“We pay our respects to the Old Ancestor!”
Elder Ouyang said in a deep voice.
Meng Hao, Xu Qing, and Chen Fan all showed serious expressions, bowing deeply to the statue of the Reliance Mountain Old Ancestor.
“A hundred years ago, when the Old Ancestor disappeared, I was just an outer sect disciple.”
“At that time, the Reliance Mountain Sect was still glorious.”
After a long while, He Luohua sighed softly, turning to look at Meng Hao, Chen Fan, and Xu Qing.
“You have all read the ancient texts of the Reliance Mountain Sect, and you know of the glory of our Reliance Mountain Sect several hundred years ago.”
“You also have some understanding of the three Foundation Establishment stages. Today, I have summoned you here, so I will no longer hide anything.”
He Luohua was silent for a moment, then slowly began to speak.
“The glory of our Reliance Mountain Sect was due to the Reliance Mountain Old Ancestor’s cultivation being formidable enough to shock the entire Zhao Kingdom, his fame shaking the Southern Domain.”
“And all of this is related to a single volume of the Grand Spirit Scripture!”
As soon as He Luohua spoke, Chen Fan’s eyes shot out a fierce light, and even Xu Qing’s expression became solemn.
Only Meng Hao was slightly startled; he didn’t know what the Grand Spirit Scripture was.
“The Qi Condensation Volume!?”
Chen Fan said softly. He was a great inner sect disciple and knew many secrets; he had already guessed some things long ago.
“The Grand Spirit Scripture is one of the three great scriptures of the Southern Shaanxi.”
“According to legend, there are seven volumes, but they have all been lost. Among them, the Qi Condensation Volume allows one to cultivate the Flawless Foundation Establishment, while the Foundation Establishment Volume allows one to cultivate the Purple Core Grand Dao, rather than the Red Core or Mixed Core.”
“As for the Core Formation Volume, it can allow one to form a four-colored nascent soul.”
“It can be said that each volume can allow a cultivator to reach the strongest realm.”
He Luohua looked at the three of them, speaking slowly.
“That year, the Old Ancestor obtained the Qi Condensation Volume. That year, the descendant of the Wang family joined our Reliance Mountain Sect solely for the Qi Condensation Volume of the Grand Spirit Scripture.”
Meng Hao’s eyes flashed with brilliant light, and his heart pounded harder. It was related to the various stages of Foundation Establishment. He had heard Senior Brother Chen Fan mention it before, but only now did he realize that the Reliance Mountain Old Ancestor had obtained such a powerful cultivation method.
He also understood why Wang Tengfei had come to the Reliance Mountain Sect.
“If I could obtain it…”
The desire in Meng Hao’s heart grew even stronger.
“It’s a pity that this Qi Condensation Volume, even I, an old man, have never seen, let alone outsiders.”
“This scripture has no lineage; it only exists in the Old Ancestor’s memories!”
He Luohua continued to speak. Meng Hao was silent, Chen Fan seemed to be deep in thought, while Xu Qing looked up at the statue of the Reliance Mountain Old Ancestor.
The entire main hall immediately fell silent.
“For four hundred years, outsiders have speculated that the Old Ancestor has died, but only a few of us old men know that the Old Ancestor did not pass away at all!”
He Luohua’s voice suddenly rose, this sound like thunder entering the ears of Meng Hao and the other two.
“Four hundred years ago, the Old Ancestor’s cultivation was already at the late Nascent Soul Great Perfection stage, but his lifespan was somewhat insufficient. He wanted to break through to the Spirit Severing realm.”
“From ancient times, it has been said that if one’s age does not exceed a thousand years, one cannot defy the heavens. How can one sever the spirit!”
“The Old Ancestor chose to enter seclusion, wanting to sever his own spiritual body, to sever his own new life. This seclusion lasted four hundred years.”
“Four hundred years ago, before the Old Ancestor entered seclusion, he left a command: every hundred years, ten pieces of Severing Jade, condensed from his heart’s blood, were to be given to the outstanding inner sect disciples of that era. They would carry the Severing Jade into his place of seclusion, and by burning their vital essence with the Severing Jade, they would comprehend the will of his seclusion.”
“If they gained some good fortune, if they had the opportunity, they might obtain the Grand Spirit Scripture!”
He Luohua’s words echoed in the grand hall, causing Meng Hao to immediately look up, as did Chen Fan and Xu Qing.
“Succeed or fail, if things continue as they are, there will surely be disciples who can succeed.”
“However, two hundred years ago, the Ancestor encountered an unexpected incident during his cultivation. He was on his deathbed, liable to fall at any moment.”
“This caused the insights in his secluded cultivation area to weaken somewhat, and the restrictions to strengthen. No more Jade Slices were issued until five years ago, when the Ancestor finally issued three Jade Slices.”
“Three Jade Slices represent three people who can enter. It also means that many areas of the Ancestor’s secluded cultivation ground have been restricted, leaving only three places where insights can be gained.”
He Luohua spoke slowly. He waved his hand, and three streaks of blood-red light immediately flew towards Meng Hao and the other two, instantly hovering before them.
These were blood essences, bright as jade, named Jade Slices.
“The three of you are currently inner disciples. I bestow these three Jade Slices upon you. Whether you can gain insight into the Grand Spirit Scripture depends on your own fortune!”
After He Luohua finished speaking, he waved his hand. The statue of the Reliance Mountain Ancestor immediately boomed, especially its eyes, which emitted a myriad of brilliant lights, condensing into a vortex in the void.
“Step into it and seek your fortune!”
He Luohua’s voice was like thunder. As it echoed, Meng Hao, Chen Fan, and Xu Qing transformed into rainbows, carrying their Jade Slices, and shot straight into the vortex.
At this moment, the vortex was still there, but without a Jade Slice, even a Nascent Soul cultivator could not enter.
“I wonder which of the three of them will be able to obtain the Grand Spirit Scripture, or if they will still gain nothing!”
Elder Ouyang looked at the vortex and said softly.
“Everyone’s fortune is their own; overthinking it is meaningless!”
He Luohua sat cross-legged to one side.
The moment Meng Hao stepped into the vortex, in a flash, he immediately saw a dazzling expanse of light, making it impossible for him to open his eyes.
A rumbling sound echoed in his ears, along with strange roars that spread in all directions. He did not know how many years had passed, only feeling his body shake once. The rumbling disappeared, and the roaring sounds also became silent.
He immediately opened his eyes, realizing he was standing on an altar several zhang wide.
He looked up at his surroundings.
This was a very vast area. Above, it was dark as black mud, with scattered points of light, like a starry sky, making the space somewhat hazy and unclear.
It was as if separated by a thin layer of cloth, only visible as if in a fog, with faint pavilions everywhere.
“How desolate. After all, it’s been hundreds of years since anyone lived here.”
Chen Fan’s voice came through the fog. His figure was vaguely visible; he also stood on a large altar several zhang wide.
“Above is restricted mud. This must be the sect’s underground palace!”
Xu Qing approached from another direction. Dressed in silver robes, she looked extremely beautiful at first glance.
“I joined the sect quite early and used to be a disciple guarding the main hall. I also know some secrets that you don’t.”
“This is indeed the underground palace of the Reliance Mountain Sect. Above us is the outer sect area.”
Meng Hao stepped down from the altar and stood beside Chen Fan and Xu Qing, looking at the vague pavilions around. He could see quite a few withered plants and trees in all directions, a scene of desolate stillness.
“This fog is a restriction, making everything appear in only two colors, black and white, without any other colors!”
Meng Hao frowned and spoke.
"That's right, you don't need to try to touch them. These restrictions lost control as the Ancestor weakened. The three of us all have Jade Slayers, so let's just find those three places of enlightenment!"
Chen Fan said gravely, "I don't know how long the enlightenment will take, so we should wait for each other and then leave together. Junior Sister Xu, Junior Brother Meng, I wish you both success!"
Chen Fan glanced at Meng Hao and Xu Qing, then channeled spiritual power into his Jade Slayer.
Immediately, the Jade Slayer in his hand emitted a bloody light and flew forward. Chen Fan followed, gradually moving away.
Xu Qing nodded at Meng Hao and then followed her Jade Slayer in another direction.
Meng Hao looked around, just about to make his Jade Slayer glow, when suddenly a mournful howl echoed from afar.
Moreover, the howl grew closer and closer, and in an instant, it seemed to be only a few dozen *zhang* away from Meng Hao.