Chapter 182 – The Ancient God Tu Si
The grains looked like gold but were not gold. The grains looked like bone but were not bone. However, when Wang Lin was about to pick them up to study, when his soul came into contact with the grains, a powerful force resisted his touch.
This force of resistance pushed Wang Lin’s soul away, preventing him from examining the golden grain. Wang Lin held the grain in his hand and squeezed it. Surprisingly, the grain wasn’t as hard as it looked. It easily flattened under his fingers.
However, no matter how hard Wang Lin pressed the golden particles, they would only become flatter and flatter without breaking. Wang Lin suddenly had an idea. He took all the golden particles and compressed them together to form a golden bean the size of his fingertip.
He pondered for a moment, staring at the golden bean. The longer he stared, the more it reminded him of the bone on the forehead of the king creature from the first experiment. If it was the same, then it must be a living bone.
A bold idea appeared in Wang Lin’s mind. “Could this be the bone of an ancient god?” His heart trembled at the thought.
However, Wang Lin soon gave up on that idea. From what he had heard, the ancient god was extremely large, so its bones would be large as well. Even if it was just a finger bone, it would be comparable to the horn on the forehead of a king creature.
After thinking for a moment, Wang Lin put away the golden bean. He stood up and looked at the barrier ahead, then jumped forward.
He had already thoroughly observed the boundaries between 500 and 300 feet from the mountain peak. Furthermore, with the Ancient Emperor acting as his scout, although he was still cautious, it was much easier than before.
However, at a height of 300 feet, Wang Lin began to move slowly and cautiously. He didn’t want to activate the restrictions and be struck by lightning.
Wang Lin was in no hurry. Time passed slowly, and soon three years had passed.
He achieved these 300 feet over three years, gradually progressing step by step. His ability to overcome these limitations also improved rapidly as he successfully passed each one.
When Wang Lin stood on the mountaintop three years after the Six Desires Demon Sovereign and the Ancient Emperor had arrived, he knew that this was only possible because of the mass activation of the restrictions that had occurred three years prior. All the restrictions nearby had lost their power. Even if he had triggered the restrictions, they wouldn’t have had the power to activate them. If not for this, there would have been no way for him to have reached this far with his current cultivation.
Even so, Wang Lin was only 5 feet from the summit. The clouds began to darken and gather. Lightning could be seen. However, Wang Lin simply stared at them calmly before stepping into the whirlpool.
Wang Lin didn’t slow down. He moved forward step by step, steadily. Since three years ago, he had been wondering what triggered the restriction in the heavens.
He thought back to three years ago, when he had sent a tornado to retrieve the bone. There had been no lightning strike when the tornado had been summoned, but as it retrieved the arm and rushed back, the lightning struck it.
After Wang Lin thought about it and researched it for a while, he realized that the trigger was speed!
If someone exceeds a certain speed or suddenly increases or decreases their speed, they will trigger the restrictions in the sky to attack. The closer to the mountaintop, the more sensitive the attacks.
In other words, if you suddenly accelerate at the foot of a mountain, nothing will happen. If you do so on the mountain, you might trigger some restrictions. Near the top of the mountain, you might trigger restrictions in the sky.
After knowing the trigger for the restriction in the sky, Wang Lin walked with steady steps and entered the whirlpool peacefully.
This second trial took Wang Lin 13 years. However, compared to what he had achieved, that amount of time was nothing.
Over the past 13 years, from the simple to the complex, from the easy to the difficult, he has studied the art of restriction step by step until he finally reached his current level. Even if it takes more time, Wang Lin will not give up.
From his perspective, the goal of the second experiment was not to block intruders, but a systematic way for people to learn boundaries.
Otherwise, just put a barrier like the one at the top of the mountain at the foot of the mountain and no one will be able to climb over it.
Wang Lin was very confused by this matter. However, he had no one to ask.
As Wang Lin entered the whirlpool, something changed. Purple light shot out from the whirlpool, forming a giant ball of purple lightning.
This purple ball of lightning was different from the other balls of lightning in the sky; it was darker and more powerful. The moment this ball of lightning appeared, Wang Lin felt the entire mountain tremble.
From the base of the mountain to the summit, all boundaries began to float upwards toward the summit. Every point of light was a boundary, and countless points of light floated upwards, rising higher and higher.
The countless floating restrictions surprisingly didn’t trigger any restrictions in the sky. When they reached a certain point, they began to gather and form a giant ball of light, reaching the size of a purple lightning ball.
At this point, all the light had disappeared from the mountain. There were no longer any boundaries left on this mountain.
Wang Lin could only stare at what was happening. Ever since the purple lightning ball appeared, his body had been frozen in place by an overwhelming force. He couldn’t move even half a step.
A ball of purple lightning and a ball of light slowly moved toward each other. As they touched, a giant illusion appeared above them.
The illusion grew enormously, taking the form of a giant with its feet directly above two balls of lightning and light. The two balls slowly moved upward until they were where the giant’s eyes should be. From a distance, the giant appeared to have two glowing eyes.
Even though the giant was just an illusion, it gave the feeling of being alive.
“Welcome. You are the fourth person to qualify for the barrier mountain. My name is Tu Si… according to the ancient rules established before my body fell asleep, you meet the requirements for the barrier mountain. You may enter my sea of consciousness and obtain some of my knowledge and memories, but first, you must identify yourself and create a barrier flag with this jade.”
The giant spoke in a world-shaking voice. Then, a piece of jade surrounded by purple lightning appeared and floated toward Wang Lin.
Wang Lin was scared. He took a deep breath.
From the giant’s tone, this must be the avatar of an ancient god. It was clearly the ancient god Tu Si.
The ancient god was too powerful. Just his avatar alone was enough to make Wang Lin feel like he was suffocating. Wang Lin couldn’t even imagine how powerful ancient god Tu Si would be if he were here in person.
At that moment, the jade was in front of Wang Lin. He blinked once and reached out to pick it up. As he picked it up, purple lightning surged through his body before returning to the jade.
Wang Lin felt something click in his mind at that moment. He knew the lightning meant no harm and was a method to identify its owner.
As his mind began to comprehend the information on the restriction flag, his heart couldn’t stop pounding, but at the same time, he laughed bitterly.
This jade doesn’t specify the prohibition flag’s purpose, its material, or any special requirements. It seems the prohibition flag could have been made from anything.
There is only one ingredient he must have, and that is an inkstone!
Information about inkstones also entered his head. Inkstones weren’t produced on any planet. They were produced in the stars.
For the ancient gods, it was very easy to obtain. Just travel a little bit in space and they could find an inkstone.
The information also provides a map of the ancient gods’ sea of consciousness, marking the locations of inkstones. Anyone who gains insight into those locations can obtain them.
Once you have the inkstone, you can begin crafting the border flags. The process is simple, yet incredibly complex. You must carve nine hundred and ninety-nine thousand nine hundred and ninety-nine borders into the flag.
Only then can you create a single restriction flag.
The use of the prohibition flag isn’t mentioned here, but how could a weapon bestowed by an ancient god be weak? And that’s without even considering the precious materials or the arduous production process required to create it.
Wang Lin refused to believe that this treasure was weak. Clearly, the true reward for this trial was the jade and the privilege of being chosen. If the Six Desires Demon Sovereign and the Ancient Emperor had known this, they wouldn’t have rushed forward, but would have slowly progressed by studying the restrictions one by one.
“Besides me, there are three other people who also received this jade…” Wang Lin muttered to himself. He quickly concluded that if he could obtain this jade after comprehending the second trial, would he receive the same reward if he fulfilled the requirements in the first trial?
Wang Lin remembered something he had heard on the endless road. The mysterious man had said casually, “I have conquered the first king!”
Perhaps it was a reward for the first attempt. Wang Lin laughed bitterly. He didn’t have the ability to do the same.
At that moment, the giant’s body began to disappear. The two spheres began to move apart. The spheres of light scattered back into specks of light and fell back onto the mountain. As the specks of light landed, the restrictions were reestablished, and the mountain returned to its original state.
The purple lightning ball flew back into the whirlpool. Then, a suction force came from the whirlpool and slowly pulled Wang Lin towards it. His body slowly sank into the whirlpool.
When Wang Lin emerged from the whirlpool again, he found himself in a place that looked like a fairyland, with a vast, open grassland. The surroundings were filled with spiritual energy.
Not far from there, there was a lake. In the middle of the lake stood a three-story pagoda emitting colorful lights.
As soon as Wang Lin appeared, he sent out his soul to search his surroundings. After a long time, he cautiously stepped forward. He patted his storage bag, and a black poison sword came out and floated around him.
He knew that the Six Desires Demon Sovereign and the Ancient Emperor hated him. Although they had both broken through the whirlpool three years ago, there was still a possibility that they were waiting for him here. If Wang Lin had been forced to go through all that trouble, he would definitely be waiting to kill the culprit.
As Wang Lin walked, he used his Divine Sense to scan the area, but couldn’t find anything. Eventually, he began to ponder about the pagoda.
The pagoda had no restrictions whatsoever. He quickly moved towards it and stopped at the edge of the lake. He slammed his bag shut, and the demon Xu Liguo flew out.
He had been extremely bored lately, so he was overjoyed when he was released. However, when he saw Wang Lin, his expression suddenly froze and turned into one of astonishment.
Wang Lin had changed since Xu Ligou last saw him. This demon’s hair had turned white, and his eyes could pierce through the heart. Xu Ligou glanced at him and was immediately terrified. He groaned inwardly. “How could this demon have gotten so much stronger… If this continues, when will I ever escape from this evil demon’s hands… Even if I fight without regard for my life, it will be in vain.”
Previously, only when Wang Lin fully used his soul power would Xu Ligou feel this. However, now he felt it even though Wang Lin hadn’t used any power. This clearly showed how much Wang Lin’s restriction power had grown in the past 13 years.
Wang Lin pointed his finger at the lake. Xu Ligou wanted to bargain with him, but when he saw Wang Lin’s eyes, he obediently flew towards the lake, secretly cursing Wang Lin.
Xu Ligou cursed in his heart. “Just you wait, once I devour a few more souls, recruit a few more junior brothers, and raise my cultivation a bit, I’ll fight you to the death!” After venting his anger, he felt much better and dove into the lake to begin his search.
Wang Lin used the portion of soul left in Xu Ligou’s body to inspect the lake while his body remained on the shore. After confirming that there was nothing wrong with the lake, he flew toward the pagoda.
As Xu Ligou flew up from the lake, he silently cursed a few times but still exaggerated against his will.
In front of the pagoda, Wang Lin also had Xu Ligou enter first to ensure his safety before he entered. This pagoda had three floors, the first floor had a 9 square grid that was completely empty.
Wang Lin immediately understood this place. This was where the rewards for those who passed the second trial were placed. However, after so many years, all the rewards had been taken. That was why there was only an empty space left.
After Wang Lin walked up to the second floor, he was certain of his guess. There were four empty squares facing north, east, south, and west.
On the third floor, Wang Lin saw a whirlpool which was the exit and another empty box.
Wang Lin wasn’t disappointed at all and pondered for a moment. He remembered the message left by the mysterious man on the road of no return. Although he hadn’t left any message during the second trial, he sensed that he was one of the three people who had previously received the jade.
After a moment of silence, Wang Lin immediately searched the three floors of the pagoda. On the second floor, he saw a familiar message next to empty boxes.
“After seeing the treasure pagoda, besides looking beautiful, I was also very disappointed with this ancient land of the gods.”
This statement was very encouraging. Wang Lin pondered it for a moment and then headed towards the third floor.
On the third floor, he didn’t immediately enter the whirlpool. Wang Lin sat down and restored his spiritual energy to its peak, then he organized his storage bag. Next, he took a deep breath before taking out Xu Ligou and pointing it toward the whirlpool.
Xu Ligou had a sour expression. He cursed repeatedly in his heart, but he still dove into the whirlpool. However, the moment he touched the whirlpool, he screamed as his body began to smoke. He quickly retreated with a terrified expression.
Wang Lin took out a small animal and threw it into the whirlpool. This time, the animal passed through without any obstruction and began to sink into it. Just then, Wang Lin’s connection with the small animal was suddenly severed.
Wang Lin’s face darkened. After pondering for a moment, he thought that the whirlpool must have been the one that caused people like the Six Desires Devil Sovereign to stop and flee in panic, the third barrier.
According to what Duanmu had said earlier, this was the third barrier, which required a renowned death curse technique to pass. Although he hadn’t said much about it, Wang Lin still knew a little.
After this trial, she learned that Xu Ligou was unable to enter the whirlpool. As he approached, his soul was injured. The little animal disappeared upon entering, and its connection with Xu Ligou was severed.
From this observation, Wang Lin concluded that the third test must be extremely dangerous. He pondered it for a moment and finally climbed up near the whirlpool. He slowly extended his hand toward the whirlpool.
A cold feeling immediately came from his hand, however, he didn’t face the same danger as the demon Xu Ligou. Without thinking twice, Wang Lin stepped forward.
When Wang Lin emerged from the whirlpool, he immediately froze. His sea of consciousness churned with massive tidal waves and bright flashes of lightning. For the first time, Wang Lin’s eyes flickered beyond his control.
“This… this is Nirvana!” thought Wang Lin.
In front of him was a vast empty space with several oddly shaped rocks floating around it. At the same time, his soul was constantly fluctuating.
Wang Lin laughed coldly. It could be said that he passed the first test by luck, he passed the second by determination, and as for this third test… Wang Lin had already determined that he would pass this third test with ease.
He slammed his storage bag shut. Xu Ligou and the second demon immediately appeared. The two demons looked around in shock. They slowly regained their senses, and the shock in their eyes was replaced by joy.
Here, the two demons were like fish in water. They felt very comfortable.
After releasing the two demons, Wang Lin scanned his surroundings and suddenly grabbed at the empty space with his right hand. A scream suddenly rang out, and a stream of smoke appeared in that space. The smoke formed the illusion of a two-horned creature. It was a wandering soul.
He hid in the void, hoping to attack Wang Lin, however, he did not expect Wang Lin to pull him out of the void.
The soul immediately panicked. Wang Lin didn’t even glance at it as his Divine Ji test appeared and formed a mouth that swallowed the wandering soul.
Wang Lin closed his eyes. It had been a long time since he felt his soul wander. It felt incredibly good. He could clearly feel his soul growing stronger.
“Wandering souls truly are the best supplement for nourishing the soul. For these wandering souls, the time spent in this trial is invaluable,” Wang Lin said as he charged forward.
The scene of Wang Lin devouring souls terrified Xu Ligou and the second demon. The two demons, especially Xu Ligou, had devoured countless souls. Xu Ligou’s mouth watered, and as he watched Wang Lin devour souls before him, he felt as if someone had stolen his food.
However, Xu Ligou felt that the soul Wang Lin had pulled out was very similar to his own. He even felt like it was his ancestor. He felt a very warm feeling. When Wang Lin held the wandering soul, he thought this demon was recruiting a little brother and was about to approach him.
Unfortunately, the intimacy she felt turned to fear when she saw Wang Lin devouring souls. She had always known she would fight this evil demon to the death, but now she realized that this demon could not only devour souls, but he could even devour her.
As a result, Xu Ligou was extremely scared.
The screams of the wandering souls before being devoured and the intoxicated expression on Wang Lin’s face caused Xu Ligou’s soul to waver. He remembered when he used to bargain with this evil demon. His body trembled in fear.
Previously, he felt that Wang Lin using powerful tools to punish him was the worst thing that could be done to him, however, it was nothing compared to being eaten alive.
Xu Ligou immediately decided not to mess with this evil demon any longer. If he truly angered him one day, he would probably be swallowed in one bite without a trace of himself remaining.
As for the second demon, although he was a beast after following Xu Ligou for so long, he had also gained some intelligence. His heart was also filled with fear.
His intuition was much stronger than Xu Ligou’s. When Wang Lin demonstrated his soul-devouring ability, which was similar to his, he thought Wang Lin was like a king.