In the Sand Village, the clones are everywhere, and the Arkham game begins

Chapter 477 Gu Ji Pavilion

To these hundred or so experts from the supernatural world, these golden monkeys, even if they possessed some strength, posed no threat.

However, in order to ensure the operation went smoothly and to reduce the loss of Qi before entering the valley, the troops specially arranged a company to escort them.

Even though many electronic devices here are subject to magnetic interference due to the Qi formation, as long as the basic chemical and physical laws remain unchanged, even if the weapons and equipment used are degraded to the level of mechanized troops in the last century, a well-trained and well-coordinated small to medium-sized force is enough to send them to the entrance of the Twenty-Four Solar Terms Valley unharmed.

Fortunately, the monkeys seemed to recognize Zhang Chulan and Feng Baobao and the others, and did not make things difficult for them. Instead, they led them to the entrance of the Twenty-Four Festivals Valley.

"Was this place naturally formed, or was it man-made?"

"It should be naturally formed. According to the founders of the Shuzi School, this place is where the Qi of heaven and earth converges. It is an independent Qi formation formed by the mountains, rivers, and dragon veins. Just like the human body is a miniature and exquisite Qi formation."

“Bilian said that the main pathways of the Twenty-Four Valleys correspond to the head and spine of the human body. Could that correspond exactly to the circulation route of our Qi during Qi circulation?”

"I think that's probably true. If the Qi formation here corresponds to the Qi formation in the human body, wouldn't that mean that heaven and earth are also cultivating like humans? We can have all sorts of miraculous methods in our cultivation, so what kind of power must heaven and earth possess in their cultivation?"

"No wonder it is said that the people of Ziyang Mountain obtained the opportunity to become immortals here, and no wonder they were able to comprehend the Eight Extraordinary Skills here!"

……

Deep in the lush forest, a group of people looked up at the towering canyon in front of them, which seemed completely out of place with their surroundings, and began to chatter amongst themselves.

Shimizu's shadow clone turned and glanced at Wang Ye.

The latter nodded slightly at the clear water.

"Teacher Zhuo, the Qi formation here does correspond to the Qi formation in the human body, but it is much larger. We'll have to go inside and see for ourselves to find out the specifics."

Although Shimizu had mastered some of the skills of Qimen Dunjia under the guidance of Wang Ye and Zeng Jiucheng, he ultimately failed to fully grasp it due to the inherent dangers of Feng Hou Qimen.

In such situations, determining the central palace and exploring the overall structure is definitely not as convenient as using the Feng Hou Qi Men method.

"Commander, according to the mission, we can only go this far. We will not go any further, but instead set up camp here and build fortifications to prevent the enemy from escaping from the inside."

A young major, probably in his early thirties, jogged up to Shimizu, raised his hand in salute, and said...

"Good work."

Shimizu raised his hand in return to the deputy battalion-level reinforced company commander, then beckoned the group of supernatural beings to walk into the valley.

Further down, ordinary soldiers who don't know how to practice Qi can't go in.

Originally, the Twenty-Four Solar Terms Valley was designed by Ziyang Shanren. The lines there, combined with the Qi formation, were meant to teach ordinary people how to gather Qi. Combined with the Qi dispersing function, it was intended to allow ordinary people to complete a full cycle of Qi cultivation and become extraordinary individuals.

After being transformed by Wugensheng here, ordinary people who enter will die from bleeding from all seven orifices due to the violent fluctuations of their internal Qi.

Only those extraordinary individuals who can already move the Qi within their bodies and circulate it throughout the body can adapt to the changes on their own.

Shimizu has no good opinion on Wugensheng's behavior.

From his perspective, he might think he's right, but from Shimizu's perspective, he'd love to slap the self-righteous Wugensheng twice.

This is not just a simple case of adding some embellishments to the lines on the walls of the Twenty-Four Valleys.

The people of Ziyang Mountain hid this place, painstakingly painted lines on the rock walls on both sides, set up tests in the winding cave, and left their own legacy and opportunities in the valley.

The purpose is to select those who are capable of understanding this Qi formation, who can pass the test and prove their true nature, and who have the ability to become immortals, so that they can receive the opportunity to become immortals and pass on the last inheritance of the Ziyang Mountain Man before becoming an immortal, leaving such a precious place for future generations.

However, Wugensheng somehow managed to find his way here in order to find a place to hide his things. Relying on the ability of the divine spirit to decompose all spells and formations related to Qi, he managed to break in.

When I finally saw it, I was surprised to find out what a great opportunity it was, but I hadn't learned anything from it.

Several sworn brothers comprehended the Eight Extraordinary Techniques from it, completely squandering this greatest opportunity. Then, they arrogantly criticized Master Ziyang for "being fond of teaching others," erased the text in the Nine-Bend Cave, added new lines to the murals, and destroyed the dispersing power part, making it impossible for ordinary people to become extraordinary beings.

Perhaps Wugensheng realized his mistake, understanding that the Twenty-Four Solar Terms Valley shouldn't have been opened by him, the bug-exploiting guy, allowing other ordinary people, even those with wicked intentions, to gain power and cause trouble through it. So he completely turned this treasure land into a useless place that could only be used to hide things for Wugensheng, and even a dead end for ordinary people.

And then what? They just pack up and leave, never to reappear for sixty or seventy years.

What is this thing called?

In Qing Shui's view, Wu Gensheng did indeed possess talents and thinking far beyond those of ordinary superhumans, and he also did some good deeds. During the war against the invasion, he led the Quanxing gang of scum to do the right thing.

But whether it was leading Li Muxuan to cause a ruckus at the Sanyi Sect, or facilitating the sworn brotherhood of the Thirty-Six Thieves, or ruining the various opportunities in the Twenty-Four Festival Valley, none of these things were good deeds done by this guy.

With the help of the divine spirit, Zuo Ruotong heard the Dao in the morning, but his heart died and he died as well. Among the Thirty-Six Thieves, Zhang Huaiyi, Ma Benzai, Zheng Zibu and other people from prestigious and righteous families, because they followed Wugensheng to become sworn brothers, comprehended the Eight Extraordinary Techniques, which caused these geniuses from various schools who originally had a bright future to either die tragically or live in anonymity for the rest of their lives before dying tragically again. In this process, countless people died.

This move will cause far more damage to the various sects in the world of supernatural beings than the damage caused by the Quanxing Sect over the past many years.

That's why he's been able to hold the position of the Quanxing Sect's official leader for hundreds of years, a position no one else in the world could hold.

Wugensheng's taking Li Muxuan to the Sanyi Sect triggered a tragedy that led to the annihilation of the Sanyi Sect, which was the leader of the righteous path at the time. He shouldn't have gone to the Sanyi Sect to resolve Li Muxuan's inner conflict, nor should he have relied on divine spirits to find and enter the Twenty-Four Solar Terms Valley by exploiting a bug, thus breaking the test left by Ziyang Mountain Man.

The ensuing Jia Shen Rebellion was a tragedy even worse than the annihilation of the San Yi Sect.

……

The road through the Twenty-Four Solar Terms Valley was very long. Qing Shui was in the center of the crowd. He used the equipment on his armor to record the lines around him, and used the Transparent World to perceive his surroundings. He also released a little bit of artificially synthesized Golden Branch Sacred Tree volatiles inside his armor.

Because of the armor's filtration system, these volatiles do not escape to the outside of the armor.

Zhang Chulan, Feng Baobao, and Wang Zhenqiu, under the protection of the Old Celestial Master, led the way at the front.

Although theoretically the front is the most dangerous place, the people leading the way, standing next to the old master, are probably the safest.

The other obvious top expert, Lu Jin, was positioned at the very back of the group, guarding against any sneak attacks left by the enemy and protecting the rear of the team.

This truly meant protecting everyone in front of him.

These 180 people were all experts in the world of supernatural beings. Although they hadn't sparred with each other, they were all quite knowledgeable, and none of them lacked combat awareness. They first banded together with their disciples and friends, forming small formations. Then, based on the backgrounds of each small group within the team, they determined the abilities of each individual, creating a loose yet mutually supportive formation that didn't hinder their individual abilities. Soon, the group arrived at the end of the Twenty-Four Solar Terms Valley, which corresponds to the Baihui acupoint on the top of the head in the valley.

But there was still no one here.

"It seems everyone is hiding down there."

Zhang Zhiwei stomped on the floor and glanced at the footprint in the center of the open space.

"We detected signs of life activity 21 meters below. There are probably 40 or 50 people there. It seems they have been waiting down there for a long time."

Shimizu looked at the exploration results displayed on the platinum armor and said.

His clear understanding of the world had actually allowed him to perceive those people below.

Although his perception range was suppressed in this special Qi formation, it was still formidable compared to others.

Zhang Zhiwei walked past Zhang Chulan and stepped forward.

"As Xiao Wang has already explained, after Wu Gensheng's poisonous hand, only two of the tests left by Ziyang Mountain Man remain. Strictly speaking, there is only one. First, one must stand in this position, upright and honest, and know what it means to be human. The other is to know what sincerity is. Humans are not necessarily honest, but the most honest is Heaven, the way of Heaven. Heaven's course is constant, it does not perish for Jie, nor does it exist for Yao."

The Way of Heaven does not consult with people, nor does it offer any room for maneuver. Since people stand upright between Heaven and Earth, they must follow the laws of Heaven and Earth and nature, and maintain a sense of awe towards them.

Only after understanding these two points will one use the acquired power cautiously and refrain from reckless actions. Also, after understanding these two points, one will naturally know that one must stand at the location of the footprint, with the Baihui point on the crown of the head and the Yongquan point on the ground, and use the most basic method to circulate Qi throughout the body, guiding the Qi out from these three acupoints…”

A pair of feet wearing pink trendy sneakers stepped into that footprint.

A few seconds later, the ground opened up to both sides in the shape of a yin-yang symbol, revealing a deep, spiral-shaped underground tunnel.

"Let's go."

The old celestial master said something, having no intention of taking the righteous path. Instead, he activated the Golden Light Mantra, his body surrounded by a heart-palpitating golden light. He was like a small golden sun, plummeting straight to the ground.

This isn't about alerting the enemy; it's about clearly telling those behind us that we don't need to worry about enemy ambushes. I'll handle all those ambushes myself; you just need to follow me down!

"As expected of the Old Celestial Master, he's terrifyingly strong!"

Then Ru Hu chuckled and jumped down second.

Immediately afterwards, these extraordinary experts, one after another, jumped down like dumplings being dropped into a pot.

When Shimizu followed him down, he found that the two sides were not fighting, but were facing each other in a standoff.

It wasn't that no one took action, but rather that the Celestial Master was too powerful. In order to prevent those who came down from being disturbed, he directly transformed his golden light into a wall of Qi, separating the two sides.

Seemingly to expand the range, this Qi wall, though seemingly very thin, is truly not something that ordinary experts can budge an inch from.

"Amazing! This is the old Celestial Master who has reigned supreme for sixty years, the pinnacle of all. Last time we went down the mountain, more than half of the masters of our Quanxing Sect were defeated by you. Fortunately, this time, we have found a powerful backer who can deal with you."

Wearing a military overcoat, Yuan Tao held the Nine Dragons in his hand, standing in front of Han Dan'er, smiling as he looked at the three figures further ahead.

One was Qu Tong, to her left was a plump, sturdy fat man, and further to her left was a thin, old Taoist priest.

Ruan Feng was the founder of Liuku Xianzei.

Zhou Sheng, the founder of Feng Hou Qi Men.

“Brother Zhou Sheng, Ruan Feng is clearly being controlled by that woman. Why are you also joining this woman who has caused so much trouble? Judging from your appearance, you don’t seem to have fallen for her tricks.”

Zhang Zhiwei stood with his hands behind his back, looking at the thin, old Taoist priest.

Among the thirty-six thieves, Zhang Huaiyi was the second oldest, and Zhou Sheng was the third oldest.

Since Zhang Zhiwei is older than Zhang Huaiyi, he can naturally call Zhou Sheng "brother".

Zhou Sheng, with one hand behind his back, sighed as he looked at Zhang Zhiwei:

“Brother Zhiwei, there’s no other way. I have to save the seventeenth brother. And... I also want to see that thing again. Although the Eight Extraordinary Techniques are the techniques of immortals, they can’t grant us immortal lifespans. The seventeenth brother did get one, but he’s turned into this grotesque state. I haven’t lived enough yet, and I have no choice but to go through this.”

"Tsk, Master, aren't you putting me in a difficult position?"

Wang Ye, who jumped down with Shimizu, cried and covered his forehead.

"Little brat, with me here, you're no longer needed. Do you think I don't know what tricks and abilities you have? One more person here won't make a difference, and one less person won't make a difference either. Get lost."

Zhou Sheng waved to Wang Ye, signaling him to get lost.

Wang didn't say anything, but he didn't leave either.

Zhang Zhiwei remained silent, only staring at the empty space beside Zhou Sheng.

"That's what Senior Zhou Sheng thinks, and what about you, Senior Gu?"

Shimizu also turned his head to look at that spot.

He couldn't see Gu Jiting, but with his mental power, he could roughly sense that someone was in that location.

That mental fluctuation was extremely powerful.

While a clear view of the world might not be enough to perceive it, he possessed a spiritual aura and could sense an extremely powerful thought emanating from that open space.

With this understanding, it becomes clear that Lao Gu is not someone Qing Shui cannot do.

Feng Zhenghao, Wang Ai, and Lu Jin also frowned, looking at that spot.

The old celestial master and Qingshui could sense it precisely, and the three of them—one a supreme cultivator and two cultivators skilled in binding spirits and commanding generals—could also vaguely perceive it after being reminded.

(End of this chapter)