Chapter 234: Chapter 26: The Cave Heaven Stone Gate Opens with a Bang
The heavens trembled, and thunderous roars erupted!
Even the seasoned Daoist priest, despite his preparation, almost jumped out of his skin.
What kind of thunder attribute flying sword was that? The sword dao techniques on it were so powerful that even my Shenxiao Thunder was no match for it!
When the dust settled, everyone saw that the rock wall in front of them had disappeared, replaced by a vast expanse of water-blue light, like a crystal-clear sky.
The immortal ruins had been opened!
All three could hardly conceal the surprise on their faces, yet they all maintained their composure.
The Daoist priest knew his realm was too low, and entering might not only render him powerless but perhaps even threaten his life.
An Zhisu, having seen much of the world, understood that although the secret realm was designed for people to enter, it certainly did not welcome just anyone.
For example, in the snow peaks west of Shushan in Tubo, there exists a “Pink Demon Palace.”
Its creator, an eccentric and powerful individual, made it so that female cultivators faced challenging trials. Should they fail, they would be expelled by the restrictions; male cultivators, however, faced difficulty doubled, and death inside meant real death…
In short, although the secret realm of the immortal sect was successfully opened, one must not be careless.
Ling Yunpo was well-prepared and instructed the Kunlun Mirror in his mind:
“Ah Jing, what’s it like inside?”
“The entrance seems to be two-way, so it won’t trap us inside,” analyzed the Kunlun Mirror, “Hmm, judging from the style of restrictions, it doesn’t seem malicious…”
“You can tell if it’s malicious or not?” Ling Yunpo asked in surprise.
“Of course, you’re also knowledgeable about formations, which are similar to restrictions,” explained the Kunlun Mirror, “Some formations are mostly about restrictions and confinement, with not much killing power, leaving a lot of leeway; other formations are clearly designed to either kill or exhaust you to death. The approaches are definitely different!”
“When you put it that way, it does make some sense,” Ling Yunpo was convinced and no longer dwelt on the issue, turning to smile at An Zhisu, “Senior Sister, shall we?”
“Sure.” An Zhisu turned and said, “Fellow Daoist’s disciple, we met him earlier in the mountains. To prevent any demons seeking revenge from escaping and harming him, we secured him in Kuaiji City for now.”
The old Daoist was astonished and profusely grateful, thinking to himself that these two were indeed thoughtful and kind-hearted. It was not in vain that he shared the news of the secret realm with them.
After bidding farewell to the old Daoist, An Zhisu took the lead with her Flying Smoke Sword and stepped into the water-blue light.
Ling Yunpo followed suit and felt the world spinning as everything around him suddenly brightened.
They found themselves in a square.
The square was on the peak of a mountain, with white jade as railings and dark stone as steps, somewhat reminiscent of the Emei Golden Summit’s utmost square in Shushan but much more grand in carving and style.
In front of them, connected to the White Jade Square, was a wide and straight hanging corridor that led to the layered pavilions and buildings in the distance.
Ling Yunpo keenly noticed that the architectural style of these pavilions and buildings bore a resemblance to the “Queen Mother of the West’s Secret Realm” that he had seen in the Kunlun Mountain Range. They were both lofty in the clouds and had the grandeur and atmosphere of an immortal’s palace.
However, while the Queen Mother’s Secret Realm was bold and simple, these buildings in the secret realm were intricate and ornate.
Looking closely, one could see finely carved pavilions and open halls; the green tiles and golden pillars glittered brightly.
The corridor leading to these pavilions and buildings was also constructed of dark sandalwood, extremely elegant to behold.
Every few paces, there were mythical beasts carved on the handrails as if sitting in meditation, but they were unrecognizable as any specific demons.
At the entrance to the corridor, which connected to the square, stood one pillar on each side.
The left pillar read “Twelve Towers and Five Cities.”
The right pillar read “Heavenly White Jade Capital.”
“White Jade Capital?” Ling Yunpo stared at the pillar, feeling a sense of wonder inside.
“Does Junior Brother recognize the origin of this secret realm?” An Zhisu asked curiously.
“No, I just think ‘White Jade Capital’ sounds very grand.” Ling Yunpo said with a wry smile. “Has Senior Sister heard of it?”
“No,” An Zhisu shook her head.
In fact, Ling Yunpo had just told a lie.
The place name “White Jade Capital” is recorded quite extensively in Taoist scriptures. However, nowadays, apart from the cultivators of Penglai Jade Pure Sect, few people go through the effort of reading the entire Taoist canon.
According to the Taoist scriptures, to ascend to Heaven Realm as a mortal, one first reaches the “White Jade Capital,” then proceeds to the “Golden Que,” continues to the “Seven Treasures Mysterious Garden,” and finally arrives at the “Great Bright Hall.”
As annotated by the predecessors from Yuqing View, these four places do not actually describe the environment of the Heaven Realm. Instead, they use metaphors to hint at the four steps of ascension to immortality.
White Jade Capital symbolizes the flesh;
Golden Que represents consciousness;
Seven Treasures Mysterious Garden signifies the soul;
Great Bright Hall alludes to the origin;
The four steps of ascension, each step as difficult as ascending to the heavens.
Similarly, the Immortal Ranks are subdivided into four, which are divided according to the completion rate of the four steps of ascension.
Earth Immortal Rank, “not beyond the city of White Jade Capital”: it means there is a deficiency in the physical body, so every thousand years one must face tribulation, ranked as the lowest among immortals.
Heavenly Immortal Rank, “hindered at the courts of the Golden Que”: it signifies impure consciousness, thus necessitating the severing of the Three Corpses, discarding humanity to preserve divinity, ranked as a slightly higher grade among immortals.
Golden Immortal Rank, “dwelling overnight in Seven Treasures Mysterious Garden”: it means that the soul is clear and the flesh and consciousness are penetrated, capable of achieving complete sanctification, ranked as high grade among immortals.
As for the Daluo Golden Immortals, “seated in the Great Bright Hall,” they are the extremely powerful few among Golden Immortals, the highest grade among immortals.
At this level, not only is the soul clear and the flesh sanctified, but one’s origin merges with the universe—unless the heavens crumble and the world is destroyed, they are virtually impossible to be killed by any external force.
Of course, legend has it that above the Daluo Golden Immortals there is an even more formidable realm called “Hunyuan Daluo Golden Immortal.”
In this realm, even if the universe comes to an end and the great Dao collapses, they would not die…
All in all, since this secret realm is called “White Jade Capital,” it is very likely a test of Root Bone Strength.
Given Ling Yunpo’s character setting, he is supposed to be ignorant of the Taoist canon, so he couldn’t information with his Senior Sister directly.
Luckily, when Shushan Sword Immortal accepts disciples, Root Bone Quality is of the utmost importance.
An Zhisu, as the foremost person below the Shushan Golden Core, surely has remarkable Root Bone strength;
He himself, with the quality of “Innate Sword Bone,” has an unbelievably strong Root Bone.
Therefore, the upcoming tests of the secret realm should not be difficult for him and his Senior Sister, unless they are specially designed to be only accessible for those of Golden Core Rank and above…
While Ling Yunpo was deeply contemplating, An Zhisu beside him didn’t interrupt his thoughts, simply walking around the square leisurely with her hands behind her back, admiring the clouds, the mountains, and gazing at distant pavilions and towers.
She suddenly felt an intuition and noticed that the layout of the distant pagodas and towers gave her a peculiar, sharp sensation.
To put it metaphorically, it was like a sword that, despite being sheathed in layers and layers of scabbard, still couldn’t conceal its cutting aura…