Chapter 17: Hidden Secrets
Chapter 17: Hidden Secrets
The talismanic seals carved on the stone wall were quite complex. There were both Taoist mantras and Buddhist Sanskrit. Mu Yuan stared for a while and started feeling dizzy. The runes before his eyes seemed to fly out and spin around, like countless little insects buzzing chaotically. Not only were they dazzling and confusing, but they also disturbed his senses. He hurriedly calmed his mind and averted his gaze!
“So powerful! What a pity I haven’t cultivated the Yin-Yang Dual Spirits and opened vast Spiritual Sense. Otherwise, I could have memorized all these runes and spells forcefully, to contemplate carefully later. Now I can only do my best and remember whatever I can!” Purple light surged in Mu Yuan’s eyes. He activated the Mystic Water True Pupil through the Heavenly Water Gentle Rise technique, drawing the countless runes and spells before him into his mind and Spiritual Sense!
“Hey, this Buddhist chant is quite simple.” A golden Sanskrit text imprinted in his mind, immediately shining brightly like nine tiny stars spinning rapidly. Mu Yuan’s heart stirred. He extended his palm, and that light instantly gathered on it, transforming into six small luminous spheres. They collided, rubbed against each other, and spun around endlessly.
By now, many people had rushed past. Seeing the three of them staying put, they found it strange but didn’t stare, continuing swiftly deeper into the passage. In the corridor, there were also other cultivators like Mu Yuan, observing the talismanic seals on the stone walls. They frowned deeply, clearly mostly unable to understand them, just like Mu Yuan.
After memorizing the talismanic seals, Mu Yuan saw that Chu Yunfei and Mo Xue also looked bewildered. He immediately smiled and said, “Let’s go down too!”
The two agreed. The three of them proceeded in a line, stepping through the corridor. The view before them suddenly opened up, revealing an endless, boundless desert. Looking into the distance, amidst the yellow sand, dozens of Dragon Tombs stood like pyramids. They were enormous, each covering several acres of land, scattered continuously and impressively.
These Dragon Tombs were piled up with countless granite stones, emitting a bloody red hue. They faintly revealed a desolate and sorrowful aura, with countless blood-red talismanic seals carved on the tombs, mysterious and daunting, making people hesitate to approach!
Most people had chosen a tomb and were forcefully attacking it, trying to break in. But these tombs were incredibly sturdy. Fierce energy waves exploded against the rocks, spreading out like ripples. The rumbling vibrations and noise were overwhelming!
“What should we do?” Chu Yunfei scratched his head and asked.
Mu Yuan also scratched his head. “These Dragon Tombs are so sturdy; how could they possibly be blasted open? I really don’t know what kind of dumb luck you had last time, actually managing to break off a dragon horn!”
“Never mind, let’s go closer and take a look!” Mo Xue’s skirts fluttered as she rode the wind forward. Chu Yunfei and Mu Yuan hurriedly followed, arriving near a tomb.
It was a grey Dragon Tomb, built from huge granite stones, standing thirty to forty feet tall. It looked like a small hill, giving a grand feeling. In front of the tomb, three cultivators were brandishing their weapons, Zhenqi bursting forth in colorful displays, quite spectacular!
Among these three happened to be the gentle female cultivator who had spoken to Mu Yuan outside earlier. After some conversation, Mu Yuan learned that her name was Ling Qiao’er, a disciple of the rogue cultivator Shi Runzhang, also at the Qi Refining Third Layer. At this moment, she held a clear, gleaming long sword. Its cold edge was sharp, covered with numerous shining talismanic seals. Activated by Zhenqi, it released powerful force, striking the tomb like thunder and lightning, dazzling and stunning!
Seeing Mu Yuan approach, Ling Qiao’er greeted him with a smile. Mu Yuan also smiled slightly, looking over the tomb before him. The messy, complicated talismanic seals were like countless stars in the sky, making his head ache again.
Glancing downward, Mu Yuan suddenly noticed a familiar spell text. His heart stirred as he realized it was exactly the Buddhist Sanskrit he had just seen. Mu Yuan didn’t know its name, but felt its effects were extraordinary. Through some comprehension, it could calm the mind and drive away evil spirits, which intrigued Mu Yuan.
Seeing such a familiar talismanic script, and noticing others’ repeated attacks were ineffective, Mu Yuan reflected that he didn’t possess such powerful combat strength to blast open the Dragon Tomb. Not to mention other things, just Ling Qiao’er’s gleaming cold sword was something he couldn’t match.
He extended his hand and gathered energy. Six bright luminous sphere runes instantly formed. Mu Yuan pressed his hand forward!
As the Sanskrit light made contact with the rune carvings on the massive Dragon Tomb, it immediately merged like water, becoming indistinguishable. Mu Yuan felt all the Zhenqi in his body gather and surge into his palm. The six spell runes shone even brighter. The seemingly indestructible, fortress-like tomb before him seemed to come alive, greedily absorbing this luminous energy!
In an instant, the blood-patterned carvings on the Dragon Tomb twisted. Each line writhed like a snake, changing unpredictably like flowing water. Mo Xue and Chu Yunfei were startled by the sight. Ling Qiao’er and the other two cultivators attacking the tomb simultaneously stopped their assaults, staring in shock at the sudden change!
Only Ling Qiao’er, on Mu Yuan’s side, saw his actions. The other two cultivators didn’t know what Mu Yuan had done, thinking their attacks had finally taken effect. Overjoyed, after a brief pause, they redoubled their efforts, channeling Zhenqi to release even more powerful force!
But Mu Yuan felt his vision blur. The surrounding space and scenery changed rapidly. Clouds and mist suddenly appeared, winds rose into tornadoes, thunder rumbled, and lightning flashed. His right hand controlling the Sanskrit spell felt empty. His body lurched forward uncontrollably, and the Dragon Tomb ahead emitted a tremendous suction force, pulling Mu Yuan directly into it!
The tomb made of incredibly sturdy granite seemed like a water curtain, offering no resistance to Mu Yuan at all. The Longevity True Qi within him erupted instantaneously. The little Azure Dragon in his Dantian raised its head and let out a long dragon roar that shook his entire body.
Mu Yuan perceived everything around him changing rapidly like a fleeting show. It was as if time in the long river of years had accelerated millions of times. Mountains rose, seas turned into fields, human affairs changed, and the worldly state of the mortal realm flashed before Mu Yuan’s eyes one by one.
The flowing light gathered and scattered beside him like water. Mu Yuan felt as if he were in a great river, the changing scenes around him like rushing currents continuously washing over him. Yet he felt as if he were standing above the clouds, looking down indifferently from on high, detached from it all.
“Observing from outside, after all, isn’t as good as experiencing personally. Watching the seas change into fields doesn’t stir waves, without joy or anger—this detaches from human nature, going against natural instincts!” Mu Yuan murmured to himself, concentrating his mind and will. The surrounding illusions suddenly scattered like wind-blown clouds, revealing a vast, dimly lit great tomb chamber!
Inside the tomb chamber, a huge dragon body lay coiled, a full hundred zhang long. Its entire body was covered with palm-sized scales, but they were now dull and lifeless. The dragon head still held high, eyes tightly shut, dragon whiskers moving without wind, flowing freely. The dragon tail was covered with sharp spikes, trailing on the ground—a frightening sight!
“It really is an ancient divine dragon, so mighty. I heard the great god Nezha killed dozens of giant dragons here thousands of years ago, yet their bodies still haven’t decayed, looking as if alive, just devoid of life. If I could refine such a huge dragon corpse into my body, what immense Primordial Qi that would be!” Mu Yuan’s Spiritual Sense lightly probed and detected the vast essence contained within the divine dragon’s body. It hadn’t dispersed over millennia, still residing within, almost having developed spiritual awareness!
Between heaven and earth, all forms possess Dao nature. Even plants, trees, mountains, and stones, after long years, absorbing the essence of heaven and earth and the spirit of sun and moon, can develop spiritual awareness. Let alone the pure spiritual energy within a divine dragon’s body. While the dragon lived, this spiritual energy was controlled by the dragon, operating along the traces of the Great Dao. After the dragon died, the spiritual energy didn’t disperse, still operating by instinct. Over time, sensing the Dao, developing spiritual awareness wasn’t strange at all!
“Good, good. If another hundred years had passed, it might truly have developed spiritual awareness, becoming a living creature. But now, it benefits me!” Mu Yuan was overjoyed in his heart. The Tide True Qi within him burst forth, condensing into a Qi Vortex Slash force. A swirling, raging vortex immediately formed between his hands, creating a suction that stirred the dragon body. Mu Yuan stepped forward, rubbed his hands together, and was about to press them on!
“Young man, do you covet my essence?” An aged voice suddenly sounded, rumbling like thunder, echoing within the tomb. Mu Yuan was startled, his hand’s energy slackening. He quickly dispersed the vortex and looked around, but found nothing!
“Don’t bother looking. I’m just a remnant of spiritual awareness, waiting quietly for thousands of years, merely lingering on, wanting to leave something behind, unwilling to accept this!”
Hearing this, Mu Yuan felt slightly relieved. If this dragon corpse truly still had a breath clinging to it, it could probably annihilate him with a flip of its hand. But now, hearing the other say this, it seemed he might gain some benefit. He immediately chuckled, “So, Elder, you’re still here. My apologies, my apologies!”
The dragon’s spiritual awareness ignored Mu Yuan’s little tactic of retreating to advance, seeming lost in distant memories. “Back then, when that scoundrel Nezha was young, he killed three princes of our Dragon Clan, skinned them, pulled out their sinews, destroyed their bones. The Heavenly Emperor feared his backing sect and didn’t intervene, instead appointing him as the Great God of the Three Altars Sea Assembly. How could our Dragon Clan let it rest? After suppressing it for a hundred years, a great battle finally erupted again. But unexpectedly, that Nezha also called upon the Manifest Sage True Lord Yang Jian from Guanjiang Kou, the Dharma Protector Quanzhen Wei Hu, his brothers Jinzha and Muzha, Lei Zhenzi, and the Great God of Samadhi True Flame Hua Guang. They set up the Seven Luminances Mortal World Formation here, ambushing us, resulting in our complete annihilation. My accumulated resentment remains unresolved, just waiting for someone to come. Unfortunately, those seven were all earth-shaking great gods. They also placed seals on our brothers’ graves, so ordinary people couldn’t enter. But you are the first!”
Hearing this, Mu Yuan felt shocked and shaken beyond description. He thought to himself that he had actually fallen into such a huge vortex. Yang Jian, Nezha, Hua Guang, Jinzha, Muzha, Wei Hu, Lei Zhenzi—these were all legendary great gods with rampant Magical Power. If he really gained any benefits here, he probably wouldn’t be able to handle the consequences. If these great gods found out, just moving a finger or having a thought would surely make him deader than dead!