Cultivation: I Have Studied Abroad in the Modern World-Chapter 1250 - 554: The Role of Circulation, Stars Shifting (Part 2)
"What is this..."
Lady Water Mother thought she hadn’t been asleep for long, but she could no longer understand the current Xuanwei cultivators.
The Heavenly Emperor Body remained silent, but the runes on its thirty-six divine bodies began to change, gradually becoming identical to the thirty-six stars in the chaos.
"I humbly ask Lady Water Mother to teach me the All Heaven Stars Formation."
"..."
In the chaos, the three figures — Qingnv, Ni Chang, and Taiyin Fairy — looked at Zheng Fa, who still had his eyes closed, their expressions tinged with despair.
The Three Lights Divine Water on the Taiyin Laurel Tree had already dried up.
The peach branches of the Evil Water Mother had slowly crawled across the void, forming a cocoon that tightly enveloped the bronze platform.
The three lifted their eyes to see the sky in all directions filled with writhing branches, countless faces leered and screamed at them.
The Taiyin Fairy slowly stopped healing herself, stood up, and straightened her back.
Qingnv and Lord Nichang exchanged glances and realized that the situation was anything but hopeful.
"While there’s still a bit of the Three Lights Divine Water left, we must make a decision early," the Taiyin Fairy indeed said to them, "We must escape. Staying here poses too great a threat to Zheng Fa."
"He has the bronze platform; he might be able to protect himself for a while. But if we turn into demons, we’d only be harming him."
"Of course, this Evil God is far stronger than us, and our life and death will be uncertain once we’re out. If we can preserve our lives until Master Zheng can wield the All Heaven Stars Formation, we might have a chance of survival."
"If we can’t... staying here means waiting for death."
Lord Nichang took a deep breath, but Qingnv chuckled lightly, looked at the branches surrounding them, and said something unexpected:
"If I turn into that, remember to kill me."
"..."
She pressed her palm on the seven-stringed zither and said, "Blasphemer of the Water Mother deserves death!"
A circle of blue light burst from the zither strings, sending an extreme chill shooting out beyond the bronze platform.
The writhing branches were frozen solid, and those human faces instantly solidified.
Known as the Qingxiao Jade Girl who governs frost and snow, Qingnv’s strike was a thousand miles of ice and snow.
"Break!"
With a light shout from Qingnv, the branches shattered with a crack, revealing the darkness outside.
"Go." The Taiyin Fairy said softly, pointing to the Taiyin Laurel Tree and chanting, "The moonlight flows down, the Taiyin protects."
A beam of moonlight fell from the laurel tree, covering the three figures, as if cloaking them in jade-colored Taoist robes.
Without further delay, the three leaped off the bronze platform and, in unison, glanced at the still eyes-closed Zheng Fa.
As they left the bronze platform, they felt as if they had plunged into deep sea, surrounded by pressure that could crush ordinary cultivators to pieces.
The jade robes glowed a few times, against the pressure, allowing them to breathe a small sigh of relief.
"That way!" Taiyin pointed slightly to the north, explaining, "The Water Mother seems to come from the south; we need to avoid her."
Qingnv and Ni Chang immediately understood. They didn’t want to interfere with Zheng Fa’s advancement, nor did they want to throw their lives away.
The Water Mother was too much for them; confronting her head-on would be futile. Now, it was better to escape in the opposite direction while the Water Mother was momentarily repelled, possibly drawing her away and buying Zheng Fa more time.
The three used the power of Taiyin to protect themselves, struggling step by step through the array, moving slower than those creeping branches thanks to the surrounding pressure.
Luckily, when they looked back, they found that the branches seemed uninterested in them and were moving back towards the bronze platform.
Seizing the moment, they headed north, and soon, the Three Lights Divine Water was finally exhausted.
Looking back, the shadow of the bronze platform had disappeared into the darkness, leaving the whispers of the Evil Water Mother behind.
For now, it seemed the three were safe.
"The Water Mother wants to get out, her target is the Star Banner..." The Taiyin Fairy sighed, "Though we’ve escaped, we couldn’t draw away the danger for Master Zheng."
"Then, will Master Zheng be alright?"
Lord Nichang began to worry.
"I don’t know." The Taiyin Fairy shook her head, "But what we can do now is not cause him trouble. Even if we can’t help him, we can’t be his burden. We must conserve our strength and wait for a chance to lend him a hand."
"Even if we must fight to the death, it should be at a crucial moment."
Qingnv and Lord Nichang recognized her experienced advice, though uninformed of Zheng Fa’s current state, they nodded, following the Taiyin Fairy’s guidance.
"No wonder the Water Mother always says that, whether in disposition, strength, or strategy, Taiyin, you are second only to her in the Turquoise Pool."
A voice filled with amusement came.
The Taiyin Fairy’s expression changed, looking towards the source, where the silhouette of the Rangsui Goddess appeared from the darkness.
"Rangsui! You were waiting here all along?"
"Did you really think you could escape Lady Water Mother’s grasp?" The Rangsui Goddess scoffed, lifting her head.
The three looked up to see a massive peach tree standing in the darkness. 𝘧𝓇ℯ𝑒𝓌𝑒𝑏𝓃𝘰𝘷𝘦𝘭.𝒸ℴ𝓂
Its trunk was like a colossal peak, with no sight of where the crown started.
It seemed their previous escape was just a move from beneath one peach leaf to another.
Compared to the celestial pillar-like Peach Tree, the Taiyin Laurel Tree above the Taiyin Fairy’s head was almost like a sugar painting.
"Has the Water Mother’s power increased so drastically?"
The Taiyin Fairy’s face turned pale.
"When the World Honored One gifted the All Heaven Stars Formation to the Water Mother, he never thought she’d truly comprehend it." The Rangsui Goddess said, perhaps in admiration or pity, "To think, the World Honored One once studied the array for several epochs, to no avail, only then did he part with it."
"Unexpectedly, the Water Mother resonated immensely with the array... She truly has a chance to prove her Dao, one might even say she’s already taken half a step."
Looking at the towering Peach Tree, the Taiyin Fairy’s eyes carried both awe and regret.
"Yet the essence of the Divine Dao Skill has a flaw; it can never achieve Daluo, growing more dangerous the higher one’s cultivation." The Rangsui Goddess continued, "The Water Mother thought she was moving half a step towards proving her Dao, not realizing she was striding into an abyss."
Above their heads, peach branches fell like bead curtains, gradually descending.
They knew they couldn’t escape now — the Water Mother was too large, and with their speed, it was impossible to leave her range, only to uselessly exhaust their immortal power.
The Rangsui Goddess placed her hands together, addressing them, "The Divine Dao Skill has great dangers, only the World Honored One, who holds the Pure Land, is perfectly suited for our cultivation. If you could take refuge under the World Honored One, not only would you avoid infighting among fellow disciples, but gain the teachings of the Great Dao."
With the three on the brink of danger, a touch of certainty lingered on the Rangsui Goddess’s face.
Unexpectedly, the three showed no reaction, merely focused, gazing at the peach branches, as if preparing for a desperate fight.
"Would you really die for that Zheng Fa?"
Qingnv laughed heartily, "What Zheng Fa? What Lu Yao? I’ve attained the Dao under the Water Mother’s guidance, as a proud Yaochi cultivator, why would I submit to anyone?"
"Lu Yao caused such harm to the Water Mother, I’ve long been irreconcilable with him!"
"The reasoning in this, I can’t explain to you!"
The Rangsui Goddess seemed provoked by these words, chanting scriptures quietly towards the Peach Tree.
The peach branches seemed to sniff out the most delectable feast, surging wildly towards the trio, whispers turning into loud shouts, pulling them into chaos.
At this moment, they were without the protection of the Three Lights Divine Water and quickly fell into confusion. The world before the Taiyin Fairy began to shatter, twist, and distort.
Never did she think that upon encountering the Evil Water Mother, they’d have no power to resist, falling into despair.
In her bewilderment, starry light seemed to fill the sky, making her more dizzy. Suddenly, a voice reached her ears: "...What is this!"
This was Lady Water Mother yelling, why did she sound so panicked?
The Taiyin Fairy struggled to open her eyes, and suddenly Zheng Fa’s figure appeared beside her.
Zheng Fa glanced at the Taiyin Fairy and the others, seeming somewhat relieved, then looked up to respond to the Evil Water Mother:
"Inner Realm * All Heaven Star God."
