The moon hung in the deep blue sky, while a crimson stream flowed silently, and a gentle breeze rustled the fragrant grasses along the riverbank.
In the underground palace, most of the cultivators were those who had participated in the slaughter of the flood dragon at Red River's shore, along with those who had escaped the ice cave. Only a handful had entered through other passages.
The cultivators arrived via teleportation arrays, scattered throughout the underground palace.
When a ferocious, massive shadow appeared, blotting out the moon, the tranquil, clear night was instantly shattered.
Whether the cultivators were fighting for treasures, gathering spirit herbs, cooking beast meat, setting up formations, drawing talismans, meditating, recovering spirit qi, or idly daydreaming, almost all of them felt the violent tremor from the night sky at the same moment.
"It's pressure!" Meng Heze shouted. "Defensive formation!"
The resting cultivators of the Thousand Canals team immediately rose and gathered, forming a near-circular formation.
Those most skilled in defense stood on the outer ring, raising various defensive magical artifacts. Combat specialists stood behind them, while the weakest healers clustered at the center.
The Thousand Canals cultivators were mainly former outer sect disciples of the Huawel Sect. Their innate talents were limited, and aside from Meng Heze and Ji Chen, there were no young cultivators who could truly be called "geniuses."
However, Thousand Canals distributed resources evenly, allowing disciples to choose their own suitable paths of development. They neither lacked spirit stones nor had to take on menial jobs. Moreover, they had access to various texts and cultivation methods in the library and could regularly seek answers from Song Qianji.
As a result, the Thousand Canals team was well-equipped in offense, defense, healing, talismans, and formations, resembling the most balanced rogue cultivator team, yet with greater combat synergy and cohesion than such groups.
As the giant shadow in the sky beat its wings, it stirred a hurricane that swept across the ground like steel blades, tearing up layers of soil.
Trees toppled with a roar in the gale, grass and leaves turned to dust, swirling in the air before being sucked into the beast's maw by the powerful airflow.
"What kind of monster is this, with such overwhelming pressure?"
"Not good, it's opening its mouth again!"
"Roar!"
The beast's roar rumbled like rolling thunder, causing the cultivators' ears to ring and chests to tighten, blood rushing to their heads.
Lower-level cultivators immediately bled from their noses and mouths, dizzy and weak-legged.
Cultivators scattered in panic throughout the underground palace, but only the Thousand Canals and Northern Desert teams maintained their formations, resisting the hurricane and beast's roar like stubborn reefs in a stormy sea.
The beast opened its bloody maw, a bottomless abyss.
Countless birds surged from the forest, drawn by some force, flying swiftly into its mouth.
A dark mass of birds blotted the sky, throwing themselves into the trap to perish in the beast's belly.
It roared again, as if finding the birds foul-tasting and hard to swallow, then dove toward the ground.
Wuxiang's careful calculations were not mistaken. Having witnessed Song Qianji's method of breaking the situation during the flood dragon extermination at Red River's shore, he would not give him a second chance to solve a dilemma the same way.
Song Qianji was well aware of this.
A centipede dies but never falls down. Though this Chaos had long been dormant and was not at its peak, its mere pressure could suppress most cultivators in the underground palace.
It would devour indiscriminately, swallowing most living things in the underground palace until it was sated.
The giant shadow, as tall as the moon, descended rapidly. The underground palace was enveloped in the beast's pressure, shrouded in the shadow of death.
Just then, a familiar voice cut through the hurricane from the sky:
"This beast is Chaos. Abandon resistance and combat immediately, and quickly leave the plains."
"Quickly leave the plains—"
The voice echoed incessantly."It's Senior Blood River's voice, we're saved!"
"Listen to the senior, let's go!"
The cultivators who had survived the flood dragon battle immediately followed the instruction without hesitation, each employing their own techniques to swiftly retreat into the distance.
Song Qianji had applied the Sound Amplification Talisman not to rally everyone for a joint fight, but to ensure a rapid evacuation, clearing out a vast expanse of the plain.
Affected by Wuxiang's self-detonation, his Magic Robe was torn and his hair came loose.
Everyone looked up at the sky and saw a figure soaring through the air, heading straight for the beast.
His form appeared even more insignificant amidst the hurricane, no larger than one of the beast's eyes.
Yet he showed no fear, his dark hair flying wildly like a deity or demon descending upon the world.
A group of Rogue Cultivators, unable to retreat in time, were swept into the air by the hurricane, powerless to resist as they flew uncontrollably toward the beast's maw.
"My life is over!"
"To die like this, so unclear and ignoble, is truly humiliating!"
Just as these desperate thoughts flashed through their minds, they suddenly heard the beast let out a pained cry, closing its bloody mouth and turning away with a flap of its wings.
A box had struck it hard on its most vulnerable spot—the tip of its nose—before swiftly returning to the hands of the newcomer.
The Rogue Cultivators, now safe from the beast's jaws, barely managed to make out the face of their savior.
"This senior looks familiar... Wait, isn't that Song Xun?!"
"It really is Song Xun!"
A small stone flew out from the treasure box opened in "Song Xun's" hand.
An overwhelmingly powerful aura spilled forth, and the collision of energies triggered violent, fierce wind currents.
The stone rapidly grew in size, and those on the ground squinted to see that it was not a stone but a small mountain.
Clouds and mist swirled around the mountain, lush flowers and plants covered its slopes, and suspended springs and waterfalls were clearly visible.
The mountain expanded against the storm, pressing down directly onto the beast!
Enraged, the beast swung a claw, tearing through the night like lightning.
Though the beast was massive, the mountain was even larger. Though the beast roared ferociously, the mountain's approach was even more menacing.
Such an overbearing, majestic, and awe-inspiring divine technique was something the younger cultivators had only heard of in legends—this was their first time witnessing it with their own eyes.
A sect disciple shouted, "The Painted Spring Mountain from the box! It's Song Qianji!"
"It's Senior Brother Song!" Meng Heze exclaimed excitedly.
The disciples of Thousand Canals looked up at the sky, their excitement boiling over, blood rushing to their heads.
"Let's go help our senior brother!" Ji Chen urged urgently.
Suddenly, a familiar voice rang out: "The Painted Spring Mountain hasn't been refined by Song Qianji and can't distinguish friend from foe. Don't go up and cause trouble!"
"You—" Ji Chen was displeased but turned to see an acquaintance.
The Northern Desert team was not far from them.
Their leader, Wei Zhenyu, looked extremely pale, as if scorched by flames, enduring great pain.
He gazed at the sky, his eyes reflecting the enormous Painted Spring Mountain, the beast, and the tiny human figure, with faint flickers of firelight in their depths.
After Wuxiang's self-detonation, Song Qianji had not hesitated to deploy the Painted Spring Mountain. He knew that if he delayed even a moment to think, the Underground Palace would become a river of blood.
Once the Painted Spring Mountain appeared, his true identity would inevitably be exposed.
But he had no better choice.
Rather than be coerced by Wuxiang and make a pact with the devil, he preferred to take other risks.
"Boom—"
The Painted Spring Mountain pressed down forcefully on Chaos, its immense weight crashing into the center of the plain and carving out a deep pit.
Chaos was suppressed beneath the mountain, its four wings and six limbs struggling with difficulty, driven to madness as it let out a furious roar.
The Painted Spring Mountain, unstable at its foundation, shook violently, rocks tumbling down and dust flying everywhere.
Dust and smoke spread across a twenty-mile radius.
Cultivators with lower cultivation levels covered their ears, their faces contorted in pain.
Standing atop the Painted Spring Mountain, Song Qianji felt his heart sink. Truly worthy of being the mount that once roamed the world alongside the Blood River Patriarch—a single Painted Spring Mountain was not enough to subdue it.If allowed to roar like this, within half the time it takes to drink a cup of tea, this mountain would likely collapse.
Unlike auspicious beasts, ferocious beasts only submit to the strong. If one cannot defeat it into submission, they will be devoured.
Song Qianji immediately summoned the Seven Wonders Zither, sat cross-legged, and swept his fingers across the strings.
"Zheng! Zheng! Zheng!"
The seven strings erupted with silver light, like a bright moon hanging in the sky.
The music flowed out like three sword cries, filling the air with killing intent!
The Seven Wonders Zither was a supreme treasure of the sound path, condensed from the essence of a peak powerhouse.
The music rapidly spread throughout the underground palace, overwhelming the beast's roars.
The melody was not fast, as if coming from ancient times, ethereal like a snowfall.
"It's snowing!" someone shouted.
Ziye Wenshu looked up at the sky, a cool sensation landing between his eyebrows.
The moon was obscured by dark clouds, the spring breeze turned cold.
Silver specks like willow catkins drifted down from the night sky. Everyone stood dazed, allowing snowflakes to fall upon them.
The zither music was faint, almost imperceptible yet captivating the heart and mind.
The greatest music seems soundless.
"The zither music can actually move heaven and earth, making snow fall in spring!"
Someone from the Celestial Sound Sect murmured in astonishment, "This is the Wind and Snow Array Entry Tune, but... it's so different."
Miaoyan stood as if struck by lightning, staring toward Painted Spring Mountain as if she could hear nothing.
...
Song Qianji sat alone on the mountain peak, eyes closed as he played the zither. Though he appeared aloof and unrestrained, the situation was extremely perilous.
After all, he wasn't a sound cultivator and lacked solid foundation in the sound path. Forcibly pushing the Seven Wonders Zither to its limits to compete with the pressure-filled beast roars caused his qi and blood to surge uncontrollably.
Halfway through the melody, Chaos was suppressed by the zither music, and the shaking of Painted Spring Mountain gradually slowed.
Song Qianji swallowed the blood rising in his throat, gritted his teeth and played to the end, until all movement in the mountain completely ceased.
The silver glow of the zither strings dimmed, losing their brilliance.
"The zither is damaged. It seems I'll need to visit not just Purple Cloud Temple's Green Cliff, but also the Celestial Sound Sect."
This thought flashed through Song Qianji's mind as he put away the Seven Wonders Zither. Following the mountain's fissures, he approached the dark mountain interior.
Chaos lay on the ground, its aura both weak and violent.
Having awakened from long starvation with its teeth yet to be filled, it had been successively suppressed by two of the world's most powerful treasures.
It felt angry and confused. Although this human cultivator's aura was gentle, like the earth and clear springs, completely unlike the violent nature of the one who had previously sealed it, why did he possess such terrifying methods?
Panting heavily, Chaos's eyes flashed with hungry ferocity, its stomach emitting low rumbles.
Eat this human! Don't even spit out the bones!
It cursed the newcomer in the language of ferocious beasts, loudly proclaiming its hunger, when suddenly it heard the terrifying human sigh:
"Even if you're really hungry, you can't just eat anything. You're an ancient beast—only food from your own era can fill your stomach."
This person actually understood the ancient beast language?
A drop of cool liquid fell on its protruding tongue.
No, not just cool water—so sweet. How could something be so sweet?
A hundred times sweeter than sprite blood. Chaos strained to open its mouth wide, extending its tongue to greedily swallow.
The sweet spring flowed into its stomach, transforming into warm currents that alleviated the never-ending emptiness.
Song Qianji summoned the Pure Bottle from his Purple Palace. The Fountain of Immortality flew out of the bottle's mouth, tracing an arc as it slowly poured into Chaos's mouth.
The ferocious light gradually faded from Chaos's eyes.
"What's your name?" Song Qianji put away the Fountain of Immortality.
This was his most hidden trump card. If not for being deep within the unfathomable, impenetrable interior of Painted Spring Mountain, he would never have easily taken the Pure Bottle out of his body.
This beast becomes extremely violent when starving. Giving it something to eat actually made its emotions more stable.Ancient ferocious beasts were born with formidable physiques, far beyond the reach of human cultivators.
If a human cultivator were to drink the Fountain of Immortality directly in such large gulps, their meridians would have ruptured, causing their body to explode.
After a long while, Chaos let out a gurgling sound from its throat:
"I've slept for too long and forgotten my own name."
An ancient jade pendant hung around its neck, but it was positioned too high. Even when it strained to lower its head, it couldn't see the characters carved on it.
Once its hunger was sated, Chaos's ferocious killing intent mostly dissipated. Its gurgling voice sounded dejected: "Help me take a look."
Song Qianji approached step by step, slowly extending his hand to part the dense, soft fur and lift the jade pendant.
At such close proximity, Chaos could have bitten his head off with a single snap.
"Your name is..."
The two characters were carved in the center of the jade pendant, identically shaped though clumsily written.
Having explored many ancient ruins in his previous life, Song Qianji had some familiarity with archaic script.
He strained to recall, deciphering the pronunciation and meaning, and couldn't help but laugh.
"Don't you dare laugh! What is my name?!"
Receiving no response, Chaos's aura turned violent once more.
Painted Spring Mountain trembled, sending rocks tumbling down.
Song Qianji thought to himself: Back when Patriarch Blood River summoned his mount in battle, other Great Adepts would cry out names like "Crimson Blood," "Cloud-Treader," or "Wind-Chaser," while he shouted "Good Boy." Wasn't that just asking for ridicule?
Then he recalled his own Wheat Field Domain—compared to others' Sword Domains, Fire Domains, or Sea Domains—and found he couldn't laugh anymore.
Birds of a feather flock together.
"Good Boy," Song Qianji said, his tone stiff, sounding somewhat like a dialectal curse.
"This is my name? Good Boy?" Chaos, completely unaware, softly repeated the two words until its gaze grew distant, as if crossing the river of time to see the person who had given it this name. "So familiar..."
Song Qianji remained silent, quietly waiting for it to finish reminiscing.
"So my name is 'Good Boy,'" Chaos said.
Song Qianji sighed: "Now that you've found your name, you can't go around eating things recklessly anymore."
Chaos said dazedly, "But I'm hungry, truly so hungry. When that person sealed me away, they didn't tell me it would be this unbearable."
Endless darkness, perpetual hunger.
"I'll come to feed you," Song Qianji patted its damp nose. "I'll give you sweet water to drink."
In his previous life, this Chaos had never appeared. Not while Song Qianji was alive, nor in the river of time he witnessed after death.
He supposed the seal had been repeatedly reinforced, the secret buried deep underground.
This was the Underground Palace of Patriarch Blood River; it should have been half-master of this place.
White clouds change into dogs—the world alters, and men decay. It had languished in the lightless depths, growing weaker day by day until death and dissipation.
The Fountain of Immortality buzzed incessantly, protesting without end.
Song Qianji understood its meaning: I, a treasure of heaven and earth, and you're using me as beast feed...
"Then you must come," Chaos, having received the promise, slowly retreated into the mountain's belly, shrinking itself as much as possible. Its faint voice echoed within the mountain: "Good Boy will wait for you."
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