Chapter 587: Seeking Mysteries at the Well’s Bottom

Under pretenses, Yi Zuqian uttered his farewell, promising to find Daoist Friend Chen once things settled down, to repay the debt of today’s life-saving favor.

Thereupon, he hastily departed.

As he left, he didn’t even glance back once.

Chen Changsheng watched him leave. Truthfully, figures like him were indeed rare in the Cultivation World.

It wasn’t that Chen Changsheng was particularly gullible. Rather, many things could be inferred from subtle details and actions, let alone the fact that Yi Zuqian couldn’t conceal any thoughts in front of him.

He could see right through him with a single glance.

The Black Pagoda in his palm jiggled and said, “You’re a terribly good person. Passing up such a fine chance to get something out of him.”

Chen Changsheng asked, “Is there anything I lack?”

“Heavenly treasures, magical artifacts, merit, fate, fortune—is none of that useful?”

“But I don’t need these things.”

The Black Pagoda sighed internally, thinking this Chen fellow truly was strange, not at all how a mature cultivator should be.

Chen Changsheng stepped forward, arriving once again before that door.

He reached out and pressed “Thirty-Three Births” in sequence. Then the stone gate opened, and Chen Changsheng walked inside.

Within sight were still the Thirty-Three Heavens. Further inside lay that paradise-like ‘Southern Garden’.

Chen Changsheng gazed around. Nothing here had changed at all; it was exactly as it had been, without even a speck of dust stirred.

Yet when the gate opened, it felt like an old, sealed compartment was being reopened.

Chen Changsheng’s gaze fell upon the well in the courtyard.

He walked straight towards it, then lowered his head to look down the well.

The Black Pagoda was in his hand, saying, “What’s so interesting about this well?”

Chen Changsheng replied, “Someone told me this well connects to the Demon Realm.”

“Huh?”

The Black Pagoda was stunned. “How can a well like this have any connection to the Demon Realm?”

It looked down too and said, “Is my eyesight failing or are you mistaken? How could a place without a trace of devilish energy or Yin energy be linked to the Demon Realm?”

Chen Changsheng stared into the deep, old well and said, “It’s just not apparent yet.”

The Black Pagoda thought Chen Changsheng was joking. A place like the Demon Realm—how could it have anything to do with here?

The Black Pagoda said, “In my opinion, the Demon Realm probably no longer exists.”

Chen Changsheng pondered this and said, “That is certainly possible.”

The Black Pagoda asked, “Why exactly are you searching for this Demon Realm? What? Planning to fall into demonic cultivation?”

“Do you think that possible?”

“True enough,” the Black Pagoda conceded. “If someone like you could cultivate demon magic, that would be truly bizarre.”

The Black Pagoda always perceived Chen Changsheng as one indifferent to worldly affairs, fond of peace, without major grudges or enmities. Such a person was incapable of demonic cultivation.

Chen Changsheng stood by the well for a long time, yet ultimately discerned nothing.

He thought for a moment, then resolved to enter the well for a look.

“Going down to check.”

Chen Changsheng leaped down lightly, taking the Black Pagoda with him into the well.

The well wasn’t deep. They landed at the bottom in the blink of an eye.

It was a dry well.

Light falling from the well mouth lit the area dimly.

Looking around, the well bottom was covered in moss. Sparse weeds sprouted encircling the small area lit by the opening, leaving seemingly nowhere to stand.

He glanced left and right, then raised his palm, conjuring a string of flames.

He looked towards the walls of the well.

He saw many carved pictures on the well walls.

One after another, they depicted what seemed like a sequence of events.

The Black Pagoda was startled upon seeing the carvings. “Good heavens, there’s actually something hidden here.”

Chen Changsheng looked at the first mural.

It showed a humanoid figure with countless threads extending from it. The other ends of the threads connected to countless indistinct figures—faceless beings including demons, ghosts, immortals, and devils…

‘Could this be depicting the Demon Sovereign’s multiple avatars?’

This referred to what Jian Shenghua had once told him: the Demon Sovereign split himself into hundreds of avatars, each entering into their own “Dao”.

“What does this painting represent?” The Black Pagoda couldn’t understand it.

Chen Changsheng ignored him and looked at the next painting.

Human, demon, spirit, creature, immortal, Buddha, devil, ghost, god—nine figures. Some looked ordinary, others wore monk’s robes; some resembled woodland spirits, others held immortal swords; there were wraiths, orthodox gods, and more…

“Is this illustrating splitting into various Daos?”

Chen Changsheng frowned. He couldn’t grasp what the Demon Sovereign intended with this.

With things so chaotically muddled, even with supreme power, combining these avatars back into one entity later seemed nearly impossible. Even if he didn’t die, he’d surely go mad, no longer knowing who he was.

He continued to the next picture.

This one, however, showed multiple stories of pavilions.

Within each layer of these pavilions resided one of the figures embodying different Daos from the previous painting. At the very top, one figure sat cross-legged. Its eyes were closed, its features indistinct.

This figure was likely the Demon Sovereign himself.

“Pavilions?”

Chen Changsheng frowned deeply. These layered pavilions were undoubtedly extraordinary—otherwise, they wouldn’t merit their own separate painting. Yet, unable to comprehend it, he kept looking.

The fourth mural pictured a pair of majestic eyes.

These eyes gazed down from the heavens amidst trembling lightning tribulations.

Below them in the picture was a figure clad in black robes, hair disheveled, gripping a sword, confronting the eyes above.

Another painting came after it, but this one was completely blank, as if unfinished.

Perhaps because the Demon Sovereign’s plan had failed.

“This guy wanted to defy Heaven!” The Black Pagoda exclaimed.

Chen Changsheng shook his head. “That was almost certainly impossible.”

The Black Pagoda argued, “That’s hard to say. Nothing in this world remains utterly fixed.”

“But,” it asked, “what did the earlier pictures actually mean?”

Chen Changsheng answered, “Soul-splitting and Dao Union.”

“Oh…”

The Black Pagoda drew out the sound thoughtfully, then queried, “And what does that mean?”

Chen Changsheng offered no explanation and continued exploring the bottom of the well.

He sought any signs of a formation array.

If this well truly connected to the Demon Realm, it must be underpinned by some formation.

While records of such spatial formations were scarce, they would inevitably leave traces behind.

If he could enter the Demon Realm directly through the formation, all problems would be solved.

The stone walls inside the well revealed no further traces.

Chen Changsheng turned his attention to his feet.

He raised his hand, a wisp of Sword Qi gathering at his fingertip, then flicked it out. Where the Sword Qi passed, all weeds at the well bottom were severed. A gentle breeze followed, blowing the debris up and out of the well.

He looked down.

The base beneath his feet was unexpectedly even, paved with bluestone slabs.

Carved upon these slabs were numerous obscure, complex inscriptions. Seeing them arranged together made Chen Changsheng frown involuntarily.

“Huh?”

The Black Pagoda remarked, “These inscriptions… they don’t look like formation array runes. They seem more like the runes on talismans.”