Cultivation: Fortune by Lots-Chapter 580 - 271. With a bamboo in hand, all treasures bow down! (Two-in-one Chapter)_3
Fortunately, he had retreated to the spot he had in mind.
As Lei Jun and the others approached the northern foothills of Ancient Wood Mountain, scattering to form an encirclement and aid Shangguan Yunbo, the mountains beneath suddenly began to quake.
Lei Jun lowered his head and gazed downward, seeing sword light erupting from the forest, reaching skyward in a seven-star formation.
It turned out to be Chen Donglou’s Seven-Star Sword, divided and arranged here by Wang Dongchu.
He risked damaging his lifebound magical artifacts and treasures, yet did not use Chen Donglou’s Seven-Star Sword to block calamity—was it because this sword had another purpose?
As the sword light shot into the air, each towering ancient tree on the mountain began to ignite on its own.
The burning produced no flame, but generated huge clouds of mist.
The mist spread in an instant, and even fierce winds could not drive it away.
Layer upon layer of confusion rapidly expanded, covering hundreds of miles of mountains, and it was still spreading.
*Lei Jun and his companions found themselves engulfed, and the last thing they clearly saw was Shangguan Yunbo launching another reckless blow, merging the Light Sword once more!*
The Merged Light Sword wailed, falling into the dense fog of confusion below.
Shangguan Yunbo did not let up for a moment, chasing relentlessly after the Merged Light Sword.
The misty barrier spread with alarming speed, swallowing up Lei Jun and the other three as well.
Blocked by the mist and confusion, every cultivator’s senses diminished sharply inside.
*Though Lei Jun had entered the fog, his mind remained calm and steady, the light of the Heaven-piercing Earth-penetrating Taliscript quietly shifting deep in his eyes, and a gleam of Spirit Light extending outward from the center of his brow.*
He roughly discerned his direction, then headed south along the foothills of Ancient Wood Mountain.
The mist now enveloped a vast area; not only the northern slopes, but the southern foothills as well.
Yet the southern forest stood firm, its branches shaking endlessly amidst the Spiritual Energy storm.
The tallest and oldest tree among them was precisely Lei Jun’s goal: the Ancient Divine Tree.
When he arrived beneath the Ancient Divine Tree, he saw at its roots, half-buried in stone and soil, a flicker of light.
It was as if a seed were incubating there.
Purple in color, the seed shimmered with starlight; sword qi bristled and surged out from within.
Lei Jun observed a while, then pointed his finger in the direction of the purple seed.
Once touched by his mana, the purple Immortal Seed unfurled at once and transformed into a thread of illusory purple light, hovering in mid-air.
Sword light.
Within the purple radiance, a galaxy of stars seemed to swirl, while the purple glow itself remained unmoved, steadfast at the center, ruling over all.
Feeling its artistic conception, Lei Jun understood,
it was one of the six great treasures of Mount Shu—the Ziwei Sword.
But, it was not the Ziwei Sword itself.
Rather, it was a sword mark left behind by the Ziwei Sword.
Somewhat like when, after the Celestial Master’s Sword was lost, accidental scratches were left behind, providing Tang Xiaotang, Li Zhengxuan, and the others clues in their search.
But this particular Ziwei Sword mark clearly bore the signs of ritual refinement by human hands.
*Was this the Fourth-Rank Opportunity mentioned in the moderately good lot, or the Third-Rank Opportunity?*
Based on past experiences with the Celestial Master Seal and Celestial Master Robe, clues to the Ziwei Sword like this were usually Fourth-Rank Opportunities.
*But what did a Third-Rank Opportunity look like?* Lei Jun guessed inwardly.
He watched as the Immortal Seed sprouted and grew, concentrating intently, as if witnessing the passage of time itself and the shifting of ages.
*His usual habit had always been to grab the item and leave, waiting for peace and quiet later on to study it in detail.*
However, he sensed that the purple light now seemed linked to the misty confusion.
*If he seized it right away, the mist would dissipate quickly.*
Lei Jun pondered briefly and chose not to take the purple light immediately; instead, he cast the dim light of the Mysterious Void Mirror, veiling himself and staying alert for any activity nearby.
Now, since he had a moment to wait, he studied the purple glow a bit more.
*Lei Jun felt as if he walked on a road, one trodden by another before him, following its path and glimpsing the journey and experiences of that person.*
Chen Donglou’s journey.
Lei Jun watched the back of the man ahead.
The man, like other Shu Mountain cultivators, wore plain clothes and hempen shoes, but his hair hung wild and loose; though it was only his back, he radiated carefree confidence and untamed spirit.
The scene of the Stone Forest of Nanzhao appeared.
Indeed, Chen Donglou had come there first.
It was in the Stone Forest of Nanzhao that he found the mark of the Ziwei Sword.
Then, he refined it along the way, continuing his search for the Ziwei Sword, until at last arriving here by Ancient Wood Mountain.
"Oh?"
Lei Jun narrowed his eyes, because according to what appeared within the purple light, the void at Ancient Wood Mountain warped, forming a Void Gateway.
So, the loss of the Ziwei Sword, this futile search—was it all tied to an alien void?
Chen Donglou obviously suspected as much, and, desirous to explore, stepped inside.
It was a world of darkness, as if underground, where only faint glimmers of light flickered—utterly desolate.
After searching through its depths for some time, Chen Donglou encountered the native people dwelling there.
"...Jiuli People?" Lei Jun took in their features and dress, immediately matching them to descriptions in the ancient texts.
So this Void Gateway at Ancient Wood Mountain led directly to the Earth Sea, one of the Nine Heavens and Ten Earths?
*This was more than Lei Jun had anticipated.*
But what did come as no surprise was that Chen Donglou fought fiercely with the Jiuli People.
They battled furiously, until at last a mighty Jiuli cultivator of the Nine Heavens Realm joined the fray.
Though his cultivation fell short by one realm, this brazen, wild Great Sword Cultivator was never cowed, and fought his opponent to the end.
Apart from briefly sending the Ziwei Sword Mark back to the human world in the region of Ancient Wood Mountain, Chen Donglou never once backed down.
The Seven-Star Sword shone to the sky, flashing back and forth between the bright world above and the darkness of the Earth Sea below.
In the end, they broke each other, both gravely wounded, and even the Void Gateway itself was destroyed, separating the Earth Sea from the Mortal World once more.
