This is what an immortal should be like

Chapter 197 is indeed no ordinary object.
At the headquarters of the Liu Group in Zhonghai City, Liu Lei had just put down the phone, pondering the call that had just come from Chang'an.

The Dayan Ancient Museum received a joint invitation from the Kyoto Astronomical Bureau and the Cultural Relics Bureau.

"The Imperial Observatory, the Xuan Tian Yi?"

The Imperial Observatory (司天监) seems to have been primarily responsible for calendar revision, and also appeared to be an institution that closely collaborated with meteorology and astronomy.

However, for most people, including Liu Lei, the biggest impression of the Imperial Observatory is probably limited to the labels on some calendars each year, and there is really nothing else related to their daily lives.

Liu Lei's fingers tapped rhythmically up and down on the desk, like pressing musical keys to produce a series of sounds.

There seemed to be a rumor circulating a few days ago that an earthquake might occur in the southwest, and the people at the National Seismological Bureau are still on high alert.

Such insider information is certainly not something everyone can know, but at the level of the Liu Group, which has close cooperation with the country in many fields, it is no surprise that they have a considerable amount of information.

For some reason, Liu Lei had a feeling that this matter might be related to his boss and his associates.

With that in mind, Liu Lei didn't hesitate and took out his phone to dial Liu Hongyu's private number.

Inside the Taiji Temple, Liu Hongyu answered the phone after it rang twice.

"Hey boss, I have something to report. The Great Yan Ancient Museum received a joint invitation from the Imperial Observatory and the Bureau of Cultural Relics, wanting someone to go to Kyoto."

At this moment, Liu Hongyu was sitting cross-legged on the outer edge of what used to be the storeroom of Taiji Temple. He had drawn a boundary line around the storeroom, which was several feet wide, so that no one inside or outside the temple could get close.

Zhuang Lin remained motionless in a corner of the storage room, looking at the pattern on the ground. Liu Hongyu was protecting him.

As for Leng Zhiheng and the others, they also stayed and spent a week living at Taiji Temple.

The Taoists from Taiji Temple have all returned. Apart from Elder Master Xu Ming, the other three have clearly also experienced a major upheaval in their worldviews. They are still somewhat incredulous these past few days, but have calmed down considerably.

Of course, Tai Chi Temple also closed its doors to visitors, even though there weren't many worshippers to begin with.

Although the four Taoists have not yet truly entered the path of immortal cultivation, as they are waiting for Zhuang Lin to personally impart suitable methods to them, even simply breathing in and out the increasingly rich spiritual energy within the Taiji Temple is enough to make them feel that their condition is constantly improving.

After listening to Liu Lei finish explaining everything, Liu Hongyu's heart stirred slightly. He almost immediately sensed that the movements of the so-called Xuan Tian Yi were very likely related to the previous movements at Taiji Temple.

How could such anomalies occur in the Dharma-ending Age?

"Boss, what's your opinion on this?"

"Tell Master Ban and the others to try to remember the contents and details on that Xuan Tian Yi. This matter may indeed be related to us. I have other things to do, so I'll hang up now. You can handle the rest!"

"Okay, I know!"

After hanging up the phone, Liu Hongyu put away his phone and looked at his master not far away. Zhuang Lin was not unresponsive to the outside world; he had even heard the contents of Liu Hongyu's phone call clearly. However, there was no need for him to interrupt his current enlightenment for the sake of the outside world.

Unlike the inheritance I received in ancient times, the lineage there, though incomplete, still retains its essence, and the transmission of the Dao from heaven and earth may only take a moment.

But in this degenerate age, everything has vanished, leaving only the imprints on the ground.

Knowing full well that the map he left behind was extraordinary, Zhuang Lin was compelled to reconstruct it completely himself because its essence had been lost. One can only imagine the immense effort he put into it.

Fortunately, the environment here, along with the protection of his senior disciple, allowed Zhuang Lin to focus wholeheartedly.

Deep within Zhuang Lin's mind, the realm of artistic conception reappeared, with various terrains seemingly manifesting and phantom images of strange beasts appearing.

Belonging to the Azure Dragon, White Tiger, Vermilion Bird, Black Tortoise, and Qilin, these five mythical beasts roam between heaven and earth, and seem to be constantly roaring as they occupy the five mountains.

These five mountains each occupy different locations, and rise abruptly from the sea of ​​fire, the green forest, the golden wind, the vast ocean, and the wild wilderness, respectively.
At this moment, Zhuang Lin followed his heart and sat cross-legged opposite the ground imprint, his inner lake and primordial sea slowly unfolding in the Dharma-ending Age.

In an instant, it was as if a stream of water flowed through Zhuang Lin's mind and senses, filling the mountains inside and outside the Taiji Temple.

However, due to the Dharma-ending Age, the Mind Lake and the Primordial Sea were suppressed to the extreme, but Zhuang Lin still maintained inner peace. As the lake moved with his mind, the surface of the lake gradually calmed down and then became ripple-free, like a huge mirror.

Within the lake of his heart, Zhuang Lin felt as if he were sitting in the lake. When he opened his eyes again, he could see himself overlapping with the imprint on the ground, as if it were his own reflection in the lake!

"The inner and outer worlds, the true forms of the Five Sacred Mountains, and the Five Elements all manifest."

Boom~
A silent vibration rippled in all directions. Inside the Tai Chi Temple, Liu Hongyu sat cross-legged, his entire body swaying involuntarily, as if he were a boat struggling to stand on the waves.

Master Xu Ming, the Taoist priest at Taiji Temple, also had the same feeling. The other three Taoist priests and Leng Zhiheng also felt it slightly, while the five members of the research team who stayed in the temple were completely unaware.

"hold head high--"

"Wow—"

"Roar--"

A cry and roar, seemingly from the barren era, rang out in the Taiji Temple. Some people in the temple were holding rice bowls, while others were working. At this moment, they all looked up in astonishment and then subconsciously looked in the direction where Zhuang Lin and Liu Hongyu were.

All the strange phenomena must have originated from there. And soon, the group witnessed a sight they would never forget.

In what seemed like an instant, the world changed color. Apart from the old Tai Chi Temple, the surrounding area had been transformed. High mountains, dense forests, and vast oceans appeared in the blink of an eye, and enormous auspicious beasts roared down from the sky.
The unexpected was already evident in Leng Zhiheng's mind; even so, the rice bowl he was holding crashed to the ground. One can only imagine how much more painful it was for the others.
The sensation of tremor or similar feelings was insufficient to describe the emotions of the people; the intense impact left them feeling more bewildered.
Five days later, Master Ban Qiu and Master Gong Qiuyan arrived in Kyoto. After staying overnight in a hotel in the bustling commercial district, they were picked up by a private car early the next morning and taken to the ancient city area of ​​the capital.

The ancient city of the capital covers a large area and is the best-preserved ancient architectural complex of the capital in the Great Yan Dynasty. It also includes the original imperial palace from the imperial era. The ancient building of the Imperial Observatory is located within this area and is also a government office area that is not open to tourists.

The Dayan Ancient Museum was just one of the invited participants. In fact, the Imperial Observatory and the Bureau of Cultural Relics jointly invited more than 30 organizations or individuals.

It includes experts in various cultural relics and archaeology, university professors specializing in ancient Chinese literature, master craftsmen who are experts in ancient mechanisms, and some leading figures in the fields of physics, chemistry, and energy.
Including the staff from the Imperial Observatory and the Bureau of Cultural Relics, there were approximately a hundred people holding a meeting in the modern government office building outside the ancient building.

The meeting started in the morning and went straight to the point. Although it was called a meeting, the place where everyone was in was more like a large lecture hall in a university.

More than a hundred people were sitting there, and the director of the Imperial Observatory personally explained the situation with a laser pointer.

"Look, everyone, this is a national first-class cultural relic of our country, the only surviving Xuan Tian Yi (a type of celestial instrument). It has never been exhibited to the public before. According to ancient books and historical records, it was first built in the Song Dynasty. Historically, the Xuan Tian Yi could be used to study celestial phenomena, monitor natural disasters such as earthquakes, and it is said that it could also monitor the dragon veins of the world, so that the emperor would know of any threats."

On the huge projection screen, photos of the Xuan Tian Yi were projected, but they were already there. As each photo changed, the protective glass frame was still visible.

Everyone present was very patient, quietly waiting for what was to come.

"This is the recently released Xuan Tian Yi!"

The old dean tapped the controller, and the projection changed, immediately showing the situation that had been filmed earlier: the tempered glass was shattered all over the ground, leaving only the steel frame intact, and the Xuan Tian Yi was completely exposed, and its condition seemed to be very different from before.

The slideshow flashed by, and the old dean clicked the controller again, turning the screen into a video.

A few seconds after the video loaded, a clip of the surveillance footage was played.

"This happened twelve days ago at noon. The Xuan Tian Yi suddenly activated on its own and shattered the tempered glass that served as its protective layer!"

After the old dean finished speaking, the brief calm in the video was broken. The people from the Astronomical Bureau were discussing lunch when suddenly there was a violent tremor, followed by screams and shouts.

The footage shows a camera positioned directly facing the Xuan Tian Yi (a type of astronomical instrument). After the tempered glass shattered, the Xuan Tian Yi began to operate rapidly.

Even just watching the video, this colossal bronze structure, imbued with the weight of history, still evokes a profound sense of awe when it operates autonomously.
The rotation time wasn't very long. After one video recording ended, someone used a handheld recording device to take close-up shots, capturing the entire situation of the Xuan Tian Yi at that moment.

This is clearly a record of the subsequent investigation process.

Everyone was focused on the projection screen, and no one noticed that Master Ban and Master Gong almost stood up at one point.

Some of the text recorded by the Xuan Tian Yi could be translated, and the two of them could understand more of what they learned in the Hidden Immortal Valley than others.

"Old Gong's thing is something else."

"Shh, just pretend you don't know. We'll look into it properly when we have the chance."

Outsiders might not know the information on the Xuan Tian Yi, but Master Ban and Master Gong, who had communicated with Liu Lei and Liu Hongyu beforehand, knew it all too well.

Although the information indicated by the Xuan Tian Yi was vague, they clearly knew that it pointed towards the southwest, specifically to the Taiji Temple there, indicating that it had detected the appearance of the Wood Element Spirit Vein!

This thing is definitely no ordinary object!

It was at this moment that the director of the Imperial Observatory finished presenting the documents. He looked at everyone present and saw faces that were either surprised or thoughtful.

Taking a deep breath, the old dean finally spoke.

"You are all extraordinary individuals, each with remarkable achievements in your respective fields. I won't keep you in suspense any longer. After nearly two weeks of internal discussions, this matter has been classified as a state secret, and all of you will need to sign a confidentiality agreement today."

The old dean looked at everyone and paused before speaking.

"If you don't want to sign, you can leave now. A car will take you back to your hotel, and your plane and train tickets will be booked for you. Only those who sign the agreement can proceed to the next step. Anyone want to leave?"

Gong Qiuyan and Ban Qiu, two elderly men with gray hair, whispered to each other from a relatively far back position.

"Oh dear, Lao Gong, this is a bit of a problem."

"What else can we do but sign?"

"How about we use a trick to deceive you?"

"No, even in this degenerate age, never underestimate the power of a nation!"

The old dean below remained serious and nodded to everyone.

"I'm glad you all stayed. I would be curious too, wanting to find out what's going on. Maybe we'll even be colleagues in the future. The activation of the Xuan Tian Yi was a truly supernatural event, driving a behemoth weighing over sixty tons for nearly ten minutes without any power source."

"Or rather, there is no known power source."

There was something that none of the experts present knew: this research meeting was related to whether a department that had been shut down long ago could be reopened!
(End of this chapter)