The Path Toward Heaven Chapter 670 - Heaven and Earth as a Stove

Chapter 670: Raising the Iron Broadsword and Becoming a Saint after Opening the Eyes

Translator: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio
Along with the rumbling, a great amount of blue seawater dropped down from a high place. As the sea water landed on the ground of the Underworld, the force of the dropping waster was no different than the rocks dropping from the sky; the mounts and hills by the river were instantly leveled by the seawater before it poured into the Underworld River.
Looking at the green smoke dispersing in all directions in the air, Tong Yan demanded expressionlessly, "How are you going to tell the Emperor when she comes back?"
"My idea is different from that of Her Majesty. The sunshine and rain are not something that we must have after all; but I'm also unwilling to have my head stepped over all the time by you, the humans."
The Underworld Master came by the side of Tong Yan and looked down at the chaotic and horrific scene below as he continued, "This world will experience a great change that has never occurred in history. You'd better be prepared for it; otherwise, you will be engulfed by the torrent."
"This is the destruction of the world," said Tong Yan after he turned around and stared into the eyes of the Underworld Master. "Are you sure that you people can actually do it?"
The Underworld Master replied, "Today is the Inauguration Ceremony of Green Mountain; a majority of the strong swordsmen in the human Cultivation circle will go there for the event; it's the best opportunity for us to open a passage."
"What then?" pressed Tong Yan.
"As you have witnessed, a great amount of seawater is dropping down into the Underworld from the whirlpool, which is a kind of downpour that you humans can't even imagine."
A determined and contented expression showed on the face of the Underworld Master as he said while pointing to a spot in the sky, "Look! A violent wind will come afterwards."
The space had suddenly twisted at the highest spot of the dark world and the Abyss.
The air flowed rapidly, which was caused by the wind coming from the surface of Chaotian.
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The wind in the Thousand-Mile Wind Corridor was howling nonstop; the branches of the willow trees by the lake immersed halfway in the water. It was a wonderful scene.
Sitting by the window, Xiao He's face went pale, making the earring on her earlobe look even more crimson.
The wind had suddenly grown stronger, some of which entered the formation surrounding the courtyard, rumpling the window and the black strands of her hair on her forehead as well as the earring.
The earring swayed with the wind and turned into a red feather the size of a finger soundlessly; it then drifted out of the window with the wind.
Xiao He had no idea what had just happened. Looking at the huge waves on the surface of the lake, she grew more confused.
The elegant red feather drifted out of the window, over the path made of stone slabs between the thatched huts, over the pond, and over the white goose in the pond, heading toward the deep end.
This place was the closely guarded Scholar Palace of the One-Cottage House, a few hundred feet from which was the place where Bu Qiuxiao stayed behind closed doors studying and cultivating.
The flowing water and the flowering trees around the courtyard of the study house created the best formation of the One-Cottage House; but it failed to intercept the red feather.
Xi Yiyun opened his eyes suddenly, a surprised and angry expression showing on his face. He moved as fast as he could after muttering "No!"
Unfortunately, the red feather had a very high Cultivation state; it was already too late when he sensed its arrival.
There was a common study house in the deep part of the courtyard.
Bu Qiuxiao sat on the floor with his eyes closed, a book opened in front of him. His breathing was long and deep, his robe rippling with no aid of the wind.
He had entered the trance about twenty days ago, traveling heaven and earth mentally and perceiving the essence of nature.
He would stay in this condition until the moment of becoming the Saint; and he wouldn't be able to sense any commotion outside his body.
A leaf fell onto the pond in the study house, creating many marvelous ripples.
The red feather drifted into the study house noiselessly by taking advantage of the ripples on the pond and came before Bu Qiuxiao with the wind. And it brushed past him slowly.
Bu Qiuxiao, who was about to become the Saint, had a body as tough as a magic treasure, yet his finger was, however, cut open by the seemingly soft feather.
Without any sound, the finger on Bu Qiuxiao's hand had a very tiny tear.
The tear was on the forefinger of his right hand, which was the finger he used to hold the high end of a brush pen. He had used this finger and hand to write many scholarly articles.
A drop of blood seeped out from the tear.
Xi Yiyun and a few old scholars of the One-Cottage House arrived in the study house as quickly as they could and witnessed this scene.
They had no idea what had happened, but they felt ill at ease. So they hastened to set up the formation again and summoned the upright energy to help Bu Qiuxiao stop the bleeding at the same time.
Yet, it was too late.
The drop of blood on the forefinger of Bu Qiuxiao's right hand suddenly dissipated and turned into a faint bloody mist, spreading to the surroundings of the study house. The formations hadn't blocked it in the least.
The faint bloody mist drifted toward the sky. It didn't take long before the bloody mist met the real wind.
Boom!!!
The mountain, river and all the objects surrounding the study house had been reddened, as if the setting sun had arrived in the human world ahead of time.
The most horrific thing was that the whistling wind was also dyed red , as if the whole world was ablaze.
The horrifying wind became even more violent and dreadful. The formations at the One-Cottage House were forced to present themselves, making cracking sounds; it seemed that they were on the brink of breaking apart.
The scholars and students of the One-Cottage House and the guests of various sects had no idea what was happening. They came out from the thatched huts and looked at the peculiar phenomena in heaven and earth, being stunned speechless.
Xiao He stood vacantly by the window and looked at the bloody wind in the sky. Sensing the horrifying force of heaven and earth, she couldn't help but cover her mouth with her hands.
"The direction of the wind has changed!" an old scholar suddenly announced in a trembling voice.
Many surprised screams went up at the One-Cottage House.
The wind in the Thousand-Mile Wind Corridor had never ceased.
The whole Cultivation world knew that the wind came up from the deep end of the Underworld. The violent and terrifying wind entered Chaotian and became harmless only after it traveled a thousand miles and was tempered by the smooth surface of the rivers and the rugged surface of the valleys.
The purposes of the grandmasters of the One-Cottage House choosing this place to found their sect was to suppress the passage leading to the Underworld and to block the disastrous wind for the inhabitants of the human world.
But, the direction of the wind had changed that day; what was going on?
The lotus flowers on the lake were picked up by the suddenly changed wind and hurled toward the other side of the lake. A barrage of frequent cracking sounds could be heard soon after.
In an instant, tens of thousands of lotus flowers were ripped from their branches and flew away, and then were crushed into powder. It was an unsightly scene.
The sharp shrieks broke out in the deep part of the lake. A great many Inky Pythons were fleeing to the distant places, once again causing huge waves on the surface of the lake.
At the entrance to the Thousand-Mile Wind Corridor, the strong wind was entering the corridor with a vengeance. The Inn owned by Xiao He had been leveled to the ground.
In the deepest end of the Thousand-Mile Wind Corridor and at a stony mountain where there was a passage leading to the Underworld, the wind was more terrifying than anywhere else, as though all the winds in Chaotian had come here.
There were countless cracks in the stony mountain, and the deep part of the stony mountain was the passage leading to the Underworld. It was usually suppressed by the formations of the One-Cottage House.
The strong wind rushed into the stony mountain, and the edges of the cracks between rocks were visibly being torn apart, ultimately turned into powder.
Those formations were also being demolished.
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"The Immortal has used the blood sacrifice to complete the Heavenly Slaying Formation and change the passage of heaven and earth, letting a great amount of seawater pour into the Underworld. After that, he has broken down the Stone-Bell Mountain of the One-Cottage House, bringing the strong wind into the Underworld. The wind has made the fire stronger, producing miasmas."
The Underworld Master's gaze followed the wind in the high sky, fixed on the upper end of the Underworld River. He continued while pointing to the green smoke, "As you've guessed, these miasmas are poisonous. By the time they reach the ground in the human world, they will kill all the mortals there."
"This is the same as a stove; he intends to put the whole human world on top of it," said Tong Yan pale-faced.
The Underworld Master said, "The Immortal said back then that he would use heaven and earth as a stove and all the objects as copper. How could the humans and the Underworld move forward if they were not tempered in a similar process as the copper being transformed into bronze?"
"Now you have the wind-pipe and the stove, but where is the chimney? Is it the Heavenly Well by the East Ocean?" asked Tong Yan.
The Underworld Master said to him appreciatively, "You're considered as someone who is most calculating at the Center Sect, and eventually, the Green Mountain Sect has also had a high opinion of you. You're indeed outstanding."
"You people will lose for sure then," said Tong Yan.
"Is it because that place is guarded by the Water-Moon Nunnery and the Fruit Formation Temple together?" asked the Underworld Master. "You should have learned that the Immortal was the Chief Monk at the Fruit Formation Temple for a period."
"But he underestimates one person," returned Tong Yan.
The Underworld Master said with a faint smile, "The Immortal has never neglected anyone."
"No," said Tong Yan, "regardless of how much you people appreciate that person, in the end you will find that you have underestimated him after all."
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It was windless and wave-less by the East Ocean.
The endless blue seawater pouring into the Underworld in the distant ocean and the strong wind rushing into the underground at the deep end of the Thousand-Mile Wind Corridor hadn't affected this place yet. However, the dimmer and yellowish amulet papers and the lighter scripts on the cliff walls had nonetheless alarmed those at the Fruit Formation Temple and the Water-Moon Nunnery.
A dozen elders and disciples of the Water-Moon Nunnery made their way to the other side of the mountain. Before long, the highly achieved monks of the Fruit Formation Temple had also arrived by the East Ocean. They were surprised to find that the formations suppressing the Heavenly Well had been weakened a great deal and that a large amount of filthy and formidable energy was coming out from the well.
The dark and cold energy from the Underworld froze the wild grass by the edge of the cliff into frosty stripes, before spreading into the distance.
In the deep end of the wild grass, the Chief Master of the Script Instruction Hall and the elderly nun of the Water-Moon Nunnery were covered in thick ice.
The sunlight shone down on their faces through the ice, their lips moving slightly. It was unclear whether they were reciting a script or a curse.
What was going on here?
The people of the Fruit Formation Temple and the Water-Moon Nunnery were exceedingly astonished. They attempted to repair the formations, but they found that they could in no way pass through the patch of the dark and cold energy of the Underworld.
The earth suddenly quaked, and the rock chips on the cliff walls fell down in tandem. All the frozen wild grass broke into pieces, and a loud thud could be heard in the underground.
In the deep part of the ocean not far away, the Great Grandmaster of the Mysterious Dark Sect had opened his eyes. He brought his hands back to the sides of his body slowly, creating a whirlpool in his wake.
On the cliff wall in the deep part of the ocean there was a huge hole; a great amount of dead fish was found around the hole. They were crushed to death instantly by the ferocious undercurrent.
Seeing the scene, the Great Grandmaster of the Mysterious Dark Sect displayed a pleased and contented expression in his eyes.
He was quite satisfied with the palm he wielded earlier, which was as powerful as the one he had done at his height.
As the palm came down, six of the thirty-three barriers in the Heavenly Well had been broken down.
If he was to wield his palm a few more times, the Heavenly Well would be completely opened up.
Yet, he had used up quite a bit of his demonic energy by wielding such a powerful palm; he needed time to recover. The Great Grandmaster of the Mysterious Dark Sect sat down at the bottom of the sea again.
A faint green smoke came out from the Heavenly Well and entered the seawater via the rupture at the bottom of the ocean.
A regular person was unable to smell the green smoke, but the Great Grandmaster of the Mysterious Dark Sect was in a very high Cultivation state, so he discovered it instantly and inhaled deeply.
The green smoke meandered like a snake in the seawater. As it reached the end of his nostrils, the Great Grandmaster of the Mysterious Dark Sect inhaled it, with only a small amount of it remaining in the seawater.
The seawater had gradually subsided. A sea-turtle swam to the side of the Great Grandmaster of the Mysterious Dark Sect vacantly and then breathed no more.
The Great Grandmaster of the Mysterious Dark Sect perceived the scent of the green smoke and noticed the dead sea-turtle. Then, he realized that the plan of the Immortal had succeeded. An insane smile showed up on his face, and a beam in his eyes.
He was like a drunkard or a toad that inhaled the fairy energy.
The sea-turtle was the first life that had been poisoned to death by the green smoke of the Underworld in Chaotian; but this was only a beginning. As long as the Heavenly Well were opened up, connecting with the Huge Whirlpool and the Wind Corridor to make a perfect passage of heaven and earth, no one could reverse the process; not even a fairy man coming down from the above world could do it.
As more and more seawater poured into the Huge Whirlpool and more wind rushed into the Underworld from the Thousand-Mile Wind Corridor, the flames in the Underworld grew higher and produced more green smoke. The green smoke passed through the Heavenly Well and came up to the ground of the human world; and it would kill more and more lives in the human world. They would have no chance of escaping from the fate of death regardless of whether they fled to the ocean or the mountains.
In addition to Chaotian, the Penglai Island and the distant Dongyi Dao couldn't even avoid this disaster; and the Alien Land far away would be covered with the green smoke eventually.
The green smoke would take more than 100 years to clear up; all mortals would be wiped out by then.
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"It can't be so simple," said Tong Yan. "The green smoke is dispersing everywhere in the Underworld. To send it to the surface of Chaotian through the passages, you need a large formation. It takes a long time to prepare such a formation."
"The Immortal had prepared for this event since he came down to the Underworld the second time. How many years ago was that? And I am the executor of the plan in the Underworld," said the Underworld Master. "The main difference between the Grand Priest and me is that he regards all the lives in the Underworld as his slaves and properties and is unwilling to let anyone of them die; I don't care that much."
Tong Yan remarked, "I've always thought that you seemed to be weak when facing Green Mountain. It turns out that you have concealed your true objective by acting as such."
"You're really good at calculating. I can defeat the Grand Priest so easily mostly due to your help," said the Underworld Master while looking at Tong Yan interestingly. "But what I don't understand is why you suddenly came down to the Underworld. Have you actually predicted all this?"
"Jing Jiu might be able to calculate all this, but I don't have such an ability. Every time I have encountered a situation that is too complicated and beyond my ability of calculating the result in a chess game, I often make a judgment based on my intuition."
Tong Yan went on, "I didn't find anything by calculating that day back at the Scenery Garden; but I felt like coming to the Underworld based on my intuition. So here I am."
The Underworld Master remarked sentimentally, "This sort of intuition on the chessboard is really remarkable. Fortunately, your Cultivation state is still very low, so you can't change anything even though you're here."
"Though my ability of calculating is not as good as Jing Jiu's, I still have some capability; at least I won't make basic mistakes. If I can't change anything, why did I come here in the first place?"
Tong Yan brought out a small and ancient bell.
The Underworld Master's pupils shrank abruptly. His blue clothing ruffled with no aid of the wind, bringing his body to a faraway place swiftly.
Tong Yan's finger knocked on the small bell.
Dong!!!
The sound of the bell echoed on the high platform in the cliff.
The strong wind whipped up, dimming heaven and earth. The flames in the Underworld River and on the distant ground were smothered.
With a grunt, the Underworld Master was knocked heavily into the cliff wall, spitting out a mouthful of fresh blood.
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