Hidden Moth-Chapter 523 - 298: Immortal Palace Curtain, Like Palace Curtain Immortal
He Kao was in the process of breaking through Tier Five, integrating his form and spirit with a part of heaven and earth; thus, anyone with spiritual sense in this realm would have some perception.
Even those without spiritual sense but with spiritual intelligence would be inexplicably startled; those without spiritual intelligence but with sensory perception would similarly be attracted and disturbed.
The first to be startled were various birds and beasts, with the swiftest raptors arriving first.
Floating Colors Grotto Heaven lacked eagles and vultures, but had several kinds of falcons, which didn’t know why they had come, only that they were drawn by something.
In the gentle spring breeze, vines rustled; mid-April was the season when all things thrived. The celestial palace curtain’s fresh green leaves, shaped like small palms, lay densely layered, concealing the entrance of the Immortal Cauldron Palace.
Not only did it block vision, the growing celestial palace curtain possessed the wonderful ability to shield divine sense, making it appear as an ordinary cliff face... yet all this couldn’t stop those flying falcons; more crucial was the Array of Ten Thousand Woods Rejuvenation.
As long as a falcon flew towards the entrance, approaching a certain distance, it would inexplicably circle away, as if interfered with and drawn away by an invisible force.
Floating Colors Grotto Heaven contained no other people, nor any demons or ghosts; merely the birds and beasts posed no threat to He Kao in seclusion, with the protection of the Array of Ten Thousand Woods Rejuvenation sufficing.
Next to fly in were various other birds, but since many falcons already circled here, afraid of these natural enemies, they dared not approach too closely, choosing instead to hover around the periphery of the valley.
From afar, innumerable birds swirled and danced above this wilderness like vast clouds.
Floating Colors Grotto Heaven had no tigers, yet it held leopards, bears, badgers, deer, roe, antelopes, foxes, and other beasts, all gazing from a distance; many were instinctively cautious and didn’t head this way.
But closer by, many beasts, unable to suppress their curiosity, were inexplicably attracted and approached. Along the way, numerous beasts sensed the presence of predators and carefully concealed themselves.
Leopards and black bears appeared below and atop the cliffs, assessing one another without conflict, casting curious glances all around while occasionally moving their ears and sniffing their noses.
Where the cave mansion stood, ferocious beasts could not reach, not even agile mountain antelopes traversing sheer cliffs would tread upon this wild vine-covered cliff face... a daring wild monkey quietly ventured closer, yet was scared back by the nearby bears and leopards.
Apart from birds and beasts, another group in greater numbers, yet easily overlooked, consisted of various crawling and flying insects, including mosquitoes and ants, and also moths, butterflies, wild bees, dragonflies, and damselflies.
Numerous such creatures were near here, their speed relatively slow, lacking spiritual intelligence, and acting purely on instinct, drawn to come.
The circling birds suddenly grew chaotic, repeatedly swooping towards the ground and taking flight again, driven by instinct to catch various insects; never before had so much food emerged right before their eyes.
Some birds simply landed and pecked around, as if partaking in a feast.
Quite a few flying insects breached their natural enemies’ blockade, reaching near the cliffs, thick as smoke and dust. Nearby came a succession of beastly roars bearing a warning air... many beasts kept away.
The celestial palace curtain’s leaves across the entire cliff seemed like countless dancing green hands, especially the ancient vine concealing the entrance, almost as if it had come to life.
An invisible ripple seemed to spread out, causing these flying insects, much like those falcons, to mysteriously be unable to approach the cliffs, only fluttering and circling the surrounding area.
The scene of He Kao breaking the realm in the mountains appeared quite lively.
The grotto heaven blessed land was indeed an excellent place for seclusion and breaking the realm, but it required someone to guard and manage, and fellow sect members to protect. If it were any of the other Seven Great Magic Sect Grotto Heavens, such commotion wouldn’t occur.
Fortunately, this disturbance hadn’t interfered with He Kao’s breakthrough, nor had it interrupted that mysterious state of insight. After about over an hour, He Kao within the cave mansion finally opened his eyes.
The preceding state of Fixed Realm seemed long and eternal, yet also fleeting, like a snap of fingers; when he left meditation, he had become a Tier Five Cultivator, a Charming Person of the Hidden Moth Sect, also known as Invisible Man, Thousand-Faced Man.
The inexplicable spiritual stimulation between heaven and earth suddenly vanished, replaced by an invisible pressure spreading out, scattering birds, beasts, moths, butterflies, and insects in a rush, gradually restoring tranquility to the place.
He Kao was somewhat entranced, caught in contemplation; in the previous Fixed Realm, he had an illusionary feeling that he was invincible in this part of heaven and earth! But when that fleeting state of insight ended, he was still himself, inevitably with a hint of loss.
Expanding his divine sense, his form and spirit seemed still capable of integrating with a piece of heaven and earth, but the scope was limited to this cave mansion, far from covering the entire grotto heaven.
The most direct progress after breaking the realm was the immense enhancement of divine sense, with its farthest reach nearly doubled, achieving around five kilometers.
He couldn’t claim to always master all movements within the five kilometers, first needing to focus in a specific direction, where he could probe up to about five kilometers.
Within the range of divine sense, He Kao could continuously teleport, and his speed would become faster.
A more essential improvement is the profound change in the state of mind and body, which is hard to describe, as if constantly in a state of concentrated meditation, like the old saying—walking, sitting, or lying down, all can be cultivation.
At this moment, He Kao suddenly understood Wei Luo, why that girl seemed so alert yet got lost easily; as a Tier Five Wanderer, she could be in a state of cultivation at any given time.
What other changes does this bring? The most obvious and useful enhancement is the instant casting of Techniques.
When cultivation reaches Tier Five, various Applied Techniques can be cast instantly. People who enjoy fantasy works might understand what this means. Of course, not just any Technique can be instant-cast; the prerequisite is cultivating it to the Knowledge of the Ordinary Realm.
He Kao walked to the cave entrance, gently touching the ancient vine with his hand, and whispered, "Thank you!"
The leaves of the Celestial Palace Curtain swayed, as if in some form of response. He Kao was stunned because he was about to teleport to the Array Core at the Grotto Heaven Center, yet remained fixed in place—his Invisibility Ability was limited!
There was no one around, not even birds or beasts; only this ancient vine was before him. Could it have become a demon?
There have never been sightings of demons or ghosts in the world since ancient times. Stepping back a thousand steps, there’s a saying "no essence after the founding of the state," right? Could it be because the Floating Colors Grotto Heaven is not governed by the state, that it could become a demon?
At the next moment, He Kao appeared as if transformed into a sculpture, while in reality, his Primordial Spirit had left his body and was transferred into the ancient vine. He had done this before and could confirm that Spirit Plants also have perception.
One could sense the mountain winds, the sky light, the contours of the cliffs, the rooted soil, and the temperature and humidity of the environment through the body of the Spirit Plant...
However, this perception did not mean the Celestial Palace Curtain had intelligence; it only indicated its living state. It did not imply it had the spiritual sense to actively observe things, as it could not sense the process of conscious thought.
But this time, things seemed to change.
He Kao could still sense the environment through the "body" of the ancient vine. When he withdrew his own perception, maintaining a state of observation without thought, this perception didn’t vanish but became very hazy, as if shrouded in mist.
If the ancient vine were to possess "consciousness," then this was its self-awareness!
This piece of "consciousness" was very faint, like a flame that could extinguish at any moment, and was also very slow and sluggish, as even a simple "sensing" thought took a long time to react.
This weak consciousness was not enough to "observe" He Kao and could not even comprehend He Kao’s presence and absence. The reason He Kao couldn’t teleport earlier was quite peculiar, as he was touching this ancient vine.
He had repeatedly used the Spirit Awakening Pill to "feed" the ancient vine and had transferred his consciousness into it, inexplicably feeling a subtle connection with it.
Therefore, when he was touching the vine, the ancient vine could "sense" his presence and distinguish him from other things, being in an "observation" state.
How could He Kao perceive such a vague sensation so clearly? Because he was now transferred into the vine, sharing in its sensations, needing no words to describe or thoughts to process, it was simply an intuition.
He Kao’s Primordial Spirit then returned to his body, he withdrew his hand and stepped back two paces, restrained his Divine Qi, and held his breath, then vanished from sight.
After all, the ancient vine wasn’t human; it wouldn’t stare at him. It didn’t even have the concept, and even with some spiritual sense, it couldn’t truly limit the Invisibility Ability.
In the next instant, He Kao appeared here again, having just tested something, he had arrived at a conclusion.
The faint consciousness the vine possessed was like a small flame that could extinguish at any moment. He Kao intended to help strengthen it; he sat at the cave entrance, took out a Spirit Awakening Pill, and utilized his Divine Power to aid its refinement and absorption of its spiritual effect.
After breaking through the Fifth Realm Cultivation, He Kao was much smoother, and the spiritual effect was almost fully utilized. The Celestial Palace Curtain showed no visible changes, but He Kao felt it had become more lively, and the "little flame" remained weak but seemed less likely to extinguish anytime soon.
It couldn’t be said that the vine had become a demon, perhaps it showed signs of such, but it was far from the legendary transformation into a human form, it was still just a vine with a faint and sluggish spiritual consciousness.
He Kao fervently wanted to communicate with it; unfortunately, he couldn’t.
In fact, he had a method where he could transfer again and communicate through consciousness in the transferred state. If the ancient vine were a person, it would be equivalent to another consciousness suddenly appearing in its mind, capable of exchange.
It was just that the vine’s hint of spiritual consciousness was too weak, unable to bear the invasive type of communication, and He Kao was worried that even the slightest misstep might dissipate it, reducing it to an ordinary plant once more.
He Kao also had cultivation in the Observing Body Skill, applying it flexibly to the vine, finding that it was very healthy, and despite its weak spiritual consciousness, its Essence and Qi neared the peak state of Innate Perfection.
After surveying around and atop the cliff, He Kao found nothing that could threaten the vine, and only then did he teleport away.
**
