Gou Zai Fei Men made up myths

On one side of the stone chamber, there is a relatively well-preserved mural!

The mural covered the entire wall, its colors faded but its general outline still clearly visible. Unlike the magnificent mural at the entrance depicting a battle between immortals and demons, this mural seemed to depict some kind of... ritual, or perhaps a sealing scene?

In the center of the image is a huge, eye-like pattern, with a deep, dark vortex in the pupil that seems capable of swallowing everything.

Around the vortex, countless figures knelt, some humanoid, some beast-like, and many other strange and indescribable creatures.

Their postures were devout and fearful, as if they were worshipping the being in the vortex, or as if they were offering themselves as a sacrifice.

Above the vortex, high in the mural, several blurry figures could be vaguely seen, seemingly casting spells, with beams of light descending and suppressing the dark vortex.

One figure in particular stood out.

It was a Taoist priest dressed in a blue robe, his face obscured. He stood in the void, his robes fluttering, holding a peculiar magical artifact in his hand.

The magical artifact resembled neither a sword nor a ruler; it possessed a warm, jade-like texture, yet exuded a sharpness capable of cutting through everything.

One end of the ritual implement is slightly wider, with what appears to be markings; the other end is tapered like a sword tip, emitting a faint, clear light.

The Taoist priest held the magic weapon and made a downward slashing motion, aiming directly at the dark vortex!

Its posture is elegant and otherworldly, yet it carries an awe-inspiring and inviolable supreme majesty that vanquishes demons and monsters!

"This is..." Zhao Qingyan's beautiful eyes widened as she stared intently at the mural, especially the profile of the Taoist priest in blue robes and the peculiar magical artifact in his hand. An expression of disbelief appeared on her face. "The shape of this magical artifact... and the Taoist priest's figure and demeanor... it seems... it seems..."

She hadn't finished speaking, but her gaze had already involuntarily turned to Shen Mo.

Shi Tie and Su Xiao seemed to sense something as well, and they both looked at Shen Mo, then at the mural, their eyes filled with shock and confusion.

The moment Shen Mo saw the profile of the Taoist priest in the mural and the magical artifact, his heart sank as if struck by a heavy hammer, then began to pound wildly again!

Blood seemed to rush to the top of my head instantly, my ears were ringing, and even the omnipresent chilling death aura and eerie fragrance seemed to have temporarily disappeared.

It's so similar! It's uncanny! No, it's not just similar. The profile of the Taoist in the mural, his posture, and especially his ethereal yet subtly sharp aura, bear at least a striking resemblance to the image of "Qingyunzi, the founder of the sect," which he sketched in his imagination and commissioned an artist to depict when he compiled "The Travels of Master Liuyun" in his early years to unite people's hearts.

Especially the calmness between their brows and the determination in their eyes, they are almost identical!

The magical artifact he held, which resembled a sword but not a ruler, matched his description of the "measuring ruler"—a divine weapon he had fabricated, which his ancestor used to dominate the Southern Region and establish his dynasty—by about 80-90% of its form and spirit!

"The Measuring Ruler of Heaven is neither gold nor jade. It is formed by gathering the essence of the stars in the nine heavens and fusing the primordial energy of the earth's veins. It has been tempered by earth fire and heavenly thunder for nine hundred years. It is three feet and three inches long and two fingers wide. It is shaped like a ruler but contains the sharpness of a sword. It can measure the latitude and longitude of heaven and earth and can distinguish between purity and turbidity, yin and yang. The patriarch wielded it to slay demons and eliminate evil, and to establish his rule over a region..."

The description of the "measuring ruler" in "The Travels of Master Liuyun" involuntarily surfaced in Shen Mo's mind, slowly overlapping with the magical artifact on the mural.

Although the murals are mottled and the details are blurred, their unique charm, which combines the weight of "measuring" with the sharpness of "cutting", shines through the wall across endless years!

How could this be?! Shen Mo's heart was filled with shock and disbelief.

The patriarch Qingyunzi is a completely "fictional" character created by him based on scattered legends of the Qingyun Sect and his own imagination of the image of a "patriarch"!

The Measuring Ruler was a magical artifact that he "created" out of thin air to add to its legendary status!

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They only exist in the stories he wrote, in the glory passed down by word of mouth among the disciples of Qingyun Sect, and on the pages of the "Travels" book that he personally placed in the library!

How could this be... how could it possibly appear in the murals of this ancient Reincarnation Palace?!

Moreover, judging from the antiquity of this mural, its age far exceeds the founding time of the Qingyun Sect, and may even be traced back to shortly after the Great War between Immortals and Demons!

Is it a coincidence? Could there be such an absurd coincidence? Even the shape and spirit of the ritual implements are so similar? Or perhaps…

An even more bizarre and chilling thought surged into his mind: Could it be that the image of the Qingyunzi Patriarch and the measuring ruler he "fabricated" back then were not entirely fictional, but rather... that he had subconsciously received some fragments of real information about the Taoist in the mural that had been scattered throughout the river of time?

Just like the story of "Star River Ruler" and "Star River Taoist"?

Is the Taoist priest in blue robes depicted in the mural a real, powerful being from ancient times?

While compiling the history of the patriarch, Shen Mo inadvertently "captured" the extremely faint "imprint" or "legend" left behind by this great master in the world, and used it as a blueprint to create "Qingyunzi".

If that's true... then who is this ancient Taoist in blue robes? What is his connection to this Samsara Palace? And what is his relationship with the Azure Cloud Sect?

Could it be that the legacy of the Qingyun Sect is truly connected to this ancient powerhouse? Was his "fabricated" history of the founder not just baseless speculation, but rather... guided by some force, unknowingly touching upon and "restoring" a part of the forgotten truth?!

Shen Mo felt a wave of dizziness, as if the ground beneath his feet was shaking. This was even more terrifying and chilling than discovering that the legend of the "Star River Ruler" had come true.

The causes and secrets behind this are too great! So great that he almost dared not think about them too deeply!

"Sect Leader...?" Shi Tie's rough voice, tinged with hesitation, pulled Shen Mo back to reality from the intense psychological shock.

Seeing Shen Mo staring at the mural, his expression shifting and his silence lasting for a long time, he couldn't help but feel a little worried.

Shen Mo snapped back to reality, forcibly suppressing his turbulent emotions. He took a long breath, the cold air, carrying a cloying, decaying scent, filling his lungs and calming him down somewhat. He couldn't panic, and he certainly couldn't lose his composure in front of his disciples.

"This mural... is quite interesting." He tried to keep his voice calm, but his gaze was fixed on the bottom of the mural, where there seemed to be some blurry inscriptions.

He stepped forward, ignoring the strange skeletons scattered on the ground, squatted down, and carefully examined them.

Inscriptions are an extremely ancient form of seal script, more complex and pictographic than the commonly used scripts of today. Many characters have become blurred and are covered by time and dust.

Shen Mo focused intently on the examination, while secretly activating the Myriad Laws Source Pearl. A trace of almost imperceptible primal power flowed into his eyes, attempting to "see" the traces that had been worn away by time.

Under the blessing of the Myriad Laws Source Pearl's profound power, the mottled murals seemed to become slightly clearer. He painstakingly deciphered the broken strokes:

"...Demon...chaos...Azure...Clouds...slay...seal...and suppress...here..."

The words were fragmented and difficult to form a complete sentence, but the key words, like thunderclaps, exploded in Shen Mo's mind!

Azure! Clouds! Slay! Demons!

Qingyun! It really is "Qingyun"! Not the "Liuyun" he made up, but the "Qingyun" that actually exists on the mural! There are also "Slaying Demons", "Sealing", and "Suppressing Here"!

This mural depicts not a ritual, but a form of suppression!

The Taoist priest in blue robes wielding the "measuring ruler" was suppressing and sealing the terrifying being within that dark vortex!

And the location of the suppression is very likely... this branch of the Reincarnation Palace!

Or perhaps, this branch of the Reincarnation Palace is itself a massive sealed place?