Chapter 1622: The Various Treasures of the Dao Palace
Chapter 1622: The Various Treasures of the Dao Palace
"How dare you slander my good name out of thin air?" the Understanding Dao Infinite Wall cried, its voice laced with panic.
Its single eye flickered nervously toward the sky, but it rattled off a torrent of denials. "I am utterly devoted to the Sage Lord! How could I possibly commit such a betrayal, stealing what I'm meant to guard?"
"Then why are you so flustered?" Rinsing Moon Bai asked with a knowing smile, already certain she was on the right track.
"Flustered? Don't be ridiculous. I'm not flustered in the slightest," the Understanding Dao Infinite Wall insisted, its bravado undermined as two tentacles shot out to wipe away beads of imaginary sweat from its head.
Rinsing Moon Bai sighed. "In that case, I suppose I'll just have to let the Sage Lord himself be the judge."
The wall wasn't intimidated by her threat. "You may indeed have the makings of a transcendent being, but with your current power, you have absolutely no way of contacting the great master."
Rinsing Moon Bai smiled. "You're right, my own power is insufficient. But the Sage Lord's might is truly beyond imagination. If I whisper a few words his way every single day, who's to say they won't eventually reach his ears?"
At her words, the Understanding Dao Infinite Wall froze. It considered her point, and a horrifying thought occurred: she might actually be right.
"Now, let's talk this over properly, shall we?" the wall stammered, instantly regretting its earlier outburst. Its entire demeanor shifted, adopting a fawning, sycophantic tone.
After a "cordial" exchange, the Understanding Dao Infinite Wall, with extreme reluctance, finally revealed its private collection to Rinsing Moon Bai.
"Alright, but just a quick glance, you hear?"
The Understanding Dao Infinite Wall revealed its true form: a single, cyan-colored roof tile.
Within the tile, the faint image of a plaque began to materialize.
The plaque should have borne an inscription, but for some unknown reason, the characters had long since vanished, leaving only faint, blurry impressions in their place.
Even so, one glance was enough to know that the plaque was an object of extraordinary quality.
"This very plaque once hung at the entrance to the Sage Palace," the wall declared with smug satisfaction. "Even the Immortal Emperors of every generation had to bow their heads in respect before it! For a mere mortal like you to gaze upon it... this is the fortune of three lifetimes!"
Though she didn't know the specifics of the Immortal Realm, Rinsing Moon Bai could guess at the role of an Immortal Emperor. To hear that even such beings had to bow before this plaque left her inwardly stunned. Her understanding of the Sage Lord's power and status grew even clearer, even more profound.
"But there are no words on it. Don't tell me... you ate them?" Rinsing Moon Bai said after staring for a long moment, her gaze turning suspicious.
"Heh heh. As if I have that kind of power," the wall chuckled dryly.
"Think about it. I was merely a tile at the gates of the Sage Palace, and yet look at the abilities I possess. How much more powerful must this sacred plaque be? The characters it once bore gained sentience long ago and went off to roam free. If they hadn't, do you think I'd be able to carry it with me?"
"So, it's just a broken, wordless plaque..." Rinsing Moon Bai murmured, observing it for a long while without sensing anything particularly special.
The wall was secretly smug. "It's sealed within my core. Of course you can't sense its true wonder. If you could, don't you think someone would have come knocking long before now?"
"So what is it for, exactly?"
The wall decided to stop being coy. "Putting aside its other properties, the residual influence of the immortals left upon it is a treasure beyond imagination. Only those qualified to approach the Sage Palace were ever recorded on its surface—beings who were, at the very least, Immortal Emperors or their equals. It's like a living tapestry of the heavens. Even after countless eons, their images remain as vivid as if they were standing here now..."
As the wall spoke, the surface of the somewhat worn plaque shimmered, and one by one, figures of breathtaking grace and power began to appear. Even with the wall suppressing its aura, Rinsing Moon Bai could feel the crushing pressure emanating from them, as if shouldering the weight of Mount Tai.
The divine phantoms lasted only for an instant before the wall concealed them once more.
"When a being reaches a certain level of power, their every action, every single gesture, becomes an expression of their supreme Dao. By observing these images, one can comprehend the very paths they walked. You could consider it a condensed, essential version of the Supreme Dao Scripture!" the wall added with a soft hum.
"And that's just one of its wondrous uses!"
The wall's enormous single eye reappeared, cautiously scanning the surroundings. Once certain they were secure, a fissure opened in the center of the cyan tile.
A faint, sweet fragrance instantly wafted into Rinsing Moon Bai's nostrils.
The moment she smelled it, the thousands of thoughts racing through her mind settled into a state of perfect calm, as if they had been meticulously sorted and arranged, transforming from chaos into perfect order.
In that instant, Rinsing Moon Bai understood her own thoughts and feelings with absolute clarity.
The state lasted only for a fleeting moment, but it was enough to approach the legendary state of true self-awareness—of seeing one's heart and knowing one's nature.
Her inner self-image grew softer and more distinct, as if it had been finely sculpted, shedding the last vestiges of mortal dust. Her Mixed Origin Golden Core and Spirit Mirror Nascent Soul shimmered, revealing subtle but profound transformations.
"The Sage Lord's handiwork is, of course, extraordinary. This plaque was the very threshold of the Sage Palace. Even with all its enchantments gone, the material it's made from is one of the rarest treasures in all the mountains and seas!"
After letting the fragrance leak for only a moment, the wall cautiously sealed the fissure again, preventing any outsiders from sensing the sacred plaque's existence.
Rinsing Moon Bai, however, had already fallen into a brief state of enlightenment.
She did not awaken until seven days later.
"We've known each other for so many years, and all this time you've been hoarding a treasure like this," Rinsing Moon Bai said, her voice laced with a gentle accusation.
And the "many years" she spoke of referred to far more than just their acquaintance in this current life.
The wall, of course, was oblivious to her hidden meaning and simply chuckled awkwardly.
"Does your ability to induce enlightenment come partly from the plaque's fragrance?"
"It does, but that's not the whole story. That's why it requires the lifespan of living beings as fuel," the wall explained. "Think of it like refining a pill. If enlightenment is the pill's effect, then the plaque's fragrance is the primary ingredient. But the lifespans... they are the furnace fire needed for the refinement."
"And I," it concluded, "am both the furnace and the alchemist."
"Without me to orchestrate the process, an ordinary person could smell the plaque's fragrance all day and never achieve a shred of insight."
Rinsing Moon Bai considered this for a moment and found that it made sense.
"Are there any other uses?" she pressed on.
"..."
The wall hesitated, as if about to speak, then stopped.
After a long pause, under Rinsing Moon Bai's unwavering gaze, it finally spoke again, very slowly. "There are. But I suppose the most useful one... is hitting people with it."
"The Sage Palace does not suffer fools. To prevent riffraff from disturbing the Sage Lord's peace, the plaque was originally covered in countless restrictions. If they were all unleashed, even an Immortal Emperor would be suppressed in an instant. Most of those restrictions vanished when the characters left, but a fraction of their power still remains."
"Using it to suppress an ordinary True Immortal..."
"...would be no problem at all."
Before Rinsing Moon Bai could even respond, the wall hastily added, "But here's the catch: I'm not its master, which means I'd be caught in the blast. If I were to activate its restrictions..."
"...it would probably take us out along with our target."
"And on top of that, this world itself might not be able to withstand the strain."
"Most importantly, if the sacred plaque fully manifests, it's bound to attract the attention of any True Immortals nearby. Even if they've never seen it before, they'll know it's an incredible treasure. And if they come to take it by force, I won't be able to protect it," the wall babbled, summing up its long list of excuses.
In short, the plaque had many other wondrous uses, but for now, they were all off-limits.
Rinsing Moon Bai understood the gravity of the situation and nodded. It was becoming clear that the Xuanhuang Realm concealed far too many secrets. If a tile from the Sage Lord's own gate could be hidden here, there was no telling what other artifacts—or even more outrageous relics—might lie waiting to be discovered.
"It sounds like everything in the Sage Lord's palace was a priceless treasure. A pity I'll never have the chance to see it for myself. By the way..." A sudden curiosity sparked in Rinsing Moon Bai's eyes.
"Of all the things in the Sage Lord's Dao Palace, what was the most precious?"
"If a mere tile and a plaque from the entrance possess such power, I can't even begin to imagine what the truly incredible treasures were like."
The wall lowered its voice. "The sanctity of the Dao Palace came from the Sage Lord himself. So, theoretically, the closer an object was to the Sage Lord, the more sacred it became."
"From what I recall, when the Sage Lord was in residence, only a few things were fortunate enough to remain in his constant company: the young master, a meditation cushion, an azure lamp, and a horsetail whisk. Oh, and a scroll, I think."
"He would read it often."
"The young master, the cushion, the lamp, and the whisk... none of them disappeared when the Grandmaster left. But that scroll... I never saw it again after that." A cyan light flickered across the wall's surface as it seemed to lose itself in memory.
"As for which was the most miraculous... well, it certainly wasn't the young master," the wall added with a faint sneer.
"'The young master?'" Rinsing Moon Bai repeated, confused.
"The great master's disciple. An extraordinary background, to be sure, but..."
The wall trailed off, saying no more, just letting out a soft, dismissive chuckle.
"In all seriousness, I think the horsetail whisk he held was the most powerful. The Sage Lord might occasionally leave his cushion, but that whisk never left his side. It seemed it came so close, so very close, to being able to depart with him. A pity it fell just short. Later, when the thief came, it vanished without a trace. Who knows where it is now," the wall lamented with a soft sigh.
"It sounds like that thief was incredibly powerful," Rinsing Moon Bai concluded.
The wall retorted indignantly, "A worthless coward! He only dared to act because the Sage Lord was gone. He may have his moment of glory, but just wait until he reaches the Mountain and Sea. He'll get what's coming to him!"
After their brush with death, the bond between Rinsing Moon Bai and the Understanding Dao Infinite Wall had deepened considerably, and she now found herself privy to secrets of the Immortal Realm.
"So, this is how one can earn trust," she mused.
"If I had remained as I was before, spending all my days in enlightenment within the wall, I doubt I would have heard any of this, even after another hundred lifetimes," Rinsing Moon Bai reflected thoughtfully.
...
Though they were safe for the moment, Ou Shangtian's pursuit was far from over.
The blood feud for a murdered father was a debt that could never be repaid.
In this lifetime, there was no longer any possibility of reconciliation between Rinsing Moon Bai and Ou Shangtian.
As she continued to flee, Rinsing Moon Bai dedicated herself to studying the "Detain" character that the wall had taught her.
A True Immortal Script, each character describing a Dao.
One who fully comprehended it could achieve the rank of a Nameless True Immortal.
Rinsing Moon Bai, in particular, had no guide, relying entirely on her own comprehension and exploration.
Thus, getting started was rather simple.
But relying on her incredible-level comprehension, she achieved a qualitative breakthrough in just one short month.
Her finger traced through the void, writing with the fluid grace of a dragon. In a single breath, an incredibly complex "Detain" character took shape.
"Try it on me! Let's see how much power your 'Detain' character truly has!" Since the wall had volunteered, Rinsing Moon Bai was happy to oblige.
With a thought, the "Detain" character expanded, instantly transforming into billions of golden chains.
They swarmed towards the Understanding Dao Infinite Wall in unison.
"I'm gonna die, I'm gonna die, I'm gonna die..."
The golden chains slammed into the wall, producing a ghastly, grating shriek of metal on metal.
The cyan light on its surface flickered as if battered by a gale.
The wall's wails were incessant.
Writing the character had nearly drained all of her strength, and Rinsing Moon Bai's face was deathly pale.
But seeing the wall's pathetic state, she felt a pang of doubt.
"Let's go, let's go, we can't stay here."
A cyan light swept out, enveloping Rinsing Moon Bai. The wall wrapped her up and, in an instant, fled ten thousand miles away.
Having suddenly lost their target, the myriad chains seemed confused at first.
They swirled through the heavens, locking onto a direction.
A moment later, the chains trembled slightly, as if they had found their target once more.
But just as they were about to extend and capture it, the "Detain" character shattered, dissolving into the air.
The Understanding Dao Infinite Wall stared into the distance, letting out a breath of relief.
It manifested its large head again, its eye practically pressed against Rinsing Moon Bai's face. "To have such power the very first time you formally write a True Immortal Script..."
"I knew I wasn't wrong! You truly have the makings of a transcendent!"
Rinsing Moon Bai was well aware of her terrifying aptitude.
She questioned the reason for the True Immortal Script's abnormal display.
"I feel like the script I wrote shouldn't have been that powerful," Rinsing Moon Bai said, puzzled. She realized it now; it wasn't that the wall was weak.
It was that the True Immortal Script she had written possessed a power that defied all expectations.
"Doesn't that just prove how talented you are?" the wall exclaimed, waving its tentacles in excitement.
"What is a True Immortal Script? It is the Dao, summarized and made manifest by the Inscription Immortals! Have you ever heard of a Congenital Dao Body? Some people are born with a greater affinity for the Great Daos of the world. When they invoke the principles of heaven and earth, they are naturally closer to the Dao's true form, and their power is naturally greater!"
"Though you may not have a Congenital Dao Body, you're not far from it."
"Master this script, and suppressing that arrogant brat will be as easy as turning your hand!"
The wall held a grudge and immediately urged Rinsing Moon Bai to go back and take revenge.
But Rinsing Moon Bai shook her head and declined. "I think I need to consolidate my understanding first. The 'Detain' character is indeed extraordinary, but Ou Shangtian has both the Heaven and Earth Bone Hand and the Ten Thousand Death Book. He won't be easy to deal with. If I fail to finish him in one blow and he escapes, killing him will be even more difficult."
"At the very least, I need to have enough strength left to launch a second attack after writing the 'Detain' character."
The wall had to agree that she had a point.
"Besides the 'Detain' character, do you know of any other True Immortal Scripts?"
Faced with Rinsing Moon Bai's question, the wall generously displayed another True Immortal Script.
"This is the 'Seize' character! I was worried you might bite off more than you can chew, so I didn't teach it to you before. But now..."
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