Chapter 515: Gathering the Twelve Zodiac

This snow region is vast and boundless, with goose-feather-like heavy snow falling in the sky, and the ground covered with thick snow. In the center of this snow region, eight huge silver pillars stand upright.

Each pillar is carved with a giant dragon; these dragons vary in form, some coiling upward, some riding clouds and mist, each carved lifelike.

As soon as Longling and the others stepped into this snow region, they felt a strong sense of oppression.

Their gazes were drawn to those silver pillars, and a nameless fear welled up in their hearts; they realized these pillars were not ordinary structures but some kind of powerful entity.

Just as everyone was doubtful and uncertain, the giant dragons on those silver pillars suddenly sensed something.

Their eyes flashed with blood-red light, as if awakened by some power.

With a earth-shaking roar, those giant dragons actually shot up from the pillars, becoming tangible, and swirled and danced in the air.

Longling and the others were greatly shocked; they never imagined these giant dragons were actually dragon corpses, refined into guardian puppets.

These dragon corpses exude a strong aura of death, their eyes flashing with mad light, as if they wanted to devour all life.

"Be careful, everyone; these dragon corpses are very strong, we must join forces to fight them!" Longling's voice carried a hint of tension, his eyes fixed tightly on those dragon corpses.

Fengyu and Yunying immediately began casting spells, forming wind walls and cloud shields in the air to try to block the dragon corpses' attacks.

The spells formed a solid defensive line in the air, but the dragon corpses' power was too great; each of their impacts made the wind walls and cloud shields tremble.

Tie Ya and Tie Shan gripped their weapons tightly, their bodies encased in a thick layer of iron armor, and their strength grew even greater in this snow region.

They charged at those dragon corpses, using great force to beat them back, protecting the team's safety.

Longling then began to mobilize his inner power; behind him, a huge White Bone Dharma Appearance rose up, reaching from heaven to earth.

This dharma apparition stood tens of zhang tall, its body formed from countless white bones, its eyes flashing with golden light.

In its hand it held a huge Light Sword; each swing carried a sound of tearing through the air, striking straight at the dragon corpses' vital points.

"Roar!" The dragon corpses let out an earth-shaking roar, their bodies darting through the snow region, each appearance bringing great power.

Their attacks were like a blizzard, sweeping across the entire snow region, making it hard for Longling and the others to resist.

Longling's White Bone Dharma Appearance and the dragon corpses' battle grew fiercer; their forces collided in the air, forming waves of energy that spread outward.

Under the effect of these energy waves, the snow in the snow region flew up, forming wave after wave of snow.

"How strange—could it be that a terrifying existence has been refined into a puppet? Even as flesh and bone begin to separate, the cultivation level remains at the peak of the Heavenly Spirit Realm!" Fengyu's voice carried a hint of fear, and his spells began to show cracks under the dragon corpses' attacks.

"We must quickly find a way to break them, or we may be wiped out!" Yunying's voice carried a hint of resolve, and she formed beams of light in the air, trying to pierce the dragon corpses' defenses.

Longling's White Bone Dharma Appearance and the dragon corpses' battle had entered a white-hot stage; the apparition's Light Sword clashed with the corpses' claws in the air, producing a thunderous roar.

Each collision made the snow region tremble, as if the whole world were swaying on the brink of collapse in this battle.

"Kill, specially blast the places without flesh and blood!" Longling's voice carried a hint of determination; his White Bone Dharma Appearance waved the Light Sword in the air, each swing carrying a tearing sound, striking straight at the dragon corpses' vital points.

Longling and the others began to attack together; their power intertwined in the air, forming waves of strong attacks, these attack waves like sea waves, one after another, continually striking the dragon corpses' defenses.

Under the combined attack of everyone, the dragon corpses began to show signs of damage.

Their bodies began to collapse under the attack, turning into countless ice crystals that dissipated in the air.

However, these dragon corpses seemed to possess endless vitality; even when their bodies collapsed, they could instantly recondense and continue attacking everyone.

"Be careful, these are puppets, supported by a mysterious formation, gathering attacks, slaughtering shocking the world!" The White Bone Dharma Appearance's methods appeared frequently, emanating a chilling sound.

Just as the battle reached its most intense moment, Longling suddenly felt a powerful force surging within his body.

His body suddenly burst forth with dazzling light; the Light Sword in his hand became even sharper, each swing carrying a tearing sound, radiating a terrifying aura.

Under Longling's leadership, everyone began to fight back fiercely; their power intertwined with the dragon corpses' attacks, forming a fierce battle.

The snow in the snow region was kicked up by their battle, forming wave after wave of snow.

Boom—

In a thunderous roar, the dragon corpses' bodies completely collapsed, turning into countless ice crystals that dissipated in the air.

As the dragon corpses dissipated, the eerie aura in the snow region gradually faded, restoring calm.

The snow in the snow region began to gradually recover; the toppled pillars rose again, emitting a faint silver glow.

Longling and the others stood in the snow region, able to feel that the vitality of this land had been elevated through their battle.

Longling stepped forward and lightly touched those pillars that had risen again, feeling that their vitality was stronger than before, with a faint silver light flowing across their surfaces.

In the depths of the snow region, the monkey-shaped jade pendant in Longling's hand suddenly emitted dazzling light.

The monkey pattern on the pendant seemed to come alive, its eyes flashing with an eerie light, as if it were telling some ancient secret.

Longling gripped the pendant tightly; suddenly, he felt a powerful force enveloping him, and the surrounding space began to twist and deform.

Just as everyone was doubtful and uncertain, the scene suddenly changed; an invisible force pulled them, and the whole team instantly fell into a bottomless abyss.

Everyone was shocked and horrified; before they could react, they were already swallowed by the darkness of the abyss.

The environment in the abyss was extremely harsh; all around was endless darkness, only occasional flashes of eerie light illuminated their terrified faces.

The airflow in the abyss was violent and chaotic, as if it wanted to tear them to pieces.

Everyone began to cast spells, trying to stabilize their figures, but before this mighty force, their efforts seemed utterly insignificant.

Just as everyone was struggling to steady themselves, the darkness in the abyss was suddenly torn apart by a powerful aura. A huge demon snake with nine heads burst forth from the abyss.

This demon snake's body was enormous; each head was hideous and terrifying, its eyes flashing with a dark green light.

Its body was covered in thick scales, each scale as hard as the toughest armor, reflecting the eerie light of the abyss.

Everyone was shocked and horrified, quickly organizing defenses, but under the sudden attack of this nine-headed demon snake, their defenses seemed so hasty.

The nine-headed demon snake's attacks came like a sudden storm; each head could spew magic of different attributes—flames, ice, lightning, poison…

These attacks intertwined, forming a net of death that enveloped everyone.

Although everyone struggled to resist, under the nine-headed demon snake's powerful assault, their strength seemed so insignificant.

Many cultivators fell under the nine-headed demon snake's attack, their bodies vanishing in the abyss, leaving only desperate cries.

Longling watched his companions fall one by one, and a strong surge of anger rose in his heart.

His eyes turned blood-red, his hair floated up without wind, as if a flame burned within his body.

He gripped the monkey-shaped jade pendant in his hand tightly; the light on the pendant became even more dazzling, as if responding to his anger.

"Ah!" Longling let out a heaven-shaking roar, and behind him a colossal White Bone dharma manifestation towered into existence.

This dharma manifestation stood tens of zhang tall, its body formed from countless White Bones, its eyes flashing with golden light.

The dharma manifestation gripped a huge Light Sword in its hand, each swing emitting a sound that tore the air, striking straight at the Nine-headed Demon Snake.

The Nine-headed Demon Snake seemed to sense Longling's anger as well, its nine heads turning simultaneously toward Longling, eyes flashing with provocative light.

The Nine-headed Demon Snake's body suddenly turned blurry, then instantly appeared before Longling.

Its nine heads simultaneously launched an attack on Longling, each head wielding immense power as if to tear Longling to pieces.

Longling's White Bone dharma manifestation and the Nine-headed Demon Snake's battle erupted instantly, their forces colliding in the abyss and forming ripples of energy that spread outward.

The darkness in the abyss was torn apart before this mighty force, revealing fissures.

"Damn it, you're asking for death!" Longling's voice carried a hint of resolve as the White Bone dharma manifestation waved the Light Sword in the air, chopping off one of the Nine-headed Demon Snake's heads; copious black blood spurted onto the cliffs above, corroding numerous black holes, poisonous mist swirling.

Fengyu and Yunying unleashed their techniques, forming wind walls and cloud shields to block the Nine-headed Demon Snake's attacks.

Their techniques formed a solid barrier in the air, but the Nine-headed Demon Snake's power was too great; each impact made the wind walls and cloud shields tremble.

Tie Ya and Tie Shan gripped their weapons tightly, charging at the Nine-headed Demon Snake and using great force to repel it, protecting the team's safety.

Under the combined assault of everyone, the Nine-headed Demon Snake began to show signs of damage.

Its body began to collapse under the attack, turning into countless fragments that scattered in the air.

Yet, under the dark power of the abyss, these fragments unexpectedly began to recondense, and the Nine-headed Demon Snake's body instantly restored itself to its original state.

"These demon snakes are too strange; we must find their weakness, otherwise we cannot defeat them completely!" Longling's voice carried a trace of anxiety as the White Bone dharma manifestation rolled like a bright moon, bursting forth with resplendent divine radiance, shaking heaven and earth.

Longling's power intertwined with the Nine-headed Demon Snake's attacks, forming a fierce battle.

"Boom—"

In a earth-shaking roar, the Nine-headed Demon Snake's body completely collapsed, turning into countless fragments that scattered in the air.

As the Nine-headed Demon Snake dissipated, the eerie aura in the abyss gradually faded, restoring calm; a snake-shaped crystal slowly flew out from the Netherworld Abyss.

Only then did the jade pendant on it ripple with terrifying fluctuations; Longling's vision shifted, and a mysterious power transported them to a place called Rat Cliff, a mysterious realm.

Rat Cliff is a towering mountain peak whose surface is dotted with tens of thousands of holes, each so deep its bottom cannot be seen, as if they were gateways to another world.

A thin mist lingered around the peak, within which countless pairs of eyes seemed to hide, gazing upon every living being that stepped onto this land.

When Longling and company set foot on Rat Cliff's ground, they were astonished to discover that Heifeng and Huang Daxian, among others, had already been waiting here for a long time.

The reunion of the two teams was filled with surprise and excitement; they exchanged greetings and shared their experiences and gains from Shen Monkey Palace.

After the discussion, everyone produced the jade pendants they had obtained during their expedition.

These jade pendants bore engravings of the zodiac animals monkey, dragon, snake, and so on; each piece emitted a faint glow, as if containing some mysterious power.

When they placed all the jade pendants together, they actually totaled eleven, exactly eleven of the twelve zodiac types, lacking only the Rat's jade pendant crystal.

"If we can obtain the Rat's jade pendant, we can gather the twelve zodiac crystals and leave this strange place." Longling's voice held a hint of anticipation as his gaze swept over everyone present.

Upon hearing this, everyone's eyes sparkled with excitement; finding the Rat's jade pendant would unveil the secret of this mysterious realm and point the way home.

Yet, the mystery and eeriness of Rat Cliff filled them with a hint of unease.

Tens of thousands of holes riddled the entire peak, each possibly a hiding place for the Rat's jade pendant, but also possibly a deadly trap.

"We must proceed with caution; these holes may conceal unknown dangers." Huang Daxian's voice carried a trace of worry as his eyes fixed firmly on those holes.

Heifeng then began to survey Rat Cliff's terrain, his face showing a hint of solemnity. "The distribution of these holes is not random; they appear to follow some pattern."

"If we can discern this pattern, perhaps we can locate the Rat's jade pendant."

Fengyu and Yunying then began to cast their arts, attempting to sense the flow of spiritual energy within Rat Cliff.

Their arts formed halos in the air, trying to penetrate Rat Cliff's surface to seek traces of the Rat's jade pendant.

Yet, the flow of spiritual energy within Rat Cliff was unusually complex; their arts seemed interfered with, unable to accurately pinpoint the Rat's jade pendant's location.

Longling then began to mobilize his inner power; behind him, a colossal White Bone dharma manifestation rose, towering into the heavens, standing tens of zhang tall, its eyes flashing with golden light.

The dharma manifestation gripped a huge Light Sword in its hand; each swing emitted a sound that tore the air, striking straight at Rat Cliff's surface.

With everyone's efforts, the mist in Rat Cliff began to gradually dissipate, revealing the peak's true appearance.

The peak's surface was covered with various strange patterns, which seemed to be an ancient script recording Rat Cliff's secrets.

"These patterns might be a guide; we can try to decipher them." Longling's voice held a hint of anticipation as his gaze fixed tightly on those patterns.

Everyone began to circle Rat Cliff, carefully studying those patterns.

Within these patterns lay a special rule: each pattern corresponded to a hole in Rat Cliff.

Guided by these patterns, they might be able to find the path to the Rat's jade pendant.

Yet, the holes in Rat Cliff were overly complex; each seemed like an independent world, brimming with the unknown and danger.

During their exploration, everyone had to remain constantly vigilant, lest they be devoured by Rat Cliff's traps.

After a grueling exploration, everyone finally discovered a special hole deep within Rat Cliff.

The surface of this hole emitted a faint golden light, starkly different from the others.

When everyone approached this hole, they felt a powerful force surging within it, as if some mighty existence were sleeping inside.

"This hole must be related to the Zi Shu jade pendant!" Longling's voice carried a hint of excitement, his eyes fixed tightly on that hole.

Everyone began to enter the hole cautiously, for the Zi Shu jade pendant might be hidden inside, or it might be filled with unknown dangers.

However, to uncover the secret of Rat Cliff, we must bravely face all of this.

As everyone went deeper, the golden light inside the hole grew stronger and stronger, a powerful aura surging within.

Suddenly, a blinding golden light burst forth from the depths of the hole, illuminating the entire Rat Cliff as if it were daytime.

At the center of the golden light, a crystal-clear jade pendant slowly emerged.

Carved on this jade pendant was a lifelike rat, its eyes flashing with golden light, as if containing some mysterious power.

"Zi Shu!" everyone exclaimed in delight.

However, just as everyone was about to step forward to take the Zi Shu jade pendant, the golden light inside the hole suddenly turned violent.

A strong power surged out from the depths of the hole, forming golden storms that surrounded everyone.

"Watch out!" Longling shouted, and the White Bone Dharma Aspect appeared behind him, his Light Sword swinging as he tried to resist the invasion of the golden storm.

However, the golden storm's power was too great; everyone's defenses seemed fragile before it, their bodies swaying in the storm as if they would be torn apart at any moment.

Just as everyone fell into desperation, Longling suddenly felt a strong power surging within his body.

This power came from the monkey-shaped jade pendant in his hand, which at the critical moment stimulated Longling's potential, greatly increasing his strength.

As the twelve zodiac pendants gathered, a mysterious power surged in the air.

The zodiac patterns on the pendants seemed activated, each emitting dazzling light; these lights intertwined in the air, forming a huge teleportation array.

At the center of the teleportation array, a complex diagram began to emit a faint light, which gradually brightened, eventually forming a vortex of light.

Within the vortex, colorful lights intertwined, as if forming a gateway to another world.

As the light intensified, the teleportation array began to emit a low hum, sounding like an ancient Dharma chant and also like the resonance of distant stars.

The ground began to tremble slightly, as if the whole world were preparing for the imminent teleportation.

Suddenly, a blinding light burst from the teleportation array, shooting up to the clouds and illuminating the entire Mouse Cliff as bright as day.

This light was so intense that people had to shield their eyes with their hands to avoid being burned by the holy radiance.

In this light, the array's diagram began to spin faster and faster until it became a light ring impossible to catch with the naked eye.

At the center of this light ring, a stable spatial portal slowly opened.

With the spatial portal fully opened, the activation of the teleportation array reached its climax.

An invisible force surged out from the gate, carrying an ancient and mysterious aura that inspired awe; it was the bridge connecting two spatial nodes.

Longling and the others stood on Rat Cliff, their eyes flashing with determined light.

They tightly held the jade pendants in their hands; as everyone stepped into the Teleportation Array, their figures gradually blurred in the light and finally vanished above Rat Cliff.

When they opened their eyes again, they found themselves in a strange starfield.

This starfield differed from any world they knew, filled with a mysterious and eerie aura.

The stars in the starfield were arranged in a peculiar pattern, these patterns resembling an ancient language that spoke of the universe's secrets.

The stars in the starfield emitted light of various colors—some blazing like fire, some cold as ice, and some casting a dim green glow, like the eyes of ghosts.

At the center of the starfield, a huge black coffin floated in midair.

The coffin's surface was engraved with red runes that emitted an eerie glow, as if whispering of some ancient curse.

Around the coffin, space seemed twisted, forming ripples of distortion that made one dare not approach.

Longling and the others stood in the starfield, their gaze fixed on the black coffin, which hid a great secret and possibly unknown dangers.

They dared not act rashly, fearing to trigger the coffin's curse.

Just then, the stars in the starfield suddenly changed.

The stars' light began to flicker, forming beams that pointed directly at the black coffin.

As the stars moved, the runes on the coffin began to flash, emitting a stronger light.

This might be a sign that the coffin is about to open.

Everyone gripped their jade pendants tightly, ready to face any possible situation.

However, at that moment, powerful figures from other factions suddenly appeared in the starfield.

These strong ones came from different worlds, were immensely powerful, and their eyes gleamed with greed and vigilance.

Their gaze was locked on the black coffin, obviously also craving its secret.

Longling and the others faced off against the other factions' strong ones, the atmosphere becoming unusually tense.

The secret within the coffin might concern the fate of the entire universe, and no side was willing to give it up easily.

"Ladies and gentlemen, though we come from different paths, we are all curious about the secret of this coffin." Longling's voice echoed in the starfield as his gaze swept over everyone present, "Can we temporarily set aside hostilities and jointly explore the coffin's secret?"

The strong ones of the other factions, hearing this, had their eyes flash with thoughtful light.

Longling's words made sense; in this situation, any rash move by any side could trigger disastrous consequences.

They began to communicate with each other, trying to find a common solution.

Just as they were discussing, the stars in the starfield suddenly underwent a violent change.

The stars' light began to twist, forming huge pillars of light that shot straight at the black coffin.

As the stars moved, the runes on the coffin began to flash, emitting an even stronger light.

"Careful!" Longling shouted, a White Bone dharma apparition instantly appeared behind him, and he waved his Light Sword, trying to block this powerful force.

The strong ones of the other factions also reacted instantly, unleashing their own spells and treasures to form solid defensive lines, trying to block the stars' attack.

However, the stars' power was too great, and everyone's defenses appeared fragile before it.

Their bodies swayed in the light pillars, as if they could be torn apart at any moment.

Longling's body suddenly burst with blinding light, his power intertwining with the stars' light pillars; the stars in the starfield began to blink out one by one under their attack, turning into countless specks of stardust that dissipated in the air.

"Boom—"

In a thunderous roar, the stars' light pillars were completely shattered, turning into countless specks of starlight that dissipated in the air.