Chapter 280: The Ancestor of Water Apes, Wuzhiqi; The Great Emperor Yu's Lost Treasure, the Ten Thousand Beast Bell

"Huai Lord Divine Mansion?"

Fang Longye looked at the clearly visible handwriting on the plaque and murmured in a low voice.

A look of realization could not help but appear in his eyes.

He secretly thought in his heart: "That's it! I really didn't guess wrong! This is the Daoist temple palace that Wuzhiqi built back then~"

He examined the ancient bronze palace before him once more; apart from the mottled green rust on it, it was incomparably magnificent and grand, comparable to a city ten thousand miles in size, with an imposing aura.

"Brother Fang, this is the palace that our ancestor built back then!"

As Yuru Wang introduced it, he stepped aside and gestured with his hand, saying: "Please!"

In Fang Longye's sea of consciousness, the Profound Spirit Dunjia floated, its Eight Trigrams runes constantly combining and changing, and no ill omens arose.

He immediately stopped hesitating, lifted his feet, and walked toward the palace.

Yuru Wang and his nephew naturally swayed their bodies and accompanied him, walking together toward this palace.

Upon arriving at the front, a clanging sound was heard.

The rust-covered bronze doors slowly opened, and an ancient, wild aura rushed toward them.

He stepped inside.

The interior of the palace before his eyes was not as luxurious as he had imagined; instead, it exuded a sense of primitive grandeur.

It was empty and vast; apart from some large coiled-dragon pillars, there remained only various murals and carvings on the four walls.

He did not know if it had always been like this, or if it had become this way after being ransacked.

Fang Longye looked at several murals, which were basically scenes related to Wuzhiqi himself.

There were scenes of him when he first appeared in the world, scenes of him roaring across a region and controlling countless mountain spirits and water monsters, and even scenes of the ancestors of the Human Race setting up temples to offer sacrifices to him,... and so on and so forth.

Every mural was depicted clearly and vividly, lifelike and realistic.

If one stared for a little too long, various illusions would even sprout forth—light, shadows, and sounds were all present, as if they were about to descend from the ancient past into the present world.

Just like this, he walked all the way, taking in all the various murals and carvings.

Finally, he arrived at the deepest part of the palace.

An ancient high platform stood there, with a throne on a raised dais placed upon it, and a vast, mighty Aura permeated the surroundings.

Just sensing it was very uncomfortable, giving one a heavy, oppressive feeling.

Fang Longye knew that this Aura was nothing else, but the residual Aura left behind by Wuzhiqi sitting here for a long time, which had permeated the place.

Even though the decorations were not ornate, this heavy residual Aura could make one imagine how peerless and arrogant Wuzhiqi must have been back then, sitting on this throne and receiving the worship of his subordinates.

It was just that the seas had changed into mulberry fields, and things and people were no longer the same.

Ten thousand palace halls had all turned to dust.

Only this rust-covered, empty great hall remained, witnessing his former glory.

Just as Fang Longye was feeling emotional, he saw Yuru Wang and the Water Ape Great Sage both kneel down toward the throne on the dais.

They shouted in unison: "Unworthy descendants respectfully invite the ancestor to descend!"

This caused Fang Longye to be taken aback.

"Could it be that this Wuzhiqi has already escaped his predicament? Then why invite me over?"

Just as Fang Longye was feeling puzzled, he heard a piece of pleasant Divine Immortal music ring out from the high platform above.

It was as if someone were plucking strings; it was like entering a high cliff and seeing water waves rise, entering the void to stir up clouds and make rain, or entering a forest to hear the tinkling of springs—like a Divine Immortal spitting pearls, layers of halos unfolded and instantly permeated the entire hall.

It even spread outward from this ancient bronze palace.

Accompanied by shimmering Divine Light, various illusions intertwined and emerged.

Rows of palaces and jade halls, majestic and magnificent, streams of flying springs and immortal currents, and spiritual energy were scattered about. Endless beautiful scenery and ethereal, misty clouds were born in this place that had originally been desolate and dilapidated.

It was beautiful, breathtaking, and grand.

In an instant, it was as if time had backtracked, returning to the near-ancient era, that period of Wuzhiqi's most glorious years.

And inside the ancient bronze palace, it was already filled with ten thousand paths of golden light rolling like red neon, and a thousand strands of auspicious energy spraying purple mist.

Accompanied by these various strange phenomena, a spirited phantom appeared on the throne on the dais of the high platform.

It was no more than a hundred feet tall, shaped like an ape, with a face that could not be seen clearly; it was extremely ethereal, as if it would dissipate with a gust of wind.

Yet it possessed a pressure that felt as if it were substantial; the moment it appeared, it pressed down on Fang Longye so he could not catch his breath.

"Good, good, good!"

After this Wuzhiqi revealed his phantom, he laughed loudly: "All are good children, get up!"

Subsequently, Fang Longye felt a power that could see through everything land upon him.

Although he could not see Wuzhiqi's face clearly, he knew that it was highly probable that Wuzhiqi's gaze had landed on him.

"I never thought, Ming'er, that you would actually bring this little friend to me~"

"Good, very good!"

The tone was calm, neither happy nor angry, yet it made Fang Longye's heart tighten.

He had not forgotten that this person had ravaged the Three Dues back then and was eventually captured by Yinglong.

This grudge was not small by any means.

If he were an ordinary member of the Dragon Clan, that would be one thing; with the connection to the Four Seas Longgong, he could still claim some kinship with this person.

But he happened to practice the 'Yin and Yang Great Vehicle Dragon Transformation Scripture' upon which Yinglong relied to achieve the Dao.

If Wuzhiqi were to mistake him for having a close relationship with Yinglong Laozu, he was afraid he would not have a good outcome.

"Hmm, it shouldn't be that bad," Fang Longye thought to himself.

"Even if this person is in a suppressed state and cannot know everything like other Great Vehicle experts, isn't Yuru Wang here?"

After a while, Fang Longye regained his calm and was no longer anxious. He had considered these things before coming; otherwise, he would not have accepted Yuru Wang's invitation.

Just now, he had merely been affected by the pressure brought by this phantom of Wuzhiqi, which was why he had developed groundless fear and suspicion.

Of course~

Even after recovering, Fang Longye still intended to strike up some friendship with Wuzhiqi first.

However, before he could open his mouth to say anything, a vast Great Strength enveloped him, his vision blurred, and he felt space and time shift.

……

In just an instant, Fang Longye discovered he was no longer in that ancient bronze palace, but had arrived in an unfamiliar world.

Looking out, he could not see the end of it at a single glance.

Unlike the scenery outside, in this world, the mountains, rivers, peaks, forests, and grasslands were vast and empty, possessing a primitive and boundless quality.

It was just that there were almost no living beings present.

A type of Aura filled the heavens and earth, desolate, ancient, vast, and empty.

It brought a force like Mount Tai Pressing Top, and he felt extremely heavy.

"A Great Thousand World?"

Sensing the world rules that were so vast they had no end, waves rose in Fang Longye's heart.

If he had not guessed wrong, this was likely the so-called "Huaijing".

It was just that he had not expected the place used to suppress Wuzhiqi to actually be a Great Thousand World.

He wanted to soar into the air, but discovered that in this world, let alone soaring, even taking a step was extremely sluggish. It was as if a small insect had landed in glue, making every step difficult.

Just as he was about to urge the Spirit Treasure on his body to try and see if he could break or reduce this force acting upon him, a large, furry hand broke through the air, covering the sky and blocking the sun.

It grabbed him in its hand, and before he could react, he had already arrived before a giant ape.

He saw that this giant ape had a shrunken nose and a high forehead, a green body and a white head, golden eyes and snowy teeth; just sitting on the ground, it was a million miles tall.

Fang Longye in his human form was no different from a speck of dust compared to it.

"Wuzhiqi!"

Fang Longye murmured in his heart; just by glancing at it, boundless Great Dao rules surged over, encompassing everything.

In his eyes, the true form of this Wuzhiqi was like the heavens, rules, and Great Dao themselves, possessing infinite profound Dao essence.

However, this powerful Wuzhiqi had a large rope that looked like a coiled dragon tightly wrapped around its neck, emitting a deep, cold light, firmly connecting it to the entire Great Thousand World.

Indestructible and unbreakable.

This vast Great Thousand World was opened up precisely for this reason, specifically to suppress this Huaiwo Water God.

That he could still communicate with the outside world even like this, and could even directly pull people into this Great Thousand World.

How terrifying! Wuzhiqi reached out and placed Fang Longye on the ground, smiling slightly; on that massive ape face, no kindness could be seen.

"Boom—"

He seemed to have noticed this point as well and began to shrink continuously; in an instant, he actually shrank from a million miles tall to the size of an ordinary person.

However, the large rope locked around his neck naturally did not come off, and regardless of his expansion or contraction, it still bound him tightly.

Moreover, Fang Longye also noticed that as Wuzhiqi shrank his body, this world actually shrank along with him.

Clearly, for the incomparably powerful Wuzhiqi, this Great Thousand World was truly just a small cage.

"Little friend, excuse my rudeness!"

Wuzhiqi maintained his ape form, and when he spoke, it was the voice of a middle-aged man, not as rough as one might imagine.

Of course, asking him to be as gentle as jade would be truly difficult for someone who once commanded the mountain spirits and water monsters of the Yellow, Huai, and Jiang Three Dues.

It was just a normal person's voice, revealing a sense of kindness.

"Senior is too polite! For Fang to be able to meet Senior, it is truly a great honor~"

Fang Longye hurriedly performed a salute and flattered him.

Dragons, after all! They know how to bend and stretch~ Besides, facing such a senior, being polite is only right~

"Little friend need not be so reserved~" Wuzhiqi seemed to see through Fang Longye's thoughts and chuckled several times.

"No need to feel that I will vent my anger on you just because of that woman Yinglong~"

"Speaking of which, my wife is also of the Dragon Clan, and my three useless sons are also of dragon-ape form. We can be considered half-relatives~"

Fang Longye nodded in agreement, though he found it somewhat amusing in his heart. It wasn't that he was laughing at Wuzhiqi for needing something from him and trying to claim kinship here.

Rather, he was laughing at the wonders of creation. If one really wanted to talk about it, he and Wuzhiqi could truly be considered relatives.

This was also why, back in that ancient bronze palace earlier, he had the thought of claiming kinship with Wuzhiqi.

Just like him, when this Huaiwo Water God was roaring across the region, he was also valued by the Four Seas Dragon Clan, who arranged a marriage for him.

And the one who married him as his wife was the only remaining young daughter of the Ancestral Dragon, the sister of the Four Seas Dragon King; they were all born at the end of the Dragon-Phoenix First Calamity and were still hatching in their eggs, which was how they avoided the Calamity.

Therefore, if one were to count from the side of Ao Ying, Ao Jiao, and the other Dragonnu, he could barely call Wuzhiqi 'Uncle-in-law'!

……

Fang Longye was not polite and immediately climbed up the pole, saying: "Senior, that is being too much of a stranger. Speaking of which, our relationship is quite close!"

He immediately brought up his relationship with the Four Seas Longgong, though naturally, he omitted many details.

For instance, he tactfully glossed over the status of Dragonnu like Ao Ying and Ao Jiao in his own harem, keeping it ambiguous.

He didn't care whether Wuzhiqi, in this "Huaijing", could illuminate the past and future and know about his romantic affairs.

In the end, Fang Longye said with a sincere expression: "So, if we really want to talk about it, I should call you Uncle-in-law!"

Wuzhiqi looked at Fang Longye, his brows twitching; he truly had not expected this little dragon before him to be so shameless.

Clearly, he treated his own cheap nieces like servants, calling them here and there, yet in his mouth, it became a loving couple in mutual affection.

"Does this little dragon really think I know nothing about him? Talking nonsense like this~"

If it were in the past, when Wuzhiqi was suppressed here by Dayu and could not exert much of his power, he would have been unable to peer through the river of time and space.

He would indeed have known nothing about affairs outside.

But ever since he broke a sliver of the seal and was able to use the Daoist temple he once built on Guishan as a coordinate to communicate with others, it was different.

Although he could not yet independently perceive the past and future of the outside world, through several descendants who had successfully arrived at that ancient bronze palace, Wuzhiqi had still learned much about worldly affairs and gained a clear understanding of the current development trajectory of heaven and earth.

Especially over a decade ago, after the Macaque King unexpectedly recognized his maternal uncle, the Water Ape Great Sage, he had already come to this place to pay his respects to Wuzhiqi.

As a disciple of the Shangqing Lineage, the Macaque King naturally stood high and saw far, and he had even let Wuzhiqi know about many hidden matters between heaven and earth.

Regarding a figure like Fang Longye in particular, Wuzhiqi had even specifically instructed the Macaque King to ask his sect elders to perform a divination on him.

Therefore, although Wuzhiqi could not see through Fang Longye as clearly as fire, he still understood him quite deeply.

His life story and habits were naturally clear in his mind.

"With such a rogue-like appearance, how did he manage to form a karmic connection with that senior Hongyun?"

Wuzhiqi's heart was filled with confusion.

After composing himself, he still revealed a trace of a smile, waved his hand, and said, "Since that is the case, you might as well call me Uncle."

Although he did not care at all about that cheap niece of his, who had been born countless eons apart from him.

He still felt awkward about the title of "Uncle-in-law."

"Greetings, Uncle!" Fang Longye responded extremely quickly, the figure of the Macaque King flashing through his mind, and a strange smile could not help but appear at the corner of his mouth.

He was even more delighted in his heart, secretly thinking, "If I call this ancestor of the water apes 'Uncle,' wouldn't I be taking a huge advantage over that Brother Yuan of mine~"

Wuzhiqi was also very happy in his heart; now there was hope for his escape! "Good nephew, since we are family, I won't stand on ceremony! Look at the state your uncle is in now. Sigh! It is truly miserable..."

He maintained the demeanor of a kind-hearted elder, shaking the heavy chains around his neck, which clattered loudly.

He was every bit the image of a down-and-out old ape.

Hearing these words, Fang Longye immediately kept his eyes on his nose and his nose on his heart, remaining silent.

Seeing that Fang Longye was clearly acting like someone who wouldn't release the hawk until he saw the rabbit, Wuzhiqi could not help but curse inwardly, "Little slippery head!"

"Nephew, look~"

A golden bell emerged from an unknown place.

It was the size of a palm, not the kind of small and exquisite style, but rather rough and rugged in its design.

It was pale yellow and heavy, exuding a sense of ancient simplicity, with patterns on it that looked as if they were paved with dragon scales.

With a slight shake, a sound emerged, slow and steady, as if it were substantial, crystal clear, making one forget everything and unable to wake for a long time.

It was not like falling asleep, yet it was more like falling asleep.

Fang Longye's sea of consciousness rang with a series of chimes, and it took him a moment of effort to break free from that strange state of forgetting everything and having an empty mind~

He looked at the golden bell before him in shock.

"The Ten Thousand Beast Bell, a relic of Yu Huang?"

(End of this chapter)