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Qi Lin struggled with all his might, but Emperor Yao’s thoughts were too powerful.
This was Emperor Yao’s thought-space. Once dragged in, the thoughts of outsiders held no power here.
The power of ten thousand years of thought were sufficient to destroy billions of people. Qi Lin’s Primordial Spirit slowly vanished by pieces and fragments as it was being ground apart by the spirit vortices.
Pain.
Unprecedented, excruciating pain spread throughout Qi Lin’s whole body.
“Let thy evil intent end here.”
As Emperor Yao spoke, soul vortices appeared one after another in the enormous mental space. These soul vortices continuously crushed Qi Lin’s consciousness, bringing him unprecedented agony.
“I just want to use the Divine Cauldrons to control the floods, how can this be evil.” Qi Lin resisted as hard as he could, his thoughts unfolding one by one. Each fragmented thought was filled with supreme benevolence.
These thoughts were clean and without any impurities.
A soul vortex was able to break down thoughts. When she saw that the fragmented thoughts were not “evil” as she had imagined, Yao also felt confused. However, she herself was merely a thought after all was said and done, and the one she had waited for ten thousand years was not Qi Lin.
“Excuses!”
Emperor Yao’s voice was gentle, yet it contained unstoppable might.
Qi Lin’s legs were already gone, and his body was beginning to peel apart. He opened his eyes, the unbearable pain from the soul vortex unable to break his determination. On the contrary, it made him even more determined. Qi Lin used all of his strength to maintain his thoughts.
Thoughts that were increasingly pure.
The Emperor Yao statue also glowed bright. In Primordial World, no one could remain unmoved in the face of the Earlier Heaven Divine Cauldrons, so back then, she needed to cast these treasures with particular caution, to avoid eyes and ears.
But the thoughts this man had for the Divine Cauldrons were surprisingly so pure?
It should have been the case that he would desire this all for himself.
Emperor Yao’s thoughts apparently wanted to expose Qi Lin’s evil intent to “seize the Divine Cauldrons for his own use.” The soul vortices brimmed with righteousness and overwhelming pressure. Each vortex bore the deepest of interrogatives, and one vortex formed an iron chain that bound Qi Lin’s arm. Another formed a hook that pierced into his shoulder blade, making Qi Lin’s face contort in pain.
Under this kind of suffering, a type of supreme might exploded in his mind.
This voice seemed to say, Confess your selfishness. As long as you do, this pain will stop. All the pain from these questions stems from your inner hypocrisy. To struggle under the guise of a high moral cause only leads to suffering.
“No!!”
Qi Lin grit his teeth.
In his heart, he had never desired the Divine Cauldrons for himself. This was not because he was particularly noble; in the face of death, Qi Lin would be more treacherous, cruel and ruthless than anyone else. Neither was this because he wanted to appear admirable; he already had a high enough reputation. Everything stemmed merely from that tiny bit of selfishness in the depths of his heart, but this selfishness was not to possess the cauldrons for himself. Rather, this was his duty to his little sister, “Yu The Great.”
For Yu The Great’s flood controls, she had made the lords cast nine cauldrons for the nine provinces, thus originating the myth of the Nine Tripod Cauldrons.
Qi Lin truly wanted to help her realize this myth.
The original reason he came to the Northern Primordial was out of an archaeologist’s interest in the first flood controls, but over time, Qi Lin admired his little sister Yu The Great more and more.
When Yu The Great used the Divine King’s Blessing in front of the Northern Primordial’s billions of people for the sake of flood control, what reason did Qi Lin have to refuse this little sister’s bright smile in the flood controls.
“Absolutely not.”
Recalling Si Wenming’s worries about flood control, Qi Lin desperately wanted to help smooth out her brow that was as wrinkled as a chain of mountains. His heart became increasingly resolute, his consciousness ever more resilient, surprisingly breaking free of the chains one by one.
Emperor Yao grunted. The soul vortices unleashed even more chains to interrogate his heart.
But it was no use. Every single chain was unable to pierce this man’s “selfishness.” That “selfishness” completely transcended Emperor Yao’s imagination, or perhaps it was perfectly in line with Emperor Yao’s lingering intent.
In that instant, Qi Lin’s thoughts seemed to transform into Shun, surprisingly feeling close and personal.
This was just like the late “Shun.”
Yao and Shun let down their flowing robes, and all in the world was in order, following principles of Heaven and Earth.
Ten thousand years ago, the names of the sage-gentlemen Yao and Shun were known throughout Primordial World. Yao’s benevolence was vast as the Eastern Sea, able to encompass all creatures in Heaven and Earth. Shun’s benevolence, in contrast, was impartial and incorruptible, upright and plainspoken, viewing all Divine Names and commonfolk as the same family. The two could be said to be as harmonious as qin and se, a single inseparable unit. It seemed that even at the final moment of their lives, Yao would die together with Shun.
Yao’s thoughts were in a daze, moved as she was by Qi Lin’s determination.
But this did not stop her search through his soul.
Yao’s thoughts wavered, but she stared at Qi Lin, her strict gaze piercing into the depths of his heart.
Qi Lin’s last thoughts were about to vanish when, just at this moment, a green light flashed in this world, illuminating this mind. The heart of the slumbering “Holy Beast Qilin” was roused awake, and the Divine Beast that stood watch over the center manifested behind him.
When the auspicious Holy Beast appeared, the soul vortices filling the entire mental space were all wiped away by its auspicious clouds.
Qilin.
A Holy Beast of Primordial World that guarded the Center and drove away ten thousand years of evil qi. Only a sage possessed of integrity and talent could control her. The heart of the Holy Beast inside Qi Lin had slumbered for so very long. At last, it sensed Yao’s probing and thus emerged. The Holy Beast’s manifestation left even Yao stunned.
“Yao, even the Holy Beast Qilin protects this youth. Your thoughts should rest easy handing the Divine Cauldrons to him.”
A voice echoed through this mental space.
The statue whirled around. A white light had appeared, taking the form of a graceful woman in clothes whiter than snow, illuminating this space.
This woman was so beautiful, dressed in white robes and feathers, exuding an air of nobility and refinement.
She looked at Qi Lin’s last bit of consciousness with a gaze full of pity.
“En.”
“No one else in Primordial World can understand your heart more than he.” The woman’s tone was a bit flat.
Yao looked at Qi Lin’s resolute eyes, then at the Holy Beast Qilin that was breathing auspicious light to counter her soul interrogation.
All of a sudden, the statue then rose, shedding its golden clothes layer by layer, revealing glossy snow-white skin, a slim curvaceous figure, and a beautiful face. A woman of absolute beauty through the ages appeared before them.
That woman bore the divine might of Heaven and Earth, and her brow had a divine crown inlaid with a gem.
Subsequently, the vortices filling the mental space all vanished.
The white-clothed woman pointed her hand. White light gathered, regathering Qi Lin’s fragmented consciousness. Only then did Qi Lin rejuvenate.
“Many thanks for obliging Your Servant, Your Majesty.” Qi Lin looked at the breathtaking Emperor Yao. No profane thoughts appeared in his mind whatsoever. From head to toe, the woman emanated an air of authority.
“What is thy name.” Yao asked.
“Qi Lin. Qi as in Great Sage Equal Of Heaven, Lin as in Qilin.” Qi Lin answered.
“Qi Lin…Qilin…” Emperor Yao mulled over this name, “I have already sensed thy will.”
“I wish thee uphold thy vow.”
Yao’s thoughts formed a ray of rainbow light that entered QI Lin’s head.
Then, a series of scenes flashed through Qi Lin’s mind.
From Yao casting the Divine Cauldron to the establishment of the mechanisms, then to the Heavenly Evolving Corridor in the end, validating most of his conjectures. Finally, the scene of the eight Divine Cauldrons and the statue appeared.
But at this moment, the mental space suddenly started to collapse.
The mysterious woman in white said: “The people outside have already destroyed the statue array eye. This divine palace cannot hold.”
“Shit, they can’t destroy it.”
Qi Lin cursed.
…
Circular hall.
Nüba, Gongyang Tu, the four armored warriors, Qi Qi, and the others joined forces to attack. At last, the statue’s foundation was dislodged.
With the statue uprooted, as Gongyang Tu anticipated, the forbiddances on the eight cauldrons all vanished at the same time. As expected, this statue was the array eye that controlled the eight cauldrons. Next, they needed only to completely remove the statue to be able to seize the cauldrons.
Qi Lin roused from his state of unconsciousness, just in time to see Gongyang Tu and the others about to remove the statue.
“Lord Husband, you are alright.” Changxi breathed a sigh of relief.
Qi Lin was not relieved at all. He shouted at Gongyang Tu: “You must not disturb the statue.”
But it was too late. The forbiddance was broken, and the Divine Cauldrons were in reach. No one could stop their inner greed. In an instant, the statue’s foundation was plucked up from the ground. The enormous statue in its entirety was immediately sent flying. At the same time, the eight cauldrons also let out a loud, rumbling sound.
“Why not?” Gongyang Tu coldly glared at Qi Lin: “This time, it was This Tu who saw through the array eye. Our Li tribe shall take half of these Divine Cauldrons.”
“You fool.” Qi Lin cursed.
Gongyang Tu’s expression was very unsightly, “You dare curse me.”
“Young Lord Qi Lin, just what is the matter?” Nüba asked.
The statue was indeed the array maintaining the forbiddance on the eight cauldrons, but Qi Lin had also comprehended the clues that Emperor Yao left behind from her lingering intent.
When her successor was to make contact with the statue of Emperor Yao, so long as the future Yao was sincere, warming the statue’s ice-cold hand would allow her to enter the thought that Emperor Yao left in the statue. Afterward, the forbiddances would naturally be released after receiving Yao’s recognition. There was completely no need to destroy the statue.
However, from Gongyang Tu’s perspective, the result was the same. So long as the forbiddance was released and the Divine Cauldrons seized, nothing else mattered.
“Seize the cauldrons.” Gongyang Tu allowed no further discussion as he ordered his subordinates to take the Divine Cauldrons.
Fenghou, who had been kneeling and praying on the ground, heard a loud rumble from underground. Then, the palace began to shake violently as if by an earthquake. Something seemed to be bursting out from underground.
Everyone held their breath. Qi Lin angrily said: “This statue maintained the existence of the divine palace. Breaking the statue is the same as destroying the palace.”
“What did you say?” Gongyang Tu, who had been gloating, was stunned.
“You heard me. Because of your conceit and short-sightedness, you made us fall into the last trap that Emperor Yao left behind – mutual destruction.” Qi Lin spat out from between clenched teeth. No wonder he was so furious. He had engaged the lingering intent of Yao in a dialogue within the mental space, and after surviving a harrowing soul interrogation, he finally received Yao’s recognition.
Only to discover when he opened his eyes that everything had been ruined by Gongyang Tu’s self-righteous ingenuity.
Yao used the statue as the array eye and had already anticipated an intruder would destroy it, so she left behind a trump card. After the statue was destroyed, one final mechanism would activate.
The floor began to cave in to an abyss. Subsequently, countless holes appeared in the circular hall’s surroundings, and with a crash, the entire palace began to crumble, as if vanishing fragment by fragment into the void.
“Ah.”
The cultivators screamed, unsure of what to do.
The power of this void came from primal chaos itself, such that it would destroy even a Divine Name. Nüba’s expression also changed: “Young Lord, what do we do.”
The divine palace collapsed into the void, and no ability they possessed could avert this crisis.
This was the first time that Qi Lin sensed this kind of power as well.
A multitude of disasters from which there was no recovery.
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…Oh, not good….
Reminds me of those Indiana Jones-style traps. You took the idol, tried to swap it for something of identical weight, but the trap triggered anyways.