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“Insects, how dare you disturb the Holy Ancestor’s peace, I shall turn you all to ash.” The Kaiming Beast roared. Its power surging through the heavens, frightening even Primordial Infant cultivator Xuanxuzi into trembling.
“We are no match for this Kaiming Beast.” Xuanxuzi and Qi Lin came to the same conclusion. This Kaiming Beast had stood watch over the Nine Divine Gates for more than ten thousand years, and all its powers were all-encompassing. Even if it was just a gatekeeper, it was not something a group of Primordial Infant Seven Stars or God Transformation Six Paths cultivators were able to face. Otherwise, the Nine Divine Gates could be casually opened.
After the Kaiming Beast roared, its quick and violent assault rising again like a tidal wave. Fortunately, the Kaiming Beast was not at full power. The group retreated as they battled. By the time they left the vicinity of the Nine Divine Gates, the Kaiming Beast stood still and coldly glared at them.
This kind of stare seemed to be warning them that if they intruded again, there would be no doubt they would be destroyed.
“We are unable to cross.” Hou Yi’s expression paled. The group’s expressions were very unsightly.
Having gone through years of dangers and tribulations that the ordinary person could never imagine, they had finally found the Western Kunlun Mountains. Furthermore, they had arrived at the Nine Divine Gates, but they were unable to proceed a step further. Just one more step, one measly step, and they could meet the Queen Mother Of The West. Even Divine Name Hou Yi was extremely unreconciled to fail at this juncture.
Hou Yi still wanted to forcibly open the door again. Qi Lin shouted at her to stop: “No!!”
“We have come here with reverence for the Queen Mother Of The West, having endured life and death trials, with fully pious hearts. The Queen Mother Of The West should rightfully grand an audience to me, Hou Yi.” Hou Yi’s voice reverberated through the empty Divine Gate. Whether they were in sorrow or indignation, such cowardly pleas were the voices of insects.
“Now that the Register Of Deities is active, Divine Names face calamity. I, Hou Yi, am willing to ward off the consequences of this calamity for the Queen Mother Of The West.”
Hou Yi’s voice did not receive a response at all.
“Sister Hou Yi, calm. We must think of a way to pass through.” Shi Xuan anxiously urged her.
Hearing her words, only then did the Ancient Arrow Sovereign gradually compose herself.
“Since only one gate is correct out of the twelve hours, we can only decipher the rules.” Xuanxuzi was helpless.
“And we will face irrecoverable disaster after three misses. We must be careful.” Shi Xuan warned.
“En.”
The hours passed one after another, but no one could figure it out. They were fundamentally unable to discern the relationship between the time and the Divine Gate, and they all lacked the confidence. They did not dare walk into the gate and disturb the Kaiming Beast of their own volition.
The twelve hours very quickly passed. After nightfall, all was silent, and the sounds of the rotating gears in the walls became increasingly distinct. Qi Lin and the others sat crosslegged outside the gate. They carefully scanned for differences, but in the end, they still came up with nothing.
After the sun rose, Qi Lin finally observed the differences between the Divine Gate today and yesterday, from the Divine Gate’s flower patterns to the volume of the sounds, the Kaiming Beast’s changes, and even differences in the environment. Since the Queen Mother Of The West laid a mechanism and trial, then the key must be hidden here. So long as they sought out the most conspicuous place, that may be the key to the puzzle.
Qi Lin, as each hour came and went, focused fully on distinguishing any differences.
His senses were keener than they had been on Earth; he could even sense the frequency of the wingbeats of a honeybee, but even with super senses, Qi Lin was still unable to find anything. Each hour was the same as the last. Perhaps there were some minute differences, but until he was completely certain, Qi Lin did not dare try to see if this was the key. He could only remember these details in his mind.
One day, two, three…
Cultivators were not lacking in patience. Xuanxuzi had already given up on finding a way to open the gate and cultivated outside the walls. Even if he lacked the qualifications to see the Queen Mother Of The West, the spiritual power of Western Kunlun’s blessed leyline could not be mentioned in the same places as other places. He ravenously cultivated his Realm.
Gan Man, Shi Xuan, and Chang also soon gave up.
In the end, only Qi Lin and Hou Yi were still pondering, pondering with all their might.
“Dammit!!!”
Today, Hou Yi was nearly mad. The woman cursed furiously as she aimed her Divine Weapon Sunset Over Western Hill straight at the Kaiming Beast. Everyone was shocked. Then, Hou Yi fully drew back her bow, and the powerful Sun-chasing Arrow’s Divine Energy gathered on the string, forming a scorching sun.
“Elder Sister, no.” Shi Xuan stood in front of the arrow.
“Move aside, allow me to shoot an arrow at this Kaiming Beast. Forget an audience this time.” Hou Yi shouted, her Destiny intensifying.
“Senior, why not just wait here, we do not lose anything by doing so.”
“Wait?” Hou Yi sneered.
“Waiting is not a long-term plan.” Qi Lin said.
“A Golden Core cultivator like you should be grateful for the Queen Mother’s charity, do you not even have a bit of patience.” Xuanxuzi rebuked him. He could not easily criticize Hou Yi, but he would not be polite to a junior Golden Core cultivator.
Qi Lin was disdainful: “The moon wanes after it is full, and water likewise overflows when full. That things are so calm right now means there must be something even more dangerous about to happen…These are the Nine Divine Gates, how can this be a place to cultivate. If I’m not wrong, I’ve deduced that when the light of the full moon gathers onto the Kaiming Beast mechanism, there will be another mechanism that will get rid of cultivators like us who bide time.”
“What?”
Qi Lin’s analysis astonished them.
Qi Lin hinted to the center of the Kaiming Beast. In the statue’s originally stone-carved eyes, the moonlight’s radiance flowed from the pupils like lake water. As the glow intensified, this Kaiming BEast’s eyes also gained a kind of strange, lifelike feeling. Qi Lin reckoned that after a few more days, when the moon was high in the sky, the light of the full moon would completely fill the pupil. He feared then that this Kaiming Beast would show a change.
“You truly are bright.”
A cold and charming voice gave sincere praise for Qi Lin’s judgment.
Raising their heads, they saw that the young lady Lu Wu had appeared at some point in time. Having listened to Qi Lin’s assessment, her apathetic face showed an expression of admiration. With only a few days’ time, he was able to see through the Kaiming Beast mechanism. That was quite outstanding. “Open when the moon sets, shine when the moon is full. This is enlightenment. The Divine Names of the old Immemorial Royal Family needed several months to figure out this mechanism, even sacrificing their lives to understand it. Yet you actually realized it.”
“Ah.”
Xuanxuzi, Gan Man, and the others’ expressions changed.
Hou Yi aimed her Divine Arrow at Lu Wu, “Lady Lu Wu, we dare not conjecture as to the Queen Mother’s might. We are helpless against this second Divine Gate. Is there any meaning still to this trial?”
“Is it simply that the second Divine Gate’s key cannot be found?” Lu Wu pursed her lips, expressionless.
The gaze of the girl in white silk practically ignored Hou Yi’s existence. Those white pupils faintly settled on Qi Lin.
“Very well, it has already been so very long since anyone could reach the Divine Gates. Master Mother is merciful and has bade me to inform you of one more clue.” Lu Wu said.
Qi Lin was overjoyed and bowed, listening respectfully.
“Doubled water enters a cavern, losing the way brings misfortune.”
Pausing, Lu Wu shook her head: “What a pity. Had you been of the Immemorial Royal Family, perhaps you could find the key to open this door.” After saying this, Lu Wu then said: “In seven days, the moon will be full. If you do not wish to die, then leave.”
“Doubled water enters a cavern, losing the way brings misfortune?? Does this not mean we are in danger if we do not uphold the right path?? What sort of clue is this?” Xuanxuzi was perplexed.
“Could it be…”
Inspiration flashed through Qi Lin’s mind, and his eyes gleamed.
No one noticed that the corner of Lu Wu’s lips had faintly curled.
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… Of the 3 series protags, I still Su Xing is king. Bro had a seriously quirky and neutral good personality along with liking puzzles. I didn’t like Chen Mo, or Maiden Galaxy, all that much, and Qi Lin is kinda like a slightly more boring Su Xing. I dunno, the whole puzzles thing is a neat trait though.
I think a glaring weakness of this arc is the contrived situations that push Chang towards Qi Lin. Like, the author already mentioned that the group as a whole is fiercely protective of their healer. Yet I think it’s twice now where she was in danger, but no one except Qi Lin was in a position to help her. The events just aren’t consistent with the established characterization.