bioinnovel Chapter 265 Searching for the Cauldron in Jinling, the Statue of Zeus!
Chapter 265 Searching for the Cauldron in Jinling, the Statue of Zeus!
The day after the Battle of Hongze Lake ended, the news swept the globe like a hurricane.
Western media outlets used every sensational headline imaginable in an attempt to overwhelm China in terms of public opinion.
"An Eastern demon has been born, turning Hongze Lake into a death zone!"
"Su Fan has awakened the forbidden artifact once again, at the cost of millions of lives!"
Experts warn: The gathering of the Nine Tripods could trigger a global catastrophe!
However, the atmosphere is completely different within China.
Within three hours of the battle, the authorities released a detailed report, truthfully explaining to the Chinese people that an ancient evil vein was suppressed at the bottom of Hongze Lake.
In order to suppress the evil lineage, Xu Zhou Ding destroyed its own spirituality, and Su Fan and others risked their lives to prevent the entire process of the evil being born.
The report was accompanied by a video of part of the battle. The scene of the black evil aura covering the sky and the Xuzhou Cauldron burning its spiritual energy to transform into a pillar of light reaching the heavens brought tears to the eyes of countless viewers.
"The Xuzhou Cauldron... it's gone just like that?"
"Senior Dingling sacrificed himself to suppress the evil spirits..."
"Su Shen and the others are badly injured, especially Master Tang Sanzang, who is bleeding from all seven orifices."
"Those Western media outlets are shameless! It was clearly Su Shen and his team who saved the Jianghuai region, yet they're being portrayed as demons!"
The online discussion was heated, but most of it was praise for Su Fan and his team.
Meanwhile, in the outskirts of Kyoto, inside the Cloud Stack Cave in Gao Lao Zhuang.
The phantom of Pigsy reappeared from the statue, now even dimmer and almost transparent than before.
He stared at the battle footage playing on the screen in front of him, his once lazy face now replaced by a solemn expression.
Pigsy muttered to himself, "The evil vein node... that black-robed bastard actually found this place. The spirit of the Xuzhou Cauldron has dissipated, leaving only an empty shell. With one of the four cauldrons missing, the formation is incomplete."
He looked up at the east, his brows furrowed: "Do Su Fan and the others have enough time to go to Jinling to find the Yangzhou Cauldron? Seven days... only seven days."
Pigsy calculated with his fingers, and his face grew increasingly grim.
According to his calculations, even if Su Fan and the others find the Yangzhou Cauldron, it will take at least ten days to fully awaken it and make it resonate with the other three cauldrons.
But now, the West and the black-robed men have only given them seven days.
"I need to think of a way..." Pigsy scratched his head and paced back and forth in the cave.
"In my current state, even if I went to Midway, I could only hold off one enemy at most. I wonder where Monkey King is sleeping. As for Master... sigh, Master's golden body was completely destroyed back then; he was probably in even worse shape than me."
He walked up to the female statue and spoke softly:
"Cuilan, what should I do? I promised you to protect this land back then, but now... it seems I have to break my promise."
The statues are silent.
After a long silence, a resolute glint flashed in Pigsy's eyes.
He walked deeper into the cave and pushed aside a seemingly ordinary stone slab.
Beneath the stone slab was a small, hidden compartment.
Inside the hidden compartment was a yellowish talisman with intricate patterns drawn on it in cinnabar.
Pigsy picked up the talisman and his mind drifted back to what had happened years ago.
"This is a life-saving talisman given to me by Laozi when I left Heaven. Each use reduces its lifespan, but I can't worry about that now."
Pigsy carefully put away the talisman, returned to the statue, sat cross-legged, and began to regulate his breathing.
He needs to recover as much as possible within these seven days.
Even if it only recovers to 30%, it's still better than it is now.
……
In the west, deep within Mount Olympus.
This is a temple built entirely of gold and white jade, over a hundred feet high, with carvings of gods waging war on its pillars.
In the center of the temple, seven guardians of the gods stood around a huge stone statue.
The stone statue is about ten meters tall, entirely white, and depicts a majestic man clad in armor and wielding a thunderbolt...
Zeus, king of the Olympian gods!!!
However, at this moment, the surface of the stone statue is covered with cracks, as if it might collapse at any moment.
Hephaestus, the God-Slayer, examined the condition of the stone statue, his voice low and deep.
"The statue of Lord Zeus can only withstand one more awakening. After awakening, it can only last for a maximum of three hours. After three hours, regardless of the outcome, the statue will completely collapse."
Zeus's charioteer has sharp eyes.
"Three hours... is enough. With the combined power of Athena and Venus, and the assistance of the man in black, it's enough to annihilate the main force of China."
"But there's still that mysterious powerhouse in China." Ares, the God-Controlling Master, frowned. "He can snatch the black-robed man's artifact from afar; his strength shouldn't be underestimated."
Athena, the Divine Guardian, calmly said, "Therefore, we need to make more preparations. Venus, the pawns you planted within China can now be used."
The goddess Venus smiled radiantly:
"Don't worry, it's all arranged. They'll happen to appear when Su Fan is searching for the Yangzhou Cauldron and cause some minor trouble."
Zeus, the charioteer of the gods, emphasized this.
"Remember, it's about delaying, not killing. Our real battlefield is Midway. The main force of the Chinese army must leave the mainland; only there will we have a chance of victory."
"Understood." Venus, the God-Slayer, nodded. "I will handle things carefully."
Zeus's charioteer looked at Hermes's charioteer.
"Intelligence work continues. I need to know the real-time location and status of every high-end combat force in China."
"yes!"
"Apollo, the God-Keeper; Ares, the God-Keeper; Hephaestus, the God-Keeper; the three of you shall continue to attempt to achieve a deep resonance with the gods over the next five days."
Zeus's charioteer looked at the three charioteers and said, "If we can break through to the demigod realm, our chances of winning this battle will increase by another 20%."
The three responded in unison.
The meeting ended, and everyone dispersed.
Inside the temple, only Zeus's charioteer remained.
He walked up to the statue of Zeus, reached out and touched the cracks, a complex look flashing in his eyes.
"Father... no, God," he murmured to himself, "this time, Olympus has truly staked everything."
The stone statue remained silent, with only the lightning patterns faintly glowing.
……
Three military off-road vehicles are speeding along the expressway from Jianghuai to Jinling.
In the back seat of the middle car, Su Fan closed his eyes to regulate his breathing, his face still pale.
Tang Sanzang sat to his left, and Chen Zhan sat to his right.
The other two cars carried the remaining six team members.
The distance from Hongze Lake to Jinling is about 300 kilometers.
At normal driving speed, it will take three hours to get there.
But they dared not take the highway, because if the men in black robes could ambush people at Hongze Lake, they might have other methods up their sleeves along the way.
Therefore, the convoy traveled entirely on remote national and county roads, and even a section of it was a bumpy rural dirt road.
Seeing Su Fan's furrowed brows, Chen Zhan couldn't help but advise:
"Advisor Su, please rest a little longer. I'll wake you up when we get to Nanjing."
Su Fan shook his head: "I can't sleep."
He opened his eyes and looked out the window at the fields rushing past.
It was early summer, the rice seedlings in the fields were green, and smoke rose from the distant villages, creating a peaceful scene.
But who could have imagined that this peaceful place might be shattered by war just seven days later?
Tang Sanzang suddenly spoke, his voice still weak.
"The sacrifice of the Xuzhou Cauldron will not be in vain. The cauldron spirit has done immeasurable merit by suppressing the evil forces with his own body. After this matter is resolved, this humble monk will chant sutras for forty-nine days to help his remaining spirit be reborn in the Pure Land."
Su Fan nodded emphatically:
"I will remember this kindness. When the nine tripods are all gathered and China is at peace, I will definitely restore the spirit of the Xuzhou Tripod."
Tang Sanzang said with satisfaction:
"It's good that you have this intention. However, the most urgent matter is the Yangzhou Ding. According to the map, the Yangzhou Ding should be in the Zijin Mountain area of Jinling. We'll probably need to find its exact location."
"We'll talk about it when we get there," Su Fan said in a deep voice. "Even if we have to turn Zijin Mountain upside down, we must find the Yangzhou Cauldron within three days."
Three days to find it, two days to awaken it, and two days left for preparation.
This is their final plan.
The convoy continued on its way.
At 3 p.m., they finally arrived at the outskirts of Nanjing.
Instead of entering the city, they took a detour directly to Zijin Mountain.
Zijin Mountain, the location of the dragon vein of Jinling, has been a favored burial place for emperors and generals since ancient times.
The mountains rise and fall, like a dragon coiled and a tiger crouching, with a majestic and imposing presence.
The convoy stopped at a secluded spot at the foot of the mountain.
Su Fan got out of the car and looked at the continuous mountain range.
"Captain Chen, you take three men to keep watch at the foot of the mountain. Master Xuanzang and I will go up the mountain. Remember, if anything unusual happens, send a signal immediately."
"Yes, sir!" Chen Zhan stood at attention and saluted. "Advisor Su, please be careful."
Su Fan nodded, exchanged a glance with Tang Sanzang, and the two transformed into streaks of light, flying towards the mountains.
They dared not fly too high for fear of revealing their location, so they could only fly low through the forest.
As he flew, Su Fan took out the Jizhou Cauldron and the Qingzhou Cauldron.
Two cauldrons floated in his palm, emitting a faint hum and a blue light. The blue light pointed in a direction deep in the mountains, which was the location of Sun Yat-sen's Mausoleum.
Su Fan's eyes narrowed.
"Sure enough, it's over there. The core of the Zijin Mountain dragon vein is located below the Sun Yat-sen Mausoleum."
The two quickened their pace.
Ten minutes later, they landed in the square in front of Sun Yat-sen Mausoleum.
It was already evening, and the setting sun bathed the entire mausoleum in gold.
The tourists had already left, and only a few staff members were conducting pre-closing checks.
"Avoid ordinary people."
Tang Sanzang put his hands together in prayer, and a faint light emanated from him, creating a simple illusion.
To the staff, they were just two ordinary tourists and quickly disappeared from sight.
The two arrived at the main gate of the mausoleum.
Su Fan sensed the guidance of the two cauldrons once again, and the azure light pointed straight to the ground.
"Underground." Su Fan frowned. "And...very deep."
"Let this humble monk come."
Tang Sanzang stepped forward and placed his right hand on the stone tablet in front of the tomb.
The Buddha's power penetrates and explores the underground structure.
After a moment, he withdrew his hand, his expression becoming even more serious:
"A hundred meters underground, there is a huge cavity. The cavity is sealed off."
"A seal?" Su Fan's heart skipped a beat. "Is it to protect the Yangzhou Cauldron, or...?"
"Both are present," Tang Sanzang said in a deep voice. "The outer layer is a protective seal, likely set up by guardians throughout the ages. But the inner layer... contains evil energy. It originates from the same source as the evil energy at the bottom of Hongze Lake."
The man in black robes!
Su Fan clenched his fists: "He really did tamper with things here too."
"What should we do?" Tang Sanzang looked at Su Fan.
"Forcibly breaking through the outer seal is not difficult, but it will inevitably disturb the evil energy arrangements inside. At that time, it may trigger an evil vein riot, just like Hongze Lake."
Su Fan remained silent.
The lesson learned from Hongze Lake was too painful.
The spirit of the Xuzhou Cauldron dissipated, Tang Sanzang was seriously injured, and all the team members were wounded. If they had to go through this again...
"We must find a way to enter the underground without disturbing the evil spirits."
Su Fan looked around, his brain working at lightning speed.
The Sun Yat-sen Mausoleum is the final resting place of the Father of the Nation, and it's impossible for it to be blown up like Hongze Lake.
Moreover, this is the urban area of Jinling. If the evil veins were to erupt, the consequences would be unimaginable.
Tang Sanzang suddenly said:
"Perhaps we can enter from the side. When I was exploring just now, I discovered that the underground cavity is not completely sealed. About three hundred meters to the east of the tomb, there is an underground river. The river is connected to the cavity, which may serve as an entrance."
"An underground river?" Su Fan's eyes lit up. "Let's go take a look!"
The two arrived at the east side of the mausoleum, where there was a dense forest, rarely visited by people.
Tang Sanzang pointed to an inconspicuous crevice in the rock: "This is it. Three meters below the crevice is the entrance to the underground river."
Su Fan squatted down, placed his hand on the crack in the stone, and infused it with divine power.
Sure enough, there was the sound of water below, and the direction of the water flow was towards the underground of Sun Yat-sen Mausoleum.
"I'll go down," Su Fan decided immediately. "Master, you stay upstairs to provide support. If anything unexpected happens..."
"This humble monk will go with you," Tang Sanzang interrupted him. "The situation underground is unknown; two people can look out for each other."
"But your injury..."
"It's alright." Tang Sanzang smiled slightly. "Suppressing evil spirits is the duty of Buddhism."
Seeing the determination in Tang Sanzang's eyes, Su Fan knew he couldn't persuade him otherwise, so he nodded emphatically: "Alright, let's go together then."
The two transformed into two streaks of light and disappeared into the ground through the cracks in the rocks.
Three meters later, the view suddenly opened up before me.
This is an underground river about two meters wide. The water is pitch black and has a faint fishy smell.
Following the river forward, one can faintly hear... the sound of bells coming from afar?
"A bell?" Su Fan was taken aback. "How could there be a bell ringing underground?"
"This is not an ordinary bell sound." Tang Sanzang listened intently. "It is... the sound of a cauldron."
The two exchanged a glance and quickened their pace.
After traveling about 500 meters along the underground river, a light curtain appeared ahead. The light curtain was pale gold and had complex runes flowing on it.
Behind the light curtain, the outline of a bronze cauldron can be vaguely seen.
Yangzhou Ding!
But the two did not rush forward.
Because in front of the light curtain, in the middle of the dark river, sat a person.
An old Taoist priest with gray hair and a withered face, wearing a gray Taoist robe.
He was sitting with his eyes closed, and strangely enough, there was no sign of life in his body; instead, he exuded a dense aura of death.
Behind the old Taoist priest, wisps of black evil energy swirled around the light screen, forming a spiderweb that locked the screen tightly and was slowly eroding it.
Tang Sanzang sighed softly.
"The tomb guardian and the tomb guardian corrupted by evil energy. This Taoist priest should be one of the tomb guardians who have protected the Yangzhou Ding throughout the ages. He passed away here, continuing to guard it with his own body. But the evil energy of the man in black robes is too domineering, even his body has been corrupted."
Su Fan felt heavy-hearted.
Another victim.
Su Fan asked, "What do we do now? If we disturb the tomb guardian's corpse, it might trigger a surge of evil energy. But if we don't find a way, we can't get in."
Tang Sanzang pondered for a moment: "Perhaps we could try communicating with the remnant spirit of the tomb guardian, just like you did with the spirit of the cauldron in Xuzhou."
"But the spirit of the Xuzhou Cauldron still remains, and this Taoist priest has been deceased for a thousand years..."
"Let's give it a try." Tang Sanzang put his hands together in prayer. "Buddhism has methods of deliverance; perhaps we can awaken the last vestige of his attachment."
Su Fan nodded: "Alright, I will protect you."
Tang Sanzang sat down cross-legged and began to chant scriptures.
The sound of Buddhist chants echoed in the underground river, and Buddhist light enveloped the old Taoist's corpse, attempting to awaken the obsession that had been dormant for a thousand years.
At first, the body showed no reaction.
But as the chanting continued, the old Taoist priest's tightly closed eyes twitched slightly.
Immediately afterwards, a faint thought entered their minds:
"The...the descendants...came here...to retrieve the cauldron?"
Su Fan quickly replied, "This junior, Su Fan, has come to retrieve the Yangzhou Cauldron by order of the Great Sage King Yu, in order to stabilize the nation's fortune and resist foreign enemies."
"Yu the Great... the Sage King..." A thought arose, "The proof..."
Su Fan took out the fragment of the Hetu Luoshu again.
The tortoise shell lit up, and the phantom image of Yu the Great appeared.
Upon seeing the phantom, the old Taoist's body trembled violently, and his eyes, which had been closed for a thousand years, slowly opened.
There were no eyeballs in their eye sockets, only two ghostly blue flames.
But within those will-o'-the-wisps was a sense of relief and liberation.
"Finally...it's here..."
The corpse slowly stood up, its movements stiff. It turned around and looked at the light screen behind it, which was shrouded in evil energy, with ghostly flames flickering in its eyes.
"This humble Taoist has guarded this cauldron for thirteen hundred years..."
"Today... my mission is complete..."
He stretched out his withered hands and placed them on the light screen.
The next moment, the corpse burst into flames!
It was not flame, but a pure white light.
The white light and the Buddha's light merged, transforming into a powerful purifying force that fiercely impacted the black evil energy.
sizzle-
The evil energy melted away like ice and snow, quickly dissipating, and the light screen returned to its pure gold color.
The old Taoist's body gradually dissipated in the white light.
In his final moments, he glanced back at Su Fan, a relieved smile playing on his lips.
"The Yangzhou Cauldron... is now yours..."
"China...forever...prosperous..."
The sound faded away, and the corpse turned to ashes.
The light curtain also silently opened a gap.
Su Fan and Tang Sanzang stood there, speechless for a long time.
Another guardian has passed away peacefully after fulfilling its thousand-year mission.
"Amitabha Buddha," Tang Sanzang chanted softly. "Reverend Daoist, may you have a safe journey."
Su Fan bowed deeply, then stepped into the light screen.
Inside the light curtain was a huge stone chamber.
In the center of the stone chamber, a bronze cauldron with three legs and two handles sits quietly. Its body is engraved with a topographical map of the Jiangnan water towns, and two ancient characters radiate a warm, bluish light.
Yangzhou!
The fourth tripod has been found!
Su Fan let out a long sigh of relief, walked towards the Yangzhou Ding, reached out and grasped the handle, and gently lifted it.
The Yangzhou tripod feels warm and smooth to the touch, with a flowing blue light and emitting a cheerful hum.
It sensed the aura of the Jizhou Cauldron and the Qingzhou Cauldron. The three cauldrons resonated, their blue light intertwining, illuminating the entire stone chamber as if it were daytime.
The fourth cauldron is in hand!