifact, an Immortal Emperor Artifact alone was already immensely tempting to everyone.
Before the Sacred Cave, all the Elders of the Nine Sacred Demon Gate held their breath. The Sacred Cave was mottled and unimaginably ancient. The old trees outside it reached for the heavens, towering beyond compare, their split bark resembling dragon scales.
To the left of the ancient Sacred Cave was unexpectedly a line of writing. Though the Sacred Cave was mottled and ancient, these words still shone brilliantly.
"Heavenly Demon, Only I!" These four words were carved to the left of the Sacred Cave, grand and majestic, their strokes dancing like dragons and snakes. Every stroke and character seemed capable of piercing the firmament. Despite the erosion of countless years, they still exuded the aura of a Great Sage.
These four words had been personally left behind by the Nine Sacred Great Sage. Generations of Nine Sacred Demon Gate disciples believed that these four words were the key to opening the Sacred Cave.
On the left side of the Sacred Cave was "Heavenly Demon, Only I," while the right side remained blank. Thus, generations of Nine Sacred Demon Gate disciples believed this might be a paired verse; so long as one could match it, the Sacred Cave would open.
Yet others believed that the four words "Heavenly Demon, Only I" contained supreme Dao arts. Every stroke and character resonated with the Grand Dao. So long as one comprehended their true profundity, one could open the Sacred Cave.
No matter which conjecture it was, generations of Nine Sacred Demon Gate disciples had tried them all. The sect's most gifted disciples had once comprehended the Dao here, seeking to understand the ultimate profundity of these four words. Some sect masters had even entered the mortal world and invited the most talented scholars to compose a matching verse for the right side.
No matter what method they used, no one had been able to open the Sacred Cave for millions upon millions of years!
"Heavenly Demon, Only I." Upon seeing these four words, Li Qiye could not help but smile. A scene from long ago floated into his mind. Back then, he had invited the Nine Sacred Great Sage to leave seclusion and protect the Dao for Immortal Emperor Mingren.
At that time, the Nine Sacred Great Sage was not yet called the Nine Sacred Great Sage. He called himself the Nine Sacred Heavenly Demon, and he was domineering and arrogant. Faced with the invitation of Li Qiye, then a Shadow Crow, he had refused outright. His slogan had been equally arrogant: "Heavenly Demon, Only I!"
Thus, seeing this again today, Li Qiye could not help but smile. After Immortal Emperor Mingren bore the Heaven's Will, his condition became unstable, and he prepared to enter slumber and seal himself away.
When he entered closed seclusion, the Nine Sacred Great Sage had hoped that his Nine Sacred Demon Gate could continue on. Thus, he left behind the Sacred Cave and told Li Qiye that he hoped Li Qiye would remember their friendship and look after the Nine Sacred Demon Gate a little in the future.
The moment he saw these four words, Li Qiye knew how to open the Sacred Cave. However, beneath the watchful eyes of all the Nine Sacred Demon Gate Elders, he naturally could not open it right away.
Li Qiye approached the Sacred Cave, feeling here, knocking there, putting on a thoroughly serious act. After fussing around for a long while, he shook his head, then wore an incomparably earnest expression as he studied the four words "Heavenly Demon, Only I."
Seeing Li Qiye fuss around for so long without the Sacred Cave making the slightest movement, the Nine Sacred Demon Gate Elders became somewhat unable to remain calm. Still, they said nothing, held their breath, and watched every move Li Qiye made.
In the end, Li Qiye simply sat cross-legged before the Sacred Cave, assuming the posture of someone meditating in deep concentration. Time passed bit by bit, from morning to afternoon. At last, the sun set in the west, and the evening glow dyed the sky red.
Li Qiye sat there for an entire day. Finally, even great figures like the Nine Sacred Demon Gate Elders could no longer keep their composure.
"Will this work?" An Elder could not help muttering, "Could this brat be putting on an act and playing tricks?"
Seeing that Li Qiye remained motionless, the other Elders felt uncertain as well. Yet they had no choice but to admit that Li Qiye was bizarre. First, he had passed through all fourteen levels of the Heart-Chaos Forest, and then he had communicated with the guardian deity. It truly made no sense; he was bizarre to the extreme.
"Hmph, perhaps he was merely lucky for a moment." An Elder spoke with dissatisfaction. After all, the Sacred Cave was the Nine Sacred Demon Gate's forbidden ground. Allowing an outsider to comprehend it had already left some Elders unhappy.
"Bring brush and ink!" Finally, amid the restless agitation of the Nine Sacred Demon Gate Elders, Li Qiye suddenly rose to his feet and spoke with calm leisure. After sitting here for an entire day, his butt had gone sore.
An Elder immediately brought brush and ink. Li Qiye put on an act, shook his head, and said, "So that's how it is, so that's how it is! The Nine Sacred Great Sage truly was remarkable." As he spoke, he dipped the brush in ink and began writing boldly on the right side.
"Chicken feathers all over the ground!" Li Qiye's writing could not be called the work of any master. He wrote casually, utterly incapable of matching the dragon-and-snake momentum of the Nine Sacred Great Sage's calligraphy.
"Heavenly Demon, Only I; chicken feathers all over the ground!" It was a completely mismatched paired verse, with two utterly incompatible styles of calligraphy. It was as ridiculous as could be, and in everyone else's eyes, it was nothing but a prank!
The instant Li Qiye wrote the four words "Chicken feathers all over the ground," several Elders' expressions changed drastically. These four words were practically an insult to their Nine Sacred Demon Gate. They were an outrage against refinement and utterly unworthy of matching the four words "Heavenly Demon, Only I" before the Sacred Cave.
"Outrageous! You dare insult my Nine Sacred Demon Gate!" An Elder shouted darkly, his expression ugly.
Li Qiye glanced sideways at him and said leisurely, "You crude martial man, what the hell do you know about the profundity of words? You do not even understand the painstaking intentions of your own ancestor, yet you are barking here like hell!"
"You—" Li Qiye's arrogance made this Elder's face flush red. His gaze turned sharp as he was about to explode.
Creak—creak—creak— Just as this Elder was about to erupt, a heavy sound rang out. The Sacred Cave slowly began to open.
For a moment, all the Nine Sacred Demon Gate Elders present opened their eyes wide. They could not believe what they were seeing. Generations of their sect masters and senior elders had once had their most talented disciples comprehend the profundity of "Heavenly Demon, Only I," and had also invited the most gifted scholars to compose a matching verse. Yet neither method had worked!
Yet today, the crooked and twisted four words "Chicken feathers all over the ground" had actually opened the Sacred Cave. It was utterly unbelievable! In no aspect did the four words "Chicken feathers all over the ground" suit the words "Heavenly Demon, Only I," yet the utterly impossible had opened the Sacred Cave.
For a moment, every Elder of the Nine Sacred Demon Gate was left dumbfounded.
"H-how can this be possible?" One Elder muttered. He did not dare believe his own eyes. This was far too absurd.
Li Qiye curled his lips and smiled, saying leisurely, "That is because your founder was a chicken spirit, so naturally there were chicken feathers all over the ground!"
Of course, Li Qiye could not possibly tell them the secret. Back then, the Nine Sacred Great Sage had been proud and arrogant, refusing Li Qiye's invitation outright. Yet this arrogant and powerful Nine Sacred Great Sage had ultimately fallen into the hands of Li Qiye, who had become a Shadow Crow, and been suppressed by him. Li Qiye had forced him to reveal his true form, plucked every feather from his body, and jokingly called it "chicken feathers all over the ground"!
Second update today.
Before you continue