https://novelcool.info/chapter/Chapter-538-Secrets-of-the-War-Between-Worlds-and-the-Calamity-of-the-Hongze-Universe/12535864/
https://novelcool.info/chapter/Chapter-540-In-Search-of-Hongze-Heaven-and-Earth-A-Powerful-Finger-Bone/12535868/
Chapter 539: Experiences in the Unchanging Land
Chapter 539: Experiences in the Unchanging Land
Cang Haigui's voice trembled as fear filled his eyes, gazing at Xu Yan and the others. "I often think about how fortunate I am. The entire world has fallen silent, and Hong Ze is dead, yet I remain.
"Yuan Gui was just a step away from survival, but in the end, he couldn't make it. All that's left of him is his tortoise shell, which I carried with me when I left."
As he spoke, Cang Haigui's fear became more understandable to Xu Yan and the others. That terrifying scene had indeed left a profound impact on his mental state.
The fact that Yuan Gui's shell still contained a small spatial world implied that Yuan Gui's existence had not been completely devoured, thus leaving behind the laws of a small world within the shell.
Cang Haigui was indeed lucky. If Yuan Gui had endured a little longer, he might have survived as well.
This was also because Yuan Gui's strength and innate talent, the Turtle Breath Mystique, were inferior to Cang Haigui, preventing his survival.
"I suspect that when Hong Ze died, the Great Cang had not yet fallen. The master of the Unchanging Temple retreated to fight the Great Cang. Perhaps he discovered that there was still life in Hong Ze's world, and that I had not perished.
"But to him, this small remnant of life force was insignificant. After all, the entire world had fallen silent, and my existence was negligible."
Cang Haigui speculated.
"What did the master of the Unchanging Temple look like? What was his name?"
Jiang Buling asked curiously.
"I don't know!"
To everyone's surprise, Cang Haigui shook his head.
"You don't know? But you saw him, didn't you?"
Fang Hao was astonished.
"I couldn't see his true form, only a terrifying silhouette that defies description. That day, it felt like darkness enveloped the world, like a giant mouth sucking in the heavens and the earth..."
Cang Haigui's eyes reflected his fear, and a bitter smile appeared on his face.
Xu Yan and the others were stunned. The master of the Unchanging Temple was indeed shrouded in mystery, as even the mighty participants of the battle, Tai He and Tai Kun, couldn't describe his appearance.
Moreover, the strange aura on Tai He and Tai Kun originated from that mysterious figure. Soling Xiu was still studying it and had not yet fully deciphered the strangeness of that aura.
It seemed to infect those it touched, like a bone-eating maggot, difficult to eradicate, and carried an ominous feeling, as if it could erode one's vital energy and fortune. It was unique and special.
"I'm not hiding anything. I was incredibly lucky to escape with my life. My whole body turned soft, and I trembled so much I couldn't stand. And I made a mess... but I don't feel ashamed, not at all. It was too terrifying.
"I don't even know how long I lay there, paralyzed. I only knew that the battle had ended, and there had been no movement from the Chaotic Land for a very long time.
"The world fell silent, and everything was gone. It took me a long time to get up and drag my heavily injured body away from the silent Hong Ze world, away from that fearful place.
"In fact, I could have stayed in that world and even tried to recover my injuries. Then, with the Hong Ze world as my foundation, I might have had a chance to become the master of that world.
"As you know, the Hong Ze world had become a mental obstacle for me, a shadow in my heart. I was constantly afraid there, a fear I couldn't control, so I had to leave."
After unburdening himself, Cang Haigui felt as if a mountain had been lifted from his shoulders, and his mind felt much lighter.
He had kept these thoughts to himself for too long, always wanting to confide in someone, but never finding the right person. For a long time, he hadn't even dared to recall those events, let alone talk about them.
Before this, Cang Haigui had even sealed off this part of his memory, wanting to forget it completely.
Hearing Cang Haigui's confession, Xu Yan and the others couldn't help but sigh. This old tortoise was indeed lucky to have survived that great calamity.
Even after so many years, Cang Haigui still couldn't help but feel afraid whenever he thought back to that catastrophe.
The master of the Unchanging Temple was truly fearsome, directly devouring Hong Ze and everything in his world.
"I left the silent Hong Ze world and made my way towards the Great Cang world, wanting to confirm the final outcome of that great battle. At that time, I saw that the Great Cang world still existed, and although the Underworld and the Witch Demon worlds were damaged, they still survived without completely collapsing. I was overjoyed.
"I thought that the final victory belonged to the six worlds, but then I discovered that the Great Cang had fallen!"
At this point, Cang Haigui's expression turned sad and helpless, still unable to believe it.
The Great Cang was an incredibly powerful existence, capable of killing a master of the world with a single move, and his survival was partly due to the Great Cang. Yet, the Great Cang had lost!
"My injuries were severe, and even with my Turtle Breath Mystique, I couldn't stay in the Unchanging Land indefinitely, or I would have no chance of recovery. So, I waited for an opportunity and secretly entered the Great Cang world.
"But I dared not ask anyone, even those I once knew. After all, times have changed, and to those realm masters, I am a valuable commodity, a treasure to be claimed." Cang Haigui ended with a self-deprecating laugh.
The mysteries surrounding the final battle remained, including how the Great Cang fell, the true strength of the master of the Unchanging Temple, and why they didn't devour the Great Cang realm after defeating it. Was the master of the Unchanging Temple severely injured, unable to act against the Great Cang realm anymore? If so, their strength might not have exceeded the Great Cang's by much.
Only those who participated in the final battle could know the truth, and even then, Tai He and Tai Kun, who were at the fringes of the battle, were unaware of the specifics. The rest had perished.
"What about the Underworld? Wasn't it said that as a realm master, he couldn't ally with the Unchanging Temple? How did he manage to do so without being devoured?" Xu Yan asked, perplexed.
According to Cang Haigui, the beings of the realms, especially the realm masters, were unable to ally with the Unchanging Temple due to irreconcilable conflicts. Any who did so would ultimately be devoured. Yet, the Underworld had become a part of the Unchanging Temple and had even appeared to devour the Underworld realm he created, departing with five Blood Masters.
"The Underworld..." Cang Haigui fell into deep thought. "Among the seven realm masters, the Underworld was particularly bloodthirsty. As you know, those from the Underworld cultivate the Blood Path, consuming the essence blood of warriors. It is said that the Underworld came into being by consuming the blood of Unchanging True Spirits and gaining sentience through their blood.
"The Blood Sea of the Underworld is filled with the essence blood of countless True Spirits. By devouring the Unchanging True Spirits and establishing the Underworld realm, he incurred the wrath of the Unchanging Temple. Perhaps it was his method of cultivation, consuming the essence blood, that allowed him to be accepted by the Unchanging Temple."
"There's no way to know for sure, but the Underworld has always been defiant and unyielding. He was once suppressed by the Great Cang but never bowed his head. His allegiance to the Unchanging Temple was indeed unexpected." Cang Haigui sighed.
"Do you think it's possible that the Great Cang fell because of the Underworld's betrayal?" Fang Hao mused.
Of the six realm masters, only the Underworld was known to have survived and joined the Unchanging Temple. It was plausible that he had betrayed the others during the battle, especially considering the enmity between him and the Great Cang. After all, the Great Cang had once suppressed the Underworld, and there could be lingering resentment.
"I don't know!" Cang Haigui shook his head.
"I once heard Lord Hong Ze say that the Underworld is straightforward and wears his emotions on his sleeve. He never hid his likes or dislikes, nor did he conceal his hatred. Even when suppressed by the Great Cang, he never showed any resentment towards them, as he understood the reasons behind it."
"Of course, that doesn't necessarily mean he wouldn't betray them. It's just hard to believe," Cang Haigui added.
The four humans and the turtle continued their journey through the vast and misty Unchanging Land. Turning back, they could see the brilliant treasure pearl that was the Great Desolation realm in the distance. Only when even that had disappeared from view did they feel a sense of excitement as they faced the boundless and misty Unchanging Land before them.
The final battle between the realms and the fall of the Great Cang were now distant history, and any curiosity they felt held no personal sorrow or regret, as they had not been a part of those events.
"Old Turtle, where is the Hong Ze realm? How much further is it?" Xu Yan asked, intrigued by the idea of a dead realm that was once one of the seven great realms.
"After such a long time, the Hong Ze realm is no longer in its original location, but it should still be in this general direction. If we keep searching, we should be able to find it," Cang Haigui explained. "Realms within the Unchanging Land don't remain stationary. They are slowly moved by the bursting spiritual energy and the Unchanging Qi, although the process is incredibly slow."
"Huh, that mountain over there has a rather peculiar shape. Could it be the remains of a True Spirit?"
Fang Hao spoke up in surprise.
In the distance, a mountain loomed, its shape resembling a beast lying down.
"The mountains in the Unchanging Land are all formed from the remains of True Spirits after their deaths, and their strength and size during their lifetimes can be judged by the mountains they leave behind," Cang Haigui explained. "The more powerful the True Spirit, the more likely their remains will form a mountain under the influence of the Unchanging Qi, instead of decaying.
"Generally, the area around a mountain is the territory of a particular True Spirit. If there's a continuous range of mountains, it means that it's the tribal land of a powerful True Spirit clan.
"That mountain over there seems rather ancient, and there's no trace of any True Spirit presence. It could be that a solitary True Spirit died here, or perhaps this entire clan of True Spirits was wiped out or migrated elsewhere."
"I see!"
Xu Yan and the others understood.
"Let's go take a look at the mountain. We might find something useful," Fang Hao suggested excitedly.
Cang Haigui had no objections, carrying the four of them toward the mountain.
"Judging from the size and strength of this mountain, the True Spirit that formed it was likely a Small World Master in its lifetime, so it's not weak," Cang Haigui observed.
"How can you tell the strength of a True Spirit from its lifetime?" Xu Yan asked curiously.
"It's simple. You look at the size and strength of the mountain, as well as whether there are any other things that have formed on the mountain..."
Cang Haigui patted the mountain, producing a dull sound, as he continued his explanation.
"Most mountains in the Unchanging Land are hollow inside. Of course, there are also mountains that aren't hollow, but those are quite rare. If you want to hide from pursuing True Spirits, you can conceal your presence and hide inside a mountain.
"However, the True Spirits of the Unchanging Land don't possess much spiritual intellect. If they don't sense any presence after a while, they will quickly leave instead of venturing inside to search.
"But if you're being chased by powerful beings from the Unchanging Temple, you'll need to be more cautious. After all, they know that mountains can be used as hiding places, so you'll need to choose a suitable mountain to conceal yourself.
"Additionally, some mountains might be nests for certain True Spirits, and entering them could be dangerous. The Unchanging Land is home to all sorts of True Spirits, and some possess unique abilities.
"No one knows exactly how many types of True Spirits exist in the Unchanging Land. Even the Seven Great World Masters once tried to compile a catalog of Unchanging True Spirits, but they estimated that they had only managed to record less than one percent of all the True Spirits..."
Having spent a long time wandering the Unchanging Land, Cang Haigui, a former True Spirit himself, had an extensive understanding of this place.
Compared to him, the knowledge of Boundary Masters like Old Man Xiao was rather limited.
Xu Yan and the others listened attentively, as these were valuable experiences for navigating the Unchanging Land.
"There are no True Spirits in this mountain, but to determine if a mountain is inhabited by a True Spirit, you can look for traces like their droppings. However, some True Spirits like to conceal themselves and won't leave any traces at all, so you need to be careful.
"Of course, the entrances to these mountains can be quite hidden, but sometimes you'll spot a cave opening easily. By being cautious at the entrance, you can usually tell if there's a True Spirit nest inside.
"Only extremely special True Spirits can hide their traces completely, but as long as you sweep the area with your soul sense, they will usually reveal themselves. These Unchanging True Spirits have very little spiritual intellect, and when they sense soul sense, they tend to expose themselves..."
Cang Haigui imparted his knowledge and experience to Xu Yan and the others.
Fang Hao, meanwhile, was inspecting the mountain, looking for useful materials. One of their goals in entering the Unchanging Land was to collect materials that didn't exist in their world.
The four humans and the turtle entered the mountain, and Fang Hao soon spotted a large stone with a faint red color. A delighted smile appeared on his face.
"This is good stuff. It's excellent material for crafting artifacts," Fang Hao said, reaching out to collect the stone. "After purification, it's enough to forge a divine artifact, and it will possess fiery power."
The stone was clearly the heart of a True Spirit that had transformed over time.
(End of Chapter)
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