The Nine Cauldrons

“Why did this happen?” Teng Qingshan supported himself with one hand and half-squatted on the ground. He still felt very confused.

The recent happenings had been full of ups and downs: Xiao Yao Palace had hindered Teng Qingshan in the beginning, then unluckily, Zhao Danchen had discovered him. When he had made up his mind to fight Zhao Danchen with all his strength... who would have thought that the Golden Dragon Turtle would decide to showcase its power all of a sudden? It had actually blasted Zhao Danchen away, saving Teng Qingshan.

It had not ended there! After saving Teng Qingshan, the dragon turtle actually kicked him into the tunnel!

‘Perhaps there’s something special about me? Maybe this old dragon turtle harbors a special feeling towards me?’ thought Teng Qingshan, not knowing whether he should laugh or cry. He looked back at the entrance at the top of the stairs and at the armor-like stomach of the Old Dragon Turtle blocking it. Teng Qingshan then thought, ‘This old dragon turtle told Wu Hou that the destined one will get Emperor Yu’s Treasure, and that the non-destined ones entered, they would die. Could it be that..... I am the destined one?’

In Teng Qingshan’s eyes, Destined and Non-destined seemed very absurd.

Numerous years spread out between Emperor Yu and himself, so how could he be the destined one?

‘I don’t understand why this Old Dragon Turtle helped me! But I know I have escaped from death and have made it here!’ Teng Qingshan said to himself as he scanned the surroundings.

The same walls made of the azure-green material!

The Heavenly Flood Palace not only had the upper level of the maze, it also had an area underground!

However, this level below looked much more simple. Green pillars rose every ten zhang, and at a glance...... the pillars seemed to cover the entire area, supporting the upper level.

“Yes. This underground level is not pitch-black, but very bright!” Teng Qingshan noticed that the bases of two neighboring pillars were connected by an azure-green light, and that their tops were also connected by an azure-green light...... Due to this, the entire underground was enveloped in the azure-green glow.

The beams of azure-green light crossed each other, shaping a ten-zhang-wide square.

Spacious! Silent!

This was the underground of the Heavenly Flood Palace. There were no demonic beasts here. The place was quiet and enveloped by the glow.

“Hm, something is not right!” Teng Qingshan scrutinized and said to himself, ‘There is something wrong with these beams of light!’

Teng Qingshan noticed halos of azure-green light flowing within the beams...... flowing like water in a river.

“Right!” Teng Qingshan’s eyes brightened as he said, “Energy can’t appear out of thin air. During training, it’s also necessary to train Vitality into Qi and Qi into Spirit...... This Heavenly Flood Palace has existed for at least five thousand years under the lake, but it hasn’t got the slightest scratch. There has to be an energy supply.

“There must be an energy source somewhere here!” Teng Qingshan thought with the mind of his previous world.

Immediately, Teng Qingshan began exploring this underground area.

Apart from the numerous pillars, the spacious area only had beams of azure-green light.

‘As expected!’ Teng Qingshan smiled after walking only for a distance of fifty zhang, and said, ‘The beams of light transmit energy! It’s just like the flow of water. The sea holds water from thousands of rivers...... Wider rivers have bigger debits. The nearer I am to the energy center of the Heavenly Flood Palace, the thicker these beams are getting!’

After walking for fifty zhang, Teng Qingshan noticed that the beams of azure-green light beneath his feet were thicker than the beams at the back.

......

The beams were divided into two kinds – horizontal ones and vertical ones.

Teng Qingshan noticed that the horizontal lines to the north gradually got thicker, as well as the vertical lines to the west.

He then advanced towards the north-west, and stopped after walking for one Li.

‘Such terrifying energy!’ Teng Qingshan could feel his heart trembling. The beams of light in front of him were already three chi thick! These couldn’t be considered beams of light anymore. They were narrow streams! ‘According to the flow, the energy source should be here!’ Teng Qingshan thought to himself.

Three zhang ahead of him was an area holding the thickest concentration of energy. The beams of light in other places weren’t even that thick.

However——

The surroundings still only had pillars and the horizontal and vertical beams of light. The enormous underground of the palace was like a huge Go board.

‘The source is three zhang away.’ With a cautious heart, Teng Qingshan took out a flying knife.

Xiu!

The flying knife turned into a blur and darted three zhang away, Teng Qingshan carefully watching it all the while. He had a feeling that something would happen!

“Boom~~” The entire underground palace trembled as if an earthquake had started.

Teng Qingshan’s facial expression changed drastically as he looked ahead in shock.

A dazzling azure-green ball of light of three zhang in width appeared in front of him. It looked like an azure-green ‘sun’!

“Bang!”

This azure-green sun shot strong shock waves like ripples of water, instantly diverging at a shocking speed! The entire area was trembling because of this terrifying energy...... It was as if the entire area was about to collapse. Teng Qingshan had never seen such a terrifying scene before.

The speed of the shockwaves was too fast!

Teng Qingshan did not have any time to dodge. Plus...... there was no place to dodge.

Instantly, Teng Qingshan had only one thought, “No wonder they said that the ones who came in would die...... Even the Emptiness Realm Experts wouldn’t be able to defend against such a blast of energy.” With this, Teng Qingshan was engulfed by the diverging azure-green shockwaves.

The upper level of the Heavenly Flood Palace.

TLN: I finally get why the author name this palace ‘Heavenly Flood Palace’. Did you guys get it?

“Rumble~~~” The entire maze trembled.

In the passageway, the countenance of the King of Beasts Wu Hou, Zhao Danchen, and the five experts of the Xiao Yao Palace changed drastically.

“What’s going on?”

‘Why is the palace shaking?”

Everyone of them was in a state of confusion.

“Perhaps Qin Lang has obtained Emperor Yu’s Treasure?” Wu Hou frowned as he said.

“Yes.” The Heavenly Flood Palace had existed for over thousands of years. It would probably tremble when someone obtained Emperor Yu’s Treasure,” The Long-Browed Old Monk also nodded in response.

Hearing this, Zhao Danchen’s expression became even worse. He cast a glance at the Golden Dragon Turtle lying before the entrance and bitterly said to himself, ‘Obtain the Emperor Yu’s Treasure? Hmph. Qin Lang......You are not part of any sects. You wouldn’t be able to protect it even if you did get the Treasure. Just wait till you come out! I, Zhao Danchen......’

Qing Hu Island had suffered great loss and Emperor Yu’s Treasure had basically been in the bag, but that had all changed because of this Qin Lang!

His hatred and murderous intent couldn’t be concealed at all.

“Elder Zhao, what happened inside?” a deep voice resounded within the Heavenly Flood Palace. It was Gu Yong, who was anxiously waiting outside the palace entrance. Initially, he had been patient enough, but when seeing the entire Heavenly Flood Palace shake, he immediately became worried!

Something big must have happened in the Heavenly Flood Palace.

“Island Lord! Bring the others in!” Zhao Danchen shouted back.

In the passageway, the others shook their heads and laughed when they heard Zhao Danchen’s words.

“Brother Zhao, what’s the use of letting your Island Lord come in now? Haha......” sad Wu Hou as he laughed....

“Hmph,” Zhao Danchen replied, with a cold expression.

Gu Yong and the others’ reason to stay outside was in order to prevent the Island Lord Gu Yong from dying! But now, although it seemed as if they wouldn’t be able to get the Emperor Yu’s Treasure, the situation seemed to be generally safe. He wanted the Island Lord and the others inside the palace so that they could discuss the next plan together.

On the bottom level of the Heavenly Flood Palace, one Li away from the entrance of the staircase tunnel.

The trembling had already stopped.

Teng Qingshan was still standing there, showered by the azure-green glow. The tiny cauldron in his attire was absorbing the azure-green glow at the moment. During the previous shockwave, Teng Qingshan, with no strength to defend himself, had been saved by this tiny cauldron. Teng Qingshan was unharmed!

‘This is so amazing!’ Teng Qingshan wasn’t looking at the cauldron, but was looking ahead.

The area three zhang away had originally been empty, but now it was filled with a dazzling golden light!

There were nine small tripod cauldrons half the height of a human, arranged into three rows, thus forming a nine-square grid. Each tiny black tripod cauldron had a lid, and each lid had inlaid gold-colored jewels. The nine gold-colored jewels illuminated a dazzling golden glow.

A golden ball-shaped light enveloped the edges of the nine-cauldron grid. The golden lids enveloped the nine small cauldrons.

In the middle of the nine small tripod cauldrons, above the small cauldron in the center, floated a huge black hammer.

The huge black hammer was simply floating, just like that.

Obviously, this huge black hammer was at the center of the ball-shaped light covering the nine tripod cauldrons. Faint azure-green beams of light were flowing on the huge black hammer.

“Nine cauldrons? Black hammer?” Teng Qingshan stared at the hammer.

“This place seems to have a connection with my tiny cauldron.” Teng Qingshan lowered his head and looked at the tiny cauldron on his chest, then slowly stretched his hand right away, to touch the golden light——

“Chi——”

As if pulled by a magnet, Teng Qingshan was instantly sucked inside the ball of light.

“Ah!” Teng Qingshan stared at the huge black hammer. When Teng Qingshan had been outside the ball of light, he had not been able to feel the terror spread by the black hammer, but when he stepped into the ball of light......the terrifying pressure of power made Teng Qingshan tremble from the bottom of his heart. He then thought to himself, ‘This hammer must be the center of the entire Heavenly Flood Palace!’

The hammer floated mid-air with no support, and the azure-green beams of light skittering on the hammer’s surface seemed to be faintly connected with the beams of azure-green light outside that space.

Looking at the hammer, Teng Qingshan recalled something.

‘Emperor Yu’s legendary weapon is an axe! Could it be this hammer?’ Teng Qingshan said as he pondered. ‘However, even though it was the weapon of one of the omnipotent experts, it would only be made with some precious material and would only have a symbolic meaning. The weapon itself shouldn’t have much use.’

Weapons are just weapons!

Even if was Emperor Yu’s Weapon, it wouldn’t have many peculiarities, but why......

Was the weapon floating in mid-air?

“There’s something inside the nine cauldrons?” Teng Qingshan scanned through the seemingly hollow of cauldron lid and saw a faint reflection in it.

Chichi~~ Suddenly, the golden jewels on the lids of the nine tripod cauldrons sitting on the ground each shot a beam of golden light.

The nine beams of light converged above the nine tripod cauldrons.

A sturdy, blurred virtual figure appeared in the air. Simple grey-and-white linen suit, messy hair, a firm square-shaped face, and a big beard leading to the temples. At a glance, the figure looked like a wild man.

“This is.......” Teng Qingshan looked at this scene dumbly.