Chapter 282: Heavenly Emperor's Projection
A deafening roar erupted within Ning Xiaochuan’s body, his blood churning violently as if a thousand armies were marching through his meridians, creating an overwhelming momentum.
At this moment, if a single drop of his blood were to fall to the ground, it would instantly transform into five blood-red tigers, capable of tearing apart a Martial Artist in the Profound Qi Realm with ease.
A single drop of blood could kill.
After more than two years of cultivation, Ning Xiaochuan had finally reached the realm of "One Blood, Five Tigers." His talent had ascended to the level of "Once-in-Four-Thousand-Years."
"As the guardian of the Heavenly Bridge said, I’ve indeed encountered a bottleneck. Even with the Nine-Colored Profound Water, it took me over two years to reach 'One Blood, Five Tigers.' The difficulty of cultivation has increased severalfold compared to before. Breaking through to 'One Blood, Six Tigers' will likely be even harder. The 'Once-in-Five-Millennia' talent level might truly become an insurmountable barrier for me."
Through this cultivation session, Ning Xiaochuan gained deeper insight. "I must find the divine blood left by the Heavenly Emperor to break through my limits."
Ning Xiaochuan spread his Dual Wings and set off once more to challenge the Hanging Mountain.
This time, no Barrier stood in his way, and he finally ascended to the Hanging Mountain.
This was a place where the Heavenly Emperor had once cultivated, a sacred land Martial Artists across the world dreamed of visiting. And now, Ning Xiaochuan stood upon it.
As he landed on the Hanging Mountain, his mind became crystal clear, his thoughts sharp, and his spirit extraordinarily lucid.
"Truly a place where a deity once resided. Every blade of grass, every grain of sand bears the mark of divinity, making it far more suitable for cultivation than any Sacred Land or Spiritual Land."
Ning Xiaochuan followed a narrow path forward, passing through forests, mountain streams, and gorges. The sound of flowing water reached his ears, and he quickened his pace, arriving before a waterfall cascading from above. Below the waterfall stood a circular Green Stone Platform.
At first, Ning Xiaochuan was overjoyed, but he suddenly froze in shock.
There was someone standing on the Green Stone Platform.
This was the Hanging Mountain, a place only accessible to those with "Once-in-Four-Thousand-Years" talent.
How could there be someone here?
The figure stood atop the Green Stone Platform—a young man dressed in white robes, his brows sharp as blades, his eyes piercing as swords, exuding an overwhelming pressure, as if a god stood between heaven and earth.
He looked identical to every guardian of the Heavenly Bridge, yet the aura he radiated was incomparably stronger, as if a mere flick of his finger could shatter mountains and rivers, causing the earth to collapse.
"Heavenly... Emperor..." The Heavenly Emperor's Blade trembled as it spoke.
Ning Xiaochuan was even more stunned, staring at the man on the Green Stone Platform. Was this the Heavenly Emperor? Had he returned?
Facing a legendary deity, Ning Xiaochuan’s emotions were in turmoil. His heartbeat accelerated uncontrollably, making it impossible to remain calm.
"Wait—no! This isn’t the Heavenly Emperor’s true form. It’s a projection he left behind ten thousand years ago. You scared me half to death!" The Heavenly Emperor's Blade let out a long sigh of relief.
Ning Xiaochuan also exhaled in relief. "How can a mere projection be so powerful? It’s practically indistinguishable from the real thing."
"The Heavenly Emperor is no ordinary man. Even just a projection of his can suppress and slay all in this world," said the Heavenly Emperor's Blade.
The Heavenly Emperor's Projection stood atop the green stone platform, gazing into the vast sky, and uttered these words: "The earth as a map, the Mystic Gates Nine Palaces, formations in eight directions, the divine in the Central Palace."
Sixteen words that reverberated through the void.
Each character thundered like Heavenly Thunder, shaking one's eardrums to the point of pain.
After speaking, the projection of the Heavenly Emperor grew fainter and fainter, eventually vanishing from the green stone platform.
Ning Xiaochuan couldn't shake the feeling that these sixteen words held profound meaning, yet he found them utterly incomprehensible—they seemed completely disconnected.
What exactly was the Heavenly Emperor trying to tell his descendants?
The Heavenly Emperor's Blade suddenly erupted in excitement, shouting, "I understand! I understand! I know where the Heavenly Emperor's Divine Palace is! There really is a clue. The Heavenly Emperor left this projection precisely to tell us the location of his Divine Palace!"
"Where is the Heavenly Emperor's Divine Palace?" Ning Xiaochuan asked.
The Heavenly Emperor's Blade was practically trembling with excitement. "The Heavenly Emperor divided the land of the Yulan Empire into nine palaces, treating it as a grand nine-palace formation. The Heavenly Emperor's Divine Palace lies at the 'Central Palace,' where it gathers the energy of the nine palaces and the fortune of all directions. As long as we can locate the Central Palace, we can find the Heavenly Emperor's Divine Palace. Hahaha!"
Ning Xiaochuan knew that the "nine palaces" did not refer to nine physical palaces but rather to an enormous formation diagram.
The formation laid out by the Heavenly Emperor was vast beyond measure, encompassing the entire expanse of land where the Yulan Empire now stood.
To other Martial Artists, this was an immense world—one they might never fully traverse in their lifetime. But to the Heavenly Emperor, it was merely a grand map.
Though they now had a clue to finding the Heavenly Emperor's Divine Palace, they still needed to carefully deduce the exact location of the "Central Palace."
After all, over ten thousand years had passed. The terrain would have undergone drastic changes, and the positions of mountains and rivers might no longer match what they once were.
Most importantly, ten thousand years ago, the Yulan Empire had not yet been established. The land the Heavenly Emperor saw as the nine palaces likely extended far beyond the empire's current borders, possibly even including regions outside of it.
Ning Xiaochuan walked to the base of the waterfall and approached the green stone platform.
Before he could even reach its edge, he felt the sacred aura emanating from the platform, instilling an indescribable sense of tranquility.
Though it was just a stone, it had once been a place where the Heavenly Emperor cultivated. Long since transcending the mundane, it defied ordinary logic.
"Whoosh!"
Streaks of white light flowed across the surface of the green stone, transforming into mysterious characters that shimmered upon it.
"Mystic Gate... Arts..." Ning Xiaochuan channeled Profound Qi, directing it into his eyes. His vision sharpened dramatically, and a dazzling radiance burst from his pupils.
With his formidable intellect, he sought to decipher the characters on the green stone.
The Heavenly Emperor's Blade had accompanied the Heavenly Emperor for a long time, yet it had never heard him mention the "Mystic Gate Arts." Burning with curiosity, it murmured after a moment, "This must be something the Heavenly Emperor left for me. I must treasure it carefully."
Ning Xiaochuan shot it a disdainful glance and said, "You’ve already been abandoned by the Heavenly Emperor. How could he have left this stone book for you? I think this must be the 'Mystic Gate Artifact Codex' Yue Mingsong mentioned. Let me take it and study it slowly."
"Wait! This stone book was definitely left for me by the Heavenly Emperor. Actually, there’s a secret I’ve never told you—'Heavenly Emperor’s Blade' is just a name others gave me. My real name is 'Mystic Gate Arts,'" the Heavenly Emperor’s Blade declared with conviction.
Ning Xiaochuan asked, "Really?"
"Ugh, why would I lie to you? The title 'Heavenly Emperor' was also bestowed upon him by others. Naturally, his blade was named 'Heavenly Emperor’s Blade.' Do you really think the Heavenly Emperor would give his own weapon such a ridiculous name? My true name has always been 'Mystic Gate Arts.' After all these years, I’ve finally remembered it. Hey! I told you, that stone book was left for me by the Heavenly Emperor… Brat, if you dare touch it again, I swear I’ll cripple you!"
Ning Xiaochuan naturally didn’t believe the Heavenly Emperor’s Blade. Trusting it would make him a fool.
"Then try crippling one of my fingers?"
Not wanting to listen to its nonsense, Ning Xiaochuan retrieved the Green Stone Platform.
The Green Stone Platform flew over, transforming into a palm-sized piece of Green Jade, crystal-clear and radiant with treasure light. A white ancient script flickered across its surface, arranging itself into passages of text.
This was the Stone Book.
Texts recorded on stone books were usually from extremely ancient times.
Ning Xiaochuan decided not to leave Hanging Mountain, choosing instead to cultivate there.
This was where the Heavenly Emperor once cultivated—the most suitable sacred ground for training within White Cloud Cave Heaven. Practicing here was even better than cultivating in Heavenly Li Palace.
Holding the Green Jade in his hands, Ning Xiaochuan studied it carefully, trying to understand what kind of treasure the 'Mystic Gate Arts' truly was.
It took Ning Xiaochuan a full three months just to read through the contents of the Stone Book. And that was merely reading—he was far from comprehending it.
Bear in mind, Ning Xiaochuan possessed an eidetic memory and could read ten lines at a glance. Even so, it took him three months, which showed just how vast and extensive the knowledge recorded in the Stone Book was.
From what he could grasp, Ning Xiaochuan roughly understood what kind of treasure the 'Mystic Gate Arts' was.
'Mystic Gate Arts' (Qimen Dunjia) was one of the three supreme secret arts of the Daoist tradition.
'Qi' referred to the Three Wonders: Yi, Bing, and Ding.
'Men' referred to the Eight Gates: Rest, Life, Injury, Obstruction, Scenery, Death, Shock, and Opening.
'Dun' meant concealment.
'Jia' referred to the Six Celestial Seals: Jiazi, the Unyielding Tide; Jiaxu, the Veil of Shadows; Jiashen, the Severing Blade; Jiawu, the Blazing Sun; Jiachen, the Hidden Dragon; and Jiayin, the Howling Storm.
'Qimen' could predict the past, present, and future, seizing the workings of heaven and earth.
'Dunjia' could extend into the Six Rites, Three Wonders, Eight Gates, and Nine Palaces.
Mastering 'Mystic Gate Arts' meant gaining control over all things between heaven and earth.
Whether it was forging artifacts, refining pills, martial cultivation, setting up formations, divining the past, or calculating the future—nothing escaped the scope of 'Mystic Gate Arts.'
After filtering through the contents of the Stone Book, Ning Xiaochuan was deeply shocked. "The 'Mystic Gate Artifact Codex' mentioned by Yue Mingsong is likely just one part of the 'Mystic Gate Arts.' The 'Mystic Gate Arts' is far more than just a method for forging artifacts—it offers immense benefits to Heart Nurturers as well. If I can integrate the knowledge from 'Mystic Gate Arts' into pill refinement, the pills I produce will undoubtedly reach a higher level. They might even surpass those crafted by Great Heart Nurturers."
Upon obtaining the 'Mystic Gate Arts,' Ning Xiaochuan resisted greed. He had no intention of delving into artifact forging, divination, or fortune-telling, focusing solely on the aspects that could aid his alchemy.
He knew that if he grew greedy and tried to master everything, even a hundred years might not be enough to truly excel in any single discipline. In his view, achieving mastery in both the Martial Path and the art of pill refinement was already an extraordinary feat.
Ning Xiaochuan decided to first study the Formation Techniques within the 'Mystic Gate Arts,' believing that inscribing formations into pills would bring about a qualitative transformation in their medicinal properties.
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