Heaven-Overturning Ape Pushes Open the Gate

The surroundings immediately fell silent.

Time passed, and after a long while, no one responded. Qiu Yan silently calculated the time, and when it was almost the time it takes to drink a cup of tea, he stood up, his legs merging into the giant ape, his Divine Soul flowing like water, and he was about to merge into it.

Just then, a sigh filled with a sense of vicissitudes came, entering Qiu Yan's soul and causing his consciousness to tremble slightly, as if a large bell was resonating in his ears.

But Qiu Yan was prepared. The shock did not distract him. He quickly calmed down and turned to look at the center of the city.

Immediately, a thought was transmitted—

"You ungrateful brat! If it weren't for my suppression, how could you have subdued the Heart Ape so easily? Are you now trying to burn your bridges after you've served your purpose?" The words were laced with reproach.

Upon hearing this, Qiu Yan cupped his hands and said, "I will not deny your assistance, and I am grateful. However, you need to explain things clearly, otherwise how can I feel at ease? Since you can control the brocade pouch and the Sage Paper, you must be connected with the Book Elder of the Spring and Autumn Academy. The Book Elder invited me over before and said a few words. He is a kind and honest elder. If possible, I will not hesitate to help you."

He was straightforward and didn't try to beat around the bush at all.

But after saying this, there was no response for a long time. After a while, he finally had the will to speak again, "Very well, since you have come here, I can't just keep quiet. But there are some things that concern my own safety, and I can't tell you everything. You must understand that."

Qiu Yan nodded.

The aged voice continued, "I had some prior deductions, knowing there would be Apricot Altar Dao Discourse at the Apricot Altar, but judging by the timing, no one should have arrived here so quickly. There must be some unforeseen circumstances. You, that boy who subdued the Mind Horse, and the little fellow who turned a small world upside down, shouldn't have Three-Gate Trial through normal means."

"Um?"

Qiu Yan's heart stirred, and thoughts raced.

A simple sentence, seemingly ordinary, yet it contains a wealth of information.

"It seems that although the people in the city had some calculations, they couldn't investigate the situation outside, so they didn't know the specifics of the God of Revival. Of the people he mentioned, besides myself and Bai Zhaoyuan, the last one should be Bei Xuan, and Chen Jing had also entered the Three Passes. Why didn't this person know about them? Furthermore, the God of Revival went all out, shattering the Ore-Mother Hall, and should have entered the Dark Side. Why didn't this person mention that either? Did he not discover it, or was he intentionally concealing it?"

Just as Qiu Yan was pondering, the voice said, "The Book Elder you mentioned, I roughly know his identity. He sent you here, probably to ask you to retrieve something back, right?"

This sentence stirred up Qiu Yan's memories. He pondered for a moment, then nodded in acknowledgment.

The voice continued, "That's right. You don't want to come to the center of the city. So be it. To be honest, you've subdued the Heart Ape, which is equivalent to passing Three Passes and qualifying you to come here. However, your People's Prestige and Literary Dao are not yet perfect. Even if you come, it will be difficult for you to continue. It would be better if you didn't come at all."

"Oh?" Qiu Yan raised an eyebrow. "Why bother with these petty tricks? If you truly didn't want me to go, you wouldn't have said any of this. You're only saying it now to stir up my desire. However, I can tame my Heart Ape, and I believe I have some self-control. There's no need for such tactics."

After a moment of silence, the other party said with a touch of regret, "Very well, it was I who fell Lower Vehicle. However, there is something I must explain in detail, so that you may not inadvertently harm others in the future."

"What is it?" Qiu Yan frowned.

"You've passed the Three Passes and subdued your Heart Ape. Coming to this treacherous place again won't be so troublesome, but you'll still have to pass through the Lost Sea of Mist. Traveling alone is fine, but if you bring others, they might get lost and have nowhere to go..."

"The Lost Sea of Mist?" Upon hearing this name, Qiu Yan recalled the dense fog he had passed through when he traveled from the second level to the Three Passes.

What secret does that fog hold? How could one possibly be trapped within it?

He was puzzled. When he passed through the clouds earlier, Qiu Yan hadn't spent much time getting out.

The owner of the aged voice guessed Qiu Yan's thoughts and said, "You were able to leave easily because you have Literary Path Creation, developed your own path, and gained some understanding. This is why you are not misled. Ordinary people, even if they have cultivated their Literary Heart, will still be subjected to inner questioning when they venture into the Sea of Fog, and they can easily get lost inside."

He paused, then added a definitive statement, "Without someone Literary Path Creation, there is no possibility of breaking through the Lost Sea of Mist. That Sea of Confusion is part of the Three Passes trial. Throughout history, many exceptionally talented individuals have been trapped and died within it, while a few have comprehended their own path within it, forging their own way out."

"So, it's not that Literary Path Creation can reach this place?" Qiu Yan looked around, his gaze sweeping over the surrounding houses and buildings.

"Indeed," the voice continued, "This place of intrigue is not for ordinary people. If one is unfortunate enough to stray into it, the fate will be far worse than being trapped in the Sea of Mist. It's just that you are a person of the Literary Path Creation, so you did not realize it."

"Is this what they call 'the darkest place is under the lamp'?" Qiu Yan asked thoughtfully.

The voice then changed its tone. "Alright, I've said all I can say. That thing will be delivered to you soon. Take it and give it to that Book Elder, and he'll owe you a favor."

"Huh?" Qiu Yan was taken aback upon hearing this, then his eyes flickered as he sensed a figure rushing towards him from afar. He focused his gaze and caught a glimpse of the other person's appearance, which surprised him slightly.

The creature that flew in was actually a Xiaoqiao mouse, as fast as an arrow. In the blink of an eye, it was beside you, nimbly tumbling in the air and flinging out a sliver of light it carried on its back.

Qiu Yan caught the light and looked again. The rat immediately showed a look of terror and hurriedly ran away.

He didn't chase after it, but looked down at the light in his hand. He scanned it with his senses and caught a trace of Divine Path aura. He couldn't help but feel a chill in his heart and a lot of doubts arose.

Correspondingly, the aged voice uttered a sentence: "Go, time is running out..."

As soon as the words were spoken, a deafening sound suddenly erupted from the center of the city, carrying far and wide, and the sound waves even cracked the houses along the way!

Qiu Yan looked in the direction of the sound and immediately saw a figure riding a white horse tumbling awkwardly in the air, as if he had been knocked away by something!

With Divine Soul and a surge of Heart Fire, Qiu Yan flicked his sleeve to retract the ball of light. Then, focusing his gaze, he recognized the man on horseback. This man, dressed in a wide robe, was none other than Bai Zhaoyuan.

Bai Zhaoyuan's face remained calm and expressionless, without the slightest emotional fluctuation, but his eyes flashed with a dazzling light!

Immediately afterwards, a massive figure soared into the air from the center of the city, its body shimmering with golden light and emanating an aura that gave people a sense of clarity, wisdom, and guidance.

Upon seeing the figure clearly, Qiu Yan's pupils suddenly contracted.

It has a slender neck, a large belly, scaly body with spines, a long, thin tail, two wings on its back, and a head that is the same as the legendary True Dragon!

"This is... Winged Dragon?"

As he was speculating, a strong warning suddenly arose in his heart. Qiu Yan immediately calmed his mind, activated his massive ape body, bent his two thick legs, pushed off the ground, and then leaped up!

Boom!

The giant ape's two feet unleashed tremendous force, shattering the ground and creating craters!

However, before the pit was fully formed, it collapsed with a roar, and then a huge scarlet mouth burst out of the ground!

The inside of its enormous mouth was pitch black, like a bottomless pit, emitting a foul stench and exuding an aura of gluttony and debauchery!

A powerful suction force erupted from its mouth, drawing in the airflow and pulling at the giant ape's body, trying to drag the Heart Ape down and swallow it whole!

But how immense was the force behind that giant ape's leap?

Although the giant mouth burst out of the ground quickly, it failed to bite the giant ape and showed a sense of regret before retreating back underground.

However, before it could retract, the giant ape in mid-air suddenly lowered its head, opened its mouth, and roared. Its mouth exploded, and a stream of powerful thoughts condensed and gushed out!

As these chaotic thoughts collided and rubbed against each other, they instantly ignited, transforming into Fire Pillar that struck the giant mouth that hadn't had time to retract, blasting it directly into the ground!

Suddenly, an enraged roar erupted from the ground, followed by churning of the earth, revealing the true form of the gigantic maw—

Its body is like a sheep, covered in hair, but its body is smaller than its head. Its mouth takes up half of its face. When it rushes out, it roars to the sky, revealing a mouthful of sharp teeth!

Unfortunately, its anger was doomed to failure. With the force of the gushing Fire Pillar, the giant ape rose even faster and disappeared into the clouds above the city.

However, in the final moment before leaving, Qiu Yan looked into the giant ape's eyes and clearly saw its appearance, uttering a name—

"Taotie!"

Then, lightning flashed and thunder roared in the clouds, striking the giant ape but failing to pierce its fur.

The giant ape looked up and saw a huge portal.

It was resplendent in gold, with dragons entwined on the pillars and the doors covered in reliefs, the carvings moving as if they were alive.

But Qiu Yan had no time to investigate in detail. The giant ape body he was driving was incredibly powerful, capable of soaring straight into the sky with a single step. However, due to some inexplicable influence, it could not fly. This upward momentum would eventually come to an end, and there was no time to waste. He could only give it a cursory glance, imprint the image of the relief in his mind, and explore it later.

Immediately afterward, the giant ape raised its two enormous arms, stretched out its hands, grabbed the door knocker, and pulled hard!

Whoosh!

Water gushed out from the door, crashing against the giant ape, but instead of falling, it evaporated and turned into mist.

"Hmm?" With a puzzled look, Qiu Yan went upstream, passed through the gate in the blink of an eye, and then fell into the water. The water pressure made his movements slow.

Looking around, it was dark all around, with almost no light.

Suddenly, a light appeared in the distance.

Qiu Yan followed the light and saw a pair of enormous eyes!

Behind those eyes, one could vaguely see a massive body, as large as a mountain range. Then, around the eyes, light flashed, and pairs of eyes opened.

In an instant, enormous eyes and a powerful aura enveloped the giant ape, creating a tense atmosphere!

A sense of extreme danger rose in Qiu Yan's heart!

Suddenly, a powerful pulling force erupted out of nowhere, enveloping the ape's body!

ps:

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