220: Chapter 220 The Deep Canyon, A Certain Echo

Jiang Changge followed behind him, his gaze sweeping over the orifices of those stone pillars one by one.

Star Web Myriad Phenomena operated quietly; the treasures hidden beneath the stone skin were as clear as patterns on his palm in his perception, laid bare before him.

The few stones Venerable Hantian had selected were indeed quite good; the pale green one contained a wind-attribute stone gall, with a quality of about Heaven Rank Low Grade, making it an excellent choice for refining movement-type Magical Artifacts.

The dark red one contained a fire-attribute stone crystal, with a slightly higher grade, around Heaven Rank Medium Grade, sealing a wisp of extremely pure Southern Bright Li Fire Origin inside.

However, that was all. Although these stone galls and stone crystals were enough to make Tribulation Transcenders scramble for them in the outside world, for Jiang Changge, they really couldn't spark any interest.

Venerable Hantian tucked the dark red stone crystal into his sleeve and looked back at Jiang Changge.

He saw that the Lord of Kunlun was still standing there with his hands behind his back, his gaze sweeping over the stone pillars, but he never reached out to pick up any of the stones.

Venerable Hantian followed his line of sight. Embedded in the orifice of that stone pillar was a fist-sized emerald green stone, its surface warm and smooth like jade, with spiritual light faintly circulating within. Based on his experience, it was at least a Heaven Rank Medium Grade or higher wood-attribute stone gall.

Yet Jiang Changge only took one glance before shifting his gaze away. That look didn't seem like he was appraising a priceless Heaven Rank spiritual material, but rather like he was looking at an ordinary pebble by the side of the road.

Venerable Hantian straightened his back, brushed the sand and dust from his grey robe, and a knowing smile appeared on his face: "Fellow Daoist, is there nothing that catches your eye?"

Without waiting for Jiang Changge to answer, he continued on his own, his tone carrying a hint of a seasoned veteran's sentiment: "That is true. Although these stones are of decent grade, it is extremely difficult to open up treasures of Supreme grade."

"Fellow Daoist, you hold dominion over Kunlun and possess vast assets. You can even casually take out treasures like the life-substitution talisman as a wager; naturally, these ordinary Heaven Rank spiritual materials cannot enter your Dharma Eye."

He bent down to pick up another dusty stone from the sand at his feet, weighed it in his palm, and without caring whether there was anything inside, casually tucked it into his sleeve and continued chattering:

"I am different. Although I have been searching for life-extending treasures all these years, this hobby of stone gambling was formed hundreds of thousands of years ago, and I cannot break it."

"Most of the time, I just pick up a few stones as fate dictates and cut them open casually; whatever comes out depends entirely on fate."

He placed the dusty stone properly in his sleeve and bent down to pick up another one.

"Whatever I open, if it's useful, I keep it for Artifact Refining or Alchemy; if it's useless, I discard it. Sometimes, even when I clearly know a stone contains nothing, I can't help but pick it up to take a look. What if? That 'what if' is where the fun lies."

Jiang Changge said nothing, only wearing a smile.

When this old man was appraising stones for others at the Bafang Pavilion, he appeared unfathomably profound. Who would have thought that in private, his stone gambling relied on nothing more than the two words, "as fate dictates."

However, upon second thought, he felt relieved.

Venerable Hantian had lived through an entire era; what Heaven And Earth Treasure had he not seen? If it weren't for this casual and free-spirited mindset, he would likely have had all his interest ground away by the long passage of time.

The two continued to walk deeper into the stone forest. The further they went, the thicker and taller the stone pillars became, and the sounds emanating from those orifices changed from whispers to low rumblings.

The sand under their feet grew thinner, revealing the hard rocky ground beneath. The aura permeating the air gradually became heavy, as if some ancient behemoth was lurking in the depths of the entire stone forest, slowly awakening as the two approached.

After walking for about the time it takes to burn an incense stick, the stone pillars ahead suddenly retreated to both sides, and their field of vision suddenly opened up.

A massive canyon lay across the deepest part of the stone forest, as if the entire stone forest had been split in two by a giant axe that cleaved the heavens.

The canyon was about a hundred zhang wide, its cliffs on both sides as steep as if cut by a knife. The walls were embedded with stone galls and stone crystals of various sizes, emitting twinkling fluorescent light in the dim darkness, like an inverted galaxy in the night sky.

Below the canyon was an unfathomably deep abyss. Wisps of visible pale golden Qi currents surged upwards from the bottom of the valley, forming a layer of semi-transparent light membrane above the canyon.

That light membrane was extremely thin, yet it exuded an ancient aura that made one's Soul tremble slightly, like a lingering echo left in the world from when heaven and earth were first opened.

Venerable Hantian stopped at the edge of the canyon, his hands behind his back as he gazed at the surging golden light membrane below. His tone rarely carried a hint of solemnity: "There is still a barrier here. Based on my experience, it will take at least two or three more days to dissipate."

He cast his gaze toward the unfathomably deep darkness beneath the light membrane and continued: "Once when I came here, I took advantage of the barrier loosening to go down and explore it."

"But I do not know what is lurking in the depths of this canyon. The aura it radiates makes even me feel alarmed. That aura is extremely ancient and extremely domineering, as if it could suppress the cultivation of all intruders."

"I stayed at the bottom of the valley for less than an hour before I felt my immortal power becoming increasingly stagnant. Even my protective immortal light was almost suppressed and dissipated. I had no choice but to retreat. Since then, every time I come to the Nine-Orifice Stone Forest, I just wander around the periphery and have never gone down again."

Jiang Changge stood at the edge of the canyon, his gaze piercing through that layer of pale golden light membrane, landing on the unfathomably deep darkness below.

His expression remained calm, but in his heart, a significant wave had already been stirred.

From the moment he stepped onto the edge of this canyon, he felt something in his body heating up slightly.

That feeling was an extremely faint, ethereal pull, as if something in the depths of the canyon was silently calling out to him.

That aura faintly resonated with some long-dormant power within him. Every time the Qi currents from the bottom of the valley surged up, that pull grew stronger by a fraction.

"Then we shall wait two days." Jiang Changge withdrew his gaze, his tone as calm as usual. "After the barrier dissipates, I will go down and take a look."

Venerable Hantian turned his head to look at him, opened his mouth as if to say something, but in the end, he just shook his head.

He knew the temper of this Lord of Kunlun; saying words of dissuasion would be in vain.

He said no more, casting his gaze back toward the unexplored corners deep within the stone forest, and the solemnity in his eyes was quickly replaced by a new wave of interest.

He waved at Jiang Changge and turned to walk toward the other side of the canyon, going off to search for those stones that had not yet been discovered.

Jiang Changge found a flat bluestone at the edge of the canyon and sat down cross-legged.

He finally had the chance to check the rewards he had obtained from signing in at the entrance of the stone forest. He probed his Divine Sense into the System panel, and the rows of items clearly presented themselves before his eyes.