Chapter 370: The Heavenly Robe Automaton

The mountain range towered high and steep, jagged and towering, abrupt and rugged, with paths as winding and treacherous as a sheep's intestine.

Moreover, streams of emerald water swirled and lingered, curving and looping endlessly.

From afar, misty haze could be seen flickering brightly and dimly between the mountains and waters, like sandalwood burning in a furnace tripod, transforming into hundreds and thousands of shapes, making the scenery even more beautiful and truly marvelous!

After following the young man across mountains and through waters for a little less than half a quarter-hour,

the young man finally emerged from the cloud vapors, arriving before an utterly unremarkable cliff face, where he extended his hand to form a strange seal.

As soon as this Dharma Seal appeared, it was as if some mechanism had been triggered; the cliff face rumbled and split open from the middle, yielding a narrow path wide enough for a person to pass.

Still not reassured, the young man exhaled a wisp of smoke from his mouth, which transformed into a blurry, one-eyed small beast, ordering it to dive into the wood and stone beneath the cliff to guard all directions above, below, and around.

Having completed all this, he chuckled softly, rubbed his hands together excitedly, lowered his head, and hurriedly burrowed down the small path, entering into the cliff.

However, he failed to notice that just as he set off, a wisp of qi-mist silently followed, trailing behind him and entering the cliff along with him.

Soon, the mountain rock emitted another trembling sound, closing the entrance tightly without a single gap, as if nothing had ever happened.

Initially, the mountain path was cramped, barely allowing one person to pass while bending over.

But after traveling no more than a few li, the view suddenly opened up.

Brilliant light burst forth ahead, illuminating the entire field of vision with dazzling brilliance, like flowing stars exchanging colors and crimson treasures flying at dawn!

Chen Heng looked with his eyes and saw that the path before him had ended at a sheer cliff.

Below the cliff lay a huge five-colored underground palace, strange in structure and unlike any architecture of the current dynasty.

At the east, west, south, north, and central positions of the underground palace stood five divine statues, each five inches and five fen tall, draped in five-colored patterned robes, wearing caps of Boundless Worthiness, and holding jade tablets in their hands.

Even though they were merely lifeless statues, they emitted an oppressive aura.

It felt as if primordial deities from ancient times had descended into the world, pressing down until one's consciousness stung and body tensed, involuntarily stirring panic!

Only now, truly standing here, did one realize that the entire interior of this great mountain had been hollowed out, sustained solely by formation arrays, leaving only an empty shell.

Within this vast hollow mountain belly, only this magnificent underground palace existed, with nothing else.

After glancing around in all four directions, Chen Heng saw the young man already flying downward, entering the underground palace.

Chen Heng withdrew his gaze, looked no further, and followed after him.

Inside the underground palace, there were not many precious pearls or jades for decoration; everywhere exuded an ancient and weathered feeling, with the most striking feature being a jade platform in the main hall.

The jade platform consisted of three tiers; the upper and middle tiers were completely empty, unknown whether their treasures had been taken long ago or never existed in the first place.

Only on the lower tier of the jade platform rested a Daoist scripture and a jade slip, both shimmering with colorful light, wreathed in five-colored mysterious qi, appearing extraordinarily remarkable.

"The Five Old Celestial Officials' Great Hand Seal; I have already mastered this great divine ability, so seeing the original true manuscript now does not count as a great gain.

But if I can obtain this 'Essential True Scripture of the Five Elements Spirit Platform'..."

The young man's gaze lingered slightly on the jade slip before shifting away, settling only on the Daoist scripture.

His eyes brightened slightly, his fists clenched involuntarily, and he thought to himself:

"Grandfather once expended his own essence blood as an offering, requesting that old turtle-dragon in the Three Realms Cave to carefully calculate; this 'Essential True Scripture of the Five Elements Spirit Platform' from the Five Old Observant Heritage Mansion fits my root nature extremely well.

Although it is not a scripture of the Primordial Divine Dao, through analogy and extension, my Dao cultivation can still make significant progress.

Furthermore, the old turtle-dragon said that during my journey to this Eastern Mi Province, if I could encounter this Five Old Observant Heritage Mansion, regardless of whether I obtain the fortune within, a great opportunity surely awaits me in the future.

It is even possible that after escaping the Three Realms Cave in the days to come, my true body will gain freedom!

But as to what exactly this great opportunity is, that old thing spoke vaguely and could not calculate it clearly, which is truly hateful and annoying..."

After muttering this silently, the young man did not delay further.

He quickly uttered a low shout, causing two streams of five-colored radiant light to fly out from above his head, spinning rapidly as they descended toward the lowest tier of the jade platform, exerting force gradually like a stone mill grinding beans, breaking through the restrictions bit by bit.

For a moment, light and shadow surged wildly, exploding into tens of thousands of sparks falling into the void.

The ringing echoes reverberated endlessly within the underground palace, creating a formidable momentum!

Yet the young man was indeed a meticulous person; he did not break the restrictions with full strength, always reserving thirty percent of his power to preserve himself.

Moreover, he periodically paused to regulate his breath and replenish his divine intent, remaining highly vigilant, clearly worried that someone might ambush him when he was exhausted.

Thus, moving and stopping intermittently, until five days of effort had passed,

a "Crack!" sound finally transmitted from the lower tier of the jade platform.

The restrictions shattered explosively, causing both the jade slip and the Daoist scripture to shake slightly, revealing their true forms.

Seeing this, the young man felt a surge of joy in his heart, but just as he was about to remotely draw these two items over, a strange omen suddenly arose in his mind, startling him terribly.

He hastily raised his arm, first releasing a cloud of colorful mist to protect his body, then conjuring a stream of light to swiftly roll toward the jade slip and the Daoist scripture!

However, although his reaction was swift, it was ultimately one step too slow.

In the corner of his eye, he only vaguely caught a flash of crimson sword light.

The jade slip and the Daoist scripture both vanished, leaving nothing but emptiness in their place.

"It's you? How did you get in?!"

The young man turned his head, looking at Chen Heng, who was slowly revealing his form from the distance.

His pupils constricted; he was truly shocked and could not help but assume a defensive posture.

From their single meeting in the past, both had retained a deep impression of each other in their minds.

Although the young man did not know how Chen Heng had silently infiltrated this place, escaping even the detection of his divine sense,

he understood that Chen Heng was indeed a formidable opponent!

His true body was still trapped in the Three Realms Cave; what stood here now was merely an avatar created using an innate secret method. Although its strength surpassed ordinary avatar methods, it ultimately could not compare to the presence of his true body.

Under such circumstances,

having to face a powerful enemy like Chen Heng, the situation was likely perilous with little hope of survival...

"'Essential True Scripture of the Five Elements Spirit Platform'... Is this the fortune that Senior Pan Pan Yangzi obtained from the Five Old Xiangong?"

At this moment, under the young man's vigilant gaze, Chen Heng casually flipped open the Daoist scripture, merely scanning a few pages before understanding everything, unable to suppress a smile.

It was because Pan Pan Yangzi had received the heritage of the ancient Five Old Xiangong that he was able to attain the Dao and cultivate the Pure Yang Dao Fruit in a place like the Earth Continent, where spiritual energy was so scarce.

Later, after befriending a Yu Yu Yuchen Supreme True One, and at his invitation, he founded the Five Elders Observatory, which was also renowned at the time, on Liaoming Mountain, spreading the Dao lineage throughout Xudu Xudu Tianyu.

This sect name was, in fact, a tribute to the Five Elders Xiangong, indicating his intention not to forget his origins.

And since Pan Pan Yangzi was the successor of a later generation from the long-extinct Five Elders Xiangong,

it was only natural that the "Five Elements Spiritual Platform Secret Essential True Scripture" of the Five Elders Xiangong could be found in his legacy estate; it was nothing strange or bizarre.

At this moment, seeing that Chen Heng had merely glanced once before exposing the origin of this Daoist scripture,

and being unable to guess his intentions, indeed encountering such a situation for the first time,

the young man panicked in his heart and began speaking without thinking:

"You, you... how dare you seize my belongings? Do you know who I am!"

"May I ask this Daoist brother about your origins?"

Chen Heng smiled slightly, cupped his fists, and said.

Asked thus by Chen Heng, the young man was instead stumped; he stammered and could not utter a single word.

"To be honest, I am a disciple of the Yin Jing Sect, and like you, I belong to the Bapaixuan Sect... Since we are both disciples of the Righteous Path, we should naturally share the same breath and reason; how could you commit such evil deeds?"

The young man coughed dryly out of guilt, speaking awkwardly.

"So you are a senior brother from the Yin Jing Sect; what a coincidence. I just wonder how Li Yuwei of your sect has been in recent years? Since parting ways with Li Yuwei at the Bihong Dharma Assembly, many years have passed without meeting."

Chen Heng feigned a sudden realization and spoke kindly.

"..."

The young man's eyes widened, and his heart was filled with confusion.

But since matters had come to this, he could only follow Chen Heng's lead and continue speaking.

And after rambling for a while, just as he thought his nonsense had successfully deceived Chen Heng,

Chen Heng suddenly waved his hand, smiled, and said:

"Heroes are not judged by their origins; you are clearly not a disciple of the Yin Jing Sect, so why bother deceiving me with words? I, Chen, am not one of those petty nobles who value lineage; I came here presumptuously today only wishing to make a transaction with you, harboring no malicious intent.

For any presumption herein, I hope for your understanding; please forgive me, Chen, for my rudeness."

Upon hearing these words, the young man was naturally startled, an expression of embarrassment inevitably appearing on his face as he fell speechless.

"How do you know I am not from the Yin Jing Sect?"

After the initial shock, he could not help but ask curiously.

Chen Heng shook his head slightly, merely smiling.

How many years had he been cultivating the Dao? If one subtracted the wandering years before he even entered Yu Yu Yuchen, the time was even less.

With such a short span of time, he barely had enough opportunity to comprehend the Xue Xuan Gong; where would he find the leisure to associate with the talents of the Bapailiu Sect and chat happily with them?

Whether it was Li Yuwei or the Bihong Dharma Assembly, it was all merely words spoken casually by Chen Heng, entirely fictitious.

Unexpectedly, this young man had followed his lead and continued the story.

In this way, exposure was naturally inevitable.

However, from the earlier incident, Chen Heng also realized that although this young man possessed formidable methods and was quite alert and cautious,

he seemed to have little contact with the outside world, did not understand worldly affairs, and his mind was quite simple.

And now, seeing Chen Heng speak politely and actively restrain his qi aura to indicate he had no hostile intent,

and realizing that with his own knowledge, it would be difficult to deceive him,

plus, given the young man's straightforward temperament, he was too lazy to fabricate further backgrounds and merely embarrass himself for nothing.

He laughed once, shrugged his shoulders, and said boldly:

"My name is Kong Chong, and I hail from the Three Realms Cave."

"Xi Su Zhou, Three Realms Cave..."

Upon hearing this, Chen Heng's eyes shifted slightly, a trace of emotion appearing on his face; he looked straight at Kong Chong and said:

"Are you a former subordinate of Tian Yi Yan?"

Kong Chong's face darkened; he waved his hand helplessly and sighed:

"You are overthinking it; I am so young, how could I have followed Tian Yi Yan to cause chaos in the Ancient Era? Even my grandfather could not have done so.

I do not know what was wrong with the Fuchan Laozu of my lineage back then; they actually blindly meddled along with those madmen like Tian Yi Yan and the Monk Da Hui Sheng.

As a result, just as they had accomplished something, the Dao Court mobilized you people from the Bapailiu Sect to suppress us jointly.

This turned out well: those who initiated the uprising are either dead or crippled, and they even implicated us descendants, leaving us without peace!

Nowadays, the Ancient Era has long ended, and even the damn Dao Court has perished!

Yet we are still imprisoned in the Three Realms Cave, unable to see the light of day; it is truly pitiful..."

At this moment, Chen Heng was surprised by Kong Chong's honesty, as he revealed his origins without any concealment, laying everything out openly.

At the same time, regarding his words, he shook his head slightly, unable to help but feel somewhat emotional...

Nowadays, among the Bapailiu Sect governing Xudu Xudu Tianyu, fully half are not native sects of Xudu Tian but came from distant heavens outside in response to the Dao Court's imperial edict.

The reason for this, if investigated deeply, is precisely because Tian Yi Yan and the Monk Da Hui Sheng collaborated to cause chaos.

In merely a few short years, they stirred all the heavens into turmoil and boiling unrest, making people's hearts uneasy!

Neither of these two was an ordinary person.

Tian Yi Yan once held a high position in the Dao Court, serving as a Xuanji Tianzun of a great heaven.

Later, his cultivation deepened further, and he entered the central hub, becoming a key minister and a close confidant and friend of the Dao Court Emperor.

As for the latter, the Monk Da Hui Sheng, his honorific title in the Ancient Era was 'Buddha Lord of No Foolishness, Virtue, and Goodness'; he was the senior martial brother of Monk Monk Longcang, having long transcended birth and death, free from defilement and purity, a Supreme Great Awakened One.

All his disciples were eminent holy monks; even the Demon Lord Sui Yu once listened to his teachings under his gate.

However, no matter how great the backgrounds of these two were, they ultimately could not withstand the manifest mighty power of the Dao Court.

Through the combined efforts of the Xudu Xuanji Tianzun dispatched by the Dao Court and the Bapailiu Sect.

Although they remained deadlocked in fierce combat for over a decade, they ultimately met a miserable end of defeat and destruction.

Because of this earth-shattering merit, the Bapailiu Sect not only secured eternal governance over Xudu Heaven, unchanging for ten thousand ages and free from the Dao Court's triennial assessments,

but also received numerous benefits bestowed by the Dao Court.

For instance, the Plum Blossom Numerology among the Eight Arts of the Yu Yuchen Sect today is one such reward.

However, neither Tian Yi Yan nor the Monk Da Hui Sheng were ordinary immortals.

Even if killed, their primordial spirits could not be extinguished.

Doing so would be like releasing a tiger into the mountains, causing endless future troubles!

Therefore, the Monk Da Hui Sheng was imprisoned deep within the Gate of All Mysteries, outside all realms, making it nearly impossible for him to manifest again.

As for Tian Yi Yan, after the immortals of the Bapailiu Sect shattered his Dao body, they personally forged a prison in West Xi Su Zhou called the "Cave of the Three Realms."

It reaches not up to the heavens nor down to the earth, sealing Tian Yi Yan's primordial spirit within.

This measure was intended to force his primordial spirit to undergo endless reincarnation within that prison, sinking eternally with no hope of ever awakening to clarity again!

Furthermore, due to the Dao Court's decree, none of the old subordinates who followed Tian Yi Yan back then were spared; all were imprisoned within the Cave of the Three Realms.

However, these old subordinates alone were not worth the immense trouble the sect immortals took to deal with Tian Yi Yan.

Although they were ostensibly imprisoned in the Cave of the Three Realms,

the Zun Fa spirit of the cave could not be bothered to pay them any mind, focusing its attention solely on Tian Yi Yan.

Yet now, Kong Mou has unexpectedly managed to split off an avatar, escape the Cave of the Three Realms where Tian Yi Yan is held, and travel to Dongmi Lu Zhou in search of opportunities.

While this sounds like a monumental feat that would terrify the people of the Nine Provinces,

in reality, it is nothing particularly rare, as there have been precedents in the past.

As long as those old subordinates paid a heavy price and coaxed the Zun Fa spirit of the Cave of the Three Realms into a good mood, they could accomplish this and come out for some fresh air.

If such actions still required some concealment and could not be done openly during the era of the Dao Court,

nowadays the Dao Court has already collapsed and completely scattered to the winds.

Were it not for the consideration that the descendants of these old subordinates of Tian Yi Yan ultimately harbor some grudges against them,

the immortals of the Bapailiu Sect would likely have already shown mercy, released all these beings, and restored their freedom...

At this moment, after a rapid flurry of thoughts,

Chen Heng did not dwell on it further and simply stated his purpose for coming to Kong Mou.

Upon hearing the conditions Chen Heng offered,

Kong Mou was first surprised, then immediately recalled Chen Heng's identity as a disciple of the Yu Yuchen Sect.

His eyes darted about; he clapped his hands and suddenly became delighted.

"Well said, well said! Judging merely by the conditions you proposed, I can tell Your Excellency is a true cultivator of the Dao, absolutely not one of those unreasonable types who seize by force. The earlier incident was naturally a misunderstanding, requiring no further mention.

However, there is no need for such trouble; Kong Mou happens to have a request of you as well. Why not listen to my humble opinion first? That would save you from spending wealth, wouldn't it?"

"Your Excellency may speak freely."

Chen Heng nodded slightly and said.

"Before that, however, there are a few matters I must ask first."

Kong Mou looked at Chen Heng, stepped back a few paces, and performed a solemn salute:

"I beg Brother Chen to enlighten me!"

End of Chapter

(End of Chapter)