荔枝影院

As Li Taiyi was still in shock, a voice rumbled, “I did not think, after several thousand years, that someone would be able to get past the seal on my stone stele!”

Looking around, Li Taiyi saw nothing and was perturbed.

A moment later, though, he sensed something weird. Lowering his gaze, he saw a small figure atop one of the nearby stone lions.

It was three inches tall, and at the tip of its nose were several curled and crystalline whiskers, and behind it was a long and slender tail. It was clearly a furry little mouse.

The mouse on the stone lion stared at Li Taiyi and said, “Boy, just what are you?”

Li Taiyi felt an indescribable strangeness, as if this was not a mouse, but a person.

Li Taiyi looked carefully at this furry mouse and saw an unusual light in its eyes. They were out of focus, as if it was being controlled by someone else.

Li Taiyi raised an eyebrow and immediately realized that the master of this place was not present.

“This junior, Li Taiyi, greets Senior! What might Senior be called?”

Li Taiyi was quick-witted, immediately bowing and speaking in a respectful tone. Someone who could control this furry mouse had to possess a rather high level of cultivation.

“You’re a rather smart child. But it has been far too long, and my name is no longer important.”

The furry mouse raised an eyebrow like a human, a strange gleam in its eyes.

A moment later, the mouse rolled off the stone lion and began to descend by walking on the air.

As the furry mouse landed on the ground, a white fog emerged from its body and swiftly condensed into a human form behind it.

This manifestation had an inflexible and stubborn face, and wore the high hat and thick belt customary of ancient attire. His sharp eyes demanded respect.

Keekee!

As this manifestation appeared, the furry mouse cried out and ran away.

“That you were able to sense the oddity of this place and appear here means that there is some fated connection between us. Speak! What is it you want?” the elder said, a golden light in his eyes as he seemingly peered into the depths of Li Taiyi’s soul. At that moment, Li Taiyi felt like all his secrets were exposed.

After a few moments of silence, Li Taiyi lifted his robe and prostrated to the manifestation.

“Junior Li Taiyi pays respects to Senior and hopes that Senior will accept me as disciple and teach Junior his peerless arts!”

Although he didn’t know what the ‘Dragon Vein’ mission was, Li Taiyi knew that this person had to be some hidden master.

If there was anyone in the Imperial Palace that could help him obtain power that would allow him to reach his aspirations, it had to be him.

“Heh, clever tricks like this are not enough. Although I said that there was a connection between us, I did not say that I would help you. Moreover, this old man has not taken a disciple in the last several thousand years. You are so sure that I will agree to your request?” the elder indifferently said, neither refusing nor assenting. It was impossible to tell what he was thinking.

“Several thousand years?”

Li Taiyi was stunned, and he was even more certain that this elder was the one he was seeking.

“Junior knows that Senior will agree. If Senior did not plan to agree, Senior would have never even appeared,” Li Taiyi calmly said.

“Moreover, this one is not doing this for selfish motives. The Central Plains and its numerous inhabitants will face a disaster in the future, and this one has only lofty aspirations and a meager strength. This junior hopes that Senior will fulfill my wish,” Li Taiyi said with a look of utmost respect.

The elder narrowed his faint golden eyes and callously stared at Li Taiyi. Although no terrifying aura radiated from his body, there was a formidable pressure that made this space fall silent.

While Li Taiyi could feel the pressure, his eyes remained fearless.

He trusted that since he could find this place and pass the elder’s seal, their connection was not something as simple as fate. Besides that, he trusted in his intuition.

This almost tangible pressure rolled through this place like a thundercloud for some time, and only then did the elder’s face finally ripple a little.

“This boy is truly interesting.”

The elder helplessly smiled.

“Senior has agreed?”

Li Taiyi was taken aback.

“One who can interact with and pass through the seal on the dragon stele must be a righteous and majestic character, not some lowly individual. This old man has truthfully been observing you for some time. Since you are a Prince and were able to find this place, I suppose I can help you.”

The elder turned around and walked a few steps, but upon seeing that Li Taiyi was still standing there, he instantly said with feigned severity, “What are you standing around for? Hurry and follow me!”

Li Taiyi blinked his eyes and came back to his senses, a look of delight on his face as he followed the elder.

......

The elder guided Li Taiyi to a mysterious place.

Why was it mysterious?

This was because as Li Taiyi followed the elder through the giant door of the palace, everything behind him disappeared, and it seemed like he had entered another dimension.

This was a craggy stone passage, and as he ventured deeper into it, he passed a statue of a scholarly figure standing right in the middle of the passage. The man depicted wore a long robe and gripped a sword, his eyes showing compassion. If one looked carefully, one would find that he held a book in his left hand.

Strangely, this book was a real book, not one made of stone. Whatever material it was made of had allowed the book to resist the corrosion of a thousand years of time!

Although he could not understand the words on the cover, Li Taiyi felt an ancient energy from it.

Li Taiyi stared at the statue for some time, feeling its scholarly aura, and then he hesitantly spoke, seemingly realizing something.

“This is... Supreme Sage Confucius?”

“Mm.”

The elder quickly verified Li Taiyi’s conjecture. Without another word, the elder continued to advance.

Li Taiyi was surprised, but he only glanced at the statue a few more times and bowed before continuing to follow the elder.

As he followed the elder deeper and deeper, Li Taiyi saw that there were many more statues standing in the stone passage, all of them thrumming with power. It was as if the owners of these statues had imbued the statues with their energy to guard this place.

“We’re here.”

While Li Taiyi was still being amazed, the elder suddenly stopped.

“Your luck and perception aren’t bad!

“Normally, to enter this old man’s residence, one must pass through the trials of these stone statues, advancing step by step, but as for you, you skipped right over them and arrived straight at this old man’s lair, saving yourself quite some effort,” the elder said.

Li Taiyi awkwardly smiled. He had truly not known about this trial.

The elder was just making an offhand comment, and his face turned stern as he got down to business.

“This is a compass left by that kid Yuan Tiangang. Just cultivate here. How far you get will depend on your own perception and efforts.”

Yuan Tiangang!

Li Taiyi was flabbergasted.

Yuan Tiangang was a famous astrologer, the number one astrologer from one hundred years ago, and the only person in the several hundred years of the Great Tang Empire to truly obtain the status of state teacher. He had been personally appointed by Emperor Taizong!

Li Taiyi quickly looked over. In the wall in front of him was not a statue, but a stone seal that radiated a frightening energy.

‘On the decree of Emperor Taizong, Yuan Tiangang has sealed this place!’

The words appeared to have been chiseled into the stone. Farther down, a golden-red compass had been embedded in the rock.

Li Taiyi curiously walked over to examine it. This golden-red compass was covered in golden inscriptions, each one as small as a fly and arranged in circles. Now that he was closer, he could sense that these inscriptions pulsed with mysterious power that compelled Li Taiyi to get even closer.

“Eh? Yuan Tiangang’s compass isn’t rejecting you!”

On the other end, the elder was alarmed to see that Li Taiyi was almost touching the compass, and he reached out to stop him. But the elder was shocked to see that nothing was happening.

Though Yuan Tiangang had once served the Great Tang, he was a proud man, particularly when it came to his personal treasures. Let alone touching them, he wouldn’t let others get within three feet of them.

Even when the elder had wanted to examine it, Yuan Tiangang had stiffly refused him, and the elder had even been troubled by the seal he had put down for a time. The elder was so angry that he decided to not have Yuan Tiangang leave behind a statue, lest he get angry whenever he saw it.

But now...

A junior was getting close to it, even touching it...!

Touching it?

The elder realized what was going on, his eyes widening as he stared.

Li Taiyi had seemingly discovered something, his brow furrowing as he felt the golden-red compass.

The elder was rendered speechless.

Meanwhile, Li Taiyi truly had noticed something. At the bottom of the compass had been carved the seal of Emperor Taizong. This was clearly the compass that Emperor Taizong had personally made for Yuan Tiangang.

All the important treasures that the imperial household had personally requested to be made were recorded in the palace.

As Li Taiyi was lost in thought, someone lightly coughed.

“Yuan Tiangang not rejecting you saves me some time.” The elder pointed at the compass and said, “Try and send some Stellar Energy into that compass.”

Li Taiyi was confused for only a moment before doing what the elder said. He had chosen to make this elder his teacher, and so he had chosen to trust him.

Bang!

As Li Taiyi sent Stellar Energy into the compass, the golden inscriptions began to light up. At the same time, the earth rumbled, and a Taiji Formation appeared beneath Li Taiyi’s feet, spreading across the floor of the cave.

Whoosh!

The air howled, and the entire tunnel seemed to come to life. Soon, spiritual energy flowed into the golden-red compass from all directions.

Moreover, the golden-red compass proceeded to guide this spiritual energy into Li Taiyi’s body, like the rivers flowing into the sea.

It all happened so suddenly that Li Taiyi was left utterly stunned.