"Chu Xuan, are you sure you want to go in?" Ling Qingxue stood before the stone wall, her voice low as if afraid of disturbing something, "I have been in seclusion here for three thousand years and have not dared to step into that crack even once."
Chu Xuan grinned and pointed to his chest: "The little bean sprout inside me was jumping more merrily than a rabbit, just short of Shouting 'Go home'. If I don't go in, I'm afraid it will beat my heart like a drum tonight."
"Bean sprouts?" Ling Qingxue raised her eyebrows.
"Oh, it's the primordial spirit within me." Chu Xuan scratched his hair and laughed a little short, "I gave it a nickname to make it seem endearing."
Ling Qingxue shook her head helplessly. With a flick of her ice sleeve, the frost on the stone wall rustled down, revealing a dark crack, as if it had been split by a sword, but with great restraint, the edge of the crack was too neat. She turned sideways, giving way half a step: "Then please, Daddy Bean Sprout."
Chu Xuan took a deep breath and stepped in.
...
Behind the crack was a natural stone chamber, with a dome hanging high and starlight-like ice crystals embedded in the rock wall, making the middle stone wall as bright as day. The walls are jade-like, and the dense runes on them are like living creatures, moving like golden threads. With just one glance, Chu Xuan saw the sea of consciousness explode with a buzz, as if a thousand bells were ringing in unison --
[General Outline of All Spirits' Contract]
Six ancient seals, each stroke like a celestial sword, strike the center of his soul. Chu Xuan groaned and his nose bled on the spot, but he did not retreat. Instead, he grinned: "Good fellow, to give me a warning right from the start?"
Ling Qingxue followed in, and upon seeing this, she immediately placed her fingers on the back of his heart, and a cold spiritual force rushed in to stabilize his sea of consciousness. Her voice was unusually urgent: "Don't show off your strength. This is an ancient divine text. If you read it too quickly, it will blow your soul."
Chu Xuan raised his hand to wipe the nosebleed and laughed heartlessly: "It's okay, I have a strong head. Besides, it seems... Know me."
He stretched out his finger and gently pressed it on the first ancient seal. In an instant, all the runes lit up like a lit star map, and the golden thread climbed down the stone wall, onto his arm, and spread all the way to his heart. Chu Xuan felt a thumping of his heart, as if responding to another heart --
Thump --
Deep within the stone wall, a hazy light and shadow emerged slowly, as if coming from all eternity. It was a man, tall and slender, with a face that was seven parts like Chu Xuan, but more weathered, with the sun and moon crumbling and the stars rolling backward in his eyes.
"Junior," the illusory figure spoke, his voice echoing directly in the sea of Chu Xuan's consciousness, "Finally, we've waited for the second person who dares to smear blood on the character 'contract'."
Chu Xuan was astonished: "Who is the first one?"
The phantom chuckled, looking over him and upon Ling Qingxue, with a tender remembrance: "Her ancestors."
Ling Qingxue trembled all over her body, and a rare water vapor appeared in her icy eyes. She stepped forward, her voice trembling: "You... Are you the first holder of the fellowship?
The phantom nodded and then shook his head: "Just a wisp of remnant thought, left for today." He raised his hand and a pale golden jade slip appeared in his palm. "The outline is here. Take it."
The jade slip fell into Chu Xuan's palm, as warm as jade, yet as heavy as a thousand pounds. Chu Xuan grinned: "Senior, pass on your skills, don't press my hand."
The phantom was amused: "Sly lad, more lively than your ancestors." For a moment, he turned his tone to solemnity, "The primordial spirit, the Dao contract carrier, the two together can subdue the Taotie. Are you willing to take on this responsibility?"
Chu Xuan was not in a hurry to answer, but looked back at Ling Qingxue. The woman, dressed as white as snow, was looking at him quietly, her eyes melted like the first ray of moonlight on a spring night. Chu Xuan shrugged his shoulders: "If I don't take her, she'll have to stay in seclusion for another three thousand years. It's not a good deal."
The phantom laughed loudly, shaking the stone chamber: "Good! Then let's make a pact."
He raised his hand and pointed it towards the stone wall. Rumble - the jade wall split open, revealing a stone platform behind it, on which lay an ice-blue jade pendant, a drop of suspended golden blood, and a feather burning with ice flames.
"Three tokens, representing the three pledges of the covenant: equality, coexistence, and protection. With blood as the lead, with heart as the oath, with soul as the seal."
Chu Xuan took a deep breath and stepped forward. But just as his fingertips were about to touch the golden blood, the stone chamber shook violently and a deafening roar came from outside -
"Ling Qingxue! How dare you privately open the forbidden land and violate the clan rules? !"
The sound rumbled, with the pressure of the divine transformation, causing the ice crystals to fall. Ling Qingxue's face turned icy in an instant: "Li Guanhai, he came too quickly."
Chu Xuan raised an eyebrow: "Who?"
"The current leader of the Qingyun Sect, the most stubborn conservative." Ling Qingxue said coldly, "If I guess correctly, he's still following the old stuff of the Elders' Council."
Chu Xuan grinned, revealing his tiger teeth: "Then let them watch a big show." "
He grabbed the golden blood and pressed it on his forehead without hesitation. Whoosh - the golden blood turned into a streak of light, penetrating the skin, and immediately a faint golden mark emerged in the sea of consciousness, like a tiny Tai Chi, Yin and Yang rotating. At the same time, the ice-blue jade pendant flew up automatically and landed in Ling Qingxue's palm, and the ice-flame feather turned into a flash of fire and entered Chu Xuan's dantian, merging with the primordial spirit.
The phantom nodded in satisfaction: "The contract has been made, heaven and earth bear witness." His figure began to fade away, and the last voice had a smile, "Little fellow, those old bones outside, relax for me."
Chu Xuan clenched his fist, his knuckles crackling: "Alright, senior, rest in peace."
...
Outside the stone, Li Guanhai stood in the air, followed by seven elders, each with a sallow complexion. The forbidden array was forcibly torn open, and the ice mist swirled, indicating that someone had broken into the core.
"Ling Qingxue, do you know the crime?" Li Guanhai's voice was like a bell, and his divine power was overwhelming.
In response, he gave a light laugh. Chu Xuan stepped out of the crack first, stretched his body, and laughed in a casual manner: "Master, what if you have such a loud voice at night and scare the flowers and plants?"
Li Guanhai's gaze froze on the pale gold mark between Chu Xuan's eyebrows, and his pupils constricted: "The mark of the Dao contract? ! You --"
Ling Qingxue then came out, dressed in white, her icy eyes sweeping over the crowd, her voice cold: "I, Ling Qingxue, do things. Why should I explain to others? Chu Xuan has been approved by me. From today on, he is the Daoist of Qingyun Sect, of the same status as me."
"Be presumptuous!" A white-browed elder shouted angrily, "Sect Daozi needs to be discussed by the elders' council. How can you decide alone!"
Ling Qingxue raised her hand, the ice-blue jade pendant suspended in the palm, giving off a bone-chilling coldness: "The ancestral token is here, seeing the jade is like seeing the first patriarch. "Whoever has objections, step forward."
The air froze instantly. The white-browed elder's face turned red, but he dared not move. Li Guanhai narrowed his eyes, his gaze shuttling between Chu Xuan and Ling Qingxue, after a while, suddenly sneered: "Good, good Daoist. So, three days later at the grand ceremony of the sect, let us see what makes you, a Taoist from the mortal world, worthy of respect!"
Chu Xuan laughed with sharp teeth and sharp tongue: "Master, rest assured, I will fight... Oh no, I'll show it beautifully."
Li Guanhai snorted coldly and stormed off. The elders looked at each other and finally followed helplessly. The ice mist gathered again, and the forbidden area fell silent once more.
Chu Xuan turned back and gave Ling Qingxue a thumbs-up: "Master is mighty."
Ling Qingxue raised her hand and slapped him on the forehead: "Don't be poor. They will surely make things difficult for you in three days. You need to get familiar with the power of the covenant as soon as possible."
Chu Xuan rubbed his forehead and laughed carefree, "What are you afraid of? I have an external cheat." He raised his hand, the pale gold mark flickered faintly. "Besides, there's still you."
Ling Qingxue snorted, but the corners of her mouth curled up quietly: "Glib tongue."
Chu Xuan sat cross-legged in the middle of the stone chamber, with the pale golden jade slip suspended in front of him, like a tiny heart, in sync with his pulse with every breath. Ling Qingxue stood guard at the door, her icy eyes half-closed, shielding him from all the possible cold winds that might break in.
"Hey, bean sprout, dance a little slower. I'm about to be trampled into a square dance by you." Chu Xuan rubbed his forehead and muttered in a low voice.
The jade slips flickered faintly, as if protesting, as if giggling. In the next second, a gentle yet vast will spread out in his mind --
[All Souls Fellowship - General Outline]
[1: Equal engagement, two hearts in harmony, no distinction of high or low.]
[Two: Sworn to be together, the spirit flows together, no distinction between each other.]
[Three: Guarding as a seal, mountains and rivers live together, there is no boundary between life and death.]
Three lines of words, each like a hammer, made Chu Xuan's soul numb. He raised his hand subconsciously, and a drop of blood oozed from the tip of his finger. The blood was absorbed by the jade slip and instantly turned into countless strands of golden thread, which climbed along the meridians all the way to the heart, and finally, with a "ding", connected to the Taiji mark between his eyebrows.
Boom --
The ice crystals in the stone chamber burst together, turning into a shower of stars. An illusory array emerged around Chu Xuan, with the interplay of Yin and Yang, and the rotation of ice blue and crimson gold light, and an ancient and majestic aura swept across all directions.
At the door, Ling Qingxue's long hair was lifted by the air waves, her white dress fluttered, but a look of relief flashed in her eyes: "It's done."
But before she could breathe, a more violent wave of spiritual energy burst out from Chu Xuan's dantian, like a volcano that had been suppressed for ten thousand years, finally finding its outlet. Ice crystal wings and crimson gold fire patterns emerged at the same time, interweaving behind him into a huge Taiji diagram. In the center of the diagram, a young spirit plant the size of a bean sprout swayed gracefully, growing, sprouting, and spreading leaves at a visible speed, and finally "puffing" bloomed into a lotus of ice and fire.
The moment the lotus bloomed, Chu Xuan's breath soared in a straight line --
Foundation Building two, three, four... Rush all the way to the peak of the sixth floor of Foundation Building and then stop slowly.
Ling Qingxue was stunned. After a while, she finally regained her voice: "You..." Did you jump five levels in one go?"
Chu Xuan opened his eyes, a flash of ice and fire in his pupils. He looked down at his hand and grinned: "I didn't expect the bean sprouts to bloom so vigorously either."
Before he could finish his words, the stone platform suddenly sank, revealing a hidden stone staircase beneath, dark and deep, like a gateway to an unknown world. Ling Qingxue frowned slightly: "Is there anything else below?"
Chu Xuan stood up and moved his shoulders, his bones crackling: "Senior said the three tokens are just tickets. The real show is down there."
He was about to step down, but Ling Qingxue grabbed his wrist, her cold fingertips trembling imperceptibly: "I'll accompany you."
Chu Xuan turned his head to look at her, and the woman's profile, illuminated by the icy and fiery light, was like a jade carving, so beautiful that it was not very real. He suddenly laughed, his voice lowered, with the tenderness of a young man: "Yes, but if you're afraid later, don't secretly pinch me."
Ling Qingxue snorted: "I'm afraid you'll pinch me."
They descended side by side, and the stone steps slowly closed behind them as if they had never appeared.
...
At the end of the stone steps was an even more magnificent underground palace. The dome was studded with countless night pearls, arranged in a star map. In the center was an altar, on which a fist-sized ball of light was suspended. Within the ball of light, the air currents of ice blue and crimson gold were entangled, like a pair of lovers who would never part.
As soon as Chu Xuan approached, the light ball buzzed and flew up to him, gently touching the mark between his eyebrows. In an instant, images exploded in his mind --
On the ancient battlefield, the Taotie devours the sun, the first-generation Daoist contract holder seals the sky with a sword, the woman beside him, her figure is about seven parts like Ling Qingxue's; The scene turns and the mountains and rivers are shattered. The first woman uses her own body of the Dao as a lead to lure the Taotie into the Den of ten Thousand demons. The man uses his soul as a seal and makes three vows of the Dao contract. From then on, the cycle never stops, waiting for the next primordial spirit.
Chu Xuan's mind trembled as if his heart were being grasped by an invisible hand, and his breathing became difficult. The voice of the first generation of men rang out in his ears --
"The people of the hereafter, when the way is established, shall guard the mountains and rivers, protect all living beings, do not let her down."
As the voice fell, the light ball turned into a streak of light and sank into Chu Xuan's dantian, merging with the lotus of ice and fire. The lotus bloomed again, and in the center of the flower, a small jade seal rose slowly, bearing the inscription --
[Seal of the Way · Protecting the Mountains and Rivers]
Chu Xuan reached out and grasped the jade seal, and a warm and heavy force flowed from his arm to every part of his body. Suddenly he realized that this was not just strength, but a responsibility.
Ling Qingxue walked up to him, her gaze falling on the jade seal, and said softly, "From now on, you are no longer alone."
Chu Xuan turned to look at her and suddenly laughed, a rather silly smile: "What about you?"
Ling Qingxue lowered her eyes, her icy face tinged with a faint blush, but her voice was firm: "I will live with you as long as the mountains and rivers."
As the words fell, the jade seal shone brightly, and two illusory figures rose from the altar, transforming into a man and a woman. The man looked like Chu Xuan, and the woman looked exactly like Ling Qingxue. They smiled at each other and dispersed together.
Rumble -
Palaces begin to crumble, star maps fall, like a grand finale. Chu Xuan seized Ling Qingxue's hand, and the two of them turned into a streak of light, soaring into the sky.
...
Outside the forbidden area, the upper echelons of the Qingyun Sect were gathering. Li Guanhai, with a sullen face, was about to scold again when he saw ice and fire light break through the air, and a young man stood in the air, the mark on his brow shining brightly, and the jade seal in his hand emitting a powerful pressure that made all the elders' hearts tremble.
Chu Xuan looked down at the crowd, his voice not loud, but it spread throughout the land --
"From today on, I, Chu Xuan, will take the covenant of the Dao as my seal to protect the blue clouds and the mountains and rivers. "Whoever has objections, step forward."
No one dared to move.
Li Guanhai's face turned ashen and he had no choice but to leave in a huff.
On the top of the mountain, the bell rang again, but it was no longer a warning, but a proclamation --
Qingyun Sect, new Daoist, born.