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Chapter 122: Chapter 122: The Mysterious Mud Buddha

"Once we cross that mountain, we\'ll be there," Bei Qingsi pointed to a distant peak.

"Alright," Zhong Shan nodded, taking a deep breath. The task ahead was to fulfill his master\'s command and seek out the Mud Buddha.

The two climbed the final mountain. Standing at the summit, Bei Qingsi pointed towards a circular valley in the distance.

"It\'s in that valley," Bei Qingsi said.

"Got it," Zhong Shan nodded slightly.

"Let\'s go!" Bei Qingsi called out again.

"Wait," Zhong Shan suddenly exclaimed in surprise.

"Hmm?" Bei Qingsi looked at Zhong Shan in confusion.

Zhong Shan noticed something unusual about the mountain they were standing on. There, on the mountain\'s surface, two large, vigorous characters were prominently displayed.

"Ren Shen!"

Ren Shen? These characters were carved into the mountain itself. Looking at the adjacent mountains, Zhong Shan saw more characters: "Ji Wei" on one, and further along, "Xin Wei" and "Ding Wei" . Each mountain around the valley had two different characters inscribed on it.

Zhong Shan recognized these characters; they were part of the "Sixty-Nine Dragons," a method of recording directions. Characters such as "Tian" , "Ren" , "Fu", and "Di" were also visible, forming a pattern around the valley.

Suddenly, Zhong Shan understood. The surrounding mountains, each with their inscriptions, formed concentric circles around the valley, creating a gigantic compass.

A super compass, with the distant valley as its central point, the "Heavenly Pool." The outer rings corresponded to the Bagua (Eight Trigrams), Nine Stars, Celestial Stars, Twenty-Four Positions, Seventy-Two Earthly Features, Twelve Divisions, Sixty-Nine Dragons, and the Celestial Constellations, totaling eighteen circles.

It was indeed a compass, using mountains as its components. But was this naturally formed or man-made?

"What\'s wrong?" Bei Qingsi asked, puzzled by Zhong Shan\'s reaction.

Zhong Shan took a deep breath. "Let\'s go. I was just momentarily stunned."

"Alright," Bei Qingsi nodded.

The two continued towards the center of the mountain compass, the Heavenly Pool.

Upon reaching the edge of the circular valley, Zhong Shan confirmed his suspicions.

Above the Heavenly Pool, a circular valley, the sky was filled with clouds. These clouds formed eighteen concentric circles, creating a massive compass pattern. Unlike the surrounding mountains, these cloud circles slowly rotated along their own trajectories, seemingly embodying the profound principles of heaven and earth.

"Junior Bei Qingsi, greets the senior," Bei Qingsi called out towards the valley, refraining from entering without permission.

"Who are you?" A faint, deep male voice echoed from within the valley.

The voice carried an air of ancient, worldly wisdom, an indifferent majesty that made it clear this was someone who looked upon the world with a detached superiority.

"My father, Bei Qingfeng, was killed by enemies. He left something with you for safekeeping. I implore you to return it to me so that I may avenge him," Bei Qingsi immediately replied.

"Drop a drop of your blood into the Heavenly Pool," the man\'s voice echoed again from the valley.

"Yes," Bei Qingsi complied without hesitation.

She pricked her finger, letting a drop of blood bead at the tip, then flicked it towards the center of the white cloud compass, into the Heavenly Pool.

As soon as the blood touched the pool, the entire white cloud compass turned blood red, as if stained by countless drops of blood. The eighteen circles of the compass began to spin faster, more than doubling their speed, as if calculating something based on the drop of blood.

Zhong Shan watched with wide eyes, amazed at the mystical phenomenon before him.

The enormous red cloud compass spun for a while before, slowly, a column of characters emerged in midair above the Heavenly Pool.

"Geng Yin, Jia Shen, Ren Chen, Gui Mao"

Eight golden characters hung in the air, glowing brightly.

Bei Qingsi\'s eyes widened in shock upon seeing these characters.

"Senior, your divine power is truly admirable," Bei Qingsi said respectfully.

"Indeed, these birth characters are what Bei Qingfeng\'s descendants should have. You may retrieve what you came for. Enter," the man\'s voice called again from within the valley.

With that, the previously blood-red clouds turned white once more, and a thin mist of red rose and evaporated from the Heavenly Pool, clearly the remnant of Bei Qingsi\'s blood drop.

Taking a deep breath, Zhong Shan and Bei Qingsi exchanged a look and slowly descended into the valley. The white clouds did not impede them and began to disperse as they entered.

With the clouds dispersing, sunlight flooded the valley. To the northwest, a small waterfall cascaded down into a pond, from which a stream flowed out to the southwest. The east was covered in a bamboo grove, and at the center stood a simple thatched hut.

In front of the hut, a stooped figure sat cross-legged on a bamboo bed. This was the man who had spoken earlier—Mud Buddha.

Mud Buddha was dressed in gray hemp robes, his head lowered, examining what appeared to be an ethereal compass in his hands. This compass wasn\'t flat; it seemed three-dimensional, with eighteen circles revolving around the center like a sphere.

As the two descended into the valley, Mud Buddha waved his hand, and the spectral compass vanished.

Zhong Shan and Bei Qingsi approached respectfully.

Mud Buddha slowly lifted his head, revealing a face marred by numerous pustules covering the right half, making his appearance both rugged and terrifying.

"Senior," Bei Qingsi said respectfully, kneeling before Mud Buddha.

Zhong Shan remained standing, choosing not to kneel. Mud Buddha looked at Bei Qingsi, a hint of sorrow flashing in his eyes.

"I knew of your father\'s death long ago. The path he chose was his own. I cannot alter fate. Besides, my own life is not yet repaired, so how could I save him? Knowing he would die and being unable to save him is my own sorrow," Mud Buddha said, his voice tinged with sadness.

"Qingsi does not blame you, senior. My father knew he was going to die, which is why he divided the evidence into three parts. I have already obtained two parts; only one remains," Bei Qingsi said sincerely.

Mud Buddha looked at Bei Qingsi and nodded lightly. "Indeed. This journey back is an opportunity for you. Seize it well, and do not waste your father\'s efforts."

"What does senior mean by this?" Bei Qingsi asked, looking up in confusion.

But Mud Buddha did not elaborate. Instead, he flipped his hand, producing a booklet similar to the one Taixuzi had given Bei Qingsi before.

Slowly rising, his previously stooped body straightened, revealing a figure radiating an aura of dominance. He handed the booklet to Bei Qingsi.

"Thank you, senior," Bei Qingsi said, taking the booklet with excitement.

Zhong Shan, however, showed no joy, knowing that receiving the booklet meant Bei Qingsi would soon leave.

"Rise, and set out as soon as possible. Do not miss your chance," Mud Buddha said softly.

"Yes," Bei Qingsi replied, standing up and quickly flipping through the booklet before putting it away.

"Alright, you may leave," Mud Buddha said again.

"Senior," Zhong Shan called out.

Hearing Zhong Shan, Mud Buddha\'s terrifying face showed a trace of surprise. He had thought Zhong Shan was merely accompanying Bei Qingsi. Could it be that there was more to it?

Zhong Shan took a deep breath, realizing that Mud Buddha\'s enigmatic nature did not mean he knew everything. "My master is Tian Xingzi," he said.

"Tian Xingzi?" Mud Buddha frowned, a hint of annoyance flashing in his eyes. Clearly, he did not have a favorable impression of Tian Xingzi.

"My master\'s wife has died. My master humbly requests that you come out to find the killer," Zhong Shan said respectfully.

"What?" Mud Buddha\'s eyes widened in disbelief.

"My master\'s wife has died. My master humbly requests that you come out to find the killer," Zhong Shan repeated.

"Wuyou is dead? Impossible. Impossible," Mud Buddha muttered, his body trembling. The news was clearly a tremendous shock.

"Senior," Zhong Shan called out again.

Mud Buddha steadied himself, his eyes glowing green as he stared at Zhong Shan. However, Zhong Shan, with a clear conscience, remained unfazed.

Taking a deep breath, Mud Buddha glared at Zhong Shan, then flicked his sleeve towards the nearby deep pool.

"Boom!"

A column of water shot up into the sky, the waterfall seeming to reverse its flow. The external landscape seemed to shift as if influenced by this movement.

"Boom!"

A deafening roar came from the surroundings. Zhong Shan and Bei Qingsi exchanged astonished looks, the sound resembling the movement of mountains.

From the deep pool, a hairpin slowly floated out. It was intricately carved with a phoenix head. The hairpin flew into Mud Buddha\'s hand.

Holding the hairpin, Mud Buddha\'s three-dimensional compass reappeared, trapping the hairpin in its center. Gradually, a black mist emerged from the center of the compass.

Mud Buddha stared at the black mist, disbelief etched on his face. After three stunned breaths, his expression turned icy, his eyes emitting a chilling light. More pustules appeared on his face, and his chest heaved with fury.