Techniques and Dao

Chapter 42 The Cave of the Strings

In the blink of an eye, the crane had flown to the vicinity of the mountain range where Panxian Cave was located.

Wei Yu glanced down at the mountains and forests below, where ancient trees reached for the sky and strange rocks stood out. He said, "We should land sooner rather than later. This place is rarely visited by people and is a forbidden area. We must not let anyone see us. It would be safer to be more careful."

Both of them agreed with Wei Yu's reasoning. After the crane landed slowly, Tai Shang Xiao Jun gently stroked its feathers, then patted its back and said, "Go on. But don't tell anyone you've been out playing!"

The crane seemed to understand, nuzzling Taishang Xiaojun's face with its long neck. Then, it let out a long cry, spread its wings, and flew away, slowly disappearing into the white clouds.

Hua Sheng, Wei Yu, and Tai Shang Xiao Jun followed the narrow path halfway up the mountain. After walking a short distance, they found that the path was becoming increasingly muddy, pebbly, and overgrown with weeds, and soon they could no longer see the way.

The three followed their instincts and walked deeper into the mountains and forests. The path became steeper and steeper, and soon the trees became so dense that there was no way to go.

"It should be around here. Shall we fly up and take a look?" Tai Shang Xiao Jun said, riding a cloud and floating low to look down.

“Since this Panxian Cave is considered a forbidden area, it certainly won’t be a wide-open cave. I’m afraid it can’t be found from above either,” Wei Yu said.

Sure enough, after Tai Shang Xiao Jun floated down, she said, "It's all dense forest, I didn't see any caves. But logically, it should be here. Strange! Could it be hidden by magic?"

Hua Sheng said, "How about we go back up the mountain and search again?"

Wei Yu said, "If we search like we're searching the whole mountain, we probably won't find it even after several days and nights. Most likely, the cave entrance is hidden by a barrier, and if we don't find the exact location, we won't even notice it if we pass by it."

"How about I try a navigation map?" Tai Shang Xiao Jun said, taking out the Ruihua Treasure Mirror.

Hua Sheng and Wei Yu said in unison, "Are you kidding me?"

Undeterred, Taishang Xiaojun searched the Ruihua Treasure Mirror, but found it impossible to find, so she had to give up.

"You two be quiet for now." Wei Yu raised her right hand. "Let Wei Yu give it a try."

Wei Yu closed her eyes tightly and explored the air with her right palm. After a long while, Tai Shang Xiao Jun became impatient and was about to say something when Wei Yu pointed in a direction and said, "This way!"

"Huh? Wei Yu, are you a radar?" Tai Shang Xiao Jun asked in surprise, "How did you detect it?"

“The Panxian Cave contains a large number of energy strings. When these energy strings, which have not yet been transformed into matter, are concentrated in large quantities, some of them will inevitably vibrate. As long as they vibrate, this fluctuation will inevitably cause space to warp. The energy strings will not make a sound, but there will be ripples.” Wei Yu walked quickly forward, saying as she went, “Have you ever heard of gravitational waves? As long as you can sense these ripples in spacetime, you can find the Panxian Cave. But our world is penetrated by various gravitational waves, and we have to eliminate the interference, which is why it took so long.”

Hua Sheng and Tai Shang Xiao Jun exchanged a glance, both reading the bewilderment in each other's eyes.

Wei Yu turned to look at the two of them and said, "That's all old knowledge from hundreds of years ago! What have you been learning at the academy all this time?"

Taishang Xiaojun said, "Alright then. But how can you detect things that can't be seen? This trick of yours is amazing, when did you learn it?"

"Self-taught," Wei Yu said.

"Great Immortal, why don't you teach me another day?" Taishang Xiaojun seemed to be full of curiosity about this thing called gravitational waves.

After walking for a short while, Wei Yu suddenly stopped.

"What?" Hua Sheng asked.

Wei Yu closed her eyes, checked again with her palm, and whispered, "We've arrived!"

But all around was a dense, dark green jungle, and there was no cave entrance in sight.

Tai Shang Xiao Jun stepped forward and probed the air with his hand: "There's nothing there when I touch it, and the surrounding plants and trees aren't transformed either. This concealment technique seems to be more than just a magic illusion level immortal technique."

“If it can be easily detected, then it’s no different from not hiding it at all,” Wei Yu said.

She clasped her hands together, making a thrusting motion. Then, flashes of electricity appeared around her palms, tearing open the air like a curtain, revealing a black hole behind the invisible "curtain."

"This...this is a Lingxiao-level immortal technique, right? And what move is it?" Taishang Xiaojun's mouth dropped open. "As expected of a disciple who is at the Registrar level! Amazing!"

"Hurry up and go in! This spatial rift won't last long; it will heal itself soon." Wei Yu walked in and gestured for the two to come in with her left hand, as if lifting a curtain.

"How are we going to get out later?" Hua Sheng asked with some concern.

"If there's a way to get us in, then Wei Yu will naturally have a way to get us out!" Tai Shang Xiao Jun was always carefree.

The cave was pitch black; the three of them used light-manipulation magic to illuminate their fingers, only to find themselves standing in an endless expanse of darkness. Hua Sheng tried to brighten the light on his fingers as much as possible, but no matter how bright it was, he couldn't see any part of the cave walls.

"Just how big is this cave? How come we can't see the top or the edge?"

"It's not that it's too big, but rather that the surrounding cave walls don't reflect light. When light shines on the cave walls, it's as if it's swallowed up, without any reflection," said Tai Shang Xiao Jun.

Hua Sheng tentatively reached out to the side, and after taking two steps, he indeed touched a hard, wall-like surface, but it was pitch black and he couldn't see anything.

"I'll try to see if I can get through." Hua Sheng recited the incantation for the wall-penetrating technique and leaned forward, but was bounced back by a soft, yielding force, and almost fell to the ground.

“Since it can absorb light, it’s understandable that Xuanming-level spells can’t penetrate the cave walls,” said Taishang Xiaojun. “This cave wasn’t formed naturally; it’s a magic array.”

"How do I get there? Floating in the pitch-black space, it's like being blind and easily bumping into walls."

"Let me try." Wei Yu pointed forward and then shot a thin beam of bright light from her index finger. "If the light shines straight out, it means there is a path ahead. If the light shortens, it means we are close to the cave wall."

Hua Sheng found the light familiar: "Is this based on laser light?"

"Wei Yu has quite a few unique skills! They must all be skills learned outside of class." Tai Shang Xiao Jun exclaimed in amazement as he looked at the laser light. "But we still have to be careful. If the cave is winding and undulating, once the person in front turns a corner, the person behind will look like they've disappeared. The three of us can't be too far apart."

This cave, Panxian Cave, was unlike any other. It showed no signs of life and wasn't damp or cold, just as Taishang Xiaojun had said—its structure wasn't naturally formed. The three walked for about a quarter of an hour in the unfathomably deep cave, when a faint green light emanated from the distance ahead.

Hua Sheng felt a chill run down his spine, as if he were in the underworld. He couldn't help but feel grateful to have two masters of immortal arts by his side, otherwise his steps would have been a hundred times heavier. He then thought that this forbidden cave was a first-time visitor for everyone, and they didn't know what unforeseen events awaited them, so he felt uneasy again.

As Hua Sheng's mind wandered, Wei Yu, who was walking in front, put away the light in her hand and reached out to stop the two behind her.

"Keep your voice down! We seem to be almost at the bottom of Panxian Cave."

There was a corner in front of the three of them. Hua Sheng and Tai Shang Xiao Jun walked slowly forward and peeked out from the other side of the corner.

On the other side of the corner was the only source of light in the cave, and looking out, one saw a dreamlike scene. A towering Bodhi tree stood in the center, and perhaps because the Bodhi tree was so tall, the cave in front of it seemed even more vast.

The lush leaves of the Bodhi tree glowed with fluorescent green, and a small, shimmering fruit hung at the very top center.

"So, that's the Time Bodhi?" Hua Sheng asked softly.

“I guessed so!” said Taishang Xiaojun. “It seems quite quiet here, with no guards in sight. Perhaps we can easily obtain the Time Bodhi by simply climbing the tree.”

Wei Yu appeared even more cautious. She carefully observed the Bodhi tree and said, "Wei Yu feels it can't be that simple. Look at the ground around this Bodhi tree; there are net-like glowing lines. There must be something more to it."

As Wei Yu described, the Time Bodhi Tree seemed to be situated at the center of a giant spider web, surrounded by concentric rings of it. The fine threads of this web, like the leaves, emitted a fluorescent green glow. Although the silk wasn't particularly bright, it was still discernible upon close inspection. From afar, the entire towering Bodhi Tree appeared to float in the dark night sky, radiating an enigmatic and mysterious aura.

"The spiderweb below must be the energy string. It's the first time I've seen one, and it's quite beautiful." The word "unease" doesn't exist in Tai Shang Xiao Jun's dictionary; he revealed a fearless expression. "I'll go down and see it!"

Before Hua Sheng could reach out to stop him, Tai Shang Xiao Jun was already in mid-air. He landed on the spiderweb-like energy string, and the cave remained silent.

Tai Shang Xiao Jun walked back and forth on the string, tried taking a few steps and then jumping a few times, and found nothing wrong.

"It seems like nothing's wrong. You two come over here too!" Taishang Xiaojun beckoned Huasheng and Weiyu over.

Wei Yu was cautious and said to Hua Sheng, "I'll go over first. If everything is alright, then you can come over."

Then, Wei Yu also walked into the spider web from the side, and there was nothing unusual about it either. She paced back and forth a few times, and after confirming that everything was alright, she nodded to Hua Sheng.

Hua Sheng then felt relieved and continued forward. But just as he stepped onto the energy string, the thin strings on the ground suddenly vibrated, accompanied by the sound of strings being plucked. The sound was particularly jarring in the otherwise silent cave, almost scaring Hua Sheng out of his wits.

"What's going on?" Tai Shang Xiao Jun squatted down and looked at the strings beneath his and Wei Yu's feet. The strings beneath their feet were completely still. Then he looked at Hua Sheng's side, and indeed, the string beneath his feet was vibrating. And the sound was coming from the vibrating string.

Startled, Hua Sheng lowered her other foot, and sure enough, another stringed instrument plucked, causing the entire net to tremble slightly. Before Hua Sheng stepped into the net, the thin strings resembled patterns drawn on the ground. Now, they seemed like a suspension bridge suspended in mid-air, causing Tai Shang Xiao Jun and Wei Yu to sway up and down.

"Stop, stop, stop!" Tai Shang Xiao Jun shouted at Hua Sheng, "Master Hua, please don't move!"

Wei Yu said, "It seems that ordinary people cannot stand on this net. Why don't you try your cloud-riding technique, Hua Sheng, and see if you can float on the ground to avoid stepping on this string?"

Hua Sheng tried to chant incantations and made hand gestures, but after several attempts, it had no effect. She exclaimed in surprise, "Could it be that the magic spell has been sealed?"

Tai Shang Xiao Jun looked around: "No, it shouldn't be sealed off. It must be that the magic array inside this cave is too strong, preventing clouds from entering, so there are no clouds to ride."

"Hua Sheng, stay where you are and don't move. Let me and Tai Shang Xiao Jun go and retrieve the Time Bodhi," Wei Yu said.

Upon hearing this, Hua Sheng steadied himself, squatting firmly in a horse stance, remaining motionless. He was relieved that he had only taken two steps; it wouldn't be too late to leave the spider web after Wei Yu and the others retrieved the Time Bodhi.

"Watch me reach out and pluck the Bodhi tree!" With that, Taishang Xiaojun leaped towards the tree. But an unbelievable scene unfolded: just as he approached the Bodhi tree, Taishang Xiaojun's figure suddenly vanished into thin air!

Hua Sheng quickly searched all around for Tai Shang Xiao Jun, and sure enough, he had vanished. Just as he was about to touch the tree trunk, Tai Shang Xiao Jun had disappeared?

"Huh? Where did they go? Quick, find them!"

As soon as Hua Sheng finished speaking, Tai Shang Xiao Jun suddenly appeared from mid-air behind him and landed on Xi Xian not far away.

Tai Shang Xiao Jun's face was full of confusion: "Are you kidding me? Why is it here again? I'm so tired of running around here!"

"Could it be a ghost wall?" Hua Sheng asked. He had heard of such legends before, stories of people being unable to find their way out of a certain place in the wilderness.

"Just kidding. What kind of magical wall could trap a deity like me?"

What Taishang Xiaojun said wasn't without merit. Spells like being trapped in a maze can be broken and neutralized by ordinary Taoist priests with a certain level of cultivation. In the books of the Taoist Academy, these are merely beginner-level illusion spells; even the highest-level maze is only barely considered Xuanming level. To say that a maze could trap an immortal is a joke, let alone a high-level deity like Taishang Xiaojun.

Hua Sheng said, "Why don't you try again, Xiao Jun?"

"Try again?"

"Yes! Maybe we can find a solution if we try one more time."

"But I've been running around and trying more than ten times already."

"More than ten times?" Hua Sheng was stunned. "Wei Yu and I were standing here, and we clearly only saw you run once."

“I ran five times in the forward direction, and six times in the reverse direction towards the outside. Then I ran towards the tree from the outside. When I got close to the Bodhi tree, I appeared on the outside of the spider web. But when I went outward, I appeared on this side of the spider web.”

Hua Sheng was completely baffled: "You always run right past us? How come I didn't see you? Besides, you only disappeared for two seconds."

“I always run past you. Last time you said I only ran once, and you even made me draw a line on your hand to keep track of the count. If you don’t believe me, look at your palm.” Tai Shang Xiao Jun pointed to Hua Sheng’s right hand.

Hua Sheng raised his right hand, and as he expected, there were no marks on it. He then looked at his left hand, which also remained unmarked. He spread his hands out towards Taishang Xiaojun and said, "Look! There's nothing there!"

Tai Shang Xiao Jun looked surprised and hurriedly ran over to examine Hua Sheng's hands: "Strange! I clearly drew a black line!"

Are you hallucinating?

Tai Shang Xiao Jun patted his face: "How is that possible?"

At this moment, Wei Yu suddenly said, "Supreme Lord, are you sure you've run back and forth multiple times?"

"Is this wrong?"

"If they pass by us every time, do our expressions change?"

“Nothing has changed!” Taishang Xiaojun recalled. “Oh! If there’s anything amiss, it seems like I’m tired of running, but you don’t find it strange. So when I ran here last time, Huasheng said the same thing as now: I only ran once.”

"When you're not on this web, have you seen anything strange?"

"There's a passage, very short, and a few steps ahead is the light. Keep going forward, and you'll be back here."

"It suddenly occurred to me, is it possible that the three of us are in some kind of magic circle, which is actually a place where time changes. Everyone who runs back and forth will return to a short period of time in front of us, about the time it takes to brew a cup of tea."

“Wei Yu is right. Could there be a time wormhole here?” Tai Shang Xiao Jun put his hands behind his head. “Are we going to be trapped here?”

"Let me see!" Wei Yu slowly walked towards the Bodhi tree. As she approached the Time Bodhi tree, her hand was jolted back as if she had touched an electric wall. Startled, Wei Yu tried again, only to see her palm enveloped in electricity in mid-air. She slid her palm back and forth, as if a vertical river flowed before her, its waters rippling with electric current. Though seemingly soft and watery, no matter how hard Wei Yu tried, she couldn't penetrate the wall formed by the electricity.

Wei Yu tried several times but had to give up: "There's no way, it seems I can't get through." Saying this, she walked towards the outside of the spider web, but unlike Tai Shang Xiao Jun, Wei Yu could easily walk out of the spider web as long as she walked outwards. So, she returned to the corner where the three of them had entered the cave.

Tai Shang Xiao Jun said, "The reactions to the two of us are completely different this time. It seems we should let Hua Sheng try it too?"

“I’m fine. But I’m stuck on this string and can’t move,” Hua Sheng said. “Every time I move, it makes a sound and the ground shakes. If I take a few quick steps, it could cause a collapse.”

Tai Shang Xiao Jun walked up to Hua Sheng, squatted down in a horse stance, put his palms together with his hands facing upwards, and said, "Try stepping on my palms, and I'll throw you over there."

"That's a good method!" Hua Sheng said, immediately leaping into the air and placing his right foot on Tai Shang Xiao Jun's hands. Tai Shang Xiao Jun then threw Hua Sheng upwards with force, and Hua Sheng flew towards the Time Bodhi Tree.

Just as they were in mid-air, Hua Sheng heard Wei Yu's voice from behind: "Supreme Lord, if you were to encounter an electric net like me, wouldn't you be afraid that you would be electrocuted like an insect?"

“That makes perfect sense!” Taishang Xiaojun replied slowly and calmly.

Unlike the two who were calm and collected, Hanahara, who had been flying confidently toward the Bodhi tree, shouted, "Hey! Why didn't you warn me sooner?"

Unfortunately, it was too late. Hua Sheng was unable to dodge in mid-air and fell headlong into the air.

Fortunately, Hua Sheng didn't encounter the electric wall, but disappeared into the air like Tai Shang Xiao Jun. Then Hua Sheng reappeared in mid-air on the opposite side, as if he had stepped into thin air and fallen. Perhaps because he lost his balance and fell too fast, Tai Shang Xiao Jun couldn't catch him in time, causing Hua Sheng to fall heavily to the ground.

With a sudden, muffled thud, the energy strings covering the ground began to vibrate violently. The rock-solid ground began to undulate dramatically like a waterbed, forcing Wei Yu and Tai Shang Xiao Jun to constantly adjust their steps to avoid slipping. At the same time, the thin strings, like a musician who didn't understand melody, plucked the strings roughly and haphazardly on an ancient zither, producing a complex and intense cacophony.

"I don't know why, but I saw some strange things when I went through the tunnel." Hua Sheng covered his forehead.

"Is that so? What did you see?" Taishang Xiaojun asked.

"I saw myself walking on the deck of a cruise ship during a stormy night. In front of me were two girls in white dresses. One of them looked like she had suffered a serious eye injury, and her face was covered in blood..." Hua Sheng recalled, while feeling a splitting headache.

Wei Yu pressed further, "What else did you see?"

"I can't remember clearly, but it wasn't like the current situation. It was more like images that flashed through my mind as I was passing through the tunnel. For some reason, my head hurts so much!" Hua Sheng only had a few slideshow-like images in his mind, and he couldn't remember any details at all.

At this moment, as the thin strings on the ground resonated, more and more strings around them were affected. Unlike before, the previously still strings began to vibrate rhythmically due to the heavy fall of the flower. These strings began to shatter as if they were being shaken, breaking into countless thin, short hair-like strands. The "hair strands" continued to vibrate and break, and the air in the center of the cave was filled with cotton-like, fluorescent green fluff.

"Oh no! If the static energy string vibrates in a dispersed manner, it will gradually turn into elementary particles!" Wei Yu shouted.

"What will happen?" Tai Shang Xiao Jun tried to steady himself as he swayed up and down.

"Elementary particles combine to form quarks, protons, and neutrons, which then recombine to form atoms and molecules. This means the energy string absorbed the energy from the recent vibration and is now transforming from energy into matter. But it's uncertain what kind of matter it will become!"

"Actually, I was just about to ask, since there's a big spider web, why don't we see a big spider?" said Tai Shang Xiao Jun.

"Ahhh! Don't jinx it!" As the weakest of the three in terms of immortal power, Hua Sheng naturally didn't want Tai Shang Xiao Jun's words to come true, especially since it was a spider that made people's hair stand on end!

Those fluorescent green cotton-like fluffs floating in the air did not disappoint Huasheng in the end. They attracted each other, quickly intertwined, and then began to combine in a regular manner.

Before long, just as Taishang Xiaojun had predicted, a long-haired wolf spider appeared in mid-air, more than ten times larger than the three of them combined, with a gaping maw and red eyes!

(End of this chapter)