Chapter 290: Chapter 290: The Peculiarity of the Mural
"Is this mural depicting the Celestial Palace Immortal Realm?" Miss Du asked.
The mural occupies an entire wall on the side of the front hall, standing about ten feet high and over twenty-five feet long.
Though the temple has been abandoned, this mural remains completely intact, without any fading or dust buildup, looking exquisite and delicate.
The mural is vividly colored, depicting multicolored drifting clouds, the Celestial Palace Immortal Realm, splendid palaces, and immortals and celestial maidens.
At the center of the mural, the Celestial Palace Divine King holds a banquet, surrounded by dozens of immortals, while immortal soldiers stand guard below, and celestial maidens dance lightly to music.
Around the scene, there are immortal birds and auspicious beasts playing noisily, spiritual plants and divine trees growing everywhere, and carefree wanderer immortals either roaming in the forest, playing chess, drinking wine, or playing the zither, looking very free and at ease.
"It should be,"
Madam Du replied while admiring the mural, "The painter’s technique is remarkable, making the environment and characters come alive, giving a very realistic feeling."
Upon hearing this, Miss Du smiled and said, "This can attract people to offer incense and prayers. Who wouldn’t yearn for such a Celestial Palace Immortal Realm?"
Madam Du nodded with a smile, "Indeed."
As the two admired the mural, they gradually became captivated by the scenes and figures, developing a longing to live in such an environment.
"I wonder what it’s like to live in such an immortal realm."
"Yes, I’d love to try it."
The two looked at the mural, becoming mesmerized.
...
"Hey?"
Lu Zheng had just put the last piece of bun into his mouth when he suddenly turned his head, looking at Madam Du and her daughter standing before the mural.
The mother and daughter had stopped before the mural, facing it, standing motionless.
"What’s wrong?"
Du Yuru asked, turning to see his wife and daughter admiring the mural. He then turned to Lu Zheng and laughed, explaining, "My wife and daughter are quite skilled in painting. They always linger when they encounter such remarkable artwork."
Lu Zheng’s eyes flickered, subtly suggesting, "But your wife and daughter don’t quite seem to be admiring the mural."
"Hmm?" Du Yuru looked puzzled.
The lead guard reacted fastest, immediately rising to his feet and rushing over to Madam Du and Miss Du, gently calling, "Madam? Miss?"
The two women stood dumbly before the wall, eyes fixed on the mural, ears not hearing, bodies unmoving. Were it not for the rise and fall of their chests and the breath at their noses, the lead guard might have thought they were dead.
The guard’s call did not elicit any response from the two women, making everyone realize something was wrong.
The remaining three guards drew their swords with vigilant expressions, while Du Yuru quickly rose and hurried to the women’s side.
"Be careful, sir!"
The lead guard hurried to Du Yuru’s side.
"Madam! Yue Yao!" Du Yuru reached the two women’s side, seeing their vacant eyes staring blankly at the mural.
"There’s something strange about this mural! It’s a wicked thing!"
The lead guard called out softly, drawing his waist sword to slash at the mural.
Just as he swung his sword, a fair hand grasped his wrist, halting his movement.
The guard felt as if his hand was clamped by an iron ring; no matter how hard he tried, his arm and sword remained completely motionless.
"What!"
The guard’s pupils shrank, following the fair hand upward to see Lu Zheng’s figure.
"Don’t rush," Lu Zheng nodded to the guard, "Madam Du and Miss Du’s divine souls have been absorbed into the mural. Aren’t you afraid of damaging the mural and harming their divine souls?"
"This..." The guard stood stunned.
Du Yuru turned to Lu Zheng without hesitation, bowing deeply, "Please, sir, lend me your assistance to save my wife and daughter’s lives!"
"Mr. Du, please rise," Lu Zheng reached out to help Du Yuru up, then turned to the mural, "Let me first see what this thing is all about."
Lu Zheng didn’t immediately take charge, as he considered the possibility of facing something beyond his capability, risking his own life?
Benevolence for a meal shouldn’t be repaid with one’s life.
At most, if it came to it, he could call for reinforcements, believing that the issue with the mural could be resolved. However, whether Du Yuru’s wife and daughter would still be there after some time remained uncertain.
...
The mural looked ordinary. Had Lu Zheng not sensed Madam Du and her daughter’s divine souls leaving their bodies and entering the mural earlier, he wouldn’t have noticed the mural’s peculiar nature at all.
Lu Zheng observed for a while, then used the True Qi within him, rubbing his hands together and reaching out to scrape some wall powder with his fingernail.
Unable to scrape it!
There seemed to be a membrane, protecting the mural from external damage, even if barely perceptible.
Then, Lu Zheng saw two faint lines suddenly appear in a corner of the mural, resembling human figures, and from their outlines, they seemed like Madam Du and her daughter.
Previously unseen, just appeared!
Lu Zheng turned his head to see Madam Du and her daughter still with vacant eyes, seemingly unaware.
Lu Zheng stepped back and applied the Nine Heavens Golden Palace True God Transformation Technique, carefully sensing the mural, discovering countless flickering colorful light clusters inside, rich yet somewhat chaotic spiritual soul power.
Lu Zheng grimaced; he dared not to separate his soul from his body and enter the mural to break its enchantment.
Cases of misfortune mean no chance of returning to the modern world.
"Have you found anything, sir?" Du Yuru asked expectantly.
Lu Zheng rubbed his chin, "This thing has no small power. I’ll first try to extract their divine souls."
If he’d faced this before Shangbaiyun Mountain, Lu Zheng wouldn’t have been confident, but he had just learned the Spirit Attachment Curse, allowing him to attempt it.
A master ancestor of his taught him this little thing, which, though supposedly small, was anything but ordinary.
The Spirit Attachment Curse involves attaching divine thought without affecting oneself, even if destroyed, leaving the body’s existence intact, merely incurring slight loss.
It’s akin to a computer game; the game’s perspective mirrors the Spirit Attachment Curse’s perspective, without impairing the physical self. Even if the game character is eliminated, like suddenly eaten by a monster or dying unexpectedly, the hazard to one’s physical self is mild—a mere shock or unsettled emotions for a short time.
To enhance the Spirit Attachment Curse’s potency, adding some True Qi will release one’s full ability.
Thus...
Lu Zheng employed the Spirit Attachment Curse, infusing it with his own True Qi, transforming into a spiritual light, directly entering the mural.
Then...
In Lu Zheng’s alternate perspective, he felt a blur before his eyes, revealing a new world.