Eternal Sacred King Chapter 588 to 597
Chapter 588: Daming True Sutra
“What happened later on?”
Su Zimo asked instinctively.
The old monk shook his head. “Later on, there were various sayings and rumors. Some said that Monk Daming was severely injured after killing the monster of Asura Sect and died soon after as well; some said that both parties suffered immense losses and fought to the end, dying together...”
“All in all, the eventual outcome was that both of them went missing. Nobody knew if they were alive or dead but they had never appeared ever since.”
There was a hint of sadness in the old monk’s tone.
After receiving the Buddha Bead from Su Zimo, he rubbed it gently between his fingers.
“Hmm?”
A moment later, the old monk exclaimed softly, as though he discovered something.
“What’s wrong?”
Su Zimo asked hurriedly.
“Nothing much,”
The old monk shook his head. “Actually, this was a connate Dharmic weapon from Daming Monastery in the past, known as the Mingwang Prayer Beads and comprises of a set of six Buddha Beads.”
“The Mingwang Prayer Beads are made from immortal wood from Tianhuang Mainland and refined using the inner trunk of the Soul Nourishing Tree. There are six Dharmic seals of Daming Monastery etched on it. The Buddha Bead that you’ve obtained is one of them.”
“The Mingwang Prayer Beads were originally carried by Mingwang Prayer Beads. However, that battle back then was way too intense that the Mingwang Prayer Beads broke apart and all six of its Buddha Beads were scattered everywhere...”
At that point, the old monk extended his wrinkled finger and poked gently on his glabella.
His glabella shone with a spot of light.
Immediately after, the old monk’s glabella opened up and three Buddha Beads the size of longans shot out – they were identical to the one Su Zimo had!
However, upon closer inspection, it could be seen that the patterns etched on each Buddha Bead were different.
The old monk said, “After that battle, the monks of Daming Monastery searched for a long time and only managed to retrieve three Buddha Beads. Including the one you have, there are still two more that are lost in the world.”
“Daming Monastery has a supreme Dharmic technique known as the Daming True Sutra that is used to uphold the sect. The true sutra has two volumes. The first volume, the Daming Mantra, also known as the Six Worded Daming Mantra, is a sound Dharmic technique.”
When he heard that, Su Zimo could not help but recall the six strange sounding syllables that Ming Zhen chanted outside the old temple earlier on.
Those six syllables contained a mysterious might that was unfathomable!
The old monk’s voice sounded again. “The second volume is the Daming Dharmic Seal and there are six types, all of which are imprinted on the Mingwang Prayer Beads. The Fiend Suppression Seal that you’ve learned is one of them.”
“The Dharmic seals in the three Buddha Beads in my hands are the Demon Subduing Seal, Immortal Trap Seal and Immovable Foundation Seal.”
Su Zimo nodded silently.
Since the Fiend Suppression Seal was already so strong, needless to think, the power of the Demon Subduing Seal, Immovable Foundation Seal and Immortal Trap Seal would definitely not be inferior!
The old monk could not help but laugh when he read Su Zimo’s mind. “Actually, these four are the weakest among the six seals.”
“Ah?
Su Zimo was stunned.
These were the weakest ones?!
The old monk nodded. “There’s no need to discuss the Immovable Foundation Seal, it’s a defensive Dharmic seal. From the names of the Fiend Suppression, Demon Subduing and Immortal Trap Seals, you can already tell that they are not lethal.”
The words suppress, subdue and trap did not have any intention to kill!
Right from their creation, those three Dharmic seals contained the compassion of the Buddhist sects.
The old monk said, “Of the six Dharmic seals, the ones with the strongest might and can even be called killing Dharmic seals are the last two that are lost, the Great Vajra Wheel Seal and Great Mount Meru Seal!”
The moment the names of those two Dharmic seals were mentioned, there was a shuddering pressure!
“There are six syllables to the Daming Mantra and they correspond to the six Dharmic seals. By using the Daming Mantra while cultivating, you can gain a deeper comprehension of the seals and unleash their greatest potentials!”
“The method to cultivating the Daming Mantra is in the Sutra Chamber. You can take a look at it.”
Su Zimo suddenly saw the light.
So, he had yet to unleash the true might of the Fiend Suppression Seal.
If he were to release it along with the Daming Mantra, it would have an even more terrifying might!
The two of them conversed side by side and unknowingly, the skies outside had already turned dark.
In between, the sound of chains rattling echoed from the backyard as well.
It went silent after it was ignored.
Right from the beginning, the old monk did not explain about it, as though he was already used to it.
The skies gradually turned darker.
Su Zimo’s robes shifted slightly and the little fox who had been asleep for the entire day rubbed her drowsy eyes before popping her head out.
Her gaze was still a little dazed, not fully awake yet. Placing her tiny paws against Su Zimo’s chest, she stared at the old monk before her squarely, blinking in a charming manner.
The old monk smiled.
The little fox gradually returned to her senses and hurriedly lowered her head, feeling embarrassed.
Looking at Su Zimo deeply, the old monk said, “That little fox... take good care of her. Don’t let her suffer...”
“That’s for sure.”
Su Zimo replied.
Immediately after, he sensed that something was amiss.
The old monk seemed as though he wanted to continue speaking but stopped.
Just as Su Zimo was about to ask about it, the old monk changed the topic and asked, “Patron, are you willing to join our Buddhist sects?”
Su Zimo froze for a moment.
The old monk’s question came extremely suddenly and he had not considered the option before.
The old monk continued, “Don’t worry, patron, you won’t be subjected to too many restrictions if you join the Buddhist sects. If you wish to leave, you can do so at any moment and I’ll definitely not stop you either.”
Although he had not cultivated Heart Peering before, Su Zimo suddenly understood what was on the old monk’s mind after looking at the latter’s hopeful gaze.
The old monk had been guarding this old temple at the bottom of the Dragon Burial Valley for a long time, protecting the 10,000 year old legacy of Fahua and Daming Monasteries – he was hoping to continue the lineage of the two great sects!
The old monk must have only made that request after sensing that his time was almost up.
“Alright!”
Su Zimo nodded and agreed readily.
The old monk nodded appreciatively. He held a shaving knife in his fingers and swiped it gently above Su Zimo’s head.
It was accompanied by a cooling feeling.
Black hair fell to the ground.
The voice of the old monk sounded in Su Zimo’s ears, “From this day forth, your name in the Buddhist sects will be Ming Xin.”
In reality, Su Zimo could have continued reading the ancient sutras in the Sutra Chamber freely even if he hadn’t agreed. However, he did not feel good about that.
Furthermore, he had now fallen to the depths of the Dragon Burial Valley with his cultivation crippled and he wanted to start afresh.
The shaving of his black hair symbolized a cut from his past – for the time being, he was going to forsake his identity as Su Zimo, forget about his glory in the past.
From this day forth, he was going to cultivate at the bottom of the Dragon Burial Valley wholeheartedly until he could rise once more!
The old monk retrieved an almost transparent thread from his storage bag and threaded the four Buddha Beads in his hands together into a set of prayer beads.
“Although two Buddha Beads are missing from these Mingwang Prayer Beads, they are still of use and can help you avoid detection from the Essence Spirits of Nascent Souls and Void Reversions. Take it as a welcome gift of your acceptance of me as your master.”
Su Zimo placed his palms together and bowed deeply.
This gift was way too precious!
Although there were two Buddha Beads missing, it was still a connate Dharmic weapon of the past!
Notwithstanding the power of the Mingwang Prayer Beads alone, even the four Dharmic seals were more than enough to drive countless cultivators crazy for them!
Furthermore, the fact that it was able to block away Essence Spirits meant that the secrets within Su Zimo’s body would not be discovered.
The previous situation of his true self being exposed by the Demon Revealing Mirror would never happen again!
For Su Zimo, this was an irreplaceable gift!Chapter 589: Cemetery
The night was hazy.
It was silent in the courtyard of the old temple.
Moonlight shimmered and a round moon was reflected on the water surface in the old well.
Not long later, the reflection of a monk appeared. He was not old – in his twenties – and had elegant features with eyes that were even clearer than the water surface.
Su Zimo gazed at his reflection in the water and smiled.
“Ming Xin[1], Ming Xin... does he want me to see my own heart clearly and identify my true nature?”
Su Zimo muttered softly.
At that moment, he did not know where the old monk had gone whereas Ming Zhen had already gone to sleep.
His ears were filled with the sounds of frogs croaking and crickets chirping. The little fox sprawled beside the well in a deep sleep and suddenly, Su Zimo noticed that his mind was in an incomparable state of tranquility.
His mind had received an unprecedented baptism in this bottom of the Dragon Burial Valley that was isolated from the rest of the world.
He had been fighting for the past eight years.
And now, he had finally come to a stop.
It was like a consolidation, a reversion to his natural state.
Gazing at the round moon above his head, Su Zimo could not help but recall that night eight years ago.
Die Yue wore a crimson long dress and stood under the falling cherry blossom petals. Basked in moonlight, she asked softly, “Do you want to cultivate?”
For the past eight years, Su Zimo had been cultivating the Mystic Classic of the Twelve Demon Kings of the Great Wilderness every night.
Now that his Inner Core was shattered and he did not have sufficient energy to provide it, his Mystic Classic of the Twelve Demon Kings of the Great Wilderness cultivation had to stop for the time being. Su Zimo was truly not used to it.
He felt hollow internally.
Suddenly, he heard a mocking voice echo within his ears.
“Kid! Are you thinking of how to repair your Inner Core? Hehehe!”
Su Zimo was alarmed.
The voice came without any warning and was extremely foreign – it did not belong to the old monk or Ming Zhen!
Instinctively, Su Zimo looked towards the little fox at the side.
She was still deep in her sleep – clearly, she had not heard that voice!
He was the only one who heard that sudden voice!
With a grim expression, Su Zimo looked around, prepared to warn the old and little monk at any moment.
“Hehehe, don’t bother looking for me, kid! You can’t see me!”
The voice sounded once more erratically such that its direction could not be determined – it was as though it was hiding in a corner laughing at Su Zimo.
This time round, Su Zimo calmed down instead and sneered internally.
This person was playing games hiding in the dark – as long he ignored it, the other party would definitely lose his patience.
“Kid, I’ve got a way to help you repair your Inner Core. If you want to know about it, come to the backyard behind the grand hall!”
Indeed, the owner of the voice revealed his intentions.
“The backyard behind the grand hall?”
Su Zimo furrowed his brows slightly.
Prior to this, there would often be sounds of heavy chains rattling occasionally from the backyard, as though something was trapped there and was extremely frustrated.
“Strange,”
A skeptical look flashed through Su Zimo’s eyes as thought to himself, “Master said that he and Master were the only ones in this old temple. Then, this person in the backyard...”
Suddenly, Su Zimo’s expression changed and he thought of a possibility.
The existence in the backyard might not be human, but a malevolent ghost!
It would be similar to the white-bloused woman that he had encountered outside the old temple.
That was the reason why the old monk said that he and Ming Zhen were the only people in the old temple.
It was because the existence in the backyard was not human!
Ming Zhen was so frightened and the old monk was so cautious that he wouldn’t mention anything about this... it seemed like the malevolent ghost wasn’t weak!
“Do you want to repair your Inner Core or not! What are you dilly-dallying for? Hurry and come look for me in the backyard!” The voice of the malevolent ghost echoed again, seemingly impatient.
Su Zimo naturally wanted to repair his Inner Core.
However, he truly could not bring himself to trust a malevolent ghost.
Furthermore, Ming Zhen had instructed him previously not to head to the backyard behind the grand hall.
“Kid, you’re really timid as a mouse. Do I look like I can harm you?”
“Goodness, you’re pathetic compared to me at that age! Back then, I feared nothing in the world and nobody could stop me wherever I went!”
“Kid, are you coming or not!”
The malevolent ghost’s voice was growing weaker.
Su Zimo closed his eyes and rested; he did not make a move the entire time.
After a moment of silence, the malevolent ghost suddenly said, “Don’t you want to know what that crimson-robed woman did when she came here eight years ago? I witnessed everything personally, heh heh!”
Su Zimo was moved and opened his eyes.
The crimson-robed woman that the malevolent ghost was referring to was obviously Die Yue.
As though he sensed the change in Su Zimo’s emotions, the malevolent ghost remarked gleefully, “If you want to know, come to the backyard of the grand hall. I’ll be waiting there for you, hehehe!”
Su Zimo gripped his fists and took a deep breath. Eventually, he could not control himself and stood up, heading towards the back of the grand hall.
He did not want to miss out on any information regarding Die Yue.
Be it whether it was real or fake.
Turning around the old and majestic hall, Su Zimo arrived at the backyard and stopped in his tracks.
Instinctively, he looked over. His mouth could not help but fall agape as he revealed a deep look of shock in his eyes.
The backyard of the grand hall was an extremely massive cemetery that had no boundaries!
One after another, tall tombstones stood erected with clear carvings etched on them.
“Tomb of Fahua Monastery’s Dao Lord Tian Yi.”
“Tomb of Daming Monastery’s Dao Lord Fu Yan.”
“Tomb of Fahua Monastery’s Mighty Figure Yu Ze.”
“Tomb of Daming Monastery’s Mighty Figure Xu Yun.”
“Tomb of Supreme Commander of the Empire, Mighty Figure Han Fei!”
“... ”
The tombstones were dense and packed above their respective graves.
There was a majestic melancholy to the cemetery.
Those that were buried here were Dharma Characteristic Dao Lords at the very least – Su Zimo had even witnessed quite a number of Conjoint Body Mighty Figures!
“Hmm?”
Su Zimo focused his gaze onto another tombstone.
“Tomb of Daming Monastery’s Patriarch Hong Guang!”
It was the tomb of a Mahayana Patriarch!
Mahayana Patriarchs were almost like the peak experts of Tianhuang Mainland.
To think that he would be buried in this cemetery as well.
As Su Zimo lamented, his gaze instinctively fell towards the center of the cemetery.
There was an unassuming grave in the center. If one did not pay attention, that would merely seem like a little bump in the mud.
However, that little mud bump seemed like it was looking down on the entire cemetery!
There were no other tombstones a hundred meters around the little mud bump!
Above the grave was a wooden tablet that was bent out of shape.
There were only two words written on that wooden tablet.
Dharma Emperor!
Those two words seemed like they possessed a mysterious power.
Su Zimo’s expression changed starkly and he felt his chest go stuffy. In fact, he even retreated a couple of steps uncontrollably!
That was the tomb of an emperor!
A single phrase reverberated endlessly and intensified within Su Zimo’s mind.
“The ravine’s name is called the Dragon Burial Valley and the divine dragon was buried 10,000 years ago with the blood of old emperors and the death of patriarchs. It’s an extremely unlucky place.”
Everything was real!
The catastrophe 10,000 years ago was so intense that emperors died here!
Cling! Clang!
The dull sound of chains rattling echoed once more.
Behind the countless tombstones and graves, under the hazy moonlight, a mighty and tall figure stood from the ground slowly. He had a torrential aura and seemed like his head was about to pierce a hole in the firmaments above!
[1] Clear heartChapter 590: Red-headed Ghost
It was a burly man with disheveled hair and clothes.
His hair was red, akin to blazing flames, and his features were coarse. He stared at Su Zimo with a bright gaze before smirking into a sinister smile.
The burly man’s arms, legs, body and neck were bound by coils of rusty, thick metal chains!
When the burly man stood up, the chains rattled endlessly!
The scariest thing was that two of those chains pierced right through the burly man’s collarbones!
The moonlight was frighteningly pale.
The ground was laid with graves and tombstones all around.
The fact that there was a burly man with such a malevolent qi standing in this cemetery further proved Su Zimo’s initial guess!
This was an extremely frightening malevolent ghost!
The burly man sized up Su Zimo a couple of times with his gaze and the glint in his eyes intensified, as though he had discovered something interesting.
Finally, the burly man even walked forward while sniffing with a pleased expression before bursting into laughter eventually.
“Gagagaga!”
The laughter reverberated through the cemetery in an unsettling and shuddering manner!
Su Zimo could clearly see that the chains on the burly man were all nailed to the depths of the ground, trapping him in the center of the cemetery!
As long as the burly man moved, the chains on his body would tighten!
Su Zimo was relieved.
Although that malevolent ghost was scary, as long as it could not get close to him, it could not do anything.
“Kid, you’re honestly timid. What are you hiding so far away for!”
The burly man grinned. “Don’t worry and come over! I’m not going to eat you up!”
Su Zimo scoffed coldly.
He had roamed the cultivation world for eight years and had some experience in the world – the burly man’s clumsy provocations were truly way too obvious.
Su Zimo would truly be left with no choice if he walked over.
“Red-headed ghost, you can say what you want from over there. I can hear you.”
Su Zimo had a calm tone and a normal expression.
“Red-headed ghost?”
The burly man widened his eyes and his pitch changed. Instantly, he looked murderous!
“Kid, you’re calling me a red-headed ghost?”
The burly man glared sternly.
Su Zimo pouted fearlessly and sneered, “Stop acting tough over there. You can’t even move. Who are you trying to scare?”
“Hehehehe...!”
The burly man ground his teeth and snickered evilly.
Su Zimo asked, “Red-headed ghost, I don’t have the time to waste with you here. What do you know about that crimson-robed woman from eight years ago?”
At the mention of the crimson-robed woman, the burly man’s expression changed slightly and a hint of fear flashed through the depths of his eyes.
Immediately after, he revealed a gloating expression.
“Gagagaga!”
The burly man smirked and laughed. “That woman was incredible back then! A single meet up with her destroyed the silent and immovable meditations that I had painstakingly cultivated! Hahaha! I’m laughing to death!”
For the past year, Su Zimo had been reading sutras in the Sutra Chamber and had some understanding towards silent and immovable meditations.
In the Buddhist sects, some monks would cultivate various meditation techniques that were equivalent to secret skills to raise their cultivation realms.
The more stringent the requirement of the meditation technique, the greater the advancement in their powers!
For example, the silent meditation technique of the Buddhist sects was also known as keeping quiet or forbidden from talking.
Simply put, one must not speak.
The Buddhists deem that the reincarnation cycles of the masses are due to the karma accumulated by their bodies, mouths and intents.
The silent meditation technique was meant for them to reduce their karmas gained from speaking and improve their cultivation from that point on.
The immovable meditation technique did not refer to their physical movements, but their intents!
They must not have wild thoughts so as to reduce their intent karmas.
Both of those meditation techniques were extremely difficult to cultivate.
Su Zimo had not expected this old monk of the old temple would choose to cultivate both meditation techniques at the same time.
Less than that, he did not expect Die Yue to break both meditation techniques of the old monk directly.
The burly man continued, “When that woman arrived here back then, she barged into the majestic grand hall without a single word and took the sacred Saraca Flower of the Buddhist sects that was placed on display above before turning to leave.”
“Heh, that old monk naturally refused to allow her to do so and tried to stop her. But in the end, he was sent flying with a single slap from the woman! Haha!”
At that point, the burly man seemed to recall the events of that day and could not help but roar in laughter, causing the chains on his body to rattle endlessly.
If not for the shackle of the chains, that burly man could even leap in joy.
Su Zimo was sweating just from hearing it.
Die Yue was truly way too savage...
The burly man continued, “That old man was struck silly by the slap and forgot about his seclusion cultivation for silent meditation. When he saw the woman about to leave, he crawled up from the ground and said, “Female patron, please hold on...”. HAHAHA!”
Su Zimo looked somewhat embarrassed.
He wanted to laugh as well.
However, he was now part of the Buddhist sects and the old monk was considered as his master.
He could not laugh.
Therefore, he could only stand on the spot and hold himself back with tightly pursed lips. He clearly had a hard time holding back as his face flushed a shade of tomato-red.
The burly man was truly unstoppable when he spoke about everything that happened eight years ago, rambling on continuously.
Su Zimo listened quietly at the side.
It was as though he could see everything that was described happening right before his eyes.
As he spoke, the burly man suddenly lamented and sighed. “It’s all thanks to that woman, otherwise, I...”
Suddenly, he stopped speaking entirely.
Su Zimo frowned.
The burly man was clearly hiding something instead of continuing.
Just as Su Zimo was going to ask about it, the burly man changed the topic and spoke about how majestic and powerful he was in the past, overwhelming everything in his way!
The burly man took a full hour just to talk about his first battle after stepping foot into the outside world. He was so excited that his saliva flew everywhere and what’s more... he wasn’t even finished!
“To think that this red-headed ghost would be so talkative.”
Su Zimo got increasingly impatient as he listened.
Apart from everything about Die Yue, he was no longer interested in everything that the burly man said later on.
Su Zimo could not help but interrupt, “Red-headed ghost, you mentioned previously that you have a way of helping me to repair my Inner Core?”
“That’s right.”
The burly man nodded before glaring at Su Zimo. “Don’t interrupt me! Wait for me to be done talking! What’s the hurry!”
“I’m not interested.”
Su Zimo scoffed coldly before turning to leave.
Cling! Clang!
Suddenly, the sound of chains rattling echoed behind him.
This time round, they sounded somewhat strange.
Su Zimo turned around instinctively.
That single look almost scared the wits out of him!
The place where the burly man was initially chained at was now empty!
There were only a series of chains lying still on the ground!
“This...”
Su Zimo was completely stumped.
Suddenly, he felt a shadow flash above his head and the muscles on the back of his neck tightened – he was lifted up by a powerful and massive arm!
However, the scary thing was that he could not move at all!
Thereafter, the voice of the burly man sounded once more.
“Let me tell you, those chains are just for show. Do you really think that I can be restrained by a few rusty, metal chains?”
“Who do you think I was back in the past...?”
“I’ve waited for so long at the bottom of this valley. Now that someone is finally here to talk to me, where are you trying to go?”
“Initially, there was a little monk who was quite nice and came to accompany me often. Later on, I don’t know what happened but he never appeared again...”
Su Zimo felt like his head was about to explode with countless ants crawling all over it.
He finally understood why Ming Zhen was so frightened and instructed him not to come to the backyard of the grand hall.
At the same time, in the Sutra Chamber, Ming Zhen placed his palms together with a sympathetic expression and sighed. “Junior Brother Ming Xin, good luck...”Chapter 591: A Bowl of Water
Lifted by the burly man, Su Zimo was like a weak duckling and was completely helpless!
Although his cultivation was crippled, the power of his physique and bloodline was still present.
Yet, he was completely immobile after being grabbed at the back of his neck by the forceful fingers of the burly man and could only watch helplessly as he was brought to the depths of the cemetery!
“How could this be?”
“Those chains could not lock down this red-headed ghost at all?”
“Since the chains can’t hold him down, why is he still residing in this cemetery foolishly?”
“Does master know about this?”
“What’s his relationship with this red-headed ghost?”
Instantly, questions flooded Su Zimo’s mind and he was in a state of chaos.
Coupled with the incessant ramblings of the red-headed ghost about useless stuff, Su Zimo truly felt like his brains were going to explode!
Bang!
Su Zimo was tossed to the ground. Just as he was about to rise, the sound of chains ratting echoed and he found himself restrained by a thick chain.
Boom!
He circulated the power of his bloodline and struggled with all his might!
Nothing happened!
Although the chain looked rusted, it was extremely resolute and impossible to break free from.
His power of bloodline was like a rock sinking into the ocean – it had no effect on the chain at all!
Su Zimo’s eyes flashed with a cold glint and his body crackled. His bones and tendons sounded together and his entire body shrank!
Tendons Transformation!
Since he could not win with brute force head-on, Su Zimo changed his mentality and intended to escape by shrinking his body.
God knows what the burly man wanted to do capturing him here.
Even if the burly man had no evil intentions, Su Zimo wouldn’t be able to endure his incessant ramblings.
The moment Su Zimo’s body shrank, the chains binding him shrank unexpectedly as well, locking his body firmly without any chance of escape!
“Gagagaga!”
The burly man sat on the ground with a mocking expression and sneered, “Although that lousy thing can’t hold me in, you are nothing to it! You should save your energy.”
Su Zimo tried again and when he discovered that he truly couldn’t break free, he gave up and frowned at the burly man.
Now that they were so close, Su Zimo realized that the burly man did not have much flesh and was almost all skin and bones by now.
However, he had a huge frame and his bones were extremely strong, making him seem tall and mighty – every single action of his seemed to be filled with an explosive burst!
The burly man gave off an unfathomable aura, as though he was extremely dangerous and had come from the depths of the ancient desolates.
Unknowingly, Su Zimo would feel occasional shudders!
He did not know what the background of this red-headed ghost was.
The only thing he knew was that this red-headed ghost was extremely talkative – he must have endured for a long time such that he wasn’t even exhausted right now after rambling endlessly!
“Kid, you don’t know how rough I’m having it.”
“This valley is isolated from the rest of the world and apart from me, there’s only that old monk. Yet, in the end, that a*shole chose to cultivate a silent meditation!”
“No matter what I said to him, there was no response from him at all! Look at how much I’ve endured after so many years!”
At that point, the burly man was agitated and ground his teeth, thumping his massive fists on the ground.
The entire cemetery shook and trembled!
Su Zimo could not help but ask, “Why do you say that there’s only the two of you? There’s also a little monk.”
Su Zimo regretted as soon as he finished his words.
Indeed, when the burly man saw a reaction from Su Zimo, he was even more excited and his eyes blazed as he ran over and sat beside Su Zimo.
“Speaking of that little monk, that makes me even more mad!”
“That little monk fell from above six years ago. Initially, he was obedient and honest, coming here daily to feed me with food and chat with me.”
“But in less than half a year, he stopped coming! Darn it!”
The burly man grumbled in displeasure.
Su Zimo lamented internally, “Senior Brother Ming Zhen is truly someone with resolve to be able to endure this for half a year!”
“Little monk, you can’t learn from those two other monks!”
“You’ll definitely benefit chatting with me!”
Su Zimo merely felt his head spin at the moment and could not be bothered about getting any benefits.
If not for the restriction of the chains, he would have fled long ago and never step foot into the backyard ever again!
...
A horizontal line gradually appeared on the East.
Just like that, the entire night passed by with the incessant ramblings of the burly man.
The burly man lamented reluctantly, “Time really passes extremely fast. I’ve only just started talking for a little.”
Turning around, he looked at Su Zimo and was momentarily startled as he asked in shock.
“Eh, little monk! Why do you have such dark eye circles?”
“Why are your eyes bloodshot?”
“You don’t look good! Your complexion is a tad greenish. Are you poisoned by the corpses?”
“Man, your muscles are twitching! Are you having a cramp?”
Su Zimo was agitated and rolled his eyes, almost fainting.
Piak!
The burly man slapped his own forehead in realization. “I’ve got it! Little monk, did you not manage to rest well last night?”
“Re... st?”
Su Zimo repressed the urge to punch the burly man and ground his teeth for a long time before snarling the word out.
He would rather engage the paragons of the North Region in a battle for three full days without resting than to listen to another word of this burly man.
This red-headed ghost was a devil-like existence!
“Look at that, look at that! Little monk, why are you so worked up with those widened eyes!”
“What’s keeping you troubled? Let’s talk things out! Don’t keep it within yourself!”
The burly man patted Su Zimo on the shoulders and said earnestly.
Su Zimo panted heavily and lowered his head, feeling his entire head spin. His limbs felt weak and he did not have the strength to even talk anymore.
A demonic glint flashed through the eyes of the burly man.
He beckoned his hand and a broken bowl filled with dew flew over from a grass patch not far away.
The fingernail on the burly man’s index finger protruded slightly with a cold shimmer and he cut it gently across his thumb.
A thin cut appeared on his thumb with a trickle of blood.
The trickle of blood was so small that it wasn’t even 1/10,000 of a normal drop of blood. It fell into the bowl of dew and fused swiftly with it.
The dew was still clear and there was nothing unusual about it.
His actions were extremely subtle and swift.
The moment the burly man received the broken bowl, his index finger made instant contact with his thumb and the cut on the thumb disappeared as quickly as it appeared. With his head slumped, Su Zimo did not notice anything at all.
The burly man brought the broken bowl over to Su Zimo and passed it to him with a fake smile. Suddenly, his voice turned eerie and suspicious.
“Little monk, the night has been tiring on you. Have some water.”
Although Su Zimo did not say much throughout the entire night, he was truly exhausted. When he saw the refreshing water before his eyes, he felt his mouth going dry.
Coupled with his drowsy state, he did not think much about it and took over the broken bowl before raising his head to drink it completely with a single mouthful.
Chapter 592: Rebirth?
The moment the cool water reached his stomach, Su Zimo felt much more refreshed.
Cling! Clang!
The rattling of the chains sounded.
Suddenly, Su Zimo felt his body turn light – the thick chains that restrained him initially were taken away by the burly man!
“What’s the red-headed ghost trying to do? He’s going to let me off this easily?”
Su Zimo frowned and looked at the burly man skeptically.
The burly man squatted on the ground and played with the rusty chains in his hands, grinning at Su Zimo with a demonic glint in his eyes.
“Hmm?”
Suddenly, Su Zimo’s expression changed as he felt his stomach rumble.
Instantly, an extremely tremendous and rich lifeforce surged through his entire body rapidly!
Poof! Poof! Poof!
Su Zimo’s skin split apart and tore through his entire body like a spiderweb in a frightening manner!
There was way too much lifeforce essence!
Every single inch of Su Zimo’s flesh was being torn apart!
In the blink of an eye, he was filled with blood and a misty, scarlet fog surrounded him. His bloodline surged and emanated a rich demonic qi!
“Ah!”
Su Zimo roared into the skies with bloodshot eyes as green veins popped up on his neck, slithering like serpents.
His body expanded uncontrollably; his flesh was expanding, his tendons were moving, his bones were sounding and his organs were shaking!
It was way too painful!
The terrifying burst of lifeforce essence within his body was almost causing him to implode!
Pain cruised through Su Zimo’s body endlessly as he bent over, quivering and almost going into a spasm. His vision flashed with darkness and he could faint at any moment!
Unknowingly, the old monk had appeared at the back of the backyard with a deep look of worry in his eyes.
The burly man was equally nervous, no longer grinning as joyfully as before.
“Roar!”
A coarse roar sounded from the depths of Su Zimo’s throat, as though he was an injured wild beast that was struggling on the brink of death!
The amount of lifeforce essence was truly way too massive and frightening.
It had practically turned into a destructive cyclone within Su Zimo’s body, pushing through everything with an overwhelming force!
Su Zimo’s consciousness gradually faded.
He could no longer feel everything around him.
He could only pant heavily and struggle to hold on with the remaining bit of grit he had left!
A shadow flashed
The old monk arrived beside Su Zimo and glared at the burly man with a hint of anger in his eyes.
Thereafter, he turned to look at Su Zimo intently.
He chanted a Buddhist proclamation repeatedly. Even though he looked composed, the speed he was counting his prayer beads increased as time passed by – it was clear that he was tense internally.
The burly man grabbed his hair and a thin layer of sweat could be seen on his forehead.
A while later, when Su Zimo could not hold on any longer, he fell to the ground with a thud, covered in mud and fainted.
Piak!
The old monk’s expression changed and with the shift in his emotions, the prayer beads in his hands shattered!
The burly man was horrified and walked forward, slapping Su Zimo on the cheeks while shouting, “Wake up, little monk! Don’t scare me!”
Su Zimo had no reaction at all. His eyes were tightly shut and his pulse turned increasingly weak.
The burly man yelled a few more times with an anxious expression.
There was still no response from Su Zimo and his breathing was extremely faint.
A while later, Su Zimo’s heart stopped beating entirely and no breath came from under his nose. His blood flowed slowly until it became completely still.
Su Zimo’s body slowly turned cold, lying motionlessly in the mud.
“It’s over, it’s over!”
The burly man sat down with a frightfully pale expression, completely stunned.
“He had such a great potential to inherit my abilities perfectly! Just like that...” The burly man’s expression stagnated as he murmured to himself.
Frowning, the old monk had an extremely terrible expression as he glared at the burly man and asked, “How much of your blood did you feed him?”
“Just a trickle. It’s less than 1/10,000 of a drop of blood,” The burly man replied softly and did not dare to make contact with the old monk’s gaze.
The old monk had practiced Buddhism for a long period of time and had seen through worldly affairs a long time ago – nothing much could trigger a reaction from him.
However, when he heard that, he was truly enraged and questioned in a huff, “Have you gone mad? The amount of energy in that trickle of blood is enough to kill any Nascent Soul ten times over! You fed that to him entirely?!”
The burly man pouted his mouth despondently. “That little monk called me a red-headed ghost so I wanted to let him suffer a little. Who would have thought...”
“You!” The old monk was so angry that he was speechless.
“I-I merely wanted to help his Inner Core recover faster.”
The burly man was even stuttering out of guilt.
When the old monk saw the regretful expression on the burly man’s face, he could not bring himself to reproach the latter any further.
There was already no way of turning back now that things had come to this.
“Hais.”
The old monk sighed deeply and lamented, “This tribulation should be part of this lad’s life. To think that fate would still catch up to him even after he came here.”
“I caused this to him.”
The burly man slumped his head with a dejected expression.
After a moment of silence, the old monk said softly, “Let’s bury him here. Everyone who is buried in this cemetery were peerless experts 10,000 years ago. It will be befitting of him.”
Even though he said that, the old monk knew that a dead person was like a flame that was extinguished.
Extreme Foundation Establishment, strongest monster incarnate in history... all of those meant nothing and would eventually be forgotten in the future with the passing of his life, drowned in the sands of time.
The old monk sighed internally and waved his sleeves, coiling up Su Zimo’s body to walk deep into the cemetery.
All of a sudden!
His expression changed and he exclaimed softly.
“He’s not dead?”
The old monk placed Su Zimo down once again and his glabella flashed, spreading his spirit consciousness through the latter’s body.
Su Zimo’s condition was extremely unique.
His heart had already stopped beating but his Inner Core that was initially cracked was now swiveling slowly.
However, it swiveled so slowly that the old monk and burly man did not notice it at the start given their heightened emotions.
The burly man closed in and noticed the abnormality within Su Zimo’s body as well.
“What a terrifying cultivation technique!”
The burly man gasped and was secretly alarmed. “Even though his life is gone, this cultivation technique is still moving on its own. It’s trying to pull the kid back from hell’s gate!”
The old monk had a grim expression. “Although this kid has no heartbeat and isn’t breathing right now, he’s only in a state of pseudo-death. There’s still hope for him!”
There was a long silence...
Dong!
All of a sudden!
A quivering sound echoed from Su Zimo’s chest.
Although the sound was feeble, both the old monk and the burly man heard it clearly!
It was a heartbeat!
He had revived!
The both of them were invigorated and their eyes lit up.
Slowly...
The heartbeat became faster and stronger!
Swoosh!
His blood began to flow again with a faint hint of tsunami tides, bolstering his aura!
Swoosh!
Su Zimo’s nose started exhaling an endless amount of demonic qi that was scarlet as blood. It rumbled furiously before condensing into menacing ancient demon kings that appeared one after another in the void!
Wild Bovine, Stone Bear, Anaconda, Sanguine Ape, Divine Steed, Hell Tiger and Wind Leopard!
The seven ancient demon kings were life-like with sharp fangs and claws. Glaring with widened bloodshot eyes and a murderous aura, they were extremely feral.
Given their cultivation realms, both the old monk and burly man were barely affected!
The next moment, the demonic qi above the seven demon kings rumbled and a blood-red butterfly faintly appeared.
The round moons on both of its wings resembled a pair of cold eyes that were extremely chilling!
When the old monk caught sight of that butterfly, his expression changed starkly and he staggered a step in retreat, as though he recalled something.
The burly man was even more petrified and knelt on the ground with a thud. Kowtowing with snot and tears streaming down his face, he cried, “Missus, I was wrong! It was an accident...!”Chapter 593: Who’s Crying?
“I didn’t mean for this to happen! I did it out of goodwill!”
“See, isn’t that little monk fine now?”
“There’s no need for you to come personally for a small matter as such, right?”
“Your cultivation techniques are truly incredible, able to twist heaven and earth and reverse life and death... eh?”
As the burly man cried, he noticed that something was amiss.
The blood-colored butterfly in midair did not move at all.
There was no lifeforce within it as well.
After glaring at the blood-colored butterfly for a while, the burly man realized that it was an illusion conjured from Su Zimo’s exhalation and did not possess any killing power at all!
The burly man’s expression darkened and he wanted to slap himself.
He had lived for countless years and even if he met with the top existence of Tianhuang Mainland, he wouldn’t show any bit of fear, let alone lose his composure as such.
However, that woman who appeared eight years ago was way too domineering that she left a trauma in his heart.
The moment the blood-colored butterfly appeared earlier on, he thought for a moment that the woman had returned.
The burly man felt guilty to begin with after nearly causing Su Zimo’s death.
His first reaction when he saw the blood-colored butterfly was that she was here to make him pay for it. Instantly, he was scared out of his wits and lost strength in his knees, kneeling onto the ground with a thud...
The old monk was much calmer.
The burly man stood up embarrassedly and coughed gently to hide his awkwardness.
Thankfully, that little monk was unconscious and did not witness everything. Otherwise, he would have to hide his head in a hole.
A mocking look flashed through the old monk’s hazy eyes as he said idly, “To think that the great...”
“Old monk!”
The burly man interrupted the old monk in a huff before that sentence could be completed.
He pointed at the old monk and nearly thrust his finger on the latter’s face, snarling with widened eyes, “Shut up!”
The old monk smirked coldly. He looked at Su Zimo and was comforted with the fact that the latter was already out of danger and his breathing had stabilized. With that, he turned to leave.
Halfway through, the old monk suddenly stopped in his tracks and murmured expressionlessly, “Red-headed ghost? Hmms... that’s a good name.”
The burly man froze for a moment before returning to his senses. By then, the old monk was already gone from the backyard of the grand hall.
He gripped his fists so tightly that they cracked as he snarled through grit teeth, “Damn it, stupid old monk! Making fun of me instead of spending your time practicing your Buddhism...”
...
A long time later, Su Zimo stirred awake.
His eyes were dazed as he struggled to sit up. Rubbing his head, he sat for a long while before slowly remembering what happened before he fainted.
The massive face of the red-headed ghost flashed through Su Zimo’s mind repeatedly and his ears seemed to buzz.
Shuddering, Su Zimo leaped up and sprinted towards the grand hall with all his might, almost without thinking at all.
“Hmm?”
After running for a while, Su Zimo’s expression changed and he gradually noticed something unusual.
His body seemed to be stronger than before!
Some luster had also returned to his Inner Core and one of the tears was already repaired!
“This...”
Suddenly, Su Zimo recalled that bowl of water he last consumed.
The only thing that had a problem was that bowl of water!
“Little monk, from today onwards, come over here and drink a bowl of water once every month.”
Right then, a familiar voice sounded.
This was the voice that had tormented Su Zimo and nearly turned him insane!
Repressing the urge to run away with all his might, Su Zimo turned around.
In the depths of the cemetery, a burly man who was locked up with chains laid down on the floor with his hands behind his head. He did not look at Su Zimo at all and seemed like he was resting with his eyes closed.
Su Zimo could not help but ask, “Red-headed ghost, what’s in that water?”
At the mention of ‘red-headed ghost’, the burly man’s mouth cramped up and he remarked impatiently, “Just drink if I ask you to drink! What’s with all that nonsense!”
Although Su Zimo was snubbed, he was not angry.
He could vaguely sense that the attitude of the burly man towards him had changed slightly after he woke up.
He could not pinpoint the exact reason.
Something must have happened while he was unconscious!
That bowl of water was far from simple as well!
Previously, when Su Zimo consumed the 10,000 Year Vermilion Fruit and his body received that immense boost from the tremendous amount of lifeforce, his Inner Core did not show any signs of recovery at all.
Yet, after drinking that bowl of water, his body turned stronger and one of the tears on his Inner Core had even recovered!
That was not all.
Su Zimo could clearly feel that there was still a tremendous amount of lifeforce essence remaining in his body.
Even if he cultivated the Mystic Classic of the Twelve Demon Kings of the Great Wilderness every single night, that amount of energy could suffice him for an entire month!
The amazing regeneration capability and the tremendous amount of lifeforce essence... just what was in the water for it to possess such mysterious power?
Su Zimo recounted through the ancient books he had seen before but he could not compare any universal treasure to that spirit water.
However, there was one thing he was clear about.
With enough of the spirit water, his Inner Core should be able to recover to its original state within a few years!
If he continued cultivating, he could even attain greater mastery or a perfected Inner Core!
This was a cultivation speed that he wouldn’t be able to get outside of the Dragon Burial Valley even if he had sufficient flesh to consume!
With the latent danger of his Inner Core resolved, Su Zimo was delighted.
Even if he was oblivious, he could tell at this moment that the burly man was helping him.
At that thought, Su Zimo turned towards the burly man and bowed deeply, saying with sincerity, “Thank you very much, red-headed ghost. There are good and bad ghosts as well and it seems like you’re definitely one of the kind ones... except that you’re way too talkative.”
“Get lost!”
The burly man hollered.
Su Zimo ran away.
Gazing at Su Zimo’s back view, the burly man revealed a set of sharp pearly whites and ground them till they cracked, saying spitefully with a hateful expression, “You’re the ghost! Your whole family are ghosts!”
...
By the time Su Zimo arrived at the courtyard in front of the grand hall, it was already noon.
Ming Zhen was chanting scriptures in the courtyard. When he saw Su Zimo return completely fine, his eyes widened and he headed over, asking confusedly, “Junior Brother Ming Xin, are you alright?”
Ming Zhen understood the terror of the burly man in the backyard.
If he was the one that was tormented for the entire night, he would have been exhausted and dispirited, unlike Su Zimo who was invigorated and chirpy.
“I’m fine,”
Su Zimo patted Ming Zhen on the shoulders with a relaxed expression, saying with a fake smile, “I’m going to return there a month later. Do you want to join me?”
“N-No!”
Ming Zhen shook his head left and right like a drum and replied firmly.
Su Zimo smiled.
Right then, the old monk opened his doors and came forth, saying in a casual manner, “A woman arrived at the top of the Dragon Burial Valley this morning and has been crying for ten minutes... sigh, in the blink of an eye, a year has already passed.”
“Woman? Crying?”
Su Zimo froze for a moment.
Immediately after, as though he recalled something, he turned and headed out of the old temple.
Ming Zhen turned around with a worried expression. “Master, lend me your Dharmic weapon again. I’ll go protect Ming Xin.”
“There’s no need.”
The old monk shook his head. “Let him go alone. He has the Mingwang Prayer Beads with him, those evil ghosts out there won’t be able to get close to him.”
Chapter 594: The Love Is Deep but the Affinity Falls Short
Su Zimo pushed the doors open and walked out.
For a moment, he forgot that he was outside the old temple and there were malevolent spirits and ghosts.
At that moment, the only thing on his mind was the woman who was crying at the top of the Dragon Burial Valley a year after...
Who was crying?
Who was she crying for?
Su Zimo had a vague guess in his mind.
The person outside thought that he was already dead.
Theoretically speaking, today was his death anniversary!
After leaving the old temple, Su Zimo meandered around the borders of the valley and headed forward slowly.
Not long after, he heard intermittent sobbing sounds.
He walked for a little more before coming to a stop.
Even though his Inner Core had not recovered completely yet, his hearing power was still around.
The woman sobbing was right above him.
One of them was at the top of the valley and the other at the bottom.
They were thousands of feet apart.
Su Zimo raised his head and it was dark above him with nothing to be seen.
However, he already knew the identity of the person up there.
A tear fell silently from above, through the gap thousands of feet deep, and landed on Su Zimo’s face with a semblance of warmth.
Su Zimo was silent.
A long time later, the sobbing turned softer and came to a stop.
“Zimo, today is your death anniversary. I’m here to visit you,” The woman’s voice sounded.
For some reason, when he heard that statement, Su Zimo felt as though something pounded his heart and his vision turned blurry with a misty fog.
This was the Dragon Burial Valley!
How many people would choose to avoid it completely?
How many powerful living beings have been buried here for tens of thousands of years?
Just a year ago, countless paragons of the North Region died here!
Notwithstanding the fact that this was an unlucky place, how much danger did one have to risk to pass through the Great Qian Ruins and the obstruction of endless otherworldly soldiers just to get here?
“I’m now the Empress of Great Zhou. In the palace, in front of others, I don’t dare to and neither can I cry.”
“This is the only place where I can cry without holding myself back. Zimo, you must not laugh at me.”
“Zimo, don’t worry. I’ve already hid Mr. Su Hong. Unless I die, nobody will be able to find him. It’s just that...”
At that point, the woman paused, “It’s just that the cultivators of Glass Palace vented their frustrations on the masses of the Yan Country and many innocents were killed, sigh. Thankfully, Pure Maiden Sect of the fiend sects arrived and saved many of them.”
At that point, Su Zimo gripped his fists tightly and his eyes shone with a murderous glint!
Although Su Hong was safe, he loved his people as though they were his own children. Upon hearing that the masses of the Yan Country were massacred, he must have been tormented immensely internally!
That feeling was most likely worse than death for Su Hong.
“Glass Palace!”
Su Zimo’s gaze darkened with a killing intent that was almost materialized!
After starting his cultivation, what he was most afraid of was implicating his family.
To think that it was something that couldn’t be avoided at the end of the day.
Although Su Hong was fine, those innocents that were murdered were actually implicated because of him.
“It’s truly thanks to the arrival of Pure Maiden Sect that diverted the attention of all the sects and factions of the North Region. Almost everyone believed that Pure Maiden Sect was the one that saved Mr. Su Hong.”
“Ah, let’s not talk about such stuff anymore,”
The woman’s voice seemed to turn much more relaxed. “Let’s talk about happier stuff now that we haven’t met in a year!”
“All in all, Mr. Su is fine so you don’t have to worry about that, Zimo. Ethereal Peak is fine as well and I’ve also formed my Golden Core.”
The woman spoke to herself at the top of Dragon Burial Valley about everything that happened in the past year.
Su Zimo listened quietly and silently, feeling the ice-cold wall in front of him with his palm.
It was as though the hundred thousand feet distance between him and the woman could be gapped through the wall.
It was as though the both of them were inches apart.
It was as though he was standing beside the woman, listening to her soft comments.
Su Zimo’s Golden Core was already crippled and the tears on his Inner Core had not recovered fully yet.
He could not fly in the sky.
He could not soar through this height and meet the woman at the top of the Dragon Burial Valley.
Su Zimo lowered his head slightly and his eyes dimmed.
Even if he could soar through the air, he might not want to choose to meet the woman.
That was because... he was Su Zimo.
He was the man who had offended Glass Palace and the entire North Region!
He was a demon that was not accepted in the entire cultivation world!
The moment he showed himself in the North Region, he would definitely be meet with a relentless pursuit!
Anyone related to him would be implicated!
It was the case for Su Hong and it was also the case for the citizens of the Yan Country.
If he chose to leave the Dragon Burial Valley and meet with that woman or return to Ethereal Peak...
He would bring about an apocalyptic catastrophe for both her and Ethereal Peak!
The moment he stepped out of the Dragon Burial Valley would be the moment he left the North Region.
The sun rose and set.
Unknowingly, the skies darkened and it was already dusk.
Su Zimo could clearly sense that the malevolent qi in the surrounding had grown denser; the Mingwang Prayer Beads on his left wrist glowed with a mysterious luster.
Many ghosts and spirits wandered nearby but none of them dared to advance.
If that was the case at the bottom of the valley, it was naturally the same above!
A deep look of worry could be seen in Su Zimo’s eyes.
Right now, he was hoping for the woman to leave the place as quickly as possible!
A while later, the skies darkened further and bright stars dotted the firmaments. Finally, the woman said softly, “Zimo, I have to leave now.”
Su Zimo heaved out a sigh of relief.
A moment later, when he saw that there was no more activity up above and wanted to return to the old temple, the woman’s voice sounded once more with a hint of sniffing, “Zimo, I miss you.”
Su Zimo’s heart skipped a beat.
The sob grew distant – the woman had already left.
Su Zimo stood there motionlessly for a long time in silence.
After the night passed and day broke out again, he heaved a deep breath and walked back to the old temple.
When Ming Zhen saw Su Zimo enter through the doors with a dejected expression and lost gaze, he was confused but was too awkward to head up and ask about it.
He was only in his teens and had spent his life at the bottom of the Dragon Burial Valley isolated from the outside world – how would he understand something as such?
Winter came and summer passed.
Spring came and autumn passed.
On this day every year, a woman would appear above the Dragon Burial Valley, commenting softly about everything that happened in the past year without stopping.
On this day every year, the woman would seem like she had an endless amount of things to talk about.
On this day every year, Su Zimo would leave the old temple.
He would spend an entire day and night outside.
One was at the bottom while the other was at the top of the valley.
They were separated thousands of meters apart and could not see the other.
On this day every year, when Su Zimo returned from outside, Ming Zhen could see an indescribable sadness in the depths of Su Zimo’s eyes.
Finally, one day, after watching Su Zimo return to the old temple and enter the Sutra Chamber, Ming Zhen could not help but run to the old monk.
“Master, what’s wrong with junior brother?”
“Is there a woman waiting above the Dragon Burial Valley for him?”
“Junior Brother’s Inner Core is already mostly recovered and he can now fly through the air. Why doesn’t he want to go and meet her?”
Ming Zhen was filled with curiosity and asked everything at one go.
There was a long silence.
The old monk did not speak at all.
Right as Ming Zhen was about to leave in disappointment, the old monk opened his eyes and sighed gently. “The love is deep but the affinity falls short.”Chapter 595: Danger
Time flew.
In the blink of an eye, it was already five years after the appearance of the Vermilion Fruit in the Great Qian Ruins and the great battle between the paragons.
The impact of that battle had not subsided due to time. On the contrary, it grew even more intense!
The North Region was fueled with war!
Endless clashes broke out between vassal states along with invasions. With every year, a few dynasties disappeared!
The frequent wars caused countless lives to fall into distress, destitute and homeless with their families broken apart.
As for the Great Shang, Great You and Great Xia dynasties, they were coveting greedily at the sidelines because the Great Zhou Dynasty had no time to spare.
Now that Ji Yaoxue had ascended the throne and was a woman, the first in history, the imperial court was in a mess with troublemakers snaking out everywhere – chaos was starting to break out in the Great Zhou Dynasty!
It was thankful that the Great Zhou Dynasty had been built for 10,000 years and had a solid foundation, allowing it to control the situation for now.
However, throughout the capital, any sharp person could tell that if the situation continued to develop with its current trend, the Great Zhou Dynasty would meet with a calamity in less than a hundred years!
A single misstep might cause its 10,000 year old foundation to be destroyed overnight!
If any changes happened, that calamity might even be brought forward and could break out at any moment!
The Great Zhou Dynasty was in a precarious situation both internally and externally!
This was a great trial for the current Empress of Great Zhou, Ji Yaoxue.
No matter how much the North Region was riled up, there was a hidden place in the depths of the Great Qian Ruins that was isolated from the external world and its chaos.
Bottom of the Dragon Burial Valley.
For the past five years...
Three monks, two young and one old, spent their days chanting sutras and paying their respects to Buddha in this unassuming old temple. A little fox stood guard by the side peacefully.
The backyard of the grand hall was the only place that had occasional sounds of chains rattling.
This morning, an elegant looking monk walked forth from the Sutra Chamber. He tidied his attire before opening the gates of the old temple to head out.
For the past five years...
He did the same on this day of every year.
The little monk within the old temple was already used to it, merely glancing up once before continuing to read his sutras.
Backyard of the grand hall.
The old monk had just paid his respects to a friend of the past before turning to look at the burly man who was lying down lazily in the cemetery, looking up at the sun.
Suddenly, he said, “Red-headed ghost, that lad’s Inner Core has already recovered so he doesn’t have to come back here anymore. He can now focus on chanting his sutras and paying respects to Buddha wholeheartedly to find a method to recover his Golden Core.”
“Ah?
The burly man was flustered when he heard that and jolted upright. He could not even be bothered about the old monk calling him a red-headed ghost as he yelled, “That won’t do! I’m not even taking up his daytime! He can follow you to study all the Buddhism stuff in the daytime but he has to come here and cultivate at night!”
“Furthermore, he has been comprehending sutras for the past five years without any reaction to his dantian. It might not work even if he spends another five years! If it was up to me, I’d say that learning from you guys of the Buddhist sects is just a waste of time!”
The old monk asked indifferently, “Is it not a waste of time for him to drink your blood?”
“Of course!”
The burly man declared proudly, “Apart from the fact that his Inner Core has recovered entirely after drinking my blood for five years, his physique now is even more frightening than it was five years ago! He can wallop all the Golden Cores out there!”
The old monk sneered coldly.
The burly man grumbled, “I don’t care, he just has to come over to my side to cultivate every night. It’s unknown whether or not his Golden Core recovers and even you have no idea about it. You can’t waste all his time on that.”
The old monk frowned and glared at the burly man deeply, asking, “You’ve got some other motives for being so concerned, right?”
“What other motives can I have?”
The burly man patted his chest and declared righteously, “That woman was my benefactor back then! I’m not an ingrate who doesn’t pay back for what I’ve received!”
Pausing for a moment, the burly man rolled his eyes, as though he recalled something, before rubbing his chin with an odd expression. “However, that lad has something in his body that I didn’t expect. Now that his Inner Core has already recovered, I can impart to him something special from tonight onwards, heh!”
“What?”
The old monk asked.
The burly man chuckled. “Just a little trick that’s insignificant.”
The old monk smiled and turned to leave.
He knew the burly man way too well.
The more the burly man emphasized on it being a little trick, the more it was far from simple.
...
Bottom of the Dragon Burial Valley.
A young monk stood there dressed in gray monk robes. He had elegant features and pushed his palm against the ice-cold wall in front of him, twitching his ears as though he was listening for something.
“Zimo, I’m back.”
“Sight, Mr. Su hasn’t been in great shape these few years and his hair has turned white. In part, it’s because of your death. At the same time, it’s also because of the citizens of Yan Country.”
“I’ve learned a lot from him. He’s a truly wise ruler, unfortunately...”
The woman recounted everything that happened in the past year without any hurry, as though she was chatting with someone.
The young monk listened quietly.
Every single update on Mr. Su’s health would bring about a look of worry on his face.
Every interesting thing would bring forth a smile for him.
One was at the bottom and the other was at the top.
Although the two of them could not meet, it seemed like there was an invisible thread that connected every bit of joy, sadness, worry and happiness for them.
Unknowingly, it was already noon.
All of a sudden!
A series of gleeful laughs came from above the Dragon Burial Valley.
“Hahahaha!”
A man’s voice sounded. “Indeed, it’s the Empress of Great Zhou! What a coincidence! I’m Si Junyu of the Great Xia Dynasty! I’ve wanted to befriend you for the longest time, Fellow Daoist Yaoxue!”
“Oh, right. Jun Hao who died in your hands in the ancient battlefield was my elder brother.”
Si Junyu laughed. “I’ve got to thank you. Otherwise, with that brother of mine around, I wouldn’t have the chance to shine!”
“Empress, leave first!”
The strong, firm voice of a man sounded.
The young monk frowned slightly at the familiarity of that voice – it seemed to be the guard of the previous Emperor of Great Zhou, Perfected Lord Ming Ze.
The young monk was slightly relieved.
Nothing should happen with a Nascent Soul protecting the woman.
“Hmph! Run?”
Si Junyu sneered, “You guys won’t be able to escape today even if you’ve got wings!”
“Perfected Lord Ming Ze, it’s been a long time.”
“Ming Ze, you will die today!”
Immediately, two other voices sounded murderously.
Although he was not seeing it personally, the young monk had already guessed vaguely that Si Junyu seemed to have arrived with reinforcements. In fact, he prepared two Nascent Souls to deal with Perfected Lord Ming Ze!
True enough.
Si Junyu sneered coldly, “Fellow Daoist Yaoxue, you are truly careful to only bring one person with you so as to not attract attention. However...”
“Don’t forget, this is the Great Qian Ruins, a messy place that isn’t part of the territory of Great Zhou. It’s impossible for you to hide from avoiding attention completely!”
“Tsk, tsk, tsk!”
Si Junyu laughed. “Interesting. To think that the great Empress of Great Zhou would take such a huge risk to come here on this day every single year. Seems like you’ve got an uncanny relationship with that monster incarnate who died five years ago?”
“I heard that the monster incarnate’s elder brother went missing. He can’t be hidden away by you... right? Hahahaha!”
“What do you want?” The woman spoke and interrupted Si Junyu’s laughter.
Si Junyu retracted his smile and barked coldly. “Of course I want to solidify my ascension to the throne by retrieving your head!”
Bottom of the Dragon Burial Valley.
The young monk’s gaze turned cold.Chapter 596: Change
Dragon Burial Valley.
Ji Yaoxue and Perfected Lord Ming Ze stood at the edge and had nowhere to retreat.
Perfected Lord Ming Ze had a grim expression.
The two Nascent Souls that stood in midair had frightening auras and sharp gazes – they were cultivators of Heavenly Piercing Sword Sect.
The man on the left with a long face was Gu Suqi and he specialized in using dual swords.
The skinny old man on the right was Perfected Lord Tian Chen. He cultivated a supreme sword technique that even dust couldn’t penetrate once it was released!
Both of them were experts of the North Region who were way more famous than he was.
If it was a one-on-one fight, Perfected Lord Ming Ze was confident that he could maneuver his way through.
However, if the two of them struck at the same time, he would definitely be defeated!
Behind Si Junyu, there were another 20 Golden Cores.
Apart from the top guards of the Great Xia Dynasty, there were 10 Golden Core sword cultivators from Heavenly Piercing Sword Sect who were all at late-stage or perfected Golden Core realm!
Any few people from the 20 was enough to suppress Ji Yaoxue!
It was clear that the other party had planned this for a long time and came prepared, not intending to give them any chance.
Perfected Lord Ming Ze frowned tightly and was anxious internally.
Given the circumstances, it was already difficult for him to protect himself, let alone escort Ji Yaoxue out of this place.
In the cultivation world, sword cultivators had the greatest killing power!
Nobody could guarantee that they would be able to escape unscathed against the attacks of two great sword cultivators.
Ji Yaoxue had a calm expression and glared at Si Junyu coldly – there were no signs of weakness or fear in her eyes!
Piak! Piak! Piak!
Si Junyu clapped and raised his chin, smiling. “It’s no wonder why you’re the empress of a dynasty. To think that you can still maintain your composure even at this moment. I hope that you can remain as calm when you end up in my hands later on.”
“Fufu, I can’t wait to... get my hands all over you!”
Clang! Clang!
The sound of swords unsheathing echoed.
Beside Si Junyu, five guards and five cultivators of Heavenly Piercing Sword Sect moved at the same time and charged towards Ji Yaoxue.
The other 10 people guarded Si Junyu.
Ji Yaoxue had a cold gaze and circulated her Golden Core, slapping her storage bag.
Swash!
Two flying swords hovered at the front before bursting through the air!
“My!”
Si Junyu yelled in fake surprise, “Two supreme-grade flying swords! Impressive, impressive!”
“Hurgh!”
The five Great Xia guards were clad in armor and strode forward with cold expressions. They struck at the same time in unison with a ferocious momentum!
Clang!
Five thick sabers collided heavily against the incoming flying sword.
Sparks flew everywhere!
The five sabers were only superior-grade spirit weapons.
However, the five men had higher cultivation realms than Ji Yaoxue and furthermore, they were trained in their combo attacks! The slashes of those five sabers caused one of the supreme-grade flying swords to be repelled instantly!
A look of mockery flashed through one of the Heavenly Piercing Sword Sect’s cultivators. He struck immediately and twisted his sword, causing sword qi to surge forward and repelled the other flying sword.
The difference was too great!
In a single round, she had already lost control of both her supreme-grade flying swords!
Swoosh, swoosh, swoosh!
The other four sword qis streaked past Ji Yaoxue.
Buzz!
The robe she was wearing glowed brightly with four spirit patterns in a bedazzling manner, withstanding the killing power of the sword qi.
It was the robe that Su Zimo had crafted for her personally back then.
Although it could withstand the sharpness of the swords, it could not block out their power completely. Ji Yaoxue grunted dully and her face turned paler.
To be fair, if not for the fact that Si Junyu wanted to capture her alive, it would have been too easy for those sword cultivators to kill her.
Si Junyu remarked leisurely, “Ji Yaoxue, I’d advise you to surrender obediently and spare yourself the pain.”
Ji Yaoxue clenched her teeth unyieldingly and circulated her Golden Core wildly as she conjured a hand seal and released a secret skill of the Great Zhou Dynasty!
“Emperor Defensive Qi!”
Ji Yaoxue’s spirit energy surged fanatically and gathered at her fingers through specific meridians.
Pointing forward gently, spirit energy surged out and formed an arrow rain of sword qi in midair that shot towards the 10 incoming Golden Cores.
The Emperor Defensive Qi was a secret skill of the Great Qian Empire.
The Great Zhou Dynasty only managed to secure an incomplete section of it.
Even so, the might of that secret skill was not to be underestimated and it consumed an immense amount of spirit energy.
Ji Yaoxue had just advanced to Golden Core realm and the burst of that spirit art depleted her spirit energy almost entirely – her Golden Core was already throbbing in pain!
Clang! Clang! Clang! Clang!
Be it the Great Xia guards or the sword cultivators of Heavenly Piercing Sword Sect, none of them were afraid.
Their sabers and swords danced and welcomed the incoming sword qi, dispersing them entirely.
Even Emperor Defensive Qi could not stop the advancement of 10 Golden Cores!
Ji Yaoxue grit her teeth with a resolute gaze.
The Dragon Burial Valley was right behind her!
As the Empress of Great Zhou, she’d rather die than endure humiliation in the hands of Si Junyu!
At the most, she would just be crushed!
In midair.
The outcome of the fight between Perfected Lord Ming Ze and the two sword cultivators was about to be shown.
To be precise, it was the death of one party!
Perfected Lord Ming Ze had already used all his strength and released all his trump cards. Even then, he could not withstand the edge of the two sword cultivators and was wounded from head to toe as blood stained his robes.
“Ugh!”
Perfected Lord Ming Ze’s gaze dimmed as he sighed internally. “It’s over, it’s over! Even after cultivating for hundreds of years, I can’t complete this path. Such is the cultivation world.”
“Seems like the Dragon Burial Valley is truly an unlucky place.”
Perfected Lord Ming Ze smiled in self-mockery.
Below him, Ji Yaoxue already had nowhere to retreat.
Turning around to look at the dark and mysterious Dragon Burial Valley behind her, she had no fear nor sadness in her eyes. Instead, there was relief and ease.
“Zimo, did you jump from here five years ago?”
“I’m coming to join you now five years later!”
Ji Yaoxue smiled and leaped down into the Dragon Burial Valley!
All of a sudden!
A white light flashed at an extremely fast speed and coiled around Ji Yaoxue’s waist like a python.
Ji Yaoxue was about to fall when she was coiled by an extremely nimble spirit rope and yanked up from the cliff directly!
A Great Xia guard was on the other end of the spirit rope.
Swoosh, swoosh, swoosh!
The spirit rope continued coiling and instantly restrained Ji Yaoxue’s limbs – she had no way of breaking free!
Si Junyu reared his head in wild laughter and remarked gleefully, “Fellow Daoist Yaoxue, I’ve already expected that move from you and prepared for it! There’s no way you’re going to have such an easy death!”
Ji Yaoxue’s face turned pale.
She was not afraid of death. Rather, she was afraid of the humiliation she would face from Si Junyu.
At that time, the entire Great Zhou Dynasty would become a joke!
“Bring that woman over here,”
Si Junyu laughed with a sharp glint in his eyes. “I want to see how the Empress of Great Zhou is going to perform when she’s kneeling in front of me! Hahaha!”
“Understood!”
A guard strode forward and reached out to whisk Ji Yaoxue up.
All of a sudden!
A change happened!
On the other end of the battlefield, a gray figure charged over at an extremely fast speed. He arrived before them instantly with a torrential killing intent!
Nobody saw where that man came from.
It was as though he appeared from thin air.
“You... ”
One of the Heavenly Piercing Sword Sect cultivators was alarmed and was about to speak. However, he was knocked flying before he could even lift his sword.
Exploding in midair, the person turned into a mist of blood and died on the spot!
A sword cultivator was rammed to death just like that!Chapter 597: Massacre!
The speed of the intruder was way too fast!
Everyone merely felt their visions blur before that person charged into the crowd and rammed a sword cultivator to death before arriving before Ji Yaoxue.
In fact, nobody could even tell the gender of the intruder, let alone make out his appearance.
“Who’s there?!”
The Great Xia guard beside Ji Yaoxue hollered and circulated his Golden Core. Releasing his spirit energy, he slashed in reverse towards the intruder’s head.
Bang!
The intruder did not avoid or dodge at all. At an extremely fast speed, before the saber even reached his head, he struck first and punched the Great Xia guard in the chest.
The Great Xia guard’s body was smashed into pieces!
Another Golden Core was dead!
Psst!
Everyone was shocked and gasped, retreating a step back instinctively.
The intruder killed two people in succession and stopped right beside Ji Yaoxue. He lowered his body and reached out to tug at the spirit rope that was binding the latter.
Pang! Pang! Pang!
The spirit rope snapped into pieces!
By now, the cold and steely Great Xia guards could no longer stay calm as well.
Although that spirit rope looked unassuming, even perfected Golden Cores would struggle to break free from it once they were entangled, let alone snap it.
What sort of strength was that?!
Finally, everyone caught a clear view of the intruder’s appearance.
Monk?
The intruder was a middle-aged monk wearing gray robes that were pale from washing. He looked muscular and had steely features.
The strangest thing was that there was no spirit energy fluctuation emanating from the person.
Even the Nascent Souls could not see through the person with their spirit consciousnesses, let alone the guards.
It was as though the middle-aged monk was shrouded by an invisible barrier that could avoid detection from spirit consciousnesses!
Initially, Perfected Lord Ming Ze was delighted when he saw someone step in to help.
After taking a clear look at that person, disappointment filled his eyes.
Although he could not see through the middle-aged monk, he could sense that there was no Dharmic power from that person.
In other words, this middle-aged monk was a Golden Core at most.
Given the current circumstances, even if the person who arrived was the number one Golden Core, it would not change anything.
That was because there were still two sword cultivators of Nascent Soul realm.
That was the most frightening power that could not be ignored!
Gu Suqi and Perfected Lord Tian Chen had clearly also deduced the cultivation realm of the middle-aged monk relying on their experience.
Perfected Lord Tian Chen sneered, “Hmph, a puny Golden Core who doesn’t know what’s good for him!”
When he heard that, Si Junyu heaved a sigh of relief and calmed down.
As long as the person who arrived was only at Golden Core, there wouldn’t be any accidents!
Everyone’s gaze turned towards the middle-aged monk.
It was the same for Ji Yaoxue.
She looked at that foreign face with a lost expression.
She did not know this person at all. Yet, why would he risk his life to save her?
“My gratitude, fellow Daoist,”
Despite her confusion, Ji Yaoxue expressed her thanks.
The middle-aged monk nodded expressionlessly.
Ji Yaoxue frowned with an odd feeling in her heart.
It was indescribable.
“Where did this wild monk spout out from? How dare you interfere in the affairs of the Great Xia Dynasty!”
Si Junyu hollered and interrupted Ji Yaoxue’s train of thoughts.
The middle-aged monk turned around and swept his gaze across the three Nascent Souls that were fighting in midair dully. When he looked at Si Junyu who was not far away, his eyes turned murderous and he stomped forward!
Boom!
The ground quaked.
All the Golden Cores present felt their hearts skip a beat.
The middle-aged monk had already disappeared from where he was!
Like an ancient ferocious beast, he charged forward with a terrifying might!
Everywhere he passed, the ground overturned and mud flew, creating a massive ravine!
He was way too savage!
His ferocity was suffocating.
A Great Xia guard reacted slower and by the time he raised the saber on his back, the middle-aged monk’s palm had already descended.
Poof!
That person’s head was shoved right into his chest and his neck snapped – he died on the spot!
Another Great Xia guard’s saber descended. The monk did not even bother to look at all and punched against the saber with his bare fist!
“Die!”
The Great Xia guard hollered with a cruel expression.
Snap!
There wasn’t the sound of a blade cutting into flesh that he expected to hear.
There wasn’t a flash of blood that he expected to see either.
Everyone could clearly tell that the superior-grade saber that was crafted from Pure Gold Crystal was shattered by the middle-aged monk’s bare hands!
Poof!
Countless shards scattered and riddled the Great Xia guard’s body with holes that flowed with blood.
That person fell stiffly with widened eyes.
“Where did this demonic monk come from?”
From the side, a Heavenly Piercing Sword Sect cultivator circulated spirit energy and his sword quivered and buzzed. It emitted five spirit lights that was extremely domineering and chilling!
It was a perfect-grade spirit weapon!
Swash!
The person’s sword trembled.
Instantly, 13 sword phantoms appeared in midair!
The phantoms danced wildly and it was difficult to distinguish between reality and illusion!
The middle-aged monk’s gaze shimmered and he reached out, identifying the true body of the sword instantly!
Not only that, his fingers seemed like they were metal and forceful, dodging the sharpness of the blade nimbly as they pinned the sword on its blade!
All the sword phantoms dispersed.
Nothing remained.
“Hmm?”
The sword cultivator’s expression changed and he wanted to withdraw his sword by instinct.
However, after it was pinned by the middle-aged monk’s fingers, the perfect-grade sword seemed like it was pinned under a mountain and could not budge at all!
“Not good!”
The person sensed danger and realized that something was amiss. He wanted to retreat but it was too late.
The middle-aged monk shifted agilely and pushed the blade that he was holding gently forward.
The entire process was fluid as water without any pauses at all.
The blade swiped past the person’s throat.
It was extremely simple but it was enough to take the person’s life!
Shing!
A blood mist spewed out!
The sword cultivator clutched at the wound on his throat frantically but he could not stop the blood flow as his gaze dimmed swiftly.
Another three Golden Cores were dead!
The entire process seemed very slow upon narration but in fact, it occurred in the split of a moment.
The middle-aged monk did not pause at all and in the blink of an eye, he had already arrived before Si Junyu, leaving five Golden Cores in his wake.
Si Junyu was panicked.
He had never seen such methods before – his guards, and even the sword cultivators of Heavenly Piercing Sword Sect, could not even withstand a single move against the middle-aged monk, as though they were pieces of paper in his path.
The middle-aged monk was ruthless and every single attack from him was a killing blow – he gave no chances at all!
“K-Kill him for me!”
Si Junyu howled.
There were five more Great Xia guards and five sword cultivators from Heavenly Piercing Sword Sect in front of him.
To Si Junyu, as long as the 10 Golden Cores could hold back the middle-aged monk, the latter would definitely die once the two Nascent Souls in the air killed Perfected Lord Ming Ze and returned.
“Kill!”
The five Great Xia guards roared and struck at the same time!
Boom!
The eyes of one of Heavenly Piercing Sword Sect’s sword cultivators lit up and he produced an extremely frightening aura. Without even testing the waters, he released his Golden Core phenomenon!
Comments
Post a Comment