Chapter 182 – The Ancient God Tu Si
The grains looked like gold but weren’t gold. They looked like bone but weren’t bone. However, as Wang Lin was about to pick them to study, the moment his soul came into contact with them, a strong force resisted his touch.
This resistant force pushed Wang Lin’s soul away, not letting him inspect the golden grains. Wang Lin held a grain in his hand and squeezed it. Surprisingly, it wasn’t as hard as it looked. It easily flattened under his fingers.
But no matter how hard Wang Lin pressured the golden particles, they would only get flatter and flatter without shattering. Wang Lin suddenly had an idea. He took all the golden particles and compressed them together to form a golden bean the size of his fingertip.
He pondered a bit as he stared at the golden bean. The more he stared at it, the more it reminded him of the bone on Beastmaster’s forehead from the first realm. If it was the same, then it was certainly a living bone.
A bold idea came into Wang Lin’s mind. “Could this be the bone of the ancient god?” His heart trembled at the thought.
But Wang Lin soon gave up on the idea. From what he heard before, the ancient god was very large, so his bones would be large as well. Even if it was just a finger bone, it would be comparable to the horn on Beastmaster’s forehead.
After thinking for a while, Wang Lin put the golden bean away. He stood up and looked at the restrictions ahead, then leaped forward.
He had already thoroughly observed the restrictions that were between the 500 and 300 foot points from the peak of the mountain. Plus, with the Ancient Emperor acting as his scout, although he was still careful, it was much easier than before.
However, at 300 feet, Wang Lin started to move slowly and carefully. He didn’t want to activate the restrictions and get hit by the lightning.
Wang Lin was in no rush. Time went by slowly, and soon three years had already passed.
These 300 feet took him three years to pass as he slowly worked his way forward step by step. His restriction skill had also increased leaps and bounds as he cracked each restriction.
When Wang Lin stood at the top of the mountain three years after Six Desire Devil Lord and Ancient Emperor were there, he knew that this was only possible because of the mass activation of restrictions that occurred three years before. All the nearby restrictions had lost their power. Even if he were to trigger the restrictions, they wouldn’t have the power to activate. If it wasn’t for this, there would’ve been no way for him to make it this far with his current cultivation.
Even so, Wang Lin was only 5 feet from the top. Clouds started to darken and gather. Lightning could be seen. However, Wang Lin only gave them a calm look before he walked into the whirlpool.
Wang Lin didn’t slow down. He smoothly walked forward step by step. Since three years ago, he had always wondered what was the trigger for the restriction in the sky.
He thought back to three years ago, when he sent the tornado to retrieve the bone. There was no lightning strike when it was summoned, but when it picked up the arm and rushed back, the lightning attacked it.
After Wang Lin thought about it and researched it for a while, he realize that the trigger was speed!
If one exceeded a certain speed or suddenly increased or decreased their speed, they would trigger the restriction in the sky to attack. The closer to the top of the mountain, the more sensitive it was.
In other words, if you suddenly accelerated at the foot of the mountain, nothing would happen. If you do it on the mountain, you might trigger some restrictions. Near the top of the mountain, you would likely trigger the restriction in the sky.
After figuring out the trigger for the restriction in the sky, Wang Lin walked at a steady pace and peacefully enter the whirlpool.
This second realm had taken Wang Lin 13 years to get through. However, compared to his gains, that amount of time was trivial.
In these 13 years, from simple to complex, from easy to hard, he learned the art of restriction step by step until he finally reached his current level. Even if it would have taken more time, Wang Lin wouldn’t have given up.
From his point of view, the purpose of the second realm wasn’t really to block intruders, but a systematic way for people to learn restrictions.
Otherwise, just place the restrictions like the ones at the top of the mountain at the foot and no one would be able to climb up.
Wang Lin was very confused on this matter. However, he had no one to ask.
The moment Wang Lin entered the whirlpool, something changed. Purple lights came out of the whirlpool until it formed a giant ball of purple lightning.
This ball of purple lightning was different from the ones from the restriction in the sky, it was darker and more powerful. When this ball of lightning appeared, Wang Lin felt the entire mountain shake.
From the bottom of the mountain to the top, all the restrictions started floating up toward the mountain top. Every speck of light was a restriction, and countless specks of light floated up, higher and higher.
The countless number of restrictions floating up surprisingly didn’t set off the restriction in the sky. As they reached a certain point, they started to come together and formed a giant ball of light until it was equal to the size of the ball of purple lightning.
At this point, all the specks of light had disappeared from the mountain. There were no restrictions left on this mountain.
Wang Lin could only stare at what was happening. Ever since the ball of purple lightning appeared, his body had been frozen in place by an overwhelming force. He was unable to move even half a step.
The ball of purple lightning and the ball of light moved slowly toward each other. As they touched, a giant illusion appeared above the two.
The illusion grew very large, until it took the shape of a giant with its two feet right above the two balls of lightning and light. The two balls slowly moved up until they were where the giant’s eyes were suppose to be. From a distance, it looked like the giant had two glowing eyes.
While the giant was only an illusion, it gave off a feeling, as if it were life.
“Welcome. You are the 4th person to meet the qualifications[1] of the restriction mountain. My name is Tu Si… according to the ancient rules set up before my body went to sleep, you met the requirements of the restriction mountain. You can enter my sea of consciousness and obtain some of my knowledge and memories, but first, you must identify yourself and make a restriction flag with this piece of jade.”
The giant spoke in a voice that shook the world. Then, a piece of jade surrounded by purple lightning appeared and floated toward Wang Lin.
Wang Lin was frightened. He took a deep breath.
From the tone of the giant, this must be an avatar of the ancient god. Clearly it’s the ancient god Tu Si.
The ancient god was too powerful. Just the avatar was enough to make Wang Lin feel like he was suffocating. Wang Lin couldn’t even begin to imagine how powerful the ancient god Tu Si would be if he was here in person.
At that moment, the piece of jade was in front of Wang Lin. He blinked once and reached out to grab it. When he grabbed it, the purple lightning surged through his body before returning to the piece of jade.
Wang Lin felt at that moment that something was added to his mind. He knew the lightning meant no harm and was a method to confirm its owner.
As his mind came to understand the information on the restriction flag, his heart couldn’t stop pounding, but at the same time, he let out a bitter laugh.
This jade didn’t say the exact use of the restriction flag, its materials, or any specific requirements. It seemed as if this restriction flag could be made from anything.
There was only one material it must have and that was ink stone!
The information regarding ink stone also entered his head. Ink stone wasn’t produced on any planets. It was produced in stars.
To the ancient gods, it was very easy to obtain. Just travel a bit in space and they can find the ink stones.
The information also gave a map of the ancient god’s sea of consciousness, It marked the location of ink stones. Anyone who gains insight in those places can obtain one.
Once the ink stone is obtained, you can start making the restriction flag. The process is simple, yet extremely complex. You must carve nine hundred ninety nine thousand, nine hundred ninety nine restrictions on the flag.
Only then can you make one restriction flag.
The use of the restriction flag wasn’t mentioned here, but how could the weapon bestowed by the ancient god be weak? And that’s not even taking into consideration the precious materials or the difficult production process required to make it.
Wang Lin refused to believe that this treasure was weak. Obviously, the real reward for this realm was the jade and the privilege of being someone who was selected. If Six Desire Devil Lord and Ancient Emperor knew this, they wouldn’t have rushed forward, and would have slowly advanced by studying the restrictions one by one instead.
“Besides me, there are three more people who also received this jade…” Wang Lin muttered to himself. He quickly deduced that if he was able to obtain this jade after understanding the second realm, would he receive a similar reward if he met the requirement in the first realm?
Wang Lin remembered that he had heard something on the road of no return. The mystery man casually said, “I subdued the first king!”
Perhaps that was the reward for the first realm. Wang Lin let out a bitter laugh. He didn’t have the ability to do the same.
At that point, the giant’s body started to disappear. The two balls began to move apart. The ball of light scattered back into specs of light and fell back onto the mountain. As the specks of light landed, the restrictions were set up again and the mountain returned to what it was before.
The ball of purple lightning floated back into the whirlpool. Then, a suction force came from the whirlpool and slowly pulled Wang Lin toward it. His body slowly sunk into the whirlpool.
When Wang Lin appeared from the whirlpool again. He was in what seemed to be a fairy land, with a large, open grass field. The surroundings were filled with spiritual energy.
Not far away, there was a lake. In the middle of the lake stood a three story pagoda that emitted bursts of colorful light.
The moment Wang Lin appeared, he sent out his soul to search the surroundings. After a long time, he carefully walked forward. He slapped his bag of holding and the black poison sword came out and floated around him.
He knew that Six Desire Devil Lord and Ancient Emperor hated him. Although they both dashed through the whirlpool three years ago, there was still a chance they were lying in wait for him here. If it was Wang Lin who was forced to go through all that trouble, he would certainly wait to kill the culprit.
As Wang Lin walked, he used his Divine Sense to scan the area, but was unable to find anything. Finally, he started to ponder about the pagoda.
The pagoda didn’t have any restrictions on it. He quickly moved toward it and stopped at the edge of the lake. He slammed his bag of holding and the devil Xu Liguo came flying out.
He had been bored to death these days, so he was very excited when he was released. However, when he saw Wang Lin, his expression suddenly froze and changed to an expression of amazement.
Wang Lin had changed since Xu Ligou last saw him. This fiend’s hair had grown all white and had eyes that could penetrate the heart. Xu Ligou gave one look and immediately became scared. He groaned to himself. “How did this fiend get stronger again… at this rate, when will I escape this evil fiend’s hand … even if I were to fight without caring for my life, it’d be hopeless.”
Before, only when Wang Lin was using the full power of his soul would Xu Ligou feel this way. But now he felt like that even though Wang Lin wasn’t using any power at all. It clearly showed just how much Wang Lin’s restriction power had grown in the past 13 years.
Wang Lin pointed his finger at the lake. Xu Ligou wanted to bargain with him, but when he saw Wang Lin’s eyes, he obediently flew out toward the lake, silently cursing at Wang Lin.
Xu Ligou cursed in his heart. “Just you wait, once I eat a few more souls, recruit a few little brothers, and increase my own cultivation a bit, I’ll fight with you to the death!” After venting, he felt lot better and dove into the lake to begin his search.
Wang Lin used the piece of soul he left in Xu Ligou’s body to check out the lake while his body remained on the shore. After he was sure there was nothing wrong with the lake, he flew toward the pagoda.
As Xu Ligou flew up from the lake, he silently cursed a few times but was still brought up against his will.
In front of the pagoda, Wang Lin also made Xu Ligou go in first to make sure it was safe before he entered. This pagoda had three floors, the first floor had a grid of 9 square that was completely empty.
Wang Lin quickly gained an understanding of this place. This must be where the reward for all those who passed the second realm was placed. However, after so many years, all the rewards were taken. That’s why there was only empty space remaining.
After Wang Lin walked up to the second floor, he was sure of his guess. There were four empty squares facing north, east, south, and west.
On the third floor, Wang Lin saw the whirlpool that was the exit and another empty square.
Wang Lin wasn’t disappointed at all and pondered for awhile. He remembered the message left by the mysterious man on the road of no return. Although he didn’t leave any message in the second realm, he felt that he was one of the three before him that received the piece of jade.
After a moment of silence, Wang Lin immediately searched all three floors of the pagoda. It was on the second floor that he saw the familiar message next to the empty squares.
“After seeing the treasure pagoda, apart from it looking pleasant, I was very disappointed in this land of the ancient gods.”
This statement was extremely proud. Wang Lin pondered it for a moment and moved toward the third floor.
On the third floor, he didn’t immediately enter the whirlpool. Wang Lin sat down and recovered his Ling Qi to its peak, then he organized his bag of holding. Next, he took a deep breath before letting out Xu Ligou and pointed toward the whirlpool.
Xu Ligou had a bitter face. He cursed silently many times, but still dove into the whirlpool, however, the moment he touched the whirlpool, he let out a scream as his body smoked. He quickly backed away with a look of fear on his face.
Wang Lin took out a small animal and tossed it toward the whirlpool. This time, the animal passed through without any hinderance and begin to sink into it. Just at that moment, the connection Wang Lin had with the small animal was suddenly severed.
Wang Lin’s complexion darkened. After pondering for a while, he thought this that whirlpool must be the one that caused the likes of Six Desire Devil Lord to stop and flee in panic, the third barrier.
According to what Duanmu said before, this was the third barrier that required a famous death curse technique to pass through. Although he didn’t say much about it, Wang Lin still knew a bit.
After this test, he found out that Xu Ligou couldn’t enter the whirlpool. The moment he got close, his spirit was damaged. The little animal disappeared the moment it entered and its connection to him connection was cut.
From observing this, Wang Lin concluded that the third realm must be very dangerous. He pondered this for a while and finally went up next to the whirlpool. He slowly extended his hand toward it.
A cold feeling immediately came from his hand, however, he didn’t encounter the danger the devil Xu Ligou did. Without a second thought, Wang Lin stepped in.
When Wang Lin exited the whirlpool, he immediately froze. His sea of consciousness stirred with great tidal waves and bright lightning flashed. For the first time not under Wang Lin’s control, his eyes flickered.
“This… this is Nirvana!” Wang Lin thought.
In front of him was an immense area of nothingness with a few oddly shaped rocks floating around. At the same time, his soul fluctuated constantly.
Wang Lin let out a cold laugh. One could say that he passed the first realm due to luck, he passed the second realm due to determination, then for this third realm…Wang Lin had already determined he could effortlessly travel this third realm.
He slammed his bag of holding. Xu Ligou and the second devil immediately appeared. The two devils gawked at the surroundings. They slowly regained their sense and the surprise in their eyes was replaced with ecstasy.
Here, the two devils were like fish in water. They had a very comfortable feeling.
After releasing the two devils, Wang Lin scanned the surroundings and suddenly grabbed at an empty space with his right hand. An abrupt cry was heard and a stream of smoke appeared at the spot. The smoke formed the illusion of a two horned creature. It was a wandering soul.
It was hiding in the nothingness, hoping to attack Wang Lin, however, it didn’t expect Wang Lin to pull it out from the nothingness.
The soul immediately started to panic. Wang Lin didn’t even glance at it as his Ji Divine Realm jumped out and formed a mouth that swallowed the wandering soul.
Wang Lin closed his eyes. He hadn’t tasted a wandering soul in a long time. It felt very good. He could clearly feel his soul getting stronger.
“Wandering souls are really the best supplement to nourish the soul. Just for this wandering soul here, the time spent in this realm is worth it.” Wang Lin said as he charged forward.
The scene of Wang Lin devouring the soul scared Xu Ligou and the second devil greatly. Both of the two devils, especially Xu Ligou, had eaten many souls. Xu Ligou’s mouth was watering, and when he saw Wang Lin devour soul before him, he just felt like someone stole his food.
However, Xu Ligou felt that the soul that Wang Lin pulled out was very similar to his own. He even felt like it was an ancestor of his. He had a very warm feeling. When Wang Lin held the wandering soul, he thought this fiend was about to recruit a little brother and was about go to up and greet it.
Unfortunately, the intimacy he felt changed to fear as he saw Wang Lin devour the soul. He always knew he was going to fight this evil fiend to the death, but now he realized that not only could this fiend devour souls, he could even devour him.
As a result, Xu Ligou was very scared.
The scream from the wandering soul before it was devoured and the intoxicated expression on Wang Lin’s face caused Xu Ligou’s spirit to waver. He remembered when he used to bargain with this evil fiend. His body shook in fear.
Before, he felt that Wang Lin using powerful tools to punish him was the worst that would be done to him, however, that was trivial compared to being eaten alive..
Xu Ligou immediately decided to not mess around with this evil fiend anymore. If he one day truly angered him, he might be swallowed in one bite without a trace of himself remaining.
As for the second devil, although he was a beast after following Xu Ligou for so long, he also had gained a bit of intelligence. His heart was also filled with fear.
His intuition was lot stronger than Xu Ligou. When Wang Lin displayed his ability to devour a soul similar to his, he thought Wang Lin was like a king.
[1]This means Wang Lin actually went through and mastered each of the restrictions on the mountain, which fit the standards of this giant, instead of just running through them like Ancient Emperor. I couldn’t think of a good way to put this in the text.