Chapter 576: Jianmu

The universe in a sleeve, an eternity in a pot.

Standing atop a high mountain in the Divine Mansion World, one could gaze into the distance and see no end.

Only by looking up at the sky and feeling the Gang Wind, which seemed just within arm’s reach, did one realize this place was not the real world.

A faint Spiritual Light glowed in Zhu Ju’s eyes as he muttered under his breath:

“The Great Dao is incomplete. It’s different from a small world… How strange…”

Small worlds and Secret Realms were also different from the real world, but their Great Dao would not be incomplete.

But here, the Great Dao was flawed. No living creature could fly—not even birds existed.

A Divine Mansion?

It was the comprehension achieved by cultivating Qi Blood Martial Arts to its peak. It was wonderfully similar to the worlds created by ancient Cultivators, yet fundamentally different.

“My Lord.”

Ming Nianwei’s lovely eyes flickered, her voice urgent.

“A Divine Mansion usually has a Town Spirit Stele. If you can perform Refinement on it, you’ll become the master of the Divine Mansion.”

“If we can find it…”

“Refining the Town Spirit Stele takes a lot of time, doesn’t it?” Zhu Ju asked.

“Never mind finding it—do you really think we have enough time before the powerhouses from the Wenda Sect get here?”

“…” Ming Nianwei’s expression froze.

“Forget about refining the Town Stele and taking control of the Divine Mansion. The best strategy is to snatch up as many benefits as possible before the real powerhouses arrive,” Zhu Ju said.

“I imagine that’s also what the person who abducted Qian Hu and opened this Divine Mansion was thinking.”

“Oh, right!”

“People outside should be able to sense the Divine Mansion’s existence, right?”

“Correct.” Ming Nianwei snapped back to reality and nodded.

“Once a Divine Mansion is opened, if it remains uncontrolled, it will slowly begin to connect with the outside world, and nodes will start to appear.”

“For example…”

“A rock, a door, or even a folding fan could become an entrance to the Divine Mansion.”

“The longer it’s open, the more of these nodes will appear. I expect the people from the Wenda Sect will be able to enter soon.”

As they spoke, the four of them finished exploring the mountaintop and began to head down a narrow path.

Zhou Ruxuan supported the still-dazed Qian Shiyao, her face a mask of curiosity as she took in their surroundings.

‘A Divine Mansion?’

‘A Super Grade Powerhouse?’

‘The bloodline of Demon Venerable Luh Wu?’

“Look!”

Her eyes lit up as she pointed to a spot in the woods.

“There’s a temple over there!”

There was a temple in the mountains. Inside, there was no statue of a buddha, but dozens of glittering objects were laid out for all to see.

The four of them stood before the temple gate, trading uncertain glances.

“Where are we?”

Qian Shiyao, having regained consciousness, asked blankly.

“Treasures?” Zhou Ruxuan’s eyes were filled with hesitation.

“Or a trap?”

It was all just too convenient.

They had just entered the Divine Mansion, only to find so many Treasures laid out before them, completely unguarded.

The situation was so perfect it made them uneasy.

“Let’s test it first.”

Ming Nianwei flicked her long sleeve, and a stream of water materialized out of thin air, snaking toward a gleam of light inside the temple.

BOOM…

The ground trembled slightly.

Zhu Ju’s heart leaped into his throat, and his expression changed drastically.

“This is bad!”

In his senses, a terrifying aura erupted from the ground, blotting out the sky and blanketing the entire area.

The power of this aura far surpassed that of anyone he had encountered in recent years.

‘Third Grade?’

‘No!’

‘It might be Second-Grade, or even First Grade!’

‘There’s actually a First-Grade Expert in this Divine Mansion?’

The mountains shook and the earth cracked open as massive roots wove together in midair.

They converged to form a gigantic tree trunk, its wrinkled bark shifting before them to form a human face that was acres wide.

The face was contorted in fury, and its massive mouth opened to roar:

“Thief!”

“Thief!”

“Thie…”

Its roar was like thunder, causing the very stones for a mile around to tremble and countless trees to shatter instantly.

Qian Shiyao, who had just come to, had her eyes roll into the back of her head as she fainted once more.

Zhou Ruxuan and Ming Nianwei’s expressions were grim as they desperately circulated the Qi Blood and Magical Power within their bodies to resist the pressure.

Only Zhu Ju, as if he had noticed something, showed no fear. Instead, he took a step forward.

“The forest has no master, and the deserted temple has no Buddha. Therefore, this can hardly be called stealing.”

He cupped his hands in a salute to the giant face.

“You, on the other hand, deliberately placed these Treasures here. Could it be you meant for them to be bait?”

“…” The giant face blinked its huge eyes.

“You’re not afraid of me?”

“Your Cultivation is profound, and I am impressed,” Zhu Ju said slowly, lowering his hands.

“However, you can’t have possessed intelligence for very long. Your control over your power is too crude. If we were to truly fight, the outcome would be uncertain.”

“Is that so?” A strange smile spread across the giant face. Its eyes flickered, and the Heaven and Earth Primordial Qi for miles around began to gather frantically.

Ming Nianwei and Zhou Ruxuan’s faces paled.

Even if the giant face was truly newly sentient, the power it commanded was simply too terrifying.

Brute force trumps all!

An Invisible Power descended from the heavens, causing the very mountains to slowly sink. The two women coughed up blood on the spot.

Zhu Ju’s expression changed. The Venerable Immortal Bone inside him began to gleam faintly, and a ruthless glint appeared in his eyes.

“Ngh…” As if it had sensed something, the giant face’s movements suddenly froze, and the immense pressure it was exuding came to a halt.

“Forget it.”

It withdrew its oppressive aura and spoke slowly,

“One Soul for one Treasure. That is my rule here. Do you wish to make a trade?”

?

The two women looked on, completely baffled by the sudden turn of events.

“A Soul?”

Zhu Ju stroked his chin.

“You want to use the memories of others to make yourself smarter? An interesting method.”

“…” The giant face’s expression shifted, and it let out a low roar, as if its secret had just been exposed.

“You are very annoying.”

“Newly sentient, just like an infant or a mischievous child.” Ming Nianwei’s lovely eyes twinkled, and she broke into a charming smile.

“So that’s how it is!”

“It is exceedingly rare for a Spirit Wood to gain sentience. Even if one gets the chance, its nascent intelligence is usually scattered. It seems this one’s consciousness was born into this world after Luh Wu’s death.”

Once it gained sentience, it understood the concept of ‘self’.

When a Spirit Wood becomes self-aware, it no longer produces Spirit Fruits. Instead, it uses all its nutrients to strengthen itself.

This is hardly a worthwhile trade for the owner of a Spirit Wood.

“My Lord.”

She turned her head to ask,

“What kind of Spiritual Plant is it?”

“Jianmu,” Zhu Ju said, his voice filled with awe.

“An Ancient Divine Tree, a bridge connecting the Three Realms, linking mortals to gods. I have only ever read about it in ancient texts.”

“Jianmu?” Ming Nianwei frowned.

“Is there really such a Spiritual Plant?”

‘Hmm?’

‘Is there no mention of Jianmu in Li Chengxia’s memories?’

‘Ah…’

‘I almost forgot. The Cultivators of this realm know very little about ancient history. It’s perfectly normal that she wouldn’t know about Jianmu.’

“Girl.”

The ‘Jianmu’ ignored the other two, its gaze falling upon Zhou Ruxuan. It grinned and said,

“I have a relic left behind by your ancestor. Are you willing to make a trade with me?”

As it spoke, ripples spread through the air, and a solid, snow-white staff materialized before them.

No!

It wasn’t a staff, but a spear shaft, missing its head.

Zhou Ruxuan froze. She subconsciously sent her awareness toward the spearhead she was nurturing in her Dantian, and her hands clenched into fists.

She could feel it—the very instant the shaft had appeared, the spearhead inside her body had trembled violently.

The feeling of a long-awaited reunion washed over her.