Chapter 1001: Chapter 574: I Will Take Your Place (Triple Release 3-in-1)

Chen Yi nearly searched three feet deep on this barren mountain, but still did not find any trace of the Wushan Goddess.

There were clues that held some value, though not very significant, just a few incomplete murals, broken artifacts, chaotic inscriptions, with an ancient and peculiar style, and that’s all.

From beginning to end, what he was best at was fighting and killing, and with the Tai Sha Sword in hand, capable of devouring Divinity, any number of Divine beings would fall under one sword. But without a trace of the Wushan Goddess, it was hard to pick a fight.

Walking amidst these ruins, Chen Yi slightly emptied his mind, trying to search places he might have missed before. He walked down the mountain path where tilted stone columns stood embraced by grass under the dim sky; abandoned to the point where even spider webs had disappeared. As he returned to the original ferry, looking back, the mountain peaks rising from the sea of clouds, with the outlines of halls connecting skyward, roughly imagined its past splendor and magnificence.

The sea of clouds rolled from the mountainside, as the breeze gently blew, standing in this desolate place, every plant told a story of the past, vaguely outlining the long-lost scenery of the Immortal Palace.

Immortal Mountain pavilions, lakes and mountains.

Phoenix Pavilion and Dragon Tower touched the sky, jade trees and pearls adorned as smoke and flowers, when have they known of swords and halberds?

A deep and profound silence filled the surroundings, suddenly, Chen Yi stood still, from his drifting thoughts perceived something, once more he gazed around, as his thoughts sank, the unending desolation pressed into his eyes.

Hallucination?

Or was his imagination too vivid?

Chen Yi squinted his eyes, suddenly struck by a fancy thought,

Could it be that the Wushan Goddess was beside him, just invisible to him?

Chen Yi pondered, trying to draw his sword and slash the air.

The sword cut through and withdrew, in an instant the Sword Intent enveloped the world, he hopped and pounced, stabbing several times, all striking the void without the slightest hindrance.

Taiyi squatted by the rockery, looking up to see the lakes and mountains between, Chen Yi danced with the female crown, sometimes landing towards the jade building, sometimes towards Phoenix Pavilion, finally touching upon the lake surface, like a dragonfly skimming the water, causing water flowers to splash, the female crown tugged her Daoist robe giggling, amidst their frolic, carefree and joyous.

Her expression became more desolate, she couldn’t help wondering, why wasn’t it herself beside him...

In Chen Yi’s view, fierce winds arose, sands and stones flying, but once the sword stopped, everything remained silent, after a long time without any real performance, he could only desist regretfully.

Sheathed the sword, Chen Yi indeed found nothing, sinking his questions into the Heart Lake,

"Really not a single new discovery?"

"Kid, I’m inseparably linked to you, what you see is what I see, where’s the discovery in that?"

"...How about you perform a divination?" 𝒇𝒓𝒆𝒆𝙬𝒆𝒃𝓷𝒐𝓿𝙚𝙡.𝒄𝓸𝒎

On that end, quiet for a moment, seemingly hesitating, pondering.

"...The cost is too great, this old bone can’t withstand many more of such attempts," the Old Saintess slowly said, "Search a bit more, let’s talk if really necessary."

Chen Yi was unaware of the specific cost but knew that the Divine Sect’s divination technique demanded extremely high requirements and limitations, it was not to be done unless absolutely necessary, no wonder the Old Saintess hesitated.

"The monk can run, but not the temple, that Wushan Goddess must be somewhere."

After hearing this, Chen Yi wandered and looked around, unknowingly as time passed, the dim sky seemed slightly brighter, the scenery appeared to show a minute change.

As if a stroke of insight, with a feeling in his heart, Chen Yi quickly leaped towards the peak, arriving at the crystal clear water, looking down.

Amidst the sparkling waves, at the bottom depth of the lake, a cave covered by algae appeared, Chen Yi observed closely for a good while before confirming it wasn’t a hallucination.

In Taiyi’s view, looking up, she saw Yin Weiyin and Chen Yi chatting and laughing as they arrived by Mirror Lake, the lake water mirrored their faces, he stared entranced at Yin Weiyin in the water.

Even jumping in to catch...

So immature.

But he often had such immature moments... she couldn’t help but think, even his immaturity was so forthright, without the slightest concealment.

Yet Yin Weiyin could hold back without becoming too moved, how she managed was unknown, worthy of being the Taichua Goddess, truly, no one matched her restraint from love’s entanglements.

Taiyi sighed lightly, why wasn’t she the Taichua Goddess?

...After a while, she had a strange feeling, as if she was the Taichua Goddess... no, she wasn’t, she was Taiyi.

On the other side, Chen Yi leapt into the water, within a few strides pierced through the water curtain to step into the cave, unexpectedly the cave was not submerged, the lake water was somehow kept apart by an invisible force, a stark division like the Shuilian Cave.

Lighting the flint, venturing further inside, Chen Yi saw a different outline vaguely emerge in the depths.

The cave was not deep, a glance reached the end, where an ancient zither stood tall.

Behind the zither were murals, also a screen.

Chen Yi frowned slightly, rather than a chamber hiding the truth, it seemed more a place of ordinary leisurely elegance, as if a famous hermit adorned his cave abode in graceful simplicity, to manifest an atmosphere of ’no errant notes to vex the ear, no official documents to tire the mind’.

Approaching the murals, the lines were intricately refined yet not overly complex, with a few strokes outlined the story’s charm: The Daughter of the Heavenly Emperor died young before marriage, transforming after death into a Lingzhi on the mountain, becoming the Wushan God, commanding clouds and rain.

Lingzhi, Lingzhi, a parasitic plant it is.

Beside the murals, there was an inscription in obscure, puzzling language, Chen Yi observed for a long time and couldn’t make full sense, muttering:

"What’s written on this...?"

"This is... an essay, a self-narrative by the Wushan Goddess, describing her transformation from Lingzhi, parasitizing between heaven and earth, rooting atop Wushan, Lingzhi is not a solitary organism, parasitic upon others. Supposedly, it should be a despicable thing, yet Lingzhi has great medicinal value, even mystical qualities, so beings covet Lingzhi, not just caring about its parasitism, but also allegorically in poetry for promoting talents."