Chapter 34: The Divine Art Emerges
The black piece of wood in Nanke’s hand suddenly began to glow.
She lowered her head to look at the black wood, which seemed about to transform into jade, and stared at it for a very long time. Her expression was exceptionally focused. Her usual indifference, even somewhat dull gaze, gradually became vivid and bright.
Through this piece of black wood, she clearly sensed that a connection had been established between herself and that distant, towering mausoleum.
Something within the mausoleum was continuously issuing a summons to the Soul Wood, and at the same time, it was also extending an invitation to her.
Upon entering this Never-Setting Prairie, she hadn’t known the specific function of the black wood her teacher had given her. But now, everything was clear.
This was the core of Zhou’s Mausoleum, or rather, a part of the core. The other part was currently inside Zhou’s Mausoleum.
She couldn’t control Zhou’s Mausoleum through this black wood, but she could control the tide-like horde of beasts in the prairie behind her.
The connection coming from the distant mausoleum confirmed to her that it was Zhou’s Mausoleum, the place she was searching for. At the same time, if her guess was correct, Xu Yourong and Chen Changsheng were inside that mausoleum.
At that moment, she even felt a trace of gratitude toward Chen Changsheng and Xu Yourong.
If Chen Changsheng and Xu Yourong hadn’t led the way ahead, she would have had no way to find Zhou’s Mausoleum, approach it, and thus allow the black wood to establish a connection with the Soul Pivot.
One must know that even her teacher could not cross this vast prairie to find the location of Zhou’s Mausoleum.
Nanke’s eyes grew brighter and brighter, no longer as dull as usual, as if flames were burning within them.
Inside that mausoleum was Zhou Dufu’s legacy.
Only she knew how significant Zhou Dufu’s legacy was to her sect.
From her standpoint, the legacy within that mausoleum, even the mausoleum itself, this Never-Setting Prairie, and the entire Zhou Garden, should all belong to her sect.
This was the world her sect had lost, and today, she was finally going to reclaim it.
Unlike Nanke, the demon general couple Teng Xiaoming and Liu Wan’er felt more awe that Chen Changsheng and Xu Yourong had managed to find this mausoleum.
One must know that since the Zhou Garden had appeared, hundreds of years had passed. Countless brilliant and determined human and demon cultivators had come here, trying to find Zhou’s Mausoleum, yet not a single one had succeeded.
The Military Advisor’s understanding of the Zhou Garden clearly far surpassed that of the saints of the human world, yet even he couldn’t do it.
Chen Changsheng and Xu Yourong, however, had succeeded.
Truly worthy of being the future of the human world.
The Military Advisor, with his far-reaching plans, had expended so many resources and efforts to kill these young humans within the Zhou Garden. It was indeed very reasonable.
Somewhere in the Never-Setting Prairie, reeds and wild grass were severed by something sharp, thickly layered to form a large floating island. Lying on it should be very comfortable.
Qijian leaned against a pile of grass, looking in a certain direction in the sky. Her pale little face was filled with fear, and her eyes, already dimmed by severe injuries, grew even darker.
It was almost dusk now. Logically, that part of the sky should have turned a warm red, but instead, it was shrouded in gloom.
The reason for the gloom wasn’t clouds or impending rain, but a massive shadow covering the entire sky.
This enormous shadow slowly undulated up and down with the high-altitude winds, like a pair of wings.
But… how could there be a bird so large in the world that its wings could cover ten thousand miles of sky? How could heaven and earth accommodate such a creature?
Could this be the legendary… no, the mythical Roc?
It was said that in the far west, beyond the Great Western Continent, on the Boundless Sea, lived a strange beast called the Roc. When its wings spread, they spanned ten thousand miles.
It was said that this Roc’s strength and realm were extremely powerful, having half-stepped into the sacred domain. Even the great experts of the human world at the Saint realm would find it difficult to defeat.
How could such a terrifying Roc live in this prairie? Where did it usually hide? Why didn’t it break out of the Zhou Garden? If it couldn’t, what power in this prairie was restraining it?
The more Qijian thought, the more frightened she became, and her little face grew paler.
After dozens of days of fleeing, the sword wound on her lower abdomen had healed on the surface, but her internal injuries had not improved; instead, they had gradually worsened. Now, stirred by her emotions, she coughed uncomfortably.
Zheshe came over from somewhere with a bowl of medicinal soup and handed it to her, saying, “Drink.”
Still so concise and straightforward.
It was clear that after traveling together for dozens of days, Qijian had become very familiar with and dependent on him. Coupled with her severe weakness, she naturally showed a girlish demeanor, pouting as she said, “It’s so bitter, and it’s not very useful.”
Zheshe had said that if Chen Changsheng were here, he could definitely cure their poison and injuries. But in truth, he had grown up fighting and living alone in the snowy plains. Whenever he was injured or sick, he had to find his own medicine to treat himself. He had a lot of experience in this area. If they were outside the Zhou Garden, no matter how severe Qijian’s sword wound was, he was confident he could heal her. The problem was, this was the Never-Setting Prairie. There were very few types of plants growing between the water and the dry land, mostly reeds and wild grass, making it hard to find suitable medicinal herbs. The medicinal soup he had been brewing for her these past days was made from the roots of a rare vine he had found. The taste was indeed terrible, and the effects were mediocre, but… drinking it was better than not drinking it.
So, hearing her complaints and pouting, his answer was still simple and direct: “If you don’t drink, I’ll spank you.”
Qijian’s pale little face flushed slightly, and her left hand instinctively reached behind her to cover herself.
Clearly, this kind of dialogue—her pouting and complaining, his concise answers—had happened many times over these days.
It was even possible that he had actually spanked her, like a child.
Zheshe’s method was very effective, and Qijian didn’t seem to dislike it. In fact, she seemed to enjoy being coldly lectured by him.
Like a little beast, she leaned close to his hand and began to sip the medicinal soup slowly. Strangely, she felt the soup had a hint of sweetness.
After finishing the soup, the medicinal effects stimulated her injuries, and she started coughing again. Two ominous red patches appeared on her pale little face, making her look very uncomfortable.
Zheshe moved behind her, placed his right palm on the side of her neck, and slowly channeled his true essence into her body, following the method Chen Changsheng had mentioned at the Heavenly Book Mausoleum.
He had done this many times before and was very skilled.
On the floating island made of reeds and wild grass, it was very quiet.
Qijian closed her eyes, her body trembling slightly, her face pale.
Zheshe occasionally opened his eyes to look into the distance.
He couldn’t see anything, but he was used to being vigilant.
And only when Qijian had her eyes closed could he open his.
Because deep in his pupils, the ghostly green flames representing toxins had grown deeper and deeper, almost filling his entire pupils, their vividness breathtaking.
If they couldn’t leave this prairie and the Zhou Garden soon, his eyes might never recover.
He hadn’t told Qijian about this.
After an unknown amount of time, Zheshe’s hand left Qijian’s back.
Qijian coughed lightly a couple of times, feeling the slightly smoother flow of true essence in her body, no longer as uncomfortable as before.
“What do we do now?” she asked softly, looking at him with a hint of timidity, as if afraid the question might affect his mood.
Zheshe looked at the terrifying shadow on the distant horizon and remained silent. In recent days, they hadn’t encountered any more beasts. The prairie was eerily quiet. He knew it must be related to that massive shadow in the sky, but he didn’t know what was happening over there.
“There must be other human cultivators who have entered,” Qijian said. “That shadow might be a demon conspiracy. Should we go over and help?”
“No,” Zheshe said. “Whether it’s a demon conspiracy or not, it has nothing to do with us.”
Qijian’s eyes widened, and she asked in confusion, “But… maybe human cultivators are being attacked.”
Zheshe said, “First, it’s too far; we can’t get there in time. Second, we can’t defeat that Roc. Third, I’m not a human cultivator; I have no obligation to help those people. Finally, if I’m not mistaken, this might be our only chance to leave this prairie.”
Qijian looked at his profile, wanting to say something but ultimately staying silent.
She had grown up in the Li Mountain Sword Sect, and her education wouldn’t allow her to ignore humans being attacked by demons. But Zheshe’s reasons were too compelling, and most importantly, she knew that on this journey of escape through the prairie, she was a burden to him. So she had no right to ask him to take more risks.
“Most importantly, your injuries are severe. If we don’t find a way soon, you’ll die quickly,” Zheshe said, looking at her expressionlessly.
Looking at his face, Qijian suddenly felt sad. She thought, “I’m about to die, and you can still be so calm?”
Zheshe had no idea what she was thinking and continued, “I smelled something on the water just now. About two miles ahead, there should be a few Drunken Sour Vines.”
Qijian’s expression shifted slightly, and she asked, “What’s that?”
“A kind of wild grass,” Zheshe said. “If beasts or warhorses eat it by mistake, they fall into a coma.”
A bad feeling arose in Qijian’s heart, and she asked, “You… who are you planning to give it to?”
“To you, of course.”
Zheshe thought her question was very stupid and frowned slightly. “Your mental energy is too depleted now. For some reason, you’ve been talking a lot these days, which is clearly a sign of worsening injuries. After eating the Drunken Sour Vine, you can sleep well. It won’t help your injuries, but at least it will let you hold on a bit longer.”
Qijian was quiet for a moment, then asked cautiously, “That grass… have you ever eaten it?”
Zheshe said expressionlessly, “After eating that grass, you fall into a coma, unconscious. Even a field mouse could eat you. Of course, I’ve never eaten it.”
Qijian said indignantly, “Then you want me to eat it.”
Zheshe said, “I won’t sleep, so you’ll be safe.”
This was a simple objective statement, but to the ears of a fourteen-year-old girl, it sounded like a promise, making her feel warm.
“How long will I sleep after eating that grass?” she asked.
Zheshe was silent for a moment before saying, “I’ve never seen anyone eat it, so… I don’t know.”
Qijian was silent for a moment, then said softly, “Then you want me to eat it?”
It was the same five words, with the same meaning, but with a subtle difference in emotion.
“It’s not poisonous; nothing will happen.”
“I don’t want to eat it.”
“If my guess is right, eating that grass will at least let you hold on for another ten days.”
“But I might sleep for a hundred days, a thousand days.”
“Do you humans always like to exaggerate like this?”
“I just don’t want to eat it,” Qijian insisted.
Zheshe didn’t know why she was so stubborn. After a moment of silence, he used his tried-and-true move again: “If you don’t eat, I’ll spank you.”
Over the past dozens of days, whenever their opinions clashed irreconcilably—like when she had to eat bitter herbs, when she insisted on hugging him to sleep, when she insisted on washing his face every morning but refused to let him wash her feet every night—he would always use this move.
Traveling together, he had long realized that this youngest disciple of the Li Mountain Sword Sect’s sect leader, the youngest of the Seven Laws of the Divine Kingdom, was not the delicate, spoiled girl he had imagined. She was stubborn, resolute, and even somewhat obstinate. Even threatening to abandon her couldn’t change her mind.
She was only afraid of being spanked by him.
Zheshe didn’t know why, since that part of the body had the most flesh and hurt the least.
Maybe it was because she was a woman.
He had read books from the human world and knew about such things, but he couldn’t quite understand.
Thinking about Qijian’s behavior along the way, he felt that humans were really troublesome, especially women.
Why did she have to wash her face every morning after waking up? On the snowy plains, there wasn’t that much water. Why not just wipe it with a handful of snow? What would happen if she didn’t? Bad for facial skin care? She was already severely injured and about to die; why bother with such things? Why wouldn’t she let him wash her feet every night? Didn’t she know that on a long journey, keeping your feet clean and dry was the most important thing to go further? Well, on this journey, he had been carrying her, so she didn’t need to walk, so there was really no reason to care so much about washing her feet.
Fortunately, there was always something she was afraid of.
Like being spanked.
Hearing Zheshe’s words, Qijian’s little face flushed with embarrassment, but unexpectedly, she refused to obey, pouting, “I don’t want to eat, and that’s final.”
Hearing her clear, displeased voice, Zheshe was momentarily stunned, thinking, “What’s wrong with her today? She’s not even afraid of being spanked?”
He recalled the first and only time he had spanked her, feeling a bit lost, and his right hand unconsciously wiped against his leg.
Qijian saw his movement and, embarrassed and angry, punched him on the shoulder.
But she was too weak now, so the punch naturally had no force and didn’t even seem like a pout.
“Don’t be afraid.”
Zheshe thought he had guessed why she was being disobedient and tried to soften his voice, saying, “As long as I’m alive, I’ll carry you out.”
Qijian reached out, grabbed the hem of his clothes, widened her eyes, and looked at him pitifully, asking, “But who will guide you?”
Zheshe couldn’t see her expression and said, “Wherever that shadow goes, we’ll go the opposite way.”
After saying this, he stood up, carried her on his back, stepped off the floating island of grass and reeds, and walked into the shallow water, heading toward the few Drunken Sour Vines.
Qijian hugged him, her little face resting on his shoulder, saying nothing, lost in thought.
She was very weak now and often got drowsy. Over these days, when he carried her, she would quickly fall asleep.
He wasn’t tall, and his shoulders weren’t broad, but to her, he felt solid, like a ship that would never capsize in the vast ocean.
But today, she didn’t want to sleep. She resisted her fatigue and weakness, quietly watching the sky.
Zheshe sensed this, stopped, and after a moment of silence, asked, “You really don’t want to sleep?”
Qijian silently confirmed his guess.
She felt that if she ate those wild grasses and fell into a coma, it might be a very long time before she woke up.
Who would guide him?
When she woke up, would she still see him?
If they couldn’t leave this prairie, would she die in her sleep?
She didn’t want that.
Even if she was going to die, she wanted to be awake, so she could be sure she was still with him.
Because of her silence, Zheshe also fell silent.
He didn’t know what she was thinking, but he knew she was thinking about a lot of meaningless things.
Humans were indeed very troublesome, especially women.
No matter their age.
At that moment, the twilight was like blood, but the distant sky was as gloomy as an overcast day.
He looked up into the distance, sensed, and confirmed the direction.
After making these preparations, he raised his right hand, turned his palm into a blade, and struck Qijian’s neck.
With a soft snap, Qijian fell unconscious.
The whole world was quiet.
In the Zhou Garden, there was a prairie. The sun over the prairie never set, but it was covered by a terrifying shadow. Outside the Zhou Garden, there was a snowy plain. The sun over the snowy plain never rose, and there was also a shadow in the night sky. Compared to the terrifying shadow over the prairie, this shadow was larger, not as violent, but colder and more frightening, faintly exuding an invincible aura.
This shadow was the Demon Lord’s will. Beneath this shadow, the already formidable combat power of the demon generals was further enhanced. The ordinary demon soldiers, arrayed in formations stretching for dozens of miles, also gained immense courage. No matter how dazzling the sword light in the wind and snow was, it couldn’t instill any fear in them.
Only two people were completely unaffected by this shadow: one was Su Li, and the other was the demon Military Advisor, cloaked in black.
The black-robed figure sat cross-legged on a snowy hill. Before his knees was an iron plate, on which were mountains, rivers, cold pools, wetlands, a setting sun, but no stars—it was the Zhou Garden.
Above the iron plate hung four Life Lamps, which had grown dim. Two of them, in particular, had flames as thin as threads, as if they might go out at any moment.
In the wind and snow more than ten miles away, a breathtakingly beautiful sword light was shuttling between heaven and earth, but it couldn’t escape.
Several mountain-like figures of demon generals stood in the wind and snow, leading tens of thousands of demon soldiers, pursuing that sword light and the humans at its forefront.
Su Li was not old, but he was the grand-uncle of the Li Mountain Sword Sect, with an extremely high seniority. Even higher was his swordsmanship and realm.
He was not a saint; he was a wanderer, roaming the world, occasionally revealing his traces.
He wasn’t ranked among the Eight Winds and Rains because no one knew where his intentions lay.
But everyone knew that his strength and realm could rank among the top in the human world, on par with saints, walking alongside the winds and rains.
In fact, because of his temperament, in terms of personal combat power, lethality, and threat to the demons, after Zhou Dufu, he was the one.
To kill Su Li, the demons had prepared for a long time and were mentally ready to sacrifice many strong warriors. In fact, one demon general had already died, and three were severely injured.
Even the Demon Lord didn’t hesitate to expend the power of the dark night, turning his will into a shadow to cover this sky.
But the black-robed figure remained very calm, always sitting cross-legged on the snowy hill, only reacting when Su Li showed killing intent toward him.
The reason he was so calm was that he believed in himself.
This killing trap, using the Zhou Garden as bait, was personally designed by him. There were no loopholes; his calculations were very accurate.
No matter how strong Su Li was, he was ultimately human, not a god, and certainly not Zhou Dufu.
Unless, in a desperate situation, driven by the great terror and pressure of life and death, he made a breakthrough, there was absolutely no way he could leave alive.
And the black-robed figure hadn’t even given him that chance.
What the black-robed figure had prepared for Su Li was a pot of warm water, a slowly moving millstone.
Of course, logically, he had to constantly watch this killing trap in the wind and snow, because the person he wanted to kill was Su Li.
But just a moment ago, the square plate before him suddenly changed.
In that vast prairie, at a location that couldn’t be calculated, deduced, or found, which had always been a void illusion, a very bright light suddenly burst forth.
That light illuminated his face beneath the black robe, pierced through his pale skin, deepened the blue hidden within, and then two streaks of blood appeared.
The intermingling of three colors appeared enchanting and eerie.
His eyes, as deep as the underworld, were also illuminated by that light.
The blood on his face and the brightness in his eyes represented excitement.
What kind of thing could make someone like the black-robed figure so excited?
A moment ago, seeing Chen Changsheng’s Life Lamp and Xu Yourong’s Life Lamp enter the prairie together had made his expression somewhat solemn.
But now, he had forgotten about that.
Even if Snow Old City suddenly collapsed, even if Su Li suddenly broke through the snowy sky and left with a single sword strike, he wouldn’t be moved.
There was nothing new under the night sky. No matter how unbelievable, it was just a low probability. But this light was different.
He looked at the light on the iron plate and remained silent for a long time.
He had long given up all hope for this world, so he could view everything with indifference.
But he had been waiting for the appearance of this light for many years.
The Zhou Garden trap was, of course, not the strongest trap designed by the black-robed figure.
Hundreds of years ago, the allied forces of humans and demons had broken through five demon defense lines, reaching five hundred miles before Snow Old City. The Qilian Mountain people died, the Helan Mountain people died, and the situation was critical.
He designed a very elegant trap.
In that trap, he played with human hearts, exploiting the relationship between Emperor Taizong and Wang Zhice.
The entire continent knew what he wanted to do, and Emperor Taizong and Wang Zhice were even clearer, but they couldn’t stop him.
Because once a problem of the human heart appears, it can never be erased.
Wang Zhice resigned in disgrace.
Snow Old City remained safe.
Compared to that trap from years ago, the Zhou Garden trap, whether in scope or subtlety, couldn’t compare.
But to the black-robed figure, the Zhou Garden trap was even more meaningful than that earlier one.
Losing, then taking back—that was always the most meaningful thing.
For countless years, everything he had done was for this.
The light on the iron plate was not in his calculations. It was the biggest variable in the Zhou Garden trap, and also the variable he most welcomed.
Because it meant that the most precious thing in the Zhou Garden was about to see the light of day again.
Kill Su Li, kill most of the future of humanity.
Find the lost past.
What could be more perfect than such an ending?
Deep within the mausoleum, on the obsidian coffin.
The light of the Soul Pivot had faded, the jewels had been collected, and the obsidian coffin was pitch black, like the night.
Chen Changsheng and Xu Yourong walked into this darkness, approaching those traces.
Those traces were both words and pictures.
Words paired with pictures, aside from the picture books children loved most, had one other most common possibility.
These words and pictures were a cultivation manual.
Yes.
Chen Changsheng and Xu Yourong exchanged a glance, too shocked to speak.
The cultivation manual carved inside the obsidian coffin was a blade technique.
This blade technique had the same name as that blade.
Two Severance.
Severing in one stroke, Two Severance.