Translator: CinderTL
Xu Sanyan had no idea how to use the Azure Crimson Twin Swords. Keeping them was pointless, so he might as well forge a karmic connection.
Deep down, he sensed something extraordinary about Liu Wanjun. He felt they might cross paths again in the future.
Watching Xu Sanyan's retreating figure, Liu Wanjun exhaled deeply. She touched the wound on her back, which had stopped bleeding.
Then, she retrieved the heart from her chest. She felt an inexplicable connection to it.
After a moment's thought, she unbuttoned her collar, revealing her smooth, firm breasts. Looking down at her chest, she saw no scar.
She didn't know if this was her own heart. Ever since she woke up, she hadn't felt its beat, nor did she need to breathe or eat.
She seemed to exist on the boundary between life and death, neither fully alive nor truly dead...
Xu Sanyan took out his token to confirm his direction and set off again. As he walked, he pulled out the book Liu Wanjun had given him and began to read.
The book was made of an unknown material, not paper but something resembling animal hide. When he opened it, a line of large characters met his eyes:
"Borrowing Life to Revive the Soul: An Act Against Heaven's Will."
He continued reading:
"This method violates the natural order and has never succeeded. Those who follow must proceed with utmost caution."
No one had ever succeeded, meaning no one knew what would happen!
The pages that followed were densely packed with the numerous taboos of this method, along with complex arrays that had to be combined. Xu Sanyan found it utterly bewildering.
The art of array formation was vast and profound, far beyond what could be mastered in a day or two.
Xu Sanyan had no interest in this art and had no intention of learning it. Instead, he turned his attention to the three items he had found in the storage room.
A longsword, a token, and a book.
He opened the book first:
"I was originally an elder of Shangyin Mountain. I entered the Dao at the age of thirteen, reached the Inner Qi Realm at nineteen, the Celestial Being Realm at twenty-seven, and finally achieved Foundation Establishment at sixty-eight."
"After Foundation Establishment, one truly understands the vastness of heaven and earth, making the pursuit of the Dao even more resolute. At the age of 137, I entered the Dao Seeking Realm."
"A Dao Seeker is one who seeks the Dao. Once you choose a path, you must dedicate yourself to it without wavering, or your cultivation will stagnate. I chose the path of array formations. After five hundred years of arduous exploration, I finally reached the Soul Refinement Realm at the age of 650."
Xu Sanyan raised an eyebrow. This old geezer only reached Soul Refinement at over six hundred years old?
"My fellow disciples praised my exceptional talent, even suggesting I might glimpse the Void Harmony Realm. I was filled with ambition and confident that the Void Harmony Realm would be within my grasp. Yet, as my lifespan neared its end, I still hadn't even touched the door to that realm."
TL/N: Void Harmony Realm, Previously translated as Harmony with Emptiness.
"Difficult, difficult, difficult! I refuse to accept this! A thousand years of cultivation, only to end up as a handful of dust in the yellow earth? I refuse to accept this!"
Even through the handwriting, one could sense the old geezer's deep resentment, a feeling of impotent rage.
It was like a row of beautiful, flower-like girls stripping naked and posing seductively before him. His heart burned with desire, yet he could only feast his eyes on them, utterly powerless to act.
"Tsk tsk..."
Xu Sanyan continued flipping through the book.
"So, I'll leave you this book. If you reincarnate and lose your memories, you can use it to recover them and continue your Immortal Fate. This token is your entry pass to Shangyin Mountain. Holding it grants you access to the Shangyin Mountain Gate."
"This sword is my life-cultivating Magical Artifact. By cultivating our sect's method, you can integrate it into your Qi Sea for nurturing..."
Xu Sanyan understood. No wonder he couldn't use the Azure Crimson Twin Swords earlier. They required a corresponding cultivation method and nurturing.
Closing the book, Xu Sanyan mused, "Shangyin Mountain..."
This sect should be far more powerful than the Vast Origin Sect he was heading to. Lan Yue had mentioned that the Vast Origin Sect's sect master was only at the Soul Refining Realm, while this Imperial Advisor, merely an elder of Shangyin Mountain, was already at that level.
The comparison made their relative strengths obvious.
Xu Sanyan took out the token and poured his Spiritual Power into it, but nothing happened.
"Huh... that's not right?" Curious, he flipped the token over. How was it different from the one he'd received from the Vast Origin Sect?
This token seemed to be just a plain token, with no other functions.
Disappointed, Xu Sanyan put it away. It seemed he would still have to go to the Vast Origin Sect first.
Time flew by, and more than a month had passed in the blink of an eye.
Xu Sanyan led his horse with one hand while pulling out his token to check the progress. They were already more than halfway through their journey. At their current pace, it would take about three more months to reach their destination.
As they approached the Central Region, he could clearly feel the heaven and earth's spiritual qi becoming more vibrant. The Qi Kingdom, where he had been before, truly seemed like a barren land in comparison.
The sky was already turning crimson as evening approached. Xu Sanyan looked ahead and spotted a temple not far off, its golden pagoda shimmering brilliantly in the setting sun. The temple grounds were vast, covering nearly a hundred acres, enclosed by a wall of blue-gray stone. Two vermilion gates hung with a grand plaque.
"They must be loaded!" Xu Sanyan had never seen a temple of such scale before.
Having traveled for several days without rest, he was holding up fine, but his horse was starting to show signs of fatigue. Xu Sanyan decided to spend the night at the temple to rest and recharge before continuing their journey.
As he approached, he saw three large characters on the plaque above the gate:
Wondrous Sound Temple
"A nunnery?" Xu Sanyan raised an eyebrow. Such a grand temple was actually a nunnery?
Creak...
The temple gates slowly opened. Xu Sanyan peered inside, but the courtyard was deserted. The ground was covered in dry leaves and fallen branches, clearly untouched for a long time.
Just then, a gentle breeze swept through the courtyard, scattering the leaves and revealing a narrow path leading deeper into the temple grounds, as if inviting him to enter.
"Hmm?"
Xu Sanyan's eyes narrowed. He hadn't felt anything just now.
He hadn't seen anyone, nor had he detected any fluctuations in Spiritual Power. It was as if a gust of wind had simply brushed aside the fallen leaves.
But he knew this was impossible. Such a convenient gust of wind couldn't possibly exist.
Xu Sanyan cautiously retreated. This place was too eerie to enter.
Whoosh...
The treetops swayed gently in the wind. The sun had completely set, plunging the earth into darkness.
Suddenly, a voice came from behind him.
"Why are you here, brother?"
Xu Sanyan whirled around to see an elderly nun in plain robes standing not far behind him, her fingers moving over a string of prayer beads, her face radiating serene compassion.
He hadn't even noticed her!
Swallowing hard to calm his violently pounding heart, Xu Sanyan forced his expression to remain calm. "I was just passing by and was struck by the temple's grandeur and majesty. I was about to leave."
The nun raised a single palm to her chest and said, "It's getting late. Why not stay the night? You can continue your journey tomorrow."
As soon as she finished speaking, a voice called out from within the temple, "Abbess, you've returned."
Xu Sanyan's pupils widened. He spun around to see two young nuns sweeping fallen leaves in front of the temple gates. Judging by their youthful faces, they couldn't be older than twenty.
Xu Sanyan's heart pounded in shock. Was he seeing ghosts?
When had two more people appeared behind him?
His Peak Stage Foundation Establishment cultivation felt like a joke. He hadn't sensed any of them approaching!
(End of the Chapter)
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