landbeastnovel Chapter 92: Qingyang's Remains
Chapter 92: Qingyang's Remains
The morning light, like threads of gold and silver, pierced through the year-round pale purple miasma deep within Qixing'ao, weaving a dappled tapestry of light and shadow across the verdant hillside. Here, unlike the treacherous landscape elsewhere in the valley, the slope was gentle, like the swaying waist of a beautiful woman. The thick, soft, verdant meadows, their tips glistening with dew from the previous night, shimmered in the soft morning light. Various unnamed wildflowers dotted the landscape—purple like rosy clouds, yellow like scattered gold, white like fresh snow—swaying gently in the breeze, releasing a faint, sweet fragrance.
Several ancient pine trees, their branches twisted like dragons, their needles a vibrant, verdant green, rustling softly in the mountain breeze. At the foot of the slope, a clear spring gurgles from a crevice in the rocks, its waters clear and melodious, revealing smooth, jade-like pebbles on its bottom. The air here is crisp and pure, devoid of the scorched earth and bloody stench that permeates the valley; it feels as if one has stumbled upon a secluded paradise.
The Silverback Ape King's massive body lay on its side on a rough stretcher woven from sturdy vines and broad banana leaves. Four giant apes, their silvery-white shoulders the most prominent, carefully carried it, each step unusually steady. Although the wound on the ape king's ribs, pierced by Lin Yan's longsword, had stopped bleeding, the dark red scabs and disheveled silvery-gray fur were still a shocking sight. It turned its head to look at the rock face on the sunny side of the hillside, hidden by dense vines. Its crimson eyes, usually savage, now held a deep weariness and an almost devout expectation, replacing its usual ferocity.
Lin Yan and Su Qingyao exchanged a glance, both reading seriousness and inquiry in each other's eyes. Lu Ling silently made a hand gesture, and Zhou Fu, Wang Dashan, and the others immediately dispersed, occupying key positions on the hillside. Although their talisman shields were not activated, they were already in a defensive posture.
The ape king let out a low growl, its gaze stubbornly fixed on Lin Yan. Lin Yan took a deep breath of the crisp air; the burning heat of days of fierce battle in his chest seemed to be soothed somewhat by the tranquility. Without further hesitation, he stepped towards the vine-shaded area.
Pushing aside the slippery vines, a cool and secluded atmosphere wafted over. The crevice in the rocks was only wide enough for one person to pass through. After walking more than ten steps, the view suddenly opened up before us.
This is a natural grotto, no more than two zhang in circumference, with a slightly high dome. A slender natural crack in the ceiling allows a beam of pure sunlight to shine directly into the center of the grotto. Dust floats within the beam of light, creating a dreamlike scene.
On the blue stone, a human skeleton sits upright as if alive.
The skeleton was dressed in a moon-white Taoist robe. Although it had been covered in the dust of time, the subtle embroidery of cloud and star patterns on the fabric was still visible. The bones were as white as jade, and the skeleton maintained the Taoist posture of the Meridian Mantra. The palm of the right hand held a jade disc the size of a palm. The jade was warm and smooth like mutton fat, with rounded and lustrous edges, and it shimmered with a restrained, clear radiance under the sunlight.
The entire grotto was spotless, solemn and serene. Lin Yan stopped three steps away from the skeleton, an indescribable shock welling up in his chest. He slowly bowed, bowing deeply to the remains—this bow had nothing to do with power or status, but was simply to pay the deepest respect to this ancestor who protected humanity.
After the ceremony, he stepped forward, slightly bent one knee, and gently touched the jade disc with his hand.
A warm, cool sensation spread through his fingertips, without any obstruction. Lin Yan carefully removed the jade disc from his pale, bony palm, sat cross-legged before the blue stone, and closed his eyes to concentrate.
The newly formed golden core in his chest and abdomen slowly rotated, and a wisp of pure spiritual energy flowed into the jade butterfly like a stream.
At first, there was no movement, but then the jade butterfly trembled slightly, and the cloud-like patterns on its surface suddenly lit up with a bright, clear light. The next moment, a vast yet gentle and mellow flow of information, like a mighty spring river under the moon, surged into Lin Yan's sea of consciousness!
The external grottoes, the sunlight, the remains... all senses receded like the tide.
Lin Yan's "consciousness" floated in an endless void of light. As the light swirled, the phantom of an old man with white hair and beard, dressed in a moon-white Taoist robe, slowly took shape.
The old man stood tall and straight like a pine tree, his face lean yet vigorous, with gentle lines etched by time around his eyes and lips. Most striking were his eyes—even as a mental image, they remained clear and deep, like an ancient well containing stars, interwoven with wisdom, vicissitudes, compassion, and a faint trace of weariness.
"Little Ape was willing to bring you here..." The old man's voice resounded deep within Lin Yan's mind, peaceful and soothing like a mountain stream dripping jade, "which means you are someone worthy of trust."
The phantom's gaze seemed to be directed towards the Silverback Ape King on the hillside outside the cave, its tone filled with undisguised admiration: "The Silverback Ape clan is as pure as a child, honest and loyal, and has the innate ability to discern the loyalty, treachery, goodness, and evil of living beings. The fact that it led you here is the highest recognition of your character and nature."
The old man withdrew his gaze, his expression turning distant and solemn: "Since you have passed the little ape's test, this old Daoist should entrust you with some... secrets concerning the survival of the human race."
As the words were spoken, the scene in the sea of consciousness began to change.
The void of light faded away, replaced by fragments of magnificent and weathered scenes, which unfolded slowly as the old man narrated his story like turning the pages of a history book.
"Thousands of years ago, a fragile balance was maintained between the human race and the demon realm west of Kunlun." The scene shows the majestic Kunlun Mountains, with smoke rising from human cities on both sides of the mountain range, and the vast and desolate wilderness of the demon realm. Although there were sporadic conflicts, they were not a life-or-death situation.
"At that time, the cultivation of the human race was at its peak, with a hundred schools of thought contending and sects standing like a galaxy of stars." Immortal mountains and blessed lands, magnificent palaces and pavilions appeared one after another, cultivators flew through the sky on their swords, magical treasures shone brightly, and the sounds of preaching and discussing the Dao could be faintly heard.
"Several border conflicts ended in victory for the human race." The scene flashed through several great battles, with human array masters forming formations as solid as mountains, sword cultivators unleashing sword energy like dragons, and talismans transforming into thunder and fire rain, defeating and dispersing the various demonic beast armies.
The old man paused slightly, his tone growing deeper: "However, more than 1,500 years ago, an unparalleled ruler emerged in the Demon Realm—'Youming'."
The scene in his mind suddenly darkened. The Kunlun Mountains were shrouded in boundless black clouds, and a pressure that was a mixture of violence, greed and destruction made Lin Yan feel a suffocating pain even across time and space.
"This fiend not only possesses unparalleled cultivation, but also a heaven-defying divine ability—'Enlightenment,' which our human race calls 'Demon Transformation.'" In the scene, the blurry figure of Youming raised his hand, scattering dark streams of light that fell into the desolate mountains and forests. The next moment, tigers, leopards, jackals, and wolves swelled and deformed, their eyes gleaming with bloodthirsty red light; swamp crocodiles, their scales dark and armored, spewed poisonous mist; and in the air, the wings of eagles blotted out the sky…
"This divine power can enlighten ignorant beasts, awaken their potential, and transform them into demons. It can even cause the demon race's bloodline to revert to its ancestral state and advance, awakening ancient, ferocious power!" The old man's voice grew increasingly heavy. "In just a few hundred years, the demon race's strength has expanded wildly! Demon kings have emerged one after another, demon emperors have appeared one after another, and even demon lords comparable to humans at the Integration Realm have appeared one after another!"
The scene shifts rapidly, revealing a terrifyingly large demon army. Demon soldiers surge like a tide, demon generals roar while riding demon clouds, demon kings manifest their divine forms to tear the sky and earth apart, demon emperors' aura stirs up wind and clouds for thousands of miles, and a blurry figure of a demon lord stands in the rear, like a magic needle stabilizing the sea.
"Finally, the demon race has emerged from the 'Heavenly Gate'—that natural, treacherous pass that stretches across the main peak of Kunlun Mountain, separating the two realms—and launched a massive invasion of human territory!" The scene became utterly horrific. Dark demonic clouds, like a curtain of death, covered cities and fields; the roars of demonic beasts mingled with the screams of humans; smoke billowed everywhere, mountains and rivers shattered, and blood flowed like rivers…
"At this critical juncture of life and death, our human race has formed an alliance with the 'Spirit Race,' who have lived in Kunlun for generations and have always been on good terms with us, and we have sworn a blood oath to fight against the demonic calamity together." In the scene, human cultivators and Spirit Race members with different appearances and natural spiritual light flow around them stand side by side, forming a firm defensive line in the face of the overwhelming demonic tide.
"That battle... lasted a full five hundred years!" The old man's voice was filled with a blood-soaked sorrow. The scenes flashed by like a blood-soaked scroll: countless cultivators' faces fell in darkness after a brilliant light; the pure spiritual light of the Spirit Race dimmed under the corrosive influence of demonic energy; sect gates were breached, and palaces collapsed in flames; the vast land was scorched earth everywhere...
"Countless sages bravely sacrificed their lives, their blood staining the sky; many sects lost their lineages, their traditions turned to ashes; the Spirit Race also suffered a great loss of vitality, its descendants dwindling..." The old man's illusory figure trembled slightly, "Those five hundred years were the darkest page in the history of our human race, with blood staining every inch of land at the foot of Kunlun Mountain."
The scene shifts, and the humans and spirits are in dire straits. The light of the array becomes increasingly brilliant, and the talisman barriers and attacks become increasingly sophisticated.
"Until... we gradually gained a foothold and began a difficult counterattack by relying on the array formations and talismans we honed in the midst of mountains of corpses and seas of blood, combined with the talents of the Spirit Race."
The situation took a turn when the combined human and spirit forces won some battles, gradually pushing back the demon tide.
"Finally, a thousand years ago, we forced the main force of the demon race back to Kunlun Mountain. We were just one step away from completely sealing the 'Heavenly Gate.'" The old man's tone was not joyful, but rather filled with deep sorrow. "However, Youming personally led his strongest demon forces and launched a final counterattack."
The scene freezes atop Mount Kunlun. The human ranks are scattered, with only twelve figures whose auras shine like the blazing sun, and a few cultivators with faint auras providing aid and assistance. Among them is a young Daoist boy following behind an old Daoist with an air of otherworldly grace, busily handing over pills and bandaging wounds—his features vaguely resemble those of the young Qingyangzi phantom before them.
"At that time, the human cultivation world was already severely damaged, and its essence was almost exhausted." The old man's voice was dazed as if time and space were intertwined, as if he had returned to that critical moment that determined fate. "Only the last twelve Mahayana realm patriarchs and disciples like me who were still novice disciples at the time and could only do some trivial things remained."
"My master, the tenth generation sect leader of the Xuanqiong Sect, True Man Xuanqiong, is one of the twelve patriarchs." The illusory figure's gaze became distant and sorrowful. "He once said that the battle situation was critical, and the only option was to take a risk and use the ultimate method—the 'Heaven-Burning Purgatory Formation'—to suppress Youming and eliminate future troubles forever."
The scene in the sea of consciousness suddenly became vast and tragic!
"The plan requires the power of the Spirit Clan's supreme treasure, the 'Kunlun Divine Tree.'" In the scene, twelve figures, as radiant as the sun, soared into the sky, engaging in a fierce battle with a dark, demonic shadow that devoured the heavens and earth atop Kunlun. The demonic shadow exuded overwhelming demonic energy, causing space to shatter wherever it passed—it was none other than Youming's true form!
"Once the twelve patriarchs reach the crucial moment in their battle with Youming, they will burn their divine souls and Dao fruits, using themselves as the array's core to instantly set up the 'Heaven-Burning Purgatory Array,' drawing upon the power of the entire universe to suppress it!"
The twelve figures suddenly dispersed, occupying mysterious positions, each emanating a pillar of light that pierced the heavens and earth. The pillars of light intertwined, instantly outlining an extremely complex array totem covering thousands of miles above Kunlun! At the center of the totem was a huge, slowly rotating vortex of flame, radiating a terrifying aura that could incinerate all the heavens.
"At the same time, the Spirit Race will activate the 'Kunlun Divine Tree' to descend from beyond the heavens!" The scene shifts, and a colossal tree, towering to the heavens and earth, its branches and leaves seemingly containing the stars of the universe, slowly emerges from the depths of the endless sky and descends gently towards the summit of Kunlun Mountain. The tree's roots resemble thousands of azure dragons, exuding a majestic aura that suppresses eternity.
"The divine tree is both the core of the formation and the instrument of suppression. Its roots will penetrate deep into the earth, drawing upon the spiritual energy of the earth's veins to maintain the operation of the great formation for generations to come, suppressing the Netherworld and sealing the Heavenly Gate!"
The scene reached its most breathtaking moment: the figures of the twelve patriarchs gradually became transparent within the array's light, their flesh, souls, and Dao fruits burning, transforming into the purest energy that flowed into the grand array. The radiance of the Burning Heaven Purgatory Array reached its zenith, the central vortex of flames locking down and scorching the dark demonic shadows of the Netherworld!
Just as Youming let out a furious roar of resentment and tried to break free, the Kunlun Divine Tree descended with a thunderous roar! Countless roots pierced into the Kunlun Mountain, and the main trunk pressed down squarely on Youming's demonic shadow!