Back when he was in the Qingyuan Empire, the Qingtian Emperor had once brought the bronze mask to the Painter Guild to seek help, and Zhang Xuan had helped him resolve the issue. Through doing so, he had found an illusory silhouette of Kong Shi hidden within the mask.
Now that he saw such a painting, one that was of a higher realm, and the mountain range was exactly the same … Could it be that they were painting the same place?
"There is no virtual image of Kong Shi here. I don't know if he did it on purpose or he didn't notice it at all!"
He frowned.
Flicking his wrist, Zhang Xuan took out the painting and compared it to the mountain range before him. It was exactly the same, just that there was no painting of a bathing beauty.
"That's the Empire Alliance's White Creek Mountain. It's located in the opposite direction of the Sanctum of Sages, and it's extremely far away from here. Even Saint 7-dan beasts would have to fly for three whole months to get there!"
Luo Xuanqing explained. The words in Zhang Xuan's hand overlapped with the ones outside.
"White Creek Mountain?"
Zhang Xuan clenched his fists.
"The painter for this painting of yours isn't too shabby either. He managed to portray the essence of this mountain vividly!"
Luo Xuanqing praised.
This painting might have been a work of art in the Qingyuan Empire, but in the eyes of an expert like Zhang Xuan, it could only be considered as not too bad.
"Yeah!"
Keeping the painting, Zhang Xuan was filled with excitement.
Knowing that this was the White Creek Mountain, if there was a chance, he would definitely make a trip there. Since there was an illusory image of Kong Shi, perhaps he would be able to find the ruins left behind by Kong Shi.
Hu!
While the two of them were talking, the bubble flew out of the spirit qi river and arrived in front of the huge painting.
"Can this painting enter?"
Zhang Xuan couldn't help but ask as he looked at the realistic artwork in front of him.
There was no doubt that the elder who had left behind the Dongxu Gourd had a motive for leaving behind this painting. If he could enter the painting to take a look, he might be able to learn more about it.
"It should be possible …"
Luo Xuanqing nodded.
"Then let me see!"
Zhang Xuan chuckled softly as he leaped forward.
There was no paper for the painting. Instead, it was drawn on a folded space. It took a long time for the painting to reach the mountain.
The mountain range was dense, giving people a sense of majesty.
Flying upward, Zhang Xuan soon arrived at the place where the ladies were bathing. Scanning the area, he couldn't help but shake his head.
It was no different from other places. There was no virtual image of Kong Shi, and there were no hidden folded spaces.
"Although he didn't paint Kong Shi, the senior who left this painting behind must have a profound intention!"
If the ancient domain was truly left behind by Ancient Sage Qiu Wu, everything would make sense.
He was a servant of Kong Shi, and the reason he left behind this painting was likely to remind his descendants that White Creek Mountain … was strange!
After studying it for a moment, Zhang Xuan realized that it was just a painting, and it was impossible for him to find anything specific about it. Thus, he backed out of the room.
As soon as he returned to Luo Xuanqing and the others, the mountain shook a little before turning into a puddle of ink.
"This painting has been around for too long. The reason why it can maintain its original appearance is because no one has touched it. When you entered it just now, it was equivalent to touching the breath of a living person. Naturally, you couldn't bear it anymore!"
Luo Xuanqing explained.
Zhang Xuan nodded in realization.
It was just like many things that were taken from tombs. They were bright and beautiful, but once they were taken out, they would immediately turn into the color of mud.
Zhang Xuan turned his gaze forward, and a wide passageway soon appeared before his eyes.
Following behind Luo Xuanqing and the others, he landed on the passageway.
After experiencing all sorts of spatial distortions, he finally landed firmly on the ground, and he immediately felt much more relaxed.
"The treasure that I sensed is in there!"
Yun Lianhai's eyes lit up in excitement.
He had been unable to sense it clearly previously, but now that he was here, his senses were much clearer. As long as he followed the passageway, he should be able to find quite a few treasures.
"Alright!"
Hearing that the treasure was not too far away, the crowd immediately felt invigorated, and they quickly headed forward.
Not too long later, a palace appeared before their eyes.
The palace wasn't too big, and it wasn't extravagant either. It had been around for innumerable years, and it had an ancient feel to it.
"There's probably some danger here. I'll head in to take a look. You all can follow behind me!"
Luo Xuanqing said as he walked up to the entrance.
The entrance of the palace was made of stone, and there were innumerable inscriptions inscribed on it.
"Those are Spatial Inscriptions. They are unique characters created by Ancient Sage Qiu Wu. If one were to study them frequently, they would be able to comprehend the laws of space.
Luo Xuanqing's eyebrows shot up.
"Spatial Inscriptions?"
Zhang Xuan widened his eyes in realization.
He had seen them before in the Qiu Wu Palace.
The Heavenly Demon Great Sorrow Palm was written in these characters. Back then, he had no idea what they were, but he had managed to learn the inscriptions based on the shape of the characters.
"Does that mean that the ancient domain was really left behind by Ancient Sage Qiu Wu?"
Bi Hongyin asked in agitation.
Even though Ancient Sage Qiu Wu was Kong Shi's servant, his true strength was on par with the founder of the Sanctum of Sages, Ancient Sage Bo Shang. More importantly, his comprehension of the laws of space was extremely profound. If Bi Hongyin could obtain his heritage, it would only be a matter of time before she reached Saint 8-dan or even 9-dan.
"It's highly likely. It's just that … our clan has quite a few books on the affairs of Ancient Sage Qiu Wu, but I have never heard of him leaving behind an ancient domain here!"
Luo Xuanqing said in bewilderment.
"The ancient domain might seem to be extremely complicated, but to an expert of Ancient Sage Qiu Wu's caliber, it's likely that he might not even remember it!"
Yun Lianhai said.
As a clan that specialized in treasure hunting, they had seen all kinds of treasures in their time.
Most of the ancient domains might be incomparably profound to the later generations, but to those who had left them behind, they meant nothing at all.
Naturally, a difference in cultivation meant a difference in one's perspective.
"That's true!"
Zhang Xuan nodded in agreement.
Take the current Zhang Xuan for example. High-tier spirit stones were no longer of much use to him, and he wouldn't feel the pinch even if he were to toss them away. However, in the League of Nations, even a single high-tier spirit stone would be sought after by countless people.
The Dongxu Gourd might seem incomparably valuable to them, but to Ancient Sages, it was nothing much at all.
"Luo Xuanqing, do you recognize these inscriptions? What do they say?"
Yun Lianhai asked.
"They're left behind for the later generations. The gist of it is that those who are able to reach this point have a deep comprehension of the laws of space, and they're qualified to inherit his heritage.
Luo Xuanqing said as he stared intently at the words on the door.
The Luo Clan had been studying these Spatial Inscriptions for many years, so they were able to recognize them.
"Heritage? You mean to say that there's really an Ancient Sage's heritage here? "
"Un."
Luo Xuanqing nodded. Taking a deep breath, he said, "I'll be opening the door now. Everyone, be careful. We've already come this far, so make sure that nothing happens …"
After saying those words, Luo Xuanqing took a step back, and with a flick of his finger, a surge of zhenqi gushed out and tapped on the door.
He tapped on it three times consecutively, and ripples appeared on the surface of the door. Jiyaya! The door slowly creaked open.
Luo Xuanqing drove his zhenqi to form a protective barrier around him.
As famous as Ancient Sage Qiu Wu was, there was no doubt that there would be all kinds of tests for him to pass down his heritage. There was a good chance that there would be traps and mechanisms in the room, so he had to be wary of them.
Luo Xuanqing walked into the room first, and a moment later, he beckoned the crowd over. "There's no danger here. Come in!"
The crowd filed into the room, only to find that there was nothing in the room except for a statue standing not too far away.
"It's Ancient Sage Qiu Wu!"
Zhang Xuan exclaimed after taking a closer look at the statue.
The statue was extremely familiar to him. He had seen it back in the Qiu Wu Palace!
"This is an Ancient Sage?"
Yuan Xiao and the others were astonished.
Even though they came from prestigious clans, the gap between them and the Ancient Sages was simply too great, so they had never met one before.
"I have seen Ancient Sage Gu Sheng's portrait before. This is indeed him!"
Luo Xuanqing nodded before asking doubtfully, "How did Zhang Shi know about it?"
The Luo Clan had a portrait of Ancient Sage Qiu Wu in their possession, but Zhang Xuan had only come from Qingyuan Empire. How could he possibly recognize him with a single glance?
"You said that those words were left behind by Ancient Sage Gu Sages, so I thought that the sculpture should be him.
Zhang Xuan.
The Qiu Wu Palace possessed the Heavenly Art of Dimension Unravel, so it was best not to talk about it.
Seeing that Zhang Xuan was unwilling to speak too much about it, Luo Xuanqing knew that everyone had their own fortuitous encounter, so he walked up to Zhang Xuan and kneeled on the floor.
He respectfully kowtowed a few times and turned to explain to the crowd.
"Our Luo Clan's understanding of space originates from Ancient Sage Gu Sages. As such, our founder has decreed that anyone who sees Ancient Sage Gu Sages' sculpture or will must kneel down to pay respect to him!"
"Ancient Sage Gu Sages?"
Zhang Xuan was surprised.
He turned to look at Yuan Xiao and the others, only to see that they had already known about it.
"Space is related to the Innate Dao, and there is only one Innate Dao. It's impossible for it to be divided into multiple Quintessences like swordsmanship.
Zhang Xuan pondered for a moment before coming to a realization.
In truth, he should have known about it in advance.
It was no wonder the Book of Bedstead Disquisition left behind by Sage Luo was able to perfect the Heavenly Art of Dimension Unravel.
"Junior Luo Xuanqing pays respect to Ancient Sage Qiu Wu!"
After saying those words, Luo Xuanqing placed his palm on the pedestal of the sculpture.
Weng!
With a light buzz, brilliant light burst forth from Ancient Sage Gu Sheng, and the motionless sculpture slowly opened its eyes.
"The will of Ancient Sage Gu Sheng …"
Bi Hongyin, Yuan Xiao, and the others trembled in agitation. Not daring to hesitate, they hurriedly kneeled onto the floor.
Ancient Sage Qiu Wu was a Sage who was even older than their founder. Even their predecessors would have to kneel down before him and address him as' senior '.
"Back then, I happened to stumble upon a seed of the Dongxu Gourd when I was passing by this area, so I planted it here in hopes that it would be of use to my descendants. The fact that you were able to come here shows that you possess a deep understanding of space, thus granting you the right to tame it and receive my teachings! "
The stone statue's voice rang out slowly.
"Thank you, Ancient Sage Gu Sheng!"
Luo Xuanqing was just about to express his gratitude when he suddenly noticed that Zhang Xuan had yet to kneel down.
Frowning, he bellowed, "Zhang Shi, why aren't you kneeling down before Ancient Sage Gu Sheng?"
Barely after he spoke those words, Ancient Sage Gu Sheng's sculpture suddenly turned around, and its face warped in horror. "It's you again?"
(Thank you to book friend 'Casually Tossing Bounty' for tipping me 100,000, becoming the 69th alliance leader of this book.)
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