225: Chapter 225 Heavenly Mirror Hermit, Eight Gates Golden Light Mirror!

Chapter 224: Immortal Tianjing, eight-gate golden light mirror!

A moment later, Lu Qiu arrived at the barren mountain mentioned in the intelligence.

This mountain was located about fifty li due east of the deserted island; from a distance, it looked no different from the other hills on the island.

It was a greyish-yellow color, devoid of vegetation, its surface covered in gullies and cracks formed by weathering, reflecting a piercing glare under the sunlight like a piece of rotten bone gnawed by time.

The mountain was massive, spanning several li in circumference and reaching several hundred zhang in height, resembling a giant beast crouching on the ground, silently overlooking the surrounding waters.

No clues could be seen upon its body—no spiritual light, no fluctuations of a Restriction—it was identical to the ordinary barren mountains nearby.

Had the intelligence not explicitly pointed it out, Lu Qiu would not have given it a second glance.

But Lu Qiu knew that the intelligence System would not make a mistake.

If he guessed correctly, the ancient Cultivator's Immortal Cave was inside this mountain.

He hovered before the mountain, his Divine Sense extending like an invisible net, enveloping the entire mountain.

That Divine Sense was strong enough to penetrate dozens of zhang of rock, reaching deep into the heart of the mountain.

He could clearly "see" every crack, every cavity, and every piece of Ore inside the mountain.

A moment later, he sensed a powerful Restriction deep within the mountain, like an invisible barrier, isolating his Divine Sense.

That Restriction was extremely ancient, its flowing runes emitting an aura of ancient desolation, as if telling of thousands of years of time.

The complexity of those runes was far beyond any contemporary Formation.

An ordinary Cultivator, even if they discovered this Restriction, would be helpless.

The strength of that Restriction was such that it would require at least a Cultivator proficient in the Dao of Formations to attempt to break it, and even then, one couldn't hope to succeed without three to five years.

With Lu Qiu's attainment in Formations, he could actually attempt to break the Formation.

Over the years, although he couldn't keep up with Xin Ruyin, that genius of the Dao of Formations, he could still be considered proficient in Formations.

But Lu Qiu had a more direct method.

With a thought, the chixiao thunder fire pearl flew out from his Dantian!

The bead was a crimson-purple color, with lightning and fire intertwined on its surface, emitting a terrifying pressure.

It hovered in front of Lu Qiu, rotating slowly, the surrounding air scorched into distortion, making a "sizzling" sound.

Lightning flashed and flames leaped, as if it were a miniature sun.

"Go!"

Lu Qiu gave a low shout.

The chixiao thunder fire pearl turned into a crimson-purple streak of light, crashing into the mountain with a boom!

"Boom—!!!"

A massive explosion occurred, the earth shaking and the mountain trembling. Shattered rocks flew everywhere like cannonballs, and dust filled the air, blotting out the sun.

The hard rock was like tofu before the power of lightning and fire, a large hole several zhang wide being forcibly blasted open.

The rock at the edge of the entrance was scorched red by the lightning and fire, emitting green smoke and a pungent odor.

The entire mountain trembled slightly as if mourning. Several sea birds nesting on the island were startled into flight, letting out terrified cries as they circled in the sky.

Lu Qiu retracted the chixiao thunder fire pearl and flew into the newly blasted tunnel.

The tunnel was winding and twisting, the rock walls on both sides scorched black by lightning and fire, with occasional sparks flying. He followed the tunnel all the way down and soon reached the depths of the mountain.

Ahead, a pale golden light shield blocked the path.

The light shield was faint and flickering, its surface flowing with runes, emitting an ancient and mysterious aura.

Those runes were layered and interconnected, forming an extremely complex pattern, dense like a spiderweb.

The Restriction was so strong that even a Nascent Soul Stage Cultivator would find it difficult to break through by force.

Lu Qiu tried to touch it with his Divine Sense and immediately felt a powerful rebound force, causing his Sea of Consciousness to vibrate slightly.

Lu Qiu stopped and carefully observed the Restriction before him.

Pale golden light flowed in his eyes—it was the Xuanji Pupil.

The flow of those runes, the circulation of spiritual power, and the nodes of the Restriction all appeared in his mind.

With his attainment in Formations, he certainly couldn't crack it in a short time.

The complexity of this Restriction was no less than the "Nine Palaces Essence-Locking Formation" on that black treasure chest.

If he were to crack it himself, it would take at least ten years or more, and success wasn't even guaranteed.

But Lu Qiu had come prepared.

With a thought, he took out a green bead from his Storage Pouch.

The restriction breaking pearl!

This treasure specialized in breaking Restrictions and had been used years ago to break the Ancient Restriction outside the Blood-Colored Forbidden Land.

The Restriction of the Blood-Colored Forbidden Land was something even Nascent Soul Stage Cultivators couldn't forcibly break through, yet the restriction breaking pearl could easily open a passage.

Although the Ancient Restriction here was strong, it was still a notch weaker than the one at the Blood-Colored Forbidden Land.

Lu Qiu activated the restriction breaking pearl.

The bead immediately erupted with dazzling green light, like a small sun, illuminating the entire mountain interior as bright as day.

The green light, like threads and wisps, seeped into the pale golden light shield, intertwining with the Restriction runes as if solving a complex puzzle.

The light shield began to tremble slightly, the runes flowing faster and faster, seemingly contending with the power of the restriction breaking pearl.

But the green light of the restriction breaking pearl was too overbearing, and those runes were soon cracked one by one, like melting snow.

A moment later, a crack appeared on the light shield.

The crack grew larger, spreading like a spiderweb, and soon split open into a gap large enough for a person to pass through.

Lu Qiu was in no hurry to enter.

He summoned a bronze mirror; it was palm-sized, entirely golden, with cloud patterns carved on the edges—a defensive Magic Treasure obtained from Nangong Hai.

He urged his magic power, and the bronze mirror immediately released a great golden light, forming a golden light shield in front of him, enveloping his entire body.

The light shield was as thin as a cicada's wing, yet it gave off a feeling of being indestructible.

The situation inside this ancient Cultivator's Immortal Cave was unknown, so it was better to be cautious.

Who knew if there were mechanical traps inside?

Were there any residual Restrictions?

Were there any guardian Puppets?

Those ancient Cultivators loved to set up various defensive measures in their Immortal Caves; one careless move could lead to disaster.

Having done all this, he then stepped through the gap.

The passage wasn't long, only a few zhang. The rock walls on both sides were as smooth as a mirror, clearly carved by hand.

The ground was paved with stone slabs; although covered in thick dust, they were still level.

Passing through the tunnel, the view suddenly opened up, and a massive Immortal Cave appeared before him.

The Immortal Cave was large, dozens of zhang across and several zhang high.

Several Moonlight Stones were embedded in the dome, emitting a faint light that illuminated the entire Immortal Cave in a dim yellow, like twilight.

Those Moonlight Stones were too old, their light had dimmed, and some had already shattered, leaving only empty sockets.

The cave walls were rough, clearly hand-carved without any decoration.

The ground was paved with stone slabs, but some had shattered, revealing the soil beneath.

The air was filled with a stale, musty scent—the smell of accumulated years—making one instinctively hold their breath.

The Immortal Cave was very simple, with almost no furnishings.

Only in the center of the Immortal Cave was a stone table and a few stone stools.

A tea set sat on the stone table, covered in a thick layer of dust, the shapes of the teapot and teacups already indistinguishable.

In a corner was a stone bed, covered with an animal skin that had long since rotted and weathered, leaving only a few strands of residual fur.

Lu Qiu swept his Divine Sense and quickly discovered a corpse.

The corpse was sitting cross-legged on the stone bed, wearing a green Daoist robe; it was an old man.

His face was haggard, his skin shriveled and clinging tightly to his bones like dried cured meat.

Most of his hair and beard had fallen out, leaving only a few wisps of greyish-white residue.

His hands were folded on his knees in a peaceful posture, as if he were merely asleep.

Lu Qiu sensed carefully, his Divine Sense repeatedly scanning the corpse.

Only after a moment did he confirm that this person had been completely dead for many years and had no remnant soul left behind.

His Primordial Spirit had long since dissipated into the world, leaving only an empty shell.

He stepped forward to observe and saw that there was nothing on the corpse except for a Storage Pouch.

The Storage Pouch was a dusty grey, tied at the waist and covered in dust, looking unremarkable and no different from those used by ordinary Loose Cultivators.

Lu Qiu took the Storage Pouch and searched the Immortal Cave carefully for a while longer.

He turned over the stone table, tapped on the walls, and inspected the ground, his Divine Sense scanning every corner inch by inch.

After confirming there was truly nothing else, he left the Immortal Cave directly.

Stepping out of the cave, the sunlight was piercing and the sea breeze brushed against his face.

Lu Qiu took a deep breath, completely expelling the stale air from the Immortal Cave from his body.

He found a rock sheltered from the wind, sat down cross-legged, and probed his Divine Sense into the Storage Pouch.

A moment later, he took out the items inside and laid them out one by one before him.

First were two Jade Slips.

On the first Jade Slip were five ancient characters: "Seven Treasures Mysterious Gold Art."

The calligraphy was vigorous and powerful, the strokes like blades, clearly carved by someone with profound cultivation. Lu Qiu probed his Divine Sense inside and read carefully.

This Cultivation Technique was a Gold Attribute technique divided into thirteen layers; it was actually a supreme Cultivation Technique leading directly to the Soul Transformation Stage!

From Qi Refining to Soul Transformation, every layer had detailed cultivation methods and insights, as well as accompanying Spells and Divine Abilities.

The technique was profound and its power startling, far exceeding any Gold Attribute Cultivation Technique he had ever seen.

Unfortunately, he was a Fire Attribute Cultivator and could not Cultivate it.

Of course, the Crimson Sky Burning Heaven Technique he practiced was no less exquisite than this technique.

If a metal-attribute Cultivator obtained this Cultivation Technique, as long as their Aptitude wasn't too poor, they could at least Cultivate to the Nascent Soul Stage.

He sighed inwardly; a Cultivation Technique like this would be a Sect-protecting treasure in any Sect, enough to cause a bloodbath.

On the second Jade Slip, four characters were written: 'Tianjing Formation Classic'.

Sending his Divine Sense inside, he found it recorded many ancient Formations: trapping Formations, killing Formations, illusion Formations, and defensive Formations. Each was extremely profound, far surpassing the Formations circulating in the current world.

The runes, structures, and Spiritual Qi flow of those Formations all bore the unique style of the ancient era.

Seeing the end, Lu Qiu's pupils couldn't help but shrink.

This Formation classic was actually fused by this ancient Cultivator from an ancient Formation scripture!

He integrated the subtleties of the ancient Formation scripture with what he had learned throughout his life to create this 'Tianjing Formation Classic'.

Among the Formations recorded, many were ancient wondrous Formations that had long been lost in the current world.

Lu Qiu looked again at those eight palm-sized pure gold mirrors.

The eight mirrors were identical, entirely golden, with surfaces as smooth as a mirror and edges carved with exquisite cloud patterns.

The cloud patterns were lifelike, as if they would drift away at any moment.

He picked one up; it felt heavy in his hand and bone-chillingly cold, as if he were holding a piece of thousand-year ice.

He took a deep breath and infused a trace of magic power.

The mirror suddenly erupted with brilliant golden light, like eight dazzling golden flames jumping in his palm!

The golden light was so strong that even he couldn't help but squint, his face reflected in a golden hue.

What a powerful flame!

Lu Qiu was ecstatic, his hands trembling slightly!

This treasure is definitely extraordinary!

He looked at the three ancient treasures again.

One was a jade ruler, pure white throughout, emitting a warm glow, with dense runes carved on the body of the ruler.

One was a small banner, pitch black throughout, embroidered with a ferocious ghost head; the ghost head was lifelike, as if it would leap out from the banner at any moment.

One was a bead, crimson throughout, with flame patterns on the surface, feeling warm when held.

Each of the three ancient treasures emitted a powerful aura; clearly, they were all top-grade ancient treasures.

The jade ruler could suppress space, the black banner could release yin souls, and the crimson bead could release flames.

Any one of them, if taken out, would be enough to make Nascent Soul Cultivators fight over it.

But at this moment, all his attention was on those eight mirrors.

He put down the mirror, picked up the 'Tianjing Formation Classic', and continued reading.

At the end of the Jade Slip, the life of this ancient Cultivator was recorded.

This person called himself Immortal Tianjing!

Lu Qiu's pupils suddenly contracted, and his breathing stopped for a moment!

Immortal Tianjing!

Having read the original work, he naturally knew the origin of this Immortal Tianjing!

Thousands of years ago in the Chaotic Star Sea, a Cultivator with profound Cultivation Techniques awed the entire Chaotic Star Sea for hundreds of years.

This person single-handedly resisted the forces of the Star Palace without losing ground, and was the genuine number one Cultivator of the Star Sea back then!

It was said that he was originally a Loose Cultivator with mediocre Aptitude, but by chance, he obtained an ancient Cultivation Technique and soared from then on.

He cultivated that technique for hundreds of years, his power becoming profound and his Magic Treasures invincible, roaming the Chaotic Star Sea with no one able to match him.

He once fought several Star Palace Grand Elders alone and killed the Lord of the Star Palace.

In that battle, the entire Tianxing City trembled, and countless Cultivators watched from afar, witnessing the birth of a legend.

He once ventured deep into the Outer Star Sea, killed an eighth-level Yao Beast, and took its demon core.

That eighth-level Yao Beast was equivalent to a human Middle Stage Nascent Soul Stage Cultivator, yet it was killed by him alone.

He once competed for treasures with several Nascent Soul old monsters in the Void Heaven Palace and eventually withdrew unscathed.

Which of those Nascent Soul old monsters wasn't a regional hegemon?

Yet they returned in defeat before him.

This person was precisely Immortal Tianjing.

Could it be that these Ancient Cultivator Ruins were left behind by Immortal Tianjing?

Lu Qiu's breath hitched, his heart beating like a drum.

He thought of something and his gaze fell on those eight mirrors.

If this person is Immortal Tianjing, then aren't these eight mirrors the legendary eight-gate golden light mirrors?

The main reason Immortal Tianjing could have such a great reputation was, of course, that his Realm was the highest in the entire Star Sea at the time.

However, the power of his Lifebound Treasure, the 'eight-gate golden light mirror', was also known to everyone.

At the time, it was even called the number one offensive Magic Treasure of the Star Sea.

Countless Cultivators died under his mirrors back then; even among Nascent Soul Stage Cultivators, as many as five or six perished by this.

This shows the terror of this Magic Treasure!

After all, even the Lord of the Star Palace at that time died under this eight-gate golden light mirror.

In that battle, Immortal Tianjing single-handedly fought dozens of Core Formation Cultivators and several Nascent Soul Stage Cultivators of the Star Palace, eventually killing the Lord of the Star Palace and retreating with heavy injuries.

After that battle, the Star Palace's Origin Qi was greatly damaged, and it took hundreds of years to recover.

That battle was called the 'Tribulation of Tianjing' by later generations, the darkest page in the history of the Star Palace.

Lu Qiu picked up a mirror again and examined it carefully.

The mirror was pure gold, palm-sized, with exquisite cloud patterns carved on the edges.

The mirror surface was as smooth as a mirror, with golden light faintly flowing, as if something was sleeping in the mirror.

He infused magic power, and the mirror suddenly erupted with brilliant golden light, like eight dazzling golden flames jumping in his palm.

The golden light was so strong that even he couldn't help but squint, his face reflected in a golden hue.

In that golden light, there was a sharp and matchless power, as if it could cut through everything.

Could this be the Golden Light Divine Flame?!

He was ecstatic, almost wanting to roar to the heavens.

It really is the eight-gate golden light mirror!

In the original work, Wen Tianren only took out a replica of the eight-gate golden light mirror and almost caused Han Li to perish.

That replica had only one mirror, its power less than a tenth of the genuine article, yet it already made Han Li face life-threatening situations.

What he has in his hand is the genuine article!

With all eight mirrors complete, the power is incomparable.

The true eight-gate golden light mirror, when all eight mirrors are deployed, the Golden Light Divine Flame covers the sky and the earth, enough to burn everything and cut through everything.

Back then, Immortal Tianjing used this treasure to kill Nascent Soul Stage Cultivators as easily as chopping vegetables or taking something from a bag.

Of course, with Lu Qiu's current cultivation, he still cannot fully activate such a top-tier Magic Treasure.

This Magic Treasure requires extremely deep magic power support; at least the Nascent Soul Stage is needed to exert its true power.

With his False Nascent Soul Realm cultivation, being able to activate one or two mirrors is already good.

If he forcibly activates all eight, his magic power would probably be drained in an instant.

Additionally, this treasure is Immortal Tianjing's Lifebound Treasure, connected to his mind and bearing his Primordial Spirit imprint.

Even if Lu Qiu completes the refinement, he cannot exert its full power because the Primordial Spirit imprint cannot be completely erased.

But even so, it is still a top-tier Magic Treasure.

Even if it can only exert 70% or 80% of its power, it is enough to greatly increase his combat power after Nascent Soul Formation, far surpassing ordinary Magic Treasures.

He took a deep breath, suppressed his ecstasy, and continued to examine the other things.

Besides the three top-grade ancient treasures,

in the Storage Pouch, there were also several thousand Mid-grade Spirit Stones and dozens of High-grade Spirit Stones.

The Mid-grade Spirit Stones were neatly stacked, emitting dense Spiritual Qi, piled up into a small mountain.

High-grade Spirit Stones were even more precious; each one was worth a fortune.

Just based on these, Lu Qiu's net worth skyrocketed.

Adding the eight-gate golden light mirror and the three ancient treasures, the value is immeasurable.

Lu Qiu was excited; this trip to the Outer Star Sea was truly worthwhile.

He took a deep breath, suppressed his excitement, and carefully put everything away.

Only to Lu Qiu's regret, there were no nascent soul formation spiritual items in Immortal Tianjing's Storage Pouch.

This was also normal; the other party was a long-famous expert in the Chaotic Star Sea, and nascent soul formation spiritual items were useless to him.

Afterwards, Lu Qiu waited for another day until the intelligence was reorganized and it was confirmed there were no other Opportunities before leaving the island.

He stood above the deserted island and took one last look at that barren mountain.

The mountain was still the same mountain, grayish-yellow, desolate, and barren.

It was exactly the same as when he arrived, with no clues visible. Who would have thought that within this unremarkable barren mountain lay the relics of Immortal Tianjing?

Who would have thought that the Immortal Tianjing, who once shook the world and awed the Chaotic Star Sea for hundreds of years, would actually perish in this place?

This desolate island and this simple cave were his final resting place.

How glorious was he back then?

Resisting the entire Star Palace single-handedly, killing Nascent Soul Stage Cultivators as easily as chopping vegetables, hailed as the number one Cultivator of the Star Sea.

Those Star Palace Elders would take a detour when they saw him.

Those Nascent Soul Stage old monsters had to bow their heads before him.

But now?

Only a skeleton, a Storage Pouch, and a few Magic Treasures remain.

His Cultivation Technique, his Formation classic, and his Magic Treasures have all been left for those who come after.

And he himself has long since turned to dust.

The path of immortal cultivation is long and endless.

Even if one is glorious for a time, if one cannot achieve Immortal Ascension, it all comes to nothing in the end.

Lu Qiu shook his head, a surge of inexplicable emotion rising in his heart.

He stayed no longer, turning into a streak of light and disappearing into the horizon.