A Record of Heavenly Secrets [Transmigration Into A Book] - Chapter 3

The nine triangular copper coins swaying against one another suddenly produced an unusual sound, and the roof of the carriage trembled slightly. A crimson, lotus-shaped Evil-Suppressing Bell hanging from the center of the crossbeam began to quiver. A beam of light materialized, activating a demon-subduing formation that sealed the carriage’s interior, and the curtain fell shut.

Demon-subduing artifacts were divided into different grades, with red being the highest quality and purple the lowest.

The immortal path had been in decline for a long time, and the art of artifact refinement had long since fallen into obscurity, with no successors to carry on its legacy. To think that she could still encounter a red-grade artifact in this world! The carriage she had boarded was clearly no ordinary vehicle.

After climbing into the carriage, Yan Qingli held the exquisite, delicately crafted bell in her hand and marveled at it before her gaze fell upon the object placed in the center of the compartment.

A black-and-gold coffin covered in yellow talismans was bound both horizontally and vertically with thick iron chains. As the coffin shook, an ominous aura of demonic and evil energy continuously seeped from within, while the chains and spirit-sealing bells produced harsh, clanging noises.

These were precisely the strange sounds she had heard while hiding in the thickets.

Yan Qingli thought to herself that if a precious red-grade artifact had been casually hung inside this carriage, then whatever was contained in that coffin must be extraordinarily dangerous. Could this convoy belong to some major cultivation sect and be used to transport imprisoned demons?

The kitten in her arms jumped out, leaped lightly onto the coffin lid, and lay down. It lazily closed its dark violet eyes, tucking its four fluffy, plum-blossom-shaped paws beneath its round, dumpling-like body as though settling down for a nap.

A faint rustling sound came from behind the coffin.

Wariness entered Yan Qingli’s eyes. Tightening her grip on her sword, she approached the source of the sound one step at a time.

“Don’t kill me! Don’t come any closer! I don’t taste good! Please, I’m begging you, let me go!”

A young girl was crouching in the corner behind the coffin, her head lowered and her arms wrapped around herself as she trembled uncontrollably. Her voice was thick with tears as she pleaded. She was also wearing the disciple uniform of the Beiyuan Immortal Sect. Judging by the style of her clothing, she was probably an outer disciple.

Yan Qingli breathed a sigh of relief. Outer disciples generally didn’t participate in sect activities, so this girl probably wouldn’t recognize her.

She crouched down, patted the girl’s shoulder, and asked gently, “You’re a disciple of the Beiyuan Immortal Sect. How did you end up here?”

The girl raised her tear-blurred eyes. Upon seeing a senior sister dressed in the same sect uniform, her face immediately brightened. Her eyes lit up as though she had found a lifeline, and she clutched Yan Qingli’s arm tightly. “My name is Xiaoming. Just now, I thought the monster inside the coffin had come out! It scared me half to death. This carriage is headed for Mount Lao. Once you enter Mount Lao’s barrier, you can only become a slave of Mount Lao, serving those demons and monsters for the rest of your life. There’s no turning back!”

After getting a clear look at Yan Qingli’s clothing, Xiaoming realized that she was wearing the uniform of an inner disciple. Unable to suppress her curiosity, she asked hopefully, “Senior Sister, someone of your status shouldn’t have been sent to Mount Lao. Since you managed to get inside the carriage, could you take me out with you?”

Yan Qingli froze. She had personally witnessed the Evil-Suppressing Bell sealing the entire carriage. Shaking her head, she replied, “I only stumbled in here by accident myself. As for how to get out, I have no idea either.”

The light in the girl’s eyes faded. Her hand, which had been clutching Yan Qingli’s arm, fell limply as despair settled over her face. Her lips trembled. “Why? I’ve clearly worked so hard! I was born with a useless five-element spiritual root. That’s just the aptitude I was given, but what could I possibly do about it? It wasn’t my fault! Why must the heavens treat me this way? Am I supposed to spend my entire life imprisoned?”

Seeing that her junior sister was about to burst into tears again, Yan Qingli couldn’t help comforting her softly. Meanwhile, she thought to herself that the term “Slave of Mount Lao” sounded strangely familiar.

According to legend, several hundred years ago, during the golden age of cultivation, high-level cultivators frequently wreaked havoc across the world and interfered in mortal affairs. To maintain order, the leading human cultivators, headed by the Beiyuan Immortal Sect, then the foremost righteous sect, jointly established the Jiuxiao Lingyun Hall on Lingxu Mountain. There, they deliberated collectively and passed judgment on matters of right and wrong to uphold order throughout the cultivation world.

With the human cultivation world setting an example, the demonic and monster cultivation paths naturally refused to be outdone and followed suit.

Back then, relations between the righteous and evil paths were nothing like the tense, hostile standoff of the present day.

At the time, cultivators from the three most powerful paths—human, monster, and demon—freely mingled with one another. The three great Dao Ancestors had even been close friends since childhood, maintaining genuine friendships and regular contact. Seeing the chaos plaguing the cultivation world, these three mighty figures, who had reached the pinnacle of cultivation, convened a grand assembly on Mount Lao, within the neutral City of Rogue Cultivators. They decided that once every hundred years, powerful figures from all three paths would gather at the Jiuxiao Lingyun Hall to reward or punish cultivators from their respective paths. Mount Lao was also designated as the place where serious offenders would be imprisoned.

In modern terms, the Jiuxiao Lingyun Hall on Lingxu Mountain was essentially a rudimentary democratic court, while Mount Lao was a prison for convicted criminals.

Today, Mount Lao continued to serve the function it had fulfilled thousands of years ago, becoming something of a waste disposal facility for the cultivation world. Countless wicked demons, monsters, and evil cultivators from various paths, some dating all the way back to ancient times, were imprisoned and suppressed there.

Naturally, a prison of such enormous size needed wardens to manage it. In the past, the three Dao Ancestors had taken turns guarding the mountain. But a thousand years had passed, and relations between the three cultivation paths had grown strained. Who would willingly spend their life guarding that lifeless mountain, surrounded by cruel demons and monsters?

For the sake of their own interests, the various human cultivation sects decided that every fifty years, they would select low-level outer disciples whom their sects had deemed expendable and send them to Mount Lao to serve as its guardians.

Since these mountain guardians were essentially a bunch of useless individuals at the very bottom of the cultivation world’s food chain, people mockingly referred to them as “Slaves of Mount Lao.”

Yan Qingli was still recalling the general background described in the original novel when she suddenly heard an argument outside the carriage. Listening carefully, she recognized the voices. They belonged to the very same group of Beiyuan Immortal Sect disciples who had been hunting her.

“Tell Yan Qingli to come out! I know she’s hiding in there!”

Yan Qingli lifted the curtain covering the carriage window. Hearing the commotion and noticing the change in her senior sister’s expression, Xiaoming quickly and perceptively squeezed over beside her to peer outside.

A female cultivator dressed in the same sect uniform was holding Yan Qingli’s sect identity jade slip. Having sensed Yan Qingli’s presence, the jade slip was buzzing in her hand.

The yellow talisman paper figure on the carriage remained perfectly still, offering neither a response nor any sign of movement.

A male cultivator standing behind the woman was growing impatient. He cursed, “What’s the fucking point of talking to a paper doll that can’t even move? Why don’t we just barge in, drag Yan Qingli out, and chop her head off?”

Xiaoming was clever enough to immediately realize that the Yan Qingli mentioned by the male cultivator was probably the senior sister beside her. Nervously tugging at Yan Qingli’s sleeve, she said, “Senior Sister, those people seem to be looking for you. They look awfully aggressive. What should we do?”

Yan Qingli let out a cold snort. She had already reached her own conclusion. Folding her arms across her chest, she adopted the attitude of someone watching a good show. “If we can’t get out, they probably can’t get in either. And if they can get in, wouldn’t that be perfect? It would mean we could escape from this carriage.”

Upon hearing Yan Qingli’s words, the gray-and-white kitten resting atop the coffin quietly opened one dark violet eye and watched her for a while. A few seconds later, it closed its eye again.

The male cultivator from the same sect seemed intent on showing off in front of the female cultivator. He strode forward with his spiritual sword raised, intending to knock the yellow talisman paper figure off the carriage.

Before his sword could even touch the paper figure, a powerful force repelled his entire body. He couldn’t help letting out a startled “Ah!” as he landed on his backside in the grass. His robes were immediately covered in leaves, mud, and the fluffy seeds of dandelions unfortunate enough to have been crushed beneath him.

The other cultivators were so amused by his sorry appearance that they burst into laughter.

The male cultivator appeared to be the female cultivator’s Dao companion. Having watched him embarrass himself in front of everyone, she hurriedly helped him up, her temper flaring instantly. She planted one hand on her hip and angrily berated the other disciples from their sect. “What are you laughing at?! Yan Qingli is right there in that carriage! If we capture her, every single one of us will get a chance to visit the Treasure Pavilion! Senior Brother Du might have failed, but at least he tried! What about the rest of you? You’re all just standing around waiting! What, are you expecting Yan Qingli to fall out of the sky so we can collect the bounty?”

Hearing this, the other disciples felt thoroughly embarrassed. They swarmed forward, surrounded the carriage, and began taking turns attacking the yellow talisman paper figure.

The two magnificent immortal steeds pulling the carriage irritably pawed at the dirt with their front hooves, letting out displeased whinnies.

The yellow talisman paper figure released the carriage reins, and the thin sheet of paper forming its arm bent slightly.

Before anyone could clearly see what had happened, a headless corpse collapsed among the cultivators. Its severed head flew through the air and landed at the female cultivator’s feet, sending her into a fit of hysterical screaming.

A deep, magnetic yet clear and cool female voice suddenly rang out through the yellow talisman paper figure, its commanding tone carrying an unmistakable warning.

“The lives and deaths of Mount Lao’s slaves are for Mount Lao alone to decide. You common rabble have no right to act presumptuously.”

Upon hearing this, the cultivators exchanged bewildered looks. They stopped surrounding the carriage and retreated more than a dozen paces.

Like the City of Rogue Cultivators, Mount Lao fell under the jurisdiction of the powerful cultivators gathered at the Jiuxiao Lingyun Hall on Lingxu Mountain. Even the Sect Master of the Beiyuan Immortal Sect had no right to interfere in its affairs, let alone mere disciples like them.

One of the cultivators said in frustration, “So this is actually the carriage our sect is sending to Mount Lao! What do we do now? At this point, our only option is to report this to the Sect Master.”

“To think the duck was already at our lips, only to fly away! What a shame to lose such a valuable prize as Yan Qingli.”

Another cultivator, carrying the unconscious female cultivator on his back, sighed and said, “If I’d known this would happen, I wouldn’t have come. Now our beloved little junior sister has even lost her precious Senior Brother Du. What a terrible tragedy. What a tragedy!”

Another cultivator interjected, “But now that Yan Qingli is going to Mount Lao, she won’t live much longer anyway. I once overheard Perfected Jiuyang saying, before her death, that this female disciple has a medicinal constitution. She can’t survive without the pills Perfected Jiuyang specially prepared to nourish her body. Once she’s deprived of them, her death won’t be far off.”

“Bah! A godforsaken place like Mount Lao isn’t somewhere a person can survive anyway. Just look at how our senior brother was killed a moment ago. One quick slash, and he was gone! I say we don’t even need to report this to the Sect Master. Whether that woman lives or dies is no longer our concern.”

“…”

Their voices gradually faded into the distance.

The group of sect disciples slowly moved away.

Yan Qingli lowered the carriage curtain, but she couldn’t help feeling terrified. A shiver ran through her entire body.

If they dared try escaping, they would probably end up just like that cultivator a moment ago, their throats sliced open with a quick snip.

When Yan Qingli had first boarded the carriage, the yellow talisman paper figure had behaved with such deference and timidity toward her. She hadn’t expected its tiny frame to possess such terrifying power. With a mere flick of its fingers, a cultivator at the Fusion stage had been decapitated without even the slightest chance to resist.

——”The lives and deaths of Mount Lao’s slaves are for Mount Lao alone to decide. You common rabble have no right to act presumptuously.”

The commanding female voice that had spoken through the yellow talisman paper figure echoed through Yan Qingli’s mind.

Someone was watching them, and whoever this unidentified person was, she was extremely powerful. Most likely, the yellow talisman paper figures driving the carriages were also under her control.

It seemed that going to Mount Lao was now their only option.

Yan Qingli set her sword aside and sat upright inside the compartment, regulating her breathing and circulating her qi. Her dantian resembled a broken hourglass, with spiritual energy continuously leaking from her body into the surrounding air. Her cultivation had already fallen from the Golden Core stage to the Heart Stirring stage, and it showed signs of continuing to decline toward the Fusion stage.

Having experienced countless cycles of life and death, Yan Qingli had long since grown accustomed to the fear of dying. At this moment, she was surprisingly calm and optimistic.

Although boarding this carriage had indeed turned out to be an unwise decision, going to Mount Lao was still better than being captured and dragged back. At the very least, she could remain alive for the time being.

As long as she was alive, there would always be a way to solve her problems.

Xiaoming, who was trapped in the carriage with her, had also witnessed the yellow talisman paper figure killing someone. She promptly abandoned any thoughts of getting off the carriage.

Once they entered Mount Lao’s barrier, there would truly be no turning back.

At the thought of having to go to that godforsaken Mount Lao, she simply gave up worrying and curled up beside the coffin to sleep.

With another living person beside her, Xiaoming slept considerably more peacefully this time, gradually even beginning to murmur in her dreams.

The carriage jolted along the road while the two people inside remained fast asleep.

The kitten lay atop the violently shaking coffin, its feline eyes reflecting the sleeping Yan Qingli. Yet what it saw was entirely different from what ordinary mortal eyes could perceive.

As the extraordinarily beautiful woman continued losing her spiritual energy, her body became enveloped in a halo of silvery light. An enticing medicinal fragrance constantly emanated from her, as though she were a fine, mellow wine whose aroma lingered irresistibly in the senses, or a delectable pastry that made one’s stomach rumble with hunger and one’s mouth water uncontrollably. Even the kitten, which currently existed as nothing more than an attached fragment of a divine soul, found itself growing restless with desire.

It was precisely because of this that the miniature flood dragon imprisoned inside the coffin had become so agitated, repeatedly crashing against the Dragon-Imprisoning Coffin with loud thuds. Its violent movements even caused the dozen or so other carriages imprisoning all manner of demons and monsters to tremble along with it.