飘零影音

Arc 15: Heavenly Secret Realm | Chapter 281: The Last Day

Yan Hua and Yue Hua, being spirits of plants and trees, were highly sensitive to various energies. They cautiously glanced at Yun Lie, slightly avoiding him, but when facing Xu Ziqing, they were respectful. Seeing the confusion on his face, they earnestly explained, “Master possesses a pure wood constitution, the essence of all trees, and has learned the art of commanding ten thousand woods. Upon reaching enlightenment, you will rightfully be called the ‘Master of Ten Thousand Woods.’ It is not something we made up.”

Xu Ziqing suddenly understood. A pure wood constitution must mean he had a single wood spiritual root, and the essence of all trees—well, that must be because he had absorbed the essence of Yi Wood. As for the art of commanding ten thousand woods, it was clearly the “Ten Thousand Woods Heart Cultivation Method.” Given that, their explanation seemed reasonable.

However, Xu Ziqing also knew that his current mastery was still incomplete. The title of “Master of Ten Thousand Woods” was far from fitting at this point. To truly bear this name, he would likely need to wait until he could summon the gathering of all trees. But… there was no rush for that.

After thinking it over briefly, Xu Ziqing set the matter aside and asked about other things: “Yan Hua, Yue Hua, how long have you two been conscious in this place? Do you know who Luofu Zhenren is? And how did this demonic land form? If you know, please tell me.” Having accumulated many questions over time, it was convenient to ask these two spirits now that he had gained their allegiance.

The red-robed Yan Hua, being more outgoing, immediately responded, “Ever since the twin lotuses bloomed, the two of us gained sentience, but we were initially ignorant and hid among the flowers, so much remains unclear to us.”

The white-robed Yue Hua added, “However, we do know that we were planted here by Luofu Zhenren himself, and this place is indeed his inheritance ground. As for the Seven Emotions Demon Flower, it was brought here by a demon after the Zhenren passed away, transforming this place into a demonic land.”

Xu Ziqing, hearing this, became even more puzzled.

What was the connection between this demon and Luofu Zhenren? Why did the demon, upon acquiring the Seven Emotions Demon Flower, not use it to enhance his own cultivation but instead leave it to ensnare future inheritors? And after leaving this item behind, where did the demon go? The demon had spoken bitterly of being wronged by Luofu Zhenren—what was the story behind that? Xu Ziqing voiced all these questions.

The twin lotus spirits pondered for a moment before supplementing each other’s knowledge and sharing everything they knew.

It turned out that in ancient times, spiritual energy flourished greatly across the world, making cultivation much easier. Due to the abundance of spiritual energy, many highly talented cultivators emerged, progressing much faster than ordinary people. Luofu Zhenren was one of the most outstanding among them.

The “Luofu True Scripture” he created was immensely powerful. At its highest level, it could reveal the secrets of immortality. Luofu Zhenren himself was known for his generosity and easygoing nature, forging many life-and-death friendships with other ancient cultivators. These fellow cultivators were all exceptional and, like him, created their own cultivation methods. Together, they cultivated freely and joyfully.

However, as the saying goes, extremes lead to reversal. Many of these cultivators possessed powers that reached the heavens and earth, and such abilities could not last indefinitely.

At some point, a great calamity befell the cultivation world.

As for what kind of disaster it was, Xu Ziqing asked the twin lotus brothers, but they were too weak at the time to know.

They only knew that after the catastrophe, countless ancient cultivators perished, the cultivation world underwent drastic changes, and mortals, with their lack of power, survived in greater numbers.

Later, when those powerful figures saw that they were about to return to the earth, many great sects and outstanding cultivators were unwilling to accept it. So, they joined forces to craft a massive tomb, which delayed their demise and also served as their burial place.

Luofu Zhenren and his life-and-death companions were among those who participated. Thanks to the tomb, they were able to delay their deaths for a while and leave behind their legacies, hoping that when the tomb reappeared in the future, someone would take up the challenge and become their inheritor.

At that time, many cultivators brought their possessions into the tomb, and they were scattered among the various traps and mechanisms. The many beasts’ dens that now appeared in the tomb were the descendants of the fierce beasts or spirit pets these cultivators captured back then. Over time, they have grown to such an extent.

As a result, those entering the Heavenly Secret Realm now face even more difficulties and dangers.

Regarding the demon who destroyed Luofu Zhenren’s legacy, Yan Hua and Yue Hua only knew that he was called “Lord of Six Desires.” He once had a good relationship with Luofu Zhenren, but something happened later that made Luofu Zhenren deceive him, which caused Lord of Six Desires to become furious.

Inside this inheritance site, the Lord of Six Desires left a remnant of his demonic consciousness, constantly cursing in anger for countless years. The twin lotus spirits often slept, but whenever they awoke, they could hear his angry rants.

A few days ago, when Xu Ziqing and Yun Lie arrived, it seemed the demon’s remnant had exhausted its strength. It let out one final roar before disappearing completely.

However, the specific details of what happened between the two were unknown to the twin lotus spirits.

Xu Ziqing, after hearing everything the twin lotus spirits knew, found that some of his questions were answered, but more mysteries remained. For example, what was the ancient calamity that no ancient cultivator could resist? Why did Luofu Zhenren deceive Lord of Six Desires, enraging him so much? And since this Heavenly Secret Realm was an ancient relic left behind countless millennia ago, why did it open this time and release so many fragmented maps? These were all unsolved mysteries. Nevertheless, Xu Ziqing was not in a hurry to uncover them. His current concern was how to leave this inheritance site.

Yue Hua, being quieter, let Yan Hua speak: “Master need not worry. Although the inheritance crystal was not brought here due to Lord of Six Desires’ interference, the cores of me and my brother control this illusion array. As long as we are willing, Master can leave at any time.”

Upon hearing this, Xu Ziqing felt a sense of relief. Since that was the case, he no longer needed to worry. Once his Shixiong finished refining the Seven Emotions Demon Flower, they could leave the place without delay. He thought for a moment and asked, “Do you know when this tomb will close?”

Yan Hua replied, “Zhenren once mentioned that when the tomb opens, it will be the time for ten thousand people to inherit. Unless all the resources within are exhausted and the legacies are claimed, the tomb will not close again.”

Hearing this, Xu Ziqing was finally at ease. After all, the legacies were not something that could be easily discovered, and the resources were vast. In just four or five dozen days, there should be no unexpected events.

However, he had previously agreed with Xuan Ze, the Prince Tiancheng. Now that some time had passed, he wondered if he had missed the meeting. Additionally, they had been seeking the essence of Geng Metal, and he wasn’t sure if it had been taken by others… Regardless, in four or five days, they would need to leave this place.

In the next four days, Yun Lie spent several hours each day meditating and refining, more diligently than before.

Xu Ziqing speculated that perhaps it was because the final stage was approaching, and the difficulty had increased, requiring more effort.

On the forty-ninth day, the remaining faint demonic energy in the demonic land condensed into a smoky dragon and swiftly poured into Yun Lie’s seven orifices, instantly covering his face with black energy, making him appear extremely terrifying.

Yun Lie’s eyes remained tightly shut, and with every breath, an intense force surged around him, as if it would tear the space apart. The overwhelming and domineering feeling was different from the sharp and violent aura of a sword cultivator.

After about half an hour, the force gradually formed numerous spirals of energy, colliding with each other around Yun Lie.

With every collision, tremendous energy was released, and the shockwaves were so strong that Xu Ziqing, who wasn’t standing far away, was forced to retreat several feet, stepping back instinctively to avoid the force.

Fortunately, though the energy forced Xu Ziqing back, it didn’t harm him, as if it somehow sensed his presence.

Soon, the swirling energy gradually disappeared, and all the power was absorbed back into the body of the seated man in white.

Suddenly, a thin crack opened at the center of Yun Lie’s forehead, and from within, a chilling sword intent shot out, surging skyward!

“Boom—”

A deafening sound echoed as the icy, murderous sword intent expanded in all directions like a flood. Above Yun Lie’s head, something heavy and intangible seemed to float, forming an endless domain, invisible to the naked eye but unmistakably present.

It was the nascent form of his “Small Universe.”

Xu Ziqing watched in shock. It wasn’t the first time he had seen his Shixiong unleash this technique, but this time it appeared clearer than ever before. He understood that his Shixiong had made progress in his cultivation, which was why it manifested so distinctly. What surprised him even more was that within the nascent form of the Small Universe, he saw countless sharp swords standing upright, their blades pointed skyward—unyielding and indomitable!

Xu Ziqing held his breath.

…Could this be the manifestation of his Shixiong’s sword intent?

Since Yun Lie had condensed the nascent form of his Small Universe while at the early Gold Core stage, it had typically only conveyed an overwhelming aura without a physical form. The inside of the Small Universe had always been empty, formidable yet hollow. But this time, it seemed to have merged with his sword intent…

Xu Ziqing could already foresee that when his Shixiong’s Small Universe was fully formed, it would likely evolve into a sword domain, where countless sword intents would manifest, ultimately creating an independent realm. The current nascent form of the Small Universe was far more powerful than it had been before!

After Yun Lie had unleashed the nascent form of his Small Universe, the sword shadows flickered and vanished. The aura then retracted, and the Small Universe returned to his Zifu1Violet Palace/Purple Mansion. I’ve been quite confused for a while and set it in pinyin as Zifu. It’s something like a spiritual realm of oneself? Or something akin to the gates of the Sea of Consciousness?? I’m quite confused but I know this is something Wuxia/Xianxia classic term. But each book has its own T&C so… yeah.. At the same time, the sword intent condensed into a single point of black light, which was absorbed back into the crack at his forehead. Then, the crack closed, and all the energy swirling around him was completely drawn back into his body.

At this moment, Yun Lie sat on the ground, and the final petal of the Seven Emotions Demon Lotus silently merged into him, disappearing from sight. The black energy on his face quickly dissipated, and soon after, he opened his eyes. However, his eyes were still pitch-black, like an endless abyss.

Xu Ziqing felt a moment of confusion. After refining the final petal, Yun Lie appeared exactly the same as he had before falling into demonic influence, even his aura unchanged. But when he opened his eyes, Xu Ziqing realized that Yun Lie was still immersed in demonic consciousness. Whether Xu Ziqing felt disappointed or relieved, he wasn’t sure, and he sighed softly. Then, he opened his mouth to welcome Yun Lie’s familiar closeness.

Translator: Lynn

Translations are not 100% correct. Please let me know if there are typos/mistakes in the chapter.

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