The place was covered in green grass, and there was no fog. He could see everything in the distance. Wang Lin sped along, passing through one valley after another. Occasionally, he would stop and close his eyes, as if he were trying to sense the path. Then, he would open his eyes and continue forward.
The wall-like mountain range appeared in front of him. As time passed, Wang Lin got closer and closer.
About a day later, Wang Lin stopped outside a valley. This place was very close to the mountain range. After passing through this valley, he would be able to reach the foot of the mountain.
Looking at the valley in front of him, a thoughtful expression appeared on Wang Lin's face. There was something strange about this valley. After looking at it for a moment, Wang Lin's eyes flashed. His right hand flashed in an incantation gesture, and a restrictive spell appeared. Then he tapped his forehead, causing a black line to fly out. It twisted and turned into a restrictive mark that flew forward.
The restrictive mark floated in the air, emitting a black glow that enveloped the area.
As the black glow spread out, the grass in front of him began to glow, revealing a strange pattern. It was in the shape of a plum blossom. When Wang Lin saw it, his eyes narrowed.
"18 Plum Blossom Hex!"
The 18 Plum Blossom Hex hadn't been here for a very long time. Instead, it had been placed here only a day ago. Clearly, it had been the work of the old woman in green.
The 18 Plum Blossom Hex was an extremely high-level hex. It was derived from one of the four great hex, the Annihilation Hex.
If Wang Lin hadn't gone to the Luo Tian planetary system, he definitely wouldn't have been able to break through a hex of this level.
But during his trip to the Luo Tian planetary system, Wang Lin had inherited one of the four great hex, the Annihilation Hex. Breaking the 18 Plum Blossom Hex that had been derived from the Annihilation Hex wouldn't be difficult.
"The old woman in green left this hex here. It must be an ambush or a warning …." Wang Lin's eyes flashed. Just as he was about to step forward, he suddenly stopped and looked closely at the 18 Plum Blossom Hex on the ground.
He had a feeling that things weren't as simple as they seemed.
Spreading out his divine sense, Wang Lin carefully searched the ground outside the valley. Gradually, his expression became serious, especially when he saw a barely discernible black glow at the center of the 18 Plum Blossom Hex. The method the old woman in green had used to absorb the flood dragon's flesh and open the Nine Step Heaven Seal Formation appeared in his mind.
When he saw the old woman's restriction, he felt like it was a bit strange. However, it wasn't convenient for him to observe it in person, so he couldn't see it too clearly. However, the restriction outside the valley was right there. After pondering for a bit, Wang Lin's eyes revealed enlightenment.
"Using the life force of tens of thousands of souls to form a death restriction. This method is very similar to the Life and Death Restriction of the four great ancient restrictions …" Wang Lin pondered a bit before squatting down. His right hand gave off a ghostly glow as he slowly moved the grass before him. He pushed aside some of the dirt and his eyes immediately narrowed.
The roots of the grass had already rotted and there wasn't much life left. In a few more hours, the grass would lose all its life, and at that time, the formation would be completely opened.
"The old woman in green had Master Ashen Pine beside her, so she didn't have time to carefully set up the formation. She could only leave a simple hex to absorb the life of the plants here. Once all the life is absorbed, the hex can be opened," muttered Wang Lin to himself. He was now very cautious of the old woman in green.
"Right now this restriction is only half complete, so it's not impossible to break. How about …" Wang Lin sneered and retreated a few steps. His hand formed a seal and he pointed forward. The black light shrouded the area and the seal formed by the Annihilation Restriction trembled before collapsing into specks of black light that landed on the grass.
"I won't break this formation, but I'll leave my own mark and restrictions on it before it's complete. This way, the old woman in green will be able to take over the formation without her noticing … With my Annihilation Restriction and the Life and Death Restriction fused, even Master Ashen Pine would be seriously injured if he were to step in without knowing anything!"
Wang Lin carefully walked through the grass until he entered the valley. Only then did he let out a sigh of relief.
After looking around, Wang Lin's gaze fell on the end of the valley. That place was connected to a wall-like mountain range. This mountain range was very steep and gave off a sense of majesty.
Without pausing, Wang Lin moved like lightning toward the mountain and climbed it.
Thinking back to the Life and Death Hex, Wang Lin couldn't help but remember what Li Yuan had said.
"When the heavens and earth were created, laws appeared. After a long time, they separated into one and was called a hex!
Or maybe it was a formation!
The names were different, but the general idea was the same.
Heaven, Earth, Mystic, and Yellow were the four grades of restrictions!
"However, above Heaven, Earth, Mystic, and Yellow, there is another level. People of my generation call it the Void!
"The Void is divided into four parts and that is the four great restrictions.
"Aside from the Annihilation Hex and Life and Death Hex, there is also the Ancient Soul Hex and the mysterious Time Hex!
"Even the restrictions of the Celestial Realm originated from these four great restrictions and have been passed down until now."
While climbing the mountain range, Wang Lin began to ponder.
"Back then, when I left Allheaven, Li Yuan said that if I could learn all four of the great ancient restrictions and fuse them together, then with my great wisdom, I would be able to comprehend the art of void from the four great restrictions …. Void is the peak of restrictions!
"However, in the countless years since the heavens and earth were created, no one has been able to comprehend the Void from restrictions."
Wang Lin let out a sigh and no longer thought about this matter. He focused all of his attention on sensing the path of Master Ashen Pine and the old woman.
Another half a day passed. Wang Lin stood at the highest point of the mountain under the seven-colored light. Standing there, it was as if he was covered in seven-colored light. From afar, he looked like a celestial god surrounded by seven-colored light.
This mountain range that was like a city wall formed a ring that separated it from the outside world. This place was filled with dense fog, making it impossible to see what was inside.
It was like a black ocean, surging with faint waves.
Looking ahead, Wang Lin could clearly feel that Master Ashen Pine was inside the fog.
Wang Lin's eyes were cold as he jumped down the mountain and went further and further away.
Master Ashen Pine was wearing the Devil God Armor and was extremely cautious. Every step he took inside the fog made him a bit nervous. The old woman in green was also surrounded by black gas.
The surroundings were completely silent, and only the sound of their footsteps could be heard.
"That person named Lu should be dead by now. Pang Decai is good at soul searching, so he must have found something. That War Spirit Print is a great spell of the God Sect."
Master Ashen Pine calculated the time in his heart. He and Pang Decai had worked together many times, so they could often know each other's thoughts with just a glance.
"Pang Decai should be on his way …" Master Ashen Pine's eyes lit up an undetectable amount.
The old woman in green didn't speak along the way and suddenly asked, "Fellow Cultivator Ashen Pine, how far away is the place you spoke of?"
"Not far, it should be just up ahead," Master Ashen Pine said.
As Master Ashen Pine spoke, he suddenly stopped. At the same time, the old woman in green also stopped and cautiously looked ahead.
In the fog ahead, a blurry giant stone statue could be vaguely seen. This statue was hidden in the fog, and it looked as if it was moving, changing with the surging fog.
The two of them looked at each other and slowly walked forward. It didn't take long for them to arrive before the giant stone statue and look up.
This was a giant stone more than 1,000 feet tall, and the statue was of a man. The man was looking up at the sky and pondering, and there was a lightning-like mark between his eyebrows.
"This is …" The old woman in green was startled. She stared at the mark between the eyebrows of the statue and her expression suddenly changed.
Just at this moment, an erratic voice came from the thick fog. The voice was strange and contained a force that could penetrate the soul. It was sometimes far and sometimes close, making it impossible to tell where it was coming from.
"Enlightened, imprison the dao of the heavens. All living beings must go through endless tribulations. Leave the deep prison with only one thought, and serve the path of cultivation …"
"Enlightened, all living beings must go through endless tribulations. Break free from the will of the heavens and obtain the path of life in the future. Serve the path of cultivation …"
"Enlightened, lock the fate of the heavens and seal the Underworld Dynasty. All living beings who cannot reach the true dao will sink into the sea of bitterness and forever lose the true dao. Serve the path of cultivation …"
These strange sounds surrounded the fog and slowly spread out, fusing with the surroundings.
Master Ashen Pine's face immediately turned pale and he looked around in fear. The old woman in green also gasped. The strange voices stopped in her mind and continued to echo. This caused her origin soul to tremble and her dao heart to become unstable.
"Who are they … What do these words mean …" The old woman in green looked at Master Ashen Pine.
"They are the Enlightened Ones …" Just as Master Ashen Pine finished speaking, the fog in front of him suddenly churned. An illusory figure floated out. It was so fast that it directly floated between Master Ashen Pine and the old woman in green.
That strange voice was clearly transmitted to the two's minds.
"Master Ashen Pine, what exactly are the Enlightened Ones?"
The old woman in green's face was pale and the words continued to echo in her mind. She felt like she couldn't bear it anymore.
Master Ashen Pine silently pondered as he listened to the voice enter his ears and whispered, "The Lost Ones have lost their dao and are searching in confusion. They continue to wander the Seven-Colored Realm, searching in confusion … The Enlightened Ones have the dao realm, but after reading the dao scripture, their dao hearts collapsed and can't reform. They can only float in this fog for countless years … Perhaps they are already dead, and what remains is a dao soul born from their obsession!"
"Dao scripture?" The old woman in green's eyes narrowed!
Master Ashen Pine raised his head and his eyes were filled with fanaticism as he slowly said, "That's right, the dao scripture!
Before the Old Man discovered the Seven-Colored Realm, he had never heard of it. However, after entering this place, he learned from countless clues that there is a dao scripture in this world. Rumor has it that this scripture was formed from the blood of the heavens … "
"Could what they have been talking about be … the dao scripture?" The old woman in green gasped. The news she was hearing was simply too shocking.