Chapter 505: Nether Abyss Mountain Chariot
# Chapter 505: Nether Abyss Mountain Chariot!
Departing from Green Wood Peak, Bei Qingtang turned to Jiang Chen. “Junior Brother, summon your Shattered Moon Flowing Frost. Our numbers have grown too large, and my vessel cannot accommodate everyone.”
Jiang Chen naturally did not refuse, immediately calling forth the artifact to hover in the air.
“The Shattered Moon Flowing Frost?”
“It looks remarkably familiar!”
“A male cultivator actually travels in such a vessel?”
Aside from Zhao Chengdao, everyone else wore peculiar expressions upon seeing the artifact.
The vessel was much like the Calyx Boat, an artifact predominantly favored by female cultivators.
Male cultivators typically favored far more varied and eccentric mounts, ranging across all shapes and martial styles.
Under Bei Qingtang’s lead, Zhao Chengdao, Liu Ying, Su Wanqing, Yun Shu, Jiang Che, Tie Shan, and Shui Lianlian all boarded the Shattered Moon Flowing Frost.The group soared into the heavens, cutting through the clouds toward Crimson Fire Peak.
En route, Bei Qingtang produced several Fire Repelling Pills, distributing one to each person. “This is the first batch of your Reward. As long as you endure the task ahead, you shall receive more.”
This was Jiang Chen’s first time encountering a Fire Repelling Pill, prompting him to pinch it between his fingers for careful observation.
It was the size of a dragon’s eye, its spherical body perfectly round and brimming with spiritual essence.
Its hue was not a simple crimson, but a brilliant red-gold.
It shimmered with a flawless, glass-like luster.
The surface felt warm to the touch, yet carried a subtle, piercing coolness that harmonized perfectly within the pill.
Moreover, it did not leak even the faintest trace of medicinal fragrance, a testament to its profound refinement.
From this alone, one could tell that the alchemist’s talent and mastery were absolutely peerless.
Jiang Che broke the silence. “It is said that Fire Repelling Pills forged in different flames yield vastly different effects. This red-gold hue marks it as an absolute top-grade treasure among its kind.”
Bei Qingtang lifted her chin with pride. “The creations of the Cloud Sea Sect are naturally free of shoddy imitations.
This was personally refined by Wang Yangyin, one of our three supreme alchemists.”
Due to the extreme rarity of their Dao, alchemists, talisman masters, and formation masters who reached such lofty heights were not only revered within their own sects but commanded immense prestige across the outside world.
Upon hearing the name Wang Yangyin, a reverent light sparked in everyone’s eyes.
Jiang Chen naturally knew of this grandmaster, having even crossed paths with him once.
He recalled that shortly after meeting Senior Sister Yu, he had attended a pill-tasting gathering hosted by the Pill Tower in the Earth Fire Zone, where he happened to see the man emerging from a successful refinement.
If it was forged by his hands, the quality was beyond question.
Without hesitation, Jiang Chen placed the pill into his mouth, neither swallowing it whole nor crushing it between his teeth.
Instead, he channeled his Magic Power to dissolve it layer by layer, allowing the profound medicinal essence to weave seamlessly into his meridians.
While this method would not grant absolute immunity to the ravages of primordial flames, it ensured that as his cultivation realm advanced, his innate resistance to fire would temper into something unbreakable.
After all, they were venturing into a domain of absolute inferno. None dared to be careless; aside from Bei Qingtang, everyone immediately began absorbing their pills.
An indeterminate amount of time passed before a strange, suffocating restlessness settled over the group.
Soon after, a searing dry heat crashed over them, carrying the distinct smell of scorched earth and ancient ash.
Thanks to the lingering essence of the Fire Repelling Pills, their flesh remained unburned.
Jiang Chen and the others peered outward, spotting a flickering crimson glow on the horizon. As the vessel drew closer, the inferno expanded into a terrifying expanse.
Upon closer inspection, the heart of the flames was not a mountain peak at all, but the colossal, petrified corpse of an ancient avian beast.
The skeletal structure remained pristine, perfectly preserving its primordial majesty.
Even in death, its sheer scale blotted out the heavens and eclipsed the sun, radiating a terrifying, oppressive aura.
Furthermore, it possessed… three taloned feet.
Its massive torso had calcified into the main peak, while its outspread wings formed the secondary ridges.
Its three legs anchored deep into the earth as the mountain’s base, and its proud skull crowned the summit.
Over tens of thousands of years, its decaying flesh and blood had birthed a myriad of fire-aspected beasts.
Fire rats, disaster-bringing Huo Dou, red flame beasts, and swarms of fire crows now called this corpse their domain.
Witnessing this mythological scale, many stood utterly dumbfounded, the breath stolen from their lungs.
Jiang Chen could not help but send a discrete voice transmission. “Senior Sister, don’t tell me our Cloud Sea Sect’s founding Sect Leader scavenged this as well?”
Bei Qingtang offered no verbal reply, merely casting a sidelong glance that clearly stated she could not be bothered to entertain the question.
Jiang Chen offered an awkward smile, secretly speculating in his heart. *Could it be that the founding Sect Leader of the Cloud Sea Sect was nothing more than a shameless opportunist?*
The entirety of Crimson Fire Peak was divided into several distinct domains.
The Left Wing.
The Right Wing.
The Pill Fire Zone.
The Spirit Fire Zone.
The Cranial Forbidden Zone.
The Thoracic Residential Zone.
Guided by Bei Qingtang, Jiang Chen and the group swiftly descended toward the Right Wing.
The moment they approached, a colossal structure spanning hundreds of zhang loomed into view. At first glance, it resembled an ancient, monolithic “chariot,” forged entirely from massive trunks of Qiyan Wood.
“What in the heavens is that?”
“Could our task this time be to service this behemoth?”
“It looks like the war chariot of an ancient mighty figure!”
Jiang Chen was far from the only one intrigued; the sheer scale of the artifact commanded everyone’s absolute attention.
Bei Qingtang finally spoke. “This is the Nether Abyss Mountain Chariot. Its true purpose is not for you to know. For the foreseeable future, your sole duty is to hasten the maturation of its Qiyan Wood framework.
The faster you succeed, the more bountiful your Reward shall be.”
The group exchanged heavy glances.
Some eyes burned with ambition.
Others wavered with hesitation.
As for Jiang Chen, his pragmatic mind immediately sought an exit; he had no desire to wade into such murky, high-stakes waters.
Bei Qingtang’s tone remained indifferent. “I have matters to attend to. Manage yourselves.”
With a sweep of her robes, she took to the sky, streaking toward the far side of Crimson Fire Peak.
In the blink of an eye, she vanished into the hazy, ash-filled horizon.
Jiang Chen and the others stood in the sweltering heat, momentarily adrift.
Fortunately, as Golden Core cultivators, their Dao hearts were steadfast. They quickly acclimated to the oppressive environment and approached the colossal Qiyan Wood structure.
Each cultivator walked a different path, practicing vastly different cultivation arts.
Yet, without exception, their spiritual senses allowed them to gauge the vitality of spirit plants.
Jiang Chen rested his palm against the ancient bark and consulted the system. As expected, information surfaced in his mind.
[Qiyan Wood]
[Spirit Qi: Abundant]
[Damage: None]
[Maturity: Incomplete]
The insight was sparse, brief to the point of being cryptic.
In all his years of tending and nurturing the Dao of plants, this was the first time Jiang Chen had encountered such a vague assessment.
Su Wanqing traced the wood’s grain with her eyes. “So, our only task is to infuse it with vitality until it matures?”
Zhao Chengdao’s expression was grave. “The ambient wood-attribute Spirit Qi here is practically nonexistent. We will have to rely entirely on our own Magic Power to force its growth. The drain on our reserves will be monstrous.”
Jiang Che, however, remained unbothered, shrugging with an indifferent smirk. “As long as the final bounty outweighs the value of a Fire Repelling Pill, I have no complaints.”
Jiang Chen pondered the logistics. “Let us not exhaust ourselves all at once. We should divide into two shifts.
While one group channels their power, the other rests and recovers. What say you all?”
Zhao Chengdao nodded in admiration. “A sound strategy. It ensures a continuous flow of energy without leaving us defenseless.”
None voiced any objections; in fact, the pragmatic approach won unanimous approval.
Swiftly, the eight cultivators divided into two groups of four.
Jiang Chen, Zhao Chengdao, Jiang Che, and Tie Shan formed the first unit.
Liu Ying, Su Wanqing, Yun Shu, and Shui Lianlian formed the second.
While the female cultivators took the first shift to channel their vitality into the wood, Jiang Chen took the opportunity to inspect the perimeter of the Nether Abyss Mountain Chariot.
The scorched earth was teeming with skittering fire rats. The creatures showed absolutely no fear of the cultivators, even displaying a brazen, almost familiar curiosity.
At that moment, Zhao Chengdao sidled up to him, lowering his voice to a conspiratorial whisper. “Spirit Envoy Xu, speak truthfully. Is the Cloud Sea Sect preparing for a massive upheaval?”
Jiang Chen paused, his words catching in his throat as he weighed his response. “Well, that is…”
Zhao Chengdao’s face lit up with grim vindication, his tone absolute. “The ancient texts of the Dragon Tiger Immortal Sect record this very behemoth. The Nether Abyss Mountain Chariot is a supreme Magical Artifact, forged for the sole purpose of annihilating profound filth and primordial evil!”