Top enlightenment at 100 years old Chapter 654 - 635: Black Snow, Cultivation World’s Bitter Winter (Part 2)

With the passage of time, the bloody odor intensified relentlessly.

At last.

Ji Haoyuan distinctly spotted thick, sticky blood flowing from the corridor's end inside the cabin.

What horrified Ji Haoyuan was the sight of countless pale, swollen corpses submerged in that blood.

Though the faces on those corpses were unrecognizable, the lingering auras they emitted revealed they had been remarkable figures in life.

This realization hit him with a life-threatening peril.

I have to escape this place right now!

Ji Haoyuan wasted no time and spun around to flee.

However, the moment he turned, a golden sheet of paper caught his peripheral vision, drifting silently among the corpses.

That golden paper bore intricate, endless carvings of text across its surface.

The opening words atop it gripped him with irresistible allure.

Taoyi Daojing!

What sort of scripture merits the title of Daojing?

It had to be an exceptional manual.

Ji Haoyuan's heart raced uncontrollably.

He understood full well how perilous his current predicament was.

Delaying his departure could invite unpredictable disasters.

Yet, he also recognized that a scripture-inscribed golden sheet was undoubtedly a priceless treasure.

Letting it slip away might haunt him forever.

This feeling stemmed from pure instinct.

That golden paper held immense importance for him.

What should he do?

Ji Haoyuan wrestled with the dilemma inside.

But his window of opportunity was shrinking fast.

Stay or go—he needed to decide without delay.

I'll take the gamble!

Ultimately, resolve blazed in Ji Haoyuan's gaze.

The very next instant, rather than fleeing, he surged forward, extending his hand to seize the golden paper amid the corpses.

Ssssss!

Abruptly, strands of blue smoke rose from Ji Haoyuan's reaching hand.

It appeared as if some corrosive power was eating at it.

He sensed a chunk of his own Dao Pattern being forcibly peeled away in that moment.

Though he could potentially restore that lost portion after his Primordial Spirit reunited with his body, given some effort.

Still, excessive erosion of Dao Patterns might lead to irreversible loss of control over them.

What's happening here?

Ji Haoyuan swiftly scanned with his Dao Pattern's heavenly vision.

Suddenly.

His pupils shrank in shock.

For the Dao Pattern segment stripped from him had morphed into a tiny replica of himself within the blood.

Like the other corpses, this figure lay lifeless, as if long steeped in water.

Without warning, an icy shiver raced up his back.

Such bizarre events were entirely new to him.

Above all, his remaining time was clearly dwindling.

The aura of approaching death loomed ever nearer.

He even faintly perceived that further delay would turn him into one of those corpses.

No more delays!

Determination sparked fiercely in Ji Haoyuan's eyes.

In the following moment, an ancient stone tablet burst forth from his forehead.

The tablet was etched densely with myriad complex, profound Dao Patterns.

It was the Divine Dao Tablet!

Boom!

The instant the Divine Dao Tablet emerged, it erupted with unmatched might.

Strands of taboo laws radiated from its face.

With a piercing sizzle.

The blood and corpses nearly swallowing Ji Haoyuan vaporized in large part.

Thankfully.

The golden sheet remained intact.

Ji Haoyuan grasped the fleeting chance.

Missing it meant he might never claim that golden paper.

Thus, his Primordial Spirit blazed with light in that split second.

The real-illusory Dao powered up to its utmost.

Whoosh.

A hand, tangible yet ethereal, thrust boldly into the lingering blood.

With one quick snatch, it firmly clutched the golden sheet.

Success!

Joy spread across Ji Haoyuan's features involuntarily.

But right then, every corpse still adrift in the blood snapped their eyes open.

In a flash, deathly stillness permeated the whole cabin.

Ji Haoyuan's hairs stood straight up.

For he witnessed beams of inky, bottomless black rays lancing from each corpse's eyes directly toward him.

He was certain those dark beams striking him would bring catastrophe.

And so.

Without a second's pause, he raised the Divine Dao Tablet as a shield.

Then a deafening boom like crashing thunder resounded.

The entire Forbidden Vessel shuddered violently.

Ji Haoyuan felt a sharp, unmistakable sensation; in that instant, he appeared to stand at the heart of a raging ocean storm.

A mere moment of carelessness would drag him straight to the bottom of the sea.

Swoosh!

Fortunately.

The Divine Dao Tablet truly lived up to its reputation as a forbidden treasure.

Regardless of the storm's ferocity, it managed to carry his Primordial Spirit safely out of the cabin.

A burst of light flashed.

Gripping the Divine Dao Tablet, Ji Haoyuan prepared to leap from the Forbidden Vessel.

Yet right as he was about to jump, the whole Forbidden Vessel suddenly stirred to life.

Gray fog abruptly billowed from the bow.

Moments later, before he could respond, a vague gray imprint landed on Ji Haoyuan’s shoulder.

Sss!

Ji Haoyuan quickly noticed a gray mark had abruptly formed on his left shoulder.

His face drained of color.

What’s going on?

What in the world is this?

He carefully scanned it with his divine sense.

He even called upon the Divine Dao Tablet's power.

But the gray mark acted just like a natural birthmark fused into his body.

No matter how intensely Ji Haoyuan investigated, nothing seemed off.

Even worse, the Forbidden Vessel had begun heading toward an unknown place.

Without escaping soon, heaven knows where it might carry him.

Stuck in this bind, Ji Haoyuan had no choice but to trigger the Divine Dao Tablet's power again and vault off the apparently revived Forbidden Vessel.

Luckily, he possessed this forbidden treasure tailored for his Primordial Spirit.

Otherwise, given his present strength, breaking free from the Forbidden Vessel’s forces would have been impossible.

A quick flick.

Ji Haoyuan’s Primordial Spirit swiftly returned to his fleshly body.

Right then, standing silently in the void, he abruptly opened his eyes.

In the next breath, he anxiously checked his left shoulder.

Just as anticipated.

True to his fears.

There on his left shoulder, a gray mark was permanently etched into his skin.

Whatever technique he tried, he failed to erase it from his body.

This made his heart drop a bit.

He couldn’t guess what consequences might arise from being branded by a forbidden existence like the Forbidden Vessel.

Apparently, he needed to await his master and the Dongyue Saint Master’s return, in hopes they could shed light on it.

With that thought, Ji Haoyuan pushed down his faint anxiety for now and shifted focus to his hand.

Whoosh!

All at once, Ji Haoyuan’s face twisted dramatically.

Where’s my golden sheet of paper?

Everyone knew he’d braved such enormous danger before solely for that golden sheet.

Yet now, shockingly, the golden sheet had vanished.

What’s happening here?

In a flash.

Ji Haoyuan appeared to spot something.

His countenance changed right away.