Chapter 894: Chapter 888: Hall Of White-Robes
At the summit of the Mountain of Esoteric Stratagems, outside a temple that was primitive yet possessed an air of magnificence, Li Tianyi waited with a nervous expression.
This was the ancient temple where the Four Great Leaders of the mountain resided.
While the other ancient temples throughout the Mountain of Esoteric Stratagems were filled with the heavy stench of blood, up here on the peak, there was surprisingly a refreshing fragrance that seeped into the heart—a scent identical to the “Divine Blood” he received every year.
“I’ve worked my way up, Old Ancestor! I actually worked my way up!”
Li Tianyi kept his head lowered, but his expression was one of pure excitement.
Over the past two years, not only had the family successfully refined “Dabao,” but Li Tianyi had also utilized the Corpse Stitching Arts acquired from home to formulate his own set of insights.
He had presented these so-called “superficial learnings” to the leadership to attract the attention of the Four Great Leaders, all for the sake of getting closer to the Ling Tian Three Corpses and paving the way for future plans.
If the family’s Corpse Stitching Art was to ascend to a higher level, or if he wanted to gather intelligence on the summit, he had to take this risk.
Yet, now that he was actually standing outside the Hall of White-Robes, he couldn’t help but break out in a cold sweat.
Taotie, Zhenwu, Huangui, and Lingxu—the four great titans of the Mountain of Esoteric Stratagems—were all powerful and bizarre existences.
He couldn’t help but query the Profound Seals Talisman within his body,
“Seniors, I am facing Void Refinement experts here. Their methods are extraordinary. Can you really suppress my cultivation realm and ensure I don’t give myself away?”
His voice had barely faded when a response came.
At the very front of the Profound Seals Talisman, an old senior whose body was formed from “Soul Refining Silk” smiled faintly.
“Rest assured. Even if you were surrounded by Void Refinement experts, I could suppress your aura so completely that you would seem no different from an ordinary mortal.”
Although the old senior’s phrasing was a bit odd, Li Tianyi felt a great deal more at ease.
…
“Are you Ghost Path Tianyi?”
Arriving at the Hall of White-Robes, he was greeted by the curling smoke of burning incense.
While the foot of the mountain was a landscape of corpses and seas of blood, the summit was incomparably holy.
The hall was carved from white jade, exuding an air of magnificence and grandeur.
He saw three figures sitting cross-legged.
The moment he stepped into the hall, he found himself instantly transported to the very center—a truly bizarre sensation.
For a moment, Li Tianyi felt the world spinning around him.
Directly in front of him sat a handsome young Daoist in white robes, holding a horsetail Brush.
He possessed an air of ethereal sagehood that surpassed even that of his Uncle Yunlin.
After years of investigation, Li Tianyi knew that this person was the White-Robe, Zhenwu.
To the left sat a young child cross-legged, wearing a loose white robe.
The fabric was dotted with starlight, yet in the blink of an eye, streaks of blood-colored light seemed to flicker across it, only for everything to return to normal upon a second glance.
The child opened his eyes; they were devoid of any whites, resembling the eyes of a wild beast—utterly bizarre.
This was White-Robe Taotie.
As for the right side, there was a woman.
She was glamorously beautiful, her white robe modified into a gown.
The bodice crossed over her chest, leaving an opening that revealed her ample curves.
The skirt was split high on both sides, with the fabric falling straight down the front and back to cover her ankles.
She reclined seductively on her side, the back of her hand supporting her rosy cheek.
With fiery red lips and her right leg arched to reveal jade-like, slender skin, she held a white jade pipe.
She exhaled a puff of white smoke, appearing even more enchanting.
This was White-Robe Huangui.
Only Lingxu had not appeared.
Li Tianyi felt that Lingxu was somewhere nearby, but with his true strength currently suppressed by the seniors to maintain his cover, how could he possibly investigate?
With these four great titans surrounding him in the center, Li Tianyi was drenched in cold sweat.
In all his years of raiding tombs, or even back when his old man used to chase him around with a whip, he had never been this nervous!
“This subordinate… this subordinate is indeed Ghost Path Tianyi!”
His mind suddenly stirred—the senior was alerting him.
Li Tianyi hurriedly bowed his head and responded.
It turned out that the three leaders were currently probing his body with their spiritual sense.
He secretly breathed a sigh of relief, thankful that he had made preparations beforehand.
These three were simply too normal.
Since arriving at the Mountain of Esoteric Stratagems, Li Tianyi had seen many Purple-Robes.
Those people all possessed hideous features; some had even used corpse stitching to transform themselves into monstrous forms that looked neither human nor ghost, or even like wild beasts.
But these three?
Forget calling them White-Robes of the Mountain of Esoteric Stratagems—if someone claimed they were members of the Righteous Path, Li Tianyi wouldn’t be able to find a single reason to refute it.
“Sit down.”
Before him, Zhenwu gave a slight wave of his hand, and a prayer mat appeared on the white jade floor.
Li Tianyi dared not say much.
He hurriedly sat cross-legged, waiting to hear what the three had to say.
It seemed that the insights on corpse stitching he had submitted from the family had truly won the appreciation of the White-Robes.
White-Robe Zhenwu wore a gentle expression.
“Do not be nervous. There are many rumors regarding us within the Mountain of Esoteric Stratagems; this is inevitable.
After all, the techniques we cultivate are not tolerated by the mundane world, and even among us fellow Daoists, there is often much speculation.”
“However, my Mountain of Esoteric Stratagems has always been fair. You receive what you deserve.
The living humans, living beasts, and Divine Blood offered to you each year are proof of this.”
“There are very few people like us left in the world, and this bit of inheritance is all that remains.
We certainly would not harm you. Just consider yourself to be on equal footing with us.”
As he spoke, Zhenwu gave a playful smile.
“However, do not be too presumptuous. Otherwise, if this seat becomes angered, I will kick you right back down the mountain with a single foot.”
“….”
Li Tianyi blinked, completely dumbfounded.
Before ascending the mountain, he had imagined every possibility.
He had guessed that these fellows would be no different from malicious ghosts, or perhaps as hideous as the Old Ancestor of the Zhao Clan from years past.
But he never, in a million years, expected that these three… would act even more normal than his own father and the others.
“Ghost Path Tianyi, the reason we allowed you to ascend this time is that your insights and realizations are truly extraordinary.
Speak then, and tell us of your understanding regarding the Art of Corpse Stitching.”
“Yes!”
Recovering from the shock caused by the stark contrast between his expectations and reality, Li Tianyi hurriedly recited the speech he had prepared long ago.
As he spoke, the expressions of the three listeners grew increasingly grave.
The corpse refining method bestowed by the Old Ancestor, encompassing concepts such as “genes” and “cells,” involved observation of the human body down to the most minute detail.
These Four Great Leaders were ultimately still mortals; how could they possibly compare to the Old Ancestor’s earth-shattering knowledge?
Li Tianyi grew more and more enthusiastic as he spoke.
Even Taotie, who appeared as a child of few words, occasionally exclaimed “Good!” in admiration.
“This method is truly ingenious, subtle down to the smallest particle.”
Huangui parted her red lips lightly, ripples of emotion visible in her beautiful eyes.
“Such attention to detail… even after existing in this world for so many years, we never noticed these things.
Hearing your words today has suddenly made everything clear.
Ghost Path Tianyi, you were born to be a master of corpse stitching. With you in our Mountain of Esoteric Stratagems, the future is promising.
You follow the Ghost Path, and I am the Illusion Ghost; are you willing to become my Head Disciple? Hahaha!”
The woman’s hearty and uninhibited laughter rang out.
Gulp.
Li Tianyi stared blankly at the peaceful scene atop the Mountain of Esoteric Stratagems.
[Your descendant Li Tianyi has won the appreciation of the Three Titans of the Mountain of Esoteric Stratagems and obtained a new identity: Disciple of Huangui.]
“???”
At this moment.
Li Wei emerged from the Mountain of Esoteric Stratagems and appeared right beside Li Chang’an, his face filled with bewilderment.
Inside the Immortal Suppression Department.
Representatives from the four major factions were discussing the upcoming Great War with gloomy expressions.
In the center of the hall, an image of the mountain hung suspended in the air.
He Hao pointed at the colossal dragon coiling around the image, his gaze heavy.
“This Corpse Dragon is at the Integration Realm. Unless it is slain, we cannot enter the Mountain of Esoteric Stratagems.
Our Integration Realm almighty experts must enter the battlefield first.
With the collision of such vast power, the ten thousand ancient temples on the mountain will inevitably be thrown into chaos.”
“We will drive straight into their heart.” Zhangsun Buhuo took a deep breath.
“My Zhangsun family will strike directly at the interior, while the rest of you attack from the left and right flanks.”
“Hmph!” Heavenly Lord Ning’an let out a cold sneer.
“You’ve got some nerve, Zhangsun Buhuo.
If you penetrate deep inside, secure the Ling Tian Three Corpses, and then flee, leaving the rest of us trapped inside to be pincer-attacked by the Mountain of Esoteric Stratagems, what then?”
“You…” Zhangsun Buhuo narrowed his eyes slightly.
“Heavenly Lord Ning’an, do you truly view my Zhangsun clan as being so despicable?”
“It is hard to say in this world.” Heavenly Lord Ning’an wore a playful expression.
“Who knows what you are actually planning? If your Zhangsun family runs off with the Three Corpses, the world is vast—who would ever be able to find you?”
“Enough, stop arguing.” Fang Yunyu spoke helplessly.
“Strategies can be discussed; there is no need to lose your tempers.”
As the discussion continued, arguments had already erupted within the Immortal Suppression Department before the great battle had even begun.
It all boiled down to the division of spoils, who would breach which part of the Mountain of Esoteric Stratagems, and which family would have to bear the brunt of the casualties…
Hearing these bickering words, and then thinking back to the peaceful, fraternal scene atop the Mountain of Esoteric Stratagems, Li Wei could no longer distinguish who the true villains were and who were the ones “eating the Imperial grain.”
…
“Zhenwu, Taotie, Huangui, Lingxu?”
On the grasslands, in a place where thunder still rumbled, the storm clouds overhead had yet to disperse.
Su Chen, clad in the Li Clan’s Precious Armor, sat inside a pit where arcs of lightning still crackled across the ground.
He appeared incredibly weak.
A dark crow that had flown from afar was perched on the back of his hand.
Having received the intelligence transmitted by Li Xinnian, he gazed up at the thunderclouds in the sky and sighed deeply.
“Sixty thousand years… With all these years gone by, the ways of the world have changed.
Even the Mountain of Esoteric Stratagems, which I once fought against, has changed its face.
The new generation replaces the old; everyone is growing, yet here I am, still searching for the path ahead.”
As for these four great titans of the Mountain of Esoteric Stratagems, he had not heard of a single one of them.
“If what High Ancestor Tianyi says is true, and the four great titans of the Mountain of Esoteric Stratagems are truly kind and amiable people, then that actually aligns with the past.
When I intruded into the Mountain of Esoteric Stratagems all those years ago, that headless man did not pursue me.
The Mountain Master, Daoqing Zhenren, although a cultivator of unorthodox paths, never committed any acts of utter madness. Otherwise, he would not have been allowed to survive back then.”
Su Chen’s brows furrowed even deeper.
“Could Daoqing Zhenren be the ‘True God’ at the Integration Realm within the Mountain of Esoteric Stratagems?
But sixty thousand years have passed; how could the Mountain under his rule have started refining corpses using living humans?”
“On the other hand, the Grand Tower…”
Sixty thousand years was simply too long a time.
Su Chen dared not be certain whether the Mountain of Esoteric Stratagems had forgotten its original intentions and become a faction devoid of conscience.
As for the Grand Tower, his investigations over these years revealed that their influence in the secular world was no different from that of the Mountain of Esoteric Stratagems, yet their actual traces were incredibly difficult to find.
Upon thinking this through, Su Chen’s brows knitted together even tighter.
“The Mountain of Esoteric Stratagems and the Grand Tower have always cooperated; back in the day, they even joined forces to deal with me.
Yet now, only the Mountain of Esoteric Stratagems is visible, which appears abnormal.
Their conduct is also completely different from the past.
I fear there is something strange going on behind the scenes.”
Narrowing his eyes slightly, Su Chen instantly vanished from where he stood.
Half a month later.
In Twinroads Prefecture, located in the Central Plains of the Imperial Dynasty, Su Chen stepped into a city.
Gazing at the bustling marketplace, his eyes were filled with nostalgia.
“Sixty thousand years ago, this place was a forest of sects.
The Grand Tower presided over this region, surrounded by wilderness and mountains on all sides. Truly, the seas have turned into mulberry fields.”
His voice had hardly faded when a black-robed figure approached to report.
The Hall of Heavenly Principle had branches spread throughout every corner of the Imperial Dynasty, and this place was no exception.
The man said, “Reporting to My Lord. In accordance with your orders, we searched for the affiliated forces of the Grand Tower remaining from sixty thousand years ago.
There is one remnant of the Peakgaze Pavilion left, though that Peakgaze Pavilion has long since changed its name to the Broken Mountain Sect.”
“The Broken Mountain Sect engages in the business of human trafficking. Every year, countless beggars, children, and cultivators in distress fall into their hands.”
Hearing this, an inscrutable glint flashed through Su Chen’s eyes.
“Human trafficking? Let’s go, take me there!”
Following the assassin from the Hall of Heavenly Principle’s Dark Division, Su Chen soon arrived at the Broken Mountain Sect and indeed discovered many people secretly imprisoned within.
“My Lord,” the Hall of Heavenly Principle assassin said, narrowing his eyes slightly.
“Should we dispatch personnel to wipe them out?”
“No. Do not alert the snake by beating the grass.”
One year later.
Su Chen had traveled extensively, visiting the various locations of forces controlled by the Grand Tower.
At this moment, his expression was calm and rippleless.
He took out a Dark Crow and transmitted a message back to Azure Cloud Prefecture.
“I am now certain that the Mountain of Esoteric Stratagems and the Grand Tower have divided their responsibilities.
The Mountain of Esoteric Stratagems focuses on researching the Art of Corpse Stitching, while the Grand Tower is responsible for capturing slaves, ordinary people, and cultivators.
They are secretly sheltering these major branches.”
“The external forces we have found so far are likely just a smokescreen to deceive the public.”
“I suspect that over these sixty thousand years, the people of the Grand Tower have already infiltrated the major sects.
This is a trick they are accustomed to using.
Only by doing so can they conceal themselves within other factions, remaining undetected to this day, while ensuring the Mountain of Esoteric Stratagems receives a ceaseless supply of materials for corpse stitching!”
“The strength of the Grand Tower is identical to that of the Mountain of Esoteric Stratagems. Their people could be hiding within any faction!”
At this moment.
Su Chen stood outside one of the bases of the Heavenly Monarch Dao Sanctuary, gazing coldly at the cloudy sky, white mist swirling within his eyes.
He saw Heavenly Lord Ning’an, the representative of the Heavenly Monarch Dao Sanctuary within the Immortal Suppression Department, currently exchanging storage rings with several Nascent Soul stage cultivators.
Sensing the aura radiating from Heavenly Lord Ning’an, the corners of Su Chen’s mouth curled up slightly.
“Sixty thousand years have passed, and I am the only one left who can still smell that stench of blood on you people.”
—
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