Chapter 519: Flying Rainbow

The scenery of the Divine Mountain was indeed beautiful, a truly rare and blessed land for cultivation. However, for outsiders, its appeal was only temporary; after exploring for a while, it became quite uninteresting. They could only admire it without truly possessing it, which made prolonged viewing rather pointless.

Yet, Shi Chun and Wu Jinliang were clearly different from other visitors. They seemed to have an endless fascination with everything, exploring tirelessly as if they had never seen mountains or rivers before.

Jiang You'er harbored some doubts, but as he was there to observe them, he remained impeccably hospitable. He was happy to accompany them wherever they wished to go and made sure to actively point out scenic spots.

The area near the Divine Mountain's entrance belonged to the Northern District, where the group could move about freely. Going to the Eastern, Southern, or Western Districts was also not an issue; Jiang You'er had sufficient influence for that. With his personal escort and greetings, they could wander freely.

However, at Shi Chun's subtle prompting, Wu Jinliang insisted on heading towards the Central District. Shi Chun had no other option; his right eye's special ability had scanned the entire Northern District, yet he hadn't seen any sign of the so-called 'Soul-Reversal Tree'.

According to Huang Yingying, the 'Soul-Reversal Tree' was a spirit form when immature, invisible to the naked eye. It only materialized upon reaching maturity, but by then, it would already have been harvested. Therefore, only an immature one could possibly be found. The problem now was that after searching the Northern District, his right eye's ability hadn't detected even a shadow of an immature tree. Of course, he didn't know what an immature Soul-Reversal Tree looked like, but he trusted that he would recognize such a unique item if he saw it.

With no trace found yet, he was unsure if his right eye's ability was simply incapable of seeing an immature Soul-Reversal Tree. This was a possibility; in fact, there were some things his right eye's ability couldn't perceive, like the barrier of this grand formation. If it wasn't in the Northern District, he had already lost primary interest in the similar Eastern, Southern, and Western Districts. He instinctively set his sights on the higher mountainous region, which was the main peak area of the Central District.

When the group reached the valley bordering the Northern and Central Districts, Jiang You'er stopped and told them, "We can only go this far. Further ahead is the Central District's territory, which is also the Divine Maiden's residence. Guests are generally not allowed to trespass there; it's very troublesome to arrange. At least, I'm not yet qualified to bring outsiders into the Central District, and guests without considerable status usually can't enter either."

"What should we do?" Wu Jinliang asked, glancing at Shi Chun.

Shi Chun pondered deeply.

After a brief observation, Jiang You'er tentatively offered, "If you two are truly interested in the scenery over there, I could try to think of a way." Normally, viewing scenery wouldn't entail such complications. If they were insistent, it would narrow down the potential objective of their trip.

Shi Chun shot him a glance. Politeness wasn't on his mind. As they were unfamiliar with the place and would have no idea how to proceed on their own, it was better to take the convenient route than to cause trouble. He gave Wu Jinliang a direct look.

Wu Jinliang understood and chuckled, "Interested? Of course, we are. After all, it's a rare opportunity to visit, and if it's not too much trouble, nobody wants to leave with regrets, right?"

A profound glint flashed in Jiang You'er's eyes as he opened his folding fan. "Then I'll try to think of a way, but I can't guarantee success," he said. He glanced at the sky; although they had only explored the Northern District, they had covered a significant area, and it was already late afternoon. So he informed them, "It definitely won't happen today. As for whether it can be done, I can't guarantee it. I can only say I'll try."

Wu Jinliang nodded repeatedly. "Of course," he said, "If it works out, great; if not, we won't force it."

No sooner had he spoken than a shadow suddenly sprang out from the thorny bushes in the valley below and rushed towards them. Shi Chun and Wu Jinliang initially thought it was a half-grown wild boar or something similar. Only when the creature stopped in front of them did they realize it was a giant rat. Its fur was dry and withered yellow, it dragged a large tail, and a black, fully patterned metal ring was attached to its pierced snout.

At the sight of its appearance, the two brothers immediately connected it to a familiar reference: wasn't this precisely like Jin Zhan's corpse from the Moon Sea Secret Realm? They could understand Jin Zhan's emaciated corpse, but why was this living creature also so bony and thin? They exchanged glances, both knowing that Huang Yingying's kin had arrived. As for whether it was Huang Yingying herself, they couldn't tell. If several such large rats were placed in front of them, they would basically be unable to distinguish any differences in their appearance.

As soon as the giant rat reached the three of them, its beady eyes scrutinized them before it immediately squatted down and bowed, emitting a high-pitched, reedy male voice. "Ah, it's Patrol Master Jiang. Is there anything you'd like me to do?"

Jiang You'er waved his fan, casting his eyes down, and replied, "Nothing. Just looking around here, not going further."

"Understood. Just call if you need anything, I'll take my leave," the giant rat squeaked. It bowed politely again before turning and scurrying back.

After watching it leave, Wu Jinliang feigned ignorance. "What was that thing? A rat, right?" The implication being, it was quite large.

Jiang You'er chuckled. "That's a Golden-Furred Rat from the Central District's mountain foot, on rotating guard duty. Its fur color is a bit dull right now; when it's at its best, it's golden and shiny. It's actually an ancient exotic species, once the royal family among rats. But now its demon bone is locked, enslaving it to the Divine Mountain, which is why its fur is dull and lacks its former luster."

The two brothers had seen this mentioned in the scroll given by Bai Qiru, which stated that Huang Yingying's clan had their demon bones locked, preventing them from transforming into human form. The "demon bone lock" meant seizing the very bone that initiated transformation, thereby sealing the source of their physical metamorphosis and preventing any further transformation. Each type of demon had a unique demon bone. Most critically, once a demon bone was locked, it meant it had been damaged, and their cultivation foundation was also consequently ruined.

After reading the scroll, the two roughly understood why Huang Yingying's cultivation aptitude was so poor and why, despite her age, she hadn't even reached the High Martial realm. In fact, they somewhat doubted whether Huang Yingying's current aptitude would allow her to inherit that demon scroll. However, since all of Huang Yingying's kin seemed to have their demon bones locked, it appeared none of them would be suitable if they were truly to fulfill Jin Zhan's last wish. These matters were no longer their priority; their own objective came first. Jin Zhan's last wish could be considered later, depending on the situation.

Since they couldn't proceed, they changed direction.

After touring until evening, Jiang You'er arranged accommodation for the two guests in his own Northern District territory, naturally including fine wine and excellent food as part of the hospitality.

After settling the guests, Jiang You'er flew directly to the main peak of the Northern District. Landing on the mountaintop, he smoothly entered a hall whose plaque above the doorway bore the bold characters "Northern Mountain." On the second floor, on a low couch, an old man with a full beard that spread out like an owl's face was meditating cross-legged. His nose was hooked like an eagle's beak. This person was Huang Ye, the Commander of the Northern District, and one of the Divine Mountain's Five Great Commanders.

Jiang You'er, who had come upstairs, adopted a respectful expression. He knelt near the low couch and bowed in greeting, saying, "Commander." He then recounted the entire day's events with the guests.

After listening to the account, Huang Ye slowly opened his eyes, his piercing gaze revealing doubt. "They want to go to the Central District? Is that their destination?"

Jiang You'er replied, "It seems so. Otherwise, they wouldn't be so impudent as to cause us trouble."

Huang Ye said, "Without a reasonable request, who would dare to casually bring two unknown individuals into the Central District? It would be impossible to explain to the Divine Maiden."

"Then... should we refuse them?" Jiang You'er asked.

Huang Ye rose from the couch and paced back and forth for a while before saying, "No rush. If they truly came for the Central District, they won't leave. String them along for a bit; it will reveal their intentions more clearly. Also, there will be more visitors tomorrow. The Divine Maiden has sent word that Granny Qila will be coming tomorrow, and we must be ready to receive her without any delay. Furthermore, the letter from the Sect Master of Extreme Fire Sect to the Divine Maiden will also arrive tomorrow. Their Martial Hall Master, Qiu Ben, will take this opportunity to bring people in; they are coming for Shi Chun and his companion. You must be cautious tomorrow."

"Yes," Jiang You'er acknowledged.

Stars shone across the vast sky, and the small building echoed with the chirping of insects.

At midnight, Wu Jinliang, who was meditating cross-legged, suddenly felt his nostrils flare as the faint scent seemed to have intensified slightly. After repeated sniffing, he felt he was not mistaken. He slowly opened his eyes, and just as he was about to ask Shi Chun if he had smelled it, he saw Shi Chun, in the dim light, already risen and walked to the window, opening it.

Wu Jinliang got up and walked over, quietly asking, "Did you smell it too?"

Shi Chun nodded slightly. He looked around but saw nothing. Just as he was about to close the window, he paused, then, despite the expenditure of his vital energy, he activated his right eye's special ability again to observe. To be honest, he had been using his right eye's special ability far too frequently lately, especially after a full day of sightseeing today, where it had been almost continuously active. He was quite drained. Recovery was also very slow, and he even felt like drawing his Blood Soul Blade to stab a few demons to replenish his energy. But as long as his eyes were clear, illuminating mountains and seas like a lamp, he was bound to discover something.

At this moment, he suddenly looked up at the sky, his eyes widening instantly, for he had witnessed a breathtaking sight. The eaves partially obstructed his view, preventing him from seeing the full picture. He immediately leaped out of the window, flipped onto the rooftop, and stood there, looking up.

The vision of his right eye's special ability, unlike normal sight, usually became unclear at a distance. But this time, it was as if some magical presence had dispersed the haze, illuminating the darkness like a beacon. His right eye's ability had never seen anything so clearly or so far before.

A golden mist flew from the distant horizon, resembling a cluster of countless fireflies. Each light point seemed to carry a dancing trace of life, emanating a breathtaking splendor. It moved in an ethereal manner, like a rainbow or a mist, flying towards another part of the sky. Yet, its path was not smooth; it collided with something invisible, creating an arc-shaped outline and sending out chaotic bursts of light. Shi Chun instantly recognized what it was: likely the protective shield of that ancient grand formation. After colliding, most of the streams of light merely rippled and went around, continuing their journey. However, a very small number of golden streams of light managed to penetrate the invisible arc shield and struck a mountain, specifically the highest peak of the Divine Mountain.