PDLP Chapter 29: The Four-Word Mantra
Chapter 29: The Four-Word Mantra
A gust of wind swept by.
The thick fog gradually thinned.
Through the moonlight, one could see countless bones scattered at the bottom of the dark abyss.
There are people, and there are also ferocious beasts.
Some of the skeletons had clothes that had weathered away, while others were still in good condition, indicating that the dead had not been dead for long.
call!
A gust of wind swept by.
A vulture swooped down and pounced on a recently deceased adventurer.
Suddenly, the black mist on the ground churned, and several branches suddenly emerged, wrapping around the corpse and dragging it directly into the ground where it disappeared.
The vulture that was swooping down was startled and immediately stopped. It flapped its wings in the air, preparing to fly away from the area.
call out!
However, a branch flashed and pierced through the vulture, dragging it into the ground.
……
Deep in the abyss.
There is a long river here, with scattered rocks in the middle.
There is another stone wall ahead.
The stone wall is broken, but you can still vaguely see dozens of ancient characters on it.
A misty fog hung over the riverbank, and suddenly a figure moved about.
However, Wei Wuji, carrying Qin Zhixue, moved swiftly, swept across the long river, and landed on a giant stone platform in front of him.
After landing on the giant stone platform, Wei Wuji looked at the stone wall in front of him, a look of reminiscence in his eyes.
A figure flashed behind them; it was Wei Zhan who, with a few leaps, also rushed over and landed beside Wei Wuji.
Wei Zhan stared blankly at the stone wall in front of him, lost in thought.
Qin Zhixue also looked at the stone wall in front of her.
However, one can see that the stone wall is broken and cone-shaped, standing on the riverbank.
Many ancient characters are faintly engraved on it.
Unfortunately, most of those ancient characters are broken or weathered.
Only a few words are intact.
"Third Grand Uncle, what are we doing here?" Wei Zhan asked, puzzled.
"This is where I once attained enlightenment and entered the Grandmaster realm!" Wei Wuji stared ahead, lost in thought.
Over the past twenty years, he has also come to the "Black Abyss" many times in search of opportunities.
Sixteen years ago, he stumbled upon this place by chance.
When Wei Wuji first saw this stone wall, he was filled with curiosity. As he looked at those words, his mind was suddenly drawn into another space...
"Is this where Third Grandmaster attained enlightenment?" Upon hearing this, Wei Zhan's gaze sharpened as he looked towards the stone wall in front of him.
"These characters don't seem to be from a modern script!"
Wei Zhan whispered, "I can't understand a single word on it."
Upon closer inspection, the characters appear to be individual words, which are visible but whose meaning is unclear.
"This character can only be understood through heartfelt perception..." Wei Wuji said.
"Try to understand it with your heart..." Wei Zhan murmured, but he still couldn't see anything special about it.
hum!
Just then, Qin Zhixue's gaze swept across a few words in front of her.
One of the characters emitted a burst of golden light, like celestial radiance dispelling the mist.
The next instant, golden light shone on Qin Zhixue's brow.
She felt a sudden stirring in her mind, as if she had been led into another world.
A grand voice echoed endlessly in her mind.
"Attain utmost emptiness, hold fast to stillness; all things arise and flourish, and I observe their return..."
"Where am I?" Qin Zhixue wondered in surprise. She found herself under a vast and boundless starry sky.
The fourteen words echoed in her ears like the truth, never ceasing.
Upon closer inspection, she realized that she was actually an illusory body.
She reached out to touch herself, but it was as if she were passing through a shadow; she couldn't feel anything.
Yet she could see that her body was clearly there, and that her consciousness and senses were still present.
"Attain utmost emptiness, hold fast to stillness; all things arise and flourish, and I observe their return..."
That ethereal and otherworldly voice, as clear as the Great Dao, continued to resound.
In addition, the fourteen characters flickered, transforming into a mark of the Dao, and imprinted themselves on Qin Zhixue's brow.
Outside the stone wall.
Wei Zhan saw that the fourteen well-preserved ancient characters on the stone wall in front of him shone with golden light, turning into golden characters that flew out from the stone wall.
One after another, they directly entered Qin Zhixue's soul sea between her eyebrows.
The golden characters flew in, accompanied by a tremendous force, causing Wei Zhan's body to tremble and retreat repeatedly.
"This is..." Wei Wuji's eyes flashed, and he looked at Qin Zhixue with surprise.
The golden characters flew in, and the aura they exuded was so powerful that even he felt his heart tremble and his body retreated repeatedly.
Clearly, he did not have such an opportunity back then.
call!
The fourteen characters flashed by in an instant.
Qin Zhixue closed her eyes, her body enveloped in golden light, and unconsciously sat cross-legged on the ground, as if comprehending the Dao.
"This girl has obtained a great opportunity!" Wei Wuji's gaze sharpened, and a look of jealousy welled up in his heart as he looked at Qin Zhixue.
"How could this be?" Wei Zhan stared blankly at Qin Zhixue, then looked at the stone wall in front of him.
His face was full of bitterness.
The girl in front of them was originally a hostage, captured and brought here, but unexpectedly she gained an opportunity.
But when he looked at the stone wall, it didn't cause the slightest ripple. This made Wei Zhan feel extremely ridiculous.
"Don't rush, calm your mind and contemplate it, and you may gain something!" Wei Wuji said to Wei Zhan.
As he spoke, he sat cross-legged on the ground, focusing his mind on sensing the stone wall in front of him.
In an instant, Wei Wuji's mind was as if he had entered a starry sky. He closed his eyes and concentrated, feeling a sense of harmony with the heavens.
As he breathed, a faint light was drawn to him from the vicinity and merged into his body.
This is the unity of man and nature.
Sixteen years ago, Wei Wuji began to touch upon this realm.
Unfortunately, he never comprehended any more profound Taoist principles after that.
"Yes!" Wei Zhan nodded and sat down cross-legged, wanting to comprehend the profound meaning of the incantation on the stone wall.
No matter how carefully he observed them, those ancient characters did not stir even the slightest ripple.
However, Wei Wuji's damaged meridians began to heal little by little under the nourishment of the spiritual energy he drew in.
……
At this moment, outside the 'Black Abyss'.
Three major forces converged in a valley.
Qin Shisan and his men jumped off the carriage.
Yang Jiuli and Yang Xuan had already landed.
Because of the danger of the 'Black Abyss', Yang Jiuli did not bring his sword attendant Li Molan this time.
Warriors at the Knight-Errant level will only become a burden when they enter the 'Black Abyss'.
Therefore, all those who came this time were experts at or above the Master Realm.
"Brother Yang, nephew!" Qin Shisan immediately walked towards Yang Xuan and Yang Jiuli as soon as he landed.
He was both excited and apprehensive at this moment.
Yang Xuan and Yang Jiuli returned the greeting.
"All the tasks instructed by my nephew have been completed!" As he spoke, Qin Shisan looked at the carriage behind him, which was emanating a chilling aura.
Along the way, he instructed the people of Mingjian Manor to prepare ice blocks to ensure the cold persisted.
"I'm sorry to trouble you, Uncle!" Yang Jiuli said.
"There's no time to lose, please go and confirm it, my dear nephew!" Qin Shisan waved his hand, then gestured for him to proceed.
"Of course!" Yang Jiuli nodded, and then he walked toward the convoy of Mingjian Manor.
Yang Xuan stayed behind with his own racing team.
After all, his ancestor was traveling with him, so he dared not be careless and had to keep a close watch on him at all times to prevent any mishaps.
Yang Jiuli and Qin Shisan headed to the carriage at Mingjian Manor that was emanating a chilling aura.
Beside the carriage, squads of guards from the Famous Sword Manor had already pitched tents, enclosing the carriage inside.
"Dad, what's going on with Uncle Qin? He's acting all mysterious." From behind, Tang Yifan looked ahead with a suspicious expression.