Chapter 1040: Seven Lives, Seven Deaths
The Azure-Clad Scholar and Shi Meiren were conversing, revealing some secret matters.
Zhang Ruochen sat to the side, listening quietly.
"Thank you, Senior Sister Luo."
Zhang Ruochen accepted the purple bamboo teacup handed over by Luo Shuihan and took a sip.
The tea was extremely sweet. After drinking it, his blood began to flow rapidly, and a feeling of comfort spread throughout his body.
It was clearly no ordinary tea.
The weakness within Zhang Ruochen's body lessened significantly, and even his injuries were recovering quickly.
Originally, after using the power of the Sarira, Zhang Ruochen would have a weakness period of three to four days, with his cultivation plummeting to the bottom. After drinking this tea, he felt that he could get through the weakness period in at most one day.
Across from him, the old man in Confucian robes, with half-white and half-black hair, stared at Zhang Ruochen and snorted coldly: "The leaves of this Sacred Dao Ancient Tea were personally picked by me from the ancient tea tree planted by the Confucian Ancestor. They were originally a gift to Academy Head Luo, but I didn't expect them to benefit a junior like you."
Zhang Ruochen felt that this old man in Confucian robes was a stubborn traditionalist, self-important, too focused on seniority, and would show off and boast in front of him at the slightest disagreement.
Was that necessary?
However, the old man's words still startled Zhang Ruochen somewhat.
Eight hundred years ago, Zhang Ruochen had heard that the Confucian path had four ancient tea trees, planted by four Confucian Ancestors. They had grown for over ten million years and were extremely ancient.
However, the great calamity at the end of the Middle Ages had caused three of the ancient tea trees to be damaged and turned to ashes, leaving only one surviving to this day.
Moreover, the ancient tea tree only yielded a small amount of ripe leaves every thousand years.
Only Confucian Saints were qualified to receive a few leaves.
The old man in Confucian robes claimed to have personally picked the leaves from the ancient tea tree. Zhang Ruochen naturally found it somewhat hard to believe, thinking he was inflating his own worth and deliberately putting on an air of high virtue.
The old man in Confucian robes shook his head and sighed: "The power of the Sacred Dao Ancient Tea can help cultivators comprehend Sacred Dao rules, enhance spiritual power, consolidate the mind and sacred soul, and refine the sacred source. An ignorant child, after taking a sip of the tea, could instantly become a prodigy. The Sacred Dao Ancient Tea is most useful for spiritual power cultivators. Having you drink it is truly a waste..."
Before the old man's words had fully fallen, a soft "pop" sound came from within Zhang Ruochen's body.
Immediately after, a powerful surge of spiritual power flowed out from Zhang Ruochen's body.
Drinking the Sacred Dao Ancient Tea had allowed Zhang Ruochen's spiritual power to break through its bottleneck, reaching the level of forty-seventh rank.
The old man in Confucian robes naturally sensed that powerful fluctuation of spiritual power. His expression froze slightly, clearly not expecting that a junior who cultivated martial arts would have cultivated his spiritual power to such a profound level.
When he was Zhang Ruochen's age, he had just become a Half-Saint in spiritual power, still far from the intensity of the forty-seventh rank.
However, the old man's expression quickly returned to normal. Forcing calmness, he said: "Your spiritual power is barely passable. Compared to my grand-disciple, the gap is still huge. My grand-disciple has already reached the forty-ninth rank of spiritual power and is about to become a Saint."
"The new second-place scholar?" Zhang Ruochen asked.
"Exactly."
The old man in Confucian robes raised his chin, lightly stroked his beard, looking quite pleased with himself.
"Not the top scholar," Zhang Ruochen muttered softly.
The old man in Confucian robes felt that Zhang Ruochen didn't understand the weight of "second-place scholar." He glared angrily, turned his face away, and couldn't be bothered to say more to this disrespectful brat.
A young junior in his twenties, upon seeing him, hadn't bowed respectfully, hadn't shown a humble demeanor, and even sat as an equal. Naturally, this angered him greatly.
Originally, he had been hinting to Zhang Ruochen, suggesting that Zhang Ruochen show him some respect, but Zhang Ruochen didn't take the hint and still sat boldly across from him.
The old man in Confucian robes thought to himself, "Such an ill-mannered junior needs to be taught a lesson, lest he go astray in the future and take the wrong path."
Zhang Ruochen, of course, didn't expect that an elder like the old man in Confucian robes would be so petty. At the moment, he was deep in thought.
Earlier, the old man in Confucian robes had addressed the Azure-Clad Scholar as "Academy Head Luo," which confirmed Zhang Ruochen's speculation.
The Azure-Clad Scholar was one of the ten academy heads of the Eastern Domain Sacred Academy, Luo Xu.
Two hundred years ago, he was the number one talent of the Kunlun Realm, having reached the supreme extreme of the Heavenly Extreme Realm. He was also the first Saint from the Demon Ridge to become famous across the world.
As Shi Meiren and Luo Xu continued their conversation, Zhang Ruochen gradually understood the grievances between them.
This matter dated back two hundred years.
At that time, the Demon Sect wanted to expand its power and launch a large-scale invasion of the Eastern Domain, competing with the Martial Market Bank, the Black Market, and the Imperial Court for interests.
The Demon Sect chose the Middle Ages aristocratic clan "Qi Clan" in the Eastern Domain as a bridgehead. By taking control of the Qi Clan, they could quickly establish a foothold in the Eastern Domain.
Thus, the Demon Sect Leader ordered the then-Demon Sect Saintess, Lin Suxian, to marry the eldest son of the Qi Clan's patriarch, Qi Xiangtian.
However, Luo Xu and Lin Suxian were already a couple.
For this matter, Luo Xu single-handedly stormed the Demon Sect's headquarters, killed many Demon Sect experts, with blood flowing for twelve miles. As a Half-Saint, he even killed a Demon Sect Saint.
But Luo Xu was ultimately outnumbered and couldn't reclaim Lin Suxian. He could only watch helplessly as his lover married into the Qi Clan of the Eastern Domain.
The person who suppressed Luo Xu at that time was none other than the esteemed First Saintess, Ling Feiyu.
Zhang Ruochen also realized that the palace-dressed woman he had seen at the Pearl Light Pavilion last night must be the most beautiful woman under heaven two hundred years ago, Lin Suxian.
Of course, Lin Suxian was now the Vice Palace Master of the Demon Sect's Saintess Palace, holding great power, second only to Ling Feiyu in status.
Zhang Ruochen sighed deeply. This matter was hard to judge who was right and who was wrong.
After all, in that battle back then, Ling Feiyu had shown mercy and done her utmost to spare Luo Xu's life.
If another Demon Sect expert had acted, Luo Xu would have died at the Demon Sect headquarters two hundred years ago.
From an outsider's perspective, Ling Feiyu hadn't done anything wrong. In fact, she had shown some kindness to Luo Xu and Lin Suxian.
Given Luo Xu and Lin Suxian's abilities at the time, they couldn't have opposed the entire Demon Sect. If Luo Xu had died in battle, Lin Suxian would likely have committed suicide.
The current outcome was already the best possible.
However, as the party involved, Lin Suxian wouldn't see it that way. She blamed all the grievances on Ling Feiyu.
She named her daughter "Feiyu," which was a clear sign of her deep-seated grudge.
Ling Feiyu's cultivation was too high, and Lin Suxian was no match for her. So she waited for an opportunity. It wasn't until Ling Feiyu was severely injured in her battle with the Azure Heaven Blood Emperor that Lin Suxian finally struck to take revenge.
Killing Ling Feiyu wouldn't be enough to quell the hatred in her heart.
She wanted to torment Ling Feiyu, to make her suffer eternal damnation.
How many grievances and conflicts in the world ultimately stem from the word "love"?
Luo Xu could forgive Ling Feiyu, partly because time had diluted the hatred, but also because he had a broad mind. He hadn't been twisted by hatred and could see right from wrong.
Having received Luo Xu's forgiveness, Ling Feiyu's state of mind seemed to recover somewhat. A sharp light appeared in her eyes.
Luo Shuihan handed a cup of Sacred Dao Ancient Tea to Ling Feiyu. She didn't refuse, took the cup, and took a light sip.
Luo Xu said: "With the Sacred Dao Ancient Tea and the 'Seven Lives, Seven Deaths Diagram,' it should be possible to help Palace Master Ling fully recover her mind and will. I only hope that Palace Master Ling won't hold a grudge over this matter. Everything is my fault. Any wrong she has done, I can help make amends."
The old man in Confucian robes looked at the scroll on the table, suddenly understanding. He quickly rolled it up and said: "Luo Xu, oh Luo Xu, I misjudged you. I thought you were also a fraud, saying you wanted to study the 'Seven Lives, Seven Deaths Diagram' with me. Turns out you wanted to use it to save someone. Do you know that the 'Seven Lives, Seven Deaths Diagram' is the supreme treasure of the Painting Sect? I took a great risk to bring it out."
Luo Xu smiled and said: "Brother Ju..."
"Don't call me that! Although I am one of the 'Four Gentlemen Saints: Plum, Orchid, Bamboo, and Chrysanthemum,' that was because the other three tricked me!"
The old man in Confucian robes gritted his teeth, filled with hatred.
"This old fellow is actually the Painting Saint, one of the Four Gentlemen Saints?" Zhang Ruochen found it very strange.
In the Kunlun Realm, there was more than one person who could attain Sainthood through painting, but only one could be called the Painting Saint.
That person was the leader of the Painting Sect, Chu Siyuan, also known as "Mr. Chrysanthemum." He was one of the "Four Gentlemen Saints: Plum, Orchid, Bamboo, and Chrysanthemum," along with the Qin Saint, the Qi Saint, and the Shu Saint.
Plum, Orchid, Bamboo, and Chrysanthemum symbolized noble qualities and high moral character. The Confucian sages of the past all liked to use them to express themselves.
However, at the time, Chu Siyuan hadn't thought it through. He only felt that the title of "Four Gentlemen" suited his status, so he agreed.
When he returned to the Painting Sect and thought it over carefully, he realized something was wrong.
But by then, it was too late to change it back.
Luo Xu said seriously: "Brother Chu, Palace Master Ling's battle with the Azure Heaven Blood Emperor was a great contribution to all of humanity. If not for her, the Azure Heaven Blood Emperor might have already released the Nether King. Now that Palace Master Ling is severely injured from that battle, how could a person of your noble character refuse to help?"
The old man in Confucian robes nodded, feeling that Luo Xu's words made sense, especially the phrase "noble character," which hit the mark.
The old man in Confucian robes stroked his beard and said leisurely: "For Palace Master Ling to enter the 'Seven Lives, Seven Deaths Diagram,' she must experience seven lifetimes within the scroll and complete seven cycles of reincarnation. Moreover, another person must enter the scroll with her to guide her, help her rebuild her will, correct some of her mistakes, and lead her on the path of cultivation."
Luo Xu asked: "What conditions must the guide meet?"
"First, the guide must be someone she trusts. Otherwise, if a random guide is chosen, they might secretly harm her within the scroll, leaving fatal consequences."
"Second, the guide's spiritual power must reach the forty-fifth rank or above."
Then, the old man in Confucian robes explained: "After all, they will experience seven lifetimes within the scroll, encountering all kinds of human affairs. If a person's spiritual power isn't strong enough, once they exit the scroll, they won't be able to accommodate so many memories in an instant, and their mind will surely collapse."
"Third, that person's Sword Dao realm must reach the realm of 'Man and Sword as One.'"
"You must understand that Palace Master Ling's most important spiritual will is her Sword Dao will. Only someone with a sufficiently high Sword Dao realm can guide her to find her Sword Dao will."
The old man in Confucian robes sighed: "Only those who meet these three conditions are qualified to be her guide and help her through seven lifetimes."
Even Luo Xu frowned. Finding someone who could meet all three such harsh conditions at once was extremely difficult.
At this moment, the sky above the green wooden boat was completely covered by blood clouds, revealing the densely packed figures of the Undying Blood Clan army.
Both banks of the river were also surrounded by the Undying Blood Clan's army, with several layers of formations set up, as if afraid Zhang Ruochen might escape.
The people in the cabin naturally knew about the situation outside, but they didn't take it to heart, still pondering the suitable candidate for the guide.
Zhang Ruochen sensed something and looked up at Ling Feiyu.
Their eyes met.
Did Ling Feiyu think he was someone she could trust?
Zhang Ruochen found it somewhat unbelievable. After all, he hadn't known Ling Feiyu for very long. Was Ling Feiyu willing to entrust herself completely to him?
Before Zhang Ruochen could think further, a deep voice sounded from outside the cabin: "Zhang Ruochen, this king has been ordered by the Blood Emperor to retrieve the Sky-Soaring Sword. Come out and face me!"
As that icy voice rang out, a shocking cold air descended from the sky, freezing the wide ancient river into a river of ice.
(I have some matters these two days, so the updates are a bit sparse. Updates can resume tomorrow.) (To be continued.)