Chapter 595: The Suspicious Star-Plucking Tower

The magma was like water, surging without a moment's pause, and the waves often changed positions, as if a monster were recklessly crashing underneath, happily taking a lava bath.

Seeing this, He Lingchuan understood why Dong Rui said that hearing a hundred times was not as good as seeing once.

It was widely rumored among the people that the Heavenly God kept a monster with infinite power on Ruin Mountain. Judging from the momentum of this volcanic crater, it was highly likely to be true.

After finally enduring this volcanic journey, the end of the stone beam was the main hall.

The Star-Plucking Tower should actually be called the Star-Plucking Pagoda, with three stories.

Anyone walking in the main hall made a clanging sound; the floor was paved with three-colored jade, so smooth one could ice skate on it.

Solemn and respectful was the main theme here.

But the main hall was exceptionally empty.

The Eyeball Spider was just about to follow the person inside when several guards unexpectedly poured out from the hall, holding staves and shouting: "The Star-Plucking Tower is closed immediately; idlers, disperse!"

Bursts of wailing sounded on the stone beam bridge.

The tourists who had climbed the mountain with such difficulty had reached this point; some were sincere and wanted to worship properly, but the guards' words blocked them all.

Some went up to beg, some went up to ask.

As a result, the golden-armored guards didn't look sideways, just pounded their long staves on the ground, and a cluster of sharp spikes emerged from the staff head, full of murderous intent.

The crowd immediately fell silent and turned away dejectedly.

They happened to brush shoulders with Ke Yanming, who was walking in.

The last glance of the Eyeball Spider happened to see Ke Yanming and others standing on the stone beam, solemn in expression, fists clenched and heads lowered, not knowing whether they were waiting or worshipping.

Afterwards, the gate of the Star-Plucking Tower closed, and the little spider couldn't see anything inside the gate.

Not long after, this group of guests walked down the white jade stairs.

Everyone understood that this meant the Star-Plucking Tower was closed indefinitely, and no one knew when it would open again.

It seemed there was something going on inside the hall.

He Lingchuan waited at the bottom of the white jade stairs and first withdrew the Eyeball Spider, hearing several guests unwilling to give up, still wanting to wait for half a day.

Old Ge dug his ears: "Fine, then you wait; we're leaving first."

"Hey, we paid!"

"You paid, but the other guests didn't?" Old Ge said impatiently, "They want to leave, you want to stay, then you stay by yourselves."

He turned to ask He Lingchuan and the others: "I don't think there's any chance today; the Star-Plucking Tower won't open. Do you still want to wait?"

He Lingchuan shook his head decisively.

Gao Jilin and several other guests also shook their heads; Jiang Tao hesitated for a while and didn't make a sound.

"Then let's go."

Old Ge led everyone back.

Jiang Tao was very annoyed; the last stop of today's tour was very unsmooth: "What exactly is going on?"

"Perhaps the Lamp-Guarding Envoy is on business, perhaps the God has descended a decree, who knows?" Old Ge shrugged, "Such things happen occasionally; just consider yourself unlucky."

Because the Star-Plucking Tower was temporarily closed, everyone turned to go down the mountain one after another, and the crowd was exceptionally surging; Old Ge and the others could only go with the flow.

Gao Jilin saw He Lingchuan look back several times and couldn't help asking: "What is Brother He looking at?"

"I saw a high official come out from there—" He Lingchuan pointed to the tower beside the white jade stairs, "surrounded by golden-armored guards, entering the Star-Plucking Tower, and it seems he hasn't come out yet."

"The teleportation array is set up there." Old Ge knew what the tower was for, "Those who can use the array to go up and down the mountain are no ordinary people. Hmm, when we were walking out just now, we did see an official leading the way up to the third floor, with a very serious face."

Ke Yanming went against the others; others went out, he went in.

He Lingchuan's heart moved; was it because Ke Yanming came that everyone else had to go out?

What was he doing inside?

Related to a divine object, right?

Fu Shanyue seemed to have said that the Ke family found a supreme treasure for the Heavenly God, which was why they could enjoy glory for nearly two hundred years.

Was the thing his family found back then the treasure now worshipped in the shrine?

Jiang Tao stretched his neck to look at the tower, his eyes full of envy: "Does Brother He know that high official?"

He Lingchuan shook his head and said to Old Ge: "Since we can't go up, tell us what the Star-Plucking Tower looks like inside."

The guests echoed one after another; anyway, the road down the mountain was so crowded, they couldn't walk fast.

Old Ge hummed twice: "Everything inside is big; it's only shocking when seen with the eyes. What can be said about it?"

But he still told them: "The third floor of the Star-Plucking Tower is also very empty, but in the center, there is a Heavenly Book carved from strange jade. The Heavenly Book has no words and is blank on ordinary days."

Heavenly Book? He Lingchuan's eyes flashed when he heard this.

Does such a thing really exist?

"The Heavenly Book is jade-carved; no one can flip it, no one can!" Old Ge even emphasized it twice, "Only when the Heavenly God descends a decree will words appear on the Heavenly Book, and it will flip pages by itself!"

The crowd let out a long "Oh."

Gao Jilin laughed: "Has Mr. Ge seen it with your own eyes?"

"Of course—" Old Ge glared, "No!"

"What am I? When the Heavenly God descends a decree, can I be present?" He hummed and grumbled, "But these are common knowledge, common knowledge! Old officials and old residents of Spirit Void City all know!"

"Anything else?"

"There is also a tall shrine, embedded in the stone wall behind, with a height of three zhang, three chi, and three cun from the third-floor floor." Old Ge sighed, "It implies three zhang and three from heaven!"

Jiang Tao asked: "What is worshipped in the shrine?"

"It seems to be a divine object bestowed by the Heavenly God." Old Ge shook his head, "All tourists can only walk to where the Lamp-Guarding Envoy stands; they can't get close to the Heavenly Book, let alone the shrine. I only heard that a divine object is worshipped inside."

He Lingchuan exhaled.

Which one was the Divine Bone Necklace coveting, the Heavenly Book or the divine object?

Or, were there other hidden treasures inside? And, hidden dangers.

At this time, a tourist asked Old Ge: "Is the magma pool inside the gate of the Star-Plucking Tower natural?"

"If it's not natural, could it be installed later?" Old Ge glared at him, "You try installing one and see?"

Gao Jilin changed the way of asking: "Mr. Ge is knowledgeable; did this magma pool exist during the Great Return Sect era, or did it appear after Beijia built the Tiangong?"

Old Ge thought for a moment, his brow bone was already high, and now it was bulging even more: "No impression. Hey, what's the point of you asking this question? Does it matter to you whether the magma pool appeared first or later?"

Gao Jilin quickly cupped his hands and laughed: "Isn't it just curiosity? Mr. Ge, please forgive me."

The group followed the flow of guests, dragging their feet down the mountain.

Finally, at the foot of the mountain, it was already dark.

Fortunately, the deer cart arrived quickly, picked up all the guests, and trotted all the way back to the starting point.

The moon rose on the west tower, and the trip was over.

The group of tourists paid the balance to Old Ge and scattered like flowing clouds.

The old monkey leaned on the deer's back and counted money hard.

He Lingchuan seemed to see the shadow of the thin man on him.

With parting imminent, Gao Jilin invited He Lingchuan to go drinking together.

He Lingchuan politely declined: "I have something to do with Mr. Ge."

Time was precious, and he had many things to do.

Old Ge continued to count money on the side: "Ah right, we still have things to do."

Gao Jilin didn't force it: "Then where is Brother He staying? Old Jiang and I both hope to meet again."

They were traveling in Spirit Void City and also hoped to find people they could befriend.

He Lingchuan pointed to Old Ge and laughed: "If you find Mr. Ge, you can find me."

It wasn't that he was deliberately putting on airs, but if he said his residence, he would be exposed; that place in Pan Shan Zhai wasn't something ordinary people could live in.

Gao Jilin said "Oh" twice: "Good, good, we'll gather and talk more later!"

"It should be so."

Both sides said goodbye and returned to their own paths.

Jiang Tao walked out dozens of zhang with Gao Jilin, and only after he couldn't see the long-armed ape did he flick his sleeves and say: "This person is arrogant, not even willing to leave an address!"

"Perhaps he has some unspeakable difficulties?" Gao Jilin pondered, "Looking at this person, I always feel he is not simple. In Spirit Void City, there are too many talents from all directions."

"Your judgment has always been accurate." Jiang Tao sighed, "Maybe even his name is fake!"

Gao Jilin laughed: "Didn't he also leave contact information?"

Jiang Tao spat on the ground: "That old monkey is no good thing either, thinking that because he's been in Spirit Void City for a few more decades, he can look down on people!"

"Old Ge has some skills, otherwise why would others recommend him to us? But his attitude toward He Yun also shows that this person has some mystery." Gao Jilin patted his shoulder, "Alright, don't be angry, let's go drinking, my treat."

On this side, He Lingchuan walked with Old Ge, got on the deer cart again, and headed toward the main city area; halfway, the squirrel rejoined the team.

There was only He Lingchuan as a guest on the cart, so he asked by the way: "I heard there is a prison on Heavenly Pivot Peak?"

"Yes, yes, behind the Star-Plucking Tower, called the Yang Palace, but idlers are forbidden." Old Ge stacked every hundred coins into a string and wrapped them in oil paper, "Those who go in never come out."

"Hmm?" He Lingchuan always felt he had something in his words: "What exactly does this mean? Do you know anyone who went in?"

"Not someone I know, but a monkey I know." Old Ge sighed, "I had a nephew who was very enterprising and always aimed to work for the Tiangong. Later, he really succeeded in getting in. Do you know what a great honor it is for a Spirit Void City person to become a Divine Attendant?"

"Initially, he only guarded the Yang Palace; later, he didn't tell me what he did, and no matter how I asked, he wouldn't say. Suddenly one day, he didn't come home—well, he had been staying at my house all those years."

He Lingchuan asked curiously: "Didn't come home, is this missing?"

"I waited for two days and entrusted someone to ask at the Tiangong, and the reply I got was that he died in the line of duty!" Old Ge sighed, "The pension was issued very quickly, but the process of his death..."

Old Ge shrugged: "My friend in the Tiangong said, don't ask anymore."

He Lingchuan thought something was wrong: "Must see the person if alive, must see the corpse if dead. Did they let you take back his remains?"

"I found a way to get it back." Old Ge shook his head, "The left half of the body was gone, as if bitten off by something."

"A demon?" He Lingchuan's heart moved, "Big or small?"

He himself was an experienced hunter and could find many clues from the wounds.

The more he understood about the secrets of Ruin Mountain and the Star-Plucking Tower, the better.

"Should be a big guy." Old Ge pointed behind him, "The big guy I'm talking about is not like the two little guys behind me."

The heroine's hand-drawn picture has been hung in the character cover, thanks to Little Yin! Everyone, please like it? Enter from the details page, it's right below the book introduction.

(End of chapter) ===== CHAPTER 596 =====