Chapter 677: The Tushita Palace Is Empty and Bare

Tang Luo used the Six Ding Divine Fire to forge, but he did not actually destroy the great formation.

The great formation and the Eight Trigrams Furnace body complement each other; destroying the formation is equivalent to destroying the furnace body.

If the formation were destroyed, the situation would not be like this now.

Pull one hair and move the whole body; the world would have long since shattered, heavenly thunder and earthly fire, a true apocalypse.

Moreover, Yang Jian still needs to stay here to continue cultivating and recovering; the sickroom cannot be smashed.

With patients inside, smashing the sickroom would also bring tragedy to the patients.

Now, we can see whether this patient Yang Jian has the ability to open the door, so Tang Luo can look at the outside world.

"No." Yang Jian said righteously.

He is merely a "special medicinal pill" inside the Eight Trigrams Furnace, and he does not have authorization for the great formation.

How could he give Tang Luo any "door"?

"What if I punch a small hole? Shouldn't have any impact?" Tang Luo wanted to test the edge of destruction.

It's a rare opportunity; not going out to take a look would be too regrettable.

Maybe we would discover some special mysterious place.

"I don't know." Yang Jian thought for a while and could not give an answer.

"Then what use are you?" Tang Luo said in frustration.

Oh son, your father is very disappointed in you.

You should go back to fight the Heaven-Point Star people, spend some time, and the Heaven-Point Star people pill formula will likely be remanufactured.

Or, Yang Jian, who has already recovered his memory and knows who I am, could choose another way to recover.

"..."

"Master, or we could try joining forces." Zhu Bajie said, "The power of the great formation has basically been consumed by you, right?"

"Hmm, there are still one or two small sparks left." Tang Luo nodded.

Currently, the Eight Trigrams Furnace is in a very "weak" state; even if Ao Yu Lie charged the formation, he could survive and run back.

It will not turn into a "fire-burned dragon."

"Old Yang, as the 'refining target' of the Eight Trigrams Furnace, even if you cannot go out, you will certainly not trigger the formation's attack." Zhu Bajie said, "If we join forces, we can create a loophole for the master to go out."

Why wasn't the Pill Resentment struck by lightning, but burned by fire?

One important reason is Yang Jian's shattered body.

Later, when it fully emerged into the world, it could no longer be concealed, but at that time, the great formation also had no strength left to deal with the Pill Resentment.

The patient Yang Jian still receives preferential treatment.

As long as he does not intend to smash the furnace, he can do whatever he wants inside the Eight Trigrams Furnace.

"Let's try." Yang Jian nodded.

Everyone is decisive and swift; after a simple discussion and confirming the plan, they directly flew toward the sky.

Penetrating the thick cloud layer.

Yang Jian left the Heavenly Hound, taking the lead.

Besides Tang Luo, Yang Jian, and Zhu Bajie, the other three stayed behind; storming the formation does not require too many people.

It is unknown whether it is due to other reasons or Tang Luo's excessive consumption of the great formation.

All the way upward, only a few electric arcs flashed by, without the initial heavenly thunder's roar.

Further up, the Six Ding Divine Fire gradually appeared; Yang Jian actively went forward to meet it, and the leaping Six Ding Divine Fire gradually calmed down.

He showed great tolerance toward this wounded member.

Just as Zhu Bajie had predicted.

"Seems feasible." Zhu Bajie said, "Master..."

"Hmm, you handle it; as long as you can open a gap, that's enough." Tang Luo said.

Half an hour later.

Several people entered deep into the great formation and had already seen the true interior of the Eight Trigrams Furnace.

Inside the bright yellow copper furnace, an arched heavenly ceiling, heavy pressure came upon them, blocking Tang Luo and the others from approaching further.

Then, Tang Luo bore the pressure and reached out to tap the "heavenly canopy."

Heavenly sound suddenly appeared, then gradually faded.

Ripples arose in waves, the great sound is faint.

The Six Ding Divine Fire surged, transforming into a hundred-meter-long fire dragon, roaring as it charged toward Tang Luo.

Tang Luo reached out and crushed the Six Ding Divine Fire dragon in one grasp: "Let me ease your burden."

Seeing the Six Ding Divine Fire about to regroup again.

Zhu Bajie hurriedly said: "Master, you had better not make a move."

This is indeed consuming the great formation's power, but at the same time it also provokes more counterattacks from the great formation.

If you strike the snake but do not kill it, there will be future troubles.

Moreover, one cannot really strike a killing blow; one must rely on Zhu Bajie and Yang Jian, one to soothe, the other to seize a chance to strike lightly without pain.

"Don't add chaos." Yang Jian also said.

This monk is truly the master of Sun Wukong, no, sometimes even more chaotic than Sun Wukong.

Thinking of Sun Wukong, Yang Jian suddenly felt an itch in his hands.

When he first gave Tang Luo a punch, it was actually not because of anger, but because, whether it is Tang Luo or Sun Wukong, both are rare good opponents.

Even Nezha would be far inferior to them.

It's a pity that now my condition is not good; the initial exchange also proved that, although everyone is injured, the injuries differ, the circumstances differ, so even if we fight, we are merely sending someone vegetables.

Exhilarating, fully unleashing one's strengths, an evenly matched battle — it's a completely different concept from being pinned down and brutally beaten.

Given Tang Luo's disposition, he certainly wouldn't show mercy to Yang Jian just because he's injured.

His moves would definitely be ruthless and heavy, on the premise of not worsening Yang Jian's injuries.

Yang Jian isn't a masochist.

Treat it as if nothing happened, fight again later.

"Alright, then you two do your best."

Tang Luo waved his hand, sitting back to watch the two begin their efforts.

Time passed minute by minute, second by second; the three slowly moved to the very core of the grand array — the top interior of the Eight Trigrams Furnace.

Lift the furnace lid, the elixir flies out — that is elixir completion.

Now they must open the furnace lid from inside; only a tiny gap is needed, a single instant is enough.

Tang Luo can then leave.

The old Tang Luo couldn't do it, but the current one can.

Transformed and comprehended from the Lotus Step and Ghost Shadow Step, the escape divine ability "Step by Step Lotus Blooms" is already quite extraordinary.

Even Sun Wukong's Cloud Somersault can contend with it.

It just falls short of the Golden-Winged Great Peng Bird by a bit; he needed to deploy the Life-Death Buddha Realm to keep it from escaping.

After all, this guy's speed — looking across the Mountains and Seas Realm, those who can surpass him are few and far between.

However you put it, it's someone else's innate divine ability; if he were caught up to this easily, how would he still make his way in the world?

"Master!"

Suddenly, Zhu Bajie let out a sharp shout.

The originally sealed bright yellow arched canopy overhead abruptly revealed a tiny, near-imperceptible gap.

The Six Ding Divine Fires flared all around; Yang Jian didn't hesitate, striking with zero reservation.

The Celestial Eye on his forehead remained closed, yet golden light scattered out, freezing the Six Ding Divine Fires in place.

Simultaneously, Tang Luo's figure blurred, vanishing without a trace in an instant.

The gap vanished; the Six Ding Divine Fires did not sweep toward Zhu Bajie and Yang Jian, slowly fading away.

"This place is..."

Tang Luo appeared outside the Eight Trigrams Furnace, feet on blue-white jade floor tiles, looking around. "Could it be... the Tushita Palace?"

The Tushita Palace, located in the Thirty-Third Heaven, the Heaven of Endless Sorrow, among the Thirty-Six Heavens, is where the Eight Trigrams Furnace resides.

It is also one of the Grand Supreme Elder Lord's residences.

Though he's never been there, Tang Luo knows the Heaven of Endless Sorrow certainly doesn't have only one Tushita Palace.

The Grand Supreme Elder Lord built quite a few palaces here, but year-round the Tushita Palace serves as the facade, and the only place outsiders may enter.

The rest of the places are deeply secret, unknown to outsiders.

Some speculate the Primordial Beginning Heavenly Worthy and the Numinous Treasure Heavenly Worthy are both in the Heaven of Endless Sorrow, the three senior brothers keeping each other company, just that no one besides the Grand Supreme Elder Lord is ever seen.

Others say the Grand Supreme Elder Lord, angered by his two senior brothers' past deeds, imprisoned them here as punishment.

The Thirty-Third Heaven of Endless Sorrow is the Primordial Beginning and Numinous Treasure Worthies' cage.

The latter theory has few believers.

Even if the Grand Supreme Elder Lord as senior brother might be slightly stronger, to single-handedly suppress two junior brothers — I'm afraid he'd also find himself unable.

Just like the Buddhist holy land Great Thunder Sound Temple, with the Tathagata as supreme.

But to say the Tathagata could tie up Ancient Lamp Buddha and Maitreya together and beat them piece by piece — that's definitely impossible too.

Even stepping back ten thousand paces, even if it worked, even if they went to the Heaven Beyond Heavens above the Thirty-Six Heavens, the chaotic void, to fight, it should still have been detected by some powerhouses.

It's mostly just a joke.

Unlike the extraordinarily lively Great Thunder Sound, the Tushita Palace counts as a pure, tranquil place.

Only the Elder Lord and his daoist attendants.

Now Tang Luo appears, finding it even more tranquil than before — so tranquil not a single living person is in sight.

The Eight Trigrams Furnace containing a small world stands right beside Tang Luo, a four-legged copper furnace as tall as a person, a slightly dull ancient bronze color; he reaches out to touch it.

Not a shred of heat is felt; instead it's somewhat icy cold.

Tang Luo extends his hand, tries to lift the furnace lid — extremely heavy.

Forcing it open would also amount to damaging the Eight Trigrams Furnace.

Without showing off how great his strength is, Tang Luo opportunely lets go, leaving this not-large-not-small alchemy chamber that looks plain and unremarkable at first glance.

There's nothing worth seeing inside the alchemy chamber.

Besides the Eight Trigrams Furnace, there's nothing else — Jade Purifying Vase, Purple-Gold Red Gourd, none of them present.

They used to be here; the wooden racks that held those magic treasures used for alchemy and herb gathering still stand against the wall.

One can even see traces left from long-term placement.

But there are only traces.

Walking out of the alchemy chamber, a corridor outside leads to an herb garden.

Some herbs Tang Luo can't recognize grow sparsely, looking half-dead.

A dilapidated sight, more like a novice's experimental plot with poor skill.

Tang Luo can't tell what value those few sparse herbs have; eaten raw, they probably can't heal injuries either.

However you put it, this is the Grand Supreme Elder Lord's (partial) herb garden — did you think everything planted inside are heavenly materials beneficial to humans?

They might be poisonous weeds, the kind that poison you with a mere touch.

Tang Luo isn't about to emulate Shennong tasting a hundred herbs.

Moreover, any herb that ugly is clearly hard to eat at a glance.

This is the intuition of a gourmet.

Leaving the nursery, outside is a spacious square, and on the other side is a row of low but utterly still small wooden huts.

That is where many young Daoists reside.

The sky is shrouded in clouds and mist, showing no trace of clear weather.

The entire area surrounding the Tushita Palace is likewise.

"Anyone there?"

"Is the Supreme Old Lord present? Tang Xuanzang of Ling Mountain's Great Thunder Sound Temple pays a visit!"

After glancing around, though not dilapidated, it is exceedingly cold and silent; Tang Luo drew a deep breath and shouted loudly.

The sound echoed and reverberated.

No one answered.

No Old Lord, no young Daoists, the Tushita Palace stands empty and void.