Chapter Sixty-One: The Hall of Vast Heaven

The members of the Giant Spirit Sect followed the directions given by the Illusory Clan Chief, searching steadily toward the northwest. As expected, they made some discoveries and soon found the location of a palace.

Above the entrance to this palace hung a plaque inscribed with three large characters: “Hall of Vast Heavens.” What was puzzling was that this palace was built in the midst of the sandy sea in a most abrupt manner, utterly different from the surrounding environment. The palace itself was enormous, and its outer walls were engraved with many strange patterns. Upon closer inspection, these patterns closely resembled the Lingji Grass. Clearly, this palace was likely intimately connected to the Lingji Grass.

“These walls seem to be covered in carvings of the Lingji Grass. Do you think there’s a connection? Should we go in and investigate?” Hao Gang asked. He, too, had noticed the palace’s peculiarity, but was hesitant to make a decision, so he consulted the others.

“Since we’re here, of course we should go in. But we must remain vigilant; the more mysterious a place, the greater the potential danger. If anything happens, we should retreat immediately,” Qing Yuhe replied.

Yang Xiao and Ling Yunmei nodded in agreement.

They then proceeded with caution into the palace. To their surprise, after passing through several small chambers, they encountered no danger whatsoever. Moreover, these rooms held nothing of value—apart from the same Lingji Grass patterns carved into the walls, there were no other discoveries.

After traversing a number of rooms, they reached a vast central chamber, which appeared to be the very heart of the Hall of Vast Heavens. Inside stood a giant statue, in whose hand rested a stalk of Lingji Grass.

“What do you think this statue signifies?” Hao Gang asked again.

“It looks to me like a statue used for some sort of ritual. It’s likely modeled after an actual person, and the plant in his hand should be the Lingji Grass. This means we’ve probably come to the right place—there’s a good chance Lingji Grass can be found here. Let’s keep searching,” Yang Xiao said.

Just as they began to search the room, a strange, eerie laughter echoed from the direction of the statue. From behind it, three people emerged. Yang Xiao recognized two of them immediately: Xing Wutian and Li Xie, whom he’d encountered earlier at the market. The third, an elder who bore a resemblance to Xing Wutian, was likely his father—Xing Lie.

“That’s the master of the Black Tortoise Sect, Xing Lie. What’s he doing here? It looks like we’re in serious danger,” Qing Yuhe exclaimed, confirming Yang Xiao’s suspicions. The old man was indeed Xing Wutian’s father, Xing Lie. With Xing Lie present, the disciples of the Giant Spirit Sect faced grave peril. The three major sects of the Myriad Peaks Range had long been bitter rivals. Now, in this desolate wilderness, if Xing Lie encountered disciples of the Giant Spirit Sect, he would surely eliminate them all. Against a cultivator of the Condensing Qi stage, mere disciples with only Spiritual Perception were utterly outmatched.

“Are you wondering why I’m here? And perhaps whether you’re searching for Lingji Grass? Let me tell you plainly: Lingji Grass does not exist. The entire matter was a lie I concocted, meant to lure your master, Ling Feng, here. Once he arrives, I will kill him, then join forces with the Hundred Inscriptions Sect to wipe out the Giant Spirit Sect. Afterward, I’ll find a way to lure Huang Zhong, the master of the Hundred Inscriptions Sect, here and kill him too. Then, the entire Myriad Peaks Range will belong to our Black Tortoise Sect,” Xing Lie announced, not bothering to wait for their questions.

“Since you intend to lure our master here, are you so certain you can defeat him?” Yang Xiao inquired.

“A good question. Since you’re all about to die, I may as well tell you everything. Do you know what this place is? This is the sacred site of the Wild Tribe—their ancestral hall. Only members of the Wild Tribe may come and go freely here; outsiders come here only to die. And, speaking of the Wild Tribe, you may not know this, but centuries ago, the Myriad Peaks Range belonged to them. Later, the Giant Spirit Sect and the Hundred Inscriptions Sect rose to power here and drove the Wild Tribe out. So, my plan to annihilate the Giant Spirit Sect and the Hundred Inscriptions Sect is simply to reclaim what rightfully belongs to my people,” Xing Lie explained, his expression grave.

“Does that mean you’re a member of the Wild Tribe?” Yang Xiao pressed. At last, he understood why Man Shang and the Illusory Clan Chief had shown such odd expressions upon learning he was a disciple of the Giant Spirit Sect. It seemed they, too, remembered the ancient grudge of exile. As for the Wild Tribe, Yang Xiao had known nothing of them before—after all, this was history centuries old. Since the death of the former sect master, perhaps no one in the present Giant Spirit Sect even remembered these events.

“Yes, I am indeed of the Wild Tribe. You’re simply unfortunate to have come here. Since Ling Feng didn’t come in person and sent you instead, I’ll just send you to your deaths first. In time, I’ll deal with Ling Feng and send him to join you,” Xing Lie said coldly.

“Master Xing, don’t be so hasty. I still have questions,” Yang Xiao said, appearing utterly unruffled.

“Very well. You have courage. Ask anything you like, and I’ll answer,” Xing Lie replied.

“What I want to know is this: you said just now that Lingji Grass doesn’t exist. If so, why are there carvings of it all over these walls? There are also records in some of our sect’s ancient texts. What’s the truth here? And have you been colluding with the Illusory Clan Chief of the Wild Tribe to kill us? For a few juniors like us, isn’t this all a bit elaborate?” Yang Xiao asked.

“The matter of Lingji Grass is simple. It is the sacred symbol of our Wild Tribe. Countless years ago, perhaps it did exist, but now it can’t be found anywhere in this region. In fact, it may never have existed at all—perhaps it was a spiritual plant we invented. It serves only as a symbol for our tribe. In any event, you will not find it here. As for the records in your ancient texts, they were surely influenced by our tribe’s reverence for this plant, so its effects were greatly exaggerated. Even if Lingji Grass did exist in ancient times, it could not possibly have possessed the miraculous properties ascribed to it in those books,” Xing Lie explained.

“That’s true. Many ancient writers loved to exaggerate the effects of various spiritual herbs. Such things are common enough. So this entire plot was your doing? I must admit, it’s an enticing trap for our master. If he believes such a plant exists in the desert, he’d be very likely to come searching for it,” Yang Xiao nodded.