Chapter 633: Gui Cang Nine Paths, Memory Restored

Boom!

The Heavenly Emperor Treasury burst open with a roar.

Originally, the treasury required a specific timing to be opened.

But Yu Liancheng not only possessed heaven-defying cultivation, he also mastered the Xuanji Dao, which could survey the mysteries of heaven's secrets; naturally, there was no need to wait another twelve years to open the treasury.

Inside the treasury, there was a wooden platform. In the center of the platform sat a cup of primitive shape, seemingly carved from wood and integrated seamlessly with the platform itself.

Inside the wooden cup was a transparent liquid, and above the liquid floated a small, transparent stone. It was five-sided, crystal clear, and emitted a soft light, forming a semi-circular curtain of light on the small wooden platform, refracting into various colors that radiated outward. In the air, a strange fragrance drifted faintly, and one felt refreshed just by smelling it.

Bi Yao might not have been able to tell what this was, but Yu Liancheng understood that the substance held in this cup was the legendary immortal medicine from the Heavenly Emperor's secret store. This wooden platform and wooden cup were both connected to the strange tree beneath their feet, using the ten-thousand-year spiritual energy of the tree itself to preserve the spiritual medicine.

In the original timeline, the Black Water Black Snake and the Yellow Bird that guarded the spiritual medicine fought fiercely over this cup of medicine, even going so far as to risk their lives.

However, they did not encounter the Yellow Bird this time.

Perhaps it felt that the time to open the treasury had not yet arrived and was still in deep slumber.

And the moment the Heavenly Emperor Treasury opened, the strange stone floating in the wooden cup suddenly surged with a dazzling golden light. At first, the golden light was relatively weak, but as time passed, it grew increasingly intense. Finally, it condensed into a massive golden pillar of light that abruptly ignored the obstruction of the treasury's dome and shot straight into the sky, visible for hundreds of miles around.

At the same time, a mysterious and distant sound echoed within the treasury, like the mysterious Sanskrit chants of Lingshanshengjing, yet also like the soft whispers of lonely souls from the Nine Netherworlds.

Amidst the Sanskrit whispers, golden characters the size of a peck appeared in the air. The opening line read: Heaven and Earth are not benevolent; they treat all things as straw dogs!

Indeed, this was the third volume of the Heavenly Book.

Yu Liancheng sat cross-legged, contemplating the Heavenly Book.

He had obtained one volume of the Heavenly Book from the jade wall at Tianyin Temple, one from Kongsang Mountain, one from the hands of the Ghost King, and this one from the Heavenly Emperor Treasury.

Counting them up, he now had four volumes of the Heavenly Book.

Through his reading of Daoist classics, his clashes with disciples of the Qingyun Sect, and his verification and deduction based on the first four volumes of the Heavenly Book, Yu Liancheng also had a slight understanding of the Qingyun Sect's volume of the Heavenly Book.

Calculated this way, he could barely be considered to have collected all five volumes of the Heavenly Book.

And these five volumes of the Heavenly Book all expounded upon the Great Dao, rather than any specific supernatural ability; in fact, due to differing understandings, they had branched into the three schools of Buddha, Demon, and Dao.

It was precisely by relying on the Heavenly Book that Yu Liancheng intended to not only fully recover his memory but also complete the Gui Cang Nine Paths.

Bi Yao also knew the preciousness of the Heavenly Book and watched those golden characters intently without blinking. Even though they were profound and obscure, she read every single one without missing a word, then deeply imprinted them into her mind.

In the Heavenly Emperor Treasury, besides Yu Liancheng and Bi Yao, there also stood Jin Ping'er with a blank expression.

Ever since she was defeated by Bi Yao, this Jin Ping'er had maintained this appearance, as if her memory had been washed away by Bi Yao using the Strange and Treacherous Dao, turning her into a marionette.

It was just that Bi Yao did not notice that while she was fully focused on watching the Heavenly Book, a glimmer of spirit appeared in Jin Ping'er's blank eyes. She swept a glance at the Heavenly Book with her peripheral vision, and the corners of her mouth seemed to curl up slightly, but she quickly returned to her blank state.

Two streaks of yellow light streaked across the sky.

Within the yellow light were two young people, a man and a woman.

The man was incomparably handsome and heroic, though there was a hint of arrogance between his brows; one could tell at a glance that he was a favored child from a major cultivation sect. The woman was also beautiful and charming, her robes fluttering in the wind like a fairy, heart-stirring, though her expression was slightly cold.

Of the three great sects in the world, Fenxiang Valley was the furthest from the Central Plains and the most mysterious. The two people before them were none other than the most outstanding disciples of Fenxiang Valley, Li Xun and Yan Hong.

They had just finished handling matters entrusted to them by their sect and were returning to Fenxiang Valley.

Boom!

Just at this moment, a golden light suddenly shot up into the sky in the distance, straight into the clouds. That golden light was so brilliant and dazzling that it could not be looked at directly; even the red sun hanging high in the firmament seemed to dim beneath the golden light.

"This is..."

Li Xun and Yan Hong were also stunned.

Even as disciples of a prestigious sect, they had never seen such a sight before.

But they quickly reacted, their eyes shining brightly.

"Junior Sister, this is a miraculous sign of a rare treasure appearing in the world." Li Xun revealed an excited expression: "Heaven-sent spiritual objects belong only to the virtuous; this is a great opportunity for us. Let's go."

"Alright, Senior Brother."

Immediately, the two steered their magic treasures and headed toward the golden light.

As the saying goes, looking at a mountain can run a horse to death; although they did not seem far from the golden light, when they actually started traveling, they discovered they were more than a hundred miles away.

But precisely because of this, the two were even more excited. To be able to see the miraculous sign of a rare treasure appearing from a hundred miles away—did that not mean the treasure was extraordinary?

In reality, if it were just a matter of distance, it would be fine; after all, both were cultivators, and they could just fly over on their magic treasures without taking much time.

However, the location of that golden light was the most notorious "Size" within a thousand miles.

Since ancient times, the Size had the infamous reputation of being "easy to enter, hard to leave." Poisonous gases, mists, drugs, poisonous swamps... all sorts of natural traps that could kill a person emerged one after another. Even if a cultivator arrived here, they had to be extremely cautious, otherwise, they would be in danger of losing their lives.

Fortunately, as the most outstanding disciples of Fenxiang Valley, Li Xun and Yan Hong not only possessed high magic power but also carried numerous magic treasures, so their journey was surprisingly safe.

Finally, after several hours, they saw that towering tree and were equally shocked beyond measure by it.

They seized the time and flew toward the tree, their moods becoming increasingly excited.

They wondered how powerful a rare treasure that could cause such a terrifying sight would be.

As they flew halfway, they suddenly felt something in their hearts at the same time and looked up toward the firmament.

Faintly, one could see thousands upon thousands of energy currents pouring down from the giant tree like silk ribbons, covering the vast sky.

Each energy current was so vast and immense, surging and mighty, like a heavenly river pouring down from the nine heavens, mysterious and unfathomable. Now, it even covered the firmament and ruled over the earth.

Even Li Xun and Yan Hong, the two most outstanding disciples of Fenxiang Valley, turned pale, their figures swaying as they nearly fell from their magic treasures.

Fortunately, both had very impressive cultivation; they each sacrificed a defensive magic treasure and flew again toward the direction where the golden light was blooming.

It was just that for some reason, although the two had originally been flying at a leisurely pace, they now both accelerated, faintly chasing and competing with each other, fearing they would fall half a step behind.

Clearly, in the face of the yet-to-be-born magic treasure, the bond between fellow disciples had become weak.

Of course, they were not people from the Demon Sect after all, and they currently had no thoughts of killing each other; they only wanted to be one step ahead.

Finally, they also arrived at the platform where vines intertwined and flowers bloomed, and saw the Heavenly Emperor Treasury.

The two had originally steered their magic treasures straight toward the Heavenly Emperor Treasury, but once they saw the situation at the treasury clearly, they could not help but be stunned.

Inside the treasury, a monk in white sat cross-legged, his monk's robes fluttering. Because he was facing away from Li Xun and the other, his specific appearance could not be seen. To the left and right of the monk, each was guarded by a stunningly beautiful young girl. One could only see their side profiles, but in terms of looks, they were definitely not inferior to Yan Hong, and perhaps even better. And judging by the aura of the two girls, they were definitely not ordinary people.

Behind the handsome monk, there was a wooden platform, and on the platform sat a cup containing liquid and a stone; the soaring rainbow light that Li Xun and the others had seen earlier was emitted precisely by that stone.

Although Li Xun and Yan Hong did not know the origin of this Heavenly Emperor Treasury, they could guess that the liquid and stone in the wooden cup were the rare treasures they were pursuing.

But they dared not act rashly.

Because those thousands of Qi auras were being emitted by that monk in white.

The closer they were, the more they could feel the terror of the monk in white.

Those thousands of Qi auras were like giant pillars dancing and waving wildly, stirring the surrounding heaven and earth airflow into a violent sea, with thousands of layers of surging waves that could drown the two of them at any moment.

Such a person was simply something they had never seen or heard of before.

If they were to offend the other party by accident, it would likely not be a difficult task for him to pinch them to death.

Just at this moment, the monk in white rose to his full height, drank the liquid in the wooden cup in one gulp, and the small stone was likewise swallowed into his belly.

This treasure left behind by the Heavenly Emperor could stimulate the most fundamental power of a living being.

In the original path, the spirit monkey Xiaohui drank the contents of the cup, thus saving countless years of bitter cultivation, and could transform into a three-eyed spirit monkey at any time.

This surge of power instantly coursed through Yu Liancheng's entire body, through every meridian and bone, and was digested completely in the blink of an eye.

Yu Liancheng slowly turned his body, walked out of the Heavenly Emperor Treasury, closed his eyes, and silently thought to himself: "It is time."

"Junior Sister, are you looking at the object hanging from that monk's waist? Is it the supreme divine artifact 'Mysterious Fire Mirror' that our Fenxiang Valley lost three hundred years ago?"

Li Xun had sharp eyes and faintly caught sight of an object at Yu Liancheng's waist. When he looked closely, he couldn't help but be startled; wasn't that the divine artifact Mysterious Fire Mirror that their Fenxiang Valley had lost back then?

Yan Hong lingeringly moved her gaze away from Yu Liancheng's peerlessly handsome face and landed on the Mysterious Fire Mirror at his waist; after pondering for a moment, she nodded.

"That's right, that should be the Mysterious Fire Mirror of our Fenxiang Valley," Yan Hong nodded and said.

Li Xun frowned slightly: "It is said that the Mysterious Fire Mirror fell into the hands of a Demon Fox. I wonder who this person is, and what relationship he has with the fox demon?"

Yan Hong bit her red lip with her white teeth and hesitated: "I recognize this person; he, he is the Divine Monk Puzhen of Tianyin Temple! Counting by seniority, we should even call him Martial Uncle."

"Divine Monk Puzhen?" Li Xun's brow furrowed even tighter, and he couldn't help but ask in confusion: "Junior Sister, how do you recognize him?"

Yan Hong's pretty face flushed red; she couldn't very well say that she was also a follower of Divine Monk Puzhen, could she? In her boudoir, she even hid a portrait of the Divine Monk and a Diamond Sutra with his handwritten annotations, both obtained at a great price.

Fortunately, Li Xun no longer had time to ask.

For those thousands of Qi auras suddenly condensed, and amidst the changing winds and clouds, they finally coalesced into nine distinct Qi auras. These auras were extremely dense, having already turned into substance, and presented different forms.

The first Qi aura changed incessantly; at times it turned into rolling dark clouds, obscuring the light of heaven. At times it flashed with lightning and thundered, the sound shaking the vast sky. At times it was a gale sweeping the heavens, scouring all things, as if this strand of Qi aura contained the four seasons of Heavenly Phenomenon...

——Myriad Phenomena Path of the Gui Cang Nine Paths.

Man follows Earth, Earth follows Heaven, Heaven follows the Dao of Nature. The interaction between Heavenly Human and the myriad phenomena of heaven and earth all happens within a single thought.

The second Qi aura likewise changed in a thousand ways, but it was not Heavenly Phenomenon. Instead, it was various weapons such as sabers, spears, staves, swords, halberds, axes, and whips, with each type of weapon dancing on its own in the air.

Bi Yao, Yan Hong, and Li Xun, who were present, were all outstanding members of the younger generation, and they soon discovered that the evolution of these weapons was not a divine ability or spell of the cultivation world, but resembled the Martial Dao cultivation of the mortal world.

Just after watching for a few moments, everyone was breaking out in cold sweat, for the evolution of those weapons was truly too profound and deep; if a martial artist were to truly execute the moves within the weapons while having sufficient True Qi, they, as cultivators, might not be able to withstand it.

Especially when the Qi aura transformed into a pitch-black long sword, the moves executed were even more shocking and unimaginable, almost not like human sword techniques.

——Divine Weapon Path of the Gui Cang Nine Paths.

In this path, it fused Yu Liancheng's understanding of weapons; any weapon placed in his hands was the most terrifying divine weapon, and he could likewise use the Divine Weapon Path to control the divine weapons of all sects under heaven.

The third Qi aura was different from the first two, stagnating in mid-air without any change. But no one dared to underestimate this Qi aura, for it was filled with the intent of destruction, as if its existence was solely for the sake of destruction.

It gave people the feeling that whether it was ordinary flowers, plants, and trees, or the famous Nine Heavens Divine Weapons, once they encountered this power, there was only the path of destruction and ruin.

——Jiemie Path of the Gui Cang Nine Paths.

This path originated from the Broken Force, the Fifteenth Change of the Life-Taking Thirteen Swords, Huitian Miedi Jian Twenty-Three... its lethality was the most terrifying.

The fourth Qi aura was strange and unpredictable, cycling between life and death, changing without form; it was precisely the Strange and Treacherous Dao that Yu Liancheng had passed on to Bi Yao.

The fifth Qi aura transformed into a human figure, executing fist and foot techniques; every punch and every kick gave one the feeling that it could shake heaven and earth; it was the Heaven-Shaking Path of perfected external hard-body cultivation.

The sixth Qi aura could no longer be fathomed by the naked eye, as if it were hidden in the void, but just looking at that direction made one feel dizzy; it was the Spirit-Startling Path formed from Yu Liancheng's mental path.

The seventh Qi aura likewise transformed into a human figure, but this Qi aura came and went without a trace, at times miles away, at times right before one's eyes; this was precisely the Inch-Distance Path that contained all his light-body techniques.

The eighth Qi aura was in harmony with heaven and earth, profound and unfathomable; it was the Xuanji Path used to expound upon the arts of Xuanji and the mysteries of the Heavenly Dao.

The final Qi aura was the fusion of the previous eight Qi auras.

Eight paths as one, the strongest path—the Only-Me Path.

But the Only-Me Path had only just condensed into form when it quickly fluctuated and dissipated.

Myriad Phenomena Path, Divine Weapon Path, Jiemie Path, Strange and Treacherous Dao, Heaven-Shaking Path, Spirit-Startling Path, Inch-Distance Path, Xuanji Path, and the Only-Me Path—this was Yu Liancheng's Return Treasury Scripture, the Gui Cang Nine Paths.

"Sure enough, I am still missing the final volume of the Heavenly Book."

Feeling the dissipating "Only-Me Path," Yu Liancheng thought to himself, and the nine Qi auras simultaneously retracted into his body, while his memories had also fully recovered.

He was both the Divine Monk Puzhen.

And even more so, Yu Liancheng.

In the next moment, three thousand strands of dark hair grew from the top of his head, fluttering in the wind like a black waterfall.

The white monk's robe also transformed from white to black in an instant, like ink splashing on dark clouds, the black robes billowing and drifting, his demeanor ethereal and dashing, like a Heavenly Human.

"You... you..."

Bi Yao, who was already surprised enough, now widened her eyes even further, revealing an expression of disbelief.

Although the appearance of the person before her had changed slightly, that temperament, that black robe, were all so familiar, remembered countless times in her dreams.

"See, I didn't lie to you."

Yu Liancheng turned his head and smiled.

Bi Yao was stunned for a long while, then suddenly smiled brilliantly, like spring flowers blooming in an instant, and called out tenderly: "Uncle Yu."

……

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