bayedsolid Chapter 1218 Cooperation
Chapter 1218 Cooperation
Su Mo's fingertip gently placed the white chess piece, which touched the Chaos Mother Stone chessboard with a clear, crisp sound, like jade striking each other. The white piece landed precisely in the seemingly inconspicuous empty space in the center of the chessboard. In an instant, it was as if an invisible power of the Great Dao surged from the piece, transforming into a pebble thrown into the center of a lake, rippling out layers of Daoist charm invisible to the naked eye. The fierce killing move laid down by the Xuanzhen Immortal King's avatar melted away like ice and snow, silently dissolving into nothingness, and the originally tense chess game immediately relaxed.
Then, Su Mo looked up at the other person, his gaze as calm as a deep pool, his tone flat yet carrying a hint of probing: "Is the Forbidden Land of No Form about to open after one more epoch?"
Su Mo was no stranger to the name "Formless Forbidden Land." Among the fragments of Yuan Jin Immortal King's memories were many recollections of this place, considered the most dangerous place in the Southern Heaven Domain, perpetually shrouded in a layer of churning, eerie mist. That mist was terrifying beyond compare, capable not only of directly corroding the immortal soul and divine sense of an Eternal Immortal King, but also containing a bizarre power sufficient to distort one's Dao heart.
Even if a fourth or fifth-order Eternal Immortal King were to venture deep inside, at best their immortal soul would be injured and their cultivation would plummet; at worst, their divine sense would dissipate and their Dao foundation would crumble. Even if they were lucky enough to survive, they would still be severely injured.
Every ten million cosmic epochs, the eerie mist of this Forbidden Land of No Form will inexplicably weaken once. At that time, the corrosiveness of the mist will be greatly reduced, and its strange power that can distort the Dao Heart will be restrained to the extreme. Even a first-order Eternal Immortal King, as long as his Dao Heart is not too weak, can resist the erosion of the mist and be able to go deep into the Forbidden Land.
More importantly, deep within this Forbidden Land of Formlessness, the Formless Celestial Crystal is born at this time every year. It is a rare, eternal-grade natural treasure containing pure spatial and soul essence power, which can even nourish the immortal soul and stabilize the foundation of an eternal immortal king.
It is precisely for this reason that the Forbidden Land of No Form is also known as the "Number One Treasure Land in the Southern Heaven Domain". Every time the mist weakens, it is considered the greatest opportunity for the Immortal Kings of the Southern Heaven Domain. At that time, Immortal Kings from all sides flock to the area, and countless bloody battles are fought for the Heavenly Crystal.
“Not bad.” The avatar of the Xuanzhen Immortal King nodded slightly, a hint of eagerness flashing in his eyes, and he looked at Su Mo with anticipation. “If you, fellow Daoist, are also interested in going to the Wuxiang Forbidden Land, we can travel together and look after each other.”
Although the power of the eerie mist had drastically decreased, making its danger negligible for his true form as a third-tier Eternal Immortal King, the perils within his Boundless Forbidden Land extended far beyond the mist. Each time it opened, not only would a large number of native Immortal Kings from the Southern Heaven Domain flood in, but powerful figures from several surrounding Dao Domains would also arrive, including many second- and third-tier Eternal Immortal Kings, and occasionally even fourth- and fifth-tier experts.
Even though he himself was a late-stage third-tier Eternal Immortal King, he couldn't claim absolute safety in such a chaotic place; a slight misstep could lead to his demise. Having Su Mo, a "third-tier Eternal Immortal King," accompany him would undoubtedly elevate his safety level significantly.
"The Forbidden Land of No Form?" Su Mo stroked a gleaming white chess piece with his fingertips, a meaningful smile curving his lips. "It's worth a visit."
He didn't care much about the Formless Heavenly Crystal. His cultivation improvement never relied on such rare and precious materials. What truly moved him was the large number of Eternal Immortal Kings gathered when the forbidden area opened—it was practically a walking "eternal true spirit" storehouse.
If we can seize this opportunity to capture a group of lone Eternal Immortal Kings and take their Eternal True Spirits, let alone breaking through to the twelfth-grade Golden Immortal, even becoming a Dao-proving Immortal King is not out of the question! Thinking of this, a sharp glint flashed in Su Mo's eyes, so fast that it was impossible for anyone to catch it.
Then, Su Mo nodded slightly to the avatar of the Xuanzhen Immortal King: "Since you have this intention, we will go together then."
Although Yuan Jin Immortal King's immortal soul memories had been searched, Yuan Jin Immortal King was ultimately only a first-tier Eternal Immortal King with limited vision. Even when the mist weakened, he only dared to linger on the outer perimeter of the forbidden area, never venturing into the core region. His understanding of the Formless Forbidden Area was extremely limited, far inferior to that of Xuan Zhen Immortal King, a mid-stage third-tier Eternal Immortal King. Traveling with Xuan Zhen Immortal King should save him a lot of trouble.
"But..." Su Mo changed the subject, his gaze falling on the avatar of the Xuanzhen Immortal King, and asked with a half-smile, "If you and I were to encounter this Formless Heavenly Crystal, how would we divide it?"
Although he looked down on such rare and precious materials, Su Mo didn't want to let Xuanzhen Immortal King benefit from them for nothing. Their relationship wasn't close enough for him to give away such valuable resources so easily. He still had to fight for what he wanted. Even if he couldn't use them himself, he could trade them with other forces or give them to those around him to enhance their strength.
Upon hearing this, the avatar of the Xuanzhen Immortal King secretly breathed a sigh of relief—as long as Su Mo was willing to accompany him, the issue of distribution was a minor matter. He pondered for a moment, then cupped his hands and said, "Fellow Daoist, we are both third-tier Eternal Immortal Kings, with comparable strength. In my opinion, we should split the obtained Formless Heavenly Crystals fifty-fifty, what do you say?"
"Fifty-fifty?" Su Mo paused for a moment, then lightly tapped the chess piece with his fingertip. He nodded slightly and smiled, "Then let's do as you say, fellow Daoist."
Although his overall strength has skyrocketed to the point that he has already surpassed a third-tier Eternal Immortal King by a thousand or even ten thousand times, Su Mo does not want to reveal his true power too early. In any case, his real purpose is not the Formless Heavenly Crystal, and he is only putting on a show by worrying about these things.
"In that case, fellow Daoist, let us make a vow of Dao heart."
A glint flashed in the eyes of the Xuanzhen Immortal King's avatar, and his tone suddenly became solemn. In this dog-eat-dog world of cultivation, verbal agreements are meaningless; only by making a vow of Dao heart, bound by a promise, can one feel somewhat at ease.
Before the words were finished, the avatar of the Xuanzhen Immortal King's expression hardened, and dazzling golden Dao patterns suddenly appeared around his body. They seemed to be alive, intertwining and entwining in the air, and finally condensing into an ancient and majestic oath rune, exuding a sacred aura that could not be profaned, and resonating with the laws of the surrounding immortal realm.
"I, the Xuanzhen Immortal King, hereby swear by my Dao heart." The voice of the Xuanzhen Immortal King's avatar resounded, echoing in every corner of the Hongmeng Hall. Every word seemed to contain the power of the most ancient laws of the ancient immortal realm, carrying a heavy weight. "When the Wuxiang Forbidden Land opens, during my journey with Fellow Daoist Su Mo, any Wuxiang Heavenly Crystals I obtain will be split 50/50 with Fellow Daoist Su Mo. I will never hoard any and will never go back on my word. If I violate this oath, may I be punished by heaven and earth and never be reincarnated."
As the final vow was uttered, the golden runes in the air suddenly erupted with dazzling light, as if illuminating the entire hall. Then, the runes transformed into a stream of light, splitting in two. One half merged into the brow of the Xuanzhen Immortal King's avatar, using it as a medium to transmit towards his true self's sea of consciousness. The other half floated towards Su Mo, hovering before him, radiating a soft yet resolute light, seemingly awaiting his response.
The avatar of the Xuanzhen Immortal King looked at Su Mo with a hint of urging in his eyes, but dared not show it too much, for fear of displeasing the other party.
Su Mo looked at the floating golden light and a faint smile appeared on his lips. He moved his fingertips slightly, and a wisp of pure Primordial Purple Qi quietly overflowed, coiling around the light like a serpent. Then he spoke calmly: "I, Su Mo, traveled with Fellow Daoist Xuanzhen to the Formless Forbidden Land. The Formless Heavenly Crystals we obtained will be split 50/50 as agreed."
There were no elaborate oaths; his words were concise and clear, yet carried an undeniable certainty, as if the laws of heaven and earth were bearing witness to his words. As soon as he finished speaking, the golden light instantly merged into his brow, perfectly echoing the oath of the Xuanzhen Immortal King's avatar, leaving a faint ripple of law in the air before vanishing without a trace.
Seeing this, the avatar of the Xuanzhen Immortal King breathed a sigh of relief and smiled: "Since you have made the vow, then we will wait for the day the forbidden area opens. If you have any other needs, please feel free to ask. My Xuanzhen Immortal Kingdom will definitely do its best to help you without hesitation."
Su Mo waved his hand noncommittally, his gaze returning to the chessboard, and lightly picked up a white piece with his fingertips: "Our game is not yet decided, why don't you continue, fellow Daoist?"
The avatar of the Xuanzhen Immortal King quickly agreed, picking up another black chess piece, his mind already calculating. This time, with the combined power of the two third-tier Eternal Immortal Kings, a journey to the Formless Forbidden Land a century later should yield even greater gains, and perhaps they could even take the opportunity to probe the true nature of this mysterious fellow Daoist…