When Earth Awakened, I Became a Sword Saintess

Chapter 219 : Illusion

219: Illusion?

However, the murals depicted a hundred states of being, not coherent or orderly. Various cultivation techniques were mixed together, interspersed with ordinary life scenes, and many were incomplete.

"Could it be that the Flying Sky technique originated from these murals?" Yuyin's chest heaved with emotion.

"Lianyue, look, isn't this the technique we cultivate?" Along the way, Hua Yuanjing pointed at some mottled murals.

"Indeed..." Lianyue nodded. "I feel these murals were all left from a single era, though I don't know when. But the murals here seem even more vivid."

Yuyin thought to herself, "No wonder the Ghost Clan calls this the Sacred Ground. Even if it were empty, just entering here and comprehending the techniques on the murals, as long as one has some aptitude, one could achieve great things. Truly worthy of being a Sacred Ground... Hmm?"

Yuyin suddenly discovered that the sword-dancing celestial maiden seemed to have started moving, her dress becoming even more colorful.

Yuyin didn't dare make a sound. She continued following the Ghost King while focusing her spirit to look again.

Sure enough, as they walked, wherever Yuyin went on the cave walls, celestial maidens danced, warriors hunted, alien beasts lurked, these murals all came to life. Only after Yuyin walked away did the murals fall still again, gradually returning to silence and antiquity.

Passing through a deep tunnel, they saw on the dark rock walls paintings of cyan hellish demons torturing and slaughtering living beings, as if facing a living painting of purgatory!

"Your Majesty?" Yuyin called out.

Everyone stopped and looked at Yuyin.

"These murals all seem to be moving." Yuyin's chest rose and fell.

"Huh?" The Ghost Princess looked at Yuyin strangely.

Jiang Yun was slightly startled but still seriously looked around. "Yuyin, the murals of this Sacred Ground all contain secret techniques. Your comprehension is high. You must have been inadvertently drawn in by these vivid murals, sensing the technique fluctuations they demonstrate. You need only calm your spirit and focus your soul. For now, don't think about comprehension."

"Is... is that so..." Yuyin was extremely sensitive. Could she not distinguish between technique fluctuations and murals actually moving? However, what the Ghost King said might not be without reason.

"Yuyin, are you alright?" Hua Yuanjing also came over and gently patted Yuyin's shoulder.

"I'm fine..." Yuyin felt she had completely calmed her spirit, but the murals were moving. Still, she said no more.

Everyone followed the Ghost King, journeying deeper for a long time. Along the way were numerous caverns, and they could actually discover ancient murals everywhere that would be considered great opportunities outside. Countless techniques and secret arts, all kinds of weapons and clans were depicted. Not only celestial maiden techniques, but also masculine warrior techniques, Ghost Clan techniques, and even innate secret techniques of alien beasts were portrayed. To Yuyin, this was practically a vivid ancient world within the murals.

"Why? Could the murals I'm seeing really be alive? What exactly is happening?" Yuyin grew increasingly puzzled. As they went deeper, she increasingly felt that these murals weren't just moving, but seemed... joyful.

Ancient murals should be dignified, lofty, unfathomable. Why were they not only moving but also exuberant? And those murals of mighty evil demons clearly showed excitement, even lewdness... Was she charming even the murals? How...

Yuyin shook her head, dispelling this strange thought.

But what exactly was going on?

"Up ahead is the prophecy site." Jiang Yun turned back, her expression solemn, even cautious.

Yuyin and the others followed Jiang Yun in silence, entering a massive cavern. Here, there was only one passage in, seemingly the deepest part of the Sacred Ground.

Within the cavern, besides various mysterious murals that were once magnificent but now only faintly colored, there were also countless statues of deities, buddhas, ghosts, and demons. Standing there and looking around, Yuyin couldn't help but feel a sense of reverence.

However, as Yuyin followed the Ghost King into this cavern, the countless deity and buddha statues all turned their heads slightly, their gazes fixed on Yuyin.

Yuyin was extremely sensitive. Noticing these gazes, she turned back in a daze, yet everything was peaceful as usual. The deities and buddhas looked benevolent, the ghosts and demons ferocious, ancient and silent...

"Could it be an illusion?" Yuyin turned her head back, her gaze soon drawn forward.

At the far end of the cavern, there was a massive doorframe formed by statues that seemed to be both guards and stepping on each other. Within this doorframe was a solid stone wall, on which rows of ancient text were vertically carved.

Yuyin's gaze was drawn to those statues from afar. They were fierce, ferocious, and gave an extremely powerful impression, yet they were different from the surrounding statues.

"Your Majesty, what kind of statues are these?" Yuyin couldn't help but ask. Her gentle, clear voice echoed through the ancient cavern, seemingly drawing the attention of countless deities and buddhas once again.

"These are Asuras, neither human, nor deity, nor ghost. Legend says they were ancient fighters who rebelled against everything, not ruled by celestial gods, not falling into the cycle of evil ghosts. It's said the Asura clan's males are incomparably ugly and powerful, while the females are stunningly beautiful. These statues are probably guarding the prophecy?" Jiang Yun's chest heaved as she spoke. Before the Asura statues, she too felt like a powerless young woman.

"Asuras..." Looking at these statues, though extremely ugly, Yuyin felt no disgust in her heart. However, she saw no female Asuras. Hearing Jiang Yun say this, she really wanted to see one.

"This stone wall guarded by the stacked Asura statues is the ancient prophecy."

Jiang Yun led everyone over to the stone wall. The wall was massive, requiring some distance to properly read the text.

The text was in ancient Chinese seal script. As cultivators, this was the most commonly used script for recording secret techniques, so naturally they could all read it. At Lingdu Source Martial Academy, there were even specialized courses teaching ancient seal script.

"Yuyin, this is the original prophecy. It's all here. Read it yourself." Ghost King Jiang Yun said.

"Mm." Yuyin had long been drawn to this prophecy. She stepped forward, a strange light in her eyes.

The general meaning of the prophecy was consistent with what the Ghost King had described. The Heavenly Tribulation was coming, and both the Xia people and Prison Abyss inhabitants would face annihilation. Regarding Li Su Star, it had also been foretold in the prophecy.

Since it was an ancient prophecy, naturally heavenly secrets could not be revealed. The hints within were indeed somewhat ambiguous, requiring much personal interpretation.

Based on Yuyin's understanding from viewing the prophecy, though not entirely clear, the literal meaning seemed to be: Earth, having wandered for long, would inevitably encounter Li Su Star. Between the two planets would erupt a competition determining the future of both races. The victor ascends, the loser falls eternally. The method of this competition was mentioned in three words: "War," "Annihilation," "Plunder."

This didn't require much understanding to grasp. In fact, they all meant the same thing: destroy the opponent and seize everything they have.

But why use three words? Yuyin felt there might be meanings hidden that she hadn't yet understood.

And this competition between twin stars was the Heavenly Tribulation.

Heaven always leaves a sliver of hope. The latter half of the prophecy gave guidance, but whether later generations could grasp this hope depended on their fortune.

That was regarding the descending Immortal Fairy. Everything was largely as the Ghost King had said. How to find the descending Immortal Fairy, the prophecy taught a secret technique but gave no specific time. However, there were hints between the lines that the Four Ghost Kings and various Ghost Clan sages had collectively deduced. Yuyin certainly couldn't figure it out on her own in a moment.

"However, this taught secret technique is extremely precise. I suppose heaven also felt that such a technique couldn't be deduced by later generations," Yuyin thought to herself.

As for how to overcome the tribulation specifically, the prophecy indeed gave no clear description. It only said that with the Fairy's aid, "uniting" with the descending Immortal Fairy could overcome the Heavenly Tribulation.

"Unite..."

It didn't say she had to be married, did it?

"Your Majesty, it seems the prophecy doesn't explicitly state that one must marry the descending Immortal Fairy to gain the power to resist the Heavenly Tribulation?" Yuyin couldn't help but question.

For a moment, Lianyue and Jing, who had been captivated by the prophecy's incredible power, were startled by Yuyin's interruption. Even Hua Yuanjing's face turned pale with fright. She hadn't expected Yuyin to dare question the prophecy to its face.

The Ghost Princess, who had never believed in the prophecy, was so awed upon truly arriving here that she didn't dare harbor a single stray thought.

Jiang Yun also spoke with utmost care here, her chest heaving deeply. "Yuyin, this is the collective deduction of we Four Ghost Kings and countless Ghost Clan sages. Prophecies are never explicit. Furthermore, in our Ghost Clan customs, 'unite' means..."

As she spoke, the mature Jiang Yun's face showed some embarrassment. She turned her face slightly away. "It means that level of meaning."

This prophecy was left for the Ghost Clan, hinted at through Ghost Clan customs. And facing a Fairy, how could they not be respectful? Naturally, they would first marry the Fairy, and then... From this perspective, the Ghost King's deduction couldn't be said to be wrong.

Yuyin was also a relatively traditional woman. For a moment, she found it difficult to raise further objections and fell into contemplation...

However, as Yuyin couldn't help but think about the meaning of "unite," she discovered that the Asura statues stepping on and stacking around the prophecy stone wall all had eyes blazing with red lotus karmic fire. They turned their heads and glared at her ferociously. The muscular bodies of those male Asuras seemed to bulge, restless with excitement.

"Could it be... another illusion?" Yuyin didn't dare speak up again.

"Mother... these Asura statues' eyes, they're glowing..." the Ghost Princess cried out.

"This is..." Jiang Yun's gaze swiftly shifted from the prophecy text to the surrounding statues, her eyes focusing, showing surprise and even a hint of excitement.

One after another, phantom images flew out from the bodies of the Asura statues. These strong, ferocious Asura phantoms all flew toward Yuyin.

"What?" In her alarm, Yuyin immediately tried to draw her sword. But before she could, these Asura phantoms grabbed her hands and feet with incredibly strong arms, restrained her sword. Numerous Asura phantoms lifted her up with unquestionable power. Though the Asura phantoms were fierce, the way they held Yuyin left her immobile but without the slightest profanity, as if each one carried some kind of reverence.