Eighty-Eight: The Great Dream of Cloud Marsh Mountain, the Hundred-Year Immortal Cavern, Part Two

The Master of Realms Exchange, No Pop-Ups

Dear brothers and sisters among our beloved readers, Wood has made up his mind: today he will unleash a chapter. I ask everyone to click and recommend as much as possible, so Wood can blow the door off the biggest hit in the most outrageous way, ha-ha-ha... Wood bows in gratitude.

In fact, ever since Reverend Zhengyi said that the method for calculating how to enter the immortal dwelling and seek treasures was unique to each generation of sect master, Wood had been puzzled: how could such a secret matter involve him, a newcomer who had only just entered the sect?

Now, hearing Reverend Zhengyi ask this, he immediately said, "That is exactly what puzzles me. Although my cultivation is far higher than that of my peers, I do not believe the master would choose to pass the position to me simply because my abilities stand out. I imagine a sect's successor is usually groomed from very early on. By any reckoning, it should never fall to a newcomer like me who has only just entered through the gate."

Reverend Zhengyi nodded. "A-Mu, such a secret matter indeed cannot be known by too many people. As a rule, only the sect master or the heir to the sect master knows. The reason you were chosen this time is actually because of a dying command left by our founding ancestor."

"What?" Wood was shocked. "A dying command from the ancestor? Could it be that his venerable self knew the past five hundred years and the next five hundred, and knew I would become a disciple of the Void Prime Sect?"

Reverend Zhengyi smiled faintly. "How could that be? The ancestor's last command was this: if a mortal reincarnated celestial being of ordinary talent appears among our Void Prime Sect, then he may go to the immortal dwelling."

Wood asked, "Why is that?"

Zhengyi replied, "In truth, we only learned the answer after entering. Inside the immortal dwelling, there is a secret chamber whose restrictions are very strange. We tried every method we could think of, yet could not even find the door. But beside that chamber were several archaic inscriptions: 'Immortal relics for the fated, keep away all mundane men; one treasure only for the destined celestial.' Naturally, this means ordinary people cannot enter. Only a reincarnated celestial being may take one item to serve as a protective magic treasure."

Wood suddenly understood. "Sect Master, you want me to go fetch an immortal treasure for you!"

Reverend Zhengyi shook his head. "You are only half right. I do want you to take it, but not for me—for your own use."

Wood stared. "For me?"

Zhengyi smiled. "Of course it is for you. An immortal treasure—do you think any common mortal can make use of it? Do you know what kind of artifact the Water Moon Sect's Yaxin Yi uses?"

Wood instantly grasped his meaning. "You mean that seven-stringed zither is an immortal artifact?"

"Indeed. That immortal artifact was taken from the secret chamber by the founding ancestor of the Water Moon Sect, but no one in the sect could use it." Zhengyi spoke of the hidden history of those years. "The Water Moon Sect was originally just an unremarkable small faction in the cultivation world. Yet one genius emerged there. By a stroke of fate, that person entered the immortal dwelling and obtained two mysterious treasures. One of them was that seven-stringed zither. As for the other, no one knows."

"A seven-stringed zither is an immortal artifact?" Wood exclaimed in alarm.

"Yes. For hundreds of years, no one in the Water Moon Sect could use it. Later, Shui Wufeng somehow took in a disciple who could actually use the zither at will, and even cultivated the dao through the zither alone, comprehending profoundly exquisite divine abilities. It is said that when the zither sounds, even Shui Wufeng herself cannot withstand it." Reverend Zhengyi shook his head slightly. "Only you can hear her zither music without harm. I suppose that is because you are both reincarnated celestial beings."

Wood shook his head. He had discussed it with Yaxin Yi before, yet they had never understood it.

He asked, "Is this ancestor the same great one who, together with our Void Prime Sect and the Cloud Ascendant Sect, devised the method for calculating the immortal dwelling?"

Reverend Zhengyi shook his head. "No. She merely passed down part of the method. Later, while her disciple was searching for the immortal dwelling, he encountered the founding ancestors of our sect and the Cloud Ascendant Sect. The three of them studied it together and discovered a tremendous secret: the immortal dwelling opens once every hundred years, but the place and time of its opening are not the same as before."

Wood gave an "oh," though he did not understand such wondrous immortal methods, and so he listened quietly as Reverend Zhengyi continued.

"The three of them cast aside personal prejudice and compared the records left behind by earlier masters regarding the immortal dwelling, and thus uncovered this secret. They then calculated more deeply and finally discovered that Mount Great Dream Cloud Marsh was actually a great formation, and the immortal dwelling was hidden within it. Only every hundred years, for a single instant, the operation of the formation pauses. That is a temporal gap deliberately left by the immortals, waiting for the fated."

Reverend Zhengyi glanced at Wood and went on. "The Cloud Mist Immortal Net I gave you was obtained from that immortal dwelling, though it is still only within the range of an ordinary magic treasure. Presumably, the immortal artifact in that secret chamber is far more powerful."

Wood said, "Wait, Sect Master, I ought to make one thing clear first: you all keep saying I am a reincarnated celestial being, but in truth, I am not!"

Reverend Zhengyi was slightly taken aback, then smiled. "How do you know you are not?"

Wood said, "Do I really need to ask? I am just an ordinary person. I do not have extra eyes or extra noses. No matter how you look at it, I do not seem like a reincarnated celestial being. And besides... what exactly is a reincarnated celestial being?"

"A thing??" Reverend Zhengyi was speechless. "A celestial being is not a thing. No, that's not right—I mean reincarnated celestial being is a thing. No, that does not sound right either!"

"You've got me completely twisted around. Reincarnated celestial being is just a way of speaking. In the cultivation world, the rumor is that those celestial beings who are reborn in this life possess the blessings and fate of their former lives, so their cultivation of mortal dao techniques is astonishingly swift. Their greatest distinguishing trait is that from the very start of cultivation, they can already operate the five elements of metal, wood, water, fire, and earth. Ordinary cultivators, by contrast, can only comprehend the root of the five elements after seven heavenly tribulations, once their own true essence has become abundant and they have grasped the marvel of heaven and earth's transformations, thereby reaching the state in which the five elements return to one." Reverend Zhengyi explained, "You say you are not a reincarnated celestial being, but you have only just begun cultivating the Supreme Clarity Formula and already achieved the unity of the five elements. How do you explain that?!"

Wood said, "I do not know how to explain it, but I am just not a reincarnated celestial being. Wouldn't I know my own business?"

Reverend Zhengyi laughed. "Of course a reincarnated celestial being does not know it himself. Very well, let us not dwell on this. In any case, do as I say. Once you obtain the immortal artifact, you will become the guardian elder of the Void Prime Sect. Your status will be beyond measure, so much so that even I cannot assign tasks to you at random!"

Wood did not much care whether he became guardian elder or not, but he would not refuse the chance to obtain another magic treasure, so he agreed. Still, he muttered under his breath, "I already said I am not a reincarnated celestial being. You are the one who refuses to believe me. If I cannot get that immortal treasure, do not blame me!"

Reverend Zhengyi merely smiled and took no offense. He called over the accompanying disciples and issued the master's decree, ordering the lords of each branch to bring their disciples back to the mountain. He still had matters to discuss with the masters of the Water Moon and Cloud Ascendant sects, and even Wood's own teacher, Freedom Child, was sent away.

That night, the three sect masters arranged their disciples properly, then each led their people, riding sword-light toward Mount Great Dream Cloud Marsh.

The cold moon hung overhead, and a fierce wind swept past, but cultivators all possessed protective true qi. Aside from the deadly winds of the earth and other such forces, these ordinary cold gusts could do them no harm. Wood followed behind Sect Master Zhengyi; he did not know how long they had flown when, faintly, the sound of ocean waves reached his ears, mingling with the piercing howl of the vast wind and swelling ever more violently. Wood found this strange. Could Mount Great Dream Cloud Marsh be out on the sea?

Looking down, he indeed saw that beyond the boundless ocean rose a mountain range stretching for thousands of miles. Though it was night, from afar it was still wrapped in mist and cloud, imposing and majestic.

Yet for some reason, Wood always felt this mountain range was somewhat strange, though for the moment he could not quite recall what was wrong.

Reverend Zhengyi seemed to notice the doubt in Wood's eyes and smiled. "A-Mu, can you see what is strange about this mountain range?"

Wood thought carefully for a moment, then slapped his forehead. "It's nighttime now, so why is this mountain range still veiled in clouds and mist, making it hard to see clearly?"

Reverend Zhengyi nodded with satisfaction. "It seems you are indeed very observant. Back when we first came here, we also thought it strange, but did not think deeply about it and rushed straight in. Had our master not come to our aid, who knows how long we might have been trapped inside."

As the two spoke, a streak of golden sword light suddenly lit up at one end of the mountain range. Reverend Zhengyi smiled faintly. "It seems Taoist Heart of Heaven has arrived first. Come, let us meet him first!"

Wood nodded and followed on his flying sword.

When they reached the destination, the two discovered that Shui Wufeng of the Water Moon Sect and Yaxin Yi had already arrived. Shui Wufeng frowned. "Why did you summon us here with sword light? This immortal dwelling opens once in a hundred years, and who knows how many senior masters are secretly watching it. If some sinister person is drawn here, can you stop them?"

Taoist Heart of Heaven smiled lightly. "We came riding sword-light, so anyone with intentions has long since seen us. I used the golden sword to summon you precisely so others would know we are numerous and powerful, and would not dare come spying so easily."

Shui Wufeng said, "Though that is so, we should still move elsewhere before speaking. Hmm! Let us go to that mountain peak ahead."

The crowd obeyed and descended from their flying swords, standing atop the peak.

Looking at the cloud-wreathed mountain foot, Shui Wufeng said, "It is still the same as always, shrouded in mist year-round." Then she turned and warned Wood and the others, "Do not underestimate this mist. This is a great formation laid down by immortal elders, called the Confusing Heaven Primal Array. One can only follow along with it; there is no breaking it. Once you enter, remember not to stray more than three feet from us, or you will easily get lost. Moreover, this formation is rather peculiar: once inside, the power of all techniques falls to only a tenth of its usual strength, and techniques like flying on swords simply cease to work entirely!"

"What?" Hearing this, all three were astonished. Wood said, "Then if we really get separated, it will not be easy to get out. And if there is some fierce beast inside the formation, then we would all be in danger!"

Reverend Zhengyi shook his head. "Beasts and such are nothing to worry about. The immortal dwelling suppresses the spiritual energy of these thousands of miles of mountains and rivers in Great Dream Cloud Marsh, weakening the techniques of cultivators, but it also keeps the wild beasts from becoming a threat. We can deal with them. The trouble is that if we are separated, finding you again will not be easy."

Hearing how solemnly the three elders spoke, Wood and the others hurriedly nodded in agreement. Then, after glancing at the moonlit sky, Taoist Heart of Heaven said in a deep voice, "I am afraid the time is nearly upon us. Let us first calculate the general direction."