After returning to the village, start chasing the mountain from binding Emei

Chapter 927 Sacrificial Artifact, the Formless Cauldron!

It seems this old man has had a change of heart.

Chen Yang followed behind him, feeling a mix of anticipation and excitement.

Lifting the curtain reveals a small courtyard with an osmanthus tree in the center and a bamboo rocking chair beneath it.

To the left should be the toilet/washroom. In front is a living room and two small side rooms. The side room on the left is a bedroom, while the side room on the right and a small annex on the right are of unknown purpose and their doors are closed and locked.

Unlike the mess in front, this backyard, though small, is quite charming.

It was the season when osmanthus flowers were in full bloom, and the air was filled with their fragrance, which overpowered the smells of incense, candles, and paper money.

Nie Liangyun took the key from his waist, went to the side room on the right, opened the door, and said to Chen Yang, "Take what you like, but you can only take one thing..."

Chen Yang peered inside; it was pitch black, without a single window, and not a ray of light could get in.

Nie Liangyun felt around on the wall and found a pull switch. He pulled it, and the lights in the room turned on.

The room was very small, only a dozen square meters. When the light was turned on, several paper figures came into view. The paper figures were so lifelike that they were quite frightening at first glance, making one think there was someone in the room.

Is this old man really willing to open his treasure vault and let me choose?

He went inside.

Besides some paper figures and horses, there were two shelves in the room, which were filled with various items.

Dharma seals, Dharma bells, Dharma hexagrams, masks, puppets, ox horns, shaman's knife, command flags, command swords...

Many of these are ritual implements used in the dharma profession, and they are quite old. They are well preserved, and although they are old, they are not covered in dust.

Chen Yang doesn't seem to need any of these things.

Besides these things, there were also some weapons, such as swords, knives, clubs and the like.

Among them were some superior items, including a pair of swords made of refined iron.

But this kind of thing held no appeal for Chen Yang either.

Then there were some books, which Chen Yang looked at carefully. Most of them were books on feng shui, geography, and burial, and there were also some cultivation techniques and secret manuals.

However, none of these techniques were of a high level, and Chen Yang looked them over but none of them met his standards.

Then there were some miscellaneous items, such as jade pendants, jade stones, etc. Chen Yang even saw a few pieces of top-quality fire jade ore.

Chen Yang was somewhat disappointed. In the past, he would have liked many of the things here, but now his standards were much higher.

These things were basically useless to him.

This old man probably still has some good stuff hidden away.

"Old Nie, that side room on the right..."

The side room on the right was also locked, but Nie Liangyun didn't open it. His intuition told him that the real treasure was hidden inside.

"Don't even think about it."

Before Chen Yang could finish speaking, Nie Liangyun interrupted him directly, showing no intention of opening the side room at all, "Hurry up and choose, so I can lock the door after you've chosen."

Chen Yang was speechless, even more convinced that the old man had definitely hidden the good stuff in the side room.

However, you can't force someone to open their car if they don't want to.

"You don't have anything good here."

Chen Yang looked around, feeling utterly helpless.

These are all low-grade goods. Some cultivators in the Spirit Realm might treasure these items, but in the eyes of high-level experts, they are basically useless.

Chen Yang felt the same way; even after taking it, he felt it would take up too much space.

"Look around some more; it's all a token of your appreciation."

Nie Liangyun looked like he was sticking to his principles. "I'm already being kind by letting you in. Why are you being so picky?"

Helpless, Chen Yang used his mental power to search the room.

An iron ring was found in the corner.

He walked over and picked up the iron ring.

The iron ring was about the size of a bowl and as thick as his thumb. It was dark and very heavy; this small ring weighed at least seventy or eighty pounds.

It feels cold to the touch, and the material is like cold iron.

"What is this?"

Chen Yang weighed the iron ring in his hand, then turned to Nie Liangyun at the door and asked.

"It's probably a door knocker, or maybe a hidden weapon, used to throw at people..."

Nie Liangyun glanced at it, looking like he wanted to say something but hesitated.

Door knocker? Someone was hit?
Judging from his expression, Chen Yang knew that the old man was definitely not telling the truth.

His face darkened. "Old Nie, you're so uncouth, sending all this junk to beggars?"

Nie Liangyun glared and puffed out his beard, "It's your own fault for being blind. All the things here are heirlooms passed down from my ancestors. Aren't they all treasures?"

Chen Yang glared at him. "Tell me yourself, which one can compare to the Three Corpse Divine Water I gave you?"

Upon hearing this, Nie Liangyun's face twitched, seemingly unable to refute it.

There's no need to ask how precious the Three Corpse Divine Water is.

All that he has here, even if you put it all together, probably wouldn't be as good as a single drop of the Three Corpse Divine Water.

"Open the door to the side room and let me in to take a look?" Chen Yang said.

"No."

Nie Liangyun's attitude was very firm: "The ancestral precepts cannot be violated, and the things inside cannot be touched."

"Then give me back the Three Corpse Divine Water."

Chen Yang's face was full of black lines, and a million alpacas were stampeding through his mind. It was the ancestral precepts again. Which of the ancestral precepts had this old guy followed?

"I……"

Nie Liangyun paused. The item was already in his hands; there was no reason to return it.

Seemingly aware that he was in the wrong and had been manipulated by Chen Yang, he remained silent for a moment.

His gaze fell on the ring in Chen Yang's hand. After hesitating for a moment, he said, "This iron ring, I took it off a large cauldron..."

Where is the cauldron?

Chen Yang was a bit bewildered. Just a moment ago it was said to be a door knocker, a hidden weapon, and now it's said to have been taken off the cauldron?
“It’s in my old family home. If you want it, I can take you to see it. But don’t even think about anything else,” Nie Liangyun said.

Chen Yang raised an eyebrow. "What's the origin of that cauldron?"

"It's said that it was moved down from Tiexiang Temple in Sipan Mountain many years ago when my grandfather was still alive. That thing is incredibly heavy; I can't move it. It must weigh at least tens of thousands of kilograms. If you can move it, then it's yours..."

Seeing that Chen Yang was interested, Nie Liangyun immediately stroked his chin, giving him an expression that said, "If you don't want it, then forget it."

The things from Tiexiang Temple?

All he knew was that there was a cold iron elephant at Tiexiang Temple, which he had already obtained and sent to the Guan family in Mangshan. His aunt refined it, extracted the refined gold, and forged an iron hammer.

It just so happens that he needs a suitable iron hammer to practice his hammer technique. If there really is such a large cauldron, also made of cold iron, then he can melt it down and make enough material to forge another iron hammer.

"Where is your hometown?" Chen Yang asked immediately.

The old man absolutely refused to open the right side chamber. There was nothing he could do; he couldn't very well just take it by force. So, he had to settle for second best and get a bunch of cold iron instead.

“Redstone Village!” Nie Liangyun said.

"Redstone Village?"

Chen Yang paused for a moment, "The Red Stone Village at the foot of Sipan Mountain?"

"Ah."

Nie Liangyun nodded slightly, "I haven't had lunch yet. I'll take you there after I finish eating."

……

-

In the afternoon, at Hongshi Village.

Huang Can's second aunt's husband, Xu Dadong, lived in Hongshi Village, but it was quite far from Nie Liangyun's old house. One was in the east of the village, and the other was in the west, separated by a river.

It's a fairly large courtyard shaped like the Chinese character "回" (hui), an ancient building that's at least a hundred years old, with carved beams and painted rafters, exuding an ancient charm.

Entering through the side gate, you arrive at the courtyard. The courtyard is very tidy, clearly maintained regularly. The ground is paved with old bluestone slabs, covered with some moss.

The surrounding houses were all closed, and although no one lived there anymore, one could still vaguely see the former glory.

This courtyard must have been lively in the past; the family must have been quite wealthy in the village.

In the middle of the yard, there was something covered with a tarpaulin, a very large lump.

Nie Liangyun stepped forward and tore open the tarpaulin.

Wow…

A huge black cauldron appeared in front of Chen Yang.

It's huge, really huge.

giant.

The large cauldron is square and at least two meters tall. Its four legs and body are covered with unknown mythical beasts and inscriptions that are difficult to understand.

Several rings hung from the four handles on the mouth of the cauldron. It was obvious that the iron rings Chen Yang found in Nie Liangyun's hut were indeed taken from this cauldron.

The old man wasn't lying.

"Aren't you afraid it will be stolen if you just leave it here?"

"Steal? Do you know how heavy this thing is? Who could possibly steal it?"

"That's hard to say. This thing is probably quite valuable. I'm not afraid of thieves stealing it, but I'm afraid of thieves eyeing it," Chen Yang said.

Nie Liangyun said, "My father told me that this cauldron used to be placed in front of the main hall of Tiexiang Temple for worshippers to burn incense and paper money."

"A sacrificial vessel?" Chen Yang's eyes flickered slightly. The ding (鼎) was originally used for cooking meat. Some temples and monasteries also have ding, which are generally used for burning incense and paper money as sacrificial vessels.

He approached the cauldron, reached out and touched it. The cauldron was cold, but not like the coldness of cold iron.

The body of the cauldron and the iron ring on it are clearly made of two different materials, but Chen Yang couldn't tell exactly what they were.

On the front two sides of the ding, there is a circular relief about the size of a bowl in the middle, with a character in the middle of each relief.

Chen Yang didn't quite recognize him.

I took out my phone, intending to take a picture and translate it.

Nie Liangyun said, "These are acquired Dao patterns. The first character is '无' (wu, meaning 'nothingness') and the second character is '相' (xiang, meaning 'form'). This cauldron should be called the Wuxiang Cauldron."

"You also understand Dao patterns?"

Chen Yang looked at Nie Liangyun in surprise. This old man is not simple. He even recognizes the Dao patterns.
Acquired Dao patterns are encrypted scripts created by some powerful beings at the Celestial Realm, based on innate Dao patterns. These scripts are like a code, and only the creator or those who meet certain conditions of the creator can understand them.

Others who see this kind of writing can only recognize it as a script; they have no way of understanding its meaning.

Moreover, the acquired Dao patterns created by different powerful individuals are all different.

The acquired Dao patterns on the cauldron were clearly different from any acquired Dao patterns that Chen Yang had seen before.

How could this old man Nie Liangyun, who has no cultivation at all, understand it?

Nie Liangyun chuckled dryly, "I've never seen this kind of writing before, but my father told me, and my grandfather told him, that these two characters are pronounced 'Wu Xiang'..."

It turned out to be the case.

Chen Yang suddenly realized.

The old man didn't understand the script; he only recognized these two characters.

Chen Yang's gaze returned to the large cauldron in front of him.

It is heavy, solemn, and grand; just standing there, it gives people a sense of subtle oppression.

He reached out and slapped the cauldron, and the cauldron hummed, but didn't budge.

The appearance of acquired Dao patterns on the cauldron means it can no longer be considered an ordinary iron cauldron.

The acquired Dao patterns were created by experts at the Celestial Realm, which means that this cauldron was very likely forged by an expert at the Celestial Realm.

Such a large object, if made by a Celestial Realm expert, would be no small matter.

It might actually be a priceless treasure.

"Why don't you try to pick it up?"

Nie Liangyun stood to the side with his arms crossed, looking completely at ease.

He knew that Chen Yang had entered the Creation Realm, but he had no idea how strong the Creation Realm was, so he took this opportunity to see for himself.

"Ah."

Chen Yang nodded.

Even without the aid of the Five Dragon Pill, his physical strength alone, amplified by his Golden Body, would easily reach the power of eight dragons.

Even without the amplification of the golden body, the power of the four dragons is easily obtained with just basic physical strength and true essence.

The combined strength of the four dragons is 400,000 jin. Even if this iron cauldron is heavy, it can't weigh 400,000 jin.

He grabbed one of the tripod legs with one hand, let out a low groan, and suddenly pulled upwards with force.

"boom!"

The cauldron trembled slightly, and its legs scraped against the ground, producing a dull thud.

Then, a scene that left Nie Liangyun dumbfounded unfolded.

The enormous black cauldron was actually lifted off the ground by Chen Yang with one hand, and then raised high above his head.

"My grass!"

At this moment, nothing but "damn it!" could express Nie Liangyun's feelings.

Damn it, this kid actually lifted it up.

Such a huge cauldron, said to weigh at least tens of thousands of kilograms, was lifted up by flesh and blood?

Is he having a delusional nightmare?

Nie Liangyun rubbed his eyes and then pinched his thigh hard. The intense pain made him realize that what he was seeing was completely real.

"Put it down! That's enough! Put it down now!"

Nie Liangyun quickly shouted, fearing that such a large cauldron would fall and crush Chen Yang to death.

Chen Yang lifted the large black cauldron with one hand, as if it were a large dumbbell, and lifted it up and down a few times.

Nie Liangyun was terrified and quickly stepped back.

Only after Chen Yang steadily placed the cauldron back on the ground did Nie Liangyun pat his chest and let out a long sigh of relief.

The Creation Realm, is it really that amazing?

He had only heard that the Spirit Realm was very strong, surpassing the limits of humanity, and the Creation Realm was even stronger, surpassing the limits of limits, but he had no concept of it at all. Seeing it with his own eyes today was truly shocking.

Is this even human? It's a monster!

Is this the realm of creation?
This kid promised to help me reach the Creation Realm within my lifetime, so I could become that powerful too?

After the initial shock, Nie Liangyun's gaze became somewhat fervent.

With great power and a longer lifespan, it would be hard for any person to resist the temptation of these two things, right?

In that instant, Nie Liangyun could already foresee the scene of Chen Yang emptying their family's ancestral property.

The bait this kid threw out was too tempting.

"the vast horizon is my love……"

Just as Nie Liangyun was lost in thought, his cell phone rang, breaking the silence and bringing him back to reality.

Nie Liangyun took out his phone, glanced at it, and quickly answered the call.

"What? She gave birth?"

The elderly person spoke remarkably loudly when making the phone call.

"Good, good, good..."

Nie Liangyun said "good" several times, beaming with joy. He hung up the phone, a smile on his face.

Chen Yang looked at him and asked, "Your granddaughter-in-law gave birth?"

Nie Liangyun smiled broadly and nodded repeatedly.

He pointed to the large cauldron in the middle of the courtyard, "You'll have to find a way to take it yourself. I need to hurry to the provincial capital to hold my great-grandson..."

Chen Yang was speechless; the call had come at just the right time.

Before he could finish speaking, he hurriedly ran outside.

He stopped halfway through the journey, turned back to Chen Yang, and said, "Don't worry, I'll be back as soon as possible. Come pick up the goods in ten days. If it's earlier, I'll call you..."

Before Chen Yang could answer, he ran off in a flash.

He drove himself, so Chen Yang didn't need to drive him.

Chen Yang stood in the courtyard, stunned.

What an interesting old man.

He looked back at the large cauldron in front of him, still wondering how to take such a big thing away in front of Nie Liangyun.

Now that there are no more concerns, I simply waved my hand and put it into the system repository.

Anything that you can lift, as long as it's not a living thing, can be stored in the system's warehouse.

In the courtyard, the enormous black cauldron vanished into thin air in an instant.

At this moment, Chen Yang's thoughts changed a little.

This cauldron might actually be a priceless treasure; if you melt it down and use it to forge a hammer, then it would truly be a hammer.

They lost sight of the big picture and focused on trivialities, completely putting the cart before the horse.

It would be better to keep them and later try out the Yin paper money produced by the Nie family's method of making coins, to see if it can be used for fire offerings.

If possible, this large cauldron will be used as a sacrificial vessel for the fire offering ritual.

The ritual implements serve two purposes: first, to help the fire worshipper resist the backlash of the fire worship ritual; and second, to help the fire worshipper collect feedback from the fire worship.

Back in Dawa Mountain, Sanjay performed a fire offering ritual, and the large banner he used was the ritual implement for the fire offering, but unfortunately it was destroyed in that great battle.

The feedback from the fire offering at the ancestral grave yesterday slightly improved Chen Yang's cultivation. This improvement continued until this morning when it began to fade, and by noon it had almost completely disappeared, leaving only a slight increase.

This improvement is negligible for Chen Yang now, but it's probably because there were too few ingots offered at the fire offering. If there had been more, and if ritual implements had been used, the harvest might have been quite substantial.

If this path works, then I will have another way to increase my cultivation level.

……

-

After leaving the Nie family's old house, Chen Yang got into his car and prepared to leave.

Huang Can made a phone call.

After finishing the call, Chen Yang hesitated for a moment, then turned the car around and headed towards Sipanshan Reservoir.

Sipanshan Reservoir.

There were quite a few anglers, including Huang Can.

Today, I brought my sister's family to visit relatives. After lunch, my second aunt's husband, Xu Dadong, took him fishing at the reservoir.

His newly bought Audi was parked nearby, the key hanging on his belt buckle, swaying as he walked. His hair was covered in hair wax, and his leather shoes were gleaming—he had the air of a successful person.

(End of this chapter)