Chapter 500: Chapter 454: Witch Ancestor Zhur Jiuyou
It took Jiang Yuebai five whole days to completely translate the Chaos Nirvana Skill, all the Witch Runes within the Thumb Stone Pillar and Ligou’s Jade Scroll.
The Witch Runes are even more concise than ancient scripts and more complex than Turtle Shell Script, making them hard to decipher, often carrying multiple meanings. Jiang Yuebai translated them into seven different versions, finally deducing and eliminating the errors and omissions, arriving at a more accurate version.
The information obtained was vast, leaving Jiang Yuebai unsure of where to begin her conversation with Lu Nanzhi.
After contemplating for half a day, Jiang Yuebai decided to first pay a visit to Xingchou.
She stepped out from the array and arrived at the boundary where Xingchou was stationed, calling out across it.
A moment later, Xingchou dispelled the black fog of Demonic Qi, still wearing her mask adorned with crimson dragon patterns. Her eyes showed a hint of exhaustion, and her body was filled with chaotic Demonic Qi, indicating her continuous attempts to cultivate the technique over the past few days.
"What do you want again?" Xingchou’s tone was unpleasant.
Jiang Yuebai glanced in the direction of the Black Coffin and straightforwardly said, "I’m here to ask you, is your Witch Ancestor Zhur Jiuyou from Zhangwei Mountain People lying inside there?"
Xingchou’s pupils visibly shifted, "How do you know my Witch Ancestor’s name?"
Jiang Yuebai nodded slightly; it seemed so. The Jade Scroll containing Witch Runes that Ligou left behind was transcribed from various locations within the ruins. Ligou was clearly proficient in Witch Runes, so he transcribed only the key parts.
As for the Zhangwei Mountain People, they coexist with the Divine Dragon Zhur Jiuyin; thus, their ancestral Witch Ancestor was given the surname Zhur, and they worship the Candle Dragon totem.
The origin of Dragon Shepherding in the Green Dragon Realm stems from this branch of the Witch Clan.
This lineage can be traced back to the Ancient Times when several ancestral witches appeared within the tribe. However, the most exceptionally gifted was Zhur Jiuyou, born with the Chaos Sacred Body.
Her origins cannot be traced; scattered records and murals exist,
"Born in the wilderness, raised in the Dragon’s Nest, bestowed the Sacred Body, with Zhur Jiuyin as father."
Zhur Jiuyin was the Candle Dragon, hence this Witch Ancestor later named herself Zhur Jiuyou.
During the Ancient Era in which Zhur Jiuyou lived, the Green Dragon Realm wasn’t called the Green Dragon Realm yet. It was in a state of barren chaos, with numerous tribes, each with their own Dragon Clan for worship and coexistence.
Zhur Jiuyou, along with the Candle Dragon, waged wars and plunders all around, being highly domineering and cruel, forcefully subduing the eight Divine Dragons under the Candle Dragon, unifying tribes across the realm, and making Zhangwei Mountain her Witch Ancestor’s sacred domain.
She imposed harsh levies on various tribes to offer Heavenly Materials and Earthly Treasures and ordered the construction of the Nine Dragon Holy Hall as a cultivation place for herself. The Chaos Nirvana Skill was her Main Cultivation Technique.
Once she understood the identity of the Black Coffin’s owner, Jiang Yuebai roughly inferred their current predicament.
"Xingchou, can you truly cultivate this technique?" Jiang Yuebai questioned again.
Xingchou’s whole body grew tense, she counter-questioned Jiang Yuebai, "Did you understand that cultivation technique?"
Jiang Yuebai admitted, "I understand some Witch Runes."
Xingchou felt that Jiang Yuebai wasn’t lying. Thus, it would be hard for her to deceive Jiang Yuebai; the necessary conditions for cultivating the Chaos Nirvana Skill were not met here by anyone.
Chaos, although seemingly simple, is a highly complex force, one that can’t be simply formed by combining Yin Yang, Human, Demon, and Devil, Five Elements, and so forth.
Xingchou pondered for a moment and then said, "Since you understand Witch Runes, you should have seen what’s on the Thumb Stone Pillar at the statue’s entrance."
"Sun Candlelight and Taiyin Tenuous Light, giving birth to the Four Symbols Divine Beast and Four Fierce Exotic Beasts, is the Demon Ancestor, gathering the power of Taiyin and Sun to produce Chaos."
The inscription on the Thumb Stone Pillar explained the properties of Taiyin and Sun.
"Since you’re aware of all this, why are you asking me? This cultivation technique is impossible for anyone to successfully cultivate unless..."
"Unless what?" Jiang Yuebai pressed further.
At this point, Xingchou could no longer hide anything, "Unless you’re in possession of the Heaven-Swallowing Cauldron. According to the method depicted on the Thumb Stone Pillar, by offering sacrifices to the Heaven-Swallowing Cauldron as its master and becoming a Cauldron Slave, there’s a possibility of forming a thread of Chaos Qi."
Jiang Yuebai knew that the Heaven-Swallowing Cauldron Xingchou mentioned was the Black Cauldron in her possession.
"What do Heaven-Swallowing Cauldron and Cauldron Slave mean?"
Xingchou gave a probing look, "Did you find the Cauldron?"
"Just curious," Jiang Yuebai replied with clear eyes, pretending to be dumb, her best skill.
Xingchou took a deep breath and slowly explained, "That Cauldron is the sacrificial Cauldron of the Zhangwei Mountain People, capable of devouring all things and transforming them into the energy of flesh and blood, merging into Chaos. But only the Witch Ancestor can truly wield the Cauldron, others can only be Cauldron Slaves, continuously offering sacrifices to the Heaven-Swallowing Cauldron. If the sacrifices fall short, they’ll be consumed by the Cauldron."
Jiang Yuebai suddenly thought of the Dragon Bones in the Dragon Bone Pit.
"Does the Cauldron... spit out bones?"
Xingchou frowned, "How would I know? I’ve never seen that Cauldron. If you indeed have it, you should take it out; it’s our only hope of leaving."
"I already said I don’t have it, and if I did, would you become the Cauldron Slave? What would you feed it? Yourself or me?" Jiang Yuebai asked irritably.
Xingchou was at a loss for words, waved her hand to merge the black fog of Demonic Qi, refusing further conversation.
"Not wise, but arrogant."
Murmured Jiang Yuebai as she returned, where Lu Nanzhi was still in meditation, with chilling Demonic Qi around, freezing the atmosphere.
Reflecting on Xingchou’s words, Jiang Yuebai felt it was better not to hastily use the Cauldron. During the break of Winged Dragon Restriction earlier, she had seized Spiritual Energy as the Cauldron devoured so much without yielding any Chaos Qi.
Even when it was in Yi Zhengyang of the Iron Palm Sect’s possession for years, he never produced Chaos Qi, revealing conditions exist for the Cauldron to synthesize Chaos Qi, not just anyone thrown inside will yield it.
Jiang Yuebai turned to face the Black Coffin above the Abyss, seamlessly integrated with no patterns, impenetrable to Divine Sense, leaving the question whether Zhur Jiuyou lies inside unanswered.
"Destroyed from Chaos, given life from Chaos."
Jiang Yuebai recalled two lines from the cultivation technique worrying that Zhur Jiuyou might not be dead, seeking some method for Chaos Nirvana.
Ligou’s Jade Scroll documented, Zhur Jiuyou once encountered a formidable enemy, slaughtering her companion Candle Dragon, the sole Candle Dragon in the world then, subsequently, Zhur Jiuyou vanished, Zhangwei Mountain tribes fragmented and, gradually faded.
Jiang Yuebai sat down and focused all her mind on the White Vine Root System, she still decided to explore the depths of the Abyss.
Tens of thousands of root systems transformed into delicate threads, forcefully breaking through the rock, extending from the rock wall beneath the Abyss.
The Abyss was deep, even at its limit Jiang Yuebai’s roots couldn’t reach the bottom, only sensing the edge of the Restriction Barrier.
Strand-like White Vine roots penetrated dense, heavy black mist, akin to swimming, drifting without anchorage.
This black mist was very similar to the black mist surrounding Xingchou.
Snap!
The faint sound of chains echoed, Jiang Yuebai followed the sound, probing further.
The White Vine was blocked within the black mist, an invisible barrier restrained her forward progress, no matter how hard she tried she couldn’t breakthrough, finding no gap.
Ahead was still pitch black, with an unknown content within.
Jiang Yuebai pondered for a moment before recalling Ligou’s Memory Jade’s final depiction, showing something beneath the Abyss absorbing Ligou’s Soul.
"Untethered wolf’s cub is hard to catch!"
With resolve, Jiang Yuebai rolled up the Earth Evil Slaughter Bag at her waist using the White Vine, within it already refined Five Ghosts.
Within the black mist beneath the Abyss, Jiang Yuebai tried releasing one Ghost Cultivator.
Instantly, a fierce pull drew forth, with the Ghost Cultivator instantly absorbed into darkness.
Taking the chance, Jiang Yuebai advanced, but the White Vine crashed against the invisible barrier.
Clenching her teeth, she released another Ghost Cultivator, this time leaping ahead as the pull came.
Ripple of the black mist spread out as Jiang Yuebai broke through, her ’vision’ flashed with nine pairs of blood-red vertical pupils.
Disturbed by her intrusion, nine pairs of sinister bloodthirsty eyes simultaneously gazed upon her.
A sharp pain, severing the barrier clamped the White Vine, Jiang Yuebai’s consciousness returned to her physical body, cold sweat pouring out.
Was it... the Nine-Headed Dragon?
