Chapter 227: Hidden Truth of the Formation
Chapter 227: Hidden Truth of the Formation
Tushan Qiqi’s words made sense.
Right now, he truly was Xiao Shou.
He took a deep breath and continued, "At first, I thought the disaster here was caused by that evil cultivator practicing some evil technique or refining a demonic artifact. But after coming back and investigating, it seems there may be another hidden truth. So I want to uncover it and find out what really happened to this land."
"Master, come with me."
Fu Young was briefly stunned after hearing this, but instead of trying to comfort him, he took Xiao Shou’s hand and flew through the air to the highest peak nearby.
He then pointing at the summit and said, "Based on my deductions, this should be the core of the formation. Even if the formation has already been abandoned, examining the core should still reveal some clues. Do you want to open it and take a look?"
"Mm." Xiao Shou nodded.
He wanted to know the truth here.
He no longer wanted to blindly believe what was written in stories.
The so called conclusion that the protagonist would pacify the cultivation world after the demonic chaos and ascend to the Spirit Realm now felt meaningless to him.
Seeing Xiao Shou nod, Fu Young immediately released his hand and formed a series of hand seals.
A magnetic light instantly enveloped the entire mountain peak.
Under its influence, the mountain peak rose into the air, revealing what lay beneath.
The two of them saw that at the very center of the intricate and mysterious patterns formed by depleted spirit stones, there stood two flowers about half a meter tall.
One was pitch black.
The other was deathly pale.
Both gave off an eerie and unsettling feeling and their auras were extremely unpleasant.
Seeing this, Xiao Shou was about to fly over to examine them more closely.
But Fu Young quickly reached out and grabbed him. "Master, do not go over. These two flowers give me a very bad feeling."
"But only by examining them can we understand their purpose and how they relate to the formation," Xiao Shou said.
Then suddenly, his expression changed. "Ah, I almost forgot about something."
As he spoke, he summoned the Void-Time Calyx, which was most suitable for testing danger.
He infused it with temporal energy and focused his mind on the scenario of himself going over to inspect the two flowers.
Fu Young watched from the side as the Void-Time Calyx began to glow, showing the future after Xiao Shou approached them.
At first, there was no problem when he touched the flowers.
But the moment he opened their lids, a surge of black energy and a surge of pale white energy shot into both him and Fu Young.
Almost at the same time, the sky filled with dense tribulation clouds and thunder roared violently.
The lightning that was far more powerful than any tribulation they had ever faced struck down relentlessly at both of them.
After being engulfed by the lightning for a full quarter of an hour, Xiao Shou could no longer endure it and ended the prediction.
The master and disciple looked at each other in silence.
For the first time, Fu Young spoke with a hint of uncertainty. "These two flowers seem to be the legendary Cycle of Cause and End Relics, the only items that was capable of containing karmic sins."
"Cycle of Cause and End Relics? I have never heard of them. They are not mentioned in any of the records like the Compendium of Heavenly Treasures, Cultivation Anecdotes, or Miscellaneous Chronicles," Xiao Shou said, frowning in confusion.
Even in the novel Longevity Love, where Xiao Ran ascended to the divine realm, there had been no mention of such an item.
Not wanting to tell his master that this knowledge came from the inheritance he gained after awakening his bloodline ability, Fu Young simply said, "I came across it by chance. It is said that the Cycle of Cause and End Relics are legendary innate spirit treasures, born from the Cyclebind Rootvine. Once plucked, they become spirit treasures. The white flower holds causes and karmic debts, while the black flower holds results and sins."
He paused briefly before continuing, "In ancient times, cultivators did not cultivate virtue. Those who slaughtered recklessly and acted ruthlessly accumulated immense karma and sin. They would sever their own karmic burdens and seal them within the Cycle of Cause and End Relics. Then they would undergo heavenly tribulation and ascend as immortals."
"Is that not completely backwards?"
Even without all the details, Xiao Shou could already imagine what kind of existence the Cycle of Cause and End Relics were.
He said in disbelief, "Is this not deceiving the Heavenly Dao? Would immortals who ascend like this really be fine?"
"That is why immortals of ancient times were sometimes even more terrifying than demons," Fu Young replied. "Later, perhaps the Heavenly Dao noticed this, and the Cyclebind Rootvine gradually went extinct."
He paused, then frowned slightly. "No, it is not extinct. If it were, these Cycle of Cause and End Relics would not appear here."
After saying that, he looked thoughtfully at the formation below.
"Ah, I cannot make sense of this at all. What exactly is going on here?"
Xiao Shou felt overwhelmed.
Xiao Ran, Xiao Ran’s mother, the evil cultivators, the Golden Core cultivators from the Heavenly Void Sect who came to eliminate them, the massive abandoned formation around Bottle Gourd Mountain, and now the Cycle of Cause and End Relics beneath the peak.
Everything was tangled together like a chaotic mess, leaving him dizzy and unable to sort it out.
However, Fu Young, whose mind was exceptionally sharp, pondered for a moment before speaking. "Master, I think I have a rough idea about the function of this formation and what happened in your village."
"Really? What is going on?" Xiao Shou looked at him expectantly.
He knew his disciple well.
Fu Young never spoke without basis.
If he said this, then he was already mostly certain.