Flat Peach Like the Heart, Stealing Heaven's Five Thieves

Whoosh!

The current suddenly became rapid, and a whirlpool quickly formed!

With focused attention, Qiu Yan could clearly see that a crack had appeared beneath the eyes, spitting out water.

A colossal creature opened its mouth and charged towards the giant ape!

At this moment, the power enveloping the ape's body suddenly erupted with an immense force that was difficult to resist. Before Qiu Yan could even react, he felt the massive Heart Ape body being pulled and twisted. Then, the surrounding light and shadow changed rapidly, and the scenery could only leave color in Qiu Yan's perception, its outline not even having time to appear!

"I am being dragged along by an immense force!"

Realizing his situation, Qiu Yan's eyes flickered, and he was about to unleash his power to resist, but that immense force suddenly vanished!

They came suddenly and left without a trace!

"Huh?" Qiu Yan was startled. His senses returned, and when he looked around again, he could only feel the gentle breeze and bright sunshine. Below him was a forest, with each tree exuding Literary Thought of history. In the distance was a long river, which gave people a feeling of the vicissitudes of life and was filled with the atmosphere of history.

The ground was covered with what appeared to Doubt Frost.

"Here it is...?"

Qiu Yan shook his head, and the enormous ape body quickly fell to the ground, while screams of alarm came from not far away!

He looked in the direction of the sound and saw a ruin. The ruin was full of rubble, and among the rubble, there were thoughts and Literary Thought connected. It could be vaguely seen that these rubble were originally a whole.

"These are the ruins left after the Book Mountain collapsed..."

Having figured this out, Qiu Yan had a guess in his mind, then turned his gaze. The giant ape's eyes shifted, its gaze landing on the other side of the mountain ruins, where several pavilions came into view—

The screams earlier came from the attic.

Qiu Yan immediately understood.

"Without a doubt, this is the mine I entered before, and then I fell into the Yin Side of the Scholar Forest through the hall below the mountain. I never expected that the power would bring me back to this place where I first came from!"

Recalling the force that had just pulled the giant ape's body, Qiu Yan noticed that the force was faintly mixed with the aura of Karma. Upon reflection, it had a sense of restoring order, as if it were correcting the disorder in the Scholar Forest Order.

However, the level of this power was beyond Qiu Yan's comprehension. No matter how hard he tried to recall, he couldn't find much information.

"Forget it, let's put it aside for now. It was truly dangerous just now. After that door opened, those pairs of eyes that appeared... I wonder what their mystery is. And what is that place full of flowing water? We didn't see the other party release any aura, but just those giant eyes were enough to intimidate the Heart Ape! Also, within the clouds of that ancient city, the rolling thunder guarding the gate—if Divine Soul were to encounter it, it would be instantly swept away by the lightning. Only the Heart Ape's body could withstand it. Strangely, those thunderbolts were somewhat similar to the thunderbolts in the Mortal Realm Nine Heavens."

When Qiu Yan was in the Mortal Realm, he once soared high into the sky, but was eventually forced back by a hidden, destructive thunderbolt, making it impossible for him to reach Beyond Heaven.

"I wonder if having the Heart Ape will allow me to break through this limitation. However, even if I can, only my Divine Soul can go; my physical body will still need proper arrangements..."

After thinking about it, but finding no clues through mere contemplation, Qiu Yan calmed down.

"The most urgent task is to return to my physical body. This trip to Scholar Forest has yielded far more than I imagined. I don't know how long it will take to digest it. There's no need to continue to be greedy. Judging from the days, the Apricot Altar Dao Discourse should begin soon. I might as well take this opportunity to return to my physical body."

Having made the decision, Qiu Yan then planned the next course of action.

"I'm not sure where the channel opened up by the Apricot Altar Dao Discourse is; I need to go and inquire about it. Also, I feel like I've forgotten something. What could it be?"

With these questions in mind, Qiu Yan's Divine Soul leaped out from the giant ape's head. Then, his Heart Fire spun rapidly, and the ape's body shrank quickly. Before long, it was the size of a palm, which Qiu Yan grabbed. He tightened his grip, and when he opened his hand, it had become a peach.

The earlier screams were undoubtedly caused by someone seeing the Heart Ape's enormous body. Qiu Yan certainly wouldn't bring such a behemoth over; it would not only frighten others but also potentially cause unnecessary trouble.

"Hmm? Following the whims of my Heart Ape, it actually condensed into a peach? This Flat Peach is like a heart; I brought it from the Dark Side, which, in a sense, is stealing my heart. The <Yin Talisman Scripture> says: Heaven has five thieves; those who see them prosper. The five thieves reside in the heart and are manifested in Heaven. The thieves of Heaven are the virtues of man; seeing them brings prosperity to Human Path..."

Looking at the peach in his hand, Qiu Yan suddenly had a realization, and then he opened his mouth and swallowed it whole.

With a ripple of the Divine Soul, the insights settled and merged with the Heart Fire.

Within the Heart Fire, one can faintly see a perfectly round elixir, formed from insights and thoughts, about to take shape.

"My trip to the Scholar Forest has deepened my understanding of Human Path. Once the crisis in my physical body is resolved, I should organize my thoughts and apply them to my Divine Spirit Body. The refining of those two dragons is nearing its end, but it still lacks a certain refinement, which I should fill with my experience in Human Path."

As Qiu Yan pondered this, his Divine Soul raced.

As he passed through the ruins, he could clearly sense that various auras emanated from the shattered rocks, each with its own unique form, encompassing all aspects of Human Path and containing profound insights.

"These auras should be emanating from the Book Mine. Although this mountain was destroyed, the Book Mine was not destroyed, which makes it convenient for later generations to harvest it. Moreover, there is more than one Book Mountain on the Yang Side of the Scholar Forest, so it shouldn't be a big deal. I just wonder if the resurrected deity left any other traces."

As he pondered, his Divine Soul arrived at the attic on the other side of the ruins.

With a swift turn in mid-air, Qiu Yan's Divine Soul descended, and his senses swept across the scene inside and outside the pavilion, revealing everything to him. His mind became as clear and transparent as a mirror.

"These pavilions were created by Bei Xuan through visualization. Since they remain intact, it seems his life is not in danger. Moreover, fortune and misfortune are intertwined. In the eyes of others, being trapped in the Three Passes is a disaster, but for Bei Xuan, it may not be a bad thing."

Suddenly, Qiu Yan had another epiphany.

Since subduing his Heart Ape, his thoughts have been cleansed and become even more clear-headed.

At this moment, in front of the pavilion, a group of Confucian scholars were on high alert, led by the Elder Beiming and Tang Qing, two people who brought together the Literary Heart.

After seeing Qiu Yan's appearance clearly, the two were both taken aback. Tang Qing a sigh of relief, while Bei Ming remained vigilant. This old man knew very well that most of the Scholar Forest were spirits, unpredictable and one could not judge a book by its cover.

However, the others didn't think so much. The Confucian scholars, including Zhan Cheng and Zhan Zhen, immediately stepped forward to thank Qiu Yan for saving their lives.

Previously, when the Book Mountain collapsed and the palace was destroyed, they were bound to perish. However, Qiu Yan saved them with the River of History, Illusory World. Then, in the first trial, facing the malice of the old gatekeeper, Qiu Yan chose to let them return to the Light Side.

Although the group didn't stay in the Dark Side bamboo forest for long, since their souls primarily communicated through thought and exchanged ideas, it was easy for them to guess the general situation.

"No need to be so polite, it was just a small favor." Seeing that some people were about to bow deeply to him, Qiu Yan flicked his sleeves and used a faint thought to lift everyone up, making it difficult for them to kneel. "A man's knees are worth gold, how can he kneel so easily?"

Qiu Yan had already cultivated his Divine Sense, and his realm was far stronger than when he entered the Book Mountain. Although there were many of these Confucian scholars, their souls were already weakened due to the infusion and stripping of their Literary Thought. How could they resist? Therefore, they could not kneel down.

Immediately Human Path said, "Young Master Qiu, what you consider a trivial matter is a matter of life and death for us. There are countless people in this world who disdain to do such small things, but they don't realize how many tragedies could be avoided if everyone showed compassion."

"Hmm?" Qiu Yan sensed a bit of Human Path in those words and looked in the direction of the voice, where he saw a young face.

Noticing Qiu Yan's gaze, the young man's expression changed slightly. He felt Qiu Yan's gaze pierce him like a sharp sword, his face stinging, and his heart heavy with suppressed emotions. He subconsciously lowered his head.

However, this feeling was fleeting, and then Qiu Yan asked, "What is your name, young man?"

"My name is Qi Yan, and I come from Hebei Circuit." The man named Qi Yan responded immediately, his voice trembling slightly, as if he was suppressing his excitement.

"Your words have given me some inspiration." Qiu Yan nodded and bowed.

"I don't deserve it, I don't deserve it," Qi Yan quickly waved his hand, and it took him a while to calm down.

Qiu Yan smiled slightly, then said to the Elder Beiming, "Please tell me, sir, where is the passage opened up by the Apricot Altar Dao Discourse, and how do I get there?"

Bei Ming hesitated for a moment, then tentatively asked, "Young Master Qiu, are you planning to leave Scholar Forest? Could you please tell us about my young master's whereabouts? Also, we are unaware of the collapse of the Book Mountain..." He carefully chose his words, his eyes filled with vigilance, and his tone was probing.

With Bei Ming's perception, he could already sense that Qiu Yan possessed an unimaginable and terrifying power that he had never felt before, which made him suspicious.

Upon seeing the other person's appearance, Qiu Yan immediately shook his head and said, "There is no danger in Bei Xuan at the moment. As for the specific situation, I don't know. I only know that it is in a secluded place. Presumably, the powerful Aristocratic Clan there have a way to confirm it, so I don't need to say more. Besides, you don't need to worry that I'm impersonating someone else. If I really had ulterior motives, why would I say such things? Just tell me the location of the passage, and I will leave on my own."

Having his thoughts exposed by Qiu Yan, the Elder Beiming felt slightly ashamed. The others then came to their senses, and their expressions varied, some worried and some angry.

But she also understood the meaning behind Qiu Yan's words.

If he truly harbored malicious intentions, he wouldn't need to feign compliance; he could simply subdue them with force. Who present could possibly resist him?

At this moment, Tang Qing forward, about to speak, but before he could utter a word, he was interrupted by a loud bang!

"Hmm?" Qiu Yan flicked his fingers and looked back, only to see rubble flying everywhere on the ruins of the Book Mountain, and a plume of black smoke bursting out from the rocks!

"Trial Beast?"

With just one glance, Qiu Yan recognized the origin of the black mist; it was the mountain-guarding Trial Beast that had been defeated by the group and fled in the end!

ps:

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