Chapter 437: Chapter 155 Abnormal Movements of the Heavenly Dharma
The looming gatehouse had no inscriptions on it, and the area behind it vastly differed from any other structures seen before.
Ying Zhao stopped in front of the gatehouse, slightly bowed her head, and said, "Beyond this point lies an area I cannot enter, Lord Witch Di, please forgive Ying Zhao for not accompanying you further."
Jiang Li, however, had already taken a step through the gatehouse.
The difference of a single step was like a different world, with Ying Zhao’s figure vanishing outside the gate, along with the persistent Divine Senses that had been lingering around it, completely disappearing.
A subtle sensation acted upon him—it was the same feeling as when he first stepped into Wushan.
Another threshold—Even Ying Zhao was not permitted to enter.
’Ying Zhao, guardian of the Heavenly Emperor’s Garden...’ Jiang Li looked back, wondering, ’Does that mean, the area ahead is the garden?’
Along the way, the residences and palaces he saw were probably inhabited by members of the Devil God Sect who had entered Wushan, with Ying Zhao seeming to be the person in charge.
This entire area, perhaps even the whole Devil God Sect, seemed like a backyard in the eyes of the Great Venerable, with the followers being exotic beasts he raised.
If that was the case, then beyond the gatehouse should symbolize the Heavenly Palace.
Jiang Li and Gongsun Yuanxi walked across the plaza, taking in each hall and building around them, yet finding no trace of people.
A vast expanse with layers of palaces lay desolate, devoid of human presence, with solitude hiding behind the ancient simplicity.
Furthermore, as Jiang Li observed, many buildings appeared residential, yet showed no signs of life.
"This place resembles the ancestral land of the Feng family..." Gongsun Yuanxi murmured softly, "But the Feng family’s ancestral land has long since been gone, and it’s not in Liangzhou Province."
"Was the clan annihilated?" Jiang Li asked.
Only the Jiang family and the Ji family were known to the world and remained in living memory, with no mention of the Feng family. Coupled with the previous reactions from the Ji family members, the fate of the Feng family was quite clear.
Gongsun Yuanxi’s reply confirmed the speculation.
"The first artificially created Demonic Attribute Dao Fruit came from the Feng family," Gongsun Yuanxi said somberly, "Using the Demon Refining Pot as a vessel, and members of the Demon Clan as ingredients, the remnants of the Demon Clan that had survived the End of Dharma were utterly extinguished, with the leading Three Clans suffering heavy losses, especially the Feng family."
"After that, follows a series of shady, clichéd tales—just like the old stories of the Jiang family."
Clichéd is synonymous with common, as history is often repetitive.
Without further words, Jiang Li could imagine the decline of a family as it approached its twilight.
It surely was a long and torturous process, so prolonged that traces were gradually erased, so agonizing that the inevitable demise was inescapable, leaving one to only watch helplessly as twilight approached.
Yet, what neither of the witnessing clans had anticipated was that the Feng family had not truly disappeared but had continued in a manner undisclosed to others. Then, nearly two hundred years ago, the descendants of the Feng family, once demon exterminators, established the Devil God Sect.
"The Heavenly Palace in the eyes of the Great Venerable is the ancestral land of the Feng family? That is indeed an unexpected answer," Jiang Li whispered.
A desolate "Heavenly Palace," completely uninhabited, indeed made one sigh with indescribable emotion.
He and Gongsun Yuanxi went on their way, encountering not a soul despite being in the very heart of the Devil God Sect’s core territory—an unexpectedly danger-free journey.
It might be possible that the dangers lay outside, and had not appeared due to Jiang Li’s uniqueness.
He walked to the end of the palace complex, where a solemn ancient hall emerged before his eyes, behind which lay a sea of clouds with dimly visible mountain peaks. The closest was the mountain coiled by the Red Dragon.
Perhaps it was because he was nearing the Candle Dragon Dharma Form, or possibly due to the unique aura of this place, Jiang Li felt the temperature around him rising. His blood qi became restless, with Red Patterns faintly emerging, and the Divine Farmer’s appearance showed signs of manifesting.
Hanging above the hall’s door was a plaque reading "Taihao Hall," the doors wide open, revealing the pillars inside.
A faint scent of decay entered his nose acupoint, signifying the ancientness of this temple.
According to Gongsun Yuanxi’s words, this place was supposed to be a replica made by the Great Venerable, but this smell seemed to indicate a different reality.
Inside the hall, there was no divine statue as Jiang Li had expected, but rather more primitive and ancient objects of worship—a wall painting.
At the end of the hall stood a thick stone wall, engraved with a simple yet clear mural. A male and female with the heads of humans and the bodies of snakes stood side by side. Their left hands grasped their right hands while the other hands were raised above their heads. Their snake tails entangled like mating serpents. Star symbols were etched with dots and lines to their sides, and above their heads were the sun and moon.
Simplistic, primitive, and... heavy.
The mural bore ancient traces, conveying an immensely ancient aura that was... overwhelming.
"Uh—"
Jiang Li suddenly grunted, the burning sensation within him deepening. His blood qi grew restless, Red Patterns appearing on his skin, and talismans started appearing in his orifices.
"Heavenly Dharma!" Jiang Li gritted his teeth, trying to suppress the turmoil within. "The Heavenly Dharma is out of control!"
He had thought it was his physical body exhibiting abnormalities, but to his surprise, it was the Heavenly Dharma cultivated from the Yin Talisman Scripture that was acting abnormally.
He had always been cautious with this cultivation technique, maintaining it within a controllable range so as not to progress too fast and potentially attract Heaven’s assimilation. Although he believed he could handle assimilation, being careful was usually best.
Yet, despite such caution, an anomaly had still occurred.
Seeing this, Gongsun Yuanxi immediately moved in front of Jiang Li, pressed her hand against his chest, pumping in an overwhelming qi, attempting to take him out of the hall.
It was too coincidental for such a disturbance to occur just now—there had to be some form of Ghost at play.
However, before she could move Jiang Li, the True Qi she injected into him began to lose control as well.
The doors of the hall suddenly closed, blocking out the daylight, while the mural lit up with a strange light. The entwined male and female figures seemed to come to life. In the raised hand of the serpent-bodied woman, a pot-shaped pattern shifted from two dimensions to three, detaching from the wall.
With the materialization of this pot-shaped pattern, the Qi Mechanism inside Jiang Li grew more agitated. The talismans of the Heavenly Dharma manifested in his orifices and then migrated throughout his body, causing abnormalities to appear on his skin.
Scales formed on his palms, the flesh of his legs moved unnaturally, and a peculiar sensation of throbbing emerged within his heart.
Simultaneously, patterns similar to the mural appeared on all four sides of the hall, with each star symbol lighting up, spreading from the walls to the floor, covering it with countless symbols that resembled a sky full of stars.
"The Heavenly Dharma is altering Jiang Li’s Physical Body; his legs started merging, fusing, and scales appeared on his lower limbs."
Karma Collection refreshed with text, bringing Jiang Li’s awareness to the changes in his body.
Then, his legs came together, transforming into a serpentine tail.