SWDnovel Chapter 41 Heavenly Void Jade Book
Chapter 41 Heavenly Void Jade Book
The information in the black jade slip was already shocking enough for the Ice Soul Fairy. Just as she was about to put it away, a piece of extremely hidden information appeared deep inside the jade slip, like a final treasure.
This message was not text, but an extremely complex three-dimensional diagram composed of light and runes, accompanied by a brief fluctuation of divine thought.
When the Ice Soul Fairy's divine sense "saw" the diagram and understood the meaning of that divine thought, even though she was mentally prepared, she still felt a strong dizziness, as if she had been struck by a silent thunderbolt!
That diagram was a simplified projection of the core restrictions and spiritual energy flow of the entire Void Heaven Palace! Although it was a simplified version, and many key parts were blurry or blocked by higher authorities, it clearly marked the core hub that controlled most of the basic functions and some restrictions of the entire Void Heaven Palace—the Void Heaven Palace Central Hub, the Star Observatory!
The divine thought was concise: "Although my temporary residence is equipped with an array that operates on its own, the central hub remains. Those in future generations who are destined to reach the Star Gazing Platform and refine the 'Void Heaven Palace Core' will be able to wield some authority over this palace, open and close some doors, regulate some spiritual energy, and perceive the general layout of the palace."
"To control a portion of the power of the Void Heaven Palace?!" This thought, like wildfire, instantly ignited all of Ice Soul Fairy's reason!
What does this mean? It means that if she can reach that mysterious "Star Gazing Platform" and refine the so-called "Void Heaven Palace Core", she will no longer be an ordinary (even powerful) intruder in the Void Heaven Palace, but a "half-master" who can influence or even control this space to a certain extent!
Although it's only "partial authority," imagine this: she can open or close passages in certain areas, leading competitors into desperate situations or trapping them in dead ends; she can mobilize the pure spiritual energy of certain areas for her own use, accelerating healing or cultivation; she can vaguely sense the general fluctuations of spiritual energy and life force within the palace, thus avoiding danger or tracking targets! In the Void Heaven Palace, surrounded by powerful figures and fraught with danger, this is practically a heaven-defying cheat code!
More importantly, if one can control some of the power and obtain the secrets of the Heavenly Cauldron Palace inheritance, it will be even more valuable.
After the ecstasy came a chilling clarity and urgency.
"Star Gazing Platform... Central Hub..." Fairy Ice Soul immediately retrieved all the information she had previously obtained from her mind. The Heavenly Cauldron True Man's notes mentioned the "Star Gazing Platform," seemingly the place where he observed the stars to comprehend the Dao and deduce cultivation techniques; it was also the highest point in the entire Void Heaven Palace, closest to the laws of the starry sky. Based on the scattered descriptions in the jade slip and the relative positions of the projected diagram, she could roughly deduce that the Star Gazing Platform was likely located at the highest point of the main palace complex, or adjacent to important areas such as the main palace's alchemy room and scripture pavilion, and perhaps even connected by a special passage.
"We must get to the observatory as soon as possible!" This thought was absolutely firm.
However, she was also well aware of the dangers involved. The conditions for refining the "Void Heaven Palace Core" were extremely stringent. Moreover, as the central and crucial location, the Star Gazing Platform's protective restrictions were undoubtedly the strongest within the Void Heaven Palace. Most importantly, this secret must never be known to anyone, otherwise she would become the common enemy of all cultivators who entered the Void Heaven Palace!
The Ice Soul Fairy used a secret soul technique to deeply imprint all the information about the control center and the observatory from the jade slip, along with the structural diagram, into the deepest part of her consciousness, ensuring absolute accuracy. Then, she erased any subtle fluctuations that might have been left behind when she read the information.
She checked the cave again to make sure nothing was missed, and then adjusted herself to her best condition.
On the other side, having escaped the chaotic battle and the barriers of the side hall, Wang Tianlong dared not linger for a moment. He suppressed his injuries and, relying on the concealment and speed of the "Wind-Treading Technique," continuously changed directions in the maze-like corridors, circling around for a long time before finally breaking into a secluded palace that appeared to be long abandoned, with sparse spiritual energy and no trace of any treasures.
The hall was covered in cobwebs and dust, with only a few broken stone statues of maidens standing in the corners. Wang Tianlong quickly set up several simple warning and concealment formations before sitting cross-legged, taking several healing pills, and beginning to focus on regulating his breathing.
The brief clash with the ancient demon Hei Ming, the hard-won aftershocks of the three Nascent Soul cultivators, and the continuous activation of "Wind God Formless" and the Minor Teleportation Talisman all exacerbated his already unhealed injuries. In particular, the wound in his chest began to ache again after the intense battle.
After half a day of recuperation and consuming a considerable amount of rare pills, Wang Tianlong finally managed to calm his turbulent blood pressure and stabilize the injuries to his internal organs. Although he was far from fully recovered, he had at least regained 70-80% of his combat strength, which was sufficient for his basic operations.
Only then did he finally have the time, with a mixture of anticipation and caution, to take out the purple-gold jade box that had nearly cost him his life.
The jade box felt heavy in his hand; it was neither metal nor wood, and its surface was cool to the touch. Although the protective runes inscribed on its surface had dimmed considerably due to his forceful absorption, its extraordinary nature was still evident. He cautiously probed with his divine sense and spiritual power, and it took him almost half an hour to finally remove the last few protective seals from the box.
"Click."
With a soft click, the lid of the jade box popped open a crack on its own.
There was no dazzling light as expected, nor any strange fragrance or powerful spiritual energy leakage. Inside the box, something lay quietly.
Wang Tianlong stared intently, then paused slightly in surprise.
It wasn't the elixir, magical artifact, or jade slip one might imagine, but rather a palm-sized, thin as a cicada's wing, strangely silvery-white page. The page wasn't made of silk, nor was it ordinary jade; it had a subtle metallic sheen, yet was exceptionally soft. Its edges were jagged, as if it had been torn in half from a complete book.
He carefully took it out; it was extremely light, almost weightless. The pages were densely covered with countless tiny, tadpole-shaped silver runes that swam slowly! These runes were incredibly profound, completely unlike anything he knew of in the human realm, or even some ancient scripts from the upper realms he had heard of; they were utterly unrecognizable.
"What...what kind of writing is this?" Wang Tianlong frowned, attempting to probe these tadpole-like characters with his divine sense. However, the moment his divine sense made contact, he felt a gentle yet resilient resistance, as if these characters themselves contained some profound law, refusing to be easily deciphered. Only some extremely vague Daoist principles concerning spatial fluctuations, the flow of spiritual energy, and even a faint trace of the transformation between "illusion" and "reality" were subtly conveyed through the characters, making him feel that they were both unfathomable.
"Strange material, unidentifiable ancient runes... half a page of a tattered book..." Wang Tianlong's mind raced. Combining this with the origin of the Void Heaven Palace itself (an ancient palace of a powerful being), an astonishing guess gradually surfaced in his mind.
"This...this couldn't be..." He suddenly remembered that in the original story, Old Demon Han seemed to have also obtained half a page of an extremely mysterious silver book, which recorded a supreme secret technique, seemingly called...
"The Heavenly Void Jade Book?!" Wang Tianlong exclaimed, his eyes flashing with disbelief!
Yes! This description, this feeling, is so similar to the "Heavenly Void Jade Book" mentioned in the "original work"! The same silver-white pages, the same unrecognizable tadpole runes, and the same profound and unfathomable laws of the Great Dao!
"Could this be... the half-page that Han Li will obtain in the future? No, not necessarily. The Heavenly Void Jade Book seems to have more than one page. But it's definitely the same thing!" Wang Tianlong's heart pounded. He knew that in the original setting, the "Heavenly Void Jade Book" came from the True Immortal Realm, and each page recorded earth-shattering True Immortal techniques or secret methods of cultivation! Its value far exceeded that of ordinary Heaven-Reaching Spiritual Treasures, and was even more precious than many complete Spirit Realm inheritances!
He never imagined that the jade box he had risked his life to seize would contain such a heaven-defying treasure! Although it was only half a page and he couldn't understand it at all, its symbolic meaning and potential value were immeasurable!
"No wonder the ancient demons and the cultivators of the human and demon races fought so desperately... They might not recognize the origin of this item, but they could certainly sense its extraordinary nature." Wang Tianlong suddenly realized, and then a wave of lingering fear and relief washed over him. Fortunately, he chose to seize this jade box instead of that heaven-reaching spiritual treasure, the ice sword!
He took a deep breath, suppressing his excitement, and carefully held the half-page of the "Heavenly Void Jade Book," examining it meticulously from every angle. He discovered that the tadpole-like characters were not static, but rather flowing and changing extremely slowly, as if expounding some eternal truth. He tried infusing it with a wisp of wind spiritual energy, but the page showed no reaction; he then tried enveloping it with his divine sense, but still could not decipher it, only that the vague Daoist aura regarding "illusion and reality" and "space" became clearer.
"It seems that with my current cultivation level and knowledge, I am simply unable to decipher its mysteries. It appears I will have to wait until I ascend to the Spirit Realm to be able to see the truth." Wang Tianlong quickly calmed down. Possessing such a treasure but being unable to use it was a feeling that was both exciting and somewhat frustrating.
"However, having this item in hand is a tremendous opportunity and hope!" He solemnly placed the half-page of the Heavenly Void Jade Book back into the jade box, added the strongest seal he could set up on the outside of the jade box, and then put it into the deepest part of his storage bracelet, along with the Azure Mist Fruit, Soul Nourishing Wood, and other treasures.