Chapter 2: The Ancients |
In this situation, Lord Dao realized things were bad. It turned out that this statue also concealed some mechanism, and it had evidently been activated.
The bronze mirror, following the chain, slipped from Lord Dao’s grasp. Lord Dao hadn't even managed to jump off the statue's shoulder when a rumbling sound echoed from below. This rumble was far louder and more powerful than the previous one, shaking everything around.
Lord Dao, barely clinging to the statue, hastily illuminated his surroundings with his lantern. He understood that such a situation would lead to nothing good.
Something began to fall. Illuminating the dome above with his lantern, Lord Dao discovered that the dome was splitting apart at its seams.
“Monkey, the dome is about to collapse! Get out, quickly!” Lord Dao shouted to the other young man, already leaping from the statue himself.
But luck failed him, and a massive slab of stone, falling from above, pinned him down.
The stone pressed him heavily against the ground, causing blood to gush from his mouth. He lifted his head and vaguely saw the young man’s silhouette flash across the path before darkness descended upon him. His consciousness faded...
His mind was in chaos. He felt a pain as if his head would split open. Slowly opening his eyes, he noticed the faint shadow of a light source.
Looking around, he could see the source of the light. It was a torch hanging on a pillar. It seemed he was in a ruined ancient temple. He didn't know where he was, but Monkey had evidently brought him here to save him.
Lord Dao was an experienced man and knew that after suffering severe pressure, it was best to move as little as possible. He felt no pain. Perhaps it was due to his nervous system shutting down.
*First, I should try to move my fingers. All ten fingers are moving!*
*Now my palms... No problems there either!*
*My arms next. Forearms, thighs... Everything works!*
*My legs are moving? They’re moving too!!!*
In his joy, Lord Dao pulled his hands down. He wanted to push himself up and check his body’s condition when suddenly, a smiling old face appeared before him. A hairpin adorned his hair, and his clothes were of an ancient style.
“Young brother, you’re awake? It seems I, this old man, am quite fortunate,” the old man said with a smile. He approached, supported him by the shoulders, and helped him up.
Lord Dao rose with the old man’s help and tried to take defensive measures, but found he couldn't unleash any power. It was as if this were the consequence of a severe injury. However, hunching over and sitting up, he again discovered that there were no visible wounds on his body. Only a throbbing pain at the back of his head.
Surveying the surroundings of the ruined temple, Lord Dao looked at the old man’s face and asked him:
“You, this...”
However, after uttering a few words, he noticed that his voice, too, seemed to have lost its strength. As if even his voice had suffered a heavy blow. Clearing his throat, he continued to ask:
“Where are we?”
“You?” The old man was surprised, then laughed:
“Young people still observe etiquette. Very well, ‘you’ it is. I like people with such manners. I don’t specifically know this place. And I no longer have the strength to find out the situation here. However, I know that this hill is in the Yan Kingdom, Purple Cloud County.”
“Yan Kingdom, Purple Cloud County?” Lord Dao froze. He didn’t know where that was?
He involuntarily looked at the old man again and saw that the old man’s chest and abdomen were completely covered in blood. He could even smell the blood, yet the old man’s eyes were clear, radiating spiritual power and purity:
“May I know your name?”
The old man smiled and said:
“Me? I am Dong Guo Hao Ran, a disciple of the Supreme Purity Sect.”
Lord Dao was dumbfounded. He clearly heard the old man, but didn’t understand what he was talking about at all. Yet the old man was dressed in ancient attire and spoke in an ancient Chinese dialect. Could this man not be an actor, playing a trick on him? After all, actors might wear ancient clothes, but they speak in Mandarin. Lord Dao doubted and, shaking his head, shouted:
“Monkey! Monkey!”
The old man was surprised and then said:
“I just arrived here and haven’t seen any monkeys. Do they live near this mountain?”
Realizing that Monkey wasn’t responding, Lord Dao became even more doubtful. But the one who could transport him from the ancient tomb was definitely no ordinary person. So he politely asked:
“May I ask where esteemed one is from?”
The old man smiled and said:
“The Supreme Purity Sect.”
Lord Dao smiled:
“Esteemed one, it’s pointless to beat around the bush like this. Please speak directly.”
“Good!” The old man nodded his head:
“I’ve suffered a severe injury, and I don’t have much time left. You may not understand me, but you must remember everything well. The Supreme Purity Sect is located here, in Purple Cloud County. And from here, it’s about 300 li away. There’s a river not far from the foot of the mountain. If you follow it downstream, when you pass a waterfall, the Supreme Purity Sect will be in that wonderful place. Did you remember well?”
Having finished speaking, the old man sat down, crossed his legs, and placed one palm on his chest. He rotated his palm over his chest.
Lord Dao’s expression changed. He found that he couldn't move. An invisible force had bound him. He hovered in the air, not touching the ground. Fear gripped his heart. He hadn’t thought that in this world there could be masters with such profound understanding of internal power. He couldn't even imagine such a level. He had considered himself the best master in the underground world. And now he understood that he was like the glimmer of a pearl trying to compare itself to the moonlight. As the ancients said, beyond the clouds, there are still clouds. There’s always someone better than you. Damn it, the ancients didn't lie!
The old man suddenly struck his own chest with his palm, causing him to cough up blood. However, his blood began to gather into a bloody sphere that hovered in the air.
As soon as the sphere formed, the old man plunged his fingers into it and began to stir it. Very quickly, the sphere spun, and bloody incantations appeared within it. As soon as the bloody incantations appeared, they began to surround Lord Dao.
Such an astonishing sight unfolded before him, filling Lord Dao’s heart with awe. He had never even dreamed of such a level of control over internal forces.
The more bloody incantations appeared, the smaller the bloody sphere became. And when the sphere was exhausted, 36 bloody incantations rotated around Lord Dao in the air.
The old man flew towards Lord Dao and swept his palm. At that moment, Lord Dao began to spin left and right, and up and down.
The old man began to strike the bloody incantations with his palms, concentrating them into blood-red rays that, with great speed, plunged into the acupuncture points of Lord Dao’s vital meridians.
At the realization that things were sinking into Lord Dao’s body, his body immediately broke out in a sweat. And he felt pain throughout his entire body. The old man swept his palm, and Lord Dao stopped in mid-air. He hovered with crossed legs opposite the old man. Lord Dao now looked at the old man, frozen stiff like a wooden rooster.
The old man, with a serious expression yet also a smile, was about to speak. However, the light in his eyes gradually dimmed, and his voice sounded faint:
“With the Supreme Purity Sect’s secret technique, I have created 36 protective amulets from my cultivation base. They will guard you from evil and illuminate your path. This should be enough for you to reach the Supreme Purity Sect. I am severely wounded, and I have little time left. I can no longer return to the Supreme Purity Sect. To have the opportunity to meet a junior brother here is my good fortune. It is also the good fortune of the Supreme Purity Sect. And for junior brother to have met me is also junior brother’s good fortune. We are destined to become master and disciple. And as my disciple, you will be far stronger than the masters from the villages in this mountainous region. I don’t think you would refuse this fate. Go to the Supreme Purity Sect and tell them you are my disciple. I have imbued an amulet into your body proving that you are my disciple. They will believe you.”
Lord Dao’s eyes flickered. He was processing the old man’s words.
The old man took out a bronze mirror from his robes and handed it to him:
“I sacrificed my life for this item. This item must be given to the Sect Head of the Supreme Purity Sect, Tang Mu. He is my sworn brother and fellow disciple. But remember, under no circumstances are you to give this item to anyone else. Only to my sworn brother, Tang Mu. Did you remember?”
Lord Dao nodded his head and, extending his hand, took the bronze mirror. Only when he looked at the mirror did his heart pound wildly. He was astonished. This... this was the same bronze mirror he had wanted to take from the Guanyin statue!!! It wasn’t clear if it was precisely the same or not. He hadn’t had much time to examine the mirror closely, but it looked very similar to that one.
He raised his head, looked at the old man, and only the supernatural insight that flickered in the old man’s eyes allowed him to believe in this mirror.
He wanted to ask the old man something else, but as soon as he opened his mouth, the old man’s eyes had already closed. His face bore a peaceful smile. He gently and calmly descended to the ground and collapsed onto Lord Dao.
“Senior! Senior...!” Lord Dao cried out, but the old man didn't respond. He then nudged him with his hand, but the old man still didn’t respond. Dead!
Determining that the old man had died, Lord Dao wondered if he was joking with him. But if he wasn’t dead, he was faking it too well. No, he was truly dead!
Slowly lowering the body and laying it on the ground, he looked at the mirror in his hands. And then he noticed that he himself was dressed in ancient attire. And his two hands felt as if they weren’t his own. He touched his face and felt that his face had changed. It hurt! His hair was tied up in an ancient style!
Unable to bear it, he surveyed his surroundings. And then a sound, *caw!*, like the cry of a crow, rang out.
Lord Dao immediately headed for the door to see where he was. Opening the door and stepping out, he saw stairs leading downwards.
Outside, the moon shone brightly in the sky, winter stars twinkled in the night, and a crow perched on a large tree. It was what had attracted Lord Dao’s attention. From its appearance, it seemed like a simple crow. But if one looked closely, a red gleam could be seen in its eyes. It seemed to be staring intently at the bronze mirror in his hands.
At the sight of the bronze mirror, the crow’s eyes sparkled, and with a flap of its wings, it transformed into a black mist, then took on human form. And its wings seemed to become swords.
Lord Dao had not anticipated such a dangerous situation. Seeing these unprecedented things, he was startled and instinctively tried to dodge. But his body seemed unable to keep up with his reaction. The gleam of an approaching sword flashed in his eyes, and he instinctively put out his hand. Only at this moment did he feel a warm energy flow through his forearm and hand. Then a red ray shot from his palm, and transforming into a blood-red amulet, it collided squarely with the person who had transformed from the crow.
Boom!
A thunderous roar erupted, and the blood-red amulet reduced the crow-human to ash. And the blood-red amulet itself vanished.
Waving his hands, Lord Dao stood stunned for a moment, then suddenly remembered the old man’s last words.
Damn it, it’s dangerous outside!
Lord Dao immediately ran back inside and locked the door. He rushed into the room and extinguished the candle.