Chapter 749: Prison Cage

The cultivators of Heaven's Secret Pavilion now stood up, gazing in astonishment at the various scenes unfolding before them. Although not all of them were long-bearded elders of high standing and profound cultivation, they were all deeply versed in the pavilion's immortal Dao lineage, giving them strong comprehension skills and the ability to infer and deduce much.

For highly cultivated individuals like the long-bearded elder, merely observing some of the images could spontaneously generate special visual extensions, as if a scroll were slowly unfurling from a single corner.

As for Ji Yuan, his experience was far deeper than that of the Heaven's Secret Pavilion cultivators. Though not one of them, as he watched these scenes, his mind made connections, and it was as if the images came alive before his spiritual eyes.

The celestial palaces and divine figures depicted in the scenes were likely the true Heavenly Palace. However, unlike the Heavenly Palace in Ji Yuan's memories from his previous life, many of the armored divine beings, though human-bodied, had demonic skulls for heads. Even those that were entirely human-shaped mostly radiated demonic energy in the images.

The netherworld differed even more. It did not appear to be a conventional underworld, but rather a place where countless springs converged into vast rivers, teeming with dense swarms of struggling souls and spirits.

While there were many scenes of the Heavenly Palace and the netherworld, Ji Yuan lingered only briefly, his primary attention drawn to other, even grander and more exaggerated images.

The exaggerated monsters in those images connected to the occasional clues Ji Yuan had discovered over time. These were numerous powerful ancient exotic beasts, many of which were mythical or ferocious beasts familiar to Ji Yuan, others merely looked familiar but he couldn't name, and still more were utterly unrecognizable.

Some of these monsters appeared incredibly sacred, others bared their fangs and claws, some battled one another, and others seemed to tear at the sky. The aura emanating from the images was also terrifying.

Ji Yuan's gaze never left the walls, his expression was one of astonishment, and his mind was racing with countless thoughts. Many scenes were not continuous, but they were comprehensive enough to construct a relatively complete historical picture, or rather, a depiction of historical evolution.

In fact, Ji Yuan had seen some of these images before when the two Star Banners met remotely, so he had some mental preparation.

'Indeed, this world once contained many primeval exotic beasts, but...'

Ji Yuan's thoughts grew heavier as he focused on the ferocious and even divine beasts roaring at the sky or directly attacking it. The myriad stars within the Star Banner seemed to follow Ji Yuan's gaze, covering some of the depicted scenes. Many of the missing sections of the starry sky corresponded to the attacks of these fierce exotic beasts on the firmament.

The sights seen during the three years of *Yanqi* also overlapped, thread by thread, with the occurrences inside the Hall of Heavenly Secrets. This association, purely within Ji Yuan's mind, triggered another layer of evolution within the Hall of Heavenly Secrets.

Light flared again, and the walls of the Hall of Heavenly Secrets seemed to extend infinitely. Between the Nine Hells and the Celestial Palace, Immortals, Buddhas, Demons, Devils, Ghosts, Monsters, Humans... the current myriad beings appeared.

'The boundaries of heaven and earth are greater than known. Calamity is both disaster and tribulation. The current heaven and earth, the starry sky... it is a paradise, and also a cage...'

His mind awash with thoughts, Ji Yuan turned to look at the Heaven's Secret Pavilion cultivators. Most of them had risen to their feet. Xuanji Zi, who was closest to Ji Yuan, stared blankly at the unfolding images, focusing particularly on the great sun in the sky. Within this radiant sun, upon closer inspection, one could see a colossal three-legged bird with spread wings.

"This is the sun, this is the sun, it's the sun..." Xuanji Zi murmured repeatedly.

Ji Yuan walked over to him and said calmly, "Within this great sun is the Three-legged Golden Crow, the true spirit of the sun."

"Three-legged Golden Crow?" Xuanji Zi turned to look at Ji Yuan, who had now regained his composure, so Xuanji Zi saw Mr. Ji's face remain serene.

"Mm." Ji Yuan nodded, saying no more, merely continuing to look at the images before him, then at the pillars. These pillars also bore images, but more significantly, they were symbols. Some were resplendent, others broken and filled with cracks.

About an hour later, Ji Yuan and the Heaven's Secret Pavilion cultivators exited the Hall of Heavenly Secrets together. As they left, the great doors slowly closed automatically with a creaking sound. The two door gods on the gates remained solemn and still, like paintings.

Once Ji Yuan and the others descended from the Hall of Heavenly Secrets' elevated platform, the two door gods gradually vanished from the door, leaving only its vermilion color.

Ji Yuan's expression was no different from before entering the Hall of Heavenly Secrets, but the cultivators of Heaven's Secret Pavilion were vastly changed. Whether it was the long-bearded elders like Xuanji Zi and Lian Baiping, or the other cultivators, all looked melancholic, almost openly displaying their worry or bewilderment.

Ji Yuan found their appearance somewhat amusing, yet he couldn't quite smile. Although the people of Heaven's Secret Pavilion had seen what was in the hall, they couldn't fully grasp the concept of the grand calamity. However, that didn't mean they didn't understand the severity of their situation. Moreover, just from what they had seen, realizing there were so many terrifying "demonic beasts" left them restless.

"Mr. Ji, what are your thoughts on this matter?" Xuanji Zi hesitated repeatedly before finally asking Ji Yuan.

Ji Yuan considered it for a moment, then spoke in a low voice, "I can only say that it might be countless times worse than your worst imaginings. This is a matter of great terror, difficult to articulate."

Though his voice was soft, it was not a private transmission, and all the immortal cultivators present naturally heard it.

Xuanji Zi's heart stirred, and he quickly responded, "Yes, yes, we naturally understand what Mr. Ji means. As it's said, heaven's secrets cannot be leaked. No one understands the meaning of these words better than we of Heaven's Secret Pavilion."

"Is there anything Mr. Ji can teach us?"

Heaven's Secret Pavilion had already held high expectations for Ji Yuan, but now they understood that Mr. Ji was likely far more extraordinary than they had imagined. After their initial glimpse of some extremely exaggerated "truths of heaven and earth," the people of Heaven's Secret Pavilion were somewhat at a loss, and could only turn to Ji Yuan for guidance.

Ji Yuan shook his head. "Cultivate well, and be prepared. Oh, by the way, are my fellow Daoists of Heaven's Secret Pavilion skilled in offensive and defensive techniques?"

"Uh... we naturally possess some divine abilities for self-defense, but most cultivators in our pavilion are dedicated to comprehending heavenly secrets and exploring the Grand Dao, and are also adept at using heavenly secrets in alchemy. As for offensive power, it cannot be considered mighty..."

At this point, Xuanji Zi's tone shifted, and he added, "However, Heaven's Secret Pavilion has always maintained good relations with many upright immortal cultivators. Should the pavilion require assistance, Daoists from all sides will surely extend their courtesy."

"Alright, that's enough." Ji Yuan nodded. Seeing that none of them moved, he prompted, "I am weary. If there's nothing else, may I find a place to rest?"

"Oh, it is our oversight! Senior Brother, shall I lead Mr. Ji to his rest?"

"Indeed, you should."

"Yes, please, Mr. Ji!" Lian Baiping quickly spoke to Xuanji Zi, then gestured for Ji Yuan to follow. Ji Yuan nodded and walked with Lian Baiping towards the outside of the Heaven's Secret Pavilion's barrier. He glanced back; Xuanji Zi and the others still stood outside the Hall of Heavenly Secrets, merely bowing slightly in his direction.

Naturally, the Heaven's Secret Pavilion members needed to discuss the matter internally, and Ji Yuan had no intention or interest in rudely interrupting. He simply left with Lian Baiping.

Once outside the several barrier formations of the Hall of Heavenly Secrets, Ji Yuan felt slightly more relaxed, and Lian Baiping appeared to feel the same.

"Whew... Mr. Ji, you are truly extraordinary. No, I should say, you are indeed worthy of your reputation."

"Heh." Ji Yuan chuckled softly, saying nothing, and continued walking.

In a relatively prosperous human city in the Southern Wasteland, a refined scholar in a grey robe stood by a street stall, examining the cultural artifacts, calligraphy, paintings, and books displayed there. Like an ordinary scholar, he touched, looked, and meticulously observed the quality of the calligraphy and paintings. When he found something good, a look of delight would appear on his face.

Just as the scholar picked up a painting for a closer look, a handsome young man in white silk brocade slowly approached the stall. He glanced at the scholar beside him, who was still absorbed in the calligraphy and painting.

"It was hard to find you. I didn't expect you to hide here."

The scholar put down the painting, turned to the young man, and smiled. "It's lively here, easy to hide. But you, I'm surprised you're back. I thought you were dead for sure."

"Hmph! What, you're not wearing your favorite yellow clothes anymore?"

The scholar laughed aloud. "Hahaha, in this region, yellow is the color of the emperor. How can commoners wear it casually?"

The stall owner chimed in at this point, "Scholar, you've been looking for so long, are you buying or not? And esteemed customer, please look at these items, they are all good things. Would you like to buy something?"

The handsome young man smiled and shook his head at the stall owner, while the scholar pointed to the painting he had just been examining. "Wrap that one up for me. I'll take it."

"Oh, scholar, you have good taste! This is a genuine work by Zhao Huan, a famous artist from the previous dynasty. Five taels of silver, absolutely fair and honest!"

The vendor nimbly wrapped the painting, then took the silver from the scholar. He casually weighed it, and even if it was slightly underweight, he smiled continuously, watching the scholar and the handsome young man depart, overjoyed.

The handsome young man and the scholar were Beimu and Lushan Jun, the latter disguised as Lu Wu. Beimu looked at Lu Wu holding the painting and asked curiously, "Five taels of silver, a genuine work?"

"Mm, genuine."

"Heh heh..." Beimu chuckled, having already decided to subtly ensure the stall owner realized his mistake and the true value of what he had just sold.