185: Rainbow Bridge appears, meeting the mountain gods

As the cry rang out, Shi Cang's speed erupted. He had already passed through the light screen, and with divine light scattering down, his speed did not diminish as he rapidly moved away.

The moment he left the place of anomaly, a ripple flashed around him, and his aura suddenly vanished, his whereabouts unknown.

That was the wudao stele acting, helping him conceal his figure.

On the spot, the figure who pushed open the door and emerged revealed himself.

It was a young man, his gaze fixed in the direction Shi Cang disappeared, his brows slightly furrowed.

"It seems to be a little child."

"Could this be the inheritor the Lord is looking for?"

A thoughtful expression appeared on his face. He looked back at the stone steps extending into the mountain peak not far outside the village, his eyes darkening: "Whether he is or not, I will find him first and confirm his identity."

Muttering to himself, he left the courtyard, passed through the divine light, and pursued in the direction Shi Cang had disappeared.

Time passed.

After that figure had completely left and was nowhere to be seen, Shi Cang's figure reappeared amidst faint ripples.

Above him, the wudao stele hung high, helping him conceal his figure. Now, its voice sounded, entering Shi Cang's mind: "Shi Cang, the ancient method he spoke of should be the cultivation method passed down by your tribe's Sacrificial Spirit."

"With my protection, you could try to make contact with him and see if you can get any information from him."

"No need."

Shi Cang shook his head, glanced at the ancient land shrouded in divine light behind him, and without hesitation, turned directly and walked in the opposite direction.

Although he was young, once he truly embarked on the path of cultivation, cultivation was the best aid to growth. The environment of the Great Wilderness also made him grow rapidly, and he did not intend to create any extra complications at this time.

"Let's continue, to find the next place."

...

In a secluded place, Qin Jin stood in mid-air, beside him, was the Lei Yu Watcher's clone.

As Qin Jin's voice fell, amidst the flowing [Venerable Observer] character, under Qin Jin's attention, in an instant, the spiritual energy permeating the surrounding heaven and earth gathered, forming a spiritual energy vortex with the [Venerable Observer] character as its center.

"So that's how it is."

Qin Jin clearly heard the Venerable Observer's enlightened voice.

Upon hearing this voice, he clearly perceived a similar sense of enlightenment rising in his heart, deepening his understanding of the realm.

The vortex enveloped the [Venerable Observer] character. Under Qin Jin's gaze, the character evolved, expanding slightly. Strange scenes appeared within it, with scenes of Spirit Ruins and scenes of grotto-heavens, alternatingly surfacing and absorbing spiritual energy.

Time passed.

At one moment, the spiritual energy vortex dispersed, the strange scenes vanished, and the Venerable Observer's clone returned to its original state.

Qin Jin looked at it: "Venerable Observer, how do you feel?"

"I've gained some enlightenment."

The [Venerable Observer] character hung in mid-air, its entire being exuding a wise and steady aura. If its character clone during its slumber appeared rather naive, then the current [Venerable Observer] character clone was like a learned scholar, with a stable temperament.

It softly said: "When attempting to simulate the [realm] in that cultivation path, there were some parts that I compensated for in other ways."

"Now..."

"Having truly seen its origin and understood its origin, I can further refine them."

Speaking of this, the Venerable Observer character swayed, seemingly looking towards the sky.

"However, the problem of the Fifth Realm has not yet been resolved."

"There seems to be a supreme restriction, intercepting the sky above, causing some problems to still exist in the cultivation of the Dao Seeking Realm."

No doubt!

That was the Mountain and River Divine Cauldron.

How extraordinary were the methods of a God! Although only a clone had arrived, by personally entering this place while simultaneously practicing the Heavenly Azure Method, it immediately detected the anomaly.

Upon hearing this, Qin Jin did not answer directly but instead asked, "Venerable Observer, can you still contact your main body now?"

"Upon first arriving, the connection with my main body was completely severed."

Its voice was gentle, and it slowly said: "This place is completely different from the alien space of the Star Sea; the connection with the Star Sea has been completely cut off."

"However, when I first began to evolve that cultivation path here, that severed connection was weakly restored, but some kind of barrier could not be broken."

Qin Jin's mind settled.

"Cultivating the Heavenly Azure Method can allow the Venerable Observer's clone to restore contact with its main body."

"Then..."

"When it truly evolves to the high realms of the Heavenly Azure Method, will there be deeper changes, allowing it to use more methods, or even for its main body to descend upon the Great Wilderness?"

Qin Jin's thoughts raced, giving rise to many possibilities.

The Venerable Observer's clone remained by his side, quietly watching Qin Jin ponder.

"Venerable Observer."

To a God, every clone with attached consciousness can be regarded as the main body. Therefore, Qin Jin pondered for a moment and solemnly said, "Regarding the Fifth Realm, there are two methods that should have a chance to solve it."

The Lei Yu Watcher listened quietly.

"The first is in the sky above."

Qin Jin pointed to the sky: "As the Venerable Observer has perceived, there is indeed a restriction above the sky. That is a restriction left by a figure who was once extremely brilliant on this cultivation path, to protect this heaven and earth."

"This cultivation path is intimately connected with heaven and earth. That heavenly restriction blocks the true heaven and earth, thus affecting the cultivation of the Fifth Realm."

"After a long time, that restriction has also developed some gaps, providing an opportunity to truly connect with heaven and earth, thereby completing further cultivation."

"However..."

Qin Jin mused for a moment, then changed his tone: "Venerable Observer, you may not be able to enter the restricted area. Rash attempts could cause some anomalies."

"Why?"

It asked calmly.

"Because, in my estimation, that restriction was precisely to protect the human race here, so..."

Qin Jin did not continue speaking.

But the meaning was self-evident.

"What about the second method?"

"The second method."

Qin Jin looked at the Venerable Observer character and said seriously, "I know a [path] to leave here."

His gaze shifted, looking into the distance: "That place might be a node intentionally left after the restriction was formed, most likely connecting the inside and outside of the restriction. Through there, one should be able to go to the true vast world outside."

"At that time, the so-called restriction barrier will naturally cease to exist. Venerable Observer, there, according to my deduction, you will have the opportunity to gradually truly grasp the essence and completely recreate the Heavenly Azure Method."

"There are also some problems there."

"To this day, I have never personally explored it, nor do I understand what the true world outside looks like. Everything is an unknown."

"I also don't know what I will encounter in the true world."

At this point, Qin Jin fell silent.

The unknown has always been the greatest fear.

Through the information he had obtained, he had made various deductions and had some expectations for the world beyond the Great Wilderness.

But without seeing it personally, who could be sure?

If he had confirmed the situation outside, Qin Jin would have already gone there himself, after all, that place allowed constant contact with the real world.

As Qin Jin was silent, the Observer's clone fluctuated, and its voice sounded.

"Take me to the portal you mentioned."

Qin Jin's eyes narrowed slightly.

The Lei Yu Watcher's voice was gentle: "When you spoke of the first method, you had some reservations."

"It seems that the restriction in the sky is very important to you, and you don't want anything to happen to it."

"If that's the case, then let's use the second method."

The Observer character fluctuated and came to Qin Jin's shoulder: "It's just an unknown situation; at worst, it's just the loss of a clone."

"Moreover, Qin Jin, I can sense that you long for the [true world] you speak of."

"I can send a clone to investigate the situation on this trip."

As the words fell, the air became quiet.

Trying to hide one's thoughts in front of a God with whom one has an extremely close relationship is undoubtedly an extremely difficult task.

The Lei Yu Watcher, named [Observer], saw some underlying things.

Both the Lei Yu Watcher and the Tiancang Immortal Dynasty had greatly helped him. Taking the Star God's clone to the Divine Cauldron restriction, he couldn't be sure if any unforeseen events would occur.

Relatively speaking, that portal was much safer. After all, from the path, the former Three-Headed Strange Python had indeed come to the Great Wilderness from there, causing a tragedy.

Composing himself, Qin Jin nodded solemnly and said, “I understand.”

He was never one to procrastinate; once he made a choice, he would execute it immediately.

At this moment.

After receiving the Star God’s approval, Qin Jin, accompanied by the Venerable Observer, streaked across the sky like a meteor, heading southwest.

This direction.

It was the same direction he had taken when he first explored the Great Wilderness alone.

The [Venerable Observer] avatar landed above Qin Jin’s palm. Seeing Qin Jin advance at full speed, the faint shadow of a Grotto-Heaven appeared behind the Venerable Observer avatar, and a gentle power surged around Qin Jin, providing a boost.

His speed surged.

This was a boost from the Star God’s Grotto-Heaven.

Even though it was only an avatar, its origin was extraordinary, and its methods were exceptional.

With the power boost, a streak of light flashed by. As Qin Jin’s thoughts stirred, the Travel Secret of the Nine Secrets of Star Seeking activated!

His figure flickered, and when he reappeared, he was already an immense distance away.

His figure flickered again, changing positions once more.

Aside from Qin Jin’s own improvements and the Venerable Observer’s boost, which made the effect of this Nine Secrets of Star Seeking even better, Qin Jin felt a sense of ease when using this technique in the Great Wilderness.

Perhaps it was because the Nine Secrets of Star Seeking were born here.

In the past, the edge of the sky, which used to take a long time to reach, now felt like it was within arm’s reach, to exaggerate a little.

Wasn't this also a testament to his self-improvement?

As time passed and his figure moved, the Nine Secrets consumed a significant amount of energy, but in the Great Wilderness, with spiritual energy replenishment and the Observer by his side, he had no worries about endurance.

Along the way, Qin Jin also shared some of his speculations about the outside world.

Traveling between two realms was one of Qin Jin’s biggest secrets. Since he had already opened up, other matters were harmless.

After taking another step.

Qin Jin stood in mid-air, with the Observer avatar beside him, both looking forward.

The extreme edge of the Great Wilderness.

A chasm-like abyss lay ahead.

The last time Qin Jin arrived, this abyss truly seemed like an uncrossable chasm, endless and unfathomable.

Now, having truly mastered the ability to fly, Qin Jin no longer feared this abyss.

However, he knew that the cliff on the opposite side was merely an illusion, so he naturally wouldn't make a blind attempt.

His gaze swept across. Not far from the abyss, there was also a strange place shrouded in divine light, but with a more important task at hand, Qin Jin did not go directly to explore it.

Beside Qin Jin.

Upon arriving here, the Observer avatar paused slightly, looking at the abyss. In Qin Jin’s mind, its voice rang out.

“This abyss was created by an extraordinary life form.”

“Its power source is different from the power used in the sky’s restrictions.”

“Hmm?”

Qin Jin raised an eyebrow.

Beside him, the Observer avatar glowed, moving in front of Qin Jin. As it changed, it became like a magnifying glass, and the world in Qin Jin's eyes suddenly transformed.

Looking out, faint power patterns emerged from the sky, appearing in a brilliant golden color, looking grand and magnificent. Qin Jin was extremely familiar with this aura; it came from the Mountain and River Divine Cauldron, from the Divine Cauldron's restrictions.

And the abyss below.

At a glance, in the extreme depths, there was also power visible through divine means, appearing in a grayish-green hue, distinctly different.

With a divine avatar by his side, Qin Jin discovered more subtle differences.

“Besides the Divine Cauldron restrictions left by that Immortal Dynasty Emperor…”

“Is there another power protecting the Great Wilderness?”

Qin Jin vaguely formed a conjecture in his mind.

He pondered for a moment, and with a slight thought, he took out a fragment of the Divine Cauldron from his Spirit Ruins.

The original Spirit Spring fragment.

When he first arrived here, he had not yet opened his Spirit Ruins, and its proximity caused an anomaly. Now… the Divine Cauldron fragment was placed within the Spirit Ruins, completely blocking this change.

The Spirit Spring fragment fell into his hand. Qin Jin made no movements, but the fragment in his hand began to tremble, a faint light flickering, and a glow rose, sweeping over the abyss and falling towards the cliff on the opposite side!

Like a keystone!

Under the projection of light, the cliff wall fluctuated violently, all illusions dissipated, and the huge fragment of the Mountain and River Divine Cauldron was revealed. Bronze chains spread across the sky, and a rainbow light rose, forming a rainbow bridge, projecting before Qin Jin and the Lei Yu Watcher.

The heavenly portal, a scene he had witnessed before, reappeared.

This portal, perhaps, was the true chasm. In the past, Qin Jin had turned back after exploring this place, but now, an avatar of a god would go before him to explore that true world and uncover the truth.

“Venerable Observer.”

Qin Jin raised the Spirit Spring fragment in his palm and said in a deep voice, “This is the keystone that reveals the portal.”

“When your avatar wishes to return, it will likely also need this item.”

As his cultivation realm continuously improved, the utility of this initial fragment to him was steadily decreasing.

With the world’s anomaly and the descent of divine light, the Si Huo Tribe’s water source had already transformed into a Spirit Spring, further reducing its importance. Therefore, Qin Jin chose to use it as the keystone.

The rainbow bridge and the portal both appeared.

The Venerable Observer avatar moved away from in front of him, hovering by his side. After Qin Jin handed it over, the fragment was taken by it and quickly disappeared.

At the same time.

A glow shot out from the avatar, landing in Qin Jin’s palm.

“Take it back.”

“My main body will naturally know the insights I gained here and what I am going to do.”

After a soft whisper, the Venerable Observer avatar did not hesitate, its form fluctuating as it swept towards the rainbow bridge.

Just as it stepped onto the rainbow bridge.

Its movement paused slightly, and in Qin Jin’s mind, the voice of the Lei Yu Watcher resonated.

“There is a strange life form observing us.”

“Observing?”

Qin Jin’s spirit jolted.

Ahead, everything seemed normal, but Qin Jin naturally trusted the Lei Yu Watcher’s judgment.

“This area is still within the scope of the Divine Cauldron’s restrictions. It hasn’t made a move, only observing, so it’s clearly not an absolutely hostile existence like the Three-Headed Strange Python.”

“Is it an exotic race similar to the Eclipse Sacrificial Spirit, which once had close ties with ancient humans and the Immortal Dynasty?”

“Or something else?”

“Wait…”

Qin Jin suddenly thought of something: “In the past, when I first arrived here, was it already here, observing in secret? Did it once see me wielding the azure lightning dark halberd?”

Thoughts flowed.

Qin Jin’s expression turned serious.

This was undoubtedly an opportunity.

The strange life form mentioned by the Observer, capable of existing at the portal connecting the outside world and the Great Wilderness, must have a great connection with the Tiancang Immortal Dynasty.

If so, more information could be obtained from it.

Most importantly…

If he were alone, he wouldn’t make such a reckless move, but now that the Venerable Observer’s avatar was by his side, it gave him the basis to make some attempts.

The Venerable Observer choosing to tell him about the discovery clearly gave him the opportunity to make a decision.

After a moment of thought, Qin Jin made up his mind, facing the rainbow bridge portal, and spoke earnestly: “I ask senior to show yourself.”

He spoke in the language of the Great Wilderness, and while speaking, he communicated with the Venerable Observer avatar in his mind.

A sound rang out, amplified by spiritual power, echoing.

No one responded.

The rainbow bridge shimmered faintly, with no changes occurring.

In Qin Jin’s mind, he already had a basic guess about this [strange life form]. His eyes were serious, and as his Spirit Ruins stirred, the shadow of his Spirit Ruins appeared behind him, with the Grotto-Heaven standing within it. The divine power from the Heavenly Azure Method truly manifested, and his voice rang out again.

“Please, senior, show yourself!”

His voice echoed in all directions.

The Venerable Observer avatar came to Qin Jin’s side, subtly indicating protection.

As his voice echoed.

On the other side of the rainbow bridge, beside the portal, the water curtain rippled, and within the ripples, a figure slowly emerged, no longer hidden.

Qin Jin’s gaze focused.

The figure that appeared matched his guess.

It was the powerful being Qin Jin had personally seen in the Great Wilderness shortly after first entering it, the one who had killed the Three-Headed Strange Python.

The Horse-bodied Human-faced God!

The Mountain God recorded in the Classic of Mountains and Seas!