Chapter Eighty-Two: The Hall of Mount Tai (Third Update!)

The flying sword halted two hundred paces from Qing Jade, and Wu Yue leapt down, stumbling as he landed. Yet, in this moment, none found amusement or ridicule in his misstep.

Qing Jade had always watched from afar, allowing the young man to leave behind the woman who had ridden the sword, and letting him advance another hundred paces. These details did not matter; whether ten, a hundred, or two hundred paces, for Qing Jade, a mere lift of the hand could kill. If he could not kill at a distance, proximity would make no difference. His hesitation to act was not out of admiration for the youth’s courage, nor was it a desire to nurture a younger generation. He was waiting, waiting for this moth to throw itself into the flame. Years of experience had taught him that waiting might not be the best strategy, but it was certainly the safest. The older one grows, the more one craves certainty. Qing Jade was not young; he was already two hundred and thirteen years old.

Wu Yue remained silent, for in front of this ancient monster whose age was unfathomable, playing tricks would only invite humiliation. He pressed forward, blood flowing freely down his arm, leaving a trail of crimson blossoms as if a path of plum flowers. Injured before the battle had even begun, he was now fifty paces from Qing Jade.

Qing Jade spoke coolly, “Young man, take one more step and it will be the moment of your death.” He felt something was amiss, yet he could not believe the young man before him could contend with him. He was a Transcendent Real Person; this was not arrogance, but confidence.

Wu Yue smiled, and indeed stopped, measuring the distance between them. “This should be close enough,” he said, before striking without hesitation. After countless encounters, his battle experience had grown swiftly—no more needless words, only direct action.

A small, dark house, no larger than a baby’s fist, hovered in the air from Wu Yue’s wounded arm.

The Hall of Mount Tai!

Wu Yue had obtained this artifact from the Garden of Longevity, yet it had remained hidden until now. It was one of his greatest trump cards! This was the first time Wu Yue encountered an artifact that could recognize its master. Even the Thunder Scepter, sealed with three wards, and the national treasure gifted by Li Sui Pearl, could not do so. In fact, throughout the Celestial Realm, Wu Yue had never heard of any artifact recognizing its master.

This treasure, once wielded by Chang’an, traversing countless realms, now revealed its face in the Celestial Realm for the first time: a dark exterior, ancient walls, and a breath of age.

Wu Yue’s lips moved slightly. “Contain!”

Qing Jade showed no fear, forming a spell with both hands, then vanished without a trace.

Those cultivators who had been trying to fish in troubled waters or watch from the sidelines were now shocked. Qing Jade, a Transcendent cultivator, capable of slaying peers of his own realm, had disappeared without a sound? Who was this young man, and what was that small house? What kind of treasure was it, completely unheard of?

“Qing Jade, hand over the Lotus Heart of Nine Apertures, and I will let you go,” Wu Yue called out deliberately.

“Well, boy, that’s a fine treasure! Even if you lock me inside, what can you do to me?” Qing Jade’s voice echoed from within.

In truth, Qing Jade was not wrong; Wu Yue could do little to him. Wu Yue was unaware of the Hall of Mount Tai’s true abilities, as his cultivation was limited. Though it bore inscriptions of divine law, their meaning was beyond his grasp. Still, it was not entirely useless; there were two functions Wu Yue could use now.

One was to alter its size and weight at will, requiring control through soul and spiritual sense—the greater the demand, the greater the requirement. This was awkward, as Wu Yue’s spiritual sense was already stretched thin. If his spirit were more flexible, he would have released Chang’an long ago.

The other was storage, powered by spiritual energy. The more energy he had, the more he could store; at his peak, Wu Yue could store five or six items. If this were all, it would not be remarkable, for while treasures are rare in the Celestial Realm, storage items are not unheard of.

But—the Hall of Mount Tai could store living beings! The supreme Dao markings shimmered lightly, needing no consent—simply a wish, and you were contained. Naturally, there was a limit. With cultivators like Liyuan, Wu Yue dared not guarantee success.

Containment was one matter; what followed was another.

Wu Yue remained silent, swallowing three pills. The medicinal power circulated slowly.

After a long while, Wu Yue felt somewhat better. This time he had expended a vast amount of spiritual energy, causing significant damage to his body. From his right arm, where the Hall of Mount Tai resided, the meridians suffered destruction. It was only a thin membrane of light covering it, a mere facade. Only after three pills did he barely suppress the spreading damage. Wu Yue knew it was not the medicine’s power that was lacking, but his injuries had worsened.

“Boy, why are you silent?” Qing Jade’s voice came again.

His expression was now dark and grim, the former calmness gone. Fear crept into his heart, as he found himself utterly powerless, transported to this place.

Cold, ancient, solid.

An empty grand hall, its darkness illuminated by several suspended oil lamps. Black, hard floors and walls—he had exerted his full strength, and nothing budged. Soon he traversed the entire hall: no windows, only a tightly shut door. No living beings, only the sound of flames burning, apart from Wu Yue’s previous words. It was not a place one could feel comfortable in.

Though there were no restraints, the loneliness itself was a profound terror. There was no trace of spiritual energy; each bit used diminished that within his body, and communicating with the heavens was out of the question.

Twelve flying swords transformed into a sword formation. Qing Jade formed a spell with one hand, pointing at the door with the other. A flash of green sword energy erupted, dazzling, but nothing changed. The twelve swords fell to the ground.

Qing Jade’s face twisted in horror; he heard not a single sound, meaning this space was entirely controlled by Wu Yue! And indeed, so it was.

“Thief! I refuse to believe you can control this treasure forever. With your cultivation, how long can you sustain it?” Qing Jade, cunning from age, immediately targeted Wu Yue’s weakness. Sadly, he was only half right.

Wu Yue indeed could not contain anyone else, and even retrieving the Hall of Mount Tai now required a great price. But maintaining the current state cost him nothing.

“Believe what you will. Just stay here,” Wu Yue smiled. “I truly cannot do much to you.”

Hearing Wu Yue admit his own limitations, Qing Jade was inclined to believe him.

“I can give you the Lotus Heart of Nine Apertures, and I swear not to harm you. Let me out,” Qing Jade finally set aside his pride and spoke coldly.

“That’s acceptable, but I also need the scripture you copied,” Wu Yue replied. The Primordial Purple Qi Manual was something he urgently required. Without a Foundation Dao Platform, his cultivation could not advance, and with the bomb inside him, he desperately needed to break this deadlock.

Qing Jade did not answer.

The Hall of Mount Tai trembled gently, then calmed.

Wu Yue finally relaxed.

“If I cannot harm you, then I shall simply keep you locked away for a thousand, ten thousand years,” Wu Yue said quietly.

ps: There will be more today; I am starting to repay my debts. Some previously conflicting points will be clarified and explained one by one.