Chapter 1459

Bad luck!

The Dao Master had just spoken with conviction, but now his face was drained of color.

Just by looking at that complexion, everyone knew something was wrong.

Something's gone awry!

The Yin-Yang Creation Method, derived from the Sitting Forgetfulness Method, has its core essence as: "Discard the limbs, abandon wisdom, leave form and knowledge, and become one with the Great Passage."

It requires practitioners to choose a blessed land, to eat nothing, drink nothing, breathe nothing, inhale nothing, hear nothing, ask nothing, see nothing, listen to nothing, move nothing, respond to nothing—burying oneself twelve times, like a cicada shedding its skin twelve times, reversing life and death, stealing yin and yang.

Thus, each awakening raises one's rank, the position fruit condenses a fraction; upon completion, the position fruit and realm are perfected simultaneously, transforming together.

Ordinary methods like the Thousandfold Root Sea Method and the Xuanhuang Transformation Method can only be said to be ways of self-nurturing the position fruit, mostly yielding middling results; thereafter, realm and growth still require personal effort. But the Yin-Yang Creation Method, in theory, leads directly to the Great Position Fruit, effecting immediate transformation—it is a derived method for achieving immortality!

With such a powerful method, its drawbacks are naturally obvious.

First, failure means benevolent death—once started, one can never stop; if burial is interrupted for more than a sixty-year cycle, one will die suddenly. Second, each burial and awakening is a grave crisis, with a high chance of being buried without waking.

The time spent buried alone takes two to three hundred years, and awakening still requires frantic preparation; the prime years of the Celestial Dragon are spent entirely in tension and haste—whether the dragon perishes or not, it's much the same.

Ge Zu, Ge Cheng, seven hundred years old, of great will and great talent, having discarded worldly affairs, buried himself ten times; his cultivation soared above peers, ten times he appeared lifeless yet did not die, with not a single deviation—everything proceeded smoothly, and everyone believed his ascension was imminent.

This time, Louguan Tai solemnly invited observers from all directions, the Five Great Orthodoxy, the Three Powers; the celebratory red silk banners were all prepared, ready to be hung at once.

Who would have thought that after walking a hundred miles, only ninety remain—just the last two steps left—

Ge Zu would collapse with a thunderous crash, a torrent of ruin!

Blood mist spread and filled the air, devoid of any vitality, only thick with ill omen and deathly stillness, even carrying a hint of corrosiveness; when it fell upon the talismans pasted inside the cave, they crackled like sparks igniting, though without visible flame, the talismans were consumed bit by bit.

The accompanying Celestial Dragons unfurled their True Gang, shielding the king.

The Daoist Priests inside the cave were thrown into panic.

Ge Zu had undergone ten cycles of life and death, each without error; logically, today's revival should have made his vital energy ever more vigorous—how could he collapse so utterly?

Ge Jiantai silently chanted a spell, forcing himself to calm and shout in a low voice: "Don't panic! Hold steady, everyone hold steady! Jian Hong, you inscribe the Killer Seal; Jian Wen, you inscribe the Purification Seal, Chang Shu—"

The chaotic, cramped cave barely regained order.

A crowd of Daoist Priests bit their tongues, forcing out their natal essence blood, carving symbols on the ground and walls; Ge Jiantai and another Celestial Dragon personally chanted spells upon the coffin.

Crimson blood symbols spread continuously, bean-sized beads of sweat seeping from their foreheads.

On the ground, dark droplets of sweat oozed out one by one.

Even holy emperors, tribal chiefs, and khagan kings squeezed together as much as possible, making space, asking if there was anywhere they could help. Though saying this might be slightly inappropriate, "the deceased is paramount"—the current situation is clearly far more severe than a little embarrassment.

Liang Qu was squeezed into a corner, his heart giving a sudden jolt.

Hey, could it be because Ze Ding just took two strands of long qi?

That shouldn't be the case.

I used the Heavenly Gate and Earthly Axis to observe—those two strands of long qi are the stirring of heavenly and earthly spiritual mechanisms, external in origin, gathered here, not something Ge Zu cultivated himself; otherwise, they wouldn't have been accepted.

Immediately contact Ze Ding.

【Rebirth Qi: Withered bones sprout shoots, ashes grow buds. Where there is utter extremity, there must be renewal.】

【Death-Transformation Qi: Touch it and it withers, stain it and it decays. All things meet autumn, only I remain in winter.】

Blood light blazed forth, accompanied by the formation of countless incantations; the momentum that had been collapsing like a torrent barely held, yet it was still falling—just changed from a dam bursting to a pump drawing water.

"Daoist Ge, what exactly is happening? Is it because we, the onlookers, disturbed the tranquility?" The Holy Emperor said, "And now, do we need any heavenly treasures or earthly gems?"

"No, heavenly treasures and earthly gems are useless." Ge Jiantai's lips cracked and turned pale, "Yin-Yang transformation—no matter what precious medicine, it's useless; one must let vital energy arise spontaneously, for once external force intervenes, only failure remains."

"We are now merely using the Life-Death Array to temporarily seal Ge Zu's vital energy from leaking, buying time; now we can only see if Ge Zu can pull through on his own."

Everyone furrowed their brows in unison.

Heavenly treasures and earthly gems won't do—

"What about the position fruit?" Zhang Longxiang said.

"What about the long qi?" Liang Qu said.

Ge Jiantai startled, hesitated for a moment, then made hand seals: "I don't know about the position fruit, but the long qi won't work—when Ge Zu revived before, he had deduced and warned of various taboos; restoring long qi likewise belongs to external force, just like heavenly treasures and earthly gems."

Even the usually decisive Zhang Longxiang began to hesitate. For now, non-interference, maintaining the status quo—Ge Zu seems to still have a chance to struggle; rash intervention would break the life-death balance, possibly eliminating even that chance.

Liang Qu furrowed his brow, his thoughts turning over and over.

Rebirth Qi—does it belong to the restorative type?

Judging by its effect, it seems different from restorative types, closer to calamity qi, misfortune qi, the like of cosmic fate.

Moreover, there is another problem.

The old toad is absent, no frog occupies it—he has no corresponding vessel at hand; even if he produced heavenly long qi, it would naturally dissipate.

Wait a moment.

Dissipation is good!

Liang Qu's mind stirred—he directly exiled the two black and gray strands of long qi outward, using the invisible great hand of the Heavenly Gate and Earthly Axis to gather the heavenly and earthly spiritual mechanisms back to their former state.

Though I don't know if it's because of me, but I'll return first.

Seek no merit, only avoid fault.

Unfortunately, even though the heavenly and earthly spiritual mechanisms were gathered back by Liang Qu, the collapsing momentum inside the coffin showed no improvement.

Everyone held their breath, anxiously waiting.

The blood mist is highly corrosive; though it cannot affect the present Celestial Dragons, the individual Zhen Xiang elders almost all show "scalds" on their bodies.

Ge Jiantai, Ge Jianhong, and the crowd of elders are sweating profusely, their heads gleaming with oil.

They are like meat slices dropped onto a hot iron pan to be dry-fried—blood and iron pan touching, crackling, slowly scorching brown under high heat.

As time passes, their hearts sink ever deeper to the valley's bottom.

Liang Qu likewise strains his mind to find a way out.

Blood treasure, long qi, position fruit—ordinary heavenly treasures and earthly gems cannot be used, but in fact, there are things that could be tried; the current problem is, no one can guarantee whether using them would be harmful or harmless.

The Yin-Yang Creation Method is too strange.

One talisman after another was burned, and then another appeared.

Suddenly, a flash of spiritual light passed by.

Liang Qu said: "Given the current situation, why not ask Master Ge himself?"

Everyone turned their heads in surprise.

"Master Ge himself?"

Ge Jiantai took a deep breath; though his heart was agitated, he endured and explained: "The Yin-Yang Creation Method involves no breathing, no hearing, no seeing, no moving, no response—how could one possibly inquire?"

The Yin-Yang Creation Method has always been perilous; when Master Ge practiced it in the past, the people of Louguantai were mentally prepared, but his sudden arrival left everyone grieving and unable to accept it—now, however, they can remain somewhat calmer.

"No breathing, no hearing, no seeing, no moving, no response—this is the state of burial, of death; but Master Ge is now in the process of revival, his vital energy shattered, and Daoist Ge has drawn formations to block and resist—isn't that itself a form of response"? In fact, Master Ge now lies between the two states.

"Even so, it's impossible to let the present Master Ge speak—"

"No need to speak!" Liang Qu reached out and grabbed, "Let's meet somewhere else!"

Ripples spread through the void, and a little white dragon chewing on osmanthus cake suddenly appeared before their eyes.

"Ke ke ke, you naughty innate evil osmanthus cake, daring to stick to my dragon teeth—just wait, Your Highness will roast you! Ah!

Mmm————"

Light and shadow dimmed; the Third Prince's eyes, as he bit and tore at the osmanthus cake on both sides, lifted upward, his dragon eyes glaring, then he looked left, right, and down.

The Holy Emperor, the Tribal Leader, the Great Khan—each turned their gaze.

The Third Prince chewed twice on the dragon's lips, swallowed the pastry, and extended his dragon claw to soothe the pastry's gap.

"Ahaha, so many people."

Ah!!!

My mother! Old Master summoned—how could I not know he'd cry out like that, losing the dragon! Eying Sister, hurry and take me away!

The Third Prince's dragon claws dug into the osmanthus cake, tearing both sides apart, his heart wailing in anguish.

The Chuan State's range kept expanding; Liang Qu could now directly make water beasts instantaneously appear by first capturing them and then releasing them.

"Third Prince, can you use mist to bring us all to the Immortal Isle?"

Involving expertise, the Third Prince looked around, straightened his chest, lifted his head: "No problem!"

Liang Qu then looked at Ge Jiantai, quickly explaining the Third Prince's dream-guiding method to the Immortal Isle once over.

The high-level elders of Louguantai were greatly shaken.

This little thing possesses such ability—no, Ge Bauhong carefully sensed and discovered this little white dragon is actually a great demon of the upper realm, a heavenly demon! One realm higher than even he, a grand master!

Upper realm Zhen Xiang before the Yao Long Gate?

"Daoist Jiantai, how?"

Everyone turned their gaze toward Ge Jiantai.

"Sect Leader!"

The burden of decision fell upon his shoulders; Ge Jiantai's eyes flickered as he felt the endless cascade within Ge Zu's coffin—having seen him in a dream, now it seems indeed possible to try, already the method with the least harmful influence.

"Thank you, Ancestor Liang!"

"Third Prince, quickly use the mist spray!"

"As commanded!"

"Everyone, do not resist, go with the flow!"

The Third Prince took a deep breath, puffed out his abdomen, and blew forcefully.

"Hoo, puff puff puff————"

Two drops of saliva sprayed out; the Wolf Lord, Li Daxian, and Su Wang looked at each other, tacitly resisting the white mist, not entering together, to avoid accidents.

The remaining Yao Long and Daoists all followed suit.

The white mist and blood mist collided, annihilating each other, penetrating each other.

Finally, seeping through the coffin's cracks, thread by thread, they drilled inside.

Pavilions, terraces, towers, halls—the Immortal Isle floated.

Stepping on solid ground, Liang Qu's strength was formidable; having entered the Immortal Isle in dreams many times, he quickly adjusted his state, looked in all directions, and his expression froze.

"Hmm?"

Heaven and earth vast, ground tranquil; rather than saying ground, it's more like a rippleless water surface.

Looking around, there was no vast plaza, no undulating Immortal Isle mountain range, no Mirage Dragon Heavenly Palace.

It's actually not a cloud-borne Immortal Isle!

More like————

Liang Qu recalled the space he entered when he commanded the Haiya King and the Lan Gai King.

"What's going on?"

The Third Prince's mist is of two kinds: one ordinary dream, like the mirage shells of Yingchun Lou; the other a guiding dream, unrelated to cultivation—even if he is a Martial Saint, he should come when called, so how did he end up in such a place?

Liang Qu was extremely vigilant; he hadn't forgotten that Master Ge's cultivation method, at its core, is seeking life in death, and it's possible to come into contact with the netherworld!

"Wuhu, Old Master, I'm here, damn it—next time Old Master summons me, give me a heads-up first!" The Third Prince leapt out of thin air, spun once, a bit resentful, then suddenly realized something was wrong: "Huh, where is this?"

"The situation is not right."

The Third Prince's vigilance greatly increased; he suddenly leapt out, coiled around Liang Qu's forearm, shielding the Heavenly God before him, able to alter paths—this is already not just a minor anomaly, must let the Heavenly God strike with full force, I cannot become Old Master's weakness!

Wah, wah, wah.

Tide sounds surged, water sounds broke open, ripples undulated.

One after another, figures appeared in the interlayer: Ge Jiantai, Ge Bauhong, Holy Emperor, Tribal Leader, Khan King, Zhang Longxiang————

The Holy Emperor and Zhang Longxiang had visited the Immortal Isle Heavenly Palace before, seen the Mirage Dragon, and immediately noticed the environment was wrong.

"Laozu, is this the Cloud Xiandao?" Ge Jianhong exclaimed in surprise.

"No." Liang Qu shook his head. "There was a bit of an accident; it's more like some consciousness space, possibly Ge Laozu's."

"Where's Ge Laozu?" Ge Jiantai looked around, but didn't see the figure he wanted to see.

"Have a little patience, need to wait a moment." The Third Prince crossed his arms. "Your Laozu Sect is in the coffin; I have to find a gap to slip in, so it's definitely a beat slower."

Everyone felt that made some sense, suppressed their emotions, and waited silently.

Inside the cave, aside from the three Daoist Priests, the remaining Su Wang, Wolf Lord, and Li Daxian — three Yaolongs — watched the white mist permeate into the coffin, and then —

The originally continuously declining Qi mechanism inexplicably trembled once.

The six people instantly turned serious; the three Daoist Priests were even more surprised and delighted.

Is it working?

The world was a chaos; Ge Cheng was muddleheaded and dazed.

There was no pain and no pleasure, just nothing existed; the whole person emptied his soul, only able to silently sense the passage of time.

But if it were only like this, he would have gone mad long ago.

—

Losing interaction with the environment, external feedback; in just a few short days, a person's essence, energy, and spirit would be worn away completely; in a month they'd become muddleheaded and dazed; in a few months they could go thoroughly insane.

There was such a punishment in the Louguan Terrace; if a junior disciple made a mistake and remained uncorrected after repeated teaching, they would be locked in a small room that saw no daylight for solitary confinement; aside from three meals a day, there was no communication with the outside; just a few days were needed, and the junior disciple would become obedient, never daring to offend again; it was far more effective than beating with a board.

Therefore Ge Cheng completely gave up thinking, as if pausing the universe.

The four directions, up and down, are called Yu; past and present, ancient and modern, are called Zhou.

Every Yin-Yang Creation cultivation was like this; only like this could one cultivate without going mad; but this time was different.

One burial, time uncertain; short as ten years, long as several decades; if an accident occurred, a hundred years hard to awaken, almost tantamount to cultivation failure, because afterward it would only get harder and harder, while Yaolongs only have a lifespan of eight hundred years.

This sleep, Ge Cheng didn't know how long he had slept; different from the previous universe pauses; long ago, at least Ge Cheng himself thought it had already been very long, a period of time appeared that made him extremely tormented, wearing away time; perhaps the outside world was only a few short months, who knows.

In the original eternal chaos, a thread of "change" appeared, becoming a thread of faint light in the darkness, breaking this eternal pause and dead silence, letting the "universe" start operating again.

Fortunately the "change" wasn't severe; just a mortise-and-tenon stool used for a long time, creaking and squeaking, still able to seat a person.

He could still endure it, endure this thread of activity, force himself to stop thinking, completely sit in oblivion, merely occasionally waking.

Until not long before, that thread of faint light suddenly magnified, becoming a broad blood-colored "crack"!

The appearance of the "crack" thoroughly broke the silent Yu and Zhou, making the flow of time become vivid beyond compare.

The mortise-and-tenon stool collapsed.

Ge Cheng could no longer sit in oblivion, could no longer pause his thoughts; he could only silently suffer, silently feel time pass, until a muddleheaded and dazed extent.

He became a little Daoist Priest who didn't know the days of his confinement, no longer able to endure; for self-preservation, he began exploring that only "crack" that could give feedback.

Immediately after, he set foot on solid ground.

Ge Cheng entered into a blood pool.

What kind of hellish scene was this?

Countless people, countless living beings floated and sank inside, struggled, wailed, and finally were thrown into something like a millstone, ground alive into two streams of Qi: one stream of semi-transparent clear Qi, one stream of blood-colored smoke Qi.

The clear Qi floated upward, turning into lines of floating text.

The smoke Qi sank downward, condensing in the blood pool into blood-red stones.

He panicked and tried to flee, but fell off a cliff; only upon falling did he discover, where was any cliff? It was clearly a foot! A foot incomparably gigantic; he had jumped onto that giant's toe!

A giant lay in the blood pool!

Ge Cheng was scared to death.

He fled, fled back to the confinement room.

But the confinement room was too torturous; the endless wearing away of time; yet he couldn't sit in oblivion, pause his thoughts; he was going mad; in madness and fear, he returned once again to that blood pool, and attempted to snatch a thread of clear Qi.

The clear Qi scattered the moment he grasped it; replacing it, a segment of inexplicable dialect appeared in Ge Cheng's mind, as if innate.

The third time, he stole another thread; this time it was a cultivation method.

The fourth time, Ge Cheng stole a thread of blood Qi; he didn't know what use it had; inexplicably it was like eating a full meal, bringing a trace of satisfaction.

Having tasted the sweetness, Ge Cheng went back and forth many times.

Ten times, a hundred times, a thousand times?

He himself didn't remember how many times he had gone in and out; only that his head felt swollen, all sorts of messy dialects and cultivation methods increasing more and more, and also many miscellaneous memories.

Thus.

He completely forgot what he was doing, why he had been locked in the confinement room.

That day, Ge Cheng instinctively went back and forth to the blood pool, stealing the giant's "treasures"; suddenly, heaven and earth transformed.

Chaos, blood color, all disappeared, leaving a clean, white vastness.

Extreme light intertwined, stimulating to the point one couldn't open their eyes; halos rippled ring after ring; blurry human figures swayed left and right; everyone crowded closer.

"Shizu!"

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