Chapter 389 - 63: Entering the Grotto-heaven

The Celestial Bell chimes.

The Immortal Group arrives.

Myriad cultivators ascend, dividing the treasures.

This was the most widespread legend about the Jade Void Sect from the Ancient Era, a tale even Loose Cultivators had heard.

The grotto heaven that housed the Celestial Bell was none other than the Jade Void Cave Heaven, the very heart of the Jade Void Sect and a place of supreme importance.

Even though the Jade Void Sect was now in ruins, this Grotto Heaven was sure to hold countless treasures.

Divine Skills and Secret Techniques, Spiritual Elixirs and Medicines, Rare Treasures...

Obtaining just one of these would bring endless benefits.

Hong Kan pursed his lips, a divine light gleaming in his eyes.

People...

are selfish creatures.

He was no exception.

His first reaction upon finding such a prize wasn’t to report it to his Sect, but to figure out how to score big for himself first.

For a moment, his thoughts raced as greed filled his heart.

’News of the celestial phenomenon here might have spread, but it will still take some time for the true masters to arrive.’

Giant Spirit Mu Guichen spoke in a low, muffled voice:

"If we enter the Grotto Heaven before they get here, we can surely reap plenty of benefits!"

"That’s true enough," Ma Yu, whose form was a blurry silhouette, said slowly.

"But how do we get in?"

The celestial phenomenon had appeared over a month ago, and many had come, yet no one had found a way to enter.

’Or maybe someone has.’

’And they’re just not talking.’

"Brother Hong," said Miao Yang.

"You’re a Golden Core from the Profound Clarity Sect—vastly experienced and knowledgeable. You even possess the Dharma Eye. Do you know a way in?"

"The Celestial Bell is the passage." Hong Kan didn’t hold back. He knew he was powerless on his own, and he was certain he wasn’t the only one who knew the method to open it. He immediately asked:

"The last time it appeared, how did the Celestial Bell chime?"

The others exchanged glances.

No one knew.

"Over a month ago, the Celestial Bell suddenly materialized. Beyond that, there’s been nothing," Ma Yu said, shaking his head.

"My Cave Mansion isn’t far from here. I can attest that there were absolutely no other living beings in the vicinity at the time."

"Unless..."

"Someone whose power far surpasses my own was hiding in the shadows."

"The texts of the Profound Clarity Sect contain a record: ’When the Celestial Bell chimes nine times, the Celestial Gate will open on its own,’" Hong Kan said after a moment of thought.

"If that’s true, then as long as we make it chime nine times in a row, we should be able to open the entrance to the Grotto Heaven."

"The Jade Void Sect was the supreme authority of the Immortal Dao, a place where all Immortals paid homage. Their Grotto Heaven Blessed Lands disdained the use of Arrays. In the Ancient Era, no Cultivator would have dared step foot inside a Jade Void Grotto Heaven Blessed Land without being announced, so the method of entry is also very simple."

This wasn’t pure speculation.

When the ancient Jade Void Sect fell, the Profound Clarity Sect inherited a portion of its legacy, all obtained in a similar fashion.

"Nine chimes?" A glint appeared in Giant Spirit Mu Guichen’s eyes. His body suddenly shot into the air, erupting with a blinding Spiritual Light.

"Hah!"

With a great roar, he threw a vicious punch, and a hole abruptly tore open in the empty space before him.

Eternal Divine Fist!

This was the technique he used to run rampant across the lands, a fist that could strike through the void, killing at a distance by ignoring space itself.

DONG...

The terrifying Fist Force crossed the void and landed on the giant bell. A melodious chime immediately rang out, echoing in all directions.

His Fist Force had actually ignored the obstruction of the void to land upon the Celestial Bell.

And yet.

A Mid-Stage Golden Core Cultivator unleashing a Secret Technique with his full power had only managed to make the massive bell sway slightly.

"ARGH!"

Giant Spirit Mu Guichen roared at the heavens. The Spiritual Light around him contracted as he furiously hammered forward with both fists.

DONG!

DONG...

Four strikes in a row. The massive bell swayed back and forth, the great chimes ringing out without pause.

After the fourth strike, he was drenched in sweat, his limbs aching and weak. He bent over, panting frantically, and shook his head at the others.

"I... I’m done!"

"My turn!"

Miao Yang stepped forward. The bizarre Snake Staff in his hand transformed into a streak of black light that shot toward the massive bell.

It crossed the miles in a flash.

Like a Flood Dragon, the black light lunged for the bell.

The next instant.

Miao Yang’s expression changed.

The black light was clearly only a short distance from the giant bell, and it continued to fly forward, but for some reason, it could never close the final gap.

"Close But Far Away!"

Seeing this, Giant Spirit Mu Guichen shook his head.

"The Jade Void Cave Heaven is right before our eyes, but you need a special method to actually touch it. Otherwise, a few feet might as well be the ends of the earth."

SWOOSH!

Before his voice had even faded, a brilliant light appeared from nowhere, shot past the black light, and slammed directly into the Celestial Bell.

DONG...

The melodious bell chime rang out once more.

"Brother Hong!"

Miao Yang snapped his head to the side.

He saw a deep fissure split open on Hong Kan’s brow, a profound Spiritual Light gathering within it.

The next instant.

SWOOSH!

The Spiritual Light flashed.

The Celestial Bell swayed in response, emitting a resounding chime.

But having activated his Dharma Eye Divine Technique twice in a row, Hong Kan had reached his limit. His face was etched with fatigue.

DONG...

The Celestial Bell chimed again.

This time, it was Ma Yu making a move from a distance.

No one saw what technique he employed; they only saw him extend and bend a finger, and the Celestial Bell trembled in response.

"Everyone!"

After his single strike, Ma Yu tilted his head back and yelled to the heavens:

"Unless you’re a Nascent Soul True Man, you can forget about making the Celestial Bell chime nine times by yourself! We’re at seven chimes now! Just two more will open the Grotto Heaven. Surely none of you want to leave here empty-handed, right?"

"Look closely! Once the reverberations from the chimes fade completely, the first seven strikes will be wiped clean!"

Each time the Celestial Bell sounded, a barely perceptible shimmer of Spiritual Light would appear on its surface, pulsing with the sound. The more times the bell chimed, the brighter the Spiritual Light grew. However, if too much time passed between strikes, the light would dim and eventually disappear.

It was obvious.

The so-called nine chimes of the Celestial Bell had to occur within a specific window of time, or the count would reset.

And Giant Spirit Mu Guichen, the strongest Cultivator present, could only manage four chimes even when giving it his all.

Hong Kan, the Golden Core from the Profound Clarity Sect, had only managed two.

One person alone?

It was absolutely impossible for any one of them to make it chime nine consecutive times!

The field fell silent. Sweat beaded on Miao Yang’s forehead as he watched the Spiritual Light on the bell’s surface slowly dim, completely powerless to stop it.

SWOOSH!

SWISH! SWISH!

...

Just as the Spiritual Light was about to disappear completely...

Within the void, several streaks of light appeared one after another.

Most of the streaks were blocked by the void, unable to draw near. But a bizarre ray of Yin Yang light and a beam of Profound Mystic Spiritual Light struck the Celestial Bell, one after the other.

DONG...

DONG!

As the melodious chimes rang out, the void before them suddenly darkened. A swirling vortex, leading to an unknown destination, appeared.

"Haha..."

"Nine chimes of the Celestial Bell, and the Celestial Gate opens on its own! It’s really true!"

Giant Spirit Mu Guichen threw his head back and roared with laughter. Without a moment’s hesitation to verify its safety, he transformed into a streak of light and plunged into the vortex.

After him.

Several more shafts of Tunneling Light appeared and disappeared into the vortex.

"Brother Hong," Miao Yang said with a frown.

"Is it really the Jade Void Cave Heaven?"

"..." Hong Kan’s expression flickered, then he broke into an easy smile.

"Whether it is or not, we’ll know as soon as we take a look inside."

"Let’s go!"

A flash of Spiritual Light, and they shot straight into the vortex.

*

*

*

「Langya Secret Realm.」

Pei Jingque was like a greedy miser, sitting cross-legged in mid-air, counting the Spiritual Medicines in the vast medicinal garden over and over again.

Her eyes were shining, a constant smile gracing her lips.

’Using Spiritual Medicine for Washing Marrow, increasing one’s Cultivation, and opening Spiritual Acupoints... even someone with mediocre talent could reach Nine Acupoints Perfection by age fifty, as long as we’re willing to invest the resources.’

’If they have above-average talent, they could hope to break through to the Dao Foundation by forty. And if they possess extraordinary Talent...’

’Like Qianning, they would have a seventy to eighty percent chance of establishing a Dao Foundation.’

Pei Jingque murmured aloud:

"This vast field of medicine contains a million spiritual plants. If we harvest and cultivate it in a hundred-year cycle, we could still gather over ten thousand Spirit Grasses and Spirit Fruits annually. For the current Bright Void Sect, that’s more than enough."

"Indeed."

Zhu Ju sat cross-legged beside her.

"We just need one or two more Golden Cores to emerge and establish a Tier Three Grand Array, and the Sect’s lineage will be secure."

"If it weren’t for the Demon Dao, reviving the Sect would be a simple matter!"

Pei Jingque smiled sweetly and turned her head to ask:

"How is Junior Sister Liuu?"

"She is resting during her pregnancy," Zhu Ju said.

"By the time we get out in a few days, it should be about time to welcome the newborn."

"Mm."

Pei Jingque nodded, pursing her lips slightly before asking:

"What’s the deal with Dong Yuelan?"

’This had been weighing on her heart for a long time. She had no memory of Dong Yuelan and Zhu Ju ever having a private relationship.’

’But watching Dong Yuelan...’

’She seemed to be deeply, hopelessly in love.’

"She must have been afflicted by a technique of the Joyful Sect," Zhu Ju said, shaking his head.

"Perhaps she had some favorable feelings for me in the past, but not to this degree. We who seek the Dao should put the Great Dao first. Her abnormal behavior is clearly a sign of an unstable Divine Soul. After we return, we should give her some Elixirs to fortify her Divine Soul and suppress these distracting thoughts."

"Husband..." Pei Jingque sighed.

"We are Cultivators, but not everyone is single-mindedly devoted to the Dao. If they were, there would be no such thing as a Heart Demon."

As she spoke,

she shook her head again and again.

Having been together for so long, she had come to understand Zhu Ju on a much deeper level.

’Romantic love.’

’Zhu Ju didn’t much care for it.’

’And it wasn’t just romantic love!’

’Cultivators are still human. They have their own loves and hatreds, passions and grudges, joys and sorrows. But for Zhu Ju, all of these emotions were extraordinarily muted.’

’The higher a Cultivator’s Cultivation, the more intense and pure their emotions should be.’

’Take herself, for instance.’

’With her Cultivation and power, if she gave up her position as Sect Leader of the Bright Void Sect, her life would certainly be far easier.’

’But she had a deep-seated attachment in her heart that she could not abandon.’

’Zhu Ju was different.’

’Pei Jingque suspected that even if she were to die, this "husband" of hers wouldn’t be particularly heartbroken.’

’That wasn’t to say that Zhu Ju didn’t love her.’

’On the contrary.’

’Zhu Ju treated her very well. He was unwaveringly faithful, even capable of bluntly rejecting Dong Yuelan’s advances.’

’If Pei Jingque were to die, Zhu Ju would undoubtedly put all his strength into avenging her. But it still wouldn’t be the same.’

’There wouldn’t be that sense of desolate sorrow, of heart-wrenching grief.’

"Husband."

Pei Jingque rubbed her temples and sighed.

"You... Someone like you is a true, natural-born prodigy for Cultivation."

"Hm?"

Zhu Ju was taken aback.

"What are you talking about?"

"Nothing." Pei Jingque shook her head. As she was about to stand, she suddenly whipped her head around to look at the giant bell in the distance.

DONG...

A deafening chime exploded through the air.

"What’s happening?"

The two of them froze, then a terrifying suction force erupted from the massive bell, instantly enveloping them.

"Husband!"

Pei Jingque cried out in alarm. Her body spun in mid-air, and she transformed into a Vermilion Bird. Spreading her wings with a piercing shriek, she lunged forward.

But it was no use.

The suction force suddenly intensified, dragging them both into a tunnel.

...

Three figures descended from the sky, landing on a barren mountain.

"Whoa..."

"The Heaven and Earth Primordial Qi is so rich here!"

One of them took a deep breath, his face filled with awe.

"If I had been able to practice Cultivation in a place like this, I would’ve reached Dao Foundation Perfection long ago. I might have even advanced to the Golden Core realm by now."

"Second Brother," another one said.

"This is the Jade Void Cave Heaven. Even back in the Ancient Era, not just anyone could come in here."

"Big Brother," said the last one.

"What should we do now?"

"Let’s have a look around," the Big Brother said with a grin.

"It looks like there are other living people here!"