At this moment, Qin Xiaodie, who has been silent and quiet for a long time, came forward. "Brother Mo, I think there is a spiritual fluctuation on the cowhide. Maybe this is a message passed by a spiritual cultivation sect."
Mao Wenjie's eyes lit up, and he examined the cowhide more closely once again. As expected, when he injected a strand of spiritual energy into it, some tiny runes appeared on the cowhide. Huang Ling'er curiously leaned in to watch, but accidentally touched the runes, and in a flash of light, the scene before everyone changed.
They found themselves in an ancient palace, surrounded by a mysterious aura. Before everyone could react, a group of puppets surrounded them from all directions. Ma Wenjie was the first to withdraw his sword and shouted, "Be careful, it seems we have stumbled upon a big mess."
At that moment, everyone's attention focused on Jiang Yuerou. Her originally delicate hands, at this moment, were like fluttering butterflies, swiftly moving. Each movement was so light and graceful, yet it contained endless power and speed.
While beside her, Huang Ling'er displayed an entirely different style. Her moves were fierce and decisive, without mercy. Each attack carried a sharp momentum, as if to completely tear apart the puppets in front of her.
Looking at Xiao Yawen and others, they were all unwilling to show weakness. They each displayed their ultimate skills and launched fierce attacks on the puppets. In an instant, blades and swords clashed, various dazzling lights flickered continuously, leaving people dazzled and unable to look away.
However, these puppets seemed to be tireless, as their numbers did not decrease despite the attacks from everyone. Suddenly, Jiang Yuerou noticed a subtle pattern in the movements of the puppets, as if they were arranged according to some formation. She shouted, "Everyone stop! These puppets move in a formation!" Upon hearing this, everyone hurriedly ceased their attacks and gathered together.
Mao Wenjie furrowed his brow: "We must break the array then." Qin Xiaodie carefully observed the movements of the puppets. After a while, she said, "This array is based on the principles of the five elements, and we can break it by finding the door of life." So everyone divided their work and positioned themselves according to the five elements.
Jiang Yuerou stood in the Wood position, casting spells to spawn vines that wrapped around some of the puppets; Huang Ling'er was in the Fire position, with flames raging towards the enemies.
Just as the crowd was about to find the door of life, the palace shook violently, and a malevolent laugh echoed in the air: "Do you think it's so easy to break my mechanical puppet array?" After that, the puppets' attacks became even more fierce, and strange black light began to emanate from their bodies. It seemed that the person behind them was increasing the difficulty. However, the crowd did not retreat; their eyes became even more determined, and they were ready to face greater challenges.
Mao Wenjie gritted his teeth and shouted, "Everyone stay calm! The more tense we are in situations like this, the clearer our minds will become." Qin Xiaodie closed her eyes and sensed the changes in the array. She suddenly opened her eyes and said, "I can feel that the door of life has shifted to the northeast direction." Everyone quickly adjusted their positions and launched another attack towards the northeast direction.
At this moment, Jiang Yuerou formed hand seals and muttered something, releasing countless spiritual butterflies from her sleeves that soared towards the puppets. These butterflies, though appearing fragile, were able to disrupt the puppets' movements. Huang Ling'er infused all her spiritual energy into the flames, causing the fire to surge several times its normal size, burning the puppets with a crackling sound.
However, as the black light on the puppets grew more intense, they began to merge into one another, forming giant puppet monsters. Xiao Yawen snorted coldly: "No matter what shape you take, today I will definitely break your demonic array." After speaking, he summoned his treasure and a beam of golden light shot towards the giant puppets. Seeing this, everyone else also unleashed their most powerful moves. With everyone's joint effort, the giant puppets finally could not withstand the attack and began to disperse gradually. The eerie voice also vanished, and the palace around them gradually returned to tranquility. Everyone successfully found the door of life and walked out of this dangerous place.
Mao Wenjie widened his eyes and anxiously scanned everyone around him. When he confirmed that everyone was unharmed, the heavy heart that had been hanging like a huge stone in his throat finally dropped back down.
"Tch!" Mao Wenjie couldn't help sighing heavily, secretly thinking in his heart: "I never expected it. Even to this day, the revered Queen Mother Goddess still holds such deep hatred for the cowboy and the weaver. Why can't she be more tolerant? Why can't she let these poor souls who have suffered enough live happily together without being separated?"
Mao Wenjie's eyebrows were tightly knitted, and his face was filled with deep perplexity and regret. He simply couldn't understand why love, which should be one of the most beautiful emotions in the world, could be considered an unforgivable sin in the eyes of Queen Mother Goddess. Niulang and ZhiNu had gone through countless hardships to meet each other, their deep affection for each other touched everyone. However, Queen Mother Goddess cruelly separated them without a second thought.
"Perhaps this is just the rules of the heavenly court..." Mao Wenjie helplessly shook his head, filled with contemplation. Nevertheless, he still hoped that one day, Queen Mother might be moved by the genuine love between Niulang and ZhiNu, show leniency, and fulfill this timeless legend.
As Mo Wenjie was lost in his thoughts, a sudden beam of auspicious light descended from the sky. Looking up, everyone saw an immortal child holding a jade talisman floating down slowly. "Mo Wenjie, listen to the command." The immortal child proclaimed loudly.
Mo Wenjie quickly led the crowd to kneel. "The Emperor of Heaven has heard that your mortal cultivators are concerned about the affairs of heaven, moved by your sincere hearts. He specially orders you to go to heaven and have a discussion. If you can truly explain the story of Niulang and ZhiNu, I will consider this matter." Mo Wenjie was overjoyed and led the crowd with the immortal child on a radiant cloud to head to the heavens.
In the heavenly court, misty clouds enveloped the place, and it was resplendent with gold and splendor. Mo Wenjie took a deep breath and stepped forward to declare the steadfastness of the love between Niulang and ZhiNu, which should not be torn apart by arbitrary power.
The Emperor of Heaven sat on the dragon throne in deep thought for a long time, "I also know this principle, but on the Queen Mother's side…" The sentence was incomplete when Queen Mother hurried over, glaring at Mo Wenjie and his companions. Mo Wenjie was not afraid and continued to speak eloquently. Queen Mother was about to erupt when suddenly two orioles turned into human forms from the horizon. They were Niulang and ZhiNu. They poured out their sorrows of separation and tears flowed down their faces. All the immortal beings were touched by their words, and Queen Mother's face underwent several changes in expression.
Finally, the Emperor of Heaven coughed lightly and said, "Alright, I will grant Niulang and ZhiNu's request today." Niulang and ZhiNu rejoiced and knelt down to thank him.
Mo Wenjie and his companions also let out a sigh of relief, but before they could even begin to feel happy, Queen Mother spoke up: "The Emperor's words are incorrect. I have already shown them great mercy by allowing them to meet on the seventh day of the seventh month. It is already a huge favor for a mortal with mundane aspirations to marry a heavenly maiden, which is against heavenly laws. If we really let them be together, where would the authority of heaven be?"
Taking a step forward, Mo Wenjie spoke with respect yet firmness, "Queen Mother, though the heavenly laws are strict, where there is true love, it is also in line with the divine principle. Niulang and ZhiNu have genuinely loved each other and endured hardships without giving up. This is the purest and most virtuous love in the world. If we force a barrier with heavenly laws, it may hurt the hearts of loving couples across the land."
Queen Mother sneered coldly: "Hmph, a mere mortal dare to speak out against the heavenly laws."
At this moment, the Emperor of Heaven, who had been silent until now, spoke up: "Queen Mother, I have observed the trend of the mortal world. The hearts of people are changing, and they place more value on affection and righteousness. The matter of Niulang and ZhiNu has already become a matter of concern for all living beings. If you persist in blocking it, you may lose the support of the people."
Queen Mother was outraged, her body shaking violently. "Your Majesty, you dare to shake the foundation of heaven for some mortals!"
The Emperor of Heaven stood up: "I have made up my mind. Moreover, Niulang and ZhiNu have suffered greatly from the separation for many years, which can also be seen as a form of punishment. From now on, this heavenly law will be abolished. Mortals and immortals who fall in love with each other only need to pass the test to marry."
Queen Mother wanted to argue, but the other immortals urged her on. Eventually, she had no choice but to wave her sleeve and leave. Niulang and ZhiNu were filled with gratitude, and Mo Wenjie and the others were overjoyed. Later, the Emperor of Heaven hosted a banquet to entertain everyone and commended them for their righteousness. After playing around in the heavenly court for a while, Mo Wenjie and his companions returned to the mortal world with their hearts full of joy.
Upon their return to the Five Heavens, Mo Wenjie and his companions became legendary figures in people's mouths. However, they did not slack off in their cultivation practices.
One day, Mo Wenjie was cultivating in the mountains when he suddenly detected an abnormal fluctuation of spiritual energy. Following the fluctuation, he found a hidden ancient cave. Entering the cave, he saw that the walls were covered with lost long-forgotten cultivation techniques and ancient prohibitions. As he carefully studied them, the surrounding space distorted, and everyone was teleported to an unfamiliar area. This place was filled with a thick and dense evil aura.
Suddenly, a huge demon appeared, roaring and charging. It turned out that this was the demon that had been sealed here before, awakened due to the spiritual power disturbance caused by the changes in the heavenly laws. Mo Wenjie shouted: "Everyone unite!" The group quickly set up their formation. Jiang Yuerou summoned spiritual butterflies to distract the demon's vision, Huang Ling'er's fire attacks followed closely, Xiao Yawen used his treasure to restrain the demon's movements, and Qin Xiaodie searched for the demon's weaknesses.
After a fierce battle, Qin Xiaodie discovered that the core of the demon's magic was in the center of its forehead. Mo Wenjie concentrated all his spiritual energy into his sword and fiercely stabbed at the demon's core. With a burst of radiant light, the demon dispersed. The group successfully resolved the crisis, realizing that with the changes in the heavenly laws, the cultivation world would face even more unknown challenges. However, they were not afraid; instead, they were determined to bravely face everything.
Just as everyone breathed a sigh of relief, the ground suddenly shook violently. Countless small creatures with a similar appearance to lizards but with wings crawled out from the cracks in the ground. Qin Xiaodie exclaimed, "This must be the remnants of that demon brought about by its death." Mo Wenjie tightened his sword handle: "Then let's fight once again."
Everyone shook off their fatigue and plunged back into the battle. Jiang Yuerou controlled the spiritual butterflies to form a protective barrier, blocking the small monsters from approaching. Huang Ling'er and Xiao Yawen charged ahead, attacking the small monsters head-on in their midst. Qin Xiaodie closed her eyes and sensed intuitively, trying to locate the leader of this group of small monsters.
Soon, Qin Xiaodie opened her eyes and pointed to a larger monster in the distance that emitted a stronger aura of evil. "That's the leader; subdue it and we'll be fine." Without saying another word, Mo Wenjie charged towards it, followed closely by the others. The group combined their efforts to fight against the leader of the small monsters. Jiang Yuerou exerted all her strength to bind its movements, while Mo Wenjie found the perfect moment and plunged his sword into a vital spot. The other small monsters, seeing their leader fall, scattered and vanished.
After this battle, the group realized that the path ahead would be full of difficulties, but they exchanged a smile, their eyes filled with determination. From then on, they continued to travel around the world, improving their cultivation while protecting the cultivation world.
