novel-books Chapter 97 The Name of Jade Void
Chapter 97 The Name of Jade Void
Inside Kunlun Ruins, beside the dry well, all was silent.
Lu Yan looked down at the unremarkable stone disc in his palm, his mind still immersed in the ultimate Daoist essence of the world-destroying black lotus.
In his eyes, the world had already disintegrated and reassembled into countless flowing lines of law. The armor on Xiao Qianyu's body, the shield in Zhao Leiguang's hand, and even every blade of grass and tree in this dilapidated courtyard, all revealed their most essential "principle".
This is a divine perspective.
The old Taoist priest opposite him was, in his eyes, a chaotic void, a black hole that swallowed all probing gazes and laws, its depths unfathomable.
Just then, for the first time, the old Taoist priest's eternally unchanging lazy expression showed a change.
His half-closed eyes suddenly turned towards the western horizon, his previously relaxed shoulders instantly tensed, and his nostrils twitched almost imperceptibly.
"What a foul, fishy smell." The old Taoist priest frowned, his wrinkled face contorted in disgust. "You beasts from the Western Sea, how dare you disturb my Eastern Dragon Vein?"
His voice was light and airy, yet it carried a chilling force that could freeze everything.
Before Xiao Qianyu and the others could react to the meaning behind his words, they instinctively felt a pang of fear.
As top-tier awakened beings, their perception of danger far surpasses that of ordinary people. Just a moment ago, an indescribable terror seemed to have cast a shadow over their hearts across endless time and space.
"Senior, what happened?" Xiao Qianyu stepped forward, her voice filled with barely suppressed urgency.
She thought of another purpose for this trip: to find the truth behind the disappearance of the Eastern pantheon in order to deal with the increasingly bizarre international situation.
"What's the rush?" The old Taoist's gaze returned to them, his eyes like those of someone looking at a flock of fledglings yet to leave the nest. "Just remnants of gods reborn in another's body, their foundations unstable, their cultivation shallow, still fluttering about in the mortal realm. Do they really think they're from ancient times?"
The sheer amount of information conveyed in his words sent a jolt through the minds of the entire first squad.
A crippled god? A soul resurrected through possession?
These words instantly became associated with Arthur, who underwent a drastic personality change after being struck by lightning during the global live broadcast, and with that terrifying face that blotted out the sky.
"But... Senior, it just destroyed the White Eagle Empire's Seventh Fleet." Zhao Leiguang couldn't help but speak up. His throat went dry as he thought of the satellite transmissions showing the carrier group vanishing into thin air. That was beyond the scope of human resistance.
"Oh, a metal-hulled boat." The old Taoist waved his hand dismissively. "What kind of skill is it to crush a few grasshoppers on the water?"
He looked Zhao Leiguang up and down, then glanced at Lin Chuxue, Wen Yue and the others, and finally his gaze fell on Xiao Qianyu's dazzling red lotus armor. His disdain deepened.
"With just these few flashy barbarian iron shells you're wearing, you think you can fight against a god? You're no match for them, far from it."
The atmosphere immediately became somewhat awkward after those words were spoken.
"Senior, this is an S-rank outfit..." Lin Chuxue muttered softly.
Zhao Leiguang was even more unconvinced and tried to say something with his neck stiff, but was stopped by a look from Xiao Qianyu.
Xiao Qianyu herself didn't show any emotional fluctuation; she simply calmly analyzed the meaning behind the old Taoist's words. Since the other party said it was "not enough to see," it proved that there was something "enough to see."
She took a deep breath and bowed to the old Taoist priest: "Please enlighten me, senior."
"It's not really about giving guidance." The old Taoist priest didn't respond to her words. His cloudy eyes once again looked past everyone and locked onto Lu Yan, as well as the stone disc in Lu Yan's palm that had remained completely still from beginning to end.
"The artifacts of barbarians emphasize 'use,' which means seizing the creation of heaven and earth, forcibly twisting the rules for their own use. They are domineering, but they have fallen into a low level."
His voice became distant and desolate, as if he were reminiscing about a bygone era.
"But the magic weapons of the East emphasize 'inheritance' and 'union.' They inherit the Way of Heaven and unite with oneself. The object itself is a part of the Way. Young friend, do you understand?"
Lu Yan did not answer.
Because in his vision after unlocking the "Black Lotus" form, he sees things more clearly than anyone else.
The divine equipment worn by the teammates was indeed, as the old Taoist priest said, a product of various mixed Taoist principles forcibly "stitched together".
Flame, solidity, speed, sharpness... these principles are intertwined, conflicting and consuming each other. They appear powerful, but in reality, they suffer from severe internal friction and have an unstable foundation.
Like a raft haphazardly pieced together from a bunch of precious timbers, it may look magnificent, but when it encounters real storms, it will fall apart at the slightest touch.
The Void Disc in his palm, the Black Lotus of Annihilation, contained a perfectly integrated chain of divine laws that formed its own cycle, resembling a miniature universe—perfect and flawless.
"It seems you understand." The old Taoist nodded in satisfaction at his expression. "The reason that beast from the Western Sea was able to be resurrected is because when it was suppressed, it left behind a scepter of its destiny in the mortal world."
Now, someone has offered a sacrifice of flesh and blood, awakening the scepter. With the help of those inside and outside, a crack has been torn open, allowing a wisp of a remnant soul to possess it.
"Its target is you."
The old Taoist priest's words made everyone's hearts leap into their throats.
"Or rather, it is this." He pointed to the stone plate in Lu Yan's hand.
"This is the seed of the lotus called 'Chaos Green Lotus'..."
The old Taoist priest revealed a shocking secret, word by word: "When the Great God Pangu created the world, the Chaos Green Lotus shattered, most of it turning into treasures of creation. Only one of the most primordial lotus seeds fell into the Netherworld and became the 'World-Destroying Black Lotus,' which holds the power of ending and nothingness. Later, it was obtained by my Jade Void Palace's Primordial Ancestor, who refined its malevolent energy and renamed it the 'Disc of Nothingness.'"
"It is specifically designed to counter those extraterrestrial demons and chaotic evil gods."
"During the War of the Gods, the Eastern pantheon sealed itself away, returning to the 'Ruins,' in order to completely isolate this world from the outside world. My Jade Void lineage is responsible for guarding this last passage connecting to the mortal realm, and..." The old Taoist's gaze became incredibly profound, "waiting for the 'one destined to face the calamity' who will wield the Void Disc to appear."
He looked at Lu Yan as if he were looking at a priceless treasure that had been lost and found again.
"What that monstrous creature from the Western Sea fears most is this thing's ability to 'strip away the laws of the Dao.' The reason it is so eager to descend is because it senses this thing's aura and wants to destroy it completely before it fully recovers."
The old Taoist priest finally revealed his true intentions, extending his withered finger and pointing it out from a distance.
This gesture, though lacking any earth-shattering power, made Lu Yan feel that the dragon vein energy of the entire Kunlun Ruins, and even the entire China, was affected by his finger.
A wisp of pure, indescribable azure energy emanated from the old Taoist's fingertips and disappeared into the void.
hum-
The stone disc trembled violently, the spiral patterns on its surface began to swirl wildly, and ancient runes lit up in the air, eventually converging into two indistinct seal characters—
Yuxu.
[The unique and supreme equipment—'Void'—has been blessed by the 'Jade Void Edict'!]
[The ability to "Separate the Principles of Tao" has been enhanced!]
[Unlock New Ability: Dragon Vein Resonance - While within the borders of China, one can draw upon the earth's energy from the dragon veins to empower oneself, rendering one impervious to all magic and imbued with divine might!]
[Unlock New Ability: Jade Decree - Exterminate Evil - Can inflict true damage on divine beings and forcibly suppress their divine rules, causing them to fall from their rank!]
A series of system notifications flooded Lu Yan's mind.
He could feel a deep resonance between himself and the land beneath his feet, a connection as if he could mobilize the immense power of the entire Chinese nation if he so desired.
"Go."
The old Taoist priest withdrew his finger, reverting to his lazy demeanor, and waved his hand as if shooing away flies.
"That monstrous beast has just arrived; its soul and body have not yet fully merged, and it is at its weakest. Go and strike it back to its original form, lest it defile my eastern lands."
"Oh, right," he added, as if remembering something, "don't waste the rags you're wearing."
As he spoke, he pulled out a handful of those crumpled yellow talismans from his sleeve and tossed them aside.
The yellow talismans flew towards the first squad like butterflies, accurately sticking to each of their armor and weapons.
"This is the 'Transformation Talisman,' which can temporarily transform the chaotic rules of external objects into the purest energy and integrate it into yourselves. Although it's a one-time use item, it's enough for you to finish this fight."
After doing all this, the old Taoist priest ignored everyone and turned to walk into the depths of the dilapidated courtyard, muttering incantations as he went.
"Sigh, after thousands of years of peace, war is about to break out again. What a hassle, such a hassle..."