Chapter 499: Chapter 453: Long-Term Preparations
The Memory Jade did not contain much content, mainly saying that the person claimed to be Ligou, the sixth disciple of Star Lord Bichen of Biyou Palace, a Refining Void Great Power. After forming a Nascent Soul, he was tasked by his sect to explore the whereabouts of the extinct Winged Dragon, Candle Dragon, and even Ancestor Dragon.
He traveled through many realms without finding anything, returning in despair. However, while passing by Black Demon Mountain in the Green Dragon Realm, he unexpectedly met several Loose Cultivators who suggested exploring a Dragon Clan relic in the mountain.
Among the six of them, only three were left trapped here.
They endured a thousand years of bitter struggle without finding a way out, with many events occurring in between, including several fierce conflicts among them.
Ligou didn’t mention much about the hardships, only saying that whoever arrives later and can leave should take the Memory Jade to Biyou Palace to find his master, Star Lord Bichen, who would surely express gratitude.
Jiang Yuebai wanted to say that anyone with a sane mind wouldn’t carry this message, as going there would be certain death.
At the end of the Memory Jade, Ligou died with his path extinguished. For a dying person, perhaps this was the only option left.
Just as Jiang Yuebai thought the scene would end, she and Lu Nanzhi suddenly saw rolling black smoke in the abyss behind Ligou, accompanied by the sound of chains. Ligou’s soul was drawn out by something and flew straight into the abyss.
At that instant, Jiang Yuebai saw numerous pairs of venomous snake eyes flash and disappear in the darkness of the abyss.
She attempted to stabilize the Memory Jade for another look, but it was too old and fragile. The moment Jiang Yuebai strengthened her Divine Sense, the Memory Jade cracked, and the image disappeared completely.
"Anan, did you see that just now?" Jiang Yuebai asked.
Lu Nanzhi frowned and nodded, "I saw it, vertical pupil snake eyes!"
Jiang Yuebai stood up and looked toward the abyss, a chill rising from her feet, "What kind of creature lives down there?"
"Too little information to determine."
Jiang Yuebai calmed down, "However, from this Memory Jade of Ligou, we can be certain of one thing: before our lifespans are exhausted, the existence here will not harm us. The main text of the cultivation technique doesn’t have many words. I’ve roughly translated it, you take a look first."
Jiang Yuebai handed the book filled with text to Lu Nanzhi and picked up another Jade Scroll from the ground to examine. It was full of Witch Runes, even more profound and difficult to understand than in the cultivation technique, and appeared fragmented, as if excerpts from various places.
"What a domineering cultivation technique, merging the Three Paths of Human, Demon, and Devil, perishing and reborn from chaos, achieving nirvana to become sacred," Lu Nanzhi clicked her tongue.
Jiang Yuebai wasn’t surprised, "The Heavenly Witch Clan is always like this. Just from this main text, we can be sure Xingchou wasn’t lying about this being a tomb of a Witch Ancestor."
Lu Nanzhi continued reading, "But according to the main text, this cultivation technique can’t be practiced now. Where are we supposed to find Chaos Qi?"
This cultivation technique is the complete version of the Chaos Devouring Heaven Technique. According to the cultivation methods of the Ancient Era, starting from Qi Refiners, one introverts Chaos Qi into the body, refines it, then devours the Three Paths of Heaven and Earth, refining a Chaos Sacred Body.
After the opening of chaos and entering the Ancient Era, it wasn’t hard to find Chaos Qi then, but after that era, Chaos Qi in heaven and earth mostly transformed into energies like Spiritual Energy and Demonic Qi.
This made the Heaven and Earth Laws more distinct and perfect, and spells also needed more precise spell formulas and runes to be activated.
At that time, one could still gamble on finding Chaos Qi by exploring unexplored Wilderness areas.
Moving from the Ancient Era to the present, finding Chaos Qi is nearly impossible. Only a Mahayana Cultivator who has cultivated the Chaos Dao possesses Chaos Qi.
Lu Nanzhi recalled Xingchou’s tone earlier and felt she was very confident in succeeding in this cultivation technique.
"Little Bai, do you think Xingchou really has a way to succeed in this technique?"
Jiang Yuebai chuckled, "She’s probably scratching her head about it now."
"How do you know?"
Just after Lu Nanzhi asked, she realized Jiang Yuebai’s white hair was hanging down to the ground, with a part extending into the rock, reaching who knows where.
Jiang Yuebai explained: "This Restriction Barrier is colossal and spherical. Except for the part above the abyss where there’s an eerie force blocking, my White Vine Root System can’t probe in; I’ve left roots elsewhere, basically weaving a big net."
"I can’t directly probe into the demon fog surrounding Xingchou for now, but when I injured her on the city wall before, I secretly placed a Parasite Demon Technique on her. With both, I can sense her general situation."
"That’s good, thank you for your effort."
"We need to prepare for the long term next. I plan to translate the entire Chaos Nirvana Skill, as well as the Witch Runes on the two thumb pillars of the statue and those in this Jade Scroll to find any useful information."
Lu Nanzhi nodded, "What can I do to help?"
"Nothing for now, but I’ll definitely need your help later. If cultivating this method truly becomes our only path, we’ll have to try combining the Spiritual Energy and Demon Energy I cultivate with the Demonic Qi you cultivate to synthesize chaos. This will be a very long, dull, repetitive and uncertain process."
"No worries, after those years in the Asura Domain, I’m not as impatient as I used to be."
The two exchanged a smile, Jiang Yuebai recalling how Lu Nanzhi once urgently fought her over asking about Water Generating Ice, causing both to be punished to Yinfeng Creek.
Compared to then, Lu Nanzhi is indeed much calmer now.
Jiang Yuebai switched to using communication by divine thought, "From now on, we communicate via divine thought, but even that’s not foolproof. I’ll design a set of secret hand signals later and tell you more when it’s done."
Jiang Yuebai intended to probe the abyss below and the Black Coffin there, which could likely provoke the existence in this place, so careful planning was required.
Even though they were trapped, even though there were conspiracies, thinking from another perspective, if this Chaos Nirvana Skill could be cultivated, wouldn’t it perfectly solve her lack of a follow-up cultivation method?
Even if it takes two to three hundred years here, it wouldn’t matter. She now holds all materials needed for forming her Nascent Soul, and this place is relatively safe.
Moreover, she’s very curious whether her Nascent Soul Heavenly Tribulation could pierce through the three-layer space here. If not, then what if she also had Lu Nanzhi’s Nascent Soul Heavenly Tribulation?
This also provides an escape route for them.
Having roughly planned their next steps, Jiang Yuebai released Little Green to patrol, leaving her White Vine Root System underground and sending a divine thought to keep a continuous watch, retrieving her Puppet Avatar to assist her main body in translating the Witch Runes.
With the Great Array and Little Green protecting, Lu Nanzhi wasn’t idle either. She took the cultivation technique main text translated by Jiang Yuebai earlier, compared it with the original Witch Runes main text in her own Sea of Consciousness, trying to learn and understand the Witch Runes.
Meanwhile.
Beneath the Black Demon Mountain Rift.
Hongchen’s Flying Sword delivered a message, recalling Hek Shan. After carefully checking the Nine Dragon’s Dragon Head statues, Hek Shan was so angry he nearly spat old blood.
Starting from his master Huntian, they had spent over a thousand years breaking the restriction to the point there were only the Winged Dragon and the Candle Dragon left, only for someone else to beat them to it.
Now sending him to start over again, just the Azure Dragon’s Essence Blood has him stumped.
"Wait! We’ll just wait here!"
Hongchen nodded, and the two set up camp on the spot, determined to wait for the people inside to come out.
