The unprovoked humming of the Western Emperor Pagoda was like a thunderbolt thrown into the tranquil sky above the Jade Pool Holy Land, instantly shattering the eternal peace of this celestial paradise!
What was that sound just now?
"It's coming from deep within the holy land!"
"I... I feel my very soul trembling!"
Countless disciples who were cultivating were awakened and rushed out of their caves, looking in horror towards the direction from which the soft sound came.
In an instant, streaks of Divine Rainbow streaked across the sky between the various peaks and halls, carrying disciples heading to the main peak to investigate the situation.
On " Listening Spring Peak " at the outer gate of Jade Pool, several young female disciples who had recently joined the sect gathered together, their faces filled with fear.
"Senior Sister Liu, what was that soft hum just now? I felt my Dao Palace shaking!" A young disciple who looked only fourteen or fifteen years old asked timidly, his small hands tightly gripping the sleeve of the blue-clad woman beside him.
The woman in blue, whom she addressed as her senior sister, tried to remain calm, but her voice still trembled slightly. "That was—that was the voice of the Western Emperor Pagoda."
I read in the introductory texts that the Western Emperor Pagoda is the Extreme Dao Emperor Weapon of my Jade Pool, used to suppress hidden power, and it will not awaken except in moments of life and death.
"Could it be that a powerful enemy is attacking?"
Another female disciple with an oval face looked around in terror, as if an enemy might appear at any moment.
Just as everyone was filled with anxiety, a majestic voice came from the sky. "All disciples, return to your positions and do not leave without permission! This is caused by the Emperor Weapon sensing the energy of heaven and earth, not by an invasion from external enemies."
Everyone looked up and saw a middle-aged woman dressed in the robes of an elder standing in mid-air. Although her expression was solemn, she showed no sign of panic.
Hearing this, the disciples were slightly relieved, but the surprise and doubt in their eyes did not diminish at all.
Meanwhile, inside an exquisite pavilion on the inner sect's " Moon-Gazing Peak," several true disciples were also discussing in hushed tones.
" The Emperor Weapon resounds on its own, a sight rarely seen throughout history. In my more than two hundred years of study, this is the first time I've encountered such a situation."
A woman in white, with a refined and aloof demeanor like a snow lotus, frowned and said, "I am Lin Hanyue, the senior disciple of Moon-Gazing Peak."
A woman dressed in fiery red robes beside her spoke up, her tone tinged with surprise and doubt. "What's even stranger, Senior Sister Lin, when I used the Spirit Rhinoceros Sensing Technique to investigate just now, it seemed that an unfamiliar aura was entering the Holy Land when the Emperor Weapon resonated."
Could it be related to this?
Another woman in green guessed, "I heard that the Holy Maiden went out a few days ago and brought back a mysterious young man."
Could it be him?
The group exchanged bewildered glances, all seeing shock in each other's eyes.
Just as discussions were raging within the Holy Land, some highly skilled elders transformed into Divine Rainbow and flew straight towards the Jade Pool Immortal Palace at the heart of the Holy Land. Their expressions were all solemn, clearly realizing that this matter was no small thing.
"Elder Transmission of Skills, do you know why the Emperor Weapon is behaving strangely?"
An elder who had rushed over stopped the elder who had just landed and asked a question.
The Transmission Elder shook his head, his gaze fixed on the depths of the Immortal Palace, his voice low. "I don't know either, but just now the Queen Mother sent a message, ordering us to go to the Immortal Palace immediately for a meeting."
The Western Emperor Pagoda has been exhibiting unusual activity, even awakening the slumbering Saint. It seems something momentous is about to happen in the Holy Land.
And at this moment, the source of all this turmoil...
The jade carriage carrying Li Qingshan and the others had already passed through the last protective array and officially entered the Jade Pool Holy Land.
Suddenly, the view opened up before me, as if I had stepped into a legendary fairyland. There, I saw majestic, endless sacred mountains, each towering into the clouds, shrouded in a misty, ethereal aura and rosy glow.
The waterfall cascades down like an inverted Milky Way, plunging from a towering cliff, creating a mist that refracts into a rainbow of colors under the sunlight.
Countless magnificent buildings, pavilions, and terraces are built against the mountain, dotting the landscape among the ancient pines and cypresses, exotic flowers and rare herbs. The carved beams and painted rafters, the flying eaves and brackets, all exude a hazy glow, so beautiful and ethereal that they seem otherworldly.
What's astonishing is that the essence of heaven and earth here is so rich that it's almost tangible. With every breath, one feels completely comfortable, the Daoist platform is clear, and it's as if every pore is cheering.
A mysterious rhythm of the Great Dao permeated the Void, blending with the unique Western Emperor Daoist rhythm of Jade Pool, forming a perfect pure land for cultivation.
"This is the Jade Pool Holy Land. It truly is magnificent and worthy of being called a supreme immortal land."
Li Qingshan stood at the front of the jade carriage, overlooking this magnificent fairyland, and exclaimed in admiration.
Compared to all the places he had seen before, this place truly deserved the title of "sacred place for spiritual practice".
The Innate Immortal Fetus within him, nourished by the extremely rich essence and natural Daoist charm of this place, spontaneously became even more active.
The great dragon of the spine emitted a joyful hum, waves surged in the Bitter Sea, and the Life Spring gushed forth even purer divine power.
The already astonishing Daoist aura emanating from him seemed to become even more profound and pure in this world of the Western Emperor's Daoist lineage, as if a fish had returned to the water, resonating with this world on a deeper level.
The jade carriage landed smoothly on a spacious white jade Immortal Platform.
Immortal Platform Fourth Layer, clouds and mist swirled, and rosy light filled the air. A dozen or so Jade Pool elders, dressed in various palace attire and exuding an aura as deep as the sea, were already waiting there.
These elders were at least at the Immortal Platform Secret Realm, and some of them even exuded a terrifying aura, clearly indicating that they were already at the level of Immortal Second Realm Mighty Figure.
Their gazes first fell on Lin Qingyao, the Jade Pool Holy Maiden, and they nodded slightly in acknowledgment. Then, almost everyone's eyes focused on Li Qingshan.
Those gazes contained surprise, scrutiny, curiosity, inquiry, and an undisguised shock!
As high-ranking members of Jade Pool, they possessed profound cultivation and extensive knowledge, and were naturally able to clearly sense the Heavenly Dao aura emanating from Li Qingshan, which was perfectly integrated with the natural world.
What alarmed them was that there seemed to be some inexplicable connection between the strange movements of the Western Emperor Pagoda and the purple-robed youth before them!
"Absolutely extraordinary!"
A younger elder standing in the back row couldn't help but exclaim in a low voice, "I've cultivated for over eight hundred years, and this is the first time I've seen someone so close to the Great Dao!"
A more senior elder beside her nodded solemnly. "What's even more terrifying is that the moment the Emperor Weapon resonated was precisely the moment this person entered the sacred land. This is no coincidence!"
The elders exchanged shocked glances, all seeing the same guess in each other's eyes.
"You've worked hard, Holy Maiden."
An elderly woman at the head of the group stepped forward and spoke.
Her hair was styled in a high bun, her face was clear and bright, and her eyes were sharp as lightning. She was a high-ranking and powerful elder in the Jade Pool who transmitted skills.
She said something to Lin Qingyao, then her gaze fixed firmly on Li Qingshan, her tone unusually solemn. "This must be Fellow Daoist Li Qingshan? We have been waiting here for quite some time."
Her gaze was almost tangible, as if she wanted to see right through Li Qingshan, inside and out.
To her surprise, even with her cultivation level Immortal Second Realm Mighty Figure, she couldn't completely see through the young man; she could only sense his unfathomable Heavenly Dao aura and his boundless, ocean-like blood energy.
" The Queen Mother and the various Tai Shang Elders are already waiting for us at the Jade Pool Immortal Palace."
The elder who was transmitting the skills continued, his tone unconsciously becoming more respectful, "Please follow us, fellow Daoist."
Her attitude already placed Li Qingshan on the same level as the Tai Shang Elder of the Holy Land!
However, just as Li Qingshan nodded slightly, preparing to step forward and follow,
"Buzz----"
The bell of the Western Emperor Pagoda, which had been silent for a short time, rang out again!
This time, the soft murmur no longer merely echoed in the sea of the heart, but was accompanied by an invisible yet boundless ultimate will, which, like mercury spilling onto the ground, instantly enveloped the entire Jade Pool Immortal Platform!
This will is ancient and majestic, as if it came from the beginning of Heaven-Opening, containing the power of the heavens to suppress all ages!
And the focus of this ultimate will was none other than Li Qingshan!
Under the sweeping gaze of this will, Li Qingshan felt as if he had become transparent, with all his secrets exposed.
But his expression remained unchanged, as if he had already anticipated this move.
The Dao Bell within his body vibrated slightly, emitting a barely perceptible chaotic light that flowed together with the Innate Immortal Fetus's origin, forming an invisible barrier.
"This kind of physique!"
The gods of the Western Emperor Pagoda were stirred with emotion.
"It shares the same origin as the Western Emperor's Innate Dao Embryo! No, it's not just the same origin; its essence seems to be even more ancient, purer, and closer to the source of the Great Dao!"
It was as if it were the ultimate sublimation of the Innate Dao Embryo, a true immortal body!
It has existed for countless years and witnessed the unparalleled Feng Cai of the Queen Mother of the West in her youth, but Li Qingshan's physique gave it a feeling of reaching an even higher level.
It was a Daoist charm that returned to simplicity and pointed directly to the origin, as if one was born to be a vessel of the Great Dao.
"And his physical body."
The deity of the Western Emperor Pagoda was shocked once again, "His blood and qi are as powerful as a dragon, containing precious light, and his life essence is extremely vigorous!"
This strength is in no way inferior to the Desolate Ancient Sacred Body of the same realm!
Although it lacks the golden blood aura unique to the Sacred Body, its pure power and resilience are absolutely no less than those of the Sacred Body!
It had once experienced the power of the Desolate Ancient Sacred Body, an ultimate path of proving the Dao through force and achieving sainthood through the physical body.
Although Li Qingshan's physical body followed a different path, its inherent strength gave it a similar feeling.
"Strangeness."
The will of the Western Emperor Pagoda deity probed Li Qingshan closely, "Why does this person possess a trace of the unique Daoist aura of the Great Emperor Wushi?"
Though extremely faint, its essence is supreme.
This discovery caused the deity of the Western Emperor Pagoda to momentarily lose his senses.
The Great Emperor Wushi, son of the Western Emperor and the Great Accomplishment Sacred Body, Innate Sacred Body Dao Embryo, is a figure of unparalleled brilliance throughout history; it is all too familiar with him.
Although the Daoist aura emanating from Li Qingshan was not entirely that of Innate Sacred Body Dao Embryo, the supreme meaning, along with the combination of his powerful physique and astonishing Immortal Fetus, led to erroneous associations and confusion.
"Could it be that, like the Great Emperor, he possesses some kind of physique—similar to Innate Sacred Body Dao Embryo?"
The moment this idea came to mind, even the Western Emperor Pagoda deity himself found it somewhat absurd and unbelievable.
The Innate Sacred Body Dao Embryo are extremely rare throughout history, with only one example from the time of Great Emperor Wushi.
But it did indeed sense that unique aura emanating from the Great Emperor Wushi.
Li Qingshan's characteristics led it to this misjudgment.
The unique aura of the Great Emperor Wushi subtly interfered with the judgment of the Western Emperor Pagoda, causing it to have a "seemingly true but actually false" understanding of Li Qingshan's physique.
"The golden age has begun, and the Road to Immortality is about to open."
Those ancient beings in those Life Forbidden Zone certainly wouldn't miss it.
The Western Emperor Pagoda deity's thoughts churned. As Extreme Dao Emperor Weapon, it sensed the secrets of heaven and knew the perils of the future. "If the attempt to break through to the immortal path fails, a Dark Turmoil sweeping across the universe will be almost inevitable."
Its will swept across the various Life Forbidden Zone of the Big Dipper, sensing that those ancient beings that had been dormant were showing signs of awakening.
"The appearance of this person in this era, possessing such an astonishing physique and hidden secrets that even I find difficult to fully comprehend, and faintly connected to the Daoist aura of the Great Emperor Wushi, is no coincidence!"
The deity of the Western Emperor Pagoda understood this clearly.
"He might be a glimmer of hope born out of necessity, a possible ray of dawn in the darkness of the future!"
Meanwhile, deep within the Jade Pool Holy Land, in an ancient small world sealed by endless Divine Source and chaotic energy, an ancient yet supremely holy thought, seemingly in harmony with the Great Dao of Heaven and Earth, slowly awakens.
This is the Queen Mother of the West from countless previous generations, whose cultivation has reached the level of Immortal Four Saint. She is the true pillar of stability and one of the foundations of Jade Pool.
She had been slumbering in the Divine Source for thousands of years, and would never have awakened easily if she had not sensed the abnormal fluctuations of the Western Emperor Pagoda.
Why are the deities of the Western Emperor Pagoda behaving strangely one after another?
The Saint's thoughts rippled outwards like waves, instantly enveloping the entire Jade Pool Holy Land.
When her divine sense swept across the Immortal Platform and landed on Li Qingshan, even with her unchanging composure throughout the ages, she couldn't help but be moved. "Hmm? That young man, what an astonishing source of power! Such Immortal Fetus is rarely seen throughout history! Compared to the Ancestor Western Emperor in his youth, he seems—closer to the Dao! More pure!"
"The judgment of the Western Emperor Pagoda is actually somewhat confused?"
The Saint keenly sensed the confusion of the Western Emperor Pagoda deity, "It resembles the ultimate Dao Embryo my Jade Pool, possesses the solidity of Sacred Body, and is further tinged with—the Dao aura of an imperial son?"
This person's background is probably more complicated than we imagine.
Her divine sense fluctuated slightly, and she had a momentary exchange with the will of the Western Emperor Pagoda.
Both represent the pinnacle of Jade Pool's essence, existing for countless ages, and they have long held a tacit understanding with each other.
"The golden age was also the beginning of darkness."
The Saint's thoughts carried a heavy weight. " The Road to Immortality is about to begin; the Forbidden Zone Supreme is about to awaken; turmoil is imminent, and the common people will weep blood."
She seemed to see a glimpse of the future, a dark age intertwined with blood and fire, a tragic scene of all souls weeping.
"Such unforeseen events occurring in my Jade Pool are both an opportunity and a tremendous responsibility."
A resolute determination shone through the Saint's will; "Perhaps, he is the glimmer of hope."
Her divine sense swept over Li Qingshan again, this time with a deeper exploration, as if she wanted to see through appearances and understand the Cause and Effect and effect and destiny carried by this young man.
At this moment, Li Qingshan remained calm and composed under the gaze of the two supreme beings.
He could sense the shock and inquiry in those two wills, but he also sensed their goodwill and expectation.
"It seems that this Jade Pool Holy Land is even more interesting than I imagined."
He thought to himself, a smile unconsciously creeping onto his lips.