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Chapter 676: Untitled
Chapter 676: Untitled
Chapter 676: Untitled
Shi Chuankong was silent for a moment, then said, "Forget about it. I've already found some leads on what I'm looking for, so let's take care of this matter first, then get out of here."
Both Feng Lin and Zi Qing heaved an internal sigh of relief upon hearing this.
Zi Qing cast his gaze toward Zhao Zhen's duo, and a mocking sneer appeared on his face as he scoffed, "You two must have a death wish to be attacking the young master of our Vast Origin House. Have you grown bored of your immortal lives as Jade Immortals?"
At this point, Zhao Zhen and Lu Wuliang had already retreated to over ten thousand feet away, and all of a sudden, they felt like they had made a grave mistake.
......
Several days later.
Han Li and Immortal Lord Hot Flame were making their way through a wide passageway toward a palace.
The passageway was lined with weeds and tall grass, as well as broken stone statues and lanterns, presenting a bleak sight to behold.
"This is where ceremonies used to be conducted in our sect. The round altar that we passed by earlier was used for the major ceremony that was held once every one thousand years. At the time, the concept of the four allied immortal regions still didn't exist, but every single one of those ceremonies was treated as a grand event, with all of the nearby immortal regions sending representatives to attend the event.
“It's very saddening to see the sect reduced to such a state now," Immortal Lord Hot Flame sighed with a reminiscent look in his eyes.
"Countless empires and sects have risen and fallen over the course of history. It's impossible to predict the future, so don't dwell on reminiscing about the past or fearing the future. Right now, we should focus on finding the Great Five Elemental Illusion Mantra," Han Li consoled.
Immortal Lord Hot Flame nodded in response, but it was clear that he was still lost in his own thoughts.
The palace at the end of the passageway was enormous, and even though most of it had already collapsed, the part of it that was still standing presented a glimpse into how majestic the building would've been in its heyday.
There was a tall gate not far away, hanging above which was a plaque that read "Reverence Pavilion" in large golden characters.
Han Li and Immortal Lord Hot Flame made their way to the palace, and they looked up at the giant gate for a moment, then exchanged a glance with each other, following which the latter stepped forward to push the gate open.
The gate creaked open with a depressing sound resembling a reluctant sigh from the ancient palace, and Han Li's duo stepped into it to find that it was in a state of complete disarray.
There were broken tiles and bricks everywhere, and everything was covered in slick moss and messy weeds.
There was half a jade plaque jutting out of the debris, and half a golden character that seemed to read "heaven" was visible on it.
It was impossible to tell what furnishings had originally been in the palace as most of the place had been reduced to rubble, and the only areas that were somewhat clearly visible were the ones directly adjacent to the walls.
As Han Li passed by a wall, he noticed that there were some extremely vibrant murals painted upon them. Even though it had already been countless years, the colors were still very bright and fresh, as if they had only just been drawn.
"What are these?" he asked.
"This Heaven Calendar Pavilion is a very special place in our sect, and it holds many of our sect's secrets. It's strictly off limits to ordinary disciples unless express permission is given, and the murals here mostly depict some important events in our sect's history.
“If the array in the palace were still intact, all of the murals would be able to move and depict different scenes, but with the array destroyed, they've been reduced to still images," Immortal Lord Hot Flame sighed with a shake of his head.
Han Li turned to one of the murals beside him, and his attention was immediately drawn to it.
Immortal Lord Hot Flame also turned his gaze to the mural to discover that it depicted what appeared to be a grandiose banquet.
The main color tone of the mural was a vibrant and festive red, and there was a lively and bustling celebration taking place within it.
The murals beside it also presented different scenes that depicted the same event, with Patriarch Miro, his five disciples, and many other important figures of the True Mantra Sect occasionally featuring in the murals.
"Fellow Daoist Hot Flame, am I correct in saying that the people depicted here are from the Heavenly Court?" Han Li suddenly asked as he raised an eyebrow.
In one of the murals, the guests in attendance were dressed in attire that was identical to that of the Heavenly Court cultivators.
"That's right. This banquet was held to welcome a group of extremely prestigious envoys from the Heavenly Court. They were official envoys from the Middle Earth Immortal Region, so a welcome of the highest order was arranged. That was truly a grand event of the True Immortal Realm, and I still remember it like yesterday," Immortal Lord Hot Flame replied with a nod.
"In that case, it sounds like the True Mantra Sect and the Heavenly Court weren't on bad terms. Why did the two ultimately go up in arms against each other?" Han Li asked.
Immortal Lord Hot Flame shook his head in response. "One of the reasons I came back to the sect is to find out the answer to that question. Not long after this banquet, I was sent out on a mission, so I know very little about the events that transpired next."
Han Li nodded in response, but he was left feeling even more perplexed.
After a brief pause, he continued to roam his gaze over the wall, and he noticed a corner of a mural protruding out from behind a rubble, so he swept a sleeve through the air to sweep the rubble aside, revealing the full mural to discover that it was depicting a rather strange image.
The setting was a dimly lit underground palace, and a meeting was taking place between Patriarch Miro, the yellow-robed tree being by the name of Mu Yan, the imposing man with the fiery red hair, the dark-skinned young man who was built like an iron pagoda, and a mysterious figure wearing a black cloak with their entire body shrouded in gray mist.
Particular attention had clearly been paid to the illustrations of Patriarch Miro and his three disciples, and Han Li was even able to see the minute differences in their expressions, which told a story of surprise, fear, suspicion, and befuddlement.
However, the face of the cloaked figure was completely concealed beneath the hood of his cloak.
At the end of the mural, Patriarch Miro traveled alone into another strange space, where he obtained a millstone-sized silver plate from a devilish being with a pair of curved horns on their head.
That was where the images concluded, and there were no further murals on the collapsed wall.
"Do you know who that is, Fellow Daoist Hot Flame?" Han Li asked as he pointed at the cloaked figure.
"I'm aware that our patriarch, my master, and some others suddenly left the banquet at some point, but I don't know what they were doing, and I don't know who that mysterious visitor is," Immortal Lord Hot Flame replied with a shake of his head.
"Your master? Which one of these was your master, Fellow Daoist Hot Flame?" Han Li asked.
"The man with the red hair was my master, Qi Mozi. The yellow-robed man was my Senior Martial Uncle, Mu Yan, and the dark-skinned man behind him was my Third Martial Uncle, Wu Yang. The other two child-like figures that you saw at the banquet were my Fourth Martial Uncle, Jin Yuanzi, and my Fifth Martial Uncle, He Ze," Immortal Lord Hot Flame replied.
Han Li's heart jolted slightly upon hearing the name "Qi Mozi". He thought back to the large-headed child that he had seen in the Water Divination Palace, the one whose name was He Ze, and that child had clearly told him to kill Qi Mozi.
Was He Ze referring to Immortal Lord Hot Flame's master? If they were fellow martial brothers, then why had they become sworn enemies?
A perplexed look appeared on Han Li's face as he grappled with these confounding thoughts.
"Is there something wrong, Fellow Daoist Li?" Immortal Lord Hot Flame asked.
Han Li hesitated momentarily, but ultimately decided against telling Immortal Lord Hot Flame about his encounter with He Ze. Instead, he merely shook his head and replied, "No, I'm just curious about what they were discussing. I presume that mysterious visitor was no ordinary person."
"There's no way to tell what they were discussing, but it's clear that they were discussing something very important. Otherwise, there's no way that our patriarch would've left my martial uncles behind to entertain the Heavenly Court guests on their own, while he took my master and my other two martial uncles to see this visitor," Immortal Lord Hot Flame mused.
"So you left the sect not long after that, and it was during your absence that the True Mantra Sect was attacked, is that right? In that case, perhaps this visit from this mysterious figure had something to do with the Heavenly Court. Perhaps it was even the key to the True Mantra Sect's downfall," Han Li speculated with a contemplative expression.
Immortal Lord Hot Flame offered no response as he also fell into deep thought while staring at the mural with slightly furrowed brows.
Han Li didn't speak any further on this matter, and he returned his gaze to the mural as he also became lost in his own thoughts.
Some time later, Han Li suddenly asked, "By the way, do you know the location of the secret chamber depicted in this mural?"
"I'm not certain, I can only think of several possible locations, but there's only one way to find out if any of them is actually where the secret chamber is situated," Immortal Lord Hot Flame replied.
"Given the importance of the Great Five Elemental Illusion Mantra, I'm sure Patriarch Miro would've treasured it greatly as well. Hence, there's a decent chance that he hid it here or somewhere of similar importance. I guess we'll just have to see," Han Li said.
Immortal Lord Hot Flame nodded in response, and the two of them carefully searched through the area before departing and continuing onward.