Chapter 299: Heavenly Craft Cave Abode

Even with Wang Ping's unshakeable Dao heart after comprehending his true self, his mind still wavered the moment he connected every clue and grasped the truth.

'They're all accomplices... not a single one of them is clean!'

Fuck me! In this massive Immortal Gate, three True Persons were catering to him, a lowly cultivator strictly only at the Tribulation Transcending Second Layer. Was there still any justice? Were there still any laws?

These Biyang's... animals!

But soon, he rallied himself. Gritting his teeth, he focused on the most important of the numerous clues—that Mysterious Wood Qi Daoist Master.

'Daoist Master Hanguang Danyang provided the profundity, Xianfu used the Great Shun national destiny to provide cover, and Tianqu spoke with me. The three parties joined hands to forge an identity for him.'

There was definitely a problem here!

From this, it was evident that this Mysterious Wood Qi Daoist Master's identity was of vital importance. He was highly likely the crucial piece—the divine move to unravel every mystery and reverse the situation.

'Who could it be?'

'He cultivates the Xun Trigram. Could it be an alias of Daoist Master Xuanxiao Yingyuan behind Xianfu? Or perhaps another True Person from the Immortal Prescription Courtyard?'

Wang Ping could not figure it out.

Spirit-Invoked Mingyou could not figure it out either, but this was to be expected. The clues stopped here. To deduce the other party's identity, he had to obtain new ones.

'I have to see him!'

The Mysterious Wood Qi Daoist Master. Only by seeing him in person and speaking with him face-to-face could Wang Ping possibly grasp the clues needed to see through his true identity.

'It's best to do it while Spirit-Invoked Mingyou is still around.'

After all, compared to Mingyou, a ten-thousand-year Qi Refining practitioner, his own cultivation base as a lowly cultivator was simply too low. He fundamentally lacked the ability to peel back the layers and uncover the hidden truth.

But by the same token, probably no one could have imagined that he would borrow Mingyou's wisdom to actually dig out these truths from the True Persons' layouts—truths that perhaps would only have come to light once the victor was already decided... If this grand game had previously meant certain death for him, with no chance of survival...

Then now, a sliver of life had appeared!

Thinking of this, Wang Ping immediately made Spirit-Invoked Mingyou pause his thinking inside the scripture scroll. This would effectively extend Spirit-Invoked Mingyou's remaining time.

Good master, please don't dissipate so quickly.

Do not underestimate the bond between us!

Hold on!

As Wang Ping cheered Spirit-Invoked Mingyou on, he abruptly turned to look at the Heaven-Stealing Thief. "Time is of the essence. Let's skip the nonsense."

"The Heavenly Craft Cave Abode. I want to enter it right now."

As his words fell, Wang Ping's gaze turned cold. He stared straight at the Heaven-Stealing Thief, his tone calm. "Just give me a straight answer. Do you agree or not?"

Seeing this, the Heaven-Stealing Thief's tone shifted slightly:

"Good disciple, the Heavenly Craft Cave Abode is a legacy of the Great Rebellion, after all. Opportunities are everywhere inside. Even if you want to enter, you should at least offer some bargaining chips."

"I already have," Wang Ping replied calmly. "As long as you help me enter the Heavenly Craft Mansion, I will spare Kunlun's life."

"...That does not count as a chip."

"Is that so?"

Wang Ping raised the Battle-Victorious Demon-Quelling Blade. The sharp blade intent made his whole person appear increasingly razor-sharp and indomitable. "Then let's see. Who here can stop me?"

Mingyou and Tianxing were Qi Refining practitioners; they could not enter the Eight Trigrams Furnace.

Only the Heaven-Stealing Thief could make a move. However, his situation was similar to the First Seat's. The moment he acted, there was no telling how many people would be waiting to pounce on him.

For a time, heaven and earth fell dead silent.

It was not until a moment later that Tianxing spoke faintly. "Little friend, although you are deeply trapped in the True Persons' game, you are not entirely devoid of life. You still have a path of survival you can walk."

"Do not go Seeking One's Own Path to Death."

Wang Ping understood Tianxing's meaning. The tolerance Tianxing, Mingyou, and even the Heaven-Stealing Thief showed him right now was not fundamentally because they feared his strength.

After all, he had merely gained the recognition of the Ever-Suppressing Six Harmonies Cauldron. Comprehensively speaking, he was nothing more than a Tribulation Transcending Third Layer true transmission disciple holding a Spiritual Treasure. That was far from enough to make them wary. The only reason they did not strike was that, within the True Persons' layout, he was a crucial chess piece in their gamble.

However, this grand game would eventually end.

Once the True Persons completely squeezed dry his value as human livestock and left satisfied, the party would be over. There was no way he would still have his current death-exemption medallion.

If he used his identity as a True Person's chess piece to push his luck now, he would face multiplied retaliation once he lost that identity.

Leave some leeway in your actions so you can face them in the future.

This was Tianxing's meaning, and it was also Mingyou's attitude—yet facing these unspoken implications, Wang Ping turned a deaf ear, remaining as resolute as ever:

"Everyone, there is no need to say anymore."

Wang Ping's tone was calm and indifferent, but it carried a chilling intent that made one shudder. "What I want is not a path of survival, and certainly not the so-called Dao path of a Corpse Dissolution Immortal."

From beginning to end, his determination remained pure:

That was to overthrow the locked-down Divine Powers, cultivate the grand avenue, and be bound by nothing ever again.

Fail?

He would rather die!

As the saying went, after my death, who cares if the floods reach the heavens? On the day the True Persons' game ended, he would either break free from all shackles or die, his Dao erased.

There would be no second outcome.

Therefore, right now, anyone who stopped him from finding a way to break the game was his enemy on the Great Dao.

They would fight to the death!

Looking at Wang Ping, the Heaven-Stealing Thief seemed to see his determination as well. After a long while, he spoke faintly. "Good disciple, then we will do as you say."

As soon as this was said, Mingyou immediately shot the Heaven-Stealing Thief an odd look. 'You were also this little beast's master?' For some reason, watching the Heaven-Stealing Thief be threatened by Wang Ping and forced to compromise just like him gave rise to a twisted sense of pleasure in his heart...

Immediately after, the Heaven-Stealing Thief waved his hand.

Instantly, a Wooden Token tied with a red string flew from his hand. Wang Ping caught it. It was exactly the Shamanic Disciple Token he had seen before.

Wang Ping's gaze shifted, instantly landing on a courtyard within the pass city.

An ordinary quadrangular courtyard suddenly transformed into a gloomy, eerie temple as he held the Wooden Token. The heavy doors within the temple opened wide, revealing a shrine.

"Tie the red string around your neck."

The Heaven-Stealing Thief said in a deep voice, "The current Heavenly Craft Cave Abode is under the protection of the household immortal. To enter, you must pass through this great evil phantom."

"What the household immortal protects is the peace and safety of this cave abode. You can only enter by becoming a shamanic disciple; otherwise, you will be treated as an intruder."

This was a lie.

On the other side, Mingyou sneered internally when he heard this. 'To become a shamanic disciple of the household immortal, you have to complete the tasks given by the household immortal.'

'Only by completing the tasks can you enter the household immortal's territory.'

'Gan Wujiu is fooling this little beast who doesn't understand the variables here, trying to delay time... The best method is actually to force your way in.'

As a great evil phantom, the household immortal was not weak, but it was ultimately an entity barely surviving inside the Eight Trigrams Furnace. Its profound power was limited to the Tribulation Transcending Third Layer. The only reason it could seal off the Heavenly Craft Mansion was that anyone at Qi Refining or above could not enter. With Wang Ping's current strength, he could absolutely force his way in.

'Furthermore, by becoming a shamanic disciple, one becomes subject to the household immortal.'

'Once controlled, even with heaven-defying cultivation, it is very difficult to escape its grasp. The true transmission disciple who once died inside ignored exactly this point.'

Thinking of this, Mingyou immediately put on an expression of someone watching a good show.

At the same time, Wang Ping gripped the Wooden Token and fell into brief thought. Immediately after, Spirit-Invoked Mingyou possessed him, and he quickly got his answer.

"...There's no need."

Wang Ping put away the Wooden Token, not tying it around his neck. He smiled and said, "As long as I can see the household immortal, that is enough. For the rest, I will force my way in."

'Hm?!'

As soon as these words came out, the Heaven-Stealing Thief was stunned and subconsciously looked at Mingyou. Mingyou, however, was equally stunned, looking at Wang Ping in surprise.

Wait, you were this smart?

You had to have cheated!

Could someone be secretly guiding him...? Thinking of this, Mingyou immediately looked at Tianxing. 'We are the only two Qi Refining practitioners on the field right now. I suspect it's you.'

'After all, if it wasn't you, could it have been me?'

Then, he noticed that the Heaven-Stealing Thief and Tianxing were also looking at him. For a moment, the three stared at each other in dismay, exchanging glances brimming with suspicion.

Wang Ping, however, ignored them.

After getting the Token, he summoned his escape light and swiftly landed in front of the Heavenly Craft Cave Abode. Without another word, he strode toward the gloomy temple.

"Boom!"

In an instant, Wang Ping felt a powerful repelling force crash down on his body, but he paid it no mind, forcing his way forward against the repulsion.

Under the supreme physique forged by Clasping Mountains and Leaping Seas, the gloomy temple gradually distorted, seemingly trying to vanish right from under his nose.

However, Wang Ping held the Shamanic Disciple Token in his hand.

Under some profound connection, wherever Wang Ping's gaze fell, the gloomy temple simply could not escape. It could only suffer him lifting his foot, pressing deeper, and stepping straight over the threshold.

"Bang!"

The next second, Wang Ping's vision blurred slightly. What entered his sight was a temple ancestral hall, with an ancient shrine sitting squarely in the middle.

The entire ancestral hall had four main doors facing north, south, east, and west, all wide open. Wang Ping looked back and saw that the world outside the door was already enveloped in a dark, gloomy light. He had entered through the east door. This forced entry clearly violated the household immortal's rules, to the point that a sinister wind whipped up inside the ancestral hall.

"Whoosh..."

These sinister winds were enough to melt flesh and bone and incinerate mana and Divine Powers, but they were completely useless when they hit Wang Ping. They could not shake his Heaven-Bearing Immortal Physique in the slightest.

Right at that moment.

"Tap, tap, tap..."

Suddenly, footsteps echoed inside the ancestral hall. Wang Ping shifted his gaze, landing squarely on the hall's west door. To his surprise, a person actually walked in from there.

It was a Youth wearing a Daoist robe. His face was thin, carrying a deathly pale, blue-white tint. As he stepped into the ancestral hall, he also noticed Wang Ping's presence.

...

Having just resolved an evil phantom, Wang Kan rushed back to the household immortal's ancestral hall, covered in dust, only to see a handsome man inside.

"...A new shamanic disciple?"

Seeing the other man look at him, apparently not yet realizing what he had stumbled into, Wang Kan's lips immediately curled into a mocking smile.

"Another pitiful soul."

Although he felt this kind of tender greenhorn would die a sudden death in at most three tasks, out of duty, Wang Kan still took the initiative to walk toward him.

"New guy, which province are you from?"

Wang Kan took out a pen and paper as he asked, "As a subject of the Great Sui Dynasty, you need to provide me with your specific identity and address."

After saying this, Wang Kan pulled out a Token from his chest.

"You recognize this, right?"

"That's right, I am a Feather Scholar of the Sisui Bureau. Hurry up and speak."

Great Sui Dynasty? Sisui Bureau?

As the voice fell, looking at this Mortal before him—who, despite possessing some strange profundity, had absolutely no cultivation base on him—Wang Ping couldn't help but narrow his eyes.