Chapter 392 – Those Four Walls Are Just Four Swords

“The Five Crane Ascension Platform… is this the foundation of Great Thousand Mountains? No, there’s something deeper at play here.”

As Lu Chen watched Wing Venerable Zuoqiu An sever his own arms as sacrificial offerings and absorb the crane wings from the Five Crane Ascension Platform, he couldn’t shake the feeling that something was amiss.

Upon careful consideration, he realized that while Zuoqiu An’s actions appeared to involve absorbing some special power to break through constraints and advance from the Nascent Soul Stage to the Transformation Soul Stage, there was a fundamental problem.

The essence of the Transformation Soul Stage lies in merging one’s body with the Dao.

Whether it’s immortal cultivators or beings like Gu Xian, though their paths may differ greatly, the final manifestation should be identical.

But was what Zuoqiu An merged with truly the ‘Dao’?

If it wasn’t the Dao, however, it was difficult to explain why the Zuoqiu An in the memory fragment immediately reached the Transformation Soul Stage after absorbing those strange crane wings.

Though it was merely a memory fragment, Lu Chen could still determine with certainty that the Zuoqiu An in the vision had indeed reached the Transformation Soul Stage.

“Strange, what exactly is making me feel this unease…”

Lu Chen furrowed his brows, feeling as if he had grasped something, yet the sensation remained too vague to pinpoint the crucial point.

Meanwhile, in the memory fragment, Zuoqiu An was immersed in the joy of his breakthrough.

“Hahaha, I’ve succeeded! This venerable one has finally succeeded!”

Zuoqiu An spread his newly acquired wings, excitedly flapping them.

Though the freshly grafted crane wings hadn’t fully fused with his body, causing continuous bleeding from the wounds, Zuoqiu An seemed oblivious to the pain, completely absorbed in his ecstasy. His expression had become so distorted with excitement that he appeared almost inhuman.

In a corner Zuoqiu An failed to notice, the Thousand-Year Elder revealed an eerie smile.

At first glance, it seemed like he was happy for Zuoqiu An’s success, but upon closer inspection, one could detect something sinister in that smile – reminiscent of a spider watching its prey fall into the web.

Lost in his jubilation, Zuoqiu An remained unaware of these details, but Lu Chen, as an observer, immediately noticed the abnormality.

In that instant, something occurred to Lu Chen, and he abruptly looked down beneath the Five Crane Ascension Platform.

Below the platform lay a massive black Flesh Lingzhi.

The Flesh Lingzhi itself appeared to lack consciousness, possessing abundant spiritual power yet unable to utilize it.

But what if this was all an act?

This reminded Lu Chen of certain plants from his previous life.

As beings lower on the food chain in nature, plants survive differently from animals.

Even those with predatory capabilities among plants are far less efficient and direct than animals in their hunting methods.

Yet precisely because of their inherent weakness, plants are rarely regarded as threats by other predators, creating perfect conditions for their camouflage and utilization of other creatures for hunting.

The Flesh Lingzhi beneath the Five Crane Ascension Platform was enormous – so large that without his god-like perspective allowing him to see the overall picture, Lu Chen wouldn’t have been able to comprehend its full scale.Otherwise, he might have mistaken this place for an ordinary cave, with the black ground merely being a peculiar decorative feature.

“The Dao of the Fiend lies in theft. The Immortal Cultivation World has many spiritual plants that cultivate into sentient beings, shedding their mortal forms to become immortals. There’s no reason the Ancient Fiend Nine Realms should lack such phenomena.”

“In nature, some plants first offer their leaves, flowers, or fruits to animals or insects, allowing them to assist in what could be called hunting, achieving a mutually beneficial symbiotic relationship.”

“If this Flesh Lingzhi operates similarly, it could first lend its power to others in the Great Thousand Mountains, then use them to obtain what it desires.”

“Yes, that’s it. Zuoqiu An didn’t achieve a breakthrough to the Deity Transformation Stage—he was lent the power of the Deity Transformation Stage.”

“Otherwise, even with Zuoqiu An’s extraordinary talent, he couldn’t possibly have shattered the constraints between the Nascent Soul Stage and Deity Transformation Stage cultivators overnight.”

“If this is truly the case, then the entire Great Thousand Mountains might represent an alternative ecosystem.”

“Every individual here is essentially competing in different ways to borrow more power from a certain existence.”

As he pondered, Lu Chen felt he had grasped the crucial point.

And this crucial point was the relationship between Ancient Fiends and Ancient Fiend cultivators.

If cultivation in the Immortal Cultivation World could be compared to starting one’s own business—bearing both risks and rewards independently—then the cultivation of Ancient Fiend cultivators was like working for others.

The “wages” obtained depended partly on one’s own efforts and partly on what the other party was willing to give.

The former involved high risks and uncertain returns, but offered autonomy and potentially high ceilings.

The latter involved lower risks and fixed returns, but came with clear limitations and made one easily controlled by others, unable to master one’s own destiny.

If one thought deeper, perhaps the Ancient Fiends viewed Ancient Fiend cultivators as ranchers view their livestock.

Once fattened up, they could be served on the dining table at any time.

As for the true nature of this Flesh Lingzhi, Lu Chen found the relevant term in his memories.

This Flesh Lingzhi was none other than the so-called ‘Black Taisui’.

That is, a entity transformed from polluted heavenly and earthly spiritual veins.

In this aspect, Black Taisui actually belonged to the same category of existence as the Aura Golden Dragon.

Such special beings had a unified designation in the Immortal Cultivation World… Xiantian Spirits.

Coincidentally, the core of cultivation in the Great Thousand Mountains was to transform oneself into a Xiantian Spirit.

Lu Chen couldn’t help but connect these two concepts.

“Abandoning the mundane mortal shell, seeking the Great Dao to enter Xiantian—but is this Xiantian… truly oneself?”

Watching the scene where Zuoqiu An remained completely unaware of any abnormality, still exceptionally excited, Lu Chen couldn’t help but sigh with emotion.

After receiving the gifts from the Five Crane Ascension Platform, Zuoqiu An’s subsequent days became much more stable.

He not only became one of the true Five Revered Ones of the Great Thousand Mountains but could also directly begin mobilizing the resources of the Great Thousand Mountains.

This included explorations of the Grave of Ten Thousand Fiends.

Such peaceful days continued until changes occurred over a hundred years later.

When Wing Venerable Zuoqiu An was 682 years old.

“Master, you summoned me?”

By that time, Zuoqiu An had already held the position of Revered One in the Great Thousand Mountains for over a hundred years.

He had cultivated that transcendent aura of authority.

During these hundred-plus years, Wing Venerable Zuoqiu An had organized several expeditions to the Grave of Ten Thousand Fiends.During this process, they engaged in a certain degree of cooperation with other Ancient Immortal Sects.

Among them was the Black Lotus Sect, an old acquaintance familiar to Lu Chen.

The Black Lotus Sect was located in Mahakala in the south.

The Great Thousand Mountains were situated in the Ten Thousand Mountains in the west.

Both Ancient Immortal Sects were located within Forbidden Lands marked by the Immortal Alliance.

This made Lu Chen suspect whether similar sects existed in the remaining two Forbidden Lands.

The reason he hadn’t received similar information about them was either because the other two sects were well hidden, or because they rarely moved within the Immortal Alliance.

However, based on Zuoqiu An’s memories, Lu Chen leaned toward the former explanation.

Because over the past hundred years, Zuoqiu An hadn’t only contacted the Black Lotus Sect, but also some other schools unknown to Lu Chen.

Among them were even Righteous Path sects within the Immortal Alliance.

That’s right – even some sects within the Immortal Alliance had established connections with the Great Thousand Mountains.

This was undoubtedly a very troubling signal.

It also gave Lu Chen a sense of familiarity.

After all, he had witnessed similar scenes with his own eyes.

However, compared to what Thousand-Year Elder was planning to do now, those matters could be temporarily postponed.

At this moment, atop Crane Head Mountain, all five Revered Ones of the Great Thousand Mountains had gathered.

Among them, Thousand-Year Elder, as the Mountain Lord of Crane Head Mountain, was not only one of the five Revered Ones but also the Sect Leader of the Great Thousand Mountains.

At this stage, Thousand-Year Elder had aged to the point where he could no longer stand straight.

Every step he took was unsteady, as if he might collapse at any moment.

Yet even in this state, the other four Revered Ones of the Great Thousand Mountains dared not harbor any ill intentions toward him.

Because over the past hundred years, one Great Thousand Mountains Revered One, thinking Thousand-Year Elder was approaching his end, had secretly made a move to replace him.

Subordinates overthrowing their superiors was an excellent tradition in the Great Thousand Mountains and throughout the Ancient Fiend World, so this wasn’t surprising.

But the outcome was evident – Thousand-Year Elder was still alive and well.

Instead, it was Foot Venerable who had been replaced.

Today, Thousand-Year Elder had summoned all the Revered Ones not for casual conversation.

The several Revered Ones sat below Thousand-Year Elder, patiently waiting for him to take his seat.

After sitting down, Thousand-Year Elder planted his cane on the ground, placed both hands on it, and looked up at everyone.

“Disciples, your master can sense that the Ascension opportunity we’ve been dreaming of… has appeared.”

“!!!”

Upon hearing this, the four Revered Ones present all showed astonished expressions.

Then the more impatient Zuoqiu An was the first to speak: “Master, is this true?”

Although the other Revered Ones remained silent, their expressions clearly showed they were awaiting Thousand-Year Elder’s response.

Thousand-Year Elder looked at Zuoqiu An and said with a smile: “It is undoubtedly true.”

Receiving Thousand-Year Elder’s confirmation, everyone could no longer contain their excitement. They all showed eager expressions, appearing ready to spring into action.

After all, achieving immortality was an irresistible temptation for all Cultivators.

For these Revered Ones who already had one foot approaching that Realm, the temptation was even more pronounced.

However, Thousand-Year Elder didn’t immediately reveal what this immortal achievement opportunity was.

Instead, he changed the subject and inquired: “How went your investigation of Biyou Mountain’s actual situation?”Hearing this, Feather Venerable, who had been overseeing the matter throughout, immediately responded: “Master, although that one still maintains her immortal grace, it is true that she hasn’t taken action for a long time.”

“All of my attempts to probe were resolved by her subordinates, while she herself never personally intervened.”

Upon hearing this, Thousand-Year Elder nodded calmly, seemingly unsurprised by this revelation.

Seizing the opportunity, Feather Venerable voiced the long-buried doubt in his heart.

“Master, even now I cannot fully comprehend that one’s methods and cultivation level. Dare I ask… is she an immortal?”

Thousand-Year Elder remained silent for a moment before speaking: “Yes, but also no.”

Feather Venerable Tantai Changsheng furrowed his brow, unable to grasp the meaning behind these words.

Perhaps sensing the time was right, Thousand-Year Elder shared things he had never spoken of before.

“That one’s origins are extremely complex, not only difficult to explain in a few words but also containing many ancient secrets. Knowing these would bring you little benefit.”

“You only need to understand that the one currently active at Biyou Mountain is merely someone’s sword.”

“Her true form has never truly moved.”

“A sword?!”

The four Venerables present were all stunned by these words.

Although they had never personally witnessed the Fairy of Biyou Mountain take action,

they had observed from afar the disturbances she had caused.

The Grave of Ten Thousand Fiends is terrifying, filled with wandering mysterious ancient fiend god corpses.

A single misstep could easily claim the life of even a Transformation Soul Stage cultivator.

Yet such corpses are commonplace within the Grave of Ten Thousand Fiends.

Despite being such a terrifying Forbidden Land, it is held back by Biyou Mountain,

which occasionally disciplines the restless entities within.

This sufficiently demonstrates Biyou Mountain’s formidable power.

But even such a powerful Biyou Mountain, you claim is merely someone’s sword?

This left everyone both astonished and fearful.

After all, if just a sword is this terrifying,

they could hardly imagine how powerful the sword’s owner must be.

Though intensely curious about what secrets Biyou Mountain concealed,

not only making Thousand-Year Elder but also other former Great Thousand Mountains Sect Leaders exceptionally wary, warning everyone not to approach Biyou Mountain lightly,

considering the demonstrated power of Biyou Mountain, the life-preserving Venerables ultimately refrained from pursuing this topic further.

After all, although Biyou Mountain is powerful, they seem to operate under certain constraints,

never having left Biyou Mountain.

But compared to the topic of Biyou Mountain, what Thousand-Year Elder said next shocked everyone present, including Lu Chen who was watching the memories, even more profoundly.

“Heh, not just Biyou Mountain – even the Immortal Alliance Great Walls, what do you think they’re made of?”

Feather Venerable Tantai Changsheng froze, then said incredulously: “Master, you mean…”

“Correct, those four walls are ultimately nothing but four sword sheaths.”

“Breaking the walls? Heh, when the walls break, no one inside or outside will be spared.”

“At the very least, all of you present here would have absolutely no chance of survival.”

“But that’s not what I want to discuss today. What I want to talk about is our sect’s plans going forward.”

“In the coming period, I will leave a Clone within the sect and personally go to the Immortal Alliance to seek the opportunity for Deity Transformation.””If all goes well, you need only wait here patiently.”

“If unforeseen circumstances arise, then follow the instructions I’m about to give.”

Hearing this, the Revered Ones began listening attentively to the Thousand-Year Elder’s arrangements.

These arrangements turned out to be identical to the situation Lu Chen was currently facing.

Including the Thousand-Year Elder being imprisoned, and having others devise ways to break him out of jail…

As if hundreds of years ago, the Thousand-Year Elder had already foreseen he would encounter his present predicament…

(End of Chapter)