CHAPTER 237: THE MYSTERIOUS TABLET

Jun Laoye turned around. "What happened?"

Seeing Lu Qing in such a dire state, he hurried over to help Nantian Yijian, putting all his strength into pulling Lu Qing up.

Lu Chen opened his eyes and swung his right hand forward. The roots of the Green Sovereign Divine Tree erupted from the ground, weaving into a barrier along the ravine's edge before tightening and binding Lu Qing securely within.

While flying over to Jun Laoye's side, he also summoned Wind Dragon and Red Fox to assist. "Lu Qing, what happened just now? Why were you suddenly dragged down?"

Inside the cocoon of tree roots, Lu Qing let out a deep sigh of relief. He guided the roots with his right hand to cling tightly to the tablet's base, then sent everything he had just sensed to Lu Chen.

Feeling the pull from below, Lu Chen frowned. From what Lu Qing conveyed, he could tell there were living beings beneath the ravine. When the tablet's base sank, it had disturbed those entities, rousing them from slumber and prompting them to seize it.

He remained composed as he carefully examined the pulling force. This time, there was none of the overwhelming helplessness he had once felt before Ancestor Suitian. Whatever lay beneath was within his ability to deal with. With that realization, the tension in his expression gradually eased.

Lu Chen exchanged a glance with Lu Qing, and the two subtly shook their heads, silently agreeing not to provoke whatever lurked below.

With Wind Dragon and Red Fox's aid, the tablet's base was slowly lifted back up. Everyone kept their eyes fixed on it, forming hand seals as they surrounded it, ready for any unexpected change.

At the same time, the mountain of skeletons finally settled and stabilized. The pulling force from below dissipated, and calm once again returned to the ravine.

Once the tablet's base was fully retrieved, Lu Chen took out the first fragment he had obtained earlier and stepped forward. As he approached, the fragment in his hand was drawn toward the base, attaching itself firmly.

Before he could inspect it, a faint sound echoed. A streak of azure light traced across the crack from left to right. When the glow faded, the two fragments had already fused into a single, complete piece.

Lu Chen stepped closer and ran his fingers over the spot where the crack had been. There was no trace of repair. The others came forward to examine it as well.

Red Fox gazed at the fused tablet base. "So this is the Cloud Register of Seven Seals, the very artifact Lord Green Emperor spent his entire life searching for?"

She followed the steps upward, layer by layer. At the topmost floor stood a lone figure. Due to the missing part of the tablet, only the lower legs were visible. Yet from the clean, defined lines of those legs alone, one could sense how majestic and spirited this cultivator was. It must have been someone who once stood as the sovereign of heaven and earth.

"It really is the Cloud Register of Seven Seals. That's already the third piece. Even Lord Green Emperor never managed to find more than one." Wind Dragon's gaze fell to a corner of the tablet base, where a dragon-shaped beast was carved in a proud stance. "I didn't expect this, Little Lu. You've barely stepped into cultivation, yet these fragments keep finding their way to you."

He chuckled, brushing his claws across the tablet's surface. "At this rate, you might actually gather them all. Once we obtain Lord Green Emperor's piece in the Outside, we'll finally uncover the secret of the Green Sovereign."

Lu Chen showed little reaction to Wind Dragon's words. He simply gave a slight nod before turning his attention to the Heavenly Pool.

The instant he touched the tablet's base, the fragment resting in his Heavenly Pool flared with intense light, struggling violently to escape. The surge of energy shattered the delicate balance between the Heavenly Pool and the small world.

As chaos spread, Lu Chen's expression tightened. Just as the balance was about to collapse, the east and west gates of the Eternal Twilight Imperial City swung open, and the vines of the Innate Green Sovereign Divine Tree stretched out from the western gate.

Right when Lu Chen thought another spirit qi explosion was imminent, Feng Tiancheng's voice resonated from within the small world. "We're aware of the situation outside. Take the tablet fragment out first. Leave the rest to us."

Lu Chen looked through the gates into the small world. Feng Tiancheng and over twenty beast leaders had arranged a massive formation near the Innate Green Sovereign Divine Tree, ready to seal off the Eternal Twilight Imperial City at any moment.

He nodded firmly. "Grandpa Feng, I understand. I'll be back soon."

He then removed the tablet fragment from the Heavenly Pool. As soon as it left the eastern gate, spirit qi from both worlds surged toward each other, stirring violent currents throughout the city.

Feng Tiancheng frowned at the chaotic energy, raised his right hand, and pointed at the city. The formations, together with the Green Sovereign Divine Tree, instantly sealed the connection between the two worlds, restoring calm once more.

During this time, Feng Tiancheng had fully repaired the rift linking the two worlds, merging it seamlessly with the Eternal Twilight Imperial City. Even without the tablet, he could now isolate the energy flows of both worlds with ease.

Satisfied with the restored calm, he gestured for the others to rest, then turned back to the Green Sovereign Divine Tree to continue observing the outside world.

Outside, Lu Chen felt the world within him settle again. A faint smile curved his lips as he turned back to the tablet's base before him.

Nantian Yijian was circling the stone tablet, smacking his lips thoughtfully. He didn't really understand its significance, but judging from the serious expressions on Wind Dragon and the others' faces, he could tell it was something extremely important. As the saying goes, professionals value skill, while amateurs seek spectacle.

When he reached Lu Chen's side, he noticed the faint smile playing at the corner of Lu Chen's lips and asked, "Boss, what's with that look? Got something on your mind?"

Lu Chen shook his head. "No, I'm just glad we came to the right place."

He extended his right hand toward Nantian Yijian, and a broken, ancient-looking stone tablet appeared in his palm. "Little Jian, take a look. What do you think this is?"

Jun Laoye also turned his gaze toward Lu Chen, stammering, "This... this is..."

Nantian Yijian leaned closer. "Boss, what is it?"

As the fragment in Lu Chen's palm slowly expanded, Nantian Yijian brushed it lightly with his fingers. "Huh

? Is this the third fragment?"

Lu Chen shook his head and gently pushed the fragment forward. "No, this is the first one, the one we found back in the Demonic Beast Forest."

The fragment floated up from his hand, rising softly until it hovered above the fused tablet. It rotated in midair, quietly searching for the right place to fit.

Everyone held their breath as they watched the fragment adjust itself, their gazes locked on the merging process. None of them noticed the purple-eyed ferret crouched silently atop a nearby tree, spying on them.

"Three fragments? Lord Green Emperor searched for thousands of years and still failed to find them."

The purple glow around the ferret faded, revealing its true form. It was Little Pup, Lu Chen's long-missed companion. "The young master has been cultivating for only three months, and he's already gathered three fragments. Such heaven-defying luck... I'm honestly speechless."

Little Pup turned his eyes toward the small ice dragon floating beside him. The dragon hovered quietly in the air. When it caught Little Pup's gaze, it grinned foolishly, the blue glow of its horns flickering softly in the dark.

A strange light flashed in Little Pup's purple eyes. His lips curved into a sinister smile. When he closed his eyes and opened them again, the purple in his pupils had deepened into an even brighter, more bewitching violet. "Young master, don't hold this against me. This is all part of the lord's trial for you."

Murmuring toward Lu Chen, Little Pup lifted his gaze to the sky as he began to transform. Wrapped in a fur-lined coat, he took on his human form and lifted the small ice dragon onto his shoulder. With a swift motion, he formed two hand seals, and twin beams of light shot from his eyes straight into the heavens.

A sharp crack split the air as a violet ray burst forth, shattering the barrier that enclosed the northern area.

Hearing the sound, Lu Chen and the others immediately looked up. The sky fractured like broken glass, layers of cracks spreading outward. At the same time, a second violet beam descended, plunging straight into the ravine below.

"What is that..." Lu Chen rushed to the edge of the gorge, frowning as he watched the violet light fall. "A purple glow? Could there be a demonic beast nearby?"

The falling beam illuminated the ravine, washing away the darkness completely.

"There's a barrier around us, but the spirit qi isn't being absorbed. What's going on? Did we trigger something?" Jun Laoye raised his weapon, his eyes darting between the shattered sky, the glowing ravine, and the merging fragments. "Could it be because of the tablets? But we checked earlier. These two shouldn't be related."

Lu Chen listened quietly, scanning his surroundings. He too sensed that something had been triggered, setting off these strange occurrences.

Even Red Fox, a master of illusions, hadn't detected any barrier. When she and Wind Dragon tested it earlier, spirit qi couldn't even enter the ravine. Yet what they saw now completely overturned their analysis.

A barrier was clearly surrounding them, and spirit qi was now flowing freely into the ravine.

Lu Chen looked around in confusion before his gaze returned to the tablets. Everything had started only after the three fragments appeared together. Judging from the timing, the source of these anomalies could only be the tablet itself.

Lu Chen focused entirely on the three fragments, ignoring the violet light below and the shattered barrier above.