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

Chapter 957 Impermanence, Celestial Abode?

"Ding! SS-grade spirit plant [Water Cotton Algae] detected. Reward: [Heart-Questioning Pill] *5. The item has been placed in the system warehouse and can be retrieved at any time."

……

"Ding, mission issued."

"Quest: Hunt the SS-grade spirit plant [Water Sponge Algae], progress (0/1)."

Reward: Sword Offering Stone *5

……

Just then, a system notification suddenly appeared.

Water algae?
Chen Yang paused for a moment, then realized it was probably the dark, hair-like aquatic plants and algae at the bottom of the pool.

It was actually a spiritual plant at the Dao True Realm?
But why does it seem to be dead, completely still, and even I can hardly feel its vitality?
Could it be because of this long, blue object at the bottom of the water?
Was it this thing that subdued it?

If that's the case, then if I take out this long, thin thing, wouldn't I be helping it get out of trouble?
For a moment, Chen Yang hesitated.

"They should be beings at the Dao True Realm."

Mo Yuan said something from the side.

It couldn't discern anything clearly; it had only sensed a trace of aura when Chen Yang tugged on the silk thread.

The aura flashed by in an instant, and it couldn't yet discern how strong it was, but within that fleeting aura, it sensed fluctuations in the primordial spirit.

It is certain that they are beings at the Dao True Realm.

At this moment, Chen Yang hesitated. Should he continue?
This long, thin object must be some kind of treasure. The thing below it is being suppressed by this treasure. Once this object is taken out, the spiritual plant will most likely awaken.

Chen Yang glanced at the system panel; the task displayed that the reward was five Sacrifice Stones.

Although he didn't know exactly what level of Dao True Realm this spiritual plant was at, he could still make a rough guess based on the system's rewards.

It should be noted that when hunting Mo Yuan, the system provided a total of thirty sacrificial sword stones.

The vast difference in quantity is enough to prove that this spiritual plant is far inferior to Mo Yuan's.

It's probably around the early stage of the Dao Realm.

Is there anything to be afraid of at the early stage of the Dao True Realm?

If given the choice between the Dao True Realm and the Creation Realm, Chen Yang would naturally prefer to hunt down beings in the Dao True Realm, given the generous rewards and high experience gain.

Without hesitation, he exerted force and slowly pulled the long, thin object from the bottom of the pool upwards.

This spiritual plant grows here, so it's probably not a benevolent spirit. The skeletons scattered everywhere might even be the work of this waterweed.

"boom!"

The underwater surface suddenly trembled, and under Chen Yang's immense strength, the long, thin object quickly broke out from under the pile of bones.

With a whoosh, it broke through the water's surface, and a streak of green light, pulled by the silk threads, flew swiftly towards Chen Yang.

Bang!

Chen Yang didn't dare to reach out and catch it, but just let it fall in front of him with a thud.

This thing was only about a foot long and covered with silt and aquatic plants.

Not sensing any danger, Chen Yang picked it up.

After wiping away the silt and aquatic plants, a bright blue light suddenly appeared under the Heavenly Eye, lasting for several seconds before gradually fading away.

ruler?

Chen Yang was slightly taken aback.

This thing is a foot long, so it really is a ruler.

A wooden ruler, with many patterns drawn on it, looks obscure and difficult to understand, like some kind of talisman from the Xuanmen sect.

I don't know what kind of wood it's made of, but it feels very high-quality. I've been soaking it in water for who knows how long, but it doesn't look rotten at all.

"Impermanence?"

Mo Yuan peeked out and uttered a name.

"What degree?" Chen Yang asked, looking bewildered.

"Impermanence!"

Mo Yuan repeated, "It's a treasure from the Chunyang Temple of Emei, also called the Chunyang Suppressing Evil Ruler. I saw it at the Chunyang Temple more than two hundred years ago..."

"According to the people of Chunyang Temple, the Wuchang Ruler is a treasure left behind by Lü Dongbin. It is made of peach wood and contains extremely yang energy, which has the ability to ward off evil spirits and suppress malevolent forces. Moreover, this ruler is said to have other incredible abilities..."

"Legend has it that, combined with the unique techniques of the Chunyang Temple, the Impermanence Method can measure a person's lifespan, karmic obstacles, and so on. However, I have never seen it with my own eyes, so I don't know if it's true or not..."

……

"So magical?"

Upon hearing this, Chen Yang's eyes flickered slightly. "So, it really is a great treasure?"

"That is required!"

Mo Yuan said, "This ruler is quite famous in Chunyang Temple. However, after Chunyang Temple declined, many of its treasures disappeared. I didn't expect this ruler to be here. It seems that it was brought in by a disciple of Chunyang Temple in the past..."

Putting aside the issues of measuring lifespan and karmic obstacles, just the fact that it can ward off evil spirits and suppress malevolent forces means that anything at the bottom of the pool is definitely suppressed by this thing.

A treasure capable of suppressing beings at the Dao True Realm must undoubtedly be a great treasure.

"Whoosh..."

Just then, a strange phenomenon occurred in the pool.

The water in the pool quickly sank, the surface sinking several meters, then rose again, and then sank again, repeating this cycle.

It looks like some terrifying giant is breathing underwater.

A powerful aura emanated from the bottom of the water.

This time, Chen Yang finally felt the pressure.

The oppressive aura of the Dao Realm.

The man and the rat remained calm and retreated some distance.

"Boom..."

The water surface suddenly exploded, and a large, dark mass, as thin as a hair, shot out from underwater and quickly swept towards the man and rat not far away.

The sheer power and the eerie atmosphere made it hard to breathe.

If someone else were faced with this situation, they would probably collapse in fear.

The black algae spread out like the hair of a ghost woman, completely blocking out the light of day and plunging the surroundings into darkness.

Mo Yuan made the first move, using his qi to control his sword, unleashing countless sword lights that slashed towards the algae.

rustling...

Although the algae fibers were tough, they couldn't withstand the sword energy unleashed by the Four Realms Sword Intent and were instantly cut in half.

Chen Yang wasn't idle either; the Mountain-Driving Whip appeared in his hand.

The power of thunder was poured in, arcs of light flashed, and suddenly the whip lashed out at the sky full of algae.

"boom!"

The arc of light fell like a bolt of lightning.

The algae, which were filled with electricity, seemed to sense great danger and quickly retreated back into the pool.

Chen Yang seized the opportunity and lashed out with the whip again.

"boom!"

Lightning struck the water's surface, causing it to explode.

Arc light splashes.

"what!"

A fluctuation of mental energy emanated from the bottom of the water.

The vibration reached Chen Yang's ears and transformed into a woman's cry.

"Stop! Who are you people?"

The voice rang out, its age impossible to discern, a mixture of anger and weakness.

Mo Yuan also sheathed his sword, leaving behind a large patch of severed algae on the shore.

Chen Yang said, "I just saved you, and this is how you repay me? You attacked me without saying a word?"

"Humph."

A cold snort came from underwater, "Save me? All you wanted was that ruler. You've already taken it, what right do you have to talk about repaying me..."

Upon hearing this, Chen Yang chuckled and said, "You were the one who removed the bones here?"

The waterweed said, "The law of the jungle, where the strong prey on the weak, is the way of nature. What's wrong with that?"

"well said."

Chen Yang raised an eyebrow. "Since that's the case, I won't feel guilty about killing you now. After all, it's the law of the jungle!"

"Ha, junior, how presumptuous."

Waterweed snorted coldly, "A mere late-stage Creation Realm cultivator, plus a beast at the early-stage Creation Realm, dares to talk about the survival of the fittest in front of me? You don't actually think that the iron whip in your hand can do anything to me, do you?"

Upon hearing this, Mo Yuan became displeased. "If you're so capable, come out and let's have a one-on-one duel. Hiding underwater like a turtle, I want to see just how capable you are."

"whispering sound!"

The water algae scoffed, "Come down and fight if you dare!"

As an SS-grade spiritual plant, this waterweed is no fool. Having just suffered a loss, how could it possibly come out? Hiding at the bottom of the pool, it has the advantage of terrain. Even if Chen Yang uses the Mountain-Driving Whip again, the lightning that falls into the pool will be diluted by the pool water and will not cause it any real harm.

"you……"

Mo Yuan grinned angrily.

But it still wouldn't dare to go into the water to fight.

Its cultivation level had already declined significantly, and being underwater would be too restrictive for it. If it were to go down, it would most likely not be able to get up again.

Chen Yang said, "Do you think that just because you're hiding at the bottom of the pool, I can't do anything to you?"

"Show me what you've got."

The water algae, however, seemed completely unfazed, as if it was certain that as long as it hid at the bottom of the water, Chen Yang would be unable to do anything to it.

Okay, don't regret it.

Chen Yang didn't say anything more.

He naturally didn't dare to go down, but he didn't need to do it himself to get rid of the water hyacinth.

Open the insect seed bag.

"Buzzing..."

A large swarm of bone-eating beetles suddenly flew out, a dark mass, swirling like a storm.

Driven by Chen Yang, they all flew towards the water.

It's important to know that bone-eating beetles are creatures that live in the Gu River of the underground palace; water is their home turf.

Thousands of bone-eating beetles burrowed into the water, causing the water level in the pool to rise significantly.

"what?"

Soon, cries of alarm came from the bottom of the pool as a massive number of insects entered the water and frantically devoured the algae and skeletons at the bottom.

These insects can eat almost anything.

Moreover, most of them have been tainted by the energy of gods and demons, and the yin energy in the pool cannot harm them at all; on the contrary, it makes them even more excited.

The water algae attempted to use its spiritual power to force the insects back.

It did work at first, as the power of those in positions of authority over those in positions of authority is extremely strong in nature.

However, when Chen Yang also unleashed his primordial spirit, directly suppressing its primordial spirit pressure, the bone-eating beetle could not sense the pressure of the waterweed and immediately surged and boiled again.

"soul?"

"How do you possess the power of a primordial spirit?"

"You're at the Dao True Realm? How is that possible?"

……

The waterweed cried out in alarm, having just felt the pressure of Chen Yang's primordial spirit.

It's actually just as good as it!

Isn't this clearly a late-stage Creation Realm cultivator? Aren't outsiders in this secret realm supposed to be limited to those at the Creation Realm?

For a moment, the water algae were clearly bewildered.

The swarm of bone-eating beetles showed no mercy, tearing at its flesh with ferocity.

The water in the pool seemed to be boiling, constantly churning and surging, which looked quite frightening.

Even Mo Yuan couldn't help but step back a little, afraid of being caught in the crossfire by these insects.

The water hyacinth kept using its algal filaments to entangle and attack the bone-eating beetles, but the swarm was simply too large and too frenzied to handle.

"Stop, young friend, make them stop!"

With its body constantly being devoured, and unable to do anything about it, the water flosser finally couldn't bear it any longer and begged Chen Yang for mercy.

Chen Yang, however, ignored it all, standing calmly by the pool, observing everything with indifference.

Where did that arrogance go?
Now you know what pain is?

Mo Yuan said, "If you say stop, we'll just stop. Wouldn't that make us lose face? Be more careful next time."

His words were full of mockery.

Looking back, I realize that this is my only good point: I know how to be pragmatic.

After Chen Yang planted the Life and Death Curse Mark on it that day, it didn't say a word and immediately cowered.

Imagine if, given the circumstances, I had pushed Chen Yang too far, that guy was no pushover, and I might have been killed by him long ago.

"Young man, make them stop! I have something to say!" The roar of the waterweeds echoed from the chaotic bottom of the pool.

"I'm not interested in what you have to say. Just let my horde of insects have a good meal, and we'll call it even," Chen Yang said calmly.

How about a meal?
With so many insects, is one algae plant at the early stage of the Dao True Realm enough to eat?
"I know a place, the cave dwelling of a Celestial Realm expert. You must make them stop..."

The waterweed screamed anxiously. Cultivation was not easy, and it was truly afraid that it would be devoured by these insects. Even if it still had its primordial spirit, the person in front of it also possessed a primordial spirit, and was even slightly stronger than it. At that time, it would be much easier to destroy it.

"Ok?"

Putting everything else aside, his words struck a chord with Chen Yang.

The cave dwelling of a Celestial Realm expert?

Chen Yang hesitated for a moment.

He directly used his mental power to control the insects, and the swarm quickly stopped attacking, but did not fly back, remaining in the water to wait for orders.

"What did you just say?" Chen Yang asked directly.

The turbid pool water stopped churning, but it was stained black by the remnants of water hyacinth. Under the surface, the water hyacinth was finally able to breathe.

“We have no grudges from the past or any enmity from the present. I was just a little rude just now. You hurt me, so we’re even. I know you came into this world just to try your luck. I happen to know of a Celestial Cave nearby. If you don’t kill me, I can tell you the location of the cave…” said Shui Mianzao.

"Master, don't believe its nonsense."

Before Chen Yang could speak, Mo Yuan spoke first, "If it really knew about the cave dwelling of some Celestial Realm expert, it would have explored it long ago. Why would it tell us now? Moreover, even if such a cave dwelling exists, there's no guarantee that any opportunities will remain. It's likely that it was already taken by someone before it..."

"Do not."

Waterweed hurriedly said, "That cave is sealed off, making it difficult for ordinary people to find. Moreover, there are ferocious beasts lurking near the cave. Many years ago, I tried to get close, but I always returned empty-handed..."

“Last time one of your people came in, there was a guy named Danyangzi. I kindly wanted to cooperate with him to open the cave together and share the opportunities within, but I didn’t expect that guy to be so ungrateful and even try to kill me. I fought him, and he tricked me into this situation, using the power of his treasure to seal me here…”

……

Upon hearing this, Chen Yang looked towards Mo Yuan.

Mo Yuan said, "Danyangzi, if I remember correctly, should be the abbot of Chunyang Temple. This person's alchemy skills are decent, but his cultivation is mediocre. Other than that, I don't remember much..."

Waterweed said, "You have quite the big mouth. It's been over a hundred years since your people came in last time, right? Back then, that person's cultivation level was already in the late stage of the Creation Realm, yet you call it commonplace?"

The water algae were somewhat indignant.

If these words had come from a Dao True Realm being, it would have been barely acceptable, but they came from the mouth of a mouse.

If a mere rat in the early stage of the Creation Realm thinks that beings in the late stage of the Creation Realm are commonplace, then wouldn't I, who have been sealed by Danyangzi for so many years, be even more pathetic?
"Hmph, you're nothing but a chicken and a dog."

Mo Yuan was too lazy to argue with it. How could the light of a firefly compete with the brilliance of the moon? If you knew what I was like at my peak, would you still dare to say such a thing?

At this moment, Chen Yang's two eyebrows were uneven, one higher than the other.

Is it Danyangzi, the abbot of Chunyang Temple?
The last time the Nine Elders Cave Secret Realm opened was 125 years ago.

This waterweed was sealed by Danyangzi, and the Impermanence in Chen Yang's hand was also left behind by Danyangzi.

Chen Yang didn't know much about Danyangzi.

At the late stage of the Creation Realm, his strength and methods were insufficient to kill this Water Moss Algae at the early stage of the Dao True Realm, so choosing to seal it was reasonable.

Chen Yang asked, "You've been sealed here for over a hundred years, so where did these bones come from?"

In this mountain stream, bones are scattered everywhere, and there are even more at the bottom of the pools, which is even more shocking. A large part of them still look fresh, not like bones that are more than a hundred years old.

Now that this water algae plant has been sealed off, how can we hunt these creatures?

Do you think these prey will willingly come to your door for you to hunt?

The waterweed said, "In recent years, the sealing energy of that ruler has been weakening, and I can occasionally regain some mobility. Although my main body cannot leave the pool, I can use the algae silk to hunt nearby wild animals, absorb their flesh and blood to strengthen my cultivation. Even if you hadn't come today, it wouldn't be long before I was able to break free of the seal..."

Upon hearing this, Chen Yang didn't ask any further questions and directly asked, "Where is the cave dwelling?"

Waterweed said, "I've just regained my mobility. Please allow me a moment to rest and think things through..."

"You fool me?"

Chen Yang's eyes sharpened instantly, and the swarm of insects underwater also perked up, ready to pounce.

"No!"

Waterweed hurriedly said, "What I meant was, once I regain some strength, I'll take you there in a bit. If we can open the cave then, it would be best if I could share some of the opportunities with you..."

This waterweed isn't stupid; it knows that now that the location of the cave has been revealed, Chen Yang will probably turn around and kill it.

So, in order to survive, it had no other choice but to do this.

As long as Chen Yang has designs on the Celestial Realm cave dwelling, he will not kill it before finding it.

Mo Yuan remained silent. In this situation, it would have done the same; it couldn't possibly pin its hopes on Chen Yang taking pity on it and sparing its life.

"Okay, I'll give you time."

Chen Yang didn't care about anything else; the Celestial Realm cave dwelling was indeed tempting enough.

Even if it had already been discovered, he still had to go to the site to see for himself. As for this water algae, it was nothing to him. With his absolute strength, he wasn't afraid of any tricks it might pull.

(End of this chapter)