Chapter 2015: Holy Land Scenery
At that moment, a group of people walked over from nearby. All of them were incredibly impressive. They were cultivators from Donghua Academy, and every one of them was a top figure.
The man at their head seemed to be about 40 or 50 years old and had the air of a grandmaster. He looked at those around him, then smiled and said, “I would never have thought that I would have the chance to see so many young heroes from all the continents of the Donghua Domain come here. I am Liu Qingzhu, and I welcome you.”
“So you are Liu Qingzhu. Greetings.” Li Changsheng and the others bowed. Many of them had heard the name Liu Qingzhu, as he was one of the great figures of the Donghua Domain. It was said that he had cultivated to the top of the Renhuang plane and was probably only a step away from breaking free of the bonds of the Great Path. His understanding of the Great Path was profound. He was the most important figure at Donghua Academy.
“The Academy is a Holy Land, so there is no need for me to entertain all of you, but why don’t we take a walk around the Academy?” said Liu Qingzhu with a smile.
Everyone nodded, saying, “We have great admiration for the fame of the Donghua Academy, so we came to visit. It would be perfect if we could take a walk around and see the scenery.”
“Very good. I will be your guide today. Please follow me,” said Liu Qingzhu, suddenly turning and walking away. When they came in front of the ancient temple that soared into the sky, he said, “This is Donghua Pavilion, which I’m sure you already knew. It is a library with many scrolls inside. Many of them were written under the orders of the Great Emperor many years ago and are classics. However, we do not show them to the outside world. I hope you understand.”
Everyone nodded. They were not disciples of Donghua Academy, and thus they could not enter Donghua Pavilion.
“However, there are many other wonderful places here at the Academy where you may go. I will take you to see them,” continued Liu Qingzhu, and he turned and walked in another direction. All the cultivators followed him. At some point, Ling He came up beside Qin Qing and said, “The academy is truly all-encompassing. There are many hidden treasures here. Other than a few restricted areas, we are free to go anywhere.”
Qin Qing nodded. “Donghua Academy is the foremost Holy Land for cultivation in the Donghua Domain. The conditions for cultivation are perfect here, which has made many people envious. No wonder people say that most of the people of the Domain Chief’s Manor in the Donghua Domain came out of Donghua Academy.”
The Domain Chief’s Manor had a very close relationship with Donghua Academy. Many of the cultivators who came out of the Academy joined the Domain Chief’s Manor and became members. This was equivalent to serving the Emperor himself, giving you a chance to reach a high level.
If this had been earlier, Ling He naturally would have bragged a little, but now he had no grounds on which to do so. After all, even though he was a cultivator of Donghua Academy, he had been badly beaten by Ye Futian. If the other cultivators of Ling Xiao Palace had not intervened, things would probably have been even worse for him.
The group soared through the sky above the Academy. There were floating islands in the vast space all around. Liu Qingzhu introduced them to the group, saying, “These floating islands are where the elders of the Academy go to cultivate, as well as many of the disciples of the Academy. However, it is challenging for a student to claim one of these islands for their cultivation spot. They can only do so after passing a tough test. There are vast matrices on the islands that make them both good for cultivation and difficult to attack. Since these matrices cover them, one’s divine consciousness cannot invade them.”
Everyone nodded. This was an unparalleled atmosphere for cultivation. Could one person really occupy an entire island by themselves and use it for their cultivation?
However, this was something that only the most powerful of figures could hope to do. Ordinary disciples would never get that chance.
They passed through that area and came to another area with ancient mountain peaks arranged in a ring. There was a vast distance between the peaks, which was filled with a vast matrix and a tall terrace. People were sparring there on the terrace.
“This is the Path Seeking Stage of the Academy. Students come here from time to time to spar, and sometimes we hold ceremonies here,” continued Liu Qingzhu. Everyone began thinking about this.
With so many heroic figures gathered together, how could they not think of sparring with each other?
“Look over there,” said Liu Qingzhu, pointing. Between two relatively close peaks, there was an incomparably huge ancient mirror, clear and silent. If one did not look at it carefully, it would be easy to overlook its very existence.
“The Divine Mirror of Heavenly Wheels. It can determine how strong one’s Wheel of the Great Path is, and it looks at everyone. In the world of cultivation, there are only two types of Wheels—perfect and imperfect. One cannot divide perfect Wheels into levels, but are some still stronger than others?” Liu Qingzhu said, seemingly speaking to himself. “Of course some are. Everyone’s Wheels of the Great Path have different amounts of strength, and the gaps between some are actually quite large. However, since they are perfect, this is impossible to see once one can only faintly sense it as there is no concrete display. But here, the Divine Mirror of Heavenly Wheels can distinguish the strength of Wheels of the Great Path. It is a valuable treasure. I am not sure where it came from, but if one unleashes their Wheel of the Great Path before it, the mirror will activate. A divine halo will appear within it. According to our best guesses, the mirror has nine wheels of light. However, no one has ever made it display all of them, so this is only a guess. Some people say this guess is wrong, and it is absolutely impossible to make that many rings of light appear.”
His words made everyone feel rather excited. Many people wanted to go and try it out.
“What is the most amount of light rings that has ever appeared?” someone asked. Everyone looked at Liu Qingzhu. They had obviously all been wanting to know the answer to that question, and so they looked at him curiously.
“Six rings,” said Liu Qingzhu with a smile. “Because of this, many people think that nine is impossible and that six is perhaps the maximum number of rings for a Divine Wheel, or maybe seven.”
“Was it the Vice Chief?” asked Jiang Yueli.
“Yes,” said Liu Qingzhu with a nod. This was not a secret. All the cultivators of the Academy had been tested.
Jiang Yueli looked over at the mirror. And not only her. Most of them wanted to go and try. They wanted to see how many rings of light their Divine Wheel could produce.
“It seems you are all thinking the same thing, but you must first take some time to prepare your minds. Moreover, if your Divine Wheel is not perfect, there will be no response from the Divine Mirror of Heavenly Wheels,” Liu Qingzhu reminded them. Many people hesitated, but among them, there were those with perfect Divine Wheels, like Ling He, Qin Qing, Yan Dongyang, and others. But they were only mid-level Renhuangs.
“Let us first go visit other places. You have all come from afar, so you should enjoy the Academy’s scenery. Let us return and then decide where you want to go back to,” said Liu Qingzhu, smiling. He was doing his best to be a good host. After all, these guests had come from far away.
Everyone appreciated this, and so they followed him into the depths of the Academy.
This place could not be seen from the outside. It was mysterious and unpredictable. It was a vast area that stretched for thousands of miles. It could even have been said to be a great city, but it was just a fact that Donghua Academy occupied a huge area.
“What is this place? It is so beautiful!” said Qin Qing, looking down at the place. That place was like a sea of flowers as countless brilliant buds bloomed. There were pavilions and terraces surrounded by flowers, as well as rock gardens and lakes. It was like a land of celestials among the world of mortals.
“This is a place where the elders of the Academy cultivate,” said Ling He. Not everyone was cultivating on the floating islands up above. There were many elders of the Academy here as well.
Qin Qing looked down. What kind of people would be cultivating in a place as beautiful as this?
Not all of the top figures of Donghua Academy were familiar to outsiders. Many of them reside within, quiet and unassuming, just cultivating at the Academy.
Within the sea of flowers in front of one of the pavilions, Qin Qing could see a group of figures. They were a little different than she had imagined. There was an old woman there with white hair and a weathered face. But she stood straight. She was incredibly calm. It was as if she existed in a place outside the world.
“There are many elders purifying themselves in this area. We will not disturb them,” said Liu Qingzhu. Everyone nodded and continued forward. Before long, they saw another peculiar structure. It seemed to be a celestial palace made of glass, perfect and beautiful.
Going forward, the sky between the ancient peaks was filled with marvelous sword will. They saw a black-robed figure sitting on a cliff meditating with his eyes closed. He was on a sword peak.
Ye Futian’s heart was filled with wonder as he went along. It seemed that any of the heroes of Donghua Academy would be considered a top figure in the world outside. This place truly completely overshadowed Wangshen Watchtower.
“Brother, do outsiders truly not know about these people?” he asked Li Changsheng telepathically.
“Of of them do, and some of them don’t. But if you think about it carefully, there is nothing strange about this. Before Donghuang the Great conquered the Divine Prefecture, during the time of chaos, there were already countless heroes. Many of those ancients are still around, but where are they? Naturally, they went all over. Donghua Academy is a holy land, so having many of this kind of people here is only natural,” Li Changsheng said to Ye Futian.
Ye Futian nodded. If people of the Renhuang did not die in battle, they would live as long as the sun and moon. These old people had clearly lived long lives.
After all, this place was not the Original Realm. The Divine Prefecture was vast: within its infinite reaches, who could count how many cultivators there were?
At that point, they came to a barren. It was a dark area, with not a single sound. All was quiet. The ground itself was black, and ash filled wind swept up into the sky, carrying its silent aura with it.
Everyone felt most uncomfortable. A terrible storm appeared before them. There was an incomparably huge, ancient black bell within the storm. As they drew near the bell, many people trembled in their hearts.
“It’s so terrifying!” Everyone looked up at it. The horrible storm reached up into the clouds. The whole area seemed like a world that had faced the apocalypse.
“This is the God Burying Bell,” Liu Qingzhu told them. “Here, you can cultivate and temper your spiritual willpower while cultivating the Great Path of Death and the power of sonic waves. When the bell rings out, every living thing in a thousand-mile circle that cannot block it will be shattered and destroyed. This is a precious artifact, but it has not rung for a very long time. I hope it will never ring again.”
Everyone knew what he meant. If a time ever came when they had to ring the bell, it would mean that Donghua Academy was facing a grave disaster. That was the only reason they would use it. At that time, it would be impossible to guess how many people would die. That was why he had said he hoped it would never ring again!