I became an immortal in the mountains

Chapter 697 The Man in the Painting

The four swords entered the illusory image, each radiating its own brilliance. Sword energy soared into the sky, and the entire grand formation was activated.

As the stars in the sky shifted, a giant pillar of light descended, enveloping the entire Sharpening Sword Peak.

The Qingping Dao Palace came to life within this pillar of light, and the once peaceful palace was like a sword drawn from its sheath.

The palace gates, which had been tightly shut, slowly opened, just enough to create a crack.

The Taoist elder closest to the temple gate leaped forward, simultaneously waving his whisk, sending thousands of silver threads spreading across the sky and striking the other three.

Each silver thread is like a sharp sword, and as they intertwine, they seem to form a great array that completely seals off this space.

This is the Demon-Sealing Sword Path!

Even though Gu Yuanqing hadn't actually fought him, he was already a master swordsman at this point, and could see the essence of the sword at a glance.

This single move alone demonstrates Qingxu Daoist's extraordinary skill in the Demon-Subduing Sword Technique.

The white-robed young master, Chi Jinyu, chuckled lightly: "Brother Qingxu, why are you in such a hurry?"

With a wave of his folding fan, he stirred up a whirlwind. This whirlwind was formed from wisps of sword energy. Wherever the sword energy passed, it left behind traces of the finest particles cutting and pulverizing the space.

This is the Demon-Slaying Sword Qi, sharp and invincible.

The seal formed by the silver threads of the whisk was immediately torn open, creating a gap.

Chi Jinyu immediately leaped up.

The Heavenly Demon Sword Master let out a soft snort, his body transforming into a sword light. This sword light was invisible and formless, and it actually followed the gaps and flaws in the sealing formation that were not yet fully formed, breaking through the obstruction in an instant.

Gu Yuanqing remained calm, took a step forward, and suddenly appeared at the forefront. The phantom of Beiquan Mountain appeared on his body, and his sword energy was as large as a mountain, standing horizontally in front of him.

He then reached out and pushed, and the gate of Qingping Dao Palace opened completely.

Qingxu Daoist's pupils contracted, and he waved his whisk again, sending countless whisks flying towards Gu Yuanqing. At the same time, he said softly, "What is the meaning of this, fellow Daoist? Do you intend to monopolize the Dao Palace's inheritance?"

"Isn't it all about skill?" Gu Yuanqing turned around and chuckled, then stepped forward. However, the phantom of Beiquan Mountain still stood where he had just stood, like a mountain blocking the way for others.

As the silver threads of the whisk fell, the illusory image of Beiquan Mountain trembled slightly, yet did not dissipate.

"Lord Gu's ambition is far too great!"

The scholar in white gave a light snort, turned his folding fan into a sword, and pointed it forward, striking the illusory image of Beiquan Mountain.

Demon-Slaying Sword Technique - Severing Law!
But it still failed to disperse the mountain's shadow.

The white-robed scholar raised an eyebrow, changed his sword technique, and flicked his folding fan repeatedly. More than a dozen white-gold sword energies broke into the illusory image of Beiquan Mountain, wandering within it, slashing and piercing, and finally landing on the power node of this illusory image of Beiquan Mountain.

The shadow of the mountain that had been blocking the palace gates finally disappeared.

The Heavenly Demon Sword Master's face darkened slightly as he whispered, "Hurry and leave! Don't let them gain the upper hand!"

Qingxu Daoist glanced at the Heavenly Demon Sword Master with disgust, but said nothing, and his figure flashed and disappeared into the palace gate.

The scholar in white gave him a disdainful look, and then his figure disappeared.

The Heavenly Demon Sword Master frowned, gave a soft snort, and quickly followed.

The three entered, but what they saw was not a scene of immortals.

The brilliance of the stars in the heavens poured into the palace like a silver waterfall, but suddenly dissipated three steps inside the threshold, leaving only a layer of soft moonlight evenly covering the blue brick floor.

The palace is nine zhang square and nine zhang high, which is exactly the number nine-nine returning to the origin;

The pine beams and pillars were unpainted, and the starlight filtered through the paper lattice windows, casting flowing starlight onto the brick floor. This was the only trace of the external celestial array's power entering the interior.

Inside the main hall, the only thing that catches the eye is a traditional Chinese ink painting enshrined on the ceiling.

However, the three people who entered did not look at the painting immediately, but instead searched for Gu Yuanqing's figure.

Because the main hall was completely empty.

"Where is he?" the Heavenly Demon Sword Master asked in a low voice.

"Don't you know what to look for? It's in the painting!" the white-robed scholar said with a hint of sarcasm.

The Heavenly Demon Sword Master turned around, only to find that the old man in the Taoist robe and the scholar in white had also disappeared. He looked up at the ink painting.

But then he noticed three vaguely familiar figures in the ink painting. Only then did he suddenly see the real figures in the ink painting.

This is a man in blue robes, casually leaning against a blue stone, looking lazy and leisurely.

He braced his left elbow against the rock, his right palm seemed to be supporting something, one leg was bent and the other dangled over the rock, and his gaze was fixed on his right hand.

Meanwhile, three blurry figures resembling Gu Yuanqing, Qingxu Daoist, and the white-robed young master were at the foot of the mountain in the distance.

Suddenly, the Heavenly Demon Sword Master's attention fell on the right hand of the man in blue.

A jolt went through me, and suddenly I thought of... the Heavenly Dao Scripture!

At that moment, he suddenly felt dizzy and disoriented, as if time and space had shifted, and he suddenly felt that he had forgotten something.

By the way, who am I?

……

Inside the North Spring Cave, Gu Yuanqing's true form suddenly raised his head.

Because he suddenly felt that he had almost lost contact with his clone.

This has never happened before!
Even in the ancient realm, within the divine ruins, the spirit realm, the outer battlefield, or any magic array, it has never reached this level.

"Could it be... that something unexpected happened?"

His gaze fell upon Qian Yuan Island, and the Void Heavenly Eye traversed the void, descending upon Qingping Cave Heaven.

He was proficient in the Dao of Space, and this place was located before the Northern Spring Cave Heaven, so even though the Qingping Cave Heaven had disappeared, it still could not block Gu Yuanqing's view.

However, his gaze was quickly obscured by a fog.

Gu Yuanqing immediately used the Heavenly Fishing Technique to break through the void by following the already faint and imperceptible connection.

But just as the void passage opened and Gu Yuanqing's gaze fell upon it, he suddenly sensed a gaze.

Gu Yuanqing followed the gaze and saw a painting.

The person in the painting appears to be reading a book, but his hands are empty.

But when Gu Yuanqing's gaze shifted to the face of the person in the painting, he suddenly felt dizzy.

It seemed that his consciousness went blank for a moment.

suddenly……

boom! boom! boom!
A sound of banging on the table startled Gu Yuanqing awake.

"Gu Yuanqing, get up!"

Gu Yuanqing groggily looked up and saw project manager Zhang Rong staring at him with a gloomy expression. The monitor on the desk was shaking from being slapped, and the surrounding colleagues all turned to look.

"Sleeping so early in the morning? Where's your code? Where's the testing? The whole team is waiting for you! Sleeping? Did the company pay for your hotel room or something? If you keep this up, you can forget about your year-end bonus!"

Spit, accompanied by harsh rebukes, splashed mercilessly onto Gu Yuanqing's face, amidst the deliberately hushed conversations and keyboard clicks from the surrounding workstations.

Gu Yuanqing frowned slightly and pressed his temples. He seemed to remember working overtime until four in the morning last night and falling asleep in the office. He seemed to have a dream. The scene in the dream was a bit blurry, but he vaguely remembered that he was born in the Great Qian Dynasty, had a son with the Great Qian princess, was bound to a spiritual mountain, and eventually transformed into a grotto-heaven. After experiencing all kinds of trials, he finally became a Hun Tian Great Cultivator.

Oh right, in the end I think...

Project manager Zhang Rong, looking at Gu Yuanqing's expression, said with a dark face, "What? Am I wrong? Gu Yuanqing, what's with that expression? Let me tell you, if you really don't want to work here, you can get out now!"

Snapped!
Gu Yuanqing suddenly stood up slowly, raised his hand and slapped the project manager across the face.

Zhang Rong was stunned for a moment, touched his face, then his face turned red, and he swung his fist at Gu Yuanqing, shouting angrily, "You fucking dare to hit me?"

"Even though it was just an illusion, it was still quite satisfying to slap him."

Gu Yuanqing gently pushed it away.

Zhang Rong staggered a few steps and bumped into a workstation next to him. He screamed and clutched his lower abdomen, rolling on the ground in pain.

The colleagues nearby were startled, seemingly not expecting Gu Yuanqing to make a move.

"Manager Zhang, are you alright?"

Someone ran up to Zhang Rong.

"Gu Yuanqing, how could you hit someone?"

Some people have criticized this.

But most people just stood by and watched.

A colleague who had joined the company with Gu Yuanqing and was on good terms with him ran over and whispered, "Old Gu, what's wrong with you today? You're so hot-tempered. Do you really not want to work here anymore? But even if you don't want to work here, don't resort to violence. Be careful he doesn't find an excuse to deduct your salary."

As Gu Yuanqing watched the scenes unfold, he chuckled and said, "How incredibly realistic! Everything is perfectly logical and reasonable, obscuring memories and concealing the secrets of heaven. If one cannot see through it, one may be trapped in this for the rest of one's life."

"Old Gu, what are you talking about? You don't have a fever, do you?" He reached out and touched Gu Yuanqing's forehead.

"It's nothing!" Gu Yuanqing shook his head and smiled, then left his workstation and walked out of the office.

Zhang Rong was helped up at this moment. Half of his face was contorted with pain. He pointed at Gu Yuanqing and said, "Gu Yuanqing, you stop right there! You think you can just leave after hitting someone? Xiao Chen, call the police! Chen Xu, stop him and don't let him leave. We'll talk when the police arrive."

"I'm telling you, Gu Yuanqing, this time, I'm not done with you!"

Two men tried to grab Gu Yuanqing.

Gu Yuanqing glanced back calmly, then suddenly snapped his fingers.

The entire office fell silent.

Gu Yuanqing sighed softly: "It is indeed quite realistic. If one has not seen through it all, living in it for a period of time and reflecting on one's past life would not be bad."

Gu Yuanqing took the elevator down and strolled along the familiar streets, looking at the surrounding scenery.

Then I casually bought a cup of milk tea to taste the long-lost flavor.

About half an hour later, the sheriff called.

But Gu Yuanqing hung up after only listening to two sentences, and hung up again when he called back.

Then another colleague called, but Gu Yuanqing didn't answer and turned off his phone.

And you know what? It really did become quiet, and this world continued to follow the rules that the original world should have.

Gu Yuanqing boarded the subway, and even the amount on his subway card seemed to match that of his previous life.

Back in my rented apartment, everything looked familiar.

Everything was so meticulously detailed that Gu Yuanqing found almost no flaws, making it even more realistic than the Heavenly Ladder Illusion.

If it weren't for the connection between one's mind and the Northern Spring Grotto, it would be difficult to understand all of this in a short time.

Gu Yuanqing arrived at the rooftop and gazed into the distance.

"It's quite interesting, but it's about right, don't you think, Lord Hades?"

Gu Yuanqing suddenly chuckled and said.

Suddenly, the figure of a middle-aged man in black appeared. It was the King of the Underworld who had met Gu Yuanqing two hundred years ago in the Beiquan Cave. However, just like last time, his face was hidden in the mist, making it difficult to see his true appearance.

Gu Yuanqing bowed deeply and said, "I thank you for saving my life, sir."

Hades smiled and said, "What life-saving grace is there? I cannot accept such a cause and effect. Back then, it was just a matter of each taking what they needed."

Gu Yuanqing didn't dwell on the matter and asked, "What important matter brings you here, sir?"

Hades said, "It's nothing important, just a chance encounter. Do you know where you are right now?"

Gu Yuanqing said, "If I'm not mistaken, it should be in that painting inside the Qingping Dao Palace. Could this painting have been left by Lord Hades?"

Hades shook his head and said, "What do mortal affairs have to do with me? It just so happens that this painting was once in my possession for a period of time, so there is a wisp of my aura hidden in it. And I am now the embodiment of that wisp of aura. If I had not met you, I would not have known about your past life with my original self."

Gu Yuanqing said, "It seems that this painting was not painted by the Heavenly Sword Elder."

"of course not."

Hades stood side by side with Gu Yuanqing on the rooftop and asked, "Is this illusion your past life?"

Gu Yuanqing's eyes narrowed slightly, and he finally nodded, saying, "Perhaps."

Hades said, "Aren't you going home to take a look?"

"It's just an illusion; going back will only cause trouble," Gu Yuanqing said.

Hades said, "It seems you haven't seen through it yet."

Gu Yuanqing chuckled: "Why bother to see through it? What's wrong with having worldly desires in one's heart? You don't seem to be someone who has seen through the world either, otherwise you wouldn't have given me the Worldly Wine back then."

Hades said seriously, "It was just a transaction back then, not a reward. There is no cause and effect between us."

"Alright!" Gu Yuanqing reluctantly agreed. It seemed that this King of the Underworld was unwilling to have anything to do with him, but strangely, he came to see him three times.

"By the way, I still don't know your name, sir?" Gu Yuanqing asked again.

Hades laughed: "Since we have met by chance and have no connection whatsoever, why do you need to know my name?"

Gu Yuanqing chuckled, "It was I who was being presumptuous. Is there anything you would like to chat about with me, sir?"

Hades pondered for a moment: "I originally had nothing to say, but since you brought it up, there is a deal. It's up to you whether you're willing to make it."

Gu Yuanqing said, "I would like to hear the details."

Hades said, "There are three other people who have entered this painting and are currently within the illusion. Would you like to go and see them in their illusion?"

Gu Yuanqing smiled and said, "That's quite interesting. So, what does Lord Hades need me to do?"

Hades said, “In the ancient realm, there are ten thousand stones at the bottom of the Boundless River. These are quite good as seals. With your current cultivation level, you should be able to go to the bottom of the river. If you have some free time, could you help me retrieve one?”

Gu Yuanqing thought for a moment and replied, "Of course."

Hades laughed: "Alright then, let's go, I'll take you to see them. These three are indeed quite interesting."

As soon as he finished speaking, he waved his hand, and the illusion surrounding Gu Yuanqing vanished abruptly. The scene shifted, and they found themselves in a mansion...

(End of this chapter)