Chapter Sixty: True and False Maps

  "Eleven pieces......" Xiao Juezi picked up a damaged painting and examined it for a moment.

  After a moment, as if he had made some sort of decision, Xiao Zhi's five fingers flipped over and he cast an isolation seal, conjuring up a pale golden wall that isolated the area where they were from the outside world. This isolation seal was capable of blocking ordinary people's prying eyes, and it didn't consume much yuan energy either; even average Qi-refining cultivators could set one up.

  "Feng Ling Xiong, do you know the origin of these remaining paintings?" asked Xiao Jue Zi in a low voice.

  Feng Ling Lao Dao looked at him with a glance, as if he understood what was on his mind, and replied, "Those people once said that these fragmented maps were the map of Wang Lie's Magic Castle."

  Xiao Juezi heard this and slightly raised the corner of his mouth, saying "Not bad, these fragmented maps are indeed the map of Wangshi Magic Castle, but does Feng Ling brother know the origin of Wangshi Magic Castle?"

  "Or perhaps you know?" Feng Ling Lao Dao raised an eyebrow and asked back.

  Feng Ling Old Dao was originally a cultivator of a medium-sized sect in the Northern Domain of the cultivation world. Thirty years ago, he obtained a token to enter the Mortal Realm and since then, Feng Ling Old Dao had never gone out again, hiding in the Mortal Realm to cultivate wholeheartedly, wanting to break through to the Scattered Immortal Realm.

  "Not bad!" Xiao Juezi said as he stood up.

  "The Mysterious Death Castle, where the Nine-Trial Scattered Immortal Huang Quan Old Immortal cultivated and attained enlightenment. Legend has it that within lies Huang Quan's cultivation methods and experiences of crossing trials. Anyone who obtains the treasures within will soar to great heights and become the master of this world!"

  The Jiuxian dispersal has not occurred for tens of thousands of years.

  Nowadays, even masters can only know about the rumors of Jiujie Sanchen through ancient books.

  "Jiū Jié Sǎn Xiān?! Does such an existence really exist?" Fēng Líng Old Dao exclaimed.

  What he had seen before was the most powerful, the second calamity scattered immortal. Now, Xiao Zhezi suddenly told him a rumor about the nine calamities scattered immortal, how could he not be surprised.

  "Of course there are." Xiao Juezi nodded. "From ancient times to the present, I don't know how long it has been, but in the vast expanse of time, it's inevitable that some stunning figures will emerge."

  The old Taoist stood silently with his eyes constantly flickering.

  It wasn't until after a while that he asked, "How did you know?"

  Xiao Juezi smiled and said, "Because our ancestors had been to that place before and managed to escape alive."

  "What?!"

  "That year, the mysterious castle suddenly appeared, and many masters rushed in, but almost all of them fell inside. Only three people managed to escape, and my ancestor was one of them..." As he spoke, Xiao Zhezi's eyes flashed.

  Feng Ling Lao Dao looked at Xiao Zhezi with a mixture of shock and suspicion, the two having known each other for over twenty years. Only now did he discover that Xiao Zhezi, whose cultivation was inferior to his own, seemed not as simple as he appeared on the surface.

  "What do you want to say?" Feng Ling Lao Dao asked directly.

  "I'd like to invite Feng Ling and you to go with me to the Futile Death Magic Castle!" said Xiao Juezi.

  The old Taoist remained silent and unmoved amidst the raging wind.

  The cultivation method and tribulation insights of a Nine-Tribulations Scatter Immortal are definitely not something that can be said to be unmoving.

  Xiao Juezi spoke again, "I'll tell you another piece of news, Feng Ling...". As he said this, Xiao Juezi threw down the torn map in his hand and took out six more from his sleeve, placing them on the table. "Those people told us that these maps were drawn by people who escaped alive from the False Death Magic Castle, but at that time, there were only three people who came out alive... Do you know why there are so many maps?"

  Feng Ling Lao Dao's pupils contracted for a moment upon hearing this "Could it be..."

  "Not bad, these residual maps were all drawn by my ancestors as fake maps! Every path in each map is false, and following the fake map will eventually lead to a dead end, where one will surely die! The real treasure map that leads to the place where Huang Quan Old Immortal sits and meditates, actually only has three genuine copies, and I happen to have one of them in my hands." said Xiao Zhi Zi.

  Drawing fake pictures to confuse people's minds.

  Profiting from chaos is what Xiao Zijian's ancestors had planned all along.

  The other two survivors also seemed to have done something, but specifically what, Xiao Zuo didn't know either. After all, it had been too long since the last time the False Death Castle appeared.

  "Why are you telling me this? If the treasure map in your hand is real, why not go and monopolize Huang Quan Lao Xian's legacy, the Nine Tribulations Scattered Immortal's cultivation method. If you get it, you can definitely break through to the Scattered Immortal realm, and even survive one or two Scattered Immortal calamities..." Feng Ling Lao Dao didn't respond, but instead asked back.

  The relic of Jiū Jié Sǎn Xiān is absolutely a treasure.

  Xiao Juezi possessed the true map, but he told himself this news, and couldn't let Feng Ling Lao Dao suspect.

  "That place is the Deathless Devil's Castle, even with a real treasure map, it's not guaranteed to be absolutely safe. Moreover... at the site of Huang Quan Old Immortal's ascension, there is a demonic beast lurking around, and I alone am no match for it." Xiao Juezi was not surprised by Feng Ling Lao Dao's reaction, but instead patiently explained.

  "Monster?"

  "A demonic beast that's almost as powerful as a loose immortal." Xiao Juezi said, "However, I have a special method to subdue it, but the prerequisite is that there must be a Qi-refining cultivator with similar cultivation level to mine to assist me."

  The old Taoist is silent amidst the raging wind.

  "Feng Ling, what are you still hesitating about? With our qualifications, I'm afraid we'll never be able to transcend the mortal realm in this lifetime. If we can't become scattered immortals, then in at most fifty years, we'll turn into a pile of dust and disappear from this world. Although the Magic Castle is perilous, it's not necessarily not an opportunity for us!" Xiao Zhezi said.

  "Alright! I'll go with you this time, but... after obtaining the legacy of Huang Quan Old Immortal, how will we distribute it?" Feng Ling Old Dao fell silent for a long time before finally making up his mind.

  The cultivation method of Jiuxian's dispersal, that thing, was already worth risking his life for.

  "Kung fu and Tribulation experience are naturally for mutual reference, what about the rest? I have six layers, Feng Ling brother has four layers, how is that?" Xiao Juezi said.

  After all, the treasure map is in his hands, so he should have an extra layer of advantage.

  Feng Ling Lao Dao nodded, which was equivalent to agreeing.

  The two of them negotiated for a long time and didn't lift the ban until dawn.

  "In three days, I will return to the imperial palace and go with you to the Wicked Death Castle." Feng Ling Lao Dao stood up and looked at the fake map on the table again, asking "What about these fake maps..."

  "Nature is left to those guys!" A hint of bloodthirstiness flashed across Xiao Juezi's eyes.

  "It's extremely perilous to die in the Demon Castle if no one lures away those monsters. The main reason why our ancestors were able to escape alive was that those things were being held back by others."

  Feng Ling Lao Dao nodded and with a flick of his sleeve, he stored the eleven fake maps in his sleeve.

  With a wave of his sleeve, he disappeared into the imperial palace.

  ......

  After making up his mind, Ding Yan followed the records on the map and headed westward.

  Half a day later, Ding Yan stopped in a small town called Heji. Along the way, Ding Yan clearly felt that the number of cultivators in the mortal world had increased a lot, and even several scattered immortals appeared, among whom there were several people whose cultivation he couldn't see through.

  "These people should have all entered six years ago." Ding Yan bought a cloak, concealed his own breath, and blended in with the crowd.

  Ding Yan has been in the mortal world for 16 years. Six years ago was the last time the Grand Array opened. These people must have entered during that opening of the Grand Array.