Chapter 406: Eternal Spirit Mountain, Impasse
When the Purple Sun Sect saw the scene of utter chaos over at the Precious Tree Sect’s side, their moods grew slightly better. If one was stuck inside the Eternal Spirit Mountain after it’d closed, they were dead without a doubt.
Unless they could open the mountain again in a short period of time, Jiang Chen would certainly perish.
However, would it be that easy to reopen the mountain?
To open the mountain’s seal the first time had required an incredible amount of resources from all four sects, as well as the combined efforts of all four forefathers.
What reason did the four sects have now to once again open the Eternal Spirit Mountain?
Sunchaser leered as he looked coldly at the Eternal Spirit Mountain, feeling quite vindicated.
“We go.”
Sunchaser waved his hand after observing for a while and made to leave. Long Juxue’s death had plunged the entire Purple Sun Sect into the depths of depression. They naturally didn’t want to remain in this heartbreaking place.
It was a good thing that the Purple Sun Sect still had Lei Gangyang.
Now the Jiang Chen was sealed within the Eternal Spirit Mountain, Lei Gangyang was once more the leader of the younger generation. This scene allowed the entire Purple Sun Sect to feel slightly gratified.
Only Master Shuiyue appeared listless and out of her wits, her face as ashen as a walking corpse that had lost its soul. Her expression was wooden, and her originally high spirits were nowhere to be found.
“Daoist Sunchaser, please hold your steps.”
Thousandleaf’s brows suddenly quirked as he called out.
Sunchaser stopped with a cold laugh, “What?”
“The core purpose of our four sects holding this selection was for the combined fates of the sixteen kingdoms. Jiang Chen is now entrapped and will die if he isn’t rescued in a month. Will Daoist Sunchaser not help a dying man?”
“Hahaha!” Sunchaser laughed as if he’d heard an absolutely ludicrous joke. “Do you think that I should enthusiastically lend a helping hand? Are you plotting to have my Purple Sun Sect put forth resources and effort to save that Jiang Chen?”
Thousandleaf knew that Sunchaser would say that, but he reined in his temper and laughed apologetically. “We actually don’t need you to provide resources, the mountain won’t be open for too long this time. My Precious Tree Sect will take care of the outlay of spirit stones and only ask you to offer some strength. Please feel free to let us know what compensation you would like in return. I won’t even frown as long as it’s something that my Precious Tree Sect can bring out.”
If he hadn’t been forced to do so by the circumstances, Thousandleaf would’ve never wanted to beg Sunchaser for a favor.
However, the four of them were needed to activate the formation.
Missing even one would make it difficult for them to succeed.
Thousandleaf lacked people at the moment, not resources. If it only came down to resources, this was a price that the Precious Tree Sect could afford.
Sunchaser cackled oddly, “Tsk tsk, who would’ve thought that you’d value this cheap disciple that you just happened to pick up so highly? Do you think that I would care about your paltry compensation?”
“Sunchaser, don’t be so heartless. Wasn’t the point of our selection to find geniuses? Jiang Chen is the first genius amongst the sixteen kingdoms alliance. Will you throw away the future of the sixteen kingdoms out of a personal grudge?”
Ninelion also walked over and called out, “I, Ninelion, am absolutely willing to help if Daoist Thousandleaf asks. I’m sure that Venerated Icemist is of the same mind.”
Icemist smiled slightly and nodded lightly, ”Daoist Sunchaser, why not let go of your prejudices and put forth what humble effort you can for the future of the sixteen kingdoms alliance?”
“Humble effort? Hahaha, it looks like you lot truly don’t know me. Do you think I’m the type to repay injury with kindness? Jiang Chen killed one of my Purple Sun Sect’s geniuses. I’ve already exhibited great restraint by not personally eviscerating him. Now you want me to help him? Nonsense!”
Sunchaser was quite delighted in this moment.
If he could, he didn’t mind killing Jiang Chen with his own hands. What bloody future of the sixteen kingdoms alliance, that was just one of his rallying cries.
To be honest, he’d never cared about any of this.
He just wanted to make use of that rallying cry to recruit a few more geniuses for the Purple Sun Sect.
“Selfish old thing indeed!” Ninelion cursed through gritted teeth. “If the alliance is exiled one day and perishes, how will we enjoy freedom and independence? Do you think that the Purple Sun Sect can pay attention to itself without thought of others if the sixteen kingdoms alliance declines?”
“Hmph, stuff it with your lecture! If the sixteen kingdoms alliance does decline, that’s not something that Jiang Chen can change with his strength alone. I’ll worry about the future of the Purple Sun Sect myself, when was it any of your turns to do so? Truth be told, I won’t really be leaving today. I’ll just go at it with whoever dares to touch the Eternal Spirit Mountain today!”
Sunchaser decided to just go ahead and make a shameless scene.
……
Within the Eternal Spirit Mountain, Jiang Chen didn’t know whether to laugh or cry when he saw the seal slowly close. He plopped down on a nearby block of stone and looked at the unconscious Chu Xinghan next to him.
“Can I really not make it out?” Jiang Chen gazed at the seal. Although it’d just closed, it would be impossible to open if the origin realm forefathers didn’t act in accordance.
If he attacked it rashly, he would be attacked by the restrictions on the seal.
Have the Goldbiter Rats gnaw a way out?
Looking at the strong restrictions on the seal, Jiang Chen knew apart from sending the Goldbiter Rats to their deaths, that would have no effect whatsoever on the seal.
Jiang Chen probed a bit and finally concluded dejectedly that he really couldn’t make it out.
The concentration of spirit qi in the Eternal Spirit Mountain seemed to have decreased immensely after the seal had closed.
“I must figure out a way to leave. Although I can hang on for a while being sealed in, I won’t make it past a few months. I’ll be dead without a doubt if I remain here.”
Jiang Chen knew full well that only death awaited him if he remained in here.
However, with his current strength, there was no way he could exit by himself at the moment.
“I wonder if forefather Thousandleaf is still outside? I might have a shot at living if the origin realm forefathers are willing to make a move.”
Jiang Chen had never been the sort to place his hopes in others, but with no other options left, he was forced to think these thoughts at this moment.
“The heavens always leave a door open. I must hang on first.”
Jiang Chen sat down cross legged to calm and center himself for a moment.
Three days passed, and not a flicker of distortion could be seen. There wasn’t the slightest ripple of change from the seal. It was apparent that those in the outside world had yet to attempt to open the seal.
He felt slight movement from the seal on the sixth day, but the strength of the ripples were obviously insufficient to break open the seal.
“It looks like they haven’t given up on me!” Although Jiang Chen’s dao heart was as if iron, he felt slightly touched at this moment. He could tell that those on the outside were trying.
The ripples remained on the seventh and eighth day, but it was a far cry from breaking through the seal.
The ripples from the outside world finally stopped on the ninth and tenth day.
Jiang Chen smiled ruefully, “It looks like they too are helpless after trying their best.”
Others may have given up, but Jiang Chen himself didn’t wish to. He cultivated and meditated every day, contemplating ways to leave the Eternal Spirit Mountain.
However, every method that he thought of required an immense amount of power to implement.
With his current level of cultivation, he was simply too far away from that stage.
None of his methods would work unless his cultivation level suddenly surpassed the four forefathers.
On this day, Jiang Chen was sitting cross legged when his ears suddenly twitched, “Who is it?”
He’d actually heard footsteps, the very real sound of footsteps!
They didn’t belong to a beast or any other living creature, but to that of a human’s.
The footsteps noticeably didn’t belong to Chu Xinghan. He was still in a coma, and if it wasn’t for Jiang Chen using pills to keep him clinging to life, Chu Xinghan likely would’ve died a long time ago.
“Don’t be nervous, young man.” It was a voice that had clearly weathered much in life.
Two people walked out from a bend in the road—one elderly and one young. The elderly appeared quite otherworldly, his hair tipped with snowy white. The young person was a girl with a slightly stooped posture. One of her eyes was big, the other small, and although her nose was quite pert, her mouth listed slightly to the left. Her features were slightly ugly, and it was a noticeable disharmonious contrast to the elder’s otherworldly demeanor.
“Who are you?” Jiang Chen was slightly surprised and took a step backwards subconsciously, entering a wary state. His eyes flicked sideways to Chu Xinghan’s position.
“Young man, I mean no harm. In fact, I actually quite admire you. You are loyal, stouthearted, and have a strength of character that doesn’t lack compassion. I have cause to compliment you just for the act of landing in trouble because you wanted to save someone of an enemy sect. The sixteen kingdoms alliance is truly unworthy of a young man like you.”
Jiang Chen wasn’t distracted by the compliment as he remained on his guard.
He nodded his head faintly and asked, “Elder, who might you be? You seem to be quite aware of the happenings here?”
“Indeed, I do know everything that’s happened here, as well as your background, Jiang Chen.”
The elder was naturally Elder shun. He hadn’t wanted to meet the those of the four great sects and so had expelled them by tampering with the formation.
He had planned on taking Jiang Chen away in the chaos, but he’d discovered that Jiang Chen hadn’t left. He’d gone to save Chu Xinghan instead.
This move made Elder Shun stick up his thumb at Jiang Chen from the bottom of his heart.
However, when Jiang Chen heard these words, he raised his eyebrow and concentrated his gaze on Elder Shun, revealing a trace of shock.
“Rising in the Eastern Kingdom through drawing in the Hall of Healing with the Heavenly Karma Pill recipe…”
“Striking out strongly against second organizer Du Ruhai and becoming the cause of his property being confiscated…”
“Striking out fiercely against all the noble sons in the Hidden Dragon Trial and killing the Long family heir Long Yinye…”
“Using your strength to suppress the Long family rebellion and almost killing Long Juxue at the Second Crossing…”
“When the Darkmoon Kingdom invaded, you coordinated with Prince Ye Rong of the Skylaurel Kingdom to kill the first general of the enemy kingdom!”
“When you arrived in the Skylaurel Kingdom, you delivered a strong setback to vice director Yang Zhao of the Dragonteeth Guard and pulled him up by the roots.”
“At the spirit king protector’s birthday banquet, you used one jug of the Nine Magnificence Dew Wine to win out over all other gifts and receive Ye Chonglou’s attentions.”
“In the fight between the princes, Ye Rong easily swept his opponents and became the crown prince thanks to your aid.”
“The Iron family of the Precious Tree Sect provoked you time and time again, but you took down Iron Dazhi instead and held him ransom.”
“And now in the selection of the legacy territory, you were the champion of the five trials in the initial selection, the champion of the mystic, earth, and sky quadrant. You defeated all opponents and became first amongst the younger generation in the sixteen kingdoms.”
Elder Shun smiled as he went over Jiang Chen’s current life’s history.
“You’ve used only three years to accomplish all this. Young man, I have to say that it is indeed a surprise to me that you were born in a place such as the sixteen kingdoms alliance.”