Flowers Bloom, Fruit Is Picked
Thump-
An inconspicuous gray-white pebble fell from nothingness and gently landed in a vast, colorful, and tranquil "river".
The pebble entered the water but did not sink, nor did it create any huge waves.
It only spread out in circles of extremely faint, yet clearly discernible ripples.
"Crunch"
A soft, old wooden door was pushed open.
The simple thatched hut's half-open wooden door was pushed open from the inside out.
A figure slowly walked out.
It was none other than the True Lord Canyi Budao.
His hair was not tied up at the moment, and his full head of black hair was casually draped over his shoulders. His black Daoist robe was also casually open, revealing the plain white inner garment, making him look quite carefree and unrestrained.
The expression on that ordinary face was one of deep indifference, devoid of any of the gentle smile he usually showed when facing Qi Yun.
His own light, crossing the lush lawn in front of the thatched cottage, fell directly onto the eternally flowing Long River of Time not far away.
Gazing at the faint ripples that were gradually spreading and then slowly subsiding, a chilling coldness flashed deep in his eyes.
"Another one—" True Lord Contemplating the One's voice was deep, "It seems those old fogies hiding in the gutter—are getting restless."
Then, True Lord Feng Xi, dressed in a moon-white long dress, slowly walked out of the thatched hut. Her slender fingers were deftly tying a light blue silk sash around her waist, her movements elegant and composed.
She raised her beautiful eyes, which held the frost and snow of ages, and glanced lightly at the ripples on the river. Her gaze lowered slightly, and her voice carried a hint of indifference as she reminded him, "Your plan—needs to be accelerated."
"If we wait until the World-Honored One and the others really come down in person at all costs—" Feng Xi's voice was icy, "In our current state, we are no match for them."
Upon True Lord Contemplating the One did not respond immediately.
With his hands behind his back, he slowly walked to the riverbank of the Long River of Time, his figure appearing somewhat solitary and aloof in the eternally flowing, colorful water.
"To act too hastily—" he began slowly, his voice calm and even, "Will only backfire."
"The flowers haven't bloomed yet." True Lord Contemplating the One turned to Feng Xi, "How do we pick the fruit?"
"Heh—" Upon hearing this, True Lord Feng Xi couldn't help but let out a very soft, somewhat mocking laugh, "I'm just afraid—"
When the time comes, the flowers will bloom and the fruit will fall; when the melons are ripe, they will naturally detach from their stem
"If you try to make a move now, it will be too late."
"Don't worry." The smile on True Lord Contemplating the One's face remained unchanged, yet it revealed absolute confidence and profound calculation. "This flower, I will make it bloom, only then will it bloom."
"This fruit—" His voice paused slightly, his gaze returning to the rushing Long River of Time beneath his feet, his eyes seemingly filled with countless threads of destiny intertwining and calculating.
"If I don't pick it, no one else can either."
As he spoke, he slowly lowered his eyes, his gaze fixed intently on the vibrant, colorful depths of the river.
A strange scene unfolded.
Where his gaze fell, in the river that should have flowed in chaos, its future unfathomable, a tall, human figure was faintly reflected!
The outline was initially extremely blurry, but as True Lord Contemplating the One gazed upon it, it slowly became clearer and clearer! That figure was striding forward in the long river of time. Its steps were firm, and its aura was constantly condensing, rising, and reaching—a certain critical point—at an astonishing speed!
Meanwhile, far away in the endless void, in a desolate star field shrouded by the [Primordial Unity Isolation Grand Array] casually set up by Qi Yun.
The great array of light curtains displayed chaotic colors, resembling an inverted giant bowl, completely sealing off and isolating the void within a radius of tens of thousands of miles, preventing the flow of internal and external energy and making the secrets of heaven unpredictable.
Within the formation, Qi Yun stood facing Cai Shen, who had materialized into a human-shaped phantom.
With barely suppressed excitement on his face, Cai Kun's eyes flashed with golden light, and the dark, ancient iron box, about a foot square, which he had obtained from the True Lord Stele Forest, appeared in the void between the two of them, hovering silently.
This iron box may not seem large, but as soon as it appears, it naturally exudes an indescribable sense of heaviness, as if it contains the weight of a vast landscape.
The box was jet black, made of some unknown metal, and was icy cold to the touch.
The surface of the iron box is covered with layers upon layers of dense seals and restrictions!
These sealing restrictions are terrifying in number; a rough scan reveals no fewer than a hundred!
Moreover, they are not from the same source, but rather from the hands of different True Lord!
Some of the restrictions are a dark gold, like Vajra, with strokes resembling Buddhist Sanskrit, radiating a powerful Buddhist force that suppresses evil and remains unyielding; others are Daoist talismans, with glimpses of blue-purple lightning, containing Heavenly Gang energy; some are ferocious demonic incantations, flowing with an aura of bloodlust and corruption; and still others are the dignified phantoms of Confucian Dao and Daoist rulers, representing law and discipline.
More than a hundred seals represent more than a hundred True Lord cultivate different Great Daos and have different methods, placing layer upon layer of blockade on this iron box and the thing inside it!
These seals are intertwined and superimposed on each other, some reinforcing each other, some subtly conflicting, but as a whole they form an extremely complex and stable, terrifying sealing system where a single move can affect the whole!
It's like a lump of iron made up of countless chains and padlocks of different materials and techniques, making it impossible to know where to start!
"Hiss----" Even the well-informed Cai Shen couldn't help but gasp when he saw the densely packed, shimmering seals of over a hundred True Lord on the iron box. He grimaced, revealing an expression as if he had a toothache.
"This... this is too outrageous!"
Cai Shen muttered to himself, but in the end, he turned his helpless gaze to Qi Yun stood calmly to the side.
"Young Qi, this job—I'm afraid only you can do it."
Qi Yun's gaze swept calmly over the incredibly complex seals on the iron box, his eyes showing no emotion whatsoever.
For him, the number and complexity of the seals did not constitute a fundamental difference.
"They're nothing but long-forgotten constraints." He spoke calmly, then raised his right hand and gently brushed it across the floating, dark iron box.
A gentle, peaceful, yet transcendent, chaotic aura flowed from his palm, like a clear spring, softly washing over the surface of the iron box.
Those hundred or so True Lord seals, each with its own distinct color, Daoist aura, and intertwined and conflicting, seemed to encounter an absolute "solvent" the moment they touched this chaotic, colorful essence!
Those incredibly solid sealing Dao patterns, representing different Dao rules, rapidly dimmed, loosened, and disintegrated under the control of the Primordial Unity Power!
The whole process was as smooth and natural as snow melting in the spring sun.
In the blink of an eye, the more than one hundred seals on the surface of the iron box that had made Cai Kun's scalp tingle had completely disappeared, revealing the original appearance of the iron box itself, which was dark, ancient, and smooth as a mirror.
"Open." Qi Yun uttered a single word.
"Click" 6
A slight clicking sound was heard from a mechanism.
The lid of the iron box, which had been tightly closed for countless millennia, slowly and deliberately opened up a crack on its own without any external force touching it.
"Boom-!!!"
Just as the lid of the box was slightly lifted!
An indescribable, majestic, vast, and terrifying aura, filled with the supreme imperial majesty and the weight of the nation's destiny, erupted from the box like a dragon that had slumbered for millennia, bursting forth and soaring into the sky!
The entire [Primordial Unity Isolation Grand Array] suddenly trembled violently, and countless ripples spread across the light screen!
"Clang"
A clear, resonant sound, like the striking of metal on a great bell, emanated from the box, shaking the entire world!
The next moment, endless streams of Xuanhuang energy burst forth from the box!
This Xuanhuang energy, as heavy as a mountain and as vast as the sea, rapidly condensed and evolved in the void!
A large cauldron, its entire body displaying the purest Xuanhuang hue, rose once more from the radiance!
This enormous cauldron, nine zhang in size, exudes an aura of supreme weight capable of suppressing all realms and establishing dominion over the four seas and eight wastelands!
Nine Xuanhuang dragons coil around the body of the cauldron, their heads facing the sky, as if swallowing the universe.
The bottom of the cauldron is not inscribed with text, but rather naturally formed with a miniature yet incredibly clear map of the vast land of China!
The painting depicts a vast and picturesque landscape, countless people like ants, and the dynasty's fortune like a dragon, all rising and falling within it. It seems to encapsulate and seal the entire Great Tang's most prosperous period of power, society, and human destiny within this great cauldron!
The Daoist maxims of "Invulnerable to All Laws" and "Eternal Stability of the Nation" and defensive Daoist patterns flowed around the cauldron as if they were alive.
Flickering!
An absolute will—"Wherever I am, there is an unbreakable bulwark; wherever I stand, there is an unshakeable land"—was unleashed!
As the illusory image of the cauldron fully materialized, the entire void sealed by the great formation emitted an unbearable, deep rumble!
It was as if this void had become incredibly "solid" and "heavy" because of the appearance of the cauldron!
All external attacks, erosions, and even disturbances in space and time will be naturally smoothed out, neutralized, and rendered invisible when they approach within a certain range of this seal!
"As expected—" Cai Shen's eyes widened, his voice trembling with excitement.
"[The Mountains and Rivers Cauldron]! It's Fourteenth Brother!"
[Mountains and Rivers Cauldron]!
Its name, "Shanhe," is derived from the meaning of "the land and its people, forever secure and unshakable."
This is no ordinary weapon of attack, but a pure and ultimate defensive and suppressive Imperial Weapon!
Its presence is like the entire weight and fortune of the land, which can suppress all kinds of attacks and is an unbreakable barrier!
Qi Yun's gaze fell upon the Xuanhuang, his eyes sparkling with color as he sensed the vast, steady, all-encompassing, and all-suppressing aura of the Great Dao within it, and he slowly nodded.
"Truly worthy of being the imperial weapons of the Tang Dynasty."
Compared to the mysterious and wondrous Dao of Wealth power of the Wealth Connects to the Divine, the Mountains and Rivers Cauldron Lord's suppression and protection, judging from the Dao intent it reveals, is already no less than that of a Middle-Realm True Lord!
Moreover, this Imperial Weapon has been sealed for countless years, and its power has diminished considerably.
If it could be restored to its full glory, its power would be unimaginable.