Chapter 575: A Method to Dodge the Tribulation

Dun Tian Zhou!

Li Yuan's eyes lit up; a dazzling black light flooded into view.

【Dun Tian Zhou (Eleventh Rank)】

【…Rift Sea Star Core…Remnant Spirit of the Cosmic Serpent's Bloodline…】

【Condition One for Mastery: Absolute-Grade Wu Gong at Perfection, Form of Dragon and Serpent, Form of Hundred Birds】(The Daoist Tianyun Daoist Tianyun Xuanbing's spirit has not yet acknowledged a master)

【Effect One of Mastery: Eleventh Rank (Black): Shift, Contain Space】

【Condition Two for Mastery:???】

【Effect Two of Mastery:???】

The black light wove itself together in the depths of Li Yuan's eyes.

Just as he had guessed before, Dun Tian Zhou had no ability to alter one's root bone or stack talents; in fact, its mastery effects were fewer than those of other Daoist Tianyun Daoist Tianyun Xuanbing.

But when he focused his spirit and observed carefully, his heart could not help but skip a beat.

【Shift: Derived from the Gu Gu Shentong of the Star-Beast Cosmic Serpent…therefore it can only shift position within and without the You Jing…】

【Contain Space: Derived from the Gu Gu Shentong of the Star-Beast Cosmic Serpent…within it a cave-heaven of its own exists, connected to the present world…nurtured with incense and offerings, its foundation may be increased…】

"Teleport!"

Li Yuan's heart gave a jolt.

Seeing Qin Yun stride over, Gui Gui Laoxian's pupils shrank and his face immediately turned ugly:

"It's you!"

"Continue."

Pang Pang Wenlong casually tossed Dun Tian Zhou to Li Yuan, but his gaze never left that Gui Gui Laoxian.

Daoist Priest Yuan Qing bowed once, then smoothly collected the One-Qi Stake; with this one present, there was no fear of the old turtle escaping.

"I…"

Gui Gui Laoxian felt a sudden chill surge in his heart, and the words of bluster instantly could not leave his mouth; this old fellow was not like that little Daoist Priest—one look told him he was not someone easy to fool.

"This tribulation originates from the Eight Directions Temple; to break this tribulation, one can only seek it within the Eight Directions Temple…"

"Oh?"

Pang Pang Wenlong neither agreed nor disagreed.

"There is a rumor in Tian Shi Yuan that the Eight Directions Temple contains the inheritance of a Supreme God. That Calamity of the Sun-Day must also be related to this one's inheritance; if one could obtain the inheritance of this Supreme God, the tribulation would surely dissolve on its own."

Gui Gui Laoxian felt tremendous pressure; this old fellow's baleful aura rolled off him in waves, looking every bit ready to strike at the slightest disagreement, so he did not dare to be the least bit negligent.

"More useless words."

Pang Pang Wenlong's face was expressionless.

Apart from the secrets concerning the Venom Dragon Academy, he had already extracted quite a bit of intelligence regarding Tian Shi Yuan from Chi He Lian.

Among them was the fact that the Eight Directions Temple had drifted through Tian Shi Yuan for many years, and that even gods had perished because of it.

How many years the Eight Directions Temple had existed, Chi He Lian did not know either, but it was bound to be an enormous number; and with so many years gone by without anyone gaining the Eight Directions Temple's acknowledgment, where was he to seek it from?

Glancing at Li Yuan, who kept toying with Dun Tian Zhou, Pang Pang Wenlong sighed inwardly, asked no more, and walked toward the foot of the mountain; how keen was his perception?

The instant he entered the temple, he had already detected that Thousand-Eye Stele.

"Senior, after you left, that Thousand-Eye old ghost…"

Fang Fang Sanyun sidled up and began telling him what had happened after his departure.

"The Thousand-Eye God, Dong Dong Ershisan…"

Pang Pang Wenlong's brow lifted slightly.

He naturally knew the Thousand-Eye came from beyond the heavens, but he had not expected that this old ghost he did not think much of was actually a 'God.'

"Senior."

At this moment, Li Yuan also restrained his urge to explore Dun Tian Zhou and recounted his earlier exchange with Dong Dong Ershisan, mainly concerning the Calamity of the Sun-Day.

"At least a Jiazi cycle, at most a century…then there are only some sixty years left, sixty years…"

Pang Pang Wenlong's expression gradually grew Solemn; he looked all around, his gaze deep, and activated his Dharma Eye, yet did not see any trace left behind by Dong Dong Ershisan.

Listening to the two converse, the others at the foot of the mountain also knit their brows tightly.

"Sixty years…"

Pang Pang Wenlong drew a deep breath and looked at Li Yuan:

"Do you have any confidence in the Temple-Entry Trial?"

"Reporting to Senior, I have none."

Li Yuan gave a bitter smile.

Those who summit Eight Directions Mountain are either peerless prodigies with top-tier talent and a young bone age, or killing-freaks who have cleared all thirty-six floors of the Dao Soldier Pagoda.

And freaks of that sort—there are piles of them on the mountaintop.

To defeat them within sixty years and cut his way into the temple, he truly did not have the slightest confidence; let alone that, after the Temple-Entry Trial, he might still have to fight and contend with those who enter the temple from the Qi Ta Qi Jing.

"Sixty years is too short."

Pang Pang Wenlong fell silent.

With his talent, his Zhi Wu Gong had only reached a thousand steps of Dengshan; those who could reach the mountaintop must possess talent surpassing his, and most hailed from that Tian Shi Yuan where Daoist Qun Xing converged.

Li Yuan's talent might not be inferior to theirs, but how could the Wu Gong he had learned compare?

Every one of those at the foot of the mountain was a hero of the present age; the concerns in Pang Pang Wenlong's heart, they could more or less guess, and now they exchanged glances in silence.

Gui Gui Laoxian propped himself up to sit, closed his eyes, and could not help but think of his divine coffin, a dull ache rising again and again in his chest.

"The Calamity of the Sun-Day originates from the Eight Directions Temple; I fear even a God may not be able to break it."

At this moment, Chi He Lian suddenly spoke, breaking the heavy silence at the foot of the mountain; everyone looked over.

"This so-called Calamity of the Sun and Sky is actually a sign that the Eight Directions Temples have appeared. If anyone could block this sign, the Eight Directions Temples would long ago have become the exclusive domain of some deity."

Seeing everyone look at her, Chi He Lian took a deep breath and said, "Breaking the calamity is indeed extremely difficult, but why even think about breaking it?"

No one answered.

The crowd at the foot of the mountain only watched her, and even Gui Gui Laoxian opened his eyes.

"Breaking the calamity is difficult, but avoiding it is not."

There was no response, yet Chi He Lian felt slightly reassured. She looked around at the crowd and said in a deep voice:

"My Poison Dragon Academy ranks as one of the Five Great Cavern Heavens of Tian Shi Yuan. Within the cavern, the Poison Dragon Divine Lord is enshrined, possessing incomprehensible Gu Gu Shentong and terrifying power, which even the Thousand-Eyed Bodhisattva could not compare to in life."

Li Yuan's expression shifted slightly, while Pang Pang Wenlong's gaze grew heavy:

"What do you mean?"

"The appearance of the Eight Directions Temples is absolutely beyond human ability to block. The opportunity to enter the temple sixty years early, even the Poison Dragon Divine Lord would surely be very tempted by it."

Chi He Lian could feel waves of coldness, yet she still gritted her teeth:

"If the Poison Dragon Divine Lord were to intervene, even with the Eight Directions Temples blocking the way, we would surely be able to extract everyone from this sealed land. At that time, this calamity would naturally resolve itself."

As she spoke, her peripheral vision scanned everywhere. Seeing that everyone's expressions remained unchanged, she bitterly cursed inwardly.

Had this been in Tian Shi Yuan, merely mentioning the name of the Poison Dragon Academy would have meant that even if the matter failed, there would still be room for negotiation. Yet these natives were too ignorant to communicate normally.

"Still nonsense."

Pang Pang Wenlong raised his hand and knocked her unconscious on the ground. He swept his gaze over the crowd, his eyes sharp:

"Those from beyond the heavens cannot be trusted. That is something to hear and let pass. Surely none of you wish to invite a wolf into the house?"

"The senior is right."

Long Long Yingchan pinched his long eyebrows, and the others also agreed. Regardless of their inner thoughts, they showed no change on their faces.

Li Yuan, however, frowned slightly:

"Senior, does the imperial court also have those from beyond the heavens?"

Pang Pang Wenlong would not agree to this, but the imperial court might not. After all, the Great Yun imperial family itself consists of those from beyond the heavens; they might not consider it inviting a wolf into the house.

"That is indeed a trouble."

Pang Pang Wenlong frowned slightly and looked at Chi He Lian.

"..."

Chi He Lian felt a heaviness in her chest and could only lower her head:

"The Dao essence of the Eight Directions Temples isolates this starry heaven and earth. Those tainted by the Dao essence find it difficult to leave, and naturally cannot communicate with the outside world..."

Upon reaching this point, she paused slightly. She truly did not wish to reveal such things, but thinking of the old fellow's methods, she still gritted her teeth and answered:

【88】 "Only by performing a sacrifice within the cavern heaven of the temple is it possible to communicate with the Poison Dragon Divine..."

"Only by performing the rite within the cave-heaven of the temple can one hope to commune with the Venom Dragon God…"

"Oh?"

Pang Pang Wenlong remained noncommittal. He simply raised his hand, lifted her up, turned, and vanished from the spot. Such intelligence, if not extracted through personal interrogation, he dared not believe.

"Is that so?"

Li Yuan squeezed the Mirage Dragon Whip at his waist, and the voice of the young female dragon also sounded in his mind:

"How would I know these things? But the Poison Dragon Divine is indeed extremely terrifying. It is said that the deities He personally exterminated were not few..."

Compared to the disciples of the Poison Dragon Academy, the young female dragon could be considered informationally isolated, but she could at least corroborate the truth or falsehood in Chi He Lian's words.

"Is the Poison Dragon Divine considered a 'Supreme Deity'?"

Li Yuan asked in his mind.

"I do not know."

The young female dragon answered very bluntly. Regarding everything about the gods, even in Tian Shi Yuan it is a taboo; ordinary people cannot obtain information from any channel other than rumors.

Even if one used the 'Universal Knowledge Sphere' to communicate with 'Dao Shen Jing' to inquire, the result would inevitably be the answer: 【According to the Universal Knowledge Law of All Realms, some search results are not displayed】.

"Avoid the calamity."

Li Yuan pondered in his heart.

He felt Chi He Lian's words held some credibility. After all, Pang Pang Wenlong had taken her umbrella, and it was said he had even hung her up to be scorched by the sun; she was already unable to leave this heaven and earth by normal means.

Her desire for everyone to summon the Poison Dragon Divine likely also contained a means of self-preservation.

"But what this Poison Dragon disciple said makes a lot of sense. Avoiding the calamity is naturally easier than breaking it. There are quite a few methods in Tian Shi Yuan to sever the Qi of heaven and earth."

The young female dragon urged: "Help me reshape my dragon body, and I will take you to Tian Shi Yuan to help you find such methods!"

"Hmm..."

Li Yuan pretended to ponder deeply.

"Your talent is comparable to the direct disciples of the Five Great Cavern Heavens. Tian Shi Yuan is the place you should go... a place where Daoist Qun Xing gathers, with countless wonders available for harvesting..."

"You..."

The young female dragon exerted every effort to seduce.

Li Yuan did not respond to her, but his heart was somewhat moved. The selection and harvesting of wonders relate to the rank of Dao Shen Jing and the spiritual aspect.

"Why don't you say something?!"

The young female dragon grew somewhat annoyed; she absolutely did not want to be a weapon spirit for the rest of her life.

"No rush."

Li Yuan remained calm.

He had just entered the Dao and gained many harvests; he must digest everything first before doing anything else.

Ding~

The bell's sound echoed.

The armored guards stationed on the Star-Gazing Platform shuddered and bowed their heads respectfully.

Amidst the echoing bell tolls, the Qian Emperor walked out with a gloomy face. Wan Wan Zhuliu, Shen Shen Qisheng, and others followed behind; their faces were as still as water, though Yan Yan Tianxiong's expression was the ugliest.

"You may withdraw."

With a raised hand, he dismissed the armored guards. The Qian Emperor's face darkened further:

"Does Sect Master Yan have nothing to say?"

"... Your Majesty, Yan has nothing to say."

Yan Yan Tianxiong let out a bitter smile. He had guessed that old ghost had a scheme, but how could he have known the entity actually wanted to seize the identity of the Temple Opener?

"I do not know if that old ghost's scheme was successful."

Shen Shen Qisheng looked at Wan Wan Zhuliu with some regret: "Your Highness withdrew in haste; did you discover something?"

"This matter will be reported to Your Majesty later, but for now..."

Wan Wan Zhuliu glanced around; his gaze grew heavy: "Your Majesty, the aura of the Dun Tian Zhou is gone..."