Chapter 289: The Land of Literary Confluence

You Jie Ya said, "You are relatively difficult to deal with."

I don't believe it, so I personally took action.

Now I've discovered, you are indeed difficult to deal with…… but that's normal; in ordinary pasture, a few thorns always sprout, they're prickly and hard to handle.

But we are gods, we are lofty gods, we are the gods who defeated your ancestors and destroyed your civilization.

God, what can't we do? Of course, nothing.

You perhaps think you have already shaken off the shackles bestowed upon you by our ancestral god, you have broken through the Heavenly Lock Pagoda, condensed your Life Pool, nurtured a Divine Embryo, and become gods who can stand equal to us……?

They do not exist.

With a casual strike, I can knock you back into the abyss.

Feel your bodies and souls…… oh, no, it's the changes in your bodies and Divine Embryos. Feel the endless despair I have bestowed upon you. Your strength, your cultivation, hehe, hehe, hehehehe.

Either become slaves of our Ice Spirit Divine Clan…… or be assimilated into ice blocks. This will certainly be interesting. My palace lacks a few interesting ice sculptures, especially you, this plump woman.

Among my ice sculpture collection, there is no shortage of young, beautiful maidens, but I lack a woman with your distinctive looks. Once you become an ice sculpture, if I trade you with others, I will surely fetch a good price.

Those young, beautiful ice sculptures…… have already caused aesthetic fatigue.

Arrogant laughter came from the cold wind, and You Cang's silhouette swiftly departed.

I will watch you, stare at you, I will enjoy your despair and anger…… eventually, I will return to reap my spoils.

Whether you choose to become slaves or ice sculptures, in the end you will all be my spoils.

You Cang's laughter gradually faded, he whispered with a laugh: "To deal with you, expending one request for permission to use the main divine artifact is also worthwhile. Your threat is too great, too great…… You Jie Ya's loss is not unjust."

The Cold Qi vanished, and the laughter disappeared as well.

Wu Tie moved his arms and legs slightly; the chill seeping from his marrow had disappeared, his body seemed to have returned to normal.

He looked puzzled at Zhu Ri, Zhu Yue, and Wu Nu.

Old Tie's head bore the Rebirth Tower protruding, black divine light swept over his body, and he said in a deep voice: "I have nothing unusual. This body of mine is formed from the divine artifact Rebirth Tower, not mere flesh and blood."

Old Tie waved his right hand, making a pressing motion forward.

Om!

The black divine light flickered, the void trembled slightly; on a cliff several li away, a large handprint sank hundreds of meters into the rock, fine spring water sprayed from the imprint, and the print was soon filled with clear water.

My power also shows no abnormality." Old Tie examined his body.

Wu Tie nodded, closed his eyes, and let his soul's undulations slowly sweep over his body.

Then he discovered that within his body, threads of extremely fine cold light intertwined, like tiny double-helix snakes, swiftly shuttling between cells.

These extremely fine cold lights merged together; when Wu Tie's soul undulation just touched them, a violent cold burst erupted from within his body, amid a howling sound, an extremely long and thick double-helix light stream shot straight to his forehead.

A deep-blue double-helix cold-light dragon, its edges spewing white ice crystals, appeared outside Wu Tie's Life Pool.

Flowing light swirled rapidly around the Life Pool, dancing and spinning, while specks of ice crystals quickly gathered toward Wu Tie's Life Pool.

Wu Tie furrowed his brow, he pointed with his right hand, intending to cast the simplest fire spark technique.

A spark of light flashed at his fingertip, then a wisp of cold qi sprayed out, and the fire spark technique vanished without a trace.

Wu Tie was stunned, he opened his mouth, intending to spit out a gust of wind.

This is a type of the minor divine ability "Flying Sand and Rolling Stones," capable of exhaling gales, kicking up yellow sand to confuse the enemy's eyes; it's not a powerful technique, roughly speaking, low-level cultivators of the ancient era could use it to scare ordinary folk while wandering the martial world.

A breath of moderate size spurted from his mouth, then a mass of cold qi sprayed out, and the minor divine ability Flying Sand and Rolling Stones also failed to manifest.

Wu Tie was alarmed.

He hurriedly attempted dozens of divine abilities and secret techniques, but each time at the crucial point, a mass of cold qi interrupted them; not a single divine ability could be successfully executed.

After a moment of silence, Wu Tie rubbed his hands together and thrust them forward.

A dim cold light flashed past, a muffled sound rang out; the cold light struck a cliff several li away, countless ice shards exploded, freezing the rock under a thick layer.

All divine abilities are sealed; only ice-type techniques can be used." Wu Tie furrowed his brow.

Beside him, Zhu Ri's eyes flickered with light; he also consecutively attempted dozens of different divine abilities and secret techniques, finally opening his mouth to spit out a stream of cold light.

That's correct; the monk's *Non-Heaven Divine Transformation Classic* can manifest myriad heavenly incarnations' innate divine abilities…… but only the divine abilities of cold-attribute gods and demons can be executed." Zhu Ri's expression also looked grim.

Moreover, this cold-intent shackle is also assimilating the monk's Life Pool and Divine Embryo." Zhu Ri said coldly: "This is forcing the monk to follow the path of this cold-intent shackle, or, as that fellow said, the monk forcibly resists and ultimately turns into an ice sculpture?"

Zhu Ri can still cultivate several cold-attribute god-demon innate divine abilities.

Zhu Yue, at his side, brandished his blade in a flurry, but not a hint of blade light could be emitted.

Unlike Zhu Ri, Zhu Ri's *Non-Heaven Divine Transformation Classic* is extremely inclusive and its power extremely mixed; after the shackle seals it, one can still select a few divine abilities to use. Zhu Yue, who specialized in a single Chan Light technique and a single blade art, with pure cultivation, was completely rendered useless after the shackle sealed him.

Let's go to Triple Link City." Wu Tie's face darkened: "Let's go to Triple Link City to rest awhile and also think of a countermeasure."

Triple Link City.

When Wu Tie and a few others, somewhat embarrassed, were withdrawing with their large entourage, Grey Master was foolishly hovering beside the enormous pyramid, eyes wide open, gazing at the three colossal pyramids before him.

Wu Tie flapped his wings and flew toward Grey Master.

Master, did you come out of the Triple Link Realm?" Wu Tie curiously looked at the small black cloud beneath Grey Master's feet: "Have you cultivated?"

Grey Master's originally disheveled gray fur had turned somewhat black, his eyeballs were completely jet-black, with no hint of reflection. Moreover, his stature had become somewhat smaller, his skull more elongated; when he grinned showing his teeth, his fangs were sharper and finer, giving a feeling completely different from before.

Formerly, Grey Master was a gentle, uncontentious lover of books.

At this moment, Grey Master's aura remains weak, yet he gives off an inexplicably dangerous feeling.

He has come out." Grey Master said offhandedly: "A grand gesture—I mean, the founding ancestor of Triple Link City, the Great Peacock Ming King, that impression of opening heaven, was just sent out…… but I don't really understand it."

After a self-deprecating chuckle, Grey Master said calmly: "After all, my bloodline is still somewhat weak; I lack such great talent, and also lack deep foundations. Well, having gained these benefits, I am already quite satisfied."

Pointing at the black cloud beneath his feet, Grey Master smiled at Wu Tie: "The Yin Wind Ghost Cloud is decent for escaping. Of course, this is not my true gain."

Huh?" Wu Tie looked curiously at Grey Master.

Grey Master raised his head, gazing at the three enormous pyramids before him, and murmured: "The Triple Link Realm is a land of inheritance; whoever enters, as long as they are not an enemy, and can reach the palace of the Great Peacock Ming King, will receive the Opening Heaven Impression."

This is the mission and responsibility borne by the Great Peacock Ming King.

But Triple Link City, what do you think it is used for?

Grey Master asked Wu Tie.

Wu Tie stared blankly and replied, "A refuge? A place for descendants to propagate their bloodline?"

"No, not only that." Grey Master said in a deep voice: "The Great Peacock King Clan, the Twelve Original Appearance Families—they are... guardians of the scriptures. The purpose of Three Linked City is not for fighting and killing, but... a place of literary exchange."

"A place of literary exchange?" Wu Tie looked at Grey Master in astonishment.

He then saw the Demon Chapter King break the seal of Three Linked City, and then the destructive power erupting from Three Linked City was extremely shocking.

"Literary exchange," "literary exchange"... Wu Tie could not see anything related to "literature" in this Three Linked City.

"If a very prosperous civilization discovers it faces imminent catastrophe." Grey Master said in a deep voice: "Setting aside all internal and external disputes, what do you think this civilization would do?"

Wu Tie fell silent for a moment.

Gazing at the three pyramids before him, Wu Tie murmured, "Dig deep tunnels, stockpile grain, preserve vital energy, await the chance to counterattack?"

"Imminent catastrophe is imminent catastrophe." Grey Master smiled slightly: "All tunnels could be destroyed, all grain could be burned, all soldiers would die in battle—how can one wait for a chance to counterattack?"

Wu Tie fell silent again.

Zhu Ri carried the powerless Zhu Yue, Old Iron carried the Witch Maiden, and the group flew over.

Wu Tie said slowly, "Aren't we able to cultivate and become stronger?"

Grey Master grinned, pointing toward the exit of Three Linked City: "Cultivate, become stronger. Like the bandits of the Gold Dead Spirits? Like the evil creatures of the Changsheng Sect? Like the wicked of the Dark Guild who fear nothing more than chaos in the world?"

Grey Master said in a deep voice: "Forgetting ancestors, forgetting the root, forgetting the origin of bloodline, forgetting cause and effect—such becoming stronger is nothing but a group of powerful walking corpses."

Wu Tie fell silent again.

He recalled the specks of light seen in Three Linked Realm, chasing down Pangu and Chaos.

That hatred and killing intent originating from deep within the bloodline—when Wu Tie recalled the intense hostility surging from deep within the bloodline, he couldn't help but tremble all over, his hairs standing on end.

"Heart, morality, the cognition cultivated over countless generations through bloodline inheritance. Knowing what is right and wrong, why this is right and why that is wrong—this is the core of a once‑peak prosperous civilization."

Grey Master sighed softly: "Otherwise, being human alike, you Wu Tie and the evil creatures of the Changsheng Sect—you both cultivate, yet do you share any similarity? Don't you feel that you and those evil creatures of the Changsheng Sect have actually become two different species?"

Wu Tie fell silent, his mind recalling many, many things.

"When a civilization faces imminent catastrophe, how can we ensure that, countless years later, the flower of civilization can rebloom in the ruins without going astray?" Grey Master pointed at the three pyramids.

"The Great Peacock Inheritance of Three Linked Realm is a master key that can unlock the bloodline and awaken its most primal memory."

"Such primal memory enables the inheritor to clearly understand hatred."

"And the true important foundation of a civilization lies here."

Grey Master murmured: "These unworthy descendants of Three Linked City only recorded the methods to activate the city's defensive seals for fighting and killing, yet they forgot the very meaning of Three Linked City's existence."

After a sigh, Grey Master gently clapped his hands forward.

His breath remained weak, his internal mana only a trace. A wisp of faint ink fragrance flashed across his palm, and two small handprints struck the bronze‑colored pyramid.

The bronze‑colored pyramid trembled slightly.

The silver‑colored pyramid swayed lightly.

The golden‑colored pyramid shook violently.

Then from the tip of the golden pyramid, streams of black clouds exuding a rich ink scent surged out, rolling down along its smooth surface.

At the top of the golden pyramid, several ancient‑looking strokes of text appeared.

Thereafter, numerous characters, varying in flavor and stroke complexity, yet all exuding a rich, timeless aura, densely covered the pyramid's surface.

Oracle bone script, bronze inscription script, bird‑flower‑insect‑fish seal script, great seal, small seal, clerical script, Song typeface…

Each stroke of the varied characters, though tiny, seems no matter how far away to strike straight into your eyes, merging into your heart and soul.

Thereafter, a soft chanting voice emanated from the golden pyramid.

The Classic of Poetry…… the Music Bureau…… the Book of Changes……

The Three Character Classic…… the Hundred Family Surnames…… the Thousand Character Classic……

Moreover, there were poems…… ci…… sanqu…… collections of novels……

The soft chanting began as one voice, then ten, then a hundred, then a thousand, then ten thousand……

Devout, fervent, filled with the great fearlessness and grandeur of "hearing the Dao in the morning, one can die content in the evening."

Wu Tie opened his mouth wide.

Old Iron opened his mouth wide.

Zhu Ri and Zhu Yue stared blankly at the three pyramids whose surfaces were covered with countless tiny characters.

The black clouds roiled, ink fragrance spreading everywhere.

The entire region of Three Linked City for tens of thousands of miles was filled with the sound of reading.

Amid the thick ink fragrance, the ordinary citizens of Three Linked City, as well as the large troops that had just migrated there, all fell into a deep sleep. In their dreams, some read, some lectured, some imparted principles, some attained enlightenment…

"Unworthy descendants, what have they made of such a place of literary exchange?"

"A mere shelter from wind and rain? Simply… therefore they all deserve to die." Grey Master sighed softly: "Wu Tie, even an immensely powerful cultivator's spine could be broken."

"Only these seemingly useless texts, when condensed into bone, are unbreakable."

"Even an immensely powerful cultivator has only one spine."

"Countless resolute individuals, their spines combined, can bear greater pressure than that of a powerful cultivator."

"This is the meaning of Three Linked City's existence. This is the meaning of the Great Peacock Clan and the Twelve Original Appearance Families' existence."