harleyscars Page 189
Page 189
But in this vast city of Tianqi, with its streets and alleys crisscrossing like a spider web, where should one begin to search?
Chapter 331 The Mysterious Taoist Temple!
The chatter was abruptly interrupted by a muffled clap of thunder.
Xiahou Mengding's withered fingers unconsciously fiddled with the jade pendant at his waist. It was a piece of black jade engraved with the Xuanwu totem, and at this moment, it was oozing cold water droplets.
This usually taciturn middle-aged man suddenly spoke, his voice hoarse like sandpaper: I once heard my elders mention that there is a Zhenwu Temple on the outskirts of Tianqi City.
He paused, his Adam's apple bobbing, and said that in the past, when the incense was at its peak, believers used seventy-two soul-suppressing pillars to suppress the foundation.
Even the vengeful spirits in the underground palace dare not approach it. However... it has been abandoned for over 17 years.
Zhuge Yun adjusted his gold-rimmed glasses, and his eyes behind the lenses suddenly lit up. He pulled a yellowed map from his sleeve.
He poked hard at the northwest corner with his finger: Interesting! According to the "Chronicles of Apocalypse," the three underground levels of that Taoist temple were all mechanical chambers shaped like the Black Tortoise.
Legend has it that at the very bottom lies the Demon-Cleansing Well, which connects to the underworld.
His breathing quickened with excitement, and the edges of the map were wrinkled from his grip. The sudden appearance of the prophecy of Zhenwu's descent into the world during the underground palace examination was no coincidence!
Yan Feifei's silvery laughter broke the solemnity. She tossed the silver ribbon in her hair, the tassels brushing against the blue brick floor with a soft rustling sound.
My mother-in-law always says that the most dangerous place is the safest place. This abandoned Taoist temple might just be hiding the key to solving the mystery!
The nine-section whip at the girl's waist suddenly emitted a soft chime, and the copper bell embedded at the tip of the whip moved automatically without wind, creating an eerie lingering sound in the twilight.
As the discussions subsided, a streak of purple lightning flashed across the sky. Ye Dingzhi's ancient bronze token buzzed again, making his palm tingle.
The Taotie pattern on the surface of the ancient talisman seemed to come alive, twisting and writhing. The water droplets that seeped out gathered into small streams on the ground, which strangely meandered towards the northwest.
Wei Changxuan gripped the Thunder Tribulation Wooden Sword tightly. The warmth emanating from the blade contrasted sharply with the chill of the ancient token. He gazed at the gradually gathering dark clouds:
Let's go. The tribulation is approaching; perhaps this is the guidance of Heaven.
The procession traveled along the desolate official road, withered leaves crunching underfoot.
In the distance, nestled among the mountains, a Taoist temple with its eaves half-collapsed is faintly visible.
The broken glazed tiles gleamed with a cold, eerie blue light in the lightning. The three gilded characters of Zhenwu Temple at the mountain gate were already mottled, but one could still see the magnificent momentum in the strokes of calligraphy from back then.
As the first raindrop struck Wei Changxuan's shoulder, Ye Dingzhi's ancient token suddenly emitted a piercing long cry—the sound was so sharp it seemed to shatter eardrums.
Startled, countless owls rose from the forest, their dark wings obscuring half the sky.
Dark clouds, like lead blocks, pressed down on the sky, swallowing up the last ray of sunlight.
The footsteps of Wei Changxuan and his companions crunched through the fallen leaves, startling several lurking crows whose hoarse cries echoed through the empty valley.
The men's clothes fluttered in the cold wind, their hands unconsciously tightened around their weapons, and their eyes warily scanned their surroundings—every crooked, withered tree and every swaying shadow could be a hiding place for danger.
From a distance, Zhenwu Temple resembles an old, aging beast, huddled in a desolate mountain valley.
The once magnificent temple gate is now dilapidated, with peeling red lacquer revealing the rotten wood core.
The plaque above the door has long since disappeared, leaving only a few marks of varying depths, like scars etched by time.
Weeds grew wildly all around, reaching waist height, and thorny vines entwined around the broken stone lion.
Dark red wild roses climbed rampantly, resembling congealed bloodstains in the twilight.
Chapter 332 Shocking Change!
At that moment, a cold wind blew by, and a sobbing sound came from inside the temple, as if countless wronged souls were weeping softly.
The sound scraped against the eardrums, carrying a chilling coldness that made the hairs on the back of one's neck stand on end.
Wei Changxuan took a deep breath, his chest filled with the damp, rotten smell, and he was the first to step over the threshold.
In an instant, a stale smell wafted over, a mixture of years of dust and mold, making one want to vomit.
The Thunder Tribulation Wooden Sword in his hand suddenly emitted a faint light, and the orange-red halo dispelled some of the darkness, but made the twisted cracks on the wall appear even more ferocious.
Ye Dingzhi followed closely behind, the surface of the bronze ancient token gleaming with an eerie, dark blue light, as if it had some kind of mysterious resonance with this desolate place.
The Taotie pattern on the ancient tablet slowly flowed, seeping out fine water droplets that converged into a winding stream on the ground.
The others held their breath and remained silent. Their footsteps were exceptionally clear in the empty courtyard, each step feeling like a tap on their own heartbeat.
After passing through the overgrown courtyard, the group finally arrived at the main hall.
The half-closed palace doors creaked in the wind, the old hinges groaning under their strain, as if telling of past glories and present desolation.
Wei Changxuan raised his hand and gently pushed, and the heavy wooden door slowly opened, raising a cloud of choking dust.
Dust tumbled in the sword light, like countless dancing ghosts.
Inside the main hall, a tall statue of Zhenwu stands in the very center.
The statue is three zhang tall, clad in gilded armor, standing on two generals, a tortoise and a snake, holding a demon-subduing sword, with piercing eyes and an imposing presence.
However, time has taken its toll, and the gold paint on the surface of the statue has long since peeled off, revealing the rusty bronze base underneath.
The God of War's face was covered in cracks, and a piece was even missing from the pupil of one eye. The empty eye socket seemed to be staring into nothingness, adding a touch of eeriness and desolation.
The tortoise and snake generals at the foot of the statue were also incomplete, with the snake's tail broken and the tortoise's shell shattered. Dark red marks meandered down the cracks, whether they were rust or dried blood.
Just as everyone was stunned by the sight before them, a cold wind suddenly swept through the hall, extinguishing the light on Wei Changxuan's sword.
Darkness instantly enveloped the hall, with only Ye Dingzhi's bronze ancient token emitting a faint, eerie light.
In a daze, the crowd seemed to see the corners of the statue's mouth slightly upturned, revealing a meaningful, cold smile...
Dim sunlight filtered through the broken coffered ceiling, casting dappled shadows on the Zhenwu statue.
The three-zhang-tall statue is clad in gilded armor, standing on two generals, a tortoise and a snake, with its right hand holding a demon-subduing sword pointing diagonally towards the sky.
The knuckles of his left hand, gripping the sword, bulged slightly from the force, as if he were about to tear through the void and slay all the demons at any moment.
Those obsidian-set pupils stared straight ahead, their cold gaze seemingly able to pierce through a thousand years of time, overlooking the rise and fall of the world.
However, beneath the majestic exterior, a faint wisp of black mist was drifting along the folds of the statue's robes.
Like a venomous snake coiling between the gilded patterns, it cast an eerie shadow over that sacred face. (Zhao Hao Zhao)
Something seems off about this statue, Song.
Yin Luoxia's voice was as soft as a mosquito's buzz, yet it resonated in the deathly silent hall. The folding fan in her hand trembled slightly.
Suddenly, black liquid seeped from the ink bamboo on the fan, and nine phantoms twisted violently behind her, transforming into nine grotesque, blue-faced demons that emitted piercing, shrill laughter.
A chill crept up everyone's spines, and even the ancient bronze token at Ye Dingzhi's waist emitted an uneasy buzzing sound...
Chapter 333 The Taoist with Different Eyes, Clues to True Martial Arts!
At this moment, Zhao Yujia gripped the peach wood sword tightly, the Big Dipper runes on the sword blade gleaming with a faint golden light.
He muttered incantations, and the peach wood sword drew a tai chi pattern in the air, attempting to dispel the pervasive evil energy.
The place is filled with resentment, and the soul-suppressing pillar must have been damaged long ago.
He paced around the statue, the sound of his boots crushing the dust particularly clear in the silence.
Suddenly, he stopped abruptly, pointing the tip of his sword directly at the feet of the statue: "Look, everyone, there's something strange about this stone slab!"
The crowd gathered around and saw a three-foot square black iron slab embedded in the blue brick floor.
The surface of the stone slab is uneven and covered with fine lines. Those winding lines look like twisted vines or wriggling insects.
The edges of the rune were marked with 737 dark red traces, which gleamed with a moist sheen in the dim light, resembling dried blood.
Wei Changxuan crouched down, and the lightning leaping from the Thunder Tribulation Wooden Sword poured down.
A strange scene unfolded—the ancient runes suddenly came to life under the light of lightning, their dark red lines bulging like blood vessels, oozing black mist.
The Black Tortoise totem in the center of the stone slab slowly rotated, and viscous liquid seeped from the cracks on the tortoise shell, dripping onto the ground and corroding deep pits with a hissing sound.
"Watch out! This is a Soul-Locking Formation!" Yuan Tiangang suddenly shouted, throwing out three talismans.
However, the talisman turned to ashes the moment it touched the mist, a sharp hissing sound rang out in the air, and a ghostly green light suddenly shone from the empty eye sockets of the statue.
Everyone felt the ground beneath their feet begin to tremble. The runes on the black iron slabs merged together, forming a massive matrix of incantations that enveloped the entire hall...
Ye Dingzhi's bronze ancient token trembled violently in his palm, and the dark blue liquid seeping from the runes dripped onto the black iron stone slab, creating ripples that resonated with the patterns on the ground.
These runes are somewhat similar to the patterns on my ancient bronze token. Could it be...?
Before he finished speaking, the dust accumulated on the beams of the main hall suddenly fell in a flurry, as if a giant beast was roaring in the depths of the void.
The sinister laughter, like rusty gears grinding against eardrums, surged in from all directions.
A group of juniors actually managed to find this place.
The echoes swirled and reverberated among the caissons, making everyone's eardrums ache.
Wei Changxuan instantly held his sword horizontally in front of his chest. The Thunder Tribulation Wood Sword emitted a clear and melodious sound, and the lightning flowing on the sword split the shadow cast by the statue in two.
Yin Luoxia quickly closed her folding fan, and nine illusory figures transformed into chain-like mist, weaving a defensive barrier around her body;
Even the usually composed Yuan Tiangang quietly crushed the three Soul-Suppressing Talismans in his sleeve.
Who is this master? Why don't you show yourself?
Wei Changxuan's question struck the palace wall, creating echoes.
Just then, the shadow behind the statue surged as if alive, and a bony hand emerged from the thick black mist, its fingertips wreathed in dark purple lightning.
The shadow gradually solidified, revealing the figure of the gray-robed Taoist priest—his left eye was as black as ink.
Reflecting the wary faces of the crowd, his right eye gleamed with an eerie silver light, the flowing light seeming to contain countless stars collapsing.
I have been waiting here for many years, and finally I have met the one who is destined to meet me.
The Taoist's hoarse voice had a texture like the friction of gravel, and his sleeves moved without wind, revealing nine bronze rings wrapped around his wrists, each ring inlaid with a skull.
He took a step forward, and spiderweb-like ice patterns appeared on the ground.
Wherever it passed, the runes on the blue bricks lit up with an eerie purple light.
Want clues to Zhenwu? You'll have to get past this humble Taoist first.
Chapter 334 Battle against the Twin-Pupiled Taoist!
Zhao Yujia took the initiative, drawing a seven-star trajectory with his peach wood sword, and the talismans on the sword burst into flames.
The Heavenly Gang Demon-Slaying Sword! Golden light, carrying the force of thunder, aimed straight for the Taoist's brow, but was swallowed by a cloud of black mist the instant it touched the gray robe.
The Taoist with the double pupils let out a strange laugh, and his silver pupils suddenly burst forth with intense light. Zhao Yujia felt as if countless golden needles exploded before his eyes.