The palace itself was an enormous treasure, and it just so happened that the Treasurefall Coin could identify and pinpoint the existence of treasures. However, the fruitful bounty of treasures strewn all over the tomb threw off the coinâs judgment.
Therefore, Lu Yun also brought out the luopan. Using both of them in tandem, his scan of the tomb would be unobstructed and would fully pinpoint any valuables there were.
His initial plan had been to investigate the tomb and determine what was real or fake before proceeding further. Great prudence had to be exercised, lest rash actions alarm an existence he couldnât afford to provoke.
But after meeting Fengbo, Empress Timelight, and the Monster Celestial Master⌠heâd more or less grasped the overall picture. Those three, as well as the impostor, should be the strongest beings inside. No matter how powerful any other entities to be found were, theyâd be at a similar level at best.
âI... have a strange feeling about Miao⌠as if sheâŚâ There was something about her that felt a little off. âWell, this should be where the resurrection layout was located in the past⌠someone moved it to the burial mound beneath Myriad Formation Summit afterward!
âIt probably happened five thousand years ago⌠When I met Miao in the burial mound, she still remembered some events before her death.â
He still didnât know what Miao had gone through five thousand years ago. All he knew was that sheâd been unexpectedly beaten to death and forced to use the resurrection layout, then narrowly escaped another insidious scheme.
But a moment ago, heâd sensed something terribly evil about her for a split second.
âShe might not have run off with Huaci⌠In fact, sheâll probably use the soul fragment to revive the ancient immortals here!â Lu Yun shook his head and set those thoughts aside. âLetâs find the Deaf Prince and the others first, then the Skyqilin and Skyturtle Pearl. Canât forget the Path of Ingress, either⌠and then Iâm off back home!â
Rays of golden light flashed from the feng shui compass, illuminating a path through the minor world.
âHrm?â Lu Yun suddenly froze. âCoal briquettes? Or something else?â
Thanks to the compassâ golden light, he could spot many passages connected to the outside world, and the Spectral Eye noted tiny grains of gaseous sand flowing along the small tunnels.
Once inside, the nascent spirit soil was quickly transformed by a marvelous force and converted into three currents of clear air. The first one fused with this minor world, the second one scattered into the air, and the last one left via the small passageways.
âOver there!â His eyes shone bright when he noticed the third current heading to where the underground palace was.
âBut the three clear currents arenât made of the energies of the world. There must be another transformation process involved. Iâve got to go take a look!â He opened the Spectral Eye, deployed the Wandering Step, and followed the third current while shrinking his body with Size Manipulation.
The tunnels leading from the minor world to the outside were minuscule in size. He might not have spotted them without the Spectral Eye as they were even smaller than a human pore.
âThere?â He turned into a mote of dust and entered another area that bursted at the seams with a chaotic airflow fusing with the third current. âItâs the energy dissipated from the second current! So this is where it ends up...
âThe first current is the waste product of nascent spirit soil, and the second and third ones make up the underlying composition of the worldâs energy!â
Lu Yun could see the second and third currents converging inside the strange space before transforming into natural energy, then slowly moving in a certain direction with a unique tempo.
However, the rate of motion was much too slow. It would take at least ten thousand years for the newly-formed natural energy to leave this place.
âSomething must be intercepting this flow of natural energy!â Inspiration struck, and he whirled around to see an enormous, wide open mouth protruding into the area. A prodigious suction force emitted from it and vacuumed away the newly-created natural energy.
âThis giant mouth is made of immortal crystals! ...the crystal monster!â he identified at once. The mouth belonged to the crystal giant that the soul fragment had previously summoned.
Lu Yun inhaled sharply. âThe crystal giant is alive, which makes the underground palace the inside of the monsterâs belly! Who can that impostor be? Or is sheâŚâ
He used Size Manipulation a second time and shrank himself even further, then shot toward the giant mouth.
Boom!
As he tried gaining entrance, the crystal mouth suddenly sprayed a gust of turbid energy that blew him away. A pair of milky-white eyes slowly opened in midair. With a glint of derision, the eyes stared fixedly at the tiny particle Lu Yun had become.
âYep, this thingâs alive, alright!â Lu Yun steadied his balance with some difficulty, then observed the eyes with a frown. âThat being saidâŚâ
Bang!
He quickly transformed into something else and vanished into thin air. This time, he opted to become a current of natural energy.
It wouldâve been far more difficult for him to do so before; almost impossible, in fact. But now, after witnessing the process through which natural energy was created, he could follow the same steps himself to transform into natural energy.
As soon as he did so, he sensed a formidable tearing force materialize in the air. One side dragged him toward the outside world, while the other tried to suck him into the giant mouth.
âHmm?â a bewildered voice rumbled like thunder.
Shaken to the core, Lu Yunâs thoughts were in complete disarray and his now-gaseous consciousness was almost destroyed by the sound. Thankfully, the Tome of the Life and Death shielded his consciousness at the last moment. He strove to calm down, then propelled his transformed self toward the giant mouth.
This time around, nothing unexpected happened.
In the air above, the pair of eyes inspected their surroundings, but couldnât find anything out of place. In the end, they gradually faded from view.
âŚâŚ
âIâm in!â The moment he entered the mouth, he found extremely dense immortal energy enfolding him, and a feeling of extraordinary pleasure welled up from the depths of his soul. In spite of himself, he returned to human form.
So frighteningly dense that it was almost liquid, immortal energy poured relentlessly into him and began propelling his peak returned void realm cultivation even higher. The six paths of nascent spirit inside his consciousness rotated madly to circulate the energy inside him.
Boom!
A sudden rumble echoed through his consciousness, as if an enormous barrier had been blasted open. Though vague and hazy, he saw a great, formless path traversing the world, master of all between the heavens and earth.
The immortal dao!
âIâve finally reached the threshold to immortality! Three monthsâmy immortal tribulation will come in three more months! After weathering it, Iâll be a true immortal!â A revelation surfaced in his mind, upon which he forcibly cut off the endless flow of immortal energy pouring into him.
The energy here was too dense. If he absorbed too much of it, heâd directly bypass his tribulation and ascend to immortality. Had he done so, his tribulation wouldâve descended as soon as he exited the tomb and with an intensity that was orders of magnitude stronger. The outlook wouldâve been more than grim.
Fangyang Xing had run into this very problem because he couldnât control the Skyturning Sealâs enormous power. Lu Yun was positive that when it finally did arrive, the manâs tribulation would be extraordinarily ferocious. Even with the Skyturning Sealâs protection, heâd suffer grievous wounds, if not die outright.
âŚâŚ
âAs I thought, this is a palace hall.â Lu Yun carefully observed his surroundings and noted that everything was made of immortal crystalâthe opulent hall, the proud throne towering high above, and the many lifelike statues that dotted the premises.
âStatues?â He stiffened abruptly, a violent shiver running down his spine. âThese arenât statues, these are people whoâve been assimilated by immortal crystals!â
Crackle!
Hellfire surged around him, shielding him from harm. Immortal energy was extremely dense in this place. If one couldnât stop absorbing it, one would soon be transformed into crystal. Immortal energy was a higher form of natural energy. Once natural energy reached a certain concentration, itâd evolve into immortal energy on its own.
âMany people have come here in the past, but all of them were crystallized by the energy here.â Lu Yun looked at a statue in front of him.
It was humanoid in shape, but more than thirty meters tall and sported a vertical eye in the middle of its forehead. It wielded a great crescent halberd, as if ready to do battle.
No living aura came from it and Lu Yun couldnât see the creatureâs death information. Without a doubt, this three-eyed being had become pure crystal; even its lifeforce had been assimilated.
â...wait a second! He didnât become like this because he absorbed too much energy. An external influence instantly turned him into crystal!â
âBlasted damnation! How long have we been going around in circles? Where did the bloody World Chest go?!â a crude voice suddenly sounded. âAt this rate, I wonât be able to suppress my immortal tribulation any longer!â
âShut your mouth!â a chilly female voice rose in answer. âIf you hadnât kept pointing us in random directions, we never wouldâve gotten lost!â
âIn my opinion, itâd be best to go back by retracing our steps,â another loud voice commented.
âItâs them!â Lu Yunâs eyes shone. He recognized the voices of Beicang Qiong, Jing Dichen, and the Deaf Prince. But while he could hear their voices, neither his consciousness nor the Spectral Eye could locate their beings.
etvolare's Thoughts
He's in the literal belly of the beast right now.