الشطرنج الخالد - Book 05 Chapter 147
The Elite Hall disciples quickly cleaned out the angels around the Revival Pool.
Gu Hai looked at the immense Revival Pool.
The milky-white liquid in the Revival Pool seemed viscid. White mist hovered over it, looking extremely holy.
“Power of faith? What pure power of faith! This pool is the Supreme Genesis’s treasure. He should have been accumulating for eight hundred thousand years already,” Long Sanqian sighed.
The Revival Pool was in a cross shape. Although it was called a pool, this pool was as large as Beijing City on Earth. This was simply a vast lake.
Gu Hai scooped up some power of faith, and it suddenly turned into churning mist that surrounded him.
“It’s right. It can nourish the body. Mu Chenfeng, Ensnaring Performance, and the Elite Hall disciples, you go first!” Gu Hai said.
“Yes!” the Elite Hall disciples said excitedly.
“Humph! How can it be that easy to establish the heavenly palace? You must be crazy!” Long Aotian sneered.
Sima Changkong, Long Sanqian, and Ao Shun appeared bewildered.
Two hundred Elite Hall disciples, Ensnaring Performance, and Mu Chenfeng quickly immersed themselves in the pool.
Boom!
A loud sound suddenly came from Ensnaring Performance’s body.
Then, his body shone with the color of the five elements, vaguely forming a three-hundred-thirty-three-centimeter-tall palace. There seemed to be a three-hundred-thirty-three-centimeter-tall blue image of Ensnaring Performance sitting in the palace, pressed against the roof of that five-element palace.
Buzz!
A vast amount of power of faith poured into the five-element palace. Then, the three-hundred-thirty-three-centimeter-tall five-element palace grew to ten meters. This allowed the three-hundred-thirty-three-centimeter-tall blue image of Ensnaring Performance to sit comfortably in the palace.
“He established it, just like that?” Long Aotian was wide-eyed with disbelief.
You must be joking, right? How could it be this fast? How could it be this fast?
“A ten-meter-tall heavenly palace and a three-hundred-thirty-three-centimeter-tall mortal soul?” Long Sanqian’s face sank.
“A ten-meter-tall heavenly palace? A three-hundred-thirty-three-centimeter-tall mortal soul? What a fellow! Ensnaring Performance only just established his lower heavenly palace, and he already reached such a level? Even now, my lower heavenly palace is just ten meters!” Ao Shun narrowed his eyes slightly.
Ao Shun had already reached the Upper Heavenly Palace Realm. However, he had been nourishing his lower heavenly palace all these years. Although he was a genius, his lower heavenly palace reached ten meters only after nourishing it for so long. On the other hand, Ensnaring Performance achieved that upon breaking through.
“Crown Prince Ao Shun, may I ask how large your lower heavenly palace was when you first established it?” Sima Changkong asked, knitting his brows.
Sima Changkong felt this was unreal. This was far from what he achieved when he opened his lower heavenly palace. Why is the difference so great? Is there something wrong with my cultivation?
“Back then, I had a thirty-three-centimeter-tall lower heavenly palace and a ten-centimeter-tall mortal soul,” Ao Shun said with a bitter smile.
When Sima Changkong heard what Ao Shun said, he let out his bated breath. At the very least, he was normal. It was Ensnaring Performance who was abnormal.
“Ensnaring Performance? How does he cultivate?” Sima Changkong narrowed his eyes, some anticipation gleaming in them.
Long Sanqian, Long Aotian, and Ao Shun stared at Ensnaring Performance. This Ensnaring Performance is too uncanny. How does he cultivate? This is too strange. I have to investigate how he cultivates.
Boom! Boom! Boom!
A split second later, Mu Chenfeng’s group strangely and suddenly started making breakthroughs in rapid succession.
It was just that easy—so easy that Ao Shun, Long Aotian, and the others could not accept it. Heavenly Palace Realm? How many people had died trying? Some people remained stuck in the Nascent Soul Realm forever, never to break through. Furthermore, even if they broke through, they would not succeed so quickly. On the other hand, you guys are great! You broke through so quickly together?
What Sima Changkong and the others did not know was that these people had suppressed their cultivations. They could have broken through long ago.
“Mu Chenfeng also has a ten-meter-tall heavenly palace and a three-hundred-thirty-three-centimeter-tall mortal soul? How can that be?” Long Aotian stared.
“That Elite Hall disciple has a six-hundred-sixty-six-centimeter-tall lower heavenly palace and a two-hundred-sixty-six-centimeter-tall mortal soul?”
“That Elite Hall disciple has a seven-hundred-fifty-centimeter-tall heavenly palace and a three-meter-tall mortal soul?”
“There too!”
The breakthroughs of the Elite Hall disciples far surpassed everyone’s expectations. All their lower heavenly palaces were over six hundred centimeters tall.
The expressions of the proud geniuses—Long Aotian, Sima Changkong, Ao Shun, and Long Sanqian—changed dramatically.
How could this be happening? This is strange!
These Elite Hall disciples’ lower heavenly palaces were not big enough, but with the power of faith nourishing their lower heavenly palaces, everything was perfect.
The Elite Hall disciples all gave off powerful auras.
“This is the aura of a newly advanced Lower Heavenly Palace Realm cultivator? Why do I feel that even a late-stage Lower Heavenly Palace Realm cultivator—no, a peak Lower Heavenly Palace Realm cultivator—cannot compare to this?” Long Sanqian said with slightly narrowed eyes.
Buzz!
All the people cultivating opened their eyes.
“Master, I broke through! First-layer Lower Heavenly Palace Realm. This feels great! My perception! I can feel my mortal soul! My mortal soul can connect with the natural Spiritual Energy. This feels great!” Ensnaring Performance said excitedly.
“Your Majesty, we have succeeded!” Mu Chenfeng and the others said excitedly.
Two hundred Lower Heavenly Palace Realm cultivators? In such a short time?
Sima Changkong showed a complicated look on his face.
“Unfortunately, Zhengfa Ming has been in a state of meditation and comprehension since he obtained Master’s ‘Great Compassion Mantra.’ Otherwise, he would have gained the same opportunity as us,” Ensnaring Performance said regretfully.
“What opportunity?” Long Aotian asked, feeling puzzled.
Ensnaring Performance glanced at Long Aotian and immediately realized that he had let something slip. He pouted and ignored Long Aotian.
“Everyone exhausted about ten cubic meters of power of faith. That’s not much,” Gu Hai said with a faint smile.
“Yes!” Everyone nodded.
“Protect us! We will make our breakthrough!” Gu Hai said.
“Yes!” Everyone stood respectfully at the side.
Gu Hai stepped into the Revival Pool slowly.
——
Heaven City:
Yanxuan and the ten black angels stared at the humongous vine barrier before them.
“Isn’t this the Vine World Calabash? Isn’t that the Azure Emperor’s enchanted treasure? Why is it with Gu Hai?” one of the black angels asked, scowling.
“If not for this Vine World Calabash, Gu Hai would have died to my attack long ago. Humph!” Lu Fa said coldly.
“Vine World Calabash? This is a good thing. When Father returns and subdues this Vine World Calabash, we will have some gains,” Yanxuan said with a smile.
“That’s right. The power of the Vine World Calabash depends on who is using it. It is too much of a pity for Gu Hai to have it. He can’t bring out even one-thousandth of its power. The vine barrier is not even one-thousandth of what it can do. How unfortunate! How sorrowful! To think he wants to exchange for Bing Ji? How laughable!” Lu Fa sneered.
“If not for Second Young Master being in his hand, we could have attacked earlier with everything we had and destroyed them all. Humph!” another elder said coldly.
The ten black angels were all Upper Heavenly Palace Realm cultivators. Even if they were early-stage Upper Heavenly Palace Realm cultivators, they were not what Gu Hai’s group could compare to. Naturally, they dared to say such bold words.
The black angels waited for the four-winged angels to make their report.
——
The three four-winged angels had already flown to the horizon.
The Mosquito Daoist caught one of them.
“Oh? You have Gu Hai trapped at the Revival Pool? Gu Hai used Yehua as a hostage to hold the eight-winged angels at bay. In that case, Gu Hai is dead for sure?” the Mosquito Daoist said as he looked at the four-winged angel before him.
“Yes. Yes. Senior, this humble one does not dare to lie. I-I-I…,” that four-winged angel stammered with an unsightly expression.
The Mosquito Daoist’s face sank. “Are you messing with me?”
“Huh?” the four-winged angel said, wide-eyed.
“With Gu Hai’s strength, does he need to put on such a show? Surrounded by ten ruined eight-winged angels and unable to escape? He even needed to capture Yehua? Do you think that I am stupid? Do you think I am easy to fool?” the Mosquito Daoist demanded, scowling.
“No, no. I’m not! I don’t dare to!” the four-winged angel exclaimed.
“Humph! In any case, the other two four-winged angels are going to report to the Supreme Genesis. You can die now!” the Mosquito Daoist said coldly.
“Senior, spare me! I’m innocent!”
“Innocent, my ass! You saw my face, so you have to die!” the Mosquito Daoist said with a sinister expression.
Then, the Mosquito Daoist flung his wide sleeve out.
Buzz!
Suddenly, many mosquitos surrounded the four-winged angel and reduced that four-winged angel to dried flesh and skin in the blink of an eye. Then, the Mosquito Daoist smashed the angel’s body to pieces with a palm strike.
The Mosquito Daoist narrowed his eyes slightly. “Did I assume wrong? Did that Gu Hai trick me back then? Did he just trick me, and he does not have that level of strength in the first place? No. I have to see for myself!”
The Mosquito Daoist’s figure flashed as he headed for Heaven City.
Ad
At the same time, the Great Light Sovereign Deity knocked out the other two four-winged angels with a wave of his hand.
Then, he tossed the two angels into a mountain forest.
“Humph! Trying to go to the Solar Divine Palace to make a report? Just sleep it off. Queen Wa is in the Solar Divine Palace now; no one can go to the Solar Divine Palace to make a report. Humph!” the Great Light Sovereign Deity snorted coldly.
——
While the Mosquito Daoist slowly approached Heaven City, Gu Hai had already started his breakthrough.
As Gu Hai sat cross-legged, the fire deity, the wood deity, the earth deity, the metal deity, the water deity, and the Spiritual Progenitor deity king in his body gave off powerful energy. They extended their palms, sending all their energy to the back of Gu Hai’s head.
Boom!
When the fire deity extended its palm, its energy contained the energy of the Samādhi True Flame.
When the water deity extended its palm, its energy contained the energy of extreme cold.
When the earth deity extended its palm, its energy contained the energy of the Renewing Soil.
When the metal deity extended its palm, its energy contained the energy of the Immortal Slaying Calabash’s vine.
When the wood deity extended its palm, its energy contained the energy of the Vine World Calabash.
When the Spiritual Progenitor deity king extended its palm, it sent out Spiritual Progenitor.
Buzz! Buzz! Buzz!
Gorgeous colors appeared on the surface of Gu Hai’s body.
“This…this is the aura of a Nascent Soul Realm cultivator?” Ao Shun exclaimed as he narrowed his eyes.
The energy of the five elements is simply too pure. No. There is also a powerful purple aura. What is that? Is the nascent soul in Gu Hai’s dantian not one of the five elemental nascent souls?
As Gu Hai stored up the surging energy, it rushed towards a rudimentary palace in his brain.
Boom!
An explosion rang out, sounding like a sudden crack of thunder. Everyone’s expression changed upon hearing it; even the black angels outside were startled.
“Breaking open the rudimentary palace and establishing the heavenly palace? Using the power of the nascent souls to form a five-element heavenly palace?” Sima Changkong goggled.
Rumble…!
Lights of various colors immediately came out of Gu Hai’s body.
There were the red light of the fire attribute, the blue light of the water attribute, the yellow light of the metal attribute, the brown light of the earth attribute, the green light of the wood attribute, the purple light of Spiritual Progenitor, and a white-and-black light mixed together. The lights suddenly spewed out like a geyser, scintillating wildly.
There were seven lights of eight colors. This was not the five-element lower heavenly palace that Ensnaring Performance and the others formed but a heavenly palace of seven lights.
When the seven lights appeared, they immediately formed a humongous palace. The palace was ornate and detailed, looking magnificent.
This palace was thirty meters tall. The moment it appeared, it pressed against the top of the vine barrier, emanating a powerful aura.
The powerful aura made everyone’s heart skip a beat.
“Thirty meters? Is that true?” Sima Changkong said while goggling.
“That’s not right. That is not a five-element lower heavenly palace. Why are there eight colors?” Long Aotian said in shock.
“The heavenly palace that Master established is truly incredible. The moment it appears, it is already nine times the size of mine?” Ensnaring Performance marveled.
Nine times? This was just the beginning. The figure in Gu Hai’s lower heavenly palace appeared to be squeezed in a tight space, curled up in a ball, and unable to straighten itself. This was Gu Hai’s mortal soul.
Just how big was Gu Hai’s mortal soul? No one knew.
Even Gu Hai did not know. He only felt that the moment he established his lower heavenly palace, his mortal soul was being compressed, putting him in great pain.
“Argh! That was close. That was very close. Fortunately, I did not establish my lower heavenly palace before this. Otherwise…” Gu Hai celebrated amid his pain.
Gu Hai could have established his lower heavenly palace long ago. However, he had been waiting. Fortunately, that was not a mistake.
Gu Hai had established his lower heavenly palace, but it was not large enough. However, he could absorb the power of faith to nourish and strengthen it.
“Absorb!”
Rumble…!
Suddenly, countless whirlpools formed all over the Revival Pool, creating huge waves that rushed towards Gu Hai.
Gu Hai’s thirty-meter-tall lower heavenly palace started growing quickly.
Thirty meters…thirty-three meters…thirty-seven meters…it grew increasingly taller.
[TL Note: The traditional Chinese units are mostly one-third of the metric units. Cun is one-third of a decimeter (ten centimeters). Chi is one-third of a meter, and zhang is one-third of ten meters. This makes the conversion a little tricky due to division by three. Hence, I usually round them off. In this case, thirty-seven meters is actually 36.6666666666… meters. In the line above, it is “nine zhang, ten zhang, and eleven zhang,” which looks more logical, given the sequence.]