Poor Taoist Qiu Chuji

Chapter 388 Black Myth: The Mysterious Mountain

Whoosh!
Concealing Taiji within the dust, transforming all paths into Yin and Yang.

The instant Yang Jian pushed Qiu Chuji through the barrier of the world and disappeared from the spot, the entire space, along with those shattered spaces and chaotic energy currents, was all incorporated into a thin Tai Chi diagram, completely sealed away, and then collapsed from a great size to a tiny size.

The instantaneous reversal made the entire outer heaven seem to be instantly drawn into a kind of vacuum in terms of rules.

The stable world was thus subjected to violent shocks.

The yin and yang divide in the mortal realm, under the influence of the aftershocks, has torn open hidden cracks.

The primordial energy of the Yin attribute spreads out from the Yin earth and gradually merges with the Yang world.

The world of Dream of the Red Chamber is about to undergo a major change; the stagnant and decadent mortal realm will experience a fundamental transformation.

Of course, in this change, many people will die or perish, and established forces will be overthrown. However, some people will seize the opportunity and rise to great heights.

These matters are no longer relevant to Qiu Chuji.

Having unleashed such an extraordinary move, Yin Hong had already fled a step ahead of time after launching this attack.

Therefore, the only one sealed within this illusory Taiji diagram transformed into dust patterns is the Flame Five-Light Buddha.

If no being at the Golden Immortal level or above were to rescue him, the Flame Five Lights Buddha would be sealed within this Taiji diagram phantom for countless years, unable to escape. This would allow him to finally settle down and properly cultivate in seclusion.

······
A new world!

Qiu Chuji frowned as he looked at the spot where Yang Jian had suddenly disappeared.

He disappeared without a word, which is not Yang Jian's style.

"Did I go to merge with him?"

"Is there a Yang Jian in this world?"

"A mythical world within a mythical world, and another mythical world within another?" Qiu Chuji did not have Yang Jian's Heavenly Eye, so he could not see through the entire world in an instant and understand all kinds of hidden information. Originally, his primordial spirit had the characteristics of a Great Luo, so he could use his primordial spirit to observe the world, but Yang Jian's sudden disappearance made Qiu Chuji wary.

If this were a complete mythological world, then even if it were underestimated, there would probably be beings at the Golden Immortal level residing in this world.

The Golden Immortal would certainly be able to sense the difference in his primordial spirit. Releasing his primordial spirit to observe the world is undoubtedly extending an 'invitation' to this Golden Immortal.

Looking up from his vantage point, Qiu Chuji spotted a massive, somewhat terrifying, demonic cloud not far to the west.

Without even needing to open their divine eyes, one could see with the naked eye the dark red and black demonic clouds, thick as mountains, covering the sky above a vast expanse of mountains.

After a moment's thought, Qiu Chuji flew toward the place where the demonic clouds were entrenched.

Before long, he arrived beneath the demonic clouds, where crimson mist flowed among the jagged rocks, like thousands of snake tongues licking the exposed spine of the mountains.

Numerous decaying human or animal skeletons have burrowed into the rock crevices, and dark green liquid seeps from the rock walls, stinking like the swim bladder of a fish that has been rotting for a hundred years.

Qiu Chuji could already feel the mountain path beneath his feet undulating strangely, each basalt rock with its sharp edges covered with honeycomb-like holes, and the whistling wind passing through it made a trembling sound like a baby's cry.

This is a land steeped in evil, where countless lives have perished, yet not even a remnant soul has been left behind, only an indelible, accumulated malevolence.

Standing at the foot of the mountain, which resembled a twisted, monstrous corpse, Qiu Chuji looked up. Suddenly, the tallow tree on the mountaintop shook violently, its dark purple bark peeling off to reveal countless compound eyes beneath.

Qiu Chuji was startled. Although he concealed his aura and figure, he still felt a sense of panic as if he were being watched, and a strange evil thought was forced to arise in his mind.

This was the feeling that the strange tree had forcibly given him—awkward and menacing.

Having severed his evil thoughts and maintained the purity of his primordial spirit, Qiu Chuji's vigilance had reached its peak.

A muffled, thunderous sound of bones grinding came from afar, and the entire mountain shook. Where the rubble had rolled down, half of a bronze cauldron embedded in the rock strata was revealed, with nine skulls gnawing at the moon carved on its handles.

Beneath this bronze cauldron flows scalding magma, while the medicinal fragrance emanating from the small vents on its surface is rich and sweet, like the most deadly poison.

Qiu Chuji became wary and dared not approach the bronze cauldron.

His intuition told him that what was being refined inside the bronze cauldron was definitely not to be trifled with, whether before or after it was refined.

Suddenly, the humus exploded, and black smoke, reeking of sulfur, billowed from the crack. The stalagmite three zhang away burst open, spewing out countless barbed tentacles. They slithered along the ground, instantly withering and turning the moss to ash wherever they went.

Before Qiu Chuji, numerous thought clones emerged, and most of these clones hid themselves in accordance with Qiu Chuji's will.

Only a very small number of them, after dispersing, deliberately exposed their presence, attracting the attention of the monsters on the mountain.

A dark red pillar of fire rose from the mountainside, burning a hole through the mist.

Under the eerie light, the entire cliff face was covered with scale-like protrusions, and thick ink seeped from the gaps between each dark blue scale.

The liquids flowed down the mountainside, forming streams and solidifying into translucent gel-like substances in the ravines, where faint human figures could be seen struggling.

Suddenly, an invisible evil surged from the unseen shadows, and within the translucent gelatinous substance, some distorted human figures vanished.

The few mental clones that Qiu Chuji exposed were shattered before they could even reveal their abilities, turning into scattered energy bubbles. In the end, even these energy bubbles were completely crushed, becoming twisted and evil.

"This place...this mountain, these clouds, these evil spirits, everything here, they are all alive!"

"They each have their own will, yet they are a unified whole!"

"It's as if some powerful, evil force is binding together countless souls, some weak and some strong, yet preventing them from merging."

"Strange, evil, insane... Is this a proper mythological world?" Qiu Chuji felt as if he had entered a Kreece mythological world and was facing some kind of powerful and ancient corruption.

But is it right to sew a Cthulhu mythos into the classical mythology world?

Of course, we can't be absolutely certain.

After all, even in a proper mythological world, there are places similar to the 800-mile-long Lion Camel Ridge.

Although Qiu Chuji had never been there, he could imagine that the evil and malevolence of the eight-hundred-mile-long Lion Camel Ridge would be even greater than that of the strange mountain before him.

"Ugh... Ah!" The twisted mountainside let out a muffled roar.

It seemed to have something to say, but couldn't express it.

Only with such a withered, frenzied voice can one convey emotions that are incomprehensible.

Half of a short, thick, giant stone seal emerged from the mountain, then was covered by layers of fleshy tentacles and pressed back into the mountain.

From the rolling black, viscous liquid, a large number of strange creatures with limbs mixed with various animal organs jumped out. They sniffed and searched for Qiu Chuji's whereabouts.

Thus, some of the hidden thought clones were found by them, and the battle quickly broke out.

On the battlefield, where blood mist billowed, thousands of cold lights exploded, and the clones transformed into swathes of sword light, forming formations and beginning a systematic slaughter.

Three hundred illusory figures on the left wing formed hand seals, and lightning transformed into azure dragons with coiled scales, blasting the three twisted behemoths into a volcanic chasm of boiling lava.

Seven hundred afterimages on the right wing simultaneously swung their swords, forging a divine sword that blotted out the sky and tore open even uglier scars in this strange and twisted place.

The monsters roared madly, and the seven-headed, strange earthworms covered in hands and feet spewed black poison, rotting hundreds of their clones.

The eight hundred afterimages behind them had already transformed into Qilin, shattering the darkness, and were about to occupy the center and seize the home ground.

The hundred-eyed demon suddenly manifested, each pupil reflecting a poisonous spear wreathed in eerie energy, indiscriminately sweeping in all directions.

Suddenly, a blood-red vortex erupted on the eastern battlefield. The nine-headed rotting corpse opened its mouth, revealing a mouthful of poisonous fangs, and spat out a rotting divine light. The flesh and blood of the three hundred clones instantly melted away, but in the instant of dissipation, they transformed into dazzling talismans, forming a demon-suppressing array covering a hundred feet.

The battle lasted only a moment, yet it suddenly became exceptionally intense and tense.

Qiu Chuji did not join the battle, but instead conducted careful observation.

He discovered that everything in these mountains had an extremely strong corrosive power; it would erode and change all living and non-living things that came into contact with them.

If Qiu Chuji were to use a physical clone instead of a thought clone, these clones, once entangled, could be pulled into a mad and evil abyss, and assimilated into the monsters here.

"It is precisely the thought clone that is best suited to this kind of environment. The thought clones that are cut off have extremely strong independence and will not involve the main body. Once they are destroyed, they will turn into energy and dissipate."

"I have only just learned this skill when I came to this world and encountered this mountain... Is it a coincidence? Or is it inevitable?" Qiu Chuji did not indulge in pointless speculation, but instead stepped onto the mountain.

There was something strange about this mountain, and he wanted to figure it out.

Where the stone seal had previously manifested but was pressed down by a large number of fleshy tentacles, the Great Five Elements Wheel in Qiu Chuji's hand emitted a faint light. The power of the five elements, following Qiu Chuji's push, began to grind everything down.

Evil, insane energy, along with flesh and matter, began to decompose.

As the mountain was opened, a stone seal, half black and half flesh, with only a tiny bit of golden light remaining, appeared before Qiu Chuji's eyes.

“This is… a Mountain God Seal!” Qiu Chuji frowned.

The Mountain God's Seal has been corrupted!
The mountain god... perhaps has long since merged with all the creatures of the mountain, all of them uttering mournful cries.

Qiu Chuji looked at the Mountain God Seal and knew that the information he wanted to obtain was hidden inside it. As long as he touched it, he could sense everything contained within the Mountain God Seal through the universal decree of "Nine Heavens Responding to the Origin Ancestor".

However... the aura lingering on this mountain god seal was something Qiu Chuji was somewhat reluctant to be tainted by.

Even if his primordial spirit possesses the characteristics of a Great Luo Immortal, it would be extremely difficult for it to be corrupted, but... taking such a risk is not worthwhile!

After concentrating for a moment, Qiu Chuji took out the Spirit Jade.

A surge of primordial energy emerged from the Spirit Jade, and under Qiu Chuji's control, it transformed into a true solar fire that was close to its origin.

The true fire of the sun fell on the mountain god's seal and immediately began to be forged.

The foul odors were not insurmountable. Under the tempering of the true fire of the sun, they began to dissipate as black smoke, and the deep golden mountain god seal was gradually revealing its true color and material.

(End of this chapter)