Of course, no matter how bitter his heart was, Fang Zhengzhi knew that he had to face the reality. He had to be the first to enter the Ninth Heaven, so as to win.
Was it really possible?
Fang Zhengzhi clearly remembered that Chi Guyan had once told them that there was only one person to ever enter the Ninth Heaven.
Was he able to be the second one to do so?
Fang Zhengzhi felt that such a possibility was indeed ridiculous. However, he did not have a second choice, and there was only one road in front of him.
How could he tolerate being a lowly servant, he had to be the master!
He did not think for much longer.
Only calmness.
Fang Zhengzhi tried his best to calm himself down, as he looked at the suspending picture once again. However, he was unable to maintain such a status for long.
Because he was unable to calm himself down.
"What is the meaning of this?" Fang Zhengzhi looked at the gigantic picture, feeling bewildered.
Afterall, he was able to recognise the drawing, as it was a living thing which everyone could recognise.
A dragon!
A dragon which was tumbling around in the horizon!
With its golden scales, its fiery eyes, sharp claws, as well as its long beard and ruthless fangs, it seemed as though the entire picture was moving.
Needless to say, it was a spectacular sight.
However, Fang Zhengzhi did not understand why the picture in the Seventh Heaven contained a dragon.
To have a dragon here…..
What was the meaning?
Should it not be a fish instead? Or even an immobile salted fish?
Fang Zhengzhi felt like asking out loud, where was the Illustration of All Creation? Where were the different Daos? To have a dragon here, what exactly was the meaning?
He seemed to have finally understood the phrase "the greatest truths are the simplest".
The simpler something was, the more difficult it would be for him to understand it. Of course, he understood why Chi Guyan had spent such a long time in the Seventh Heaven.
It was because such a picture of a dragon was far too common, since it could be seen in any of the Empire's palaces.
It was because of its prevalence that let him to not understand the situation.
…..
While Fang Zhengzhi was pondering about the golden dragon on the drawing, the atmosphere outside the Divine Rain Pond changed once again.
"The Eighth Heaven?!"
"Senior Chi Guyan has entered the Eighth Heaven!"
"She is one step ahead of Fang Zhengzhi, that's good. At last she won!"
"Yeah, she finally managed to be one step ahead!"
The Heaven Dao Pavilion disciples were all euphoric, as afterall, in their hearts, entering the Eighth Heaven was the equivalent of winning the competition.
As for the Ninth Heaven…..
That was just merely a thought.
In the history of the Heaven Dao Pavilion, there was only one person who managed to do so. As such, how could there be another miracle?
Even if it was Chi Guyan, the possibility of entering the Ninth Heaven was extremely small.
Hence, how was Fang Zhengzhi able to do it then?
As long as Fang Zhengzhi and Chi Guyan were stuck in the Eighth Heaven, the victor would then be the one who had first entered the Eighth Heaven, which was Chi Guyan.
Cheers erupted outside the Divine Rain Pond, reverberating across the horizon.
And the Sixth Elder let out a sigh of relief at this moment, as the shock and anxiety on his face slowly disappeared upon the arrival of the news.
"Not easy, it was so close!" Sixth Elder gazed at the horizon, feeling a little awkward.
At this moment, he felt a little fortunate.
If he had not made some tweaks…..
The outcome may have been different.
Sixth Elder wiped the sweat off his forehead, "This punk Fang Zhengzhi is indeed a monster. What a pity, he does not have a long life. If not, with his talents, he could have been a terrifying existence….."
…..
At the Heaven Dao Pavilion, in the forest beneath the Sword Peak.
Yan Xiu was still sitting beside the river, his hands slowly flipping the old journal. He seemed to be very concentrated. A small breeze blew against his costume.
At this moment, something flew past in the air. It was not large, and it was very common.
However, just when it flew past a black figure, the black figure disappeared from sight.
Next, the black figure reappeared on a tree branch, and the bird could no longer be seen in the air. Instead, a small bamboo pole was left in the hand of the black figure.
It opened, revealing a set of yellow paper sheets.
There were a set of words written in black ink: Chi Guyan has entered the Eighth Heaven, the competition is about the end, please get ready.
Next, with just a slight snap of the black figure's fingers, the yellow paper strip morphed into powder form, dissipating into the wind.
Next, the black figure looked towards the riverside, where Yan Xiu was at. He continued to remain in his position.
…..
Inside the vast and endless Holy Region, there was a place which resembled a fantasy wonderland. It was springtime throughout the whole period of the year, and the flowers were always blossoming.
In the colourful wilderness, a clear river stream flowed down from the top of the mountain, morphing into a large dragon-like waterfall.
Underneath the waterfall was a lake, which seemed to be bottomless.
Along the lakeside, there were dozens of damsels clothed in long colourful dresses, each of whom looked delicate and pretty.
In the middle of the wilderness, they were like angels who had just descended from heaven.
And among them, there was a particular lady, dressed in bright red colour, as the corner of her skirt floated on the water, leaving residues on top of it.
It could be seen that the lake water was indeed abnormal.
However, the lady bared her foot as she stood by the lakeside, and her actions did not seem to be inappropriate. She did not emit any noise.
She merely raised her head, looking up at the floating clouds in the horizon. Her eyes were crystal clear, and they seemed to be filled with hope.
"Ping Yang, have you finished your duties today?" Another lady asked her from behind.
This led the lady to shudder slightly, and her face turned pale.
However, she did not respond, and she merely bit her pink lips as she shook her head lightly.
"Since you are already here, you should learn to bear hardships. Don't say that I did not remind you, you should know what kind of place this is. If it was according to my temperament, I….." As the lady spoke, she frowned her eyebrows, as if she had thought of something. She continued momentarily after, "So what if you're capable? If you refuse to complete your duties resulting in the delay of ours, don't think of eating dinner tonight!"
"I'm doing them now!" Upon hearing these words, Ping Yang did not wait for the lady to complete her sentence, as she leapt up and jumped into the bottomless chilling lake.
The cold water splashed up.
And landed on the lady's body. She involuntarily let out a loud shriek.
"Aiyo, it's freezing me!" She shouted as she tried to avoid the water. Next she stared at the ripples on the lake, "Hmph, you didn't even greet us, you think every one of us is the same as you? Capable…..so what if you're capable? You only know how to harvest the 'Ice Frost Crystal' from the cold lake. Those that don't know you, will really think that you're a princess!"
After scolding out loud, the lady moved aside and found a place to sit down, as she begun sorting the harvested fruits in her basket.
After a few moments, movements appeared on the surface of the cold lake again.
Next, a figure, who was covered in frost, leapt out from the cold lake. Her face seemed a little pale.
"Came out already? Why did you harvest only one 'Ice Frost Crystal'? You have to harvest five of them today!" The lady saw that Ping Yang was holding only one ice crystal, and she was a little unsatisfied.
"Ok…..I understand." Ping Yang's lips trembled slightly, as it started turning from the colour of pink into shades of green and purple. She was trying her best not to let her voice quiver.
"Good that you know, you have to harvest five Ice Frost Crystals before sunset. This is Lady Cang Yue's order, nobody can defy!"
"If I manage to harvest five of them, can I be the one to deliver the Ice Frost Crystal to the Ling Yun Tower?"
"No, anybody can deliver them. But, only you are not allowed to step into the Ling Yun Tower. This is Lady Cang Yue's order too, nobody can defy!"
"But….."
"There are no buts, these are rules! Since you're here, do not think about anything else already. You should know what this place is? After committing mistakes, you should accept the punishment!"
"I won't leave this place, at least for now. I still have three more months. After three months…..he will definitely come and find me. I cannot leave this place!" Ping Yang shook her head, as she looked at the horizon once again.
The soaked dress wrapped around her body, outlining Ping Yang's exquisite body. Drops of frost dripped down from her body, emitting subtle sounds upon landing on the ground.
"You are starting to daydream again…..I don't know what you're thinking about for the whole day? Leaving? Even if you wish to leave this place it is impossible for you? Everyday you're mumbling things about someone coming here to pick you up…..don't you know that this is Ling Yun Tower's 'Ice Prison'?" The lady's vision turned towards Ping Yang's naked feet, and the silver chains around her ankles.
And at this moment…..
A purple figure landed from the horizon. Just like a falling leave, it landed by the lakeside quietly without making any noise.
"Lady Cang Yue!" The lady and the surrounding figures immediately kneeled on the ground upon the sight of the purple figure.
"Alright, you guys can back down." Cang Yue waved her hands towards the lady and the kneeling personnel.
"Yes!" They started backing down, and as they were doing so, the lady looked at Ping Yang once again.
As for Ping Yang…..
She stood by the lakeside without moving, her crystal eyes not revealing any surprise or astonishment. It was as if she had yet to see Cang Yue.
Cang Yue's expression did not change much, as she quietly waited for the ladies to back away before slowly finding a place to sit down.
"Are you really going to continue waiting?" After a few moments, Cang Yue finally opened her mouth.
"Yes." Ping Yang nodded her head without any hesitation.
"If he is dead?" Cang Yue seemed to ignore Ping Yang's response, and proceeded to ask her question.
"Impossible!" Ping Yang's expression change suddenly, but her eyes were still as stubborn as ever.
"You think I'm lying to you?" Cang Yue continued.
Ping Yang did not reply, and she merely stood at her original position. She bit her lips tightly without making any sound, as the frost on her dress continued to drip down on the ground.
"I can give you another choice!" Cang Yue opened her mouth once again after waiting for a moment. "One, you can continue waiting in this Ice Prison, or two, you can follow my orders and make a death vow, that from now onwards you will forget your previous identity. You will forget about your relationship with my Ling Yun Tower, and even if you're dead, there will be no existence of Ping Yang this person. You will change your name, and I will bring you into the Ling Yun Tower!"
"I want to continue waiting!" Ping Yang shook her head.
"Ping Yang, even if Fang Zhengzhi is not dead, do you really think that he can bring you out of this Ice Prison? Stop dreaming, only I can bring you out of here!" Cang Yue's vision suddenly turned sharp.
"He is not dead, I believe he is definitely not dead. And I believe he definitely can bring me out of the Ice Prison. I want to use Ping Yang's identity to enter the Ling Yun Tower, and not using another name!" Ping Yang looked towards Cang Yue, as her crystal eyes revealed a sense of unbending stubbornness.
"Hehe….." A smile appeared on Cang Yue's lips. Next, she shook her head lightly, "Don't mind me telling you this. Even though he's indeed still alive, but he has offended the Nine Pinnacles Mountain and the Yin Yang Hall. He is a dead person. Furthermore, he has already lost the blessing of the Heaven Dao Pavilion. Is it worth to wait for such a person?"
"Worth!" Ping Yang answered once again.
"Why must you use Ping Yang's identity to enter the Ling Yun Tower? To be honest, previously I wanted you dead. But now you're completely different, just one Demon Pill have changed your fate. This is something that I have never expected. You can change your name and receive a new identity, and live your previous life, why is that not good?" Cang Yue did not seem to understand.
"After I change my name and my identity, can he still recognise me?" Ping Yang refuted.
"Of course not, even if he were to recognise you, you definitely cannot admit to him, because you have already made the death vow, that you're no longer Ping Yang from today onwards!" Cang Yue shook her head.
"But, I still wish to continue to be Ping Yang." She gazed at the horizon, and merely looked at the clouds in the horizon, as if she was thinking about something.
"Since you wish to do so, why not let's make a bet?" Upon hearing this, Cang Yue's expression had a slight change in her tone.
"Continue." Ping Yang looked at Cang Yue once again.
"Let's bet, if within three months, Fang Zhengzhi is still not able to save you from the Ice Prison, then you'll lose. You have to follow my orders to make the death vow, and change your name and identity, and I'll bring you into the Ling Yun Tower. But from then onwards, there is no longer Ping Yang this person's existence!" Cang Yue replied.
"If you lose?" Ping Yang refuted again.
"Hmph, it is impossible that I lose, because if he really dared to come over, I will kill him the moment he stepped into the Ling Yun Tower!" Cang Yue let out a cold laugh before continuing. "Of course, if I were to really lose this bet, you are free to do whatever you want!"
"Okay, I want you to carry a set of thorns on your back, and kneel in front of the Flame Capital City for three days and three nights. This is to redeem yourself for what you have said towards my father and the people of the Flame Capital City that day!" Ping Yang smiled with confidence.
"You're clearly daydreaming. If you win me, I am willing to kneel for 10 days and 10 nights!" Upon finishing her sentence, Cang Yue morphed into a ray of light and rushed up into the horizon, instantly disappearing in the air.
And Ping Yang quietly looked at the disappearing Cang Yue, as her confident expression continued to remain unbending. Her crystal eyes continued to shimmer lustrously.
"Pu Tong!" A sound could be heard.
Pin Yang's body leapt into the cold lake once again, resembling a red fish, causing ripples along the way.
….
At this moment, in the Seventh Heaven.
Fang Zhengzhi stared intently at the suspending picture above him, as he looked at the golden dragon, with his eyebrows frowning tightly.
He still could not figure it out.
One dragon…..
In the picture of the Seventh Heaven, what did this mean? This did not make sense at all. Could it be that this place was different from what he had envisioned?
The Illustration of All Creation should be a fluctuating picture right? But one dragon? What was happening? This was the upper three Heavens of the Nine Heavens, should there not be problems and questionnaires of the respective concepts?
What is this joke?
Could it be that his reasoning was wrong?
But, no it wasn't!
Chi Guyan was able to solve the picture in the Seventh Heaven after hearing his reminder. If Chi Guyan was able to solve it, why wasn't he able to solve it, since he was the one who reminded her?
Dragon…..
What exactly did it mean?
Fang Zhengzhi stared at the golden dragon intently, observing its every action and movement. To say that he was not anxious at all would be completely wrong.
Afterall, Chi Guyan had already entered the Eighth Heaven.
Once Chi Guyan was able to enter the next Heaven, he would then really become a servant of lowly status.