C18 Exquisite Pagoda
The Barbarian God's face lit up with delight.
He nodded vigorously in agreement.
"Excellent plan. We'll closely monitor the Demon Emperor's every move. When he lays siege to Newcliff, that will be our moment—the Wildlings will seize the opportunity to benefit!"
Meanwhile, Soong Lin, deep within the Vrabouton imperial mausoleum, wasn't burdened with such thoughts.
He was engrossed in mastering the Evil-Dispelling Swordsmanship.
The technique, as detailed in the Little Sunflower Treasure Bible, emphasized not just the breakdown of sword moves but also their application in real combat.
"Without being tested and refined a thousand times over, the Evil-Dispelling Swordsmanship remains rudimentary at best. It's only through the crucible of actual combat that a sword technique can truly be considered great."
Soong Lin let out a soft sigh.
His gaze grew distant.
The mausoleum was shrouded in silence, save for the occasional caw of a drowsy crow. It was so quiet that not even a ghostly shadow could be seen.
The idea of perfecting the Evil-Dispelling Swordsmanship in the Vrabouton imperial mausoleum seemed as fanciful as a madman's dream.
Just then, a dragon's roar unexpectedly echoed in Soong Lin's ears.
The bitterness on his face dissolved away.
"Below this imperial mausoleum lies the Golden Dragon of Fortune, a symbol of the Vrabouton Empire's destiny. The empire's founder must have had a profound purpose for placing such a significant relic here. Perhaps it's worth delving deeper into the secrets of this mausoleum."
Soong Lin was elated.
With that, he stowed his cultivation technique and exited the secret chamber.
When he emerged, he found himself within the mausoleum's expanse.
The setting sun cast a twilight glow, and the towering ancient trees shrouded the imperial mausoleum in a veil of darkness akin to nightfall.
Soong Lin's spiritual awareness unfurled silently, bringing every detail of the vast imperial mausoleum into his view.
From the outside, the Vrabouton imperial mausoleum appeared no different from any other tomb.
But as Soong Lin's senses delved beneath the surface, he made an astonishing discovery.
Beneath the imperial mausoleum of Vrabouton, there lay not only a Golden Dragon of Fortune but also an ethereal nine-tiered pagoda.
At times, the pagoda shimmered with fleeting light, and at others, it was shrouded in eerie fog.
It was bizarre, to say the least!
"Could it be? There truly is something beneath the imperial mausoleum!"
Soong Lin was inwardly astounded.
Had his cultivation not advanced to the early stages of the Nascent Infant, and had he not intentionally probed the depths of the Vrabouton imperial mausoleum with his psychic force today,
he might have remained oblivious to the multitude of secrets lurking below.
Mid-thought, Soong Lin acted on impulse and stealthily descended into the mausoleum.
He discovered an underground plaza, dwarfing the Vrabouton imperial mausoleum in size.
Above the plaza hovered a protective formation, a hallmark of the royal lineage.
It was fortunate that Soong Lin was of the Vrabouton Royal Family's bloodline; otherwise, gaining entry might have required some extra maneuvering.
A roar echoed!
The Vrabouton Empire's Golden Dragon of Fortune soared above the plaza, its powerful and majestic cries reverberating in the air.
In mere moments, Soong Lin's eardrums thrummed with the sound.
"Enough, be still!"
With a wave of his hand, Soong Lin silenced the dragons, which then lay down and regarded him with curiosity.
But Soong Lin paid the dragons no mind, his attention swiftly drawn to the nine-tiered pagoda at the plaza's heart.
The pagoda's exterior was adorned with peculiar paintings.
From the base upward, the first layer was entirely comprised of malevolent spirits, their faces twisted in grotesque expressions of malice.
Though lifeless, the sight sent a shiver down Soong Lin's spine.
Especially daunting was the central spirit clutching a massive pearl, radiating an aura of formidable power.
A single glance was enough to send Soong Lin's heart racing uncontrollably.
"What a mystery! What could these paintings on the nine-tiered pagoda possibly signify?"
Soong Lin pondered, a sense of foreboding stirring within him.
Upon inspecting the nine-tiered pagoda and finding nothing amiss, Soong Lin shifted his attention downward. To his surprise, the second layer depicted robust warriors capable of toppling mountains and damming a tumultuous river. "Warriors? In a world of cultivators, warriors seem out of place. Could they be body-refining cultivators from the Wildlings?" This thought led to a sudden epiphany for Soong Lin.
His eyes roved over the pagoda, quickly discerning a pattern. The first layer bore the mark of the Ghost Clan, the second of the Wildlings, the third of the Evilkind, the fourth of the Divine Clan, and the fifth of the Nightbreed. The sixth layer, still visible before him, was shrouded in a ghostly mist that cast an enigmatic, hypnotic spell. The images Soong Lin had glimpsed vanished before he could fully process them. After several failed attempts, he came to a realization. "Perhaps my cultivation level is too low to perceive the upper layers. I should first decipher the meaning behind each layer's symbols," he mused, furrowing his brow.
With caution, Soong Lin scrutinized the nine-tiered pagoda before him. Despite the presence of ghost fog, it appeared as inert as any non-magical object when examined closely. "What's happening here?" he wondered, his curiosity piqued.
He continued his meticulous observation for a full hour, yet his efforts bore no fruit. As he was about to depart, a crisp crack echoed from the pagoda. The first layer, which depicted a ghastly spirit, suddenly blazed with a dazzling light. The image then sprang to life, whirling rapidly. The nearby Golden Dragon of Fortune, once tranquil, now seethed with fury. It bellowed and charged at the pagoda.
Soong Lin's heart raced with alarm. He discreetly readied his Skybreaker sword, bracing for the unexpected. But as quickly as it had begun, the commotion subsided with the dragon's roar, and the illuminated image on the first layer vanished, leaving only a small blood reservoir before Soong Lin's eyes.
"Does this thing require a drop of blood to identify its master?"
Soong Lin mumbled to himself.
As a drop of life blood swiftly fell into the blood reservoir, a jarring crackle echoed once more from within the nine-tiered pagoda.
In no time, a blinding flash of golden light burst forth, illuminating the entire space as bright as day.
On the pagoda, a row of striking golden characters swiftly emerged:
"The Exquisite Pagoda, awe-inspiring through the ages, seals the four quarters."
The twelve simple words exuded an indescribable air of dominance.
Especially when combined with the terrifying and potent aura emanating from the pagoda, it was truly without equal.
In that instant, Soong Lin's heart felt as though it was about to leap out of his chest.
"Is this actually the Exquisite Pagoda? But what purpose does it serve?"
Soong Lin was baffled.
He quietly extended his psychic force, delving into a thorough examination.
Whoosh!
Suddenly, his psychic force was wholly drawn into the first layer of the Exquisite Pagoda.
At that moment, Soong Lin realized his psychic force had entered a seemingly boundless space.
Despite his utmost effort, he couldn't sense any boundaries with his psychic force.
"This can't just be a small space. It looks like there's an entire universe within the Exquisite Pagoda!"
Soong Lin was elated.
He steadied his breath and focused, meticulously exploring the Exquisite Pagoda.
Unbeknownst to him, as he had dripped a drop of life blood and activated the Exquisite Pagoda, far away on an immortal mountain thousands of miles from the Vrabouton Empire, a white-haired elder's expression shifted dramatically.
"Has someone truly opened the Exquisite Pagoda? Are they seeking to provoke a war across the realms? This issue affects every race in our world. Once initiated, our world will face irreversible catastrophe. We must investigate this thoroughly!"
