dmims Page 32
Page 32
A clear stream meanders through the valley, sunlight filtering through the dense foliage, casting dappled patterns that refract into a rainbow of colors on the water's surface.
The entire valley was shrouded in a thin, visible, colorful mist.
That was a sight formed by the liquefaction of an excessive amount of spiritual energy!
A surge of intense, almost liquefied Qi rushed out from behind the "door," instantly invigorating Zhang Yunyuan and sweeping away all the fatigue from his days of travel.
He made up his mind almost instantly.
This is my biggest goal for this trip—the Twenty-Four Heavenly Valley!
Wugensheng turned his head to look at the perfectly timed surprise on Zhang Yunyuan's face and smiled smugly.
I didn't lie to you, did I?
Zhang Yunyuan forcibly suppressed his inner elation, nodded, and sincerely praised:
"A masterpiece of craftsmanship, beyond comprehension."
"Haha, let's go, there's even more good stuff inside!"
Wugensheng laughed loudly and took the lead, stepping into that invisible door.
Zhang Yunyuan followed closely behind.
Passing through the ripples of space, the scenery before my eyes completely changed from the barren plain to this deep and vibrant valley.
He took a deep breath, feeling as if he were inhaling not air, but the purest energy. Every pore on his body opened up, greedily absorbing this immense spiritual energy.
But the ease on his face lasted only a moment before turning into deep surprise and doubt.
He immediately sensed something was amiss!
The flow of Qi here is completely chaotic!
Metal generates water, water generates wood, wood generates fire, fire generates earth, and earth generates metal.
Metal overcomes wood, wood overcomes earth, earth overcomes water, water overcomes fire, and fire overcomes metal.
This set of principles of mutual generation and restraint of the five elements, which has been established since the beginning of time, has completely disappeared here!
Zhang Yunyuan could clearly sense that not far away, a wisp of sharp Qi representing "metal" was intimately intertwined with a wisp of life-giving Qi representing "wood".
Instead of showing any signs of conflict, they merged together, transforming into an even stranger and more indescribable energy.
On the other side, a fiery aura representing "fire" and a gentle aura representing "water" are swirling and dancing together intimately. Instead of annihilating each other, they are nourishing a peculiar flower that emits a faint glow.
Mutual generation is not true generation, mutual restraint is not true restraint.
Everything here completely overturned his understanding of "Qi"!
"Stay close to them."
Wugensheng, who was walking ahead, reminded him without turning his head, his tone carrying a hint of seriousness.
"The rules here are different from those outside. If you're not careful, you can get lost inside and never be able to get out."
Upon hearing this, Zhang Yunyuan withdrew his probing gaze, but outwardly displayed an indifferent expression.
"It's just a Qi formation, how evil could it be?"
He spoke casually, but inside he was in turmoil, his vigilance at its highest.
This is hardly a man-made Qi formation!
This is clearly a small world that has its own system!
The "Tao" here is completely different from the "Tao" in the outside world!
No wonder Wugensheng was able to comprehend the "divine spirit" that dissolves all laws and returns to nothingness here.
No wonder those thirty-six extraordinary talents stayed here for several years and eventually each mastered those eight unparalleled skills!
Because the rules here are inherently chaotic and full of infinite possibilities!
Any idea that seems unorthodox to outsiders, any practice that defies common sense, can be realized here!
This is not a place for enlightenment.
This is the place where the "Tao" was created!
Zhang Yunyuan looked at Wugensheng's slightly excited back in front of him, and then at the Tongtian Valley, which was full of strangeness and mystery, and his eyes became extremely ardent.
He knew that the greatest opportunity of his life was about to unfold before him.
Chapter 36 The Ring of the Cave Heaven
The two walked through the valley, their feet sinking into soft, humus-rich soil that made no sound as they stepped on it.
The surrounding exotic flowers and plants exuded a mixed fragrance, and those ancient plants that had long since disappeared from the outside world grew wildly here, each with its own unique shape.
Zhang Yunyuan followed behind Wugensheng, seemingly admiring the spectacular scenery in the valley, but his mind was racing with calculations.
This place was so secluded, shrouded in a natural array, that even with his system, he couldn't sense it in advance.
How did Wugensheng find this place?
The thought had barely formed in his mind when he asked the question directly.
"No roots."
"How did you find this place?"
Zhang Yunyuan's tone was very calm, as if he were asking about the weather today.
Upon hearing this, Wugensheng, who was walking ahead, paused, then turned around with a knowing smile on his face.
"Haha, I knew you'd ask that."
He seemed to enjoy the feeling of having his secrets explored, especially when the explorer was someone he considered a confidant.
Wugensheng no longer concealed his intentions and extended his left hand.
"Rely on this thing."
Zhang Yunyuan's gaze fell on his index finger.
There, she was wearing a ring.
It was a ring with an extremely simple and antique design.
Without any ornate carvings or patterns, its surface is smooth as a mirror, and its material is neither gold nor jade, presenting a deep, obsidian-like color.
But it is quite different from obsidian.
It doesn't reflect any light; instead, it's like a miniature black hole, quietly absorbing all the surrounding light.
Upon closer inspection, the deep interior seems to contain a dazzling galaxy, with countless extremely tiny and elusive points of light spontaneously flowing in a mysterious trajectory, forming rings of hazy light.
Wugensheng took the ring off his hand and handed it over.
"Look at it."
Zhang Yunyuan reached out and took it.
The moment the ring touched my hand, a peculiar sensation came over me.
It has both the warmth of jade and the coolness of metal, yet the two blend together perfectly without conflict.
It feels incredibly hard, perhaps even harder than the hardest jade in the world, yet it is incredibly light; you can barely feel its presence when you hold it in your palm.
Zhang Yunyuan tried to put the ring on his finger.
Something amazing happened.
The size of the ring adjusted itself as his finger approached, eventually fitting perfectly to his finger without being too loose or too tight.
He could clearly feel that the ring was inwardly and extremely slowly absorbing and releasing a kind of "qi".
The quality of this "Qi" felt far beyond his current understanding, even more original and ancient than the Qi of his master, the Celestial Master.
“I call this ring the ‘Cave Heaven Ring’.”
Seeing the surprise on Zhang Yunyuan's face, Wugensheng smiled smugly.
“I found it in a cave in Yuntai Mountain in Shanxi.”
"I have heard a legend that during the chaos at the end of the Sui Dynasty, Li Shimin led his troops to ambush Liu Wuzhou's army at Yuntai Mountain."
During their encampment, a mysterious figure presented them with a precious sword. Li Shimin swore to the heavens that if he could annihilate the enemy, he would cleave the stone in two with a single stroke. And indeed, the sword struck and pierced the stone. Is this Yuntai Mountain?
Zhang Yunyuan repeated the sentence.
Wugensheng nodded and began to recount that experience.
"There is a blessed land in Yuntai Mountain, which is also a unique secret realm, but it is far inferior to the Twenty-Four Valleys under our feet."
"Outside that cave, an extremely powerful Qi formation has been set up, with each element intricately linked and fraught with killing intent. If an ordinary person were to make a single misstep, they would immediately be pulverized by the power of heaven and earth drawn by the formation."
Wugensheng shrugged, a smug look on his face.
"But this is not a difficult thing for me."
"You've seen my methods. Anything made of Qi is as if it doesn't exist in front of me."
"It took me a lot of effort to resolve those energy blockages before I found the right path to enter."
Upon hearing this, Zhang Yunyuan gained a deeper understanding of Wugensheng's method called "Divine Spirit".
The ability to resolve all problems is truly not an empty claim.
"I didn't find any earth-shattering martial arts manuals in that Yuntai Cave, but I did find this little gadget."
Wugensheng pointed to the ring on Zhang Yunyuan's hand.
"At first I didn't know what it was for, I just thought it was made of a special material, so I kept wearing it on my hand."
"Until later, I passed through the Qinling Mountains."
His expression became more serious.
"When I am within a certain range of this mountain range, and my mind is free of distractions, and I calm my Qi to the extreme, this ring will emit an extremely faint yet very unique 'pull'."
"A sense of traction?"
Wugensheng confirmed.