Undying Life

Chapter 70: Chaos Before the Eight Gates Mountain

Transforming from silkworms into dragons?

The wise immortals awaited their transformation into dragons, aiming to tame them for their own use. The Nine-Colored Silkworm Silk was an extraordinary material, ideal for crafting treasures.

Dragons? Zhongshan had no need for two silkworms turning into dragons. In fact, Zhongshan desired to kill the two silkworms. He only needed their bodies, but it wasn't the right time yet, as the silk was not abundant enough.

"Yinglan, go fetch a wooden box. I need to take this item with me," Zhongshan ordered.

"Yes," Yinglan immediately nodded and hurried out of the secret chamber.

Zhongshan slowly approached the corner and with a flick of his hand, the numerous Spirit Beads were collected by him.

"Linger, do you know where these Spirit Beads come from?" Zhongshan turned to Tianlinger and asked.

Tianlinger, currently staring wide-eyed at the Nine-Colored Dragon Silkworms with curiosity, quickly turned her head upon Zhongshan's question and replied, "I'm not entirely sure, but according to my father, Spirit Beads, also known as the 'Heaven and Earth Furnace', are gifts from heaven. They are bestowed once every hundred years, and powerful beings from all corners come to collect them."

"Hmm?" Zhongshan furrowed his brows, a hint of surprise flashing in his eyes. Gifts from heaven? Heaven and Earth Furnace?

Soon, Yinglan brought a small wooden box, just big enough to contain the Nine-Colored Dragon Silkworms. She also fetched a bedsheet to wrap around the box and tie it to her body.

Storage bracelets could hold objects but not living creatures, which was why the wise immortal hadn't stored them in the bracelets earlier.

Looking at these two rare treasures of heaven and earth, Zhongshan couldn't help but sigh. The wise immortal's luck was truly extraordinary. Finding such treasures, he had even considered giving up on searching for the Nine-Colored Dragon Silkworms. Now, with the Nine-Colored Dragon Silkworms in hand, it was like adding wings to a tiger.

The Nine-Colored Dragon Silkworms were as harmless as ordinary silkworms, showing no signs of aggression. Zhongshan gently picked them up and placed them in the wooden box. He then dug out two spirit stones from the wall and placed them inside before sealing the box.

Looking at Yinglan, Zhongshan suddenly said, "Yinglan, carry this on your back and tuck it inside your black robe."

Yinglan hesitated for a moment but nodded. She quickly tore the bedsheet into smaller pieces, wrapped the wooden box, and tucked it under her black robe, covering her entire body. However, the appearance made her look like a camel wrapped in a black robe.

Satisfied with Yinglan's appearance, Zhongshan chuckled, "Scavenge the spirit stones, then let's go."

"Yes," both girls nodded quickly and swiftly removed the spirit stones from the wall, placing them in their respective waist pouches.

There were tens of thousands of spirit stones. Zhongshan decided: Tianlinger received eight thousand, Yinglan got twelve hundred, and Zhongshan himself took only a few hundred. On one hand, Tianlinger and Yinglan were one entity, and since Zhongshan had obtained the Nine-Colored Dragon Silkworms, it was natural for Tianlinger to receive more. On the other hand, Tianlinger was about to break through to the Golden Core stage, so Zhongshan wanted to leave more for her, while he and Yinglan didn't currently need much.

"Zhongshan, why did you only take so few?" Tianlinger, unwilling to take advantage of Zhongshan, asked. It seemed as if she was unhappy with taking too much for herself.

"You're about to break through to the Golden Core stage soon. Keep it for yourself for now. If I need it later, I'll ask you for it," Zhongshan replied.

"Okay." Hearing Zhongshan's consideration for her, Tianlinger felt warm inside. She simply nodded and remained silent.

As for Yinglan, she didn't say anything. In her eyes, whatever Grandpa did, there must be a reason for it.

"Grandpa, should we continue heading east? What if there's another danger?" Yinglan immediately asked.

"According to the information revealed by the wise immortal before, it's only two days to the east, but it would take at least three days to return. Would going back mean we won't encounter danger again? Besides, there are people from the Kaiyang Sect at the Eight Gates Mountain. It should be safer there, and with more people, we'll be safer," Zhongshan explained.

"Okay," Yinglan nodded.

The three of them exited the secret chamber. Zhongshan destroyed the secret chamber with a big sword and then led the two girls wrapped in black robes. They continued their journey towards the east.

A day later, the aftereffects of the demon body refining technique had disappeared. The hidden body also caught up with the main body, and in a casual moment, all the remaining Xuanyuan Stones were given to the hidden body, merging the two into one.

Another day passed, and the three finally arrived at the so-called Eight Gates Mountain. Although there were traces of cultivators passing by on the ground, they no longer needed to look for those traces because a strange scene appeared before them.

A sandstorm, a massive sandstorm, shrouded an area of ??a hundred miles in all directions. Endless sand and dust filled the air, gathering at the center but not dispersing, instead swirling wildly.

Looking at the sandstorm, it seemed to exude an aura of war and aggression, instilling fear in anyone who laid eyes on it.

A sandstorm in the depths of the mountain forest? That could only be a massive array.

"The Eight Gates Mountain, the Eight Gates Golden Lock Array?" Zhongshan muttered, his gaze focused.

Outside the periphery, there was calm, with only that area engulfed by the sandstorm.

At the same time, standing on a small hill, Zhongshan could already see numerous cultivators. They were scattered around, standing in various directions, all staring at the massive sandstorm in front of them. Some dared to venture into the sandstorm, but once inside, they never came out again. Occasionally, two would emerge, but they would be covered in blood, their eyes bloodshot, clearly having encountered something unimaginable inside.

"Grandpa, is this... is this the Eight Gates Golden Lock Array?" Yinglan, unable to believe what she was seeing, asked incredulously through her black robe.

This was vastly different from the Eight Gates Golden Lock Array she had set up before. Or perhaps, the one she had set up before was a simplified version of a battle array.

Zhongshan didn't answer immediately. Instead, he looked towards the surrounding areas. While most were quietly observing, there were still many places where people were engaged in fierce battles. Some groups even numbered in the hundreds, requiring caution in such a place.

"Zhongshan, is that Third Senior Sister? Or Senior Brother?" Tianlinger suddenly exclaimed excitedly to Zhongshan.

Hearing Tianlinger's words, Zhongshan felt relieved. No matter what, encountering people from the Kaiyang Sect here was better than being alone.

Tianlinger didn't notice that when she saw people from the Kaiyang Sect this time, the first person she called out to was Third Senior Sister, not Senior Brother. Perhaps Tianlinger herself hadn't realized her own change.

Following Tianlinger's gaze, Zhongshan looked towards the summit of a distant mountain. There were two figures, one of them being Tian Kill. Tian Kill was dressed in a black robe, with a cloak fluttering behind him in the mountain breeze. His expression was grave, his left hand gripping the sword sheath at his waist, while his right hand held the sword hilt in a peculiar manner. A peculiar posture?

The Sword Technique of Sky Slashing and Sword Drawing. The last time he used it was when he killed an old eunuch.

Facing Tian Kill was a man in a red blood-stained robe. He wielded a blood-stained sword, its blade radiating a sinister light, drops of blood oozing from it. At this moment, he stared coldly at Tian Kill, as if he was about to strike at any moment and sever Tian Kill's head from his shoulders.

The two men faced each other, their momentum escalating continuously. They were both waiting for the opportune moment. They refrained from attacking for now, but once they did, it would surely be earth-shattering.

Not far from the two men, the people from the Kaiyang Sect were anxiously waiting. Led by Bei Qingsi, there were now only seven of them left, two fewer than when they last encountered Zhongshan.

Behind the man in the red blood-stained robe lay three corpses, all split in half with a single strike.

Zhongshan was positioned to the northwest of the Eight Gates Golden Lock Array, while the standoff between Tian Kill and the blood-haired man was in the northwest. At this moment, to the north of the Eight Gates Golden Lock Array, another group of people was watching Tian Kill's location.

Princess Qianyou, Gu Lin, and Mister Shuijing.

"Mr. Shuijing, who do you think will win between these two?" Princess Qianyou asked with a faint smile. Her eyes sparkled, concealing her true thoughts.

"Kaiyang Sect, Sword Technique of Sky Slashing and Sword Drawing. Princess, who do you think will win?" Mister Shuijing lightly waved his feather fan and chuckled.

"The Sword Technique of Sky Slashing and Sword Drawing hasn't been practiced by anyone for a thousand years, has it?" Princess Qianyou didn't answer directly but instead spoke lightly while gazing at Tian Kill in the distance.

"They're from the Kaiyang Sect?" Gu Lin suddenly exclaimed in surprise.

"Yes, they are indeed from the Kaiyang Sect. Mister, do you need their assistance?" Princess Qianyou immediately asked.

"If there's such assistance available, why not use it? But it will require your persuasion, Princess," Mister Shuijing nodded and replied.

"Qianyou, do you have the Elder's Order of the Kaiyang Sect?" Gu Lin asked immediately.

"I don't have the Elder's Order of the Kaiyang Sect, but I have the Elder's Order of the Yuheng Sect. It can still command them," Princess Qianyou said, gazing into the distance.

"These are all Golden Core stage cultivators. They will be of great use when it's time to break the array," Mister Shuijing nodded approvingly while gently swaying his feather fan.

Between Zhongshan and Tian Kill, there was another peak. On top of the peak, only two men were fighting, both dressed in white robes with swords on their backs. One appeared to be a young man standing in front, while behind him was a middle-aged man with the appearance of an ordinary mortal.

"Ninth, how are the sword techniques of these two men?" the youth asked calmly while staring in Tian Kill's direction.

"The person in the black robe uses the 'Sword Technique of Sky Slashing and Sword Drawing,' an excellent sword technique. As the sword is unsheathed, it gathers the power of stored energy and explodes at once, possessing immense power. Often, a single strike can kill the opponent, or even threaten those beyond one's own level. The Kaiyang Sect hasn't seen anyone practicing this sword technique for a thousand years. This person is at the ninth level of Golden Core stage. His sword strikes could even pose a threat to those in the early stages of the Nascent Soul realm. The person in the red robe uses the 'Blood-Drinking Sword Technique.' This sword technique requires countless killings to cultivate, with the long sword drinking the blood of thousands. It's a sinister sword technique known for its ruthless strikes. Although it's not as powerful as the Sword Technique of Sky Slashing and Sword Drawing, it's still formidable. This person is at the tenth level of Golden Core stage, with a profound cultivation level, only a step away from the Nascent Soul realm," Ninth explained in detail, as if he were well-versed in the subject.

Upon hearing Ninth's explanation, the youth nodded slightly and said, "Ninth, having you is like having all the sword techniques in the world. There's nothing about swordsmanship that you don't know."

"Noble praise, but there are countless sword techniques in the world, and I cannot possibly know them all. These two sword techniques are recorded in the archives of the Wan Sword Pavilion. I was fortunate enough to have the chance to read about them," Ninth replied immediately.

"Mm." The youth nodded in agreement and said no more.