Stealing Heavenly Secrets from Cover the Heavens Section 31

Borrowing from the dialogue between Patriarch Bodhi and Wukong, Li Zhi began to question and answer himself as he read the scriptures.

Ask: "I have three volumes of Emperor Scriptures and nine volumes of Sage Scriptures—will you learn them?"

Reply: "What's so special about Emperor Scriptures and Sage Scrolls?"

Answer: "Emperor Scriptures are the texts of Great Emperors, the pinnacle of all paths. Sage Scrolls represent the perfection of the Five Great Secret Realms; those who cultivate them can devour the essence of Heaven and Earth, absorb the radiance of the sun and moon, roam the vast void, and cross the void with their physical bodies. Destroying stars and shattering the void is trivial; holding the sun and moon in hand, treading the cosmos underfoot—this is no empty fantasy."

Ask: "Can such Emperor Scriptures and Sage Scrolls grant immortality?"

Answer: "Lifespan is like water, time like a river—how could they endure forever?"

Said: "No immortality—won't learn, won't learn."

Ask: "I have Nine Secret Techniques, each leading to immortality—will you learn them?"

Reply: "What are the Nine Secrets?"

Answer: "The Nine Secrets are mortal arts of the immortal path: Proximity, Soldier, Combat, All, Array, Number, Formation, Advance, Travel. They can stabilize the spirit, control weapons, launch attacks, restore, amplify, divide the mind, set formations, deduce, and move with divine speed."

Ask: "Can these secret techniques grant immortality?"

Reply: "Like flowers in a mirror or the moon on water—like carving a mark on a boat to find a lost sword."

Reply: "Won't learn, won't learn."

Angry: "You won't learn this, won't learn that—what should be done?"

Said: "Hard, hard, hard—the Dao is most profound; do not take immortality lightly. Without meeting a sage to pass on the wondrous path, chasing ends and neglecting roots is to fight against Heaven. Why do I seek immortality? Three words and two phrases cannot say it all."

Sitting beneath the Longevity Fruit Tree, Li Zhi held the Immortal Gold Scripture in hand, muttering under his breath, as if his entire being had entered a peculiar state of mind.

"You seek only immortality, not the Emperor's Destiny?" Suddenly, a strange voice, indistinguishable in age or gender, appeared in his heart.

"The path to immortality is severed; what use is the Emperor's Destiny? Without breaking through the Heaven-Human Limit, it's all emptiness in one lifetime. In this life, I seek only immortality." Li Zhi replied firmly, almost instinctively.

"Good, remember your words." That mysterious voice sounded in his heart again.

"Who's speaking?" Coming to his senses, Li Zhi instantly withdrew from that state, looking around in alarm.

He glanced left and right—nothing unusual.

Suspicious, as if a thought struck him, Li Zhi immediately lowered his voice and asked, "Senior Deity, was that you speaking just now?"

His voice was soft, his movements gentle, as if afraid to disturb the Deity's rest.

But the Deity seemed to have gone home to sleep, offering no reply.

Li Zhi, however, showed a flicker of joy, then called out on the spot: "Out."

Nothing moved.

Li Zhi felt a bit awkward.

Was it the wrong posture?

So he switched to a stance ready to sprint and shouted again: "Get me out."

Still nothing moved.

His face flushed, he ran to the Longevity Fruit Tree, patted its trunk, and said, "Brother Tree, how do I get out?"

The fruit tree didn't stir, ignoring him.

Then Li Zhi stared at the Ginseng Fruit hanging on the branch and asked, "Brother Fruit, here among us, only you and I have human form—could you at least give me a hint? How do I get out?"

Just as Li Zhi was losing hope, the Ginseng Fruit suddenly swayed.

Overjoyed, Li Zhi quickly asked, "Brother Fruit, tell me!"

But the Ginseng Fruit had stopped moving, showing no further sign.

It seemed the fruit had only swayed because his breath had blown on it a bit too hard.

"Must be my imagination." After several attempts with no response, Li Zhi muttered to himself.

Then he sat down beneath the Longevity Fruit Tree, ready to cultivate the Primordial Longevity Art on the spot.

It was no longer a matter of whether he could leech off the fortune of the Nine Dragons Coffin Transport.

If he didn't open up the Bitter Sea and generate magical power, he might never get out.

But just as he took a single breath of spiritual energy, that strange voice echoed in his heart again: "From where you came, return there."

To the Deity of the Hundred Herbs Diagram, every wisp of spiritual energy within the Small World was precious.

If Li Zhi were allowed to open his Bitter Sea here, devouring the scarce Heaven and Earth Essence, it might cause this Small World to wither prematurely, never to recover.

"Thank you for the guidance, Senior."

The mysterious voice appeared again, and overjoyed, Li Zhi grabbed the scripture and ran down the mountain.

His strength and speed had more than doubled, and with the scripture forged from indestructible Eternal Blue Gold in hand, the descent was far easier than he'd imagined.

In just one day, Li Zhi reached the foot of the mountain.

Then he walked to the spot where he had entered, and with a thought, "Return."

The next moment, Li Zhi felt the world spin, and he crashed heavily onto the floor of the Longevity Hall.

Holding his waist, Li Zhi stood up from the floor and respectfully bowed to the Hundred Herbs Diagram. "Senior, the outside world is currently in the Age of Dharma Decline. Please restrain your aura. I'll find a chance to take you away from this ancient star to one where cultivation is possible, so you can recover your essence."

As soon as he finished speaking, the Hundred Herbs Diagram, suspended in midair, began to shrink and roll up.

In the end, it condensed into a scroll about a foot long.

Li Zhi easily took it in hand.

Then he picked up the Snakeskin Bag and Luoyang Shovel from the ground.

The remaining fruit in the Snakeskin Bag had already rotted, so Li Zhi dumped it out. He planned to pick some fresh fruit outside to bring back for Zhou Mei and the two little ones to enjoy.

After that, he placed both the Luoyang Shovel and the Hundred Herbs Diagram into the Snakeskin Bag.

Then he tied the Snakeskin Bag around his waist like a skirt and strode briskly out of the Longevity Hall.

He did this because he had no fondness for parading around naked.

The last shreds of clothing on him had already scattered in the wind while he was coming down the mountain.

His backpack was still sitting on the platform at the entrance to the secret realm.

By now, the Array Barrier outside the hall had also vanished, since Li Zhi had taken the Hundred Herbs Diagram.

Once he reached the foot of the mountain, Li Zhi first found a stream and thoroughly washed himself from head to toe, finally regaining some semblance of freshness.

His hair, now nearly shoulder-length, was no longer a tangled mess.

He casually tied it into a ponytail at the back of his head with a piece of straw rope.

Then Li Zhi went to pick fresh fruit.

Meanwhile.

After nearly a year of Li Zhi being missing, Zhou Mei had finally run out of patience.

She began asking around everywhere for news of him.

Although Li Zhi had told her before he left that the place he was going might not have cell service and not to worry.

But nearly a year had passed, and there was still no call from Li Zhi.

Zhou Mei couldn't sit still any longer.

That day, she even went to Ye Fan's house to ask him about Li Zhi's whereabouts.

After entering Ye Fan's home, Zhou Mei asked directly, "Ye Fan, do you know where your Brother Li went?"

Ye Fan had just returned from a class reunion at Bright Moon City by the Sea. The smell of alcohol still clung to him, and his mind was a bit foggy. He stared blankly at Zhou Mei.

Seeing this, Zhou Mei explained, "Ten months ago, your Brother Li said he was going out to take care of some business and would be back soon. But it's been ten months, and there's been no word from him at all."

Ye Fan finally understood Zhou Mei's question. "Sister Zhou, did Brother Li tell you where he was going before he left?"

Zhou Mei said, "I think it was Mount Tai."

Ye Fan understood in his heart. He figured Li Zhi was off handling some shady business again, so he nodded. "I'm actually going to Mount Tai the day after tomorrow with some classmates for a trip. After the gathering, I'll help you ask around near Mount Tai for news of Brother Li."

Zhou Mei's brows still carried a hint of anxiety. "Ye Fan, your Brother Li always says you're a man with great fortune. I'm counting on you to find him."

Ye Fan comforted her. "Sister Zhou, don't worry too much. Brother Li is destined for wealth and prosperity. He'll be fine."

At the same time, Ye Fan was wondering to himself if Li Zhi had stumbled onto something incredible again that required this much time to handle.

He never believed that the shrewd Li Zhi would disappear for no reason.

Though Ye Fan didn't know Li Zhi's exact strength, he knew Li Zhi was no pushover who could be easily messed with.

After wandering through the forest of the secret realm for a good while.

Picking and choosing, Li Zhi still ended up filling an entire large bag of fruit.

The Snakeskin Bag was stuffed to the brim.

He weighed it in his hand, estimating it to be about sixty or seventy pounds. Satisfied, he carried it and headed back toward the terrace where he had entered.