Legends, True Scripture Map

The moment Fang Wang saw the woman in white, he immediately accelerated, once again activating the White Rainbow Escape Technique. He casually sheathed the Qing Jun Sword with his right hand and then summoned the Celestial Palace Halberd. Only when holding the Celestial Palace Halberd did his sense of security reach its maximum.

He glanced back again and found the woman in white had disappeared, but he wouldn't stop.

Ten breaths later.

"Have you ever heard of Great Sage Punishes Heaven?"

The woman in white's voice echoed again. Fang Wang dared not answer, fearing it was some sort of trick, especially since he had read Journey to the West.

Fang Wang glanced sideways and saw the woman in white reappear behind him, this time much closer.

Without a word, he turned and thrust with the halberd. The blade pierced the woman in white's body, but no blood flowed out, and her robes weren't even torn!

A ghost!

No wonder he couldn't sense her presence!

Fang Wang's eyes narrowed. The True Mysterious Sun Fire erupted from his right hand, flowing along the halberd shaft towards the woman in white. In an instant, it engulfed her.

The Mysterious Sun Fire could burn souls!

As expected, the woman in white immediately stopped, and the distance between them rapidly increased.

The woman in white frowned slightly, then suddenly waved her sleeve, dispelling the True Mysterious Sun Fire around her. The next second, she vanished into thin air.

Fang Wang didn't dare to be careless. This opponent was elusive; he had to be cautious.

For the rest of his journey, Fang Wang maintained his full speed, and the woman in white's voice no longer echoed.

He kept looking back, but he couldn't spot her figure.

Half an hour later.

Fang Wang landed by a river. This area was a barren plain with wide visibility, convenient for him to rest.

He plunged the Celestial Palace Halberd into the soil and scanned the horizon. After a long while, he finally relaxed, certain the woman in white wouldn't appear.

He wondered what had happened to the man in black he had been chasing earlier.

Fang Wang tossed the green snake in his hand onto the ground, then drew the Qing Jun Sword and plunged it into the snake's belly.

"Ah—"

A soft, feminine scream rang out. The green snake's eyes snapped open. Fang Wang immediately grabbed its head with his left hand, forcibly suppressing it with his own Spiritual Energy.

The green snake's demonic energy was astonishing, but it wasn't enough to make Fang Wang fearful. Otherwise, how would he dare bring it along?

"Don't kill me... Don't kill me... I can lead you to treasure!"

The green snake cried out urgently. Its wails could soften most men's hearts, but Fang Wang remained unmoved.

He couldn't afford to be soft-hearted with a snake. His left hand, gripping the sword, began to apply pressure, causing the green snake to cry out even more pitifully.

"I know the location of the Great Sage's Grotto-Heaven's inheritance!"

Fang Wang heard this and stopped his left hand. He narrowed his eyes and asked, "What inheritance location?"

The Great Sage's Grotto-Heaven once belonged to the Jihao Sect; perhaps it held the Jihao Sect's legacy.

Even now, Fang Wang still yearned for the Heavenly Dipper Sacred Body True Scripture.

It was said that the Heavenly Dipper Sacred Body True Scripture was no weaker than the Nine Dragon Divine Transformation Art, a cultivation method that Zhou Xue hadn't obtained even before her reincarnation.

Separated by the divide between immortals and mortals, the ascended Zhou Xue couldn't return to the lower realm, and many regrets became eternal.

"Many inheritance locations..." the green snake replied, sobbing.

Fang Wang narrowed his eyes and asked, "Does the Great Sage's Grotto-Heaven have the Heavenly Dipper Sacred Body True Scripture?"

"The Heavenly Dipper Sacred Body True Scripture? That's the Jihao Sect's most powerful cultivation method! No, but I saw a map to it in one place!"

The green snake answered quickly, afraid Fang Wang would act, especially since a high-grade magic artifact was still impaled in its belly.

Fang Wang pondered for a moment and decided to give it a chance.

He could always find another Demonic Core, but a guide was hard to come by.

However, he had to guard against the green snake's sneak attack.

Fang Wang withdrew the Qing Jun Sword, then retreated, taking the Celestial Palace Halberd with him. The green snake flipped over and curled up, flicking its tongue at Fang Wang. A venomous snake actually displayed a look of grievance.

After retreating about fifteen feet, Fang Wang sat down on the ground and began to absorb energy. Although his eyes were closed, his Spiritual Sense was constantly focused on the green snake.

If the green snake tried to escape, he would strike it down. Even if it managed to get away, he would have lost nothing.

Before long, Fang Wang sensed some of the surrounding Heaven and Earth Spiritual Energy flowing towards the green snake. It seemed to be healing.

Silence fell by the river.

Time slowly passed.

The mysterious woman in white did not reappear, seemingly intimidated by the True Mysterious Sun Fire.

Dusk began to descend.

The small river flowed, its surface sparkling. Tiny fish darted within.

The green snake raised its head, looked at Fang Wang, and flicked its tongue repeatedly. It gathered its courage and asked, "Young Master, how did you escape that Malevolent Spirit's pursuit?"

Fang Wang didn't even open his eyes, replying, "Just a small trick. Oh, right, she asked repeatedly if you'd heard of Great Sage Punishes Heaven. What's that about?"

The green snake, hearing his tone no longer filled with killing intent, secretly let out a sigh of relief. It replied, "This malevolent spirit isn't simple. It's a maidservant of an Ancient Great Sage. Legend has it that in ancient times, the Heavenly Dao was cruel, and Heavenly Gods descended to wreak havoc upon the mortal realm. The Great Sage stepped forward and annihilated the Heavenly Gods, but in doing so, he became entangled in misfortune and eventually perished. The reason she asks this is to see if later generations remember this event. If they do, she'll spare the other party. If not, they die."

Fang Wang raised an eyebrow slightly. He had initially thought Punishes Heaven was the Great Sage's name, but it turned out to be a legend.

"Since you know this legend, why were you captured?"

"Because I've been trapped here for over three hundred years. She's caught me a few times. Now, even answering correctly is useless..."

The green snake complained aggrievedly. It then opened up and poured out its woes: "I was just a small, helpless green snake. Three hundred years ago, one day, I was carried off by an eagle. Mid-flight, the eagle was shot down by a cultivator, and I fell to the ground. I miraculously survived. Later, I accidentally burrowed into a crack in the earth and, in a daze, ended up in the Great Sage's Grotto-Heaven. Three hundred years have passed, and I want to leave, but I can't escape no matter what. Young master, I know you can't fully trust me, but please believe me, I want to get out too. Following you is my only chance of survival."

Fang Wang decided to test it. "For the next month, I'll be cultivating here. You help me gather heavenly materials and earthly treasures. If you perform well, I'll take you out."

The view here was wide and open. If any enemies approached, he could detect them in advance. It was better than being trapped in a dead end.

Upon hearing this, the green snake cautiously asked, "Can I rest for a few days?"

"Of course."

Hearing Fang Wang's reply, the green snake relaxed considerably.

For the next few days, the green snake didn't disturb Fang Wang, focusing on recovering from its injuries.

Six days later, the green snake left.

Fang Wang's spiritual energy had recovered. He began to walk along the river, looking for any treasures in the vicinity.

Unfortunately, after walking for dozens of miles, he didn't find any heavenly materials or earthly treasures, so he had to retrace his steps.

Rumble—

The ground suddenly trembled. Fang Wang looked up towards the horizon, able to sense the direction of the tremors.

This time, he didn't go to join the commotion. Instead, he cultivated on the spot, waiting for the green snake to return.

If the green snake didn't return after a month, he would leave on his own, as if nothing had happened. If the green snake did return, he could use it to search for treasures and inheritances.

Sun set and moon rose. Fang Wang was in the vast expanse of heaven and earth, cultivating facing the small river, feeling the essence of the sun and moon, and the gentle breeze of spiritual energy. This state of mind for cultivation was more comfortable than cultivating in a cave dwelling.

Occasionally, cultivators would pass by, but they didn't dare to disturb him. The disciples of various sects were very cautious within the Great Sage's Grotto-Heaven.

In the blink of an eye.

Half a month passed, and the green snake finally returned.

Fang Wang glanced at it, watching its serpentine body slither towards him, and frowned.

There was nothing!

Was this snake playing tricks?

The green snake quickly arrived beside Fang Wang, opened its mouth, and spat out fist-sized stones, each of a different color. There were five of them. Finally, it spat out a rolled-up piece of paper.

Fang Wang raised an eyebrow, finding it quite novel.

"Young master, these stones are all imbued with rich spiritual energy, they should count as heavenly materials and earthly treasures. And this map, it's a map to the Heavenly Dipper Sacred Body True Scripture. I worked very hard to find it. Now you can believe me, right?" the green snake said, flicking its tongue.

Fang Wang stared at it and asked, "I almost killed you. Why didn't you take this opportunity to escape and find other cultivators to take you out?"

"Almost is not killed, and other cultivators might not be as powerful as you. To escape from that malevolent spirit, your strength must be considerable. There are countless malevolent spirits and terrifying demonic creatures in the Great Sage's Grotto-Heaven. Following you offers more security."

The green snake's answer was quite sincere, and Fang Wang grudgingly believed it.

He drew the Qing Jun Sword, used its tip to unfurl the map, memorized its details, then activated the Xuan Yang Spiritual Energy within him, igniting the True Mysterious Sun Fire, which landed on the map along the sword's edge.

The map instantly ignited, causing the green snake to gasp. Although it didn't understand, it didn't dare to stop him.

Fang Wang did this only because he feared the green snake playing tricks and poisoning the map.

Smoke rose, separating Fang Wang and the green snake.

Fang Wang suddenly frowned. Why was this map so difficult to burn?

The True Mysterious Sun Fire was incredibly fierce. After ten breaths, only one-fifth of the map had burned, indicating its special material.

Just then, the rising smoke condensed into a human figure, startling Fang Wang. He immediately conjured the Celestial Palace Halberd. The green snake was also frightened and darted even further away than Fang Wang.