Chapter 413

Chapter 413: A Sudden Encounter with a Great Daoist Discussing the Calamity of Immortals

Upon just a glance, Li Hui quickly cut off the talisman power and closed his eyes.

He understood fully now. He had surveyed the Green Copper Hall inside and out, but the consumption was equally terrifying, making it feel as if his eyes were about to go blind. If it weren’t for the silver snake bracelet channeling the talisman power, and the Dao Rhythm Residual Talisman reducing the burden significantly, his eyes would have been permanently ruined, irreparable by any divine pills. Perhaps relying on the treasure cabinet could slowly mend them, but it would take ten years at the very least.

The black patterns on the back of the silver snake bracelet had decreased by two. Even if the Dao Rhythm Residual Talisman diminished the cost, it was still far greater than the Unity of Heaven and Earth Talisman’s.

However, Li Hui felt it was worth it. As the saying goes, “Know yourself and your enemy, and you will win every battle.” Without understanding the true situation of the Green Copper Hall, no amount of jade symbols would be enough to reach the core.

“Beyond imagination! This Green Copper Hall is indeed a place of opportunity. The Evil God has unknowingly occupied this place for years, seeing it as a forbidden area to harvest the luck of cultivators.”

Next, Li Hui hurried into action. He easily located the weak points in the formation and slipped inside, using jade symbols to leave trails of silver threads. Moving back and forth was like navigating a maze; suddenly a grand door appeared before him.

The door was tightly shut, and the Unity of Heaven and Earth Talisman transformed into a breeze, gently blowing into the crack.

Before long, Li Hui slipped into the eight interconnected restricted formations, stepping with profound movements. At one moment, he caught sight of orange, green, and purple lights swirling together. He seized the opportunity to slip through.

“What a sight! Five hundred and twenty-eight treasures, each with an extraordinary aura. There are indeed many spirit treasures, and many powerful artifacts as well. No matter how one looks at it, the silver snake is in for a treat this time.”

Spirit treasures were rare and incredibly valuable. Through Bai Ze’s divine eye, Li Hui distinguished their strengths and weaknesses. He carefully selected treasures, preparing to leave some for the various demons and disciples as a foundation for their future while selling others.

“If it weren’t for needing talisman power to operate the jade symbols, I might have to fight Feng Tianliang and the Evil God. Otherwise, I would hate to destroy any of these treasures. The artifacts and spirit treasures outside can’t compare to these treasures in this storeroom; their foundations are immensely rich, and their creations are astonishing.”

To this day, Li Hui had suspicion that the silver snake bracelet was not consuming artifacts but rather drawing the power of creation concentrated within them.

The work of heaven and earth, that is creation!

“Beneath the snake’s mouth, the artifacts and spirit treasures have lost their creation power, which is why they were destroyed so completely; otherwise, the strange phenomenon cannot be explained.”

“When it comes to creation, this becomes significant. The texts I have come across record very few references, and when mentioned, it is but a fragment, vague and unclear.”

“Ha-ha, naturally, treasures will not be left for the Evil God. However, there are other opportunities here. If it weren’t for Bai Ze glimpsing the key, who knows how many years this would remain buried?” Li Hui turned left and right, noticing nine purple bricks beneath his feet, followed by nine green bricks, finally stepping onto nine orange steps.

He saw two ancient wooden doors materialize. Li Hui boldly stated that even if the Evil God had resided here for years, he had never discovered these wooden doors.

The doors were adorned with engravings, depicting a green pine tree and a green stone beneath it.

His gaze suddenly froze. Previously, there was only pine and stone, but now a Daoist appeared on the stone. This person had a bare belly and a limp, with an iron crutch and a red gourd beside him, waving a fan in hand. The Bearded Man suddenly smiled slightly, gesturing towards the door.

In a daze, as light and shadow flickered, Li Hui found himself standing beside the green stone, his heart pounding: “What kind of technique is this?”

“Ha-ha-ha! Great is the boundless Xuan Yuan Dao. What being does not receive spiritual responses? Nourishing the three lights to turn the sky blue, fostering all things to bloom. Since you’ve come, make yourself at home. Bring those treasures from outside; mere evil beings cannot reach this place.”

“Senior!” Li Hui quickly advanced to pay his respects.

“Anyone who can enter this door is a fated person. I am the poor Daoist Li Xuan, also known as Li Kongmu. Of course, my true self is not here, just a fragment of my spiritual sense. Once, I was charming and talented, but during my travels, I was secretly plotted against by a disciple. Ha-ha, so I switched to this form and became a lame man.”

“Senior is a great Daoist. I am Li Hui, also known as Li Yingjun, from the Jade Symbol Sect. Now, I have inherited the Dao lineage of the Heavenly Talisman Sect and have some connections with the Jin Tian Sect.”

“It matters little which faction or sect. Those who follow the Dao have the Dao in their hearts and walk their own Path.” The lame Daoist smiled: “The journey of cultivation requires guidance. I went first, and you follow. If you have any questions in cultivation, feel free to ask, and you may find answers here.”

Li Hui bowed deeply and quickly inquired: “Cultivation is a grand undertaking. Starting from the Spirit Motion stage, I know about Gathering Spirit, Condensing Essence, Bosa, Myriad Forms, Hongfa, and Traveling. I do not know if there is a realm after Traveling?”

“There is! I, the poor Daoist, am an incarnation from the Traveling Realm. I had to change my body, and this Traveling Realm can also be referred to as the Yang God. However, I have not yet mastered it, so I cannot blend in with the dust. To do so, one must cultivate to the Void Ascension Realm, leaping out of the Azure Sky above or traversing the Underworld below—wherever in the world one can go!”

“Oh?” Li Hui’s expression shifted as he realized there was indeed a realm beyond the Traveling Realm called Void Ascension, not knowing how many had achieved it since ancient times.

“Not done yet! After Void Ascension, one enters the realm of Heavenly Sovereign. Of course, this refers to the Heavenly Sovereign of this world, where there is a slim hope of becoming an immortal by stepping beyond the elements of heaven and earth.”

“Becoming an immortal?” Li Hui was amazed. Becoming a Heavenly Sovereign wasn’t enough; there was an even higher realm?

“Becoming an immortal is good, becoming an immortal is wonderful, one achieves freedom and ease, a body of eternal life, and the Dao Body.” The lame Daoist shook his head and said: “However, becoming an immortal is not easy. From my exploration, the Dao has crumbled, and immortals no longer exist. Who knows how many years ago, there was a calamity of immortals, and the cultivation world similarly collapsed, resulting in countless fragments flying about. The ground beneath your feet is one such fragment. Thankfully, the spiritual energy here is relatively abundant, not a wasteland, and there are still cultivators being born.”

“Calamity of immortals? Immortals no longer exist?” Li Hui struggled to process the revelations he heard today.

“Exactly! If you grow up, you may seek traces of immortals, but opportunities are few.” The lame Daoist shook his head: “A calamity of immortals is a million times more powerful than the calamity of forgetfulness you faced. Cultivators have forgotten the existence of immortals; all immortal estates have been completely erased from time and space, and everything related to immortals has long since vanished. Unless someone reverses time and fixes the sky, trying to capture the past, they might slip into the traces of immortality through the gaps in time.”

“This…” Li Hui slapped his head, smiling bitterly, “Senior’s realms are far too lofty. I’d better hide here and collect the treasures from outside!”

“Ha-ha-ha! Good, good! Good treasures, wonderful treasures, safeguarding the path of condensed essence into true Dao.” The lame Daoist was amiable; his figure suddenly faded as he said, “Hurry! Time has stretched too long; I did not expect this fragment of spiritual sense to fade away soon.”

“Understood!” Li Hui used all his strength and shouted, “Rush!”

Truly rapid, in the inner courtyard and treasure vault of the Green Copper Hall, all treasures trembled gently, and in the next moment, they disappeared without a trace. The silver snake couldn’t wait to open its mouth and swallow everything, angering Li Hui as he hurried to compete for the treasures. Among them were spirit treasures with immense creative foundations, which he planned to seal away and eventually send to the Mysterious Pearl.

“Eh?” The lame Daoist Li Xuan remarked, “This snake is impressive, it seems…”

“Crack!” Thunder crashed across the heavens, and with a flash of silver light, where did the great Daoist’s figure go on the green stone? He still had many questions to ask, but he had missed the opportunity, swallowed by the silver snake.