vrcanaries Chapter 1828 The Trouble Has Gone Bigger
Chapter 1828 The Trouble Has Gone Bigger
Gray Rat shook his head: "I don't know the specifics either. But the aura around them is very strange. Sometimes they're like enlightened monks, compassionate and merciful, and other times they're like ferocious beasts from the primordial era, exuding murderous intent. They asked me about two things."
"First, there's the detailed location and interior of that ancient cave in the Fallen Star Wasteland. They seem very interested in that place."
"Second..." Gray Rat paused, a strange light flashing in his eyes, "They asked about the Star Gate."
Stargate?
Master Lingxu was startled and suddenly looked at Mingchuan.
Mingchuan's eyes held a hint of confusion.
He had no idea what a stargate was.
"What did they ask Xingmen?" Master Lingxu asked in a deep voice.
"They asked... if there had been any unusual activity at the Star Gate recently? Were there any special signs or omens appearing in the direction of the Spirit Realm?" Gray Rat said. "At the time, I just thought it was absurd. The Star Gate is just a legend. Who knows where it is? But they were very serious, and... they seemed to have some secrets about the Star Gate. They mentioned words like key, sacrifice, and boundary bridge during their conversation."
A key? An offering? A boundary bridge?
These words, when put together, stirred a strong sense of unease within Mingchuan.
"What else did they say?" Mingchuan pressed.
Gray Rat shook his head: "That's all. They only stayed in Shaquanji for five days, bought some desert specialties and intelligence, and then headed towards Falling Star Wasteland. They never came back."
He looked at Mingchuan and Lingxu Zhenren and added, "Also, regarding the dark golden pillars of light in the Fallen Star Wasteland, they started appearing about ten days ago, every two or three days, at unpredictable times. Some daring individuals tried to investigate, but none of them returned. Now, no one in the village dares to approach that area."
Ten days ago... that was the time when Mingchuan and his team set off from the Spirit Realm, and Zhao Hu's team went to scout ahead!
Is it a coincidence or...
Mingchuan suppressed his doubts and finally asked, "What else do you know about the Silent Zen Temple? Where is it located in the Holy Realm?"
The gray rat smiled wryly: "I really didn't know. This is the first time I've heard the name 'Silent Extinction Zen Temple' from them. The Holy Domain is vast, with countless hidden sects and ancient lineages, many of which are only known by name and never seen. However..."
He hesitated for a moment, then said, "I overheard them talking in private, and they occasionally mentioned a term... Little Western Paradise."
Little Western Paradise?
A flicker of realization crossed Lingxu Zhenren's eyes, followed by a deeper sense of solemnity.
"Little Western Paradise... that's one of the oldest legends in the Holy Realm. It's said to be an ancient, lost pure land of Buddhism, independent of all the heavens, containing supreme Buddhist teachings and opportunities, but also accompanied by great terror. If this Silent Zen Temple is truly related to Little Western Paradise..."
"Thank you." Mingchuan tossed a small bag of spirit stones to Gray Rat. "Keep today's matter to yourself."
The gray mouse took it and nodded repeatedly: "Don't worry, I know the rules. I don't know anything, and I didn't say anything."
Watching the gray rat hurriedly leave, Mingchuan and Master Lingxu stood in the dim alley, speechless for a long time.
The night wind, carrying the chill of the desert, swept across the land, stirring up sand and dust.
“Silent Zen Temple, Ascetic, Vajra Subduing Demons, Little Western Paradise, Star Gate…” Master Lingxu slowly exhaled.
"It seems that we have not only been drawn into the conflict between the Spirit Realm and the Holy Realm, but may also have stumbled into a vortex involving ancient secrets and the opportunities of the heavens."
Mingchuan clenched his fist, his eyes gleaming with silver light: "Senior, what exactly is this Star Gate?"
"Star Gate..."
Master Lingxu gazed at the deep night sky, his eyes seemingly piercing through the murky lights of Shaquan Village, reaching into the more distant and ancient legends of the Holy Realm.
He was silent for a moment, as if gathering his thoughts, before slowly speaking, his voice carrying a distant reminiscence and solemnity:
"The Star Gate is not a specific gate. It is a legend that has been passed down for countless millennia in the Holy Realm and even in all the heavens and myriad worlds, a... ultimate mystery concerning ascension, transcendence, and even the essence of the world."
He turned to Mingchuan, his eyes filled with utmost seriousness: "Legend has it that in the gap between the endless void and the present world, at the end of the laws, there exist some strange and unstable nodes. These nodes, which connect our world to the vague passages of higher planes, are called stargates."
“Through the Star Gate, cultivators have the opportunity to enter an upper realm where the laws are more complete, the spiritual energy is more abundant, and the Great Dao is more manifest. There, is the ultimate shore pursued by cultivators at the Nascent Soul, Body Integration, and even higher realms. It is the starting point for true longevity and the pursuit of the source of the Great Dao.”
Mingchuan was deeply shaken.
How could someone who ascended from the human realm to the spirit realm not aspire to a higher power?
But to his surprise, just as the Spirit Realm had begun to stabilize, a new Great Thousand World appeared!
This truly made him feel a sense of exhilaration.
It seemed that no matter what he did, there was always an overwhelming force pressing down on him, making it impossible for him to breathe for even a moment.
Thinking of this, Mingchuan sighed deeply. After a long while, he calmed himself down and then keenly grasped the key point again.
"If it's just a legend, why are Yue Wuyai and the Silent Zen Temple so certain about it, and have they even started taking action?"
Master Lingxu gave him an approving look: "Good question. The reason why Star Gates have long been considered a vague legend is because their appearance is completely unpredictable, and the location, time, and stability of each appearance are completely different. Historically, there are very few records of the discovery of Star Gates, and most of them are vague and difficult to verify. More importantly..."
He emphasized, "The Star Gate is no easy path. It contains immense dangers. Void turbulence, spacetime distortion, and the erosion of unknown higher-dimensional laws... Even a Nascent Soul cultivator would face certain death if they rashly ventured into the unstable Star Gate."
"Moreover, according to extremely ancient and fragmentary records, the appearance of star gates is often accompanied by large-scale changes in the heavens and earth, or even... calamities."
"Therefore, it is both an opportunity and a harbinger of catastrophe," Mingchuan concluded.
“That’s right.” Master Lingxu nodded. “Yue Wuyai has been in seclusion for two hundred years, trying to break through to the peak of the Integration Realm, and at the same time he is also deducing the secrets of heaven. It’s not impossible that he sensed that the aura of the Star Gate was about to appear and that it was related to the Spirit Realm. The people of the Silent Extinction Zen Temple are also investigating the unusual activity of the Star Gate, and have even mentioned the key, the offerings, the boundary bridge… These are definitely not unfounded rumors.”
Master Lingxu's expression grew even more grave: "If what Gray Rat said is true, then the Silent Zen Temple's ambitions are probably not just as simple as passing through the star gate. They are likely searching for some method to stabilize, control, or even open a specific star gate. And the word 'sacrifice'... is particularly ominous."
Countless thoughts flashed through Mingchuan's mind in an instant.
Those talented cultivators from the mortal realm who were taken away by the Holy Domain and whose whereabouts are unknown...
The young prodigy sacrificed on the Spirit Realm's Cloud Ascension Platform, Yueyao, attempts to merge with the power of the Demon Abyss...
Now this mysterious, silent Zen temple, searching for the Stargate key and offerings, has appeared...
The trouble seems to be getting bigger!