"Your divine power hasn't recovered, God King. Don't push yourself. Leave it to me."
He smiled, formed a hand seal, and unleashed the Cloud Vase Phenomenon. The next moment, a Chaos Dragon Spirit swept up the clouds, tore through the earth, and pierced straight through the ground.
Seeing this Dragon Qi, God King Jiang murmured, "Eight Prohibitions," then shook his head, finding it perfectly natural.
If not so, how could he be called a man of great fortune?
He had dared to enter Purple Mountain alone and walk through the devil's den unaccompanied, remaining calm and composed throughout. Even Jiang Taixu could not have done that four thousand years ago.
The two emerged from underground and stood on the desolate crimson earth. Bathed in sunlight from the sky, their bodies looked as though they had been coated in a layer of red jade frost, refracting exquisite seven-colored light.
Su Yu was fine, but Jiang Taixu felt as though he had been born anew, and for a long time he could not calm himself.
After a long while, he took out an ancient-looking jade token and said gently, "Su Yu, this is where we part. If you need anything, bring this to the Jiang Family and look for me, or simply crush the token, and I will know."
Su Yu was quite calm. There would be plenty of time in the future, and he felt no sadness at parting.
After a moment's thought, he summoned the Silver Moon Jade Pagoda, took out a jar of Desolate Ancient Divine Spring and a Sacred Fruit, placed them in a jade vase, and handed it to the God King.
When Jiang Taixu repeatedly refused, Su Yu urged him, "You were trapped for many years, God King, and your body has been depleted too severely. If you leave like this, I fear you won't last long. It's a pity there's no fruit from an Immortal Medicine. This Sacred Fruit came from the Desolate Ancient Forbidden Land and can make up for some of the damage to your origin."
He left the jade vase behind and drifted away on the Passing of Fleeting Light, leaving Jiang Taixu alone beneath Purple Mountain.
From beginning to end, Su Yu had not mentioned the other half of the Devouring Heaven Demon Jar.
It could be done that way, but it would be troublesome. A Saint of the Dharma-Ending Age also stood behind the Thirteen Great Bandits, and the God King might be placed in a dilemma...
Rather than do that, he preferred to say nothing. He had other means of reclaiming the body of the jar.
It was an object of authority that belonged to him in the first place!
Jiang Taixu gave the dark purple divine mountain a complicated look, then awkwardly reached out and put away the jade vase.
He took a step, and in an instant, the laws of space shifted and Dao patterns fluttered. A spatial passage appeared out of thin air, and he crossed tens of thousands of li, arriving in the Holy City in a single step.
This was a space-time escape art unique to the ancient sages, utterly beyond the reach of beings below the Saint Realm...
At that moment, the expression of the man in charge of the Desolate Ancient Jiang Family's stone workshop in the Holy City shifted slightly. He sensed the presence of a Holy Lord-level Great Power in his family's workshop.
"Which Holy Lord has honored us with a visit...?"
The Half-Step Great Power was somewhat puzzled. He quickly rose and prepared to welcome the visitor.
Outside the stone workshop, the old man froze at the sight of Jiang Taixu, who gave off the presence of the Hengyu Scripture. He seemed very familiar, and the old man studied the God King's face more closely.
All at once, the Half-Step Great Power began to tremble—he had seen that face in the ancestral hall.
Excitement showed on his face, and he wanted to cry out, but he forcibly restrained himself and said calmly, "Jiang Li pays his respects... Senior! Please, come inside."
"Mm."
The God King nodded slightly and entered the Jiang Family's stone workshop in Jiang Li's company.
The Jiang Family's stone workshop in the Holy City then closed its doors. No one knew how much time passed before countless beams of divine light shot out of the void, banners covered the sky, and a thousand riders came charging in with a majestic force that swept across the Northern Region. They were the forces of the Desolate Ancient Jiang Family.
Clouds shattered and fierce winds poured like waterfalls as Great Powers soared out of the Jiang Family on rainbow light, converging on the Holy City. The disturbance made many people pale, unsure what had happened to the Jiang Family.
"Could they have cut out something that shook the world?" someone guessed, thinking only that could make a Desolate Ancient Family treat the matter with such gravity.
Soon, more news spread: even the Jiang Family's Holy Lord had set out from the Jiang Family's sacred land for the Holy City. The great sects grew ever more certain that a heaven-defying treasure had been cut out in the Jiang Family's stone workshop...
On the outskirts of Purple Mountain, Su Yu returned to the village. Fifth Master Zhang and the others were overjoyed to see him return safely.
Su Yu took out Zhang Jiye's remains and entrusted them to Fifth Master Zhang, asking him to give Zhang Jiye a proper burial. He also returned the Stone Garment and the other items to Fifth Master Zhang.
As for the Source Heaven Book, he said little about it, and Fifth Master Zhang did not ask.
After doing all this, Su Yu found a large mountain near the village, opened a stone cave, and laid down some array patterns. He quietly took out a Bodhi Leaf so green it seemed ready to drip, then brought out the Devouring Heaven Demon Lid and began studying the Source Heaven Book.
Its purpose was clear from the outset!
This was not merely a sacred book for finding Source. It also expounded upon heaven, earth, and humanity, drawing near to the Dao through Source, with the ultimate goal of achieving unity between heaven and humanity. This also matched the opening principles of the Chaos Body and the Indestructible Heavenly Art: all brought the cultivator close to the Great Dao, truly achieving unity between heaven and humanity!
In the Shrouding the Heavens World, when it came to unity between heaven and humanity, what could compare to the Chaos Body? A complete and flawless Chaos Body was one with the Great Dao and could attain the Dao regardless of the Heavenly Heart Imprint's suppression of the myriad Daos.
Su Yu possessed Chaotic Blood and was not the least bit inferior to a king body.
Now he gathered his spirit and returned to oneness, comprehending the divine intent of the Source Heaven Book. Spiritual light shone from both his soul and his flesh, and the incomplete Chaotic Blood within him began to circulate, drawing him into a state of Dao comprehension.
"Looking up, observe the signs in heaven; looking down, observe the patterns of the earth; observe the markings of birds and beasts and what is suited to the land..."
"Inner Qi is born, outer Qi takes form, and inner and outer multiply one another..."
"Qi scatters when it rides the wind and stops at the boundary of water. The ancients gathered it so it would not scatter and guided it so it would come to rest..."
Wondrous colors flowed over the silver pages. The Source Heaven Book dealt chiefly with examining the configurations of mountains and rivers, the structure of the land, and changes in the heavens. It touched upon yin and yang and the five elements, and even contained methods for resonance between humanity and heaven. It was mysterious beyond mystery and difficult to understand.
"Above, answering the stars; below, presenting a map of the land. Heaven and earth bring forth life, the trigrams move into place, mountains are driven and seas chased, the constellations answer, and humanity becomes one with heaven..." This was a profound scripture that covered far too much. Cultivated to great accomplishment, it could stir the dragon veins beneath the earth and draw on their power to resist enemies.
For an entire month, Su Yu studied the Source Heaven Book without pause, his mind immersed in an incomparably profound state. Throughout that month, his understanding of the extraordinary book deepened with the help of the Bodhi Leaf. Only when he had thoroughly mastered a portion of its teachings did he stop.
His admiration for the scripture grew still greater.
It was indeed a fragmentary scripture written by the Source Emperor, unfathomable even to ghosts and gods, exquisitely ingenious, and an extraordinary scripture under heaven.
After resting briefly, Su Yu began cultivating the Indestructible Heavenly Art again. An hour later, brilliant silver light fell, and two ancient creatures of the First Heaven of the Immortal Platform were reduced to powder. Su Yu rose to his full height, his hair falling loose and every part of his body glowing.
His presence grew ever stronger, and the tempering of his left leg was nearly complete as well.
He then took out the stone pieces from his spatial artifact. These were the divine treasures left behind by the fifth-generation Source Heavenly Master. Using the methods recorded in the Source Heaven Book, he successfully selected the stone that contained the Stone Gall.
Su Yu carefully peeled away the stone skin, revealing a purple gall the size of a walnut, brilliant as a purple rainbow and as beautiful as the finest jewel. It was not sealed in Divine Source, yet it was full of life force.
The Source Heaven Book recorded it clearly: when a divine stone formed a gall, it could clarify the eyes; when divine sense reached great accomplishment, a Heavenly Eye would be born of itself.
The Immortal Spirit Eye, the Yin Nether Eye, and others were all types of Heavenly Eye, born naturally. Unless one's cultivation reached the heights of creation, it was difficult to develop a Heavenly Eye later in life.
When the Source Heaven Divine Sense reached perfection, it could become a Heavenly Eye. Every Source Heavenly Master through the generations had developed the strongest Heavenly Eye, capable of seeing through illusions and gazing directly at the origin.
Su Yu took out the Stone Gall.
It was an immature Stone Gall; a mature one would be golden. But he had neither the patience nor the time to wait for it to mature, so he dropped it directly into his eyes and closed them to cultivate his divine eyes.
After spending another two days, he successfully cultivated the Source Heaven Divine Eyes.
The moment Su Yu opened his eyes, two beams of golden light shot from them. He could see through the earth's veins and the patterns in stone, and the great configurations of heaven and earth came entirely into view. He had truly achieved the ability to see through the void and gaze directly at the origin.
He also cut open a stone containing Divine Source. When the Divine Source appeared, it was like a small sun, too bright to look at directly. It floated in the air, extraordinarily wondrous and like the origin of heaven and earth itself, making one want to draw close to it.
Su Yu did not cut open the other stone pieces one by one, instead putting them away.
He knew what was inside them, but his heart still ached in waves-the Immortal Divine Medicine eaten by Source God and Source Ghost...
After restoring himself to his peak condition, Su Yu stepped forward. Ripples spread through space beneath his feet as he flew toward the Holy City at extreme speed.
On this trip to the stone workshops, he had a grand ambition: the Kirin Immortal Medicine, the Dragon-Patterned Black Gold Sword... and especially the Heavenly Emperor's Son's egg.
He was going to eat it!
Beneath the vast sky, Su Yu swiftly crossed the distance in a single step, wisps of purple spilling from his eyes as he drew ever closer to the Great Dao...
He was pondering the future...
The Bodhi tree sealed inside the Extreme Dao Emperor Weapon had not revived. Even with the Desolate Ancient Divine Spring to water it, it remained in a difficult state without suitable spiritual soil in which to take root.
There was, in fact, a supreme sacred land suitable for planting the Bodhi tree: the small world in the Heavenbreak Mountains. The richness of its spiritual Qi ranked among the finest of all pure lands.
But before he could make use of that small world, he first had to remove the sword Qi that had endured undying for ages.
Su Yu already had a method in mind.
He would reunite the Devouring Heaven Demon Jar, then ask a Saint Realm expert to act and take that sword Qi into the jar.
As for Yang Yi, the Jade Lake Saintess, she had an obsession in her heart. Su Yu did not know her well. Jiang Taixu did not care that he belonged to the Ruthless One's lineage, but that might not be true of her...
Chapter 28: Flowers on Brocade, Entering the Divine City
The Holy City of the Northern Region was the most renowned city in the Northern Region, located at its very center.
On this desolate crimson land, it was as famous as the Primordial Ancient Mine. Much Divine Source and many immortal treasures had been unearthed there, even including Immortal Gold. Many inhabitants of the Northern Region revered it as divine ground, and it was renowned throughout the Big Dipper.
It was early autumn, and the weather was pleasantly cool. Many cultivators in the Holy City were discussing the Desolate Ancient Jiang Family's news from a month ago. Not long before, the Extreme Dao family had announced the return of one of its God King ancestors.
The news had instantly set the entire Eastern Wasteland ablaze, shocking countless people and making even some Great Powers pale. The God King who had lived for four thousand years was a legendary, supreme figure; his title as the greatest attacker in five thousand years was no empty boast.
In the world as it stood, a Holy Lord could already hold sway over a region, let alone an Immortal Three King.
This was especially true of someone with a God King Body at the Third Heaven of the Immortal Platform. This Great Accomplished God King also cultivated the Nine Secrets: Dou, one of the Nine Secrets. They did not know that Jiang Taixu had already entered the realm of the ancient sages.
Before long, the various powers came to pay their respects to the God King, and the Desolate Ancient Jiang Family's prestige soared with him. Many Jiang Family disciples shared in the glory and grew increasingly arrogant and overbearing.
Among the upper echelons, the situation was like flowers heaped upon brocade and oil poured onto a blazing fire. Outside the ancient city, however, an ancient cultivator remained as calm as still water, walking toward the city gates through the faint autumn mist.
He was a Daoist in a green robe, with a long beard hanging down and an ancient sword on his back. Eight chi tall and graceful in bearing, he stirred wisps of Dragon Qi with every step. The ornamental ring at his waist glowed with hazy Dao light and gave off clear, trembling chimes.
This man was none other than Su Yu.
Suddenly, a thunderous sound rang out, and several dozen riders came charging like a tide. They rode strange beasts with Dragon Horse hooves and qilin-leopard claws and fangs, spurring their mounts through the air outside the city and rampaging along the way. No one dared stop them.
"Which family's disciples are those? They're far too arrogant. Isn't this the Holy City?" a passerby said indignantly, only for his companion to hurriedly restrain him.
"Do you have a death wish?! Those are people from the Desolate Ancient Jiang Family, and we haven't even reached the Holy City yet."
The group fell silent at once, not daring to discuss it further.
Su Yu nodded thoughtfully, gaining an entirely new understanding of the Desolate Ancient Families' overbearing ways.
From ancient times to the present, it was the same everywhere. The world of gods and demons was even more cruel. Civilization was merely the embers; power was the foundation of everything. Even the history of the mortal world was steeped in bloodshed, and the Big Dipper could only be crueler. Its hidden darkness was merely concealed by the prosperity on the surface.
The wandering bandits he had strangled were so weak, yet they could still oppress others, whip the weak, and abuse women at will. The malice of the strong could only be worse...
The Divine City was immensely majestic. Its walls stretched on like a true dragon lying on its side, gleaming bronze beneath the sun. The magnificent city gate stood a hundred meters high, with an incomparably imposing presence, and an invisible great force surged upon the walls.
Su Yu entered and found the place bustling and prosperous. Vast complexes of towers and palaces appeared from time to time, with splendidly gilded buildings, carved beams, and painted rafters standing among them. A place even more luxurious than an imperial palace was actually just an inn.
No one in the city dared fly; that was the Holy City's rule. Of course, it did not apply to Great Powers of the Immortal Platform Second Heaven or to Holy Lords.
The strong had privileges!
Su Yu strolled along an ancient road, past verdant ancient trees. Many Daoist temples were hidden among their branches and green leaves, appearing all the more simple and otherworldly. This was a unique place, not inferior to many sacred lands. Because of the vast accumulation of Source, the resonance of the Great Dao was exceptionally strong here, giving one a sense of peace and tranquility!
He had dressed as a Daoist this time because he did not want to reveal his appearance. There was no doubt that, because of the Indestructible Heavenly Art, the Ruthless One's lineage had enemies throughout the world.
Su Yu had come this time to make money through harmony; it was best not to stir up a great conflict...