The Nine Cauldrons

Book 8 Chapter 4 The Glowing Cauldron

The hollow cave within the heart of the mountain was in a mess; cracked and crushed rocks were seen everywhere.

“The sound is coming from ahead.” Teng Qingshan looked in front and saw that there was a passageway in the stone wall ahead. The howl of a bitingly cold, whole gale was coming from the passageway. “This is the heart of the mountain! Underground! How can there be whole gale in the interior areas of the mountain?”

“This is probably not the sound of the wind.”

“This hollow cave within the mountain is connected to the exterior areas of the mountain. If there’s wind, I should be able to feel this wind!” Teng Qingshan thought as he walked toward the source of the sound.

Suddenly—

“Crickcrackcrack~~”

Teng Qingshan turned and saw a huge triangular head looking in at him through the cracks of the mountain wall.

“Haha, you haven’t left yet.” Teng Qingshan couldn’t help but chuckle.

The Six Legged Bladelike Chi didn’t answer and simply looked at Teng Qingshan.

“This Six Legged Bladelike Chi knows of Blue Luan’s power, and it has fought with me before. Yet it’s still not fleeing. It looks like there truly is something precious here that’s attracting it,” Teng Qingshan said with a smile. With the Reincarnation Spear in hand, he ignored the Six Legged Bladelike Chi and walked directly into the passageway, where the sound was coming from.

The moment he stepped into the passageway, his brows drew together.

“Whew~whew~~” A series of sounds blew past, and Teng Qingshan could feel the discomfort faintly in his body.

“Hmph, I want to know what sort of dirty trick this is.”

The tunnel was only three Zhang deep. As Teng Qingshan walked through the passageway, he entered another hollow cave in the mountain. This meant the two hollow caves within the mountain were connected through this central passageway! The Six Legged Bladelike Chi was in the previous area, yet the slightly smaller area Teng Qingshan was looking at was….

Empty!

There was no precious item worthy of Teng Qingshan’s attention.

“Whew~~whew~~” A series of sounds with unknown sources resonated repeatedly.

“My head!” Teng Qingshan’s brows knitted together, and he could feel a wave of pain in his head. For someone who had reached Teng Qingshan’s level…… a headache was simply an unimaginable thing.

“Why is the Spiritual Power of the Heavens and the Earth so rich in here?” Teng Qingshan showed an astonished expression. “I have never discovered a place with such an abundant amount of Spiritual Power of the Heavens and the Earth. I am afraid that it is tenfold the amount of Spiritual Qi of Heaven and Earth I sensed while I was practicing the 《Earth Element Fist》.

“With such a rich amount, it should appear solid. So, why is it shapeless and colorless?” Teng Qingshan’s heart was filled with astonishment.

The Spiritual Power of the Heavens and the Earth disseminated between the heavens and the earth. It was something which could not be perceived through the naked eye.

Ordinary innate experts wouldn’t be able to sense the existence of the Spiritual Power of the Heavens and the Earth. Only experts who have comprehended Dao, such as Teng Qingshan and the Eldest Elder, Mu Wang, could sense the Spiritual Power of the Heavens and the Earth. If this Spiritual Power was so rich, it was only reasonable for it to form different kinds of colors.

For example, if the amount of the earth elemental Spiritual Power of the Heavens and the Earth was too rich, a earthen yellow color would form.

Whereas, if the fire elemental Spiritual Power of the Heavens and the Earth was too rich, a fiery red color would form.

However, this Spiritual Qi of the Heavens and the Earth was extremely rich yet shapeless and colorless.

“It is so powerful that it made me feel like I was suffocating…… How can it be shapeless and colorless?” Teng Qingshan endured the headache forcefully.

“Also, the Spiritual Power of the Heavens and the Earth here is so chaotic that it produces this ‘Whewwhew’ sound. Moreover, this chaotic Spiritual Power of the Heavens and the Earth gives me a headache.” Being able to produce such audible ‘Whewwhew’ sounds, one could imagine how rich and chaotic the Spiritual Power of the Heavens and the Earth was.

Secondly, a chaotic Spiritual Power of the Heavens and the Earth was not beneficial to the human body.

If a meek Spiritual Power of the Heavens and the Earth was able to nourish the body and strengthen the Spirit, then a chaotic Spiritual Power of the Heavens and the Earth would harm the body.

“No wonder… It’s no wonder the Six Legged Bladelike Chi is living in the other cave.

“A chaotic Spiritual Power of the Heavens and the Earth benefits neither humans nor demonic beasts. However, the Spiritual Power of the Heavens and the Earth disseminates to its surroundings. If one stayed slightly farther away from it, for example, at the cave nearby, the richness of the Spiritual Power of the Heavens and the Earth would decrease by ninety percent. Although it would decrease by ninety percent, the amount of Spiritual Power there would still be a lot greater than the amount of Spiritual Power in other places. Additionally, the Spiritual Power would no longer be chaotic and, thus, would greatly benefit one’s body and Spirit. Teng Qingshan suddenly realized this and thought to himself, “There wouldn’t be much difference if one stayed just one or two days. However, the results and effects can be seen in the Six Legged Bladelike Chi who has stayed in the nearby cave for a hundred years or so.”

“Roar~~”

The Six Legged Bladelike Chi sat in the other cave and looked through the passageway at the cave Teng Qingshan was in. The demonic beast seemed surprised Teng Qingshan was actually able to endure such a long time in the cave. The Six Legged Bladelike Chi knew very clearly about the benefits of the hollow cave…… Therefore, it was reluctant to leave its own lair.

However—

Even the Six Legged Bladelike Chi didn’t dare to go into the hollow cave Teng Qingshan was in at present. If it entered the hollow cave, it would feel this headache. Moreover, if it stayed in the cave for too long, the chaotic Spiritual Power would harm its Spirit greatly.

……

After a while…

“Why has the surrounding Spiritual Power of the Heavens and the Earth thickened?” Teng Qingshan was slightly surprised as he thought, “It seems like this chaotic Spiritual Power of the Heavens and the Earth in this hollow cave has made me its center.”

“Eh?” Through the corner of his eyes, Teng Qingshan noticed a faint light glowing in his bosom. He opened his collar wide and immediately saw that the little black cauldron on his chest was emitting green, blue, red, white, and other colors.

Amongst the colors, there were undulations of the earth and water elemental powers.

There were also other kinds of complicated undulations.

“The Nine Prefectures Cauldron?” Teng Qingshan was astonished, “How can the Spiritual Power cause the Nine Prefectures Cauldron glow? The cauldron had some sort of movement only when I entered the location where Emperor Yu’s Treasure was hidden.”

Then a thought crossed Teng Qingshan’s mind. “This little black cauldron which appears ordinary must be one of the nine cauldrons of this world!”

According to what Emperor Yu said, the nine prefectures had suffered numerous disasters in the past. Therefore, Emperor Yu had forged the nine cauldrons and subdued the origin of the energy in the nine prefectures.

However, the nine cauldrons had integrated with the nine sources of the heavens and the earth, and obtained many mysterious and strange abilities. The person in possession of the nine cauldrons could no longer control them, and so all of the nine cauldrons had flew away. It had been difficult for even Emperor Yu to locate the nine cauldrons after that.

“Emperor Yu was the one who forged the Nine Prefectures Cauldrons, yet even he himself couldn’t control the Nine Prefectures Cauldrons. I’ve obtained the one of the Nine Prefectures Cauldrons, but whether it’s in the previous life or this life, I won’t be able to control it.” Teng Qingshan knew this clearly. “The Nine Cauldrons integrated with the nine great energy sources and obtained special powers! As for this cave….”

Teng Qingshan began pondering.

“Right. Why did Emperor Yu choose the Godly Axe Mountain? The Duanmu Continent is a big place. Why did he choose the Godly Axe Mountain to be the residence of his descendants?”

“Seeing how much Emperor Yu valued his descendants, this Godly Axe Mountain must have some benefits.”

“Now, it seems like the converging point of the Spiritual Power of the Heavens and the Earth is hidden beneath the Godly Axe Mountain. Although the Spiritual Power of the entire Godly Axe Mountain is not as great as this convergence point, it is still a lot richer than the amounts of Spiritual Power in other locations,” Teng Qingshan remarked in admiration. Emperor Yu did indeed possess great and remarkable ability.

When Emperor Yu reached the Omnipotent Realm, he found the sources of the nine great Spiritual Powers of the Heavens and the Earth and had subdued them with the nine cauldrons.

Thus, it was naturally easy for Emperor Yu to find a convergence point for the Spiritual Power.

“The Nine Prefectures is the core of the heavens and the earth, therefore, that’s where the nine great sources are located. Although there are no sources of Spiritual Power in Duanmu Continent, a lower-leveled convergence point of Spiritual Power must still exist,“ Teng Qingshan guessed.

……

Actually, although Teng Qingshan’s conjectures were slightly different from the truth, it was still rather close to it.

In the pitch black, hollow cave, the little cauldron on Teng Qingshan’s chest became increasingly brighter, and the colorful light illuminated the cave. Teng Qingshan could even see the Spiritual Power of the Heavens and the Earth encircling the little cauldron in the form of ribbons with his naked eyes. “Tzzz~~” Unexpectedly, the little cauldron gradually grew bigger.

As time passed, the little cauldron, which had been as small as a pendant, actually became as big as an adult’s fist.

The thing that shocked Teng Qingshan the most was—

The Spiritual Power of the Heavens and the Earth, which had been so chaotic that it gave Teng Qingshan a headache, was actually becoming meek and tranquil.

“In the legends, it is said that Poetic Sword God, Li Taibai, obtained a Nine Prefectures Cauldron. He even used the Nine Prefectures Cauldron as a wine-jar and drank wine with it.” Teng Qingshan stared at the little, fist-sized cauldron on his chest and laughed, “This little cauldron of mine is probably as big as Senior Li Taibai’s Nine Prefectures Cauldron.”

The Spiritual Power of the Heavens and the Earth had gradually become tranquil and meek.

Naturally, Teng Qingshan’s head stopped hurting. Instead, he felt very comfortable!

“As expected of the Nine Prefectures Cauldron! The Nine Prefectures Cauldrons which subdued the sources and integrated with the sources…” Teng Qingshan praised, “It was able to subdue even the sources, thus, it is naturally easy for it to subdue the convergence point of the Spiritual Powers.”

The Spiritual Powers within the cave became extremely tranquil.

“The Spiritual Power of the Heavens and the Earth here is a hundred times richer than the Spiritual Power in the outer world. The Spiritual Power which gathered when I was practicing the Earth Element Fist was never this rich. The amount of Spirit that is nourished and strengthened just by standing here is even greater than when I am practicing my fist art.” Teng Qingshan’s eyes brightened as he understood how precious this place was!

In his opinion, this place was even more precious than any other precious treasures!

“This place might be harmful to other people…! But because I have the Nine Prefectures Cauldron, which can subdue the chaotic Spiritual Power of the Heavens and the Earth, it is of great benefit to me.”

Teng Qingshan immediately decided that from today onwards, he must come here often.

“Roar~~” An ear-piercing roar exploded in the dark cave.

A pair of huge bladelike legs crossed over through the short passageway; the Six Legged Bladelike Chi was approaching. It had walked through the passageway quite a few times before as the height of the tunnel allowed the Six Legged Bladelike Chi to walk over to the cave easily. At this moment, the Six Legged Bladelike Chi was staring at the little cauldron on Teng Qingshan’s chest with its huge golden eyes.

The demonic beast was drawn in by the colorful light produced by the little cauldron.

Suddenly—

The Six Legged Bladelike Chi turned its triangular head in shock and surveyed the surroundings. It was shocked because it realized—the cave which had originally made its own head hurt—now made it feel an unprecedented sense of comfort. With the Six Legged Bladelike Chi’s cultivation level, it also sensed the originally chaotic Spiritual Power of the Heavens and the Earth had become meek.

This was astonishing! The Six Legged Bladelike Chi had stayed here for over a thousand years, but the chaotic Spiritual Power of the Heavens and the Earth had never been meek and tranquil.

“Big fella, are you looking for a beating?” Teng Qingshan approached with the Reincarnation Spear in hand.

The Six Legged Bladelike Chi retreated two steps backward.

Due to its enormous body, fighting in the cave was a disadvantage for the Six Legged Bladelike Chi.

“Considering this big fellow’s skills, it must have guessed that the Spiritual Power of the Heavens and the Earth has turned meek because of my arrival. It must have also guessed that it was due to the Nine Prefectures Cauldron.” Teng Qingshan couldn’t do anything about it..….The little cauldron shone colorfully in the dark cave. The Spiritual Power, which encircled the little cauldron like colorful ribbons, made the little cauldron appear very conspicuous.

The Six Legged Bladelike Chi could even see the little cauldron even though it was hidden beneath Teng Qingshan’s clothes.

“However, it’s fine even if it knows.”

“With my ability, I am not afraid of it. I can use the surroundings in this cave. Thus, I have an advantage. If a fight really did happened, I could summon Blue Luan and deal with it easily.” As Teng Qingshan pondered, a smile blossomed on his face. He couldn’t help it as a feeling of exhilaration filled his entire being.

The Six Legged Bladelike Chi looked at the little cauldron on Teng Qingshan’s chest greedily. The rich Spiritual Power of the Heavens and the Earth had become very meek because of the little cauldron. Thus, the Six Legged Bladelike Chi really desired it.

“I shall go back and eat dinner.” Teng Qingshan held the Reincarnation Spear and leapt up, drilling through the mountain wall like lightning! He then rushed into the mountain rocks and disappeared!

The originally meek and tranquil Spiritual Power of the Heavens and the Earth immediately became chaotic again.

“Whew~~whew~~” The sound was extremely loud,

“Roar~~” The Six Legged Bladelike Chi emitted a furious and bitter roar. Forcefully enduring the headache, it retreated back to its lair. Without Teng Qingshan’s Nine Prefectures Cauldron, that precious zone was just a dangerous place.