This miraculous experience was a first, even for him as a cultivator. He pondered this astonishing sensation secretly, trying to fathom the profound mystery of this technique. Regrettably, the feeling was too ethereal and fleeting; grasping the essence of this divine art would not be easy.
At the end of the passage stood a dwelling. Nine colossal bronze dragon heads converged as if in union, and Feng Zikang found himself standing precisely in the center of these nine beasts.
This was a platform of white jade. Gazing outward, one could see a faint, eerie blue pathway resting upon the back of each dragon, clearly marking the exits to the Ten Thousand Li Wandering Path.
Feng Zikang’s expression shifted slightly. It seemed this Grand Master’s elaborate arrangement held a deeper scheme; his intentions were far from pure.
Wuduya, the demonic beasts, the Ten Thousand Li Wandering Path—all the clues coalesced into a massive enigma. Feng Zikang felt as if only one crucial key was needed to unlock the whole puzzle.
“My Lord, this place feels exceedingly strange,”
“Could it be that he intends to resurrect King Wuduya?”
Manjiao, being a native of this land, knew some of the local intricacies and ventured the question. Luo Kedi, standing nearby, immediately paled. He harbored a deep, mortal feud with Wuduya; the thought of resurrecting the fiend only to fight him again was truly infuriating!
“No.”
“So, what this means is…”
The Grand Master took such pains to cultivate Wuduya, allowing him to lead the Southern Barbarians to establish a kingdom and challenge the Great Tang. It wasn't out of any genuine concern for the barbarians' welfare, nor was it because he valued Wuduya’s aptitude. It was purely for this singular objective.
The Southern Barbarians’ chaos, Wuduya’s ascension to kingship—the Grand Master had never truly cared about any of it.
It was unfortunate that Feng Zikang had slain Wuduya, shattering his meticulously laid plans.
What form did he intend to reconstruct that required such years of effort?
With his doubts weighing heavily, Feng Zikang gently pushed open the door to the stone chamber.
Creak…
The stone door let out a mournful, grating sound as it slowly slid open.
“This... this is...”
Feng Zikang was stunned speechless by the sight before him. He didn't even notice the figure nodding off by the doorway.
The Seven Treasures Pagoda Mountain!
It was the Seven Treasures Pagoda Mountain!
Seven tiers high, filled with countless statues of Buddhas. Their sacred visages were solemn, yet the place felt utterly desolate and neglected. This was precisely the Seven Treasures Pagoda Mountain where General Lu underwent his tribulation! Feng Zikang remembered it vividly, as it was where he had taken a new body.
The Ten Thousand Li Wandering Path could lead directly into the Seven Treasures Pagoda Mountain?
“No... that’s not right!”
Feng Zikang gradually calmed himself. This could not possibly be the real Seven Treasures Pagoda Mountain; it had to still be within the Southern Barbarian territory. Even the marvelous Ten Thousand Li Wandering Path couldn’t boast such power.
This Seven Treasures Pagoda Mountain was clearly smaller than the authentic one, evidently constructed as a meticulous replica.
Bang!
The person beside him suddenly slumped over. Feng Zikang jumped in alarm and turned to see a burly man fallen onto the ground, a small stool overturned nearby. He had clearly been sitting guard at the door but had fallen asleep and tumbled over, still snoring loudly.
Feng Zikang took a closer look and burst out laughing. This man was Dashan, Wuduya’s senior brother, whom he had met once before.
Feng Zikang had tricked Dashan out of the Pagoda-Carrying Heavenly King Banner, subsequently refining it into the Heavenly King Divine Demon, a crucial component of his Four Symbols Divine Demon Formation.
Since he was the Grand Master’s eldest disciple and was posted here as a guard, this place must indeed be the Grand Master’s residence.
Seeing Dashan sleeping soundly with no sign of waking, Feng Zikang paused, then told the others to hide inside the stone chamber while he went to rouse the sleeper himself.
“Who dares disturb my sweet dreams!”
Dashan roared in anger, flailing his bear-like arms as if swatting away bothersome insects.
Feng Zikang smiled faintly and patted his cheek again.
“Wake up! Wake up!”
Enraged, Dashan leaped up instantly. Before even opening his eyes, he launched into a flurry of wild blows.
Feng Zikang laughed softly, leaping backward and gently waving his hands. “Slow down! Slow down! Dashan, don’t you recognize me?”
Hearing the familiar voice, Dashan opened his eyes. Overjoyed, he let out a loud cheer!
“Senior! Senior! You have finally come!”
He wept with sheer delight, looking at Feng Zikang as if he were a savior.
“My master and juniors always said I was tricked. I insisted that the Penglai Immortal would never lie to me! You’ve finally come today to return my Pagoda-Carrying Heavenly King Banner, proving I wasn't deceived!”
Feng Zikang couldn't help but feel awkward. He had used an illusionary technique to trick Dashan out of the Banner that day, claiming he needed to refine out the malevolent energy and would return it in a few years. Of course, that had been mere talk, yet this simple fellow still remembered it.
Clearly, his gullibility had cost him dearly. Not only the pain of forcibly extracting the Banner, but the subsequent divine arts had suffered considerable damage. Back at the mountain, he was mocked by his juniors, and even his Master had sighed, shaking his head, never allowing him to handle anything important again—condemning him instead to guard this very stone chamber door.
Dashan didn't mind much. He felt he had done a service to his Master. Though his junior brother Wuduya had tragically met his heavenly doom, that was unavoidable.
The only thing that troubled him was the Immortal’s promise to return the Banner after three years. He had believed it wholeheartedly, but as the days passed, doubt inevitably crept in.
His juniors naturally mocked him incessantly, leaving him too ashamed to face anyone.
Who knew that while dozing by the stone chamber door today, he would wake to see the very Immortal he dreamt of!
“Am I dreaming?”
Dashan sharply slapped his own face. The sharp pain made him grimace, but the sheer joy outweighed it.
Feng Zikang smiled slightly, feeling a touch of guilt toward this straightforward man. However, his purpose in waking Dashan wasn’t to return the Banner; it was purely to gather intelligence.
This Dashan was simple-minded and easily manipulated. Guarding this stone house, he must know something.
Feng Zikang cleared his throat, his expression grave. “Dashan, I traveled to this place. Suddenly, I had an impulse and recalled our meeting two years ago. I took the Pagoda-Carrying Heavenly King Banner to refine and suppress the malevolence, intending to return it to you.”
“Yes, yes!” Dashan nodded vigorously, like a chick pecking grain.
“However…”
Feng Zikang shifted his tone, a look of difficulty appearing on his face. “The malignant energy of that Pagoda-Carrying Heavenly King Banner is far deeper than I anticipated…”
He sighed, then beckoned, summoning the Heavenly King Divine Demon.
The Divine Demon, having received prior instructions, naturally manifested a terrifying aura brimming with malevolence. Its eyes bulged like bronze bells, its limbs brandished aggressively, appearing exceedingly fierce.
When Dashan saw his Pagoda-Carrying Heavenly King Banner transformed into such a vivid entity, he was first delighted, but seeing the Heavenly King’s ferocity, his brow furrowed in worry.
“Senior, this... what should be done?”
He grew extremely anxious. Feng Zikang smiled and comforted him. “But you need not worry. This Pagoda-Carrying Heavenly King Banner, when condensed further in my hands for another three years, will become even purer, and the malevolence will vanish completely. When you wield it, it will surely meet your every expectation. It just requires another three years. I feared you might grow impatient, so I came specifically to inform you.”
Dashan was overjoyed, scratching his head in excitement. Seeing the wondrous manifestation of the Heavenly King only increased his happiness. Hearing he needed to wait three more years, he harbored not a shred of complaint.
“It is fine! It is fine!”
Dashan nodded repeatedly. Judging by his demeanor, he would have been happy to wait thirty more years if Feng Zikang had asked.
Feng Zikang smiled faintly. Since he had successfully glossed over that matter, it was time to inquire about the surroundings.
“Dashan, why are you here? Aren’t you the Grand Master’s eldest disciple? Why are you standing guard here?”
Feng Zikang glanced at the stone house, feigning curiosity.
“Well...”
Dashan scratched his head. “Strictly speaking, I shouldn’t tell you...”
Feng Zikang was surprised that this simple, rough man possessed any sense of secrecy and couldn't help but chuckle, about to resume his coaxing. But then Dashan continued, “However, since you are an Immortal, you surely know the affairs here. It’s fine to tell you everything!”
Feng Zikang nearly sputtered. Dashan was truly guileless, revealing everything he knew word for word.
The purpose was to resurrect someone.
“A person?”
Feng Zikang inquired. Dashan nodded. “According to the Grand Master, this person is... he is my Master’s Master and his own master—meaning, my Grand Master!”
“Grand Master?”
Feng Zikang was even more astonished. He hadn't expected the Grand Master to expend such enormous effort simply to reconstruct his own master’s physical form.
“My Grand Master was the greatest hero under Heaven. He was framed by villains and unfortunately died. My Master barely escaped with his life, struggling mightily to establish this foundation in the Southern Barbarians...”
When the Grand Master first arrived in the South, his cultivation was low. After enduring countless hardships, he finally acquired a unique divine art, teaching his disciples the way of nurturing weapons, pioneering the Southern Barbarian lineage that cultivated only divine arts, not the Way of the Dao.
This unique divine art was formidable, allowing him to rise above the rest in the South. He utilized schemes involving all strata of society to prop up Wuduya like a Flood Dragon, hoping to usher in an unprecedented new era.
Alas, man proposes, but Heaven disposes. Wuduya perished at Feng Zikang’s hands, and all his calculations turned to dust.
“Back then, Master often hid in this small stone house, muttering to himself about things I couldn't understand...”
Dashan tapped his head, appearing utterly perplexed.
“Oh, you had already become the Grand Master’s disciple then?”
Feng Zikang asked. Dashan nodded. “Yes, indeed. When Master was injured that day, I was the one who carried him home. So, despite my slow aptitude, he still accepted me as a disciple to teach me divine arts and spells.”
“I see.” Feng Zikang nodded. So, this was the relationship between Dashan and the Grand Master. No wonder his mind wasn't particularly sharp, yet he still held the title of the eldest disciple.
Originally, neither this stone house nor the Seven Treasures Pagoda Mountain existed. The Grand Master spent the first few decades building everything by hand.
“This mountain was built by Master and me together.”
Feng Zikang gazed at the replica Seven Treasures Pagoda Mountain. Though not genuine, it still towered hundreds of feet high. He wondered where the master and disciple found the leisure to construct such a thing.
“This Seven Treasures Pagoda Mountain...”
“Oh? Senior, this is called the Seven Treasures Pagoda Mountain?”
Dashan was thrilled. “Senior is truly an Immortal! You can tell the mountain’s name with just one look. Poor Dashan built it for two hundred years and never knew its name; I only knew it looked nice.”
But why build the mountain?
Feng Zikang’s confusion deepened.
“Building it near the convergence of the Nine Dragons was even more troublesome.”
Subsequently, the dragon energies converged and were carried by the nine bronze dragon sculptures. The Grand Master spared no effort, sacrificing his own vital energy, melting his physical body to become the substance for smelting the bronze sculptures.
Sadly, it was completely ineffective at first.
Though Dashan was dull, he remembered his Master weeping torrentially, collapsing onto the jade platform before the Nine Dragons, his face pale and devoid of vitality—a majestic Grand Master of the South looking like a helpless child.
“The dragon Qi of the Southern Barbarians is insufficient! Insufficient Dragon Qi!”
The Grand Master knelt on the jade platform, grinding his teeth.
“Master, rest assured, I will surely reshape your body for you. If the Southern Barbarians lack dragon Qi, I will create a dragon myself!”
Even though it was merely relayed by Dashan, the tone was vividly replicated. Feng Zikang couldn't help but shudder.
What an immense obsession!
He paid no heed to the common populace. For the sake of one person’s life and death, he was willing to summon a true dragon, provoking a conflict between two dragons and plunging the world into turmoil.
Millions slain, rivers of blood flowing a thousand miles—in the Southern Barbarian lands alone, the casualties were countless; if one included the Central Plains, the extent would be incalculable. Had Wuduya truly succeeded in transforming into a dragon, the world would have descended into unimaginable chaos!
Yet, this Grand Master of the South remained utterly unrepentant!
“Dashan...” Your Master is the Grand Master... Does this Grand Master have a specific title?”
Feng Zikang suddenly realized that while he always referred to him as 'the Grand Master,' he had never known the actual name or origin of this Southern Barbarian sage.