Chapter Seven: Ji Yu

  Chen Xiao was immersed in a mysterious feeling.

  He forgot everything around him, forgot where he was, and his eyes only had the trajectory of billions of stars circulating endlessly. These trajectories were long and short, thick and thin, some curved and twisted, some straight as a gun, some bent into an arc, or coiled into a circle, like strokes of different symbols.

  Chen Yu seemed to see an invisible giant hand, with the sky as the talisman paper, with billions of stars as the talisman pen, and with unimaginable talismanic techniques, freely interpreting the mysterious and unpredictable talismanic lines, which were too wonderful to be described.

  He couldn't help but marvel, yet he couldn't find any words to describe it. He wanted to remember the trajectory, but found that those trajectories seemed to have a clue, but had no way to start. So, he no longer entangled himself in this, nor did he care about so many things, but simply went to observe, to appreciate, his mind calm and peaceful, his thoughts clear and ethereal.

  Buzz!

  A faint, strange hum grew from small to large, from low to high, gradually resounding between heaven and earth.

  Billions of stars sprinkled down their clear and cold light, gathering together to form a picture of flowing light. Accompanied by an eerie humming sound, this painting suddenly released endless flowing light, sweeping across the sky and wrapping up all the stars in the heavens back into the picture!

  Whoosh!

  The painting scroll rolled up into a bundle, and then transformed into a streak of clear light at a speed visible to the naked eye, shooting out in the direction where Chen Xiao was standing.

  Chen Xuan's mind suddenly rose with a thread of horror, and he instantly woke up from that state of complete forgetfulness. However, before he could react, his head buzzed loudly, and the next moment, in the sea of recognition, a huge image of an old man with a clear and elegant appearance appeared out of thin air. He was barefoot and wore a hemp robe, with white hair hanging down to his shoulders, sitting cross-legged in mid-air, looking up at the high sky, with eyes as deep and profound as the stars.

  This gigantic image of an old man, with nothing ancient or strange about it from head to toe, yet somehow emits a faintly desolate and solemn atmosphere that involuntarily draws in one's entire spirit.

  What happened? Who is this old man?

  Chen Xiao looked at the scene in front of him with surprise, and quickly thought to himself, "I was just observing the trajectory of the stars' movement, how could such a change occur without any reason or cause within my mind?"

  "After many years, I finally waited for an apprentice who can inherit the master's mantle, haha!"

  A thick, hoarse voice suddenly exploded in his ears, and Chen Xiao's whole body trembled. He couldn't help but stop thinking about anything else, and he abruptly opened his eyes. When he saw the scenery around him clearly, he was shocked again.

  The starry night sky was gone, and on the endless tender green grassland, a majestic and vast river suddenly appeared. The waves were rolling, the water splashed everywhere, and the long river stretched forward, with no end in sight. In the middle of the great river, there stood a solitary and steep mountain peak that pierced the clouds, its entire body dark and devoid of any vegetation.

  Suddenly, a monster with a single horn on its forehead emerged from the great river. It had the body of a lion and the head of a dragon, with four hooves as thick as pillars, and its feet trod on clouds. Its entire body was covered in dense, black scales, but its eyes were clear and piercing, exuding an air of profound wisdom that seemed to see through all things.

  Qilin... Qilin?

  Seeing this monster, feeling the terrifying aura emanating from its body, Chen Tai involuntarily took a breath of cool air, his heart pounding rapidly.

  He had only seen descriptions of Qilin in books, which said that Qilin was one of the most famous divine beasts in ancient times, born with the ability to control the five elements, wise and spiritual. Even in the ancient times when gods and demons roamed freely, few people dared to provoke Qilin, and its terrifying power could be seen at a glance.

  At this moment, a monster similar to Qilin suddenly appeared in front of him. Even though Chen Tai's temperament had been tempered to be as hard as a rock, he still felt an inexplicable tension.

  "Don't be frightened, I am the spirit of the cave, my master gave me the name Ji Yu, for over a hundred million years, I have been helping my master to guard the cave." The hoarse and husky voice sounded again, but this time it came from the mouth of that Qilin-like monster.

  It was originally called Jiyu, Chen Tang slightly relaxed his breath, and suddenly realized that the strange creature in front of him had been alive for millions of years. Wouldn't that mean that this cave also existed for over a million years?

  "Junior Chen Xiao, having met his senior, dares to ask: is this really the place where that ancient evil deity cultivated?" Chen Xiao asked respectfully, not daring to be rude even if the other party was a monster.

  "Not bad, indeed it is the place where my master cultivates." Ji Yu walked forward, looked Chen Xiao up and down, and said in surprise: "Pre-heavenly realm? Your strength is so poor, how can you possibly obtain the true transmission of the master?"

  "What is the true meaning of inheritance?"

  Ji Yu ignored him and sank into deep thought for a long time before suddenly speaking up: "Little doll, are you a Qi-refining cultivator who entered the Dao through talismans?"

  Can you enter the Tao? Chen Ting was bewildered and shook his head: "I only know how to make some basic talismans."

  Ji Yu, however, looked as if he had suddenly gained enlightenment and sighed: "Indeed, the master was originally a cultivator who entered the path by deducing the heavenly mechanism. Choosing you to inherit his mantle is also reasonable."

  Chen Yao became increasingly puzzled and couldn't help but ask: "Senior, what's going on? When did I inherit the mantle?"

  Ji Yu's eyes stared at Chen Tai strangely and said, "In your sea of consciousness, there is a true body imprint left by my master. Don't you know?"

  Chen Xiao suddenly remembered the image of an old man with a rustic and vast aura in his mind, and couldn't help but ask: "Is that old gentleman your master?"

  Ji Yu was taken aback, shaking his head and sighing: "It seems you really don't know anything."

  Chen Xuan's heart was filled with reverence as he respectfully said: "I still hope that senior can inform me."

  Ji Yu remained silent for a long time before speaking in a calm tone, "A million years ago, my master left behind a rule that only those who obtain his true body seal during the trial of the Starry Sky Secret Realm would be qualified to inherit his legacy. And you, are the only one who has achieved this in all these years. In other words, you already possess the qualifications to become Master's disciple."

  Chen Xiao was stunned, the vast expanse of stars he had just seen was probably the Starry Sky Secret Realm. But this could be considered a test? He had only observed the trajectory of the star's circulation for a while and obtained the true body imprint of the cave master, wasn't it a bit too simple?

  Seemingly seeing through Chen Suo's thoughts, Ji Yu coldly snorted: "Do you know how many powerful beings have wanted to obtain my master's true body seal over the past million years?"

  "I can accurately tell you that there are exactly six thousand nine hundred and eighty-three people! Among these people, there are Nirvana powerhouses, True Immortals of the Netherworld, Earthly Immortals who have survived the apocalypse, and even a few peerless powerhouses among the Feathered Sky Immortals! The lowest level of cultivation is at the Two-Pole Golden Elixir realm. Now, do you still think it's simple?"

  Without waiting for Chen Xu to speak, Ji Yu raised his head proudly and said coldly: "If it weren't for you using the heart of Xuan Dao to comprehend the secrets of the Star Picking Realm, and your comprehension wasn't correct, I'm afraid you would have been strangled to death by Zhou Tian Xing Yu long ago!"

  Chen Xiao was shocked and exclaimed: "Was he strangled to death by Zhou Tianxingyu?"

  Ji Yu nodded and said, "Not bad. The Starry Sky Secret Realm is unparalleled in its mysteriousness, encompassing all things. If one cannot escape from the Starry Sky Secret Realm within an hour, they will surely be buried inside, their soul scattered."

  At this point, Ji Yu said with a hint of emotion: "Those who can enter the cave are all extraordinary masters of their time, but even so, more than half of them fell in the Starry Sky Secret Realm, and only a handful of people successfully walked out. These people, like you, gained some enlightenment from the master's teachings in the Starry Sky Secret Realm, but unfortunately, before your appearance, no one was able to obtain the true body imprint left by the master, and naturally, they were not qualified to become the master's disciples."

  Chen Xiao wondered: "What about these people? Would they be willing to leave willingly?"

  "Of course, they are not resigned to their fate. The Taoist truth they gained from the Starry Sky Secret Realm was enough for them to study and benefit from for a lifetime, but some of them still refused to awaken, seeking to obtain the master's inheritance. They forcibly ascended the Trial Heaven Peak, only to end up with their bodies and spirits destroyed."

  Here is the translation:

  "Speaking of which, Ji Yu faced the great river and pointed to the solitary mountain peak in the center of the river, saying: "That's the Trial Sky Peak, divided into 18 layers of trials. Only by passing through all the trial grounds can one obtain the master's complete legacy. Those who forcibly climbed the Trial Sky Peak mostly died in the first three trial grounds. The most formidable was an unparalleled sword immortal from 100,000 years ago, whose cultivation had reached the pinnacle of the sword path, but he only made it to the 13th trial ground before falling."

  Chen Ting heard a thrilling sensation, gazing at the majestic mountain peak in the center of the great river, and couldn't help but ask: "Then if I want to obtain the complete inheritance, do I also have to go through the eighteen trials of the Heavenly Peak?"

  "That's natural, but you're different from them. You've already obtained the true mark of the master, and in the trial grounds leading to Tianfeng, you'll only get hurt, not be in danger of losing your life." Ji Yu replied casually.

  Chen Xiao secretly let out a sigh of relief, but he couldn't help but worry. Even that unparalleled Sword Immortal had lost his life at the thirteenth level of cultivation, so with his own First Heaven Three Realms cultivation, he was probably not even capable of passing the first level of cultivation.

  Ji Yu reminded: "Although there is no worry about life, I still advise you not to rush through the pass now. Your cultivation is after all too poor, and it's even the worst I've seen in my lifetime. It's not a joke to you, in ancient times, guys like you were only slightly stronger than newborn babies."

  Only slightly better than an infant?

  Chen Xuan's heart was not convinced, but thinking that the person in front of him was a monster who had lived for over a million years, he could only bury his discontent deep in his heart and asked: "Senior, when can I pass through the first trial ground of Tianfeng?"

  Ji Yu was taken aback and asked in confusion: "Tell me, why are you so eager to rush through the pass?"

  "I want to become stronger, avenge Grandfather, avenge the Chen family, and also become a heavenly immortal so I can reunite with my mother!"

  Ji Yu's expression turned distant, and after a moment of contemplation, he spoke slowly: "Now that I have obtained the true body imprint of my master, as long as nothing unexpected happens, one day I will definitely be able to fulfill my wishes. However, your body is extremely weak, and your cultivation is also pitifully low. Wanting to cultivate to the Heavenly Immortal realm, it's likely to take a very long time."

  Chen Ting's eyes were firm and calm as she said, "No matter how difficult it is, I will never give up, nor will I ever abandon!"

  Ji Yu's eyes, which had experienced the vicissitudes of life, flashed with a hint of appreciation, and he immediately raised his head to gaze at the sky, saying proudly: "You are the only one in a hundred million years to have obtained the true body imprint left by the master. As long as you cultivate diligently, not to mention avenging yourself or achieving immortality, even if you go further, it is a matter of course. Think back to when the master controlled the Great Way and walked on..."

  The sound stopped abruptly, and Ji Yu seemed to realize something, closing his mouth without a word.

  Chen Xiao didn't notice any of this, he was only pondering the true body imprint left behind by the master of the cave in the sea of consciousness, wondering what kind of mystery it held and how it could help him become stronger.

  Also, where in the cave is the River Chart Map placed as said by Mother?