Chapter 1076: Chapter 120: There Is No Path to Immortality in This World (82) — Origin of the Clothed Daoist
The carriage continued running through the colossal passage.
The ghost flame emanating from the black bull’s iron hooves brought a pale green light, illuminating the surroundings.
Xiao Shengmo suddenly tugged hard at the reins, causing the carriage to slowly e to a stop—this passage’s end was a fault.
Inside this mysterious giant tower buried underground, it was astonishingly hollow—and in the center of the void stood an enormous metal pillar—it rotated slowly.
Though not close, Xiao Shengmo could already feel the terrifying energy emanating from this rotating giant metal pillar.
Xiao Shengmo furrowed his brow and then once again pulled at the reins in his hand, and the carriage started off again, spiraling upwards around the giant metal pillar.
The mysterious little tower that absorbed Long Xiruo and others remained quietly beside Xiao Shengmo, unaffected by the carriage’s jostling.
…
They could almost not feel what was happening outside—ever since being absorbed into the small tower.
This is the treasure of Lord Xiao Shengmo of the Ghost City—the Tower of Myriad Ghosts.
Legend has it that its interior forms its own space, capable of absorbing a hundred thousand ghost soldiers. Once activated, a hundred thousand ghost soldiers emerge, changing the landscape as if Hell itself has descended.
No one knows what the inside of the Tower of Myriad Ghosts is like—surely a place that absorbed a hundred thousand ghost soldiers must be eerie and frightening.
When Gui Qianyi and others opened their eyes, what they saw was not the terrifying Hell, but rather a serene place with winding paths and solitude.
A small bridge over flowing water, a gentle breeze blowing, like a Peach Blossom Spring outside the world, refreshing and soothing.
“Is this the Tower of Myriad Ghosts?”
Suddenly, Long Xiruo’s voice sounded.
Gui Qianyi and Ghost Baby looked simultaneously, seeing Long Xiruo already standing. Her previously pale face now had a healthier tinge, probably because of the elixir given by Gui Qianyi, she had somewhat recovered.
“It should be so.” Gui Qianyi nodded, “Xiao Shengmo’s Tower of Myriad Ghosts has always been mysterious, no one knows its interior… But why did Xiao Shengmo suddenly attack, trapping us here?”
Long Xiruo frowned and said: “Since Xiao Shengmo became the Lord of the Ghost City, apart from the Penglai Conference, he hardly leaves Fengdu Ghost City. He’s always been mysterious… Let’s walk forward and see, I feel he wouldn’t send us here without reason.”
“There are rumors of a hundred thousand ghost soldiers inside the Tower of Myriad Ghosts, aren’t you afraid?” Ghost Baby asked worriedly.
At this moment, Gui Qianyi calmly replied: “Others might be afraid, but your Lord Long wouldn’t be… True Dragon Qi is the most righteous and majestic power in China, the nemesis of all malevolent spirits.”
Ghost Baby nodded, then directly picked up the unconscious Luo Pianqian—apparently, he was the most suitable person for this task.
At this moment, deep within the bamboo forest ahead, ethereal zither music suddenly sounded… Long Xiruo hesitated for a moment, subconsciously saying: “What a cool and clear zither sound.”
“This zither music seems to be trying to draw us in.” Gui Qianyi furrowed his brow.
Long Xiruo and Gui Qianyi exchanged a glance, then resolutely followed the music, walking into the bamboo forest ahead.
Bamboo trees silent or sounding, misty and drifting yet gathering, the zither music winding and turning, cold yet not bitter, like the sound revealing worldly knowledge, its lingering melody.
They walked deeper.
Long Xiruo raised her hand to lift a small section of bamboo leaf, seeing a brown blot ahead—a wooden house built within the bamboo forest, full of ancient charm.
Outside the house, there was a pavilion, and someone was sitting in the pavilion lightly playing an ancient zither.
The sound of footsteps began to disturb the zither music. When Long Xiruo and the others reached a few meters away from the pavilion, the person playing the zither paused their hands.
His hands rested on the strings, slightly raising his head.
“Why did you lead us here?” Long Xiruo said in a deep voice: “Did you have Xiao Shengmo bring us here? Who are you?”
“Lord Long has forgotten.”
This person’s voice was slightly hoarse and old. He stood up, turned around, appearing to be an elderly man.
The elderly man’s kindly countenance was reminiscent of the immortals passed down by word of mouth, untouched by earthly affairs.
Seeing this person, Long Xiruo’s expression suddenly changed, and Gui Qianyi was also instantly moved.
The elderly man gently nodded, “Long time no see, Lord Long… and Mr. Gui.”
“It’s you!” Long Xiruo was full of disbelief, “Heavenly Heart… Seventieth Generation!”
…
“He’s the Heavenly Heart Seventieth Generation?” Ghost Baby looked at the elderly man in the pavilion with surprise, couldn’t help but frown: “It’s said that the Heavenly Heart Seventieth Generation perished after destroying the Dragon Fiend, how could he be here?”
“Here is, the Tower of Myriad Ghosts.” Gui Qianyi seemed to understand something at this moment, looked at the elderly man in the pavilion, frowned: “Heavenly Heart Seventieth Generation, now you are just a soul, right?”
The elderly man in the pavilion nodded, “As Mr. Gui said, I am now just a solitary ghost.”
“You didn’t pletely die…” Long Xiruo walked forward two steps, “Back then, after stabilizing the ley line riot, I hurried to the battlefield, but all I saw was your corpse, no trace of breath found… It turns out you hid in Xiao Shengmo’s place?”
The pavilion’s elderly man… Heavenly Heart Seventieth Generation shook his head: “Not entirely. After destroying the Dragon Fiend back then, my life force was truly cut off, my soul wandered outside and gradually faded, it was Lord Xiao who saved me. He collected my lingering soul into the Tower of Myriad Ghosts, nourishing it daily with ghostly aura, and now, decades later, I have slowly awakened.”
“Heavenly Heart Seventieth Generation, since your soul is still here, why haven’t you shown yourself all these years?” Gui Qianyi asked puzzled.
Heavenly Heart Seventieth Generation smiled bitterly: “On one hand, my soul is very fragile, I’ve been in a muddled state for decades, thanks to Lord Xiao’s saving, I’ve only recently recovered somewhat. On the other hand… The Dragon Fiend incident back then, was caused by a rebellious disciple, I am ashamed before Divine Land’s Daoist Fiend, now lingering on is a grace from heaven, how would I still have the face to appear?”
Gui Qianyi sighed deeply.
Long Xiruo calmly said at this moment, “Back then, you already gave your life to eliminate the Dragon Fiend. Even though it brought disaster, it still balances out the merits and demerits, so there’s nothing to feel guilty about or not.”
“Past events, best not mentioned again.” The Heavenly Heart Seventieth Generation shook his head, then solemnly said, “In the Tower of Myriad Ghosts, thanks to Lord Xiao’s favor, I was also able to know everything in the outside world… Lord Long, your situation is not very good. If possible, take my advice, more is worse than less, letting go is also gaining.”
“My affairs are none of your business.” Long Xiruo snorted coldly, “Why did you lure me here, for what purpose?”
The Heavenly Heart Seventieth Generation was silent for a moment, “Lord Long, do you know the origin of my Clothed Daoist sect?”
Long Xiruo pondered and said, “The Clothed Daoist mysteriously appeared two thousand years ago, proficient in mysterious arts of divination, calculating heaven, earth, and people without missing any details. Each generation of Clothed Daoist has only one official heir, always mysterious. But concerning the origin… no one has ever known. Strangely, the Taoism-cultivated field has many who understand the art of divination, but none can match even a tenth of Clothed Daoist, not even I can find your roots.”
“Lord Long, may we speak alone?” the Heavenly Heart Seventieth Generation said suddenly.
“Heavenly Heart Seventieth Generation, what do you mean by this?” Gui Qianyi frowned at this moment, and Ghost Baby also looked on with an unfriendly expression.
“There are some matters I can only discuss with the true dragon alone, Mr. Gui, my apologies.” The Heavenly Heart Seventieth Generation said calmly, “Please step aside.”
In the life of this person, within the Dao and Demon Realms of China, he held a significant position—because of Clothed Daoist’s special abilities, many times even Xuanyuan Palace had to give way… Don’t be fooled by the gentle appearance of Clothed Daoist’s heir, for the ability of Feng Shui Magicians is too uncanny, no one knows when they’ll be sabotaged by offending these magicians.
“Gui Qianyi, you and Ghost Baby take Pianqian to rest inside.” Long Xiruo waved his hand at this moment.
“Alright.” Gui Qianyi had no choice but to ply.
…
When only the Heavenly Heart Seventieth Generation and Long Xiruo were left in the pavilion, the Heavenly Heart Seventieth Generation gestured an invitation for Long Xiruo to e in and sit down.
“If the world knew, the Godly Land’s true dragon is now just a child’s appearance, who knows what chaos would ensue in the Dao and Demon Realms.” The Heavenly Heart Seventieth Generation shook his head.
“Did you leave me alone just to mock me?” Long Xiruo’s voice instantly filled with discontent.
The Heavenly Heart Seventieth Generation shook his head, “That’s not it… I’m not intentionally mocking Lord Long. I only mentioned this to prepare Lord Long for the next matter, so as not to be too surprised by what I’m about to say. Because I think, having witnessed that kind of power, Lord Long should understand some things.”
Long Xiruo was taken aback, bowed his head in contemplation for a while, suddenly his face changed slightly, “Could it be that Clothed Daoist is related to that place…”
“The founder of Clothed Daoist actually didn’t know any Feng Shui techniques.” The Heavenly Heart Seventieth Generation slowly said, “In fact, all the Feng Shui techniques were gradually studied by later generations… The true abilities of Clothed Daoist’s heir have always been the most fundamental abilities, merely two: the Heavenly Eye and the Heart of Heaven. But in fact, the Heavenly Eye and the Heart of Heaven were not created by Clothed Daoist, but acquired by the first generation of Clothed Daoist from another place.”
Long Xiruo frowned, “Legend has it that Clothed Daoist has the Heavenly Eye and the Heart of Heaven, the Heavenly Eye sees through essences, while the Heart of Heaven understands worldly matters, capable of seeing past, present, and future. The Heavenly Eye is understandable… but the Heart of Heaven, able to see the future? Just how great a price did the first person of Clothed Daoist pay to gain such an ability from that merchant!”
“Merchant?” The Heavenly Heart Seventieth Generation said in surprise, “I have not personally e into contact, but according to what is mentioned in the sect’s secret records… that place operates in fair trade and never forces. One could even say those who buy, demand more. So how can it be said to be a merchant?”
“…Anyway, it’s none of your business!” Long Xiruo snorted coldly, “I didn’t e here to discuss whether that guy is a merchant with you.”
The Heavenly Heart Seventieth Generation shook his head, not intending to argue… Long Xiruo has inherited the power of the Godly Land’s true dragon, but often has a harsh tongue—it’s well known throughout the Dao and Demon Realms of Shenzhou that Long Xiruo speaks harshly.
But in fact, this is actually something to be grateful for… at least, the true dragon who holds Shenzhou’s most powerful force, only has a sharp tongue, and not a heart of iron.
“Returning to your matter.” Long Xiruo held back his temper at this point, frowning, “You said the Heavenly Eye and Heart of Heaven were obtained from that place? Two thousand years ago, that place already existed?”
“In fact, how long that place has existed, I’m not sure.” The Heavenly Heart Seventieth Generation said, “The sect’s scrolls barely record anything about that place, and what they do have is mostly our unilateral guesses.”
Long Xiruo shook his head, “You deliberately led me into the Tower of Myriad Ghosts, was it just to tell me these things?”
“Lord Long, do you know what this place is?”
“Penglai?” Long Xiruo said uncertainly—this place had repeatedly appeared in her inherited memory, but there seemed to be some slight differences, so she was unsure.
“To be precise, this place is called Penglai Treasury.” The Heavenly Heart Seventieth Generation said solemnly, “The Penglai Treasury was built in imitation of the real Penglai. Moreover, the foundation of Penglai Treasury is also Penglai. And the real Penglai… has long since died.”
“Explain clearly.” Long Xiruo said, still managing to keep her calm.
“I don’t know the exact reason.” The Heavenly Heart Seventieth Generation recollected and said, “This was something the previous generation, the Heavenly Heart Sixty-Ninth Generation, told me… Our sect has some secrets that are verbally passed down from generation to generation, never recorded in secret scrolls. Back when the Dragon Fiend incident suddenly occurred, I didn’t have time to pass down this matter to my disciples before I left… If not for this, the Heavenly Heart Seventy-First Generation wouldn’t have done such a foolish thing, opening the Penglai Treasury and trapping the Dao and Demon Realms of China within this place, possibly alerting the master of this Penglai Treasury.”
Speaking, the Heavenly Heart Seventieth Generation paused, looked at Long Xiruo, and said solemnly, “Lord Long, the following matters are the unspeakable secrets of my Clothed Daoist. Given the seriousness of the situation now, it’s not the time to stick rigidly to the rules, but I also hope that only Lord Long knows of this matter.”
Long Xiruo nodded.
“The master of this Penglai Treasury is not from the world of China.” The Heavenly Heart Seventieth Generation said gravely, “It is, in fact, not even from our world… It is very likely an external realm invader!”
“External realm?”
“It is said that beyond, there are numerous worlds, some quite similar to ours, some pletely different.”
The Heavenly Heart Seventieth Generation said, “How many exactly, I don’t know. The warnings from the sect only mentioned that no matter what, the master of the Penglai Treasury must not be awakened. Actually, Clothed Daoist has always known the entrance to Penglai… or more precisely, the entrance to the Penglai Treasury, and knows how to open it. But all these years, in order to follow the rules of the sect, at every Penglai conference, we appear as the Priestess, actually just to observe whether the entrance to the Penglai Treasury leaks.”
Long Xiruo couldn’t help but sneer, “No wonder you only let me know this, if this were revealed, your coffin board would be pried open… The Dao and Demon Realms of Shenzhou, for two thousand years, have been thoroughly deceived by your Clothed Daoist! People always say that magicians are actually scam artists, these words are absolutely right!”
The Heavenly Heart Seventieth Generation acted as if he hadn’t heard it, “The master of the Penglai Treasury is an invader of our world and must not be awakened. However, there are Immortals in Penglai, causing countless people in the Dao and Demon Realms to flock to it… If not for this, sooner or later, the Penglai Treasury would be opened, if its master awakens, it wouldn’t be parable to a Dragon Fiend disaster… I hope Lord Long can understand us.”
“Should I present you with an Outstanding Contribution Award in China? And then sing songs of your hard work?”
“Lord Long, please stop mocking us.” The Heavenly Heart Seventieth Generation gave a bitter smile.
But he also understands that his sect deceived the Dao and Demon Realms of Shenzhou for two whole millennia, anyone learning this would probably be furious… Over the years, the Clothed Daoist has indeed received quite a bit of respect and favor from the Dao and Demon Realms.
“One question.” Long Xiruo lowered his face at this moment, “If the master of the Penglai Treasury is an external realm invader… then, how does your Clothed Daoist know this? Even having detailed knowledge of Penglai and Penglai Treasury?
“Naturally because the founder of the Clothed Daoist was also an external visitor…” The Heavenly Heart Seventieth Generation said quietly, “And back then, when he walked among the people, the name he used was… Xu Fu.”
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PS:（6/30）
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