Chapter 436

Chapter 436: Essence of the Water Way

Hearing the two calling out, Ji Yang focused his attention.

Not far away, several cultivators were racing through the air, and ahead of them, a wooden chair was flying at an even faster speed.

The wooden chair looked ordinary and was not a treasure; it emitted no dazzling lights, which added a hint of surprise to Ji Yang’s expression.

Is this the essence of the Way?

It seemed quite unremarkable.

However, as Ji Yang observed more closely, he quickly discovered something unusual.

Everywhere the wooden chair passed, the surroundings became incredibly moist, and even the plants on the ground instantly gathered countless droplets of water, as if water was flowing through the very space around them.

Even though Ji Yang had limited understanding of the essence of the Way, this scene immediately brought the name to his mind.

Essence of the Water Way!

It was clear that the fast-moving wooden chair was exhibiting these changes because it had absorbed the essence of the Water Way.

Coincidentally, the direction the wooden chair was moving was toward Ji Yang and the other two.

The appearance of the essence caused the two confronting Ji Yang to lose focus; they no longer cared about him and instead rushed eagerly toward the source of the essence, clearly planning to capture the wooden chair before anyone else.

Watching the two head off, Ji Yang did not react immediately; he simply observed the situation ahead quietly.

Since the path of the wooden chair was right in front of the three of them, the two from the Four Symbols Sect quickly closed in on it.

Seeing the wooden chair so close, the two were filled with overwhelming joy and reached out, trying to grab it.

“Stop! Don’t touch my essence!”

“Seeking death!”

…

The group of pursuers behind them yelled sternly!

However, they had come for the essence, and seeing it now, they had no reason to back down.

Disregarding the shouts from behind, the two quickened their speed.

But just as they were about to reach the wooden chair, an invisible force suddenly emanated from it, causing the two, who were merely a hand’s distance away, to freeze in mid-air, unable to move.

No matter how much they struggled or activated their treasures, they could not advance; they could only watch helplessly as the wooden chair passed right through their hands and quickly disappeared into the distance.

Once the distance between the wooden chair and the two widened, they gradually regained their ability to move.

“Damn it! Chase!”

With anger on their faces, the two immediately joined the pursuit of the wooden chair.

Meanwhile, Ji Yang observed the scene closely.

At the moment the two from the Four Symbols Sect made their move, countless illusory streams of water suddenly surrounded the wooden chair. These water flows appeared weak, but they firmly trapped the two, immobilizing them.

“This is the essence of the Water Way?”

Ji Yang murmured, gaining a deeper understanding of the essence of the Way.

This is a power that transcends a cultivator’s True Essence and spiritual treasures.

In the Cultivation World, there is a saying:

Only the essence of the Way can deal with the essence of the Way!

I wonder if this saying came from my father.

Watching the people gradually disappear, Ji Yang did not linger; instead, he turned to leave, planning to seek out spiritual plants in another location.

Although he came to the upper levels of the secret realm mainly for the essence, the encounter with this essence was hard to pass up, even if it did not resonate with him.

However, feeling tempted didn’t mean he was impulsive enough to jump in.

The fight for the essence would surely be filled with chaos and danger. Without certain strength and luck, even if he obtained the essence, he would not be able to keep it. Among the cultivators who just followed, there were at least seven or eight late Void Refinement stage cultivators, and it was still unknown who would ultimately seize the essence.

At present, with his combat power diminished, rushing in would only worsen his injuries, making it not worth the risk.

Once he recovered, the essence would just be a trivial matter for him; there was no need to lose big over a small gain.

The priority was to safely get through this weak period.

When autumn comes in September, my flowers bloom, and a hundred flowers perish.

…

Two days later, watching the wooden chair suddenly vanish before their eyes, the group erupted in uncontrollable anger. Two of them, who already had enmity, could hardly contain their frustration over losing the essence and immediately started fighting each other.

The other cultivators, seeing that they could not obtain the essence, quickly retreated and chose not to get involved.

The two from the Four Symbols Sect originally wanted to leave as well, but seeing the battle between the two, they decided to watch the situation; perhaps they would have a chance to pick up some leftovers.

Even if they couldn’t get the essence, whatever the other cultivators possessed might still be an opportunity for them, right?

They were not the only ones thinking this way.

“By the way, Senior Brother, why hasn’t that man caught up?”

At that moment, the Mid Void Refinement stage cultivator from the Four Symbols Sect suddenly remembered Ji Yang and asked in surprise.

The other one’s expression changed suddenly upon being reminded.

Yes, that person had not only reached the peak of the late Void Refinement stage, but he also possessed a powerful spiritual treasure for protection, and his primordial spirit energy was extremely strong.

Such a cultivator was among the top tier even among those pursuing the essence of the Way; he had a greater chance of capturing it.

But why hadn’t such a strong cultivator joined them in pursuing the essence?

Could it be that he looked down on it?

But then he shook his head, secretly dismissing his guess.

Even if this person wielded another essence that didn’t align with the water attribute, any essence would have significant benefits for a cultivator.

Moreover, if that person indeed grasped an essence, the two should have sensed it when he acted; clearly, he did not possess the essence.

And the essence was an irresistible temptation for cultivators in the Void Refinement stage; this person had no reason to be indifferent.

He couldn’t help but recall the situation at that time, and after some contemplation, the late Void Refinement stage cultivator from the Four Symbols Sect’s expression suddenly changed, and he clapped his hands, saying:

“Damn it! We’ve been tricked!”

“This person is just an empty shell, lacking any real strength of the late Void Refinement stage; the spiritual treasure in his hand must be a deceptive illusion!”

Listening to his senior brother’s speculation, the Mid Void Refinement stage cultivator showed a hint of surprise and immediately asked his question:

“But senior brother, didn’t both of us clearly feel the power emanating from that spiritual treasure? Isn’t it a genuine spiritual treasure?”

“Hmph, this person’s trickery lies in this aspect! Since he could hear our Transmission, his primordial spirit energy must be extraordinarily strong; that is an unavoidable fact.”

“But precisely because this person’s primordial spirit energy is stronger than ours, we were deceived by the spiritual treasure in his hand. That treasure may just be an illusion created by a spell.

Moreover, did you notice that this person has been stalemating with us for so long without taking the initiative to attack, merely intimidating us? If it were other cultivators with this kind of strength, would they tolerate it?

This clearly indicates that if he were to strike, his spell would fail, and we would see through it immediately; this is just him borrowing someone else’s power!”

Upon hearing his master’s analysis, the Mid Void Refinement stage cultivator suddenly realized, and his face turned to a fuming anger at being deceived by Ji Yang:

“Let’s go, senior brother, we need to find him and make him pay the price!”

“Forget it, that person has surely run away by now. Looking for him will only waste our time.”

“Then are we just going to let him go?”

“Hmph, as long as he is still in the upper levels of the secret realm, we will meet him sooner or later. When that time comes, we’ll show him our strength!”

“Crack!!”

While the two were discussing, a sudden sound of a barrier breaking echoed from nearby where two people were fighting. The volume of the sound was not caused by their battle.

The unusual noise immediately caught the attention of everyone present.

They saw at the center of the battle that one of the attacks had hit an empty space, and the loud sound was produced when the attack struck the ground.

As the attack landed, a formless barrier appeared before their eyes, but it was now filled with cracks, resulting from the recent attack.

With the barrier breaking apart further, a different scene emerged in front of everyone.

Facing this sudden change, everyone stared in astonishment; even the two who were originally in combat couldn’t help but stop.

When the barrier completely shattered and revealed what lay beyond it, everyone was left dumbfounded, uttering in disbelief:

“This!”

“What is this?”

“A mansion?”

Gazing upon the grand structure that was impossible to see in its entirety, everyone showed expressions of disbelief. No one had expected that such a massive mansion would emerge in this desolate secret realm.

Peering inside, they found it eerily silent, resembling a deserted land. The plaque in front of the mansion was long unreadable, leaving everyone to wonder how long it had been there.

Faced with this suddenly appearing mansion, no one dared to enter without knowing its details.

“Could the legend be true?”

At that moment, a late Void Refinement stage cultivator from the Taiyi Sect suddenly spoke, his eyes filled with excitement.

The others present also recalled the legend about the Ancient Realm of Yuan Kong.

It was said that this realm was constructed by several top powerful cultivators of the time using a Heavenly Communication Artifact.

However, the cultivators entering this secret realm had not believed this legend, as they hadn’t seen any signs of others having been there. Yet now, the emergence of this mansion undoubtedly shattered everyone’s previous understanding.

If the legend were true, didn’t that mean there was indeed a Heavenly Communication Artifact hidden within this secret realm?

In an instant, the expressions of the crowd looking at the mansion changed; no one knew what everyone was thinking, but the Heavenly Communication Artifact would undoubtedly be more precious than the essence of the Way.

Even if they couldn’t find the Heavenly Communication Artifact, the essence that had disappeared moments ago was still vivid in their minds.

Initially, they thought the essence had escaped in a way unknown to them, but it now seemed clear that it was hiding within this mansion. How could they not be tempted?

Though they were eager, no one rushed into the mansion; after all, they were Void Refinement stage cultivators, and reaching this level meant they were not foolish enough to take reckless risks. They would never give up on this mansion.