The Xuanhuang hangs in the void, with nine divine dragons coiling around its body, breathing in and out the purest Xuanhuang Qi.
The miniature "Vast Landscape of China" at the bottom of the cauldron slowly rotates. The painting depicts a vast and picturesque landscape, with cities and streets clearly defined. Even the pedestrians and carriages coming and going in the streets and alleys are shown in great detail, as if the vitality and fortune of an entire prosperous dynasty are sealed within this cauldron.
Qi Yun's gaze fell upon the great cauldron, the [ Primordial Unity ] Dao intent flowing within it, savoring the absolute will within that "wherever I am, there is an unbreakable barrier."
After a moment, he slowly spoke, " The Mountains and Rivers Cauldron —it truly lives up to its name."
Cai Kun could no longer contain himself. His figure transformed into a golden light, circling the large cauldron three times before landing back beside Qi Yun, his face filled with excitement and emotion.
"Fourteenth Brother! Fourteenth Brother!"
He called out twice, his voice trembling slightly.
"It's me! Eighteenth Brother! Are you... are you alright?"
The Mountains and Rivers Cauldron remained completely still.
The nine Xuanhuang dragons coiled around the cauldron still maintained their posture of swallowing the universe, and the map of the land and grain at the bottom of the cauldron continued to rotate, but no response came out.
The entire cauldron looked like a lifeless object, its silence unsettling.
Cai Shen's excitement gradually froze. He opened his mouth and called out a few more times, but to no avail.
"Fourteenth Brother—" His voice lowered, tinged with an unspeakable bitterness, "Can't you hear me?"
Qi Yun watched this scene quietly, a hint of something special gleaming in his eyes.
He raised his hand, his five fingers pressing lightly, and a gentle yet irresistible Primordial Unity power, like an invisible palm, gently covered the body of the Mountains and Rivers Cauldron.
"Buzz"
The cauldron trembled slightly, and the nine coiled dragons simultaneously raised their heads, a flash of light appearing in their eyes.
But then the tremor subsided, and the cauldron returned to silence, as if the brief response had been merely an illusion.
Qi Yun frowned slightly.
He could clearly sense that the Mountains and Rivers Cauldron contained an unimaginably powerful force.
That power slumbered extremely deep, like an ancient volcano frozen by layers of immense ice.
Although there was an indication of surging lava, it was firmly suppressed and unable to advance.
"It's not that I can't hear," Qi Yun slowly withdrew his hand, his gaze deep and unfathomable, "It's that I can't wake up."
Upon hearing this, Cai Shen's expression changed slightly.
He quickly extended his Divine Sense to carefully perceive the state of the Mountains and Rivers Cauldron.
A moment later, his face grew even paler, and his voice became hoarse: "This—this is—"
"The seal has been in place for too long." Qi Yun's voice was calm, yet carried a chilling insight into its true nature. "The seals of over a hundred True Lord, layer upon layer, not only sealed its movements but also its spirituality."
Over time, the spirit slumbered, and it became what it is today.
"Then... what do we do?" Cai Shen cried out anxiously, "Fourteenth Brother—"
"What's the rush?" Qi Yun interrupted him, his tone still calm. "If it can be sealed, it can naturally be unsealed as well."
It just needs some time.
He raised his right hand, palm facing up.
A wisp of chaotic color flowed from his palm, initially as thin as a spider's thread, then rapidly expanded and spread, transforming into a hazy, colorful light that enveloped the entire Mountains and Rivers Cauldron.
"Buzz"
The cauldron trembled again, this time much more violently than before.
On the body of the cauldron, the originally dormant Xuanhuang Qi began to slowly circulate. In the eyes of the nine divine dragons, the light flickered uncertainly. A certain long-dormant will was being gently knocked on the door by this wisp of Primordial Unity power.
"You may step aside," Qi Yun said to Cai Shen.
Cai Shen dared not delay and quickly transformed into a golden light, retreating to the edge of the great formation to watch from afar.
Qi Yun said no more, sitting cross-legged in the void, his hands forming an ancient and unfathomable mudra in front of his chest.
The chaotic, colorful aura surrounding the Mountains and Rivers Cauldron suddenly intensified, like invisible tentacles cautiously probing into the cauldron's interior, beginning to untangle the spiritual pathways disrupted by the sealing power.
This is an extremely meticulous process.
The Mountains and Rivers Cauldron had been dormant for countless millennia, and its spirituality had long been suppressed and nearly exhausted by the seals of over a hundred True Lord.
To awaken it, you cannot use brute force; otherwise, it will not only be ineffective but may also damage its fundamental nature.
Only by Dao of Primordial Unity the all-encompassing nature of the Primordial Chaos can we gradually refine, nurture, and activate it.
Time passed slowly in silence.
Within the grand formation, only the chaotic, colorful energy flowed quietly, sometimes flickering, sometimes expanding and contracting, like some ancient and mysterious breath.
I don't know how much time passed.
"Buzz-"
The Mountains and Rivers Cauldron trembled once more.
This tremor was completely different from the previous ones.
On the body of the cauldron, the nine coiled dragons raised their heads and roared in unison. Although the dragon roars were faint, they carried an indomitable spirit that shook the surrounding void.
The "Vast Landscape of China" painting at the bottom of the cauldron, depicting cities, mountains, rivers, and people that were originally static, began to slowly "come alive"!
Within the city walls, merchants come and go, children frolic, and officials patrol the streets; amidst the mountains and rivers, woodcutters chop wood, hunters chase deer, and hermits play the zither; on the rivers, fishing boats sing their evening songs, merchant ships hoist their sails, and egrets skim the water—
A magnificent scroll of a prosperous era unfolds slowly at the bottom of the cauldron, vividly capturing the everyday life of the Great Tang at its peak within this small vessel.
"Fourteenth Brother!" Cai Shen's voice trembled with excitement, "You—you're awake?!"
The large tripod did not respond.
But the light in the eyes of those nine divine dragons had stabilized and was no longer flickering.
On the body of the cauldron, the originally dim defensive Dao patterns began to slowly flow, emitting a warm yet firm light.
Qi Yun slowly withdrew his hands, the glint in his eyes slightly diminishing.
"The spirit has awakened, but it is still too weak."
It needs time to recover gradually.
"For the time being, let it stay with me and nurture it with the power of Primordial Unity. In time, it will recover."
Upon hearing this, Cai Shen nodded hurriedly and bowed deeply towards the direction of the Mountains and Rivers Cauldron: "Fourteenth Brother, just rest assured and take care of yourself."
With Qi here, he'll definitely keep you safe.
The Mountains and Rivers Cauldron remained silent.
But among the nine divine dragons, the one located directly in front of the cauldron, with its head held highest, subtly lowered its head towards Qi Yun, as if using all its strength.
This movement was so subtle that it was almost imperceptible.
But Qi Yun saw it.
A faint smile curved his lips. Without saying a word, he waved his sleeve, and the Mountains and Rivers Cauldron transformed into a stream of Xuanhuang Flowing Light, disappearing into his sleeve.
Silence returned to the great formation.
Cai Shen let out a long sigh of relief, the expression on his face, a mixture of excitement and lingering fear, gradually subsided and transformed into a sense of relief as if he had survived a disaster.
"Young Qi." He turned to look at Qi Yun, his voice solemn, "I won't thank you enough. You saved Fourteenth Brother's life."
"If you ever need our brothers' help in the future, please don't hesitate to ask."
"No need," Qi Yun waved his hand, his expression indifferent. "There's no need for such formalities between us."
He paused, his gaze deepening. "Besides—this Mountains and Rivers Cauldron might be of great use to me in the future."
Upon hearing this, Cai Kun's expression hardened, and he instantly understood the meaning behind Qi Yun's words.
The schemes of the Dao King, the calculations of the True Lord Contemplating the One, the approaching Great Tide of Time ----
All of this is like an invisible giant net, slowly tightening.
Qi Yun is right at the very center of this network.
The Mountains and Rivers Cauldron's defense and suppression are precisely the assistance that Qi Yun needs most at this moment.
"Let's go." Qi Yun said no more, flicked his sleeves, and stood up. "It's time to go back."
He raised his hand and gently waved it at the [ Primordial Unity Isolation Grand Array ] that enveloped this star field.
"Buzz"
The great array of light dispersed in response, transforming into a sky full of chaotic colors that surged into Qi Yun's body like a receding tide. The deathly silence of the outside world and the distant starlight once again came into view.
Qi Yun naturally conjured a nine-colored auspicious cloud beneath his feet, lifting him and Cai Kun, and they were about to escape towards the direction of Xuanhuang.
However, just as he was about to move—
"Um?"
Qi Yun frowned slightly, his gaze suddenly sharpening.
He looked down at his waist.
There, an ancient token, its entire body shimmering with a faint, chaotic hue, was slightly warming up.
This token was the "token" given to him by the True Lord Contemplating the One. Holding it allowed him to sense the location of the Long Ages Immortal Island and travel there without hindrance.
At this moment, the chaotic colors on the surface of the token were flickering at a strange frequency, as if something was conveying something to him from the direction of the Long Ages Immortal Island in the the Unseen.
Qi Yun's gaze narrowed slightly as he focused his mind on the token.
The next moment -
A vague, fragmented thought, like a whisper that has traversed countless ages, echoed softly deep within his mind, "The flower—will bloom—"
"The fruit will fall."
Are you ready?
The sound was very soft, as soft as the wind, as soft as a sigh, as soft as a tiny ripple in the Long River of Time.
But to Qi Yun's ears, it was like a thunderclap, exploding with deafening force!
His hand holding the token tightened slightly involuntarily.
That voice—it True Lord Contemplating the One!
But the implication of those words is----
Will the flowers bloom? Will the fruit fall?
What flower? What fruit?
Qi Yun's eyes swirled with intense emotions as he pushed the [ Primordial Unity ] Dao to its limit, attempting to glean more information from that vague idea.
However, the sound only rang out once before falling completely silent, without any echo.
The chaotic colors on the token's surface returned to calm, as if everything that had just happened was merely an illusion.
"What's wrong?" Cai Shen noticed Qi Yun's unusual behavior and couldn't help but ask.
Qi Yun did not answer.
He stood silently in the void, holding the slightly warm token in his hand, his gaze piercing through the endless darkness and starlight, looking towards the deepest part of the Long River of Time the Unseen.
a long time.
A very faint smile slowly curved the corners of his lips.
That smile contained coldness, fighting spirit, and even a hint of eager anticipation.
"It's nothing," he said calmly, putting the token into his sleeve. "It's just that someone—can't wait any longer."
"Can't wait?" Cai Shen was taken aback. "Can't wait for what?"
Qi Yun did not answer.
The nine-colored auspicious cloud beneath his feet suddenly accelerated, transforming into a stream of Flowing Light that tore through the void, carrying him and Cai Kun, speeding towards the Xuanhuang Home Realm.
Behind them, the desolate void returned to darkness.
Only the faint trace of the primordial Xuanhuang aura that remained when the Mountains and Rivers Cauldron was created was still slowly dissipating, like a silent declaration.
And in the depths of that unknowable Long River of Time, on that transcendent, Long Ages Immortal Island.
Before the thatched cottage.
True Lord Contemplating the One stood with his hands behind his back on the riverbank, gazing at the now completely subsided ripples, a profound and unfathomable smile slowly spreading across his lips.
"Soon—" he murmured to himself, his voice soft yet carrying a chilling certainty, "It'll be soon."
Behind him, True Lord Feng Xi remained seated quietly on the futon, the cyan-gold vine in his hand now woven into a lifelike butterfly, its wings trembling slightly as if it might fly away at any moment.
She raised her eyes, glanced indifferently at the True Lord Contemplating the One, her gaze cold and detached, and remained silent.
Only a very soft, almost inaudible sigh escaped from her lips, drifting away on the wind into the eternal Long River of Time.