Chapter 1712: 780: Falling Into the Trap (Part 3)
The spirit roots were dense, some clogged together. One misstep would lead to a dead-end road; you either had to turn back or cut through the thorns, inevitably causing quite a commotion.
Ning Zhenzi led the duo without ever taking a wrong turn, evidently very familiar with the place.
Emperor Wan Shou and Subtle Taoist Monarch exchanged glances, thinking to themselves: “This person knows the geography of this place well, he must have visited many times.”
Ning Zhenzi, as if reading their thoughts, said without turning his head: “The two of you might not know, but this Treasure Land was discovered by the Immortal Emperor Supreme and named Great Wilderness. I was fortunate enough to follow His Majesty here back then, hence I know the way.”
Emperor Wan Shou and Subtle Taoist Monarch were moved, had the Immortal Emperor Supreme been here too?
The Immortal Emperor Supreme was a legendary figure. He came from humble origins, his parents just ordinary immortals of the Earth Immortal Realm with no significant background, yet he was exceptionally talented from a young age, achieving remarkable feats and gaining widespread acclaim in his youth.
He started with nothing, relying on neither the Three Pure Ones Realm nor the Western Heaven, created his own Cultivation Technique and Divine Skills, defeated many strong opponents in the Immortal Realm, and won over numerous masters in the Earth Immortal Realm.
He gathered heroes and established the Immortal Court, gaining the hearts of the Earth Immortal Realm and standing in opposition to the Heavenly Court.
Though Emperor Wan Shou and Subtle Taoist Monarch despised those of poor backgrounds, the Immortal Emperor Supreme was an exception.
Ning Zhenzi guided the two through a Stone Forest, the layout of which faintly corresponded to the stars in the sky, likely arranged using Star Power.
The Array was strict, as if a great master who commands the heavens and earth was personally overseeing it. Using the Dao Power of the Star Sea as their strength, they manipulated the Star Formation, generating forces of ambush, strangulation, attack, refinement, suppression, and killing—a display of absolute dominance.
“This Stone Forest was set up by the Immortal Emperor, combining his Cultivation Technique and Divine Skills. Anyone who has seen such Divine Skills is already dead.”
Ning Zhenzi, leading the way with a smile, said, “Even if Mr. Chen found this place, he wouldn’t be able to enter. Forcing entry would be a path to death.”
Emperor Wan Shou and Subtle Taoist Monarch closely followed him, unconsciously summoning the Demon-sweeping Duster and Eight Trigrams Refining Furnace to protect themselves.
The formation of this Stone Forest was terrifying; even with Magical Treasures summoned, they felt a bit uneasy.
Emperor Wan Shou praised, “The so-called Great Wilderness Ming Dao speaks of the Immortal Emperor attaining insight into the Great Dao in the Great Wilderness—truly magnificent, such a Cultivation Technique is indeed stunning.”
Ning Zhenzi chuckled, “The true Great Wilderness Ming Dao Collection was indeed created by His Majesty here, the richness of Daoist Skills contained within is unparalleled.”
Emperor Wan Shou and Subtle Taoist Monarch exchanged a glance, feeling that maybe he was boasting too much about the Immortal Emperor Supreme, but upon further thought, the fact that the Immortal Emperor’s Great Wilderness Ming Dao Collection encompassed Immortal Dao, Demon Path, and various other Outer Dao was indeed unprecedented in the Earth Immortal Realm.
The fact that he unified Immortal Dao with various Outer Dao, and called it the first of its time, is indeed not an exaggeration.
Ning Zhenzi led them through the Stone Forest and arrived in front of a palace.
The palace was built with green stone, a remarkably ancient structure, completely different from the current era’s style, yet possessing a unique beauty. The patterns on the building carried an unusual rhythm, seemingly hiding profound truths.
This was a complete structure from the Dark Era!
Emperor Wan Shou and Subtle Taoist Monarch were immensely shocked. In the Dark Era, a war unimaginable in scale took place here, destroying everything on the Great Wilderness Ancient Land. Civilization was wiped out, peerless masters perished, turning into spirit roots.
Why was such a Dark Era structure still here?
Ning Zhenzi stepped forward, leading them into this Green Palace, saying, “The Immortal Emperor found this place back then and told me that this Green Palace was a tomb built by survivors after the war.”
The Green Palace was desolate, eerie, with a bone-chilling cold that made the skin crawl.
Upon hearing this, Subtle Taoist Monarch suddenly realized: “No wonder after such a tragic battle, there’s still such a Green Palace left.”
Ning Zhenzi guided them: “The Immortal Emperor explored various relics in the Green Palace, discovering many prehistoric mysteries. He said that while Immortal Dao is orthodox, Outer Dao still holds profound mysteries.”
Emperor Wan Shou nodded: “Though this statement may seem rebellious to outsiders, the Three Pure Ones Realm had long realized the insufficiencies in Immortal Dao and sought to make amends. The fact that the Immortal Emperor discovered this on his own is indeed remarkable.”
At that moment, an unfamiliar fragrance wafted in, penetrating the lungs. Just by smelling this scent, Emperor Wan Shou and Subtle Taoist Monarch felt as if they had consumed the Queen Mother’s Flat Peach Spirit Root—completely comfortable.
And the Queen Mother’s Flat Peach was a rare Spirit Root in the world!
“This scent is intoxicating; it must be an extraordinary Spirit Root!”
They followed the fragrance to see that at the center of this palace, a Spirit Root resembling a Bodhi tree was planted. Its branches and leaves were emerald green like jade, and the exotic fragrance was emanating from its fruit.
Below the Spirit Root, the skeleton of a prehistoric strongman was seated, and the Spirit Root had grown from his facial features.
The two of them were entranced, unable to move their feet for quite some time.
This Spirit Root had already borne exotic fruit, and just the scent surpassed other Spirit Roots by a lot. If consumed, it would likely not only heal their old wounds but could even allow them to ascend another level or perhaps breakthrough and achieve the realm of Daluo Golden Immortal!
“This Spirit Root transformed from the person who built this Green Palace.”
Ning Zhenzi said from the side, “I heard from the Immortal Emperor that this person was the ultimate victor of the Great Wilderness War, with unimaginable strength, long surpassing Daluo, reaching realms akin to the Three Pure Ones Daoist Ancestor, Jieyin, and Zhunti Buddha. To call the Spirit Root that grew after his death the world’s number one is not an exaggeration.”
Subtle Taoist Monarch’s voice was hoarse: “How does it compare to the Mud Tree of the Heavenly Court?”
The Mud Tree was an Earth Treasure Spirit Root discovered in the Mud Great World, capable of shielding Daluo Golden Immortals, a Spirit Root countless individuals in the Earth Immortal Realm would dream of, unfortunately, it fell into the hands of the Jade Emperor.
Ning Zhenzi smiled, “The Mud Tree is far inferior to this Bodhi Dao Tree. If the two of you help me open this stone chamber, I can guarantee that you’ll get to consume the Bodhi Dao Fruit and heal your injuries.”
Subtle Taoist Monarch and Emperor Wan Shou’s hearts pounded wildly, and they looked towards the indicated stone chamber.
The stone chamber also had green rock as the door. On the door were various seals from the Dark Era, but they had been broken, replaced by the Immortal Emperor Supreme’s sealing. It was clear that the Immortal Emperor had been here, cracked the seal on the stone door, uncovered its mysteries, and then resealed the stone chamber.
As the two of them hesitated, suddenly Chen Shi’s voice echoed from afar, laughing: “So, the three of you are hiding here, making me search high and low.”
Ning Zhenzi’s face changed dramatically: “He discovered the Stone Forest! He’s coming fast!”
Subtle Taoist Monarch and Emperor Wan Shou also noticed that when Chen Shi spoke, he was still outside the Stone Forest, but by the time he finished speaking, he was already deep inside, quickly approaching!
“He knows the Great Wilderness Ming Dao Collection from the Immortal Emperor! How is that possible?”
Just as they thought of this, Chen Shi’s voice came again, this time much closer.
“So, this is the real Great Wilderness Ming Dao Collection. The Immortal Emperor rightfully deserves the title of Supreme. In the Great Wilderness Ming Dao, using the Spirit Root and Star Formation of this place to ponder various Outer Dao… truly an excellent Cultivation Technique…”
As he spoke, Chen Shi got even closer to the Green Palace, breaking the seals with such speed that even Ning Zhenzi’s face paled.
“Mr. Chen is also Daoist Ancestor Chen! His Primordial Talisman encompasses the Dark Sea Outer Dao, and the Outer Dao of the Great Wilderness Ming Dao Collection is also in his Primordial Talisman. Therefore, he can see through the solution!”
Understanding this, he urged, “Fellow Daoists, make a swift decision!”
Emperor Wan Shou and Subtle Taoist Monarch exchanged a glance and said in unison: “Alright!”
Emperor Wan Shou quickly said, “But we must first consume the Bodhi Dao Tree’s fruit, heal our wounds, and after slaying Mr. Chen, we’ll help you open the stone chamber!”
Ning Zhenzi gritted his teeth and said fiercely: “Alright!”
He was just about to pick the Bodhi Dao Tree’s fruit when Emperor Wan Shou and Subtle Taoist Monarch each leaped up: “No need for your help; we’ll pick it ourselves.”
The two flew to the Bodhi Dao Tree, each picking a Bodhi Dao Fruit and consuming it.
Ning Zhenzi, seeing the two consume the Bodhi Dao Fruit, urgently urged them to quickly refine it: “Mr. Chen is almost here! Have the two of you healed? Hurry up! Hurry! You…”
The anxious expression on his face disappeared, replaced by a satisfied smile. Unable to hold back, he chuckled: “Fellow Daoists didn’t want to consume my Three Blessings Divine Pill on the ship, yet here you dared to consume the fake Bodhi Dao Fruit I made?”
With a mocking expression, he laughed, “You didn’t think that prehistoric strongman would bury himself here, did you?”
Emperor Wan Shou and Subtle Taoist Monarch’s faces changed upon hearing this. They suddenly felt that the Dao Fruit they had consumed was like a seed rapidly taking root and sprouting within their bodies. Innumerable roots instantly penetrated their Physical Body and Primordial Spirit Arena, and even their Immortal Dao Dao Pattern was filled with roots!