Chapter 509: Origin Divine Script

Wooo!

Purple.

The great doors slowly swung open. Li Yuan felt a wave of bleak, ancient air rush toward him—so thick and heavy it made his heart tremble!

In a daze, what lay before his eyes no longer seemed an ancient temple, but a boundless starry sky, a bottomless abyss—enough to make anyone's heart lurch at the sight!

"The Temple of Eight Directions… the Temple of Eight Directions…"

The little mother dragon was trembling too. Even now, it all felt unreal to her—that a legendary fortune, one that countless peak experts had chased in vain, should simply appear before her eyes like this.

"Go in, go in!"

Seeing Li Yuan still standing there sizing things up, the little mother dragon wished she could take his place. This native boy had no idea what this ancient temple

meant!

"No rush!"

Having come this far, the pounding in Li Yuan's chest only grew stronger, but he forced himself to stay calm and kept looking around!

In the darkness, the ancient temple drifted up and down, like a lone boat sailing a black sea. Outside the temple, darkness churned, and from time to time came the roars of strange beasts!

The earth-shaking collision earlier had blown quite a few strange beasts here as well, but all were kept out by an invisible barrier!

It seemed only by crossing that rainbow bridge could one reach this place!

"Go in already!"

The little mother dragon was going crazy. She almost had to admire him—this native boy really could hold himself back!

"Great matters demand a steady mind. What would you know?"

Li Yuan couldn't be bothered to argue with her. If she'd understood that principle, she probably wouldn't have fallen to where she was today!

"You—!"

The little mother dragon flew into a rage!

Li Yuan walked slowly toward the ancient temple, but didn't hurry inside. Instead, he closed his eyes and stirred his true Qi!

Buzz!

Under the little mother dragon's anxious gaze, drops of crystalline, glass-like blood suddenly welled up in Li Yuan's palm!

"Still a touch short!"

Gazing at the fresh blood pooling in his palm, Li Yuan exhaled—and that tuft of new blood flew out at once!

Then, wrapped in the Profound Whale true Qi, it shuddered violently, fused into a single mass, and the moment it hit the ground it had unmistakably become a palm-sized miniature elephant!

Form enters blood; blood, too, can take form!

Two months of cultivation—Li Yuan's blood replacement was already more than half done, and he could just barely activate some of the techniques recorded in the Dragon Demon Heart Scripture!

"Pfft."

The little elephant swung its trunk, sneezed, and looked around with an oddly human air!

In Li Yuan's perception, it was as if he'd gained a second viewpoint. Through the blood elephant's eyes, he could see himself—vast as a giant!

A Daoist robe, a steady expression, a Scaled Illusion Dragon belt at his waist, darkness yawning behind him like an abyss!

"Go in!"

At a thought from Li Yuan, the little elephant was already swinging its trunk, fearless, walking toward that slightly ajar purple temple door!

"The Temple of Eight Directions!"

The little mother dragon's heart was pulled taut; Li Yuan too focused intently. He had a burning interest in the Temple of Eight Directions—or rather, in the legacy of that supreme great being…

Because, according to the little mother dragon, even across the whole Tian Shi Yuan, those who could be called "great beings" numbered only a handful!

"Hoo…"

Suppressing the agitation in his heart, Li Yuan fixed his gaze on the blood elephant's viewpoint. Yet the instant the blood elephant stepped into the Temple of Eight Directions, everything before his eyes went black!

Then an indescribable, tremendous force descended without warning—and in a single instant, it dragged him through the temple door!

The great Dayun divine capital—Ducheng!

After the New Year, as the Grand Sacrifice drew near, sects and martial world figures from all the Dao regions and prefectures streamed in to watch, and this imperial capital had taken on a few extra shades of the jianghu!

On the Star-Gazing Platform, Wu Wu Yingxing stood with his hands behind his back, looking down over the entire divine capital. Focusing his gaze, he could make out one after another pillar of energy rooted in the earth yet seeming to influence the heavens!

"The Dragon Tiger Temple will be here soon too."

Wu Wu Yingxing gazed into the far distance. A reddish-gold light seemed to flicker in his eyes, and across some immeasurable span he saw three currents of energy converging—

and faintly within them, the shadows of a Blue Dragon, a Bai Hu, a divine sword, and a giant elephant!

"Three Grand Masters from a single sect—after all, it's the legacy left by Daoist Yan Chunyang. There's foundation there."

Wu Wu Yingxing gathered his thoughts, cast a sidelong glance at Huang Huang Longzi, who was dozing under the great umbrella behind him, turned, and was already down from the Star-Gazing Tower!

Beneath the Star-Gazing Tower lay a vast open ground!

At this moment, however, several thousand Imperial Guards stood in formation. One after another, great cauldrons heavy with the air of incense and offerings were hauled in from outside the Imperial City and lined up

in neat rows here!

These great cauldrons

held, at the least, a decade's worth of incense offerings from a single prefecture or commandery, and at the most, a decade's worth from an entire Dao region!

Through those Yun Xiang Ding cauldrons, the thick scent of incense offerings had already spread across the whole open ground—even Huang Huang Longzi up on the Star-Gazing Platform couldn't help glancing over.

"Glimpse one corner and you see the whole. A thousand years of Dayun's accumulation—truly impressive. If you gave this old man a hundred years of it, it'd be enough to forge the provisions for a Divine Palace."

The drifting incense offerings spread like fog and cloud. Even Huang Huang Longzi felt a touch of covetousness—any life-bearing star was a treasure of the universe, even at the Poison Dragon Academy!

Only the masters of the five branches were qualified to hold sole dominion over a life-bearing star!

"What a pity."

Huang Huang Longzi shifted a little further under the umbrella, away from the direct shaft of sunlight, but his gaze couldn't help drifting to the silver-haired middle-aged man standing with his hands clasped behind his back on the high platform below the tower!

"A peerless figure indeed!"

Yellow Dragon Son closed his eyes, listening to the chime of the Great Sun Jin Lin Bell!

Woooong!

A gentle breeze drifted in, carrying with it a faint scent of incense and offerings!

"Mount Hengshan Dao, eleven Yun Xiang Ding; Gusu Dao, nine Yun Xiang Ding; Yanshan Dao, six; Long Yin Dao, eleven; Thunder Intent Great Province, seven; Mount Yunmeng Dao, three!"

"Henglong Dao, twenty-three; Wanlong Dao, eighteen!"

On the high platform built of white jade, Wan Wan Zhuliu stood with his hands at his sides; before him, Emperor Qian sat upright and solemn, while several commanders of the Imperial Guard bowed and reported!

"Besides these, those unsealed from the inner treasury total three hundred!"

"Three hundred!"

Emperor Qian tapped the armrest of his chair lightly, feeling a twinge of heartache all the same!

This was the imperial court's stockpile accumulated over more than a hundred years, and these three hundred were only what was needed for a single minor ritual!

Wan Wan Zhuliu frowned!

"Reporting to Your Highness, ever since Wei Wei Tianzuo's death and the Changhong Sword Sect's near-total uprooting of all the temples, these three were all that had been stockpiled before!"

That Imperial Guard commander bowed and said: "The other Dao fared slightly better—only the Thousand-Eye Temple was swept away, so the impact was smaller."

"The Changhong Sword Sect."

Wan Wan Zhuliu's gaze darkened slightly!

"As for the matter of the Changhong Sword Sect, Wan Zhuliu need not trouble himself with it for now. Once this affair is concluded, Offering Shen will handle it!"

Emperor Qian's expression unchanged, he slowly rose and said: "Calculating the time, the people from the several great Dao Sects should be arriving by now. Hmm, let the ritual begin!"

Hum.

Before his words had even faded, Yellow Dragon Son had already drifted down onto the high platform, umbrella in hand!

"Many thanks to you for presiding over the ritual!"

Emperor Qian looked toward Yellow Dragon Son!

Regarding the Grand Ritual, he was also very cautious. Of the previous two, one had used the sacrificial rites secretly transmitted by the Scripture Pavilion, and the other had been the ritual Yellow Dragon Son spoke of; moreover, neither had allowed that person to take part!

"I shall give it my all."

Yellow Dragon Son cupped his fist in assent. Feeling Wan Wan Zhuliu's gaze, he paused and said: "Although the Eight Directions Temple is a marvel of the cosmos, it is ultimately not a god. Thus during the Grand Ritual it may possibly attract certain indescribably powerful evil gods or strange lands. I shall divide one Grand Ritual into five Minor Rituals. Though the incense and offerings used will be neither more nor less, the advantage lies in safety!"

"That would be best!"

Wan Wan Zhuliu's expression was cold, a flash of silver light passing through the depths of his eyes!

"Simply do your best, sir!"

Emperor Qian's expression was mild!

"Many thanks for Your Majesty's trust!"

Yellow Dragon Son gave his long sleeves a light flick, took up his umbrella, and stepped down from the high platform. His gait was steady, each step following a specific orientation!

Hum!

As he moved, the three hundred Yun Xiang Ding on the plaza suddenly began to tremble, as if on the verge of bursting apart entirely; the scent of incense and offerings instantly grew several times richer!

"O hidden one, the wondrous land that endures through all ages."

Under the gaze of the Dayun court and its ministers, Yellow Dragon Son recited the original text aloud—this was not the official language of Dayun, but the divine script circulated in Tian Shi Yuan, the Origin Divine Script!

His voice was deep and rhythmic, every syllable he uttered seeming to explode directly in the hearts of those present!

"Sacrifice."

A moment later Yellow Dragon Son suddenly halted. The great umbrella in his palm trembled violently once, and then came a heaven-shaking explosion!

On the plaza, the three hundred Yun Xiang Ding had all burst open at once!

Boom.

The smoke shot straight up into the sky, converging precisely upon the Great Sun Jin Lin Bell atop the Star-Gazing Platform!

Dang.

The bell's chime echoed, and echoed again, directly enveloping the Imperial City and even the entire Ducheng within it!

"The imperial court is performing the temple ritual again!"

"The chime of the Great Sun Jin Lin Bell."

"What a pity, no chance to see it in person."

Startled by the chime, no one knew how many people in Ducheng looked up at the sky, only to see the bell's ripples spreading slowly as if tangible, merging with the incense and offerings streaming in!

Surging, boiling, until with a boom they exploded apart!

In a certain guild hall within the city, Yan Yan Tianxiong, who had been playing chess against a divine statue, seemed to sense something. He looked up, his gaze passing through the pavilion to see the incense and offerings like clouds veiling the Imperial City.

"Such a grand gesture again, tsk."

"Incense and offerings!"

The Thousand-Eye divine statue calmly set down a piece, then suddenly trembled, emitting a cracking sound!

"Hmm?"

Yan Yan Tianxiong was startled, but then saw countless fierce cracks suddenly appear on the statue, within which flickered the light of flesh and blood; those individually carved eyeballs were spinning violently.

"Not right! Not right."

Boom.

The entire pavilion had already exploded into fragments!

Under Yan Yan Tianxiong's horrified gaze, a terrifying elder born with a thousand eyes stepped out from the stone statue. He raised his head, and the countless eyeballs upon his body all looked upward in unison!

"What is the meaning of this?"

Yan Yan Tianxiong was startled, and followed his gaze!

He only saw, at the Star-Gazing Platform, where the bell's ripples and the incense and offerings converged—within those vast clouds of smoke, all manner of lights and shadows churned and shifted violently!

An ancient temple, drifting unsteadily in the darkness, emerged high in the vault of heaven. From a distance beyond reckoning, a desolate, ancient aura already leaked out from within it!

It spread across the Imperial City, blanketing the Divine Capital!

"The Temple of Eight Directions."

In that instant, the Imperial City and the Divine Capital fell utterly silent!

The ministers and officials of Great Fortune beneath the Star-Gazing Platform all wore solemn expressions. The imperial guards stood as if facing a formidable enemy. Only Wan Wan Zhuliu, as if suddenly aware of something, pressed down on the dragon mark between his brows!

A roar only he could hear exploded in his mind—

"Someone, someone is here."

The roar kept echoing, but Wan Wan Zhuliu acted as if he had not noticed, merely raising his head to look at the sky, his gaze meeting that of the Yellow Dragon Son!

Under the gaze of countless people, a figure walked through the open temple gates.