by Fang Xiang
Ever since having an epiphany here, Zuo Mo had never come to the stele forest again. Walking here today, he started to browse these stone steles.
The content on the stone steles was not unfamiliar to him. He had a complete copy of the Great Peace Mo Stele Writings, and had memorized the content. He did not understand all of it. He was just at the edge of [Domain] and there was still a long way off from reaching the peak of general. A lot of the content was very profound to him.
Seeing the time was still early, he found a random stone stele and started to read phrase by phrase. Unconsciously, he immersed himself.
What this stone stele was talking about was [Domain]. Shi Zi Ming had his own understanding of [Domain]. Zuo Mo seemed to see an old man talking enthusiastically in front of him. His body was so weak and withered that a wind could blow him over, but those eyes were unusually dark and bright.
A moment later, Zuo Mo gradually recovered and everything returned to normal.
The stone stele was silent. Where was the old man?
Zuo Mo laughed. He had been too immersed, so much that he was seeing illusions.
However, when he noticed the darkened sky in the surroundings, he found it was terrible.
Not good!
He had been too focused and forgot what he had come to do!
A round silver ball appeared on his hand. There seemed to be a layer of light flowing around the silver ball. This silver ball was the most important part of the mission this time.
He was about to crush the silver ball on his hand when he saw a row of characters on a stone stele out of the corner of his eye. He froze as though someone cast a body paralysis curse on him.
He stood there motionless!
Translator Ramblings: Poor Zuo Mo, he ended up in the hole he dug for himself.
Chapter 619: "World"
"What is he doing over there?" Lan Rong couldn't help asking.
Lan Tian Long was also slightly confused. He looked at Zuo Mo that was in a daze between the steles and said uncertainly, "Did he drink today?"
"He probably wouldn't have. Such an important event today … …" Lan Rong's expression was slightly ugly. He suddenly recalled what had happened after Zuo Mo had got drunk at the Great Peace Palace last time and the rest of his words faded.
The two Lan brothers looked at each other with strange expressions.
Behind them, a smile came onto Princess Xia's face. She turned and ordered, "Tell them, pay attention to what is happening."
A servant silently left.
"Xiao Mo Ge is young but he can keep his composure." Yu Shuang couldn't resist praising.
Princess Xia brushed away some locks of hair on her forehead and smiled, "One that isn't composed cannot lure out those xiuzhe. They have come in alone and it is shocking how long they have prepared for this. There probably are many of them in Great Peace City. If we are not careful, our plan will fail."
Yu Shuang smiled and said, "Princess Xia is peerless. Even I would fall for this. City Master Shi is probably stirring them into an uproar right now!"
In Princess Xia's plan, Shi Yue Yi would gather the major factions inside the city today, to discuss how to deal with the xiuzhe. He would make a big furor and gather all the factions inside Great Peace City. However, the true experts would be hidden near the Great Peace Mo Steles.
The bait for the entire plan was Zuo Mo.
Any faction with some power knew that Zuo Mo was a crucial piece of how to get into the Great Peace Treasure Pavilion. Even though no one knew the reason, there were countless eyes that stared at every action Zuo Mo made. The xiuzhe would definitely be paying attention as well.
He quietly appeared at the stele forest and pretended to appear as though he was searching. If these experts did not know Princess Xia's plan beforehand, they would definitely think that Zuo Mo was searching for the entrance to the Great Peace Treasure Pavilion. He also lingered for a whole afternoon and had waited long enough for the xiuzhe to gather.
Zuo Mo had a Star Luring Mo Ball. This Star Luring Mo Ball was one personally made by Shi Yue Yi. It only had one use, it could cause one star to fall from the sky. There would be great noise, and the mo matrixes inside the Great Peace Mo Stele would activate at the same time to create an illusion
–The Great Peace Treasure Pavilion was about to appear!
This was the bait to lure the xiuzhe.
Princess Xia gave the xiuzhe a dilemma. If they were slightly hesitant, they would lose the opportunity. Even if the xiuzhe knew this was a trap, would they gamble on it?
This was actually a psychological battle. What Princess Xia gambled was that even though the xiuzhe had sent people in before this, the spies of the xiuzhe would not be able to penetrate the upper ranks of major mo families! Only a few knew of this plan. Those that knew were the leaders of each clan. It was very unlikely for people like this to be spies for the xiuzhe.
They were coming in alone, and without sufficient intelligence. Facing such a realistic trap, there wasn't much room for the xiuzhe to choose.
Princess Xia wanted to use this plan to get all the xiuzhe in one swoop. The place that they were hiding was very hidden and at the edge of the stele forest. This was the place where the Anwei Family usually spied from. For this mission, Princess Xia really paid a great price.
The plan was not complex but all the elders praised it. If it was them, there was a high possibility that they would also be fooled.
"This is because of the support from all the elders.," Princess Xia said with a smile.
Chang Yuan Hao suddenly moved forward a few steps. At the same time, a strange look flashed across Yu Shuang's eyes. "En."
Everyone's gaze moved towards Zuo Mo inside the stele forest.
Qi Diao Yu's expression changed slightly as his eyes lit up. He stared hard at Zuo Mo.
The blurry figure in the distance suddenly emanated an indescribable feeling of danger.
This guy … … what was going on?
———
"When consciousness and ling power reach an extreme depth of the body, the world will reappear."
The short phrase placed in the corner of the stele was not eye catching at all. This stone stele was discussing the three powers, and this phrase was not something attention-catching among the text. However, what attracted Zuo Mo's attention was the word "world" in this phrase. This word was in a different writing than all the other stele text as though someone had written it on the stele with a finger.
Zuo Mo had browsed through almost all the mo skill steles. All of the content on the steles had used the same style of writing and were exquisitely carved. If one did not notice the word "world," they would have missed it. Even if one noticed, they would have thought that someone had made a mistake when engraving this stele and then corrected it.
But when Zuo Mo noticed the strangeness of this part, he froze where he stood.
Because he understood this phrase.
"When consciousness and ling power reach an extreme depth of the body … …"
He had used this technique when he had modified the mo matrixes for Bie Han's Sin Battalion. When consciousness and ling power reached deep into the body, the world would truly become different. He would enter a wondrous state where he was calm and emotionless.
Truthfully, Zuo Mo did not like this state but this state gave him the feeling of being inhuman. He was like a puppet that did not have life or emotion. He would be precise, but without any spirit.
When "world" was put into this phrase, it caused his mind to shift.
Did … … this world have another meaning?
Zuo Mo thought for a moment and then decided to try it. He channeled and the suns of the Ten Crow Celestial Apparatus lit up. His consciousness and ling power continuously moved deeper into his body.
His mind started to become cold, his emotions seemed to be bared in an extreme environment without any warmth.
His eyes became cold and indifferent, his emotions quickly disappeari
ng. A thin layer of gold light appeared but there was also a hint of white.
A new world appeared in front of him.
Countless half-transparent lines criss-crossed between the stone steles. The entire stele forest was like a cage made from countless lines of light.
The stunning scene in front of Zuo Mo did not cause any change in emotions. He moved his head, his eyes were emotionless, as he looked at the surroundings.
A faint handprint appeared on some of the stone steles.
The stone steles which had handprints were the stone steles where the most threads intersected.
He did not pause. He walked in front of a stone stele and pressed his hand on the faint handprint on the stone stele.
An extremely light tremor came to his hand as though there was a tremble very deep in the earth. It was unusually small. If Zuo Mo wasn't in this state, he definitely would not have detected it.
Zuo Mo could accurately capture every ripple. The ripples had an unique rhythm.
In this state, Zuo Mo's mo skill was at its maximum. Without even thinking about it, the muscles in his hands trembled and responded to the stone stele with the same rhythm.
The trembling of the stone stele suddenly stopped. In Zuo Mo's eyes, it suddenly became bright.
Countless streaks of light flowed into the other steles along the half-transparent lines like water flowing outwards.
Zuo Mo's expression was indifferent as he appeared in front of another stone stele which had a handprint.
———
"Those inside cannot send anything out." A shidi next to Lin Qian shook his head. He tried his best to communicate with "Eyes" but there hadn't been any results.
"Eyes" had been summoned to Great Peace City to discuss how to deal with the xiuzhe. But the Great Peace Palace was blocked off from all communication with the outside. They could not pass any messages out.
"It seems that these mo are not stupid," another shidi said with a smile. He smirked coldly and said, "Trying to redirect our attention so crudely like this, they really underestimate us."
Lin Qian's eyes were suspicious. He suspected this could possibly be a trap. All of their information was supposedly broadcast by Xiao Mo Ge. They had learned that the mysterious woman they had fought with when they entered the city had been Xiao Mo Ge's personal maid. Fei Fei probably lost his life when he entered the other's residence.
No matter from what angle, Xiao Mo Ge had enough reasons to want to deal with them. It wasn't as though it was unlikely for him to plan such a trap.
But what surprised Lin Qian was what happened when he saw Xiao Mo Ge the first time.
This was the first time he saw Xiao Mo Ge. Even though he had heard this name countless times before. In the report from "Eyes," Xiao Mo Ge was a crucial part of opening the Great Peace Treasure Pavilion. He had caused the Shifting Star Sands, defeated Shen Yu who had comprehended the Peacock King Plume, obtained the Reversed Stellar Revolution, reached the edge of Domain, and was a genius youth that had recently attracted attention in Great Peace City.
Lin Qin was the first ranked disciple among the third generation disciples of Kun Lun. He knew more than most people. He noticed that Xiao Mo Ge's name had also appeared in the intelligence reports from the yao. It had also been a youth called Xiao Mo Ge who was a young battle general that defeated gold battle general Corps Commander Yu Heng, completed a prison-breaking battle, and astounded the yao realm.
He suspected that these two were the same person.
If they really were the same person, then it was frightening!
Such a monstrous person would be rare even in Kun Lun which was full of geniuses.
So the moment that he saw Xiao Mo Ge's name from "Eye's" report, Lin Qian decided, no matter what, he had to kill this person. When he thought about the consequences a person with such potential in the yaomo camp would bring, he couldn't restrain his murderousness.
But when he saw Xiao Mo Ge, he was very shocked.
Because he felt a strange sense of familiarity from Xiao Mo Ge.
He was sure he had never seen this face before, but this sense of familiarity was so clear.
He had definitely interacted with Xiao Mo Ge before!
When a person reached cultivation of his level, a wrong feeling would almost never appear. The sword essence he cultivated was profound and he knew that his sword heart would not lie to him.
Yet when he thought it over in his mind, he could not understand where he had seen Xiao Mo Ge before.
It was a pity there was no time. Lin Qian sighed inwardly. If he was meditating, and his sword heart was clear, he would definitely identify the other.
He quickly threw the stray thoughts to the back of his mind. He looked at Zuo Mo with a sword-sharp gaze. Suddenly, his expression changed. In his eyes, Xiao Mo Ge's presence suddenly changed dramatically.
In Lin Qian's eyes, Xiao Mo Ge was like a mo puppet, empty and cold.
This was … …
Lin Qian was shocked and suspicious.
Then he saw Xiao Mo Ge reach for a stone stele.
A moment later, Lin Qian's expression changed drastically!
There was movement deep within the earth!
Translator Ramblings: Lin Qian has a good memory. When you pretend so hard it becomes true … …
Chapter 620: Lie Becoming Truth
"This place is quite ghastly!" Ming Jue Zi muttered. They had been trapped for so many days and still hadn't found the exit.
The black smoke yao said with self-recrimination, "It is all my fault! If it wasn't for me … …"
"Old Black, that's alright, this might be our good fortune." Nan Yue hurriedly comforted the black smoke yao. "There are many people outside that want to come in, they wouldn't expect that we got ahead of them."
Cang Ze added with a smile, "Old Black, think hard. We are putting our hopes on you to find the treasures."
A Wen was slightly worried, "There is no way to enter the Ten Finger Prison from here. Daren would definitely have gone there to look for us."
Everyone was silent.
The orange-haired yao spoke up, "Don't worry, don't worry, he is loyal, he won't abandon us. Worst case, we will find a few more treasures and give him a few."
"Where are there any treasures?" Ming Jue Zi looked around and said dispiritedly. "This place is dark, and I doubt we are even in the Great Peace Treasure Pavilion. We've been searching around for so long and still haven't found the exit!"
That day, the black smoke yao had made a discovery and came excitedly to find them. They had gone in search following the clues, and hadn't expected to fall into a maze that was pitch black. The maze was dark and didn't have anything. However, the paths were complex and intercrossed like a spider web. They had been searching for the exit for the past few days but hadn't made any progress.
"We are below the Mo Skill Steles, is there another place here except the Great Peace Treasure Pavilion?" Cang Ze's expression was puzzled.
"Who knows!" the orange-haired yao said carelessly. "That old man has been dead for so many years!"
"Do not be disrespectful to Grandmaster Shi Zi Ming!" A Wen glared at the orange-haired yao. "We have benefited from him these past days! If not for the grandmaster, where would these mo skill steles come from!"
The orange-haired yao was not angry and muttered, "I didn't say that he wasn't good, but if he is a good person, he should be good to the end. He engraved the mo skill steles, and he should give us some treasures as well. Then he would be a good person! A very good person! Oh, don't worry, I won't take them all."
The other people were used to the orange-haired yao's casual and thoughtless words. Everyone laughed.
The black smoke yao's brow was tightly furrowed. Ever since they had dropped into this pitch black maze, he had been thinking of ways to get out. It was because of him that everyone had ended up in this predicament. Even though no one blamed him, he could not forgive himself.
Fortunately, there weren't any
dangers in the maze so they were not very nervous.
Ever since they entered the maze, the black smoke yao had been pondering why there would be a maze under the mo skill steles. He believed that a person like Shi Zi Ming would have his own reasons for doing every single thing.
This maze would definitely have another purpose. If that was the case, it should have an exit.
His spirit consciousness spread out as he carefully searched the surroundings. In such a dark environment, the consciousness was much more useful than the eyes. Suddenly, his consciousness swept a rock and he abruptly stopped moving. "Wait!"
Everyone stopped warily.
"What is it?" Nan Yue asked.
"We passed by this rock yesterday!" The black smoke yao crouched down and picked up a rock by his foot. His tone was unusually certain. "It is this one, I remember it clearly!"
"Have we been going in circles all this time?" Nan Yue was slightly shocked.
"Very possible." The black smoke yao raised his head to look up. "We might just be wandering in circles below the mo skill steles."
Then he said to himself, "So this is a recursive maze. The path we pick each time is different but we are still going in circles. All paths lead to one, oh, I understand … …"
He suddenly moved his gaze and said to the orange-haired yao. "Big Orange, hit the ground a few times!"
The orange haired yao immediately became energized. He had been suffocated these past few days. He rolled up his sleeves. "No problem! How big of a hole? How deep? I will show you guys a new yao art that I comprehended recently. It is the best at making holes. If you want a circle, I won't give you a square. If you want three zhang, I won't make it five zhang. Ooh, do you want something slightly more difficult? Flower shape? Too common! Or maybe a portrait?"
Nan Yue and the others were speechless.
But A Wen was excited. "Such a powerful yao art? How about we compete? I recently comprehended some things as well."
The orange-haired yao was excited and hurriedly ran in front of A Wen. "Alright, let's compete! Let's make a portrait!"