Chapter 2876: Uncle Master
"Xumi Saint Monk's virtue spread far and wide, and Master Fangcun, having received his teachings, was also a great sage of that era. Although the cultivators of the Goddess Twelve Pavilions believe he would not lie, Yulongxian was the master of Xinghuantian, who fell in Yuchen Temple, yet her corpse is nowhere to be seen. How could they not enter to investigate?"
"After White Queen became the new master of the Goddess Twelve Pavilions, she entered this place many times. She discovered that during the day, the red-yellow Gobi space contracts, making it relatively easy to reach the temple's exterior."
"However, the temple's main gate is arranged with profound spatial formations, one after another, making it very difficult to break in."
Zhang Ruochen walked to the stone pillar on the right side of the gate and said, "The Nine Yin Escape Formations? I'm afraid this formation cannot stop a powerhouse of White Queen's level, right?"
Although he did not know exactly what realm White Queen was in, being able to become the master of the Goddess Twelve Pavilions and rule over all of Xinghuantian meant her cultivation must be extremely profound.
A strange voice entered Zhang Ruochen's ears: "With me here, she cannot break in."
"Who?" Zhang Ruochen shouted sternly.
Bai Qinger also sensed something, but did not hear the voice just now.
In an instant, Zhang Ruochen's body radiated starlight divine radiance, and the sound of the Great Dao's Qiankun echoed from within him. Rings of light waves spread outward in all directions.
In Bai Qinger's eyes, at this moment, Zhang Ruochen had merged with heaven and earth. The space around him expanded and contracted with each breath.
The entire heaven and earth was like his lungs.
He had already reached a mysterious and unparalleled state!
Suddenly, Zhang Ruochen spread his five fingers and raised them above his head.
The ground before the two of them sank, forming a five-finger-shaped pit hundreds of meters long.
The five-finger pit sank deep into the earth and expanded outward.
"Uncle Master, Uncle Master, stop quickly!"
A three-foot-tall doll shot out from underground with a whoosh.
Its body was covered in sharp thorns, and on its head was a small braid made of a green vine, making it look very much like a human-shaped durian.
As this doll rushed out, the thorns entwined around the tombstones nearby seemed to come alive, slowly dragging along.
A spiritual power light screen appeared before Zhang Ruochen, blocking the thorny doll that was about to charge over. "Why do you call me Uncle Master?"
The thorny doll quickly stopped and clasped its hands together, saying, "Uncle Master was able to control the Star Gate Fukuun Grand Formation in such a short time, so you must be of the same lineage. Moreover, Uncle Master's body contains the pure aura of the Grandmaster, so you must be his disciple."
"Ah Ji pays respects to Uncle Master!"
Zhang Ruochen's spiritual power was now extremely powerful, and he had already seen through the thorny doll completely. "You are a disciple of Master Fangcun, right?"
"Half a disciple, half a disciple. I was only registered under Master's name," Ah Ji said with a chuckle.
The creature named Ah Ji was a ferocious plant that had become a god. It was the main vine of the thorny creepers here and also the formation spirit of the Nine Yin Escape Formations.
Ah Ji said, "I was ordered by Master to guard this place for a hundred thousand years. Once my merit is complete, I can become a formal disciple."
"So, was it your help that allowed me to control the Nine Yin Escape Formations?" Zhang Ruochen asked.
Ah Ji smiled and said, "Helping Uncle Master deal with enemies is Ah Ji's duty."
At that time, Zhang Ruochen had found it strange. Although he had studied the Nine Yin Escape Formations, controlling a single Star Gate Fukuun Grand Formation in such a short time was already very difficult. How could he possibly control nine formations that were a hundred times more complex?
With the formation spirit's help, it naturally became easy.
Ah Ji looked at him expectantly and asked, "Uncle Master, is the Master well? Has he forgotten Ah Ji in Xinghuantian? Now that the hundred-thousand-year term is up, can I formally become his disciple?"
Bai Qinger said, "A hundred thousand years ago, after Master Fangcun left Xinghuantian, he encountered the Shura clan's Green Deer Divine King, was chased all the way, and fled into Haishi Xingwu. His whereabouts are still unknown."
Zhang Ruochen had also heard of this matter.
After Yunshen Daozhu escaped from the Destiny Temple, he had Qiangu Nüdi go to Haishi Xingwu to find Master Fangcun. A thousand years had passed, and it was unknown if there had been any results.
Ah Ji's eyes burst into flames, and he roared, "If the Master hadn't been severely injured by that old corpse demon underground, he wouldn't have been no match for Green Deer Divine King. Uncle Master, let's attack the Green Deer Divine Temple together and avenge the Master!"
"Well, that needs to be carefully considered."
Zhang Ruochen had just experienced the great ups and downs of life, dying and being reborn, and was not ready to court death again immediately.
Green Deer Divine King was the most brilliant and talented hero of the Shura clan in the last ten epochs. In just four epochs, he had developed the Green Deer Divine Temple he founded into the second-ranked divine temple of the Shura clan, surpassing those temples that had been passed down for millions of years.
Even a God Venerable-level existence would have to think twice before attacking the Green Deer Divine Temple.
Not everyone could act as recklessly as Xue Jue War God.
Ah Ji suddenly deflated and said, "Yes, Green Deer Divine King's cultivation is formidable, and we cannot contend with him. If only the Grandmaster were still alive, he could crush him with a single raise of his hand."
Ah Ji had been stationed in Yuchen Temple for a hundred thousand years, but many cultivators had come to investigate and seek treasures. How could he not know of Xumi Saint Monk's passing?
Zhang Ruochen asked, "Why did Senior Brother order you to guard this place for a hundred thousand years?"
"Because the Nine Yin Escape Formations and the Nine Yang Suppression Formations can only last for one epoch. Hasn't Uncle Master sensed that the power of the Nine Yin Escape Formations has greatly weakened?"
Ah Ji said proudly, continuing, "During the period when the Nine Yin Escape Formations were at their most powerful, under my control, even White Queen could not break the formation and enter Yuchen Temple."
"I mean, why guard this place?" Zhang Ruochen emphasized again.
Ah Ji suddenly realized and lowered his voice, saying, "It's all because of that old corpse demon underground!"
Bai Qinger's heart stirred slightly, but she did not speak.
"What old corpse demon? The rotting divine hand from earlier?" Zhang Ruochen asked.
Ah Ji nodded vigorously, saying, "A hundred thousand years ago, in his later years, Yulongxian's lifespan was running out. He invited the Master to Xinghuantian, intending to break into Yuchen Temple to find a treasure that could extend his life. But when they arrived here, the Master discovered that there was a great danger here."
"It turned out that a large number of divine corpses were buried here, driven by a mysterious force underground. At specific times, they would come back to life."
"Only then did Yulongxian reveal the truth to the Master. He had invited him to Xinghuantian not only to find the life-extending treasure but also to perform rites to liberate these divine corpses."
"Because Yulongxian had discovered that the divine corpses in Yuchen Temple were becoming increasingly active and could no longer be suppressed. If they were allowed to escape, the entire Xinghuantian would surely be plunged into misery, turning into a realm of corpse ghosts and darkness."
"So, even if he could not find that life-extending treasure, he had to cleanse Yuchen Temple before his death to eliminate this hidden danger for Xinghuantian. Unfortunately, there was a powerful and mysterious force underground that made it impossible to liberate the divine corpses."
Zhang Ruochen glanced at Bai Qinger.
Bai Qinger shook her head gently and said, "I did not know these secrets. If I had known that Yuchen Temple was so dangerous, I would never have led you here."
"What I knew was only two things."
"First, there is indeed a legendary life-extending treasure in Yuchen Temple. If found, it would be of immense benefit to you, whose lifespan is nearly exhausted and cultivation is completely ruined."
"Second, the formations laid here were done by Master Fangcun."
"You are both heirs of Xumi Saint Monk. In my view, with your understanding of space, you might be able to break the formations here and enter Yuchen Temple. As for the danger, with your spiritual power at the seventy-fourth level, combined with my strength, I thought we could handle it together."
Zhang Ruochen certainly did not suspect that Bai Qinger was using him.
If she were using him, she would not have come herself and risked her life. It could only be said that the danger here truly exceeded her expectations.
Ah Ji said, "The old corpse demon underground was discovered later by the Master and Yulongxian. It was the most dangerous of all dangers."
"Fortunately, it had just awakened at that time. The Master and Yulongxian used the Nine Yang Suppression Formations and nine divine chains, paying a great price, to suppress it and lock it underground."
"The Nine Yang Suppression Formations suppress the old corpse demon deep underground, while the Nine Yin Escape Formations suppress the mutated divine corpses on the surface."
"Unfortunately, after a hundred thousand years, the power of both formations has weakened significantly, and they can no longer suppress the old corpse demon. However, my mission is complete, and I can leave to find the Master. Even if the divine corpses here riot and the old corpse demon breaks free, it will only be Xinghuantian's calamity, not mine."
"No, you must continue to suppress here for a while longer until I come up with a proper solution before you can leave," Bai Qinger said.
Ah Ji spread his hands and said, "Why should I? You're not my Master, so why should I listen to you?"
"If the Master is not here, the Uncle Master is!" Bai Qinger said.
Ah Ji looked at Zhang Ruochen and said, "Uncle Master, who is she? I, Ah Ji, am the grand-disciple of Xumi Saint Monk and the disciple of Master Fangcun. My status is extremely noble."
Zhang Ruochen pondered for a moment and said, "Buddhist cultivators should be compassionate and care for all beings. Ah Ji, if your Master were here, he would surely hope that you could persist for a while longer."
Zhang Ruochen walked over to Ah Ji, crouched down, and wanted to pat his shoulder.
But seeing all the thorns, he slowly withdrew his hand and said, "You have to listen to your Uncle Master, right?"
"But Uncle Master, the formation inscriptions of the Nine Yin Escape Formations and the Nine Yang Suppression Formations have become very faint and can no longer suppress them. If Ah Ji doesn't escape now, he might be devoured alive by those divine corpses," Ah Ji said with a bitter face.
"Let me try. Perhaps I can reinforce the formations," Zhang Ruochen said.
Bai Qinger finally asked the question on her mind, "Has your martial cultivation recovered?"
Zhang Ruochen opened his right palm, and a ball of gentle life qi condensed in it. In his left palm, a ball of gray death qi appeared.
Both the life qi and death qi had reached the divine qi level.
But the two completely different types of divine qi quickly dissipated, merging into a circle that surrounded Zhang Ruochen.
The circle was very unstable, appearing and disappearing, and was completely untouchable.
There was not a trace of divine qi or rules inside Zhang Ruochen's body.
"Still far from it."
Zhang Ruochen sighed softly, not knowing what kind of cultivation path he had embarked on. But he quickly regained his spirit and said, "Carving spatial formation inscriptions only requires spiritual power!"
"Boom!"
Suddenly, from tens of thousands of miles away, a powerful battle fluctuation came.
Zhang Ruochen sensed a familiar aura, his expression changed slightly, and he said, "Didn't you say no one could cross the red-yellow Gobi at night to reach the temple?"
"Then it can only mean they entered the red-yellow Gobi before nightfall. Using Origin Esoterica to mobilize the origin rules of heaven and earth creates too much commotion!" Bai Qinger said.