sinovels Chapter 282 Regret
Chapter 282 Regret
"What does this fellow Daoist mean?"
Fang Qing's mind stirred slightly.
"A person dies twice: the first time is when they fall from grace, and the second time is when all those who knew them forget them..."
Master Sanmu sighed softly, "If this is true for mortals, what about cultivators? What about True Lords? What about those on duty for the year?"
"If a cultivator reaches the Purple Mansion realm, or joins a secret lineage or other sects, they will have the opportunity to be reincarnated... but this is based on the premise that their true spirit still exists."
"The death of the True Lord should mean the complete destruction of his true spirit... But as long as a trace of his golden nature remains, there is a chance for him to rise again, like the 'Kitchen God.'"
Fang Qing pondered for a moment before answering.
"Indeed, after the Primordial Era, all the [Yearly Stewards] perished... their true spirits were gone, their golden nature was lost... Don't underestimate those ancient True Lords; their fear of the [Yearly Stewards] is unimaginable, and they cleaned everything up completely."
"I am a master of the scattered wood," said the cold-blooded man.
Fang Qing suddenly thought of the head of the Golden Virtue True Monarch inside the Annihilation Land, which was still fearful of the "Yearly Duty" even in death.
"But so what? The influence of the [Yearly Stewards] on heaven and earth is too profound. The symbolism of the twelve [Yearly Stewards] has never disappeared... Heaven and earth have never forgotten them and have always remembered them."
"For example, the Metal Virtue [Yearly Ruler]... It is all metal and iron in the world, as well as swords, jewelry, raw ore, weapons, Metal Virtue magic, supernatural powers... and even metaphysical concepts such as 'generals,' 'sacrifices,' and 'sword duels'..."
"Not only has Heaven and Earth ceased to exist, but even a trace of gold essence remains. Yet, there are still positions that remember Him… In a sense, He can even be equated with the four gold positions themselves: [Lou Gold], [Kang Gold], [Gui Gold], and [Niu Gold]… So tell me, what will happen next?"
Upon seeing this from Sanmu Zhenren, Fang Qing felt a chill run down his spine: "Although [Zhi Sui] perished, has been trying to return?"
"Indeed, especially those in positions of power like the Metal element are most susceptible to the influence of the [Yearly Ruler]!"
Sanmu Zhenren said in a low voice, "Therefore, since ancient times, many True Lords have gone into seclusion... The more important the lineage, such as the Great Sun, the Great Moon, and the Metal-Fire lineages... the worse the True Lord's condition, because these four lineages have clearly produced [Yearly Officials]!"
Boom!
Fang Qing was struck dumb, and finally understood many things.
All the clues from the past were suddenly connected.
"As expected, the higher the level of a True Monarch of the Great Dao, the harder it is for them to interfere in the mortal world, because they are all asleep, severely injured... or perhaps, fighting against the instinct within them to revive through the [Yearly Steward]?"
"So... upright?"
He suddenly spoke.
The gaze of the Sanmu Master towards Fang Qing carried a hint of pity: "The positions of each virtue are the most severely affected, such as your [Lou Jin]... Therefore, in this Wu-Yue region, all sword cultivators who have practiced 'Mutual Killing' have met with a bad end after reaching the Purple Mansion realm. In fact, it's not just 'Mutual Killing' sword cultivators, but sword cultivators who have greatly benefited from this divine power have all met with a bad end..."
"It's hard to say about the other [Yearly Duty] officials, but that Jin De [Yearly Duty] official must have a backup plan for his own resurrection, and it should be this 'Mutual Killing' divine power that spans the four Jin... When one day, under the influence of 'Mutual Killing,' the Jin De True Lords draw their swords and kill until only one remains, do you think that person will still be the same person?"
"Therefore... the Wu-Yue Sword Pavilion does not cultivate [Lou Jin], and many Wu-Yue sword cultivators who 'kill each other' have been suppressed... Fellow Daoist, please take care of yourself."
Clearly, Master Sanmu felt that Fang Qing, this unfamiliar swordsman of the Lou Jin clan, was worried about his own path to enlightenment, which is why he came to ask him.
Little did they know, Fang Qing had already thought of much more:
"Jin De actually hid such a huge pitfall? Then what exactly did they want to ask when they attacked He Huan back then?"
"Besides confirming the condition of that 'Prince of Buyeo,' is there a deeper meaning behind this?"
"Perhaps it wasn't even for the sake of the Acacia, but for the [Dangerous Moon]? After all, the Moon has also seemingly appeared to be the [Yearly Guardian]!"
"Is this related to the Phoenix's subsequent conquest of the Women's Kingdom? Wait... the Phoenix is the master of [Winged Fire]! [Winged Fire] is the proper position of the Fire element, and has even served as [Yearly Official]!"
"So, the reason the three virtues of wood, earth, and water are better is because they don't have the 'Yearly Duty' on their heads?"
……
Fang Qing's mind raced with conflicting emotions, but in the end, she could only sigh.
He knew that the Four Min Sect Master knew ancient secrets, but he didn't expect that these secrets were so vast, reaching even the Primordial Era.
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"And today's sword competition, the Wu royal family? And Li Lu?"
Fang Qing thought for a moment and decided to ask some more practical questions.
It must be said that this Sanmu Zhenren, relying on the supernatural power of the "Camphor Willow God," truly heard many secrets. Upon hearing this, he smiled and said, "The Wu Kingdom's royal family is ultimately a bit shallow in its foundation, never having produced a True Lord... I didn't know that you Golden Virtue True Lords had already reached a tacit understanding that 'Mutual Killing' cannot be cultivated, and even if you did, you would only be able to reach the four supernatural powers of the Purple Mansion and could not attempt to prove the Gold..."
"But Li Lu cultivated the 'Mutual Killing' technique... although it was of the [Kang Metal] type."
Fang Qing added a sentence.
"The 'Mutual Kill' is, after all, a key divine power of the Metal element, which transcends the four elements and influences all sword cultivators in the world... The Golden Core sects themselves do not cultivate it, but always make other geniuses cultivate it... Then, when they reach the late Purple Mansion stage, or at most the four divine powers of the Purple Mansion, it will disappear without a trace."
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Master Sanmu only mentioned this one sentence, but Fang Qing was already somewhat terrified.
"In this land of Wu and Yue, there's never been any news of people killing each other without being able to cultivate; on the contrary, sword fighting is rampant... This might be due to some kind of influence!"
"So, most of the Purple Mansion Sword Cultivators who engaged in 'mutual killing' have disappeared... Were they captured by Golden Core True Monarchs? To plunder their resources? Or to share the pollution within them?"
As Fang Qing pondered this, he heard Sanmu Zhenren continue, "That Li Lu, though he achieved fame at a young age and possesses extraordinary talent... he made a wrong choice on his path back then, and I've considered him a dead man ever since. This time, he'll either be devoured by Li Que or by the Sword Pavilion... I estimate that Li Que will devour him himself, to avoid benefiting outsiders... However, Li Que seems shrewd, and he did intend to steal [Kang Jin] back then, but in the end, he's just a caged bird... The entire Wu Kingdom royal family might very well be pigs raised by the Sword Pavilion; once the pigs are fat, they'll always be dragged out to be slaughtered!"
"As for evidence? No need... Just look at how the Wu royal family passed down the [Lou Gold] coin, and that's enough..."
"Of course, only the Metal element is like this. I haven't heard much about the other elements, but there shouldn't be any traps with such obvious supernatural powers as 'mutual killing'..."
……
a few days later.
The battlefields of the North and South are shrouded in the void.
"Fellow Daoist, please prepare to die!"
The Great Xia Dragon Sparrow unleashed an unimaginable sword light, enveloping an area.
Occasionally, a few wisps of golden flame would spill out, burning away the weapons, but to no avail.
A moment later, Li Que emerged from the void, his body draped in golden threads, yet bearing burn marks. His face was filled with glee as he held a severed head in his hand: "Chu Tianyi's head is here!"
On him, the four supernatural powers of "Mutual Killing", "Sharp Edge", "Golden Thread Robe" and "General Marquis" shone brightly, making him a great sword immortal of the four arts!
"No!"
Upon witnessing this scene, General Chu Zhaohuang of the Northern Zhou army was filled with rage.
Chu Tianyi was his close elder, one of the three "flag bearers" of the Nine Heavens Fire Palace, holding a high position and great power. He not only wielded an extremely powerful purple palace magic treasure, the "Dutian Blazing Flame Flag," but was also a cultivator of different fires! What he had consumed was the "Xian Shen Fan You Flame," which ranked ninth on the Heaven and Earth Spiritual Fire Ranking. He had previously debated with Li Que three times and had gained the upper hand each time.
How come this time, he actually perished?
But the strange phenomena of heaven and earth weeping and wildfire burning the fields were not untrue.
Sensing the changes in the spiritual atmosphere of heaven and earth, and knowing that the Great Immortal had fallen and that heaven and earth were grieving, Chu Zhaohuang could no longer hold back his tears. His body was engulfed in blazing green flames, and he transformed into a streak of fire and retreated swiftly.
At the same time, a divine thought resounded throughout the entire army: "Withdraw!"
Taking advantage of the opportunity, the Wu army pursued the fleeing enemy and won a truly exhilarating victory.
Li Que stepped into the void with satisfaction, preparing to head to the Kingdom of Wu.
But the void trembled, causing him to unknowingly fall into the mortal world. He saw lush mountains in front of him, with countless pavilions and a grand formation. The autumn wind was chilling. It was truly a magnificent Jinde Mountain Gate.
"Fellow Daoist Li, please."
A cultivator from the Purple Mansion Realm, wearing a tall crown and feathered robe, was holding a golden cage in his hands. Behind him were two True Immortals, Xu Qing and a woman in a green dress, who were smiling at Li Que.
"So it was you... You even brought out the 'Shenjin Binding Immortal Prison,' a true treasure. You really think highly of me."
The Great Xia Dragon Sparrow in Li Que's hand suddenly roared, causing Xu Qing's body to tremble.
"Fellow Daoist Li, please enter the Sword Pavilion for quiet cultivation."
The immortal, wearing a tall hat, held the "Shenjin Binding Immortal Prison" in his hand, his expression unchanged, still smiling.
"Right and wrong, success and failure, all turn to nothing... All I care about is my family."
Li Que glanced at the flying sword in his hand and casually tossed it aside.
The Great Xia Dragon Sparrow transformed into a streak of light and flew towards the Wu Kingdom's imperial palace.
The immortal simply watched without interfering, and said with a smile, "Now that the Northern Zhou has been defeated, one of the three flag bearers of the Nine Heavens Fire Palace has died. They will not be heading south again for the next fifty years, so you can rest assured, fellow Daoist..."
"Haha, it's just fifty years of barely surviving, waiting for the rice in the fields to grow another crop before harvesting..."
Li Que laughed heartily, his body brimming with golden energy, sharp and incomparable: "Come and fight!"
……
Mysterious Void Heaven.
After parting ways with Sanmu Zhenren, Fang Qing manipulated a puppet to gather information in Xuanxu Heaven.
Sure enough, news of a great victory soon arrived.
The sword cultivators in Qiantang District spread the news with great joy, while the cultivators in Changxuan District were as if they had lost their parents...
"Wu's great victory is certainly commendable, but why didn't they go even further and kill Chu Zhaohuang? That would have saved me a lot of trouble..."
Fang Qing secretly grumbled, but finding the various behaviors of the cultivators quite amusing, he quickly calculated with his fingers and immediately learned of Li Lu's fate, and then fell silent.
"The splendor of life is but a dream, and eventually, one must awaken..."
"I originally had some expectations for the righteous path, but it turns out they're all birds of a feather... Even if they're wearing a mask, this Eastern Taiyi Xuanmen still eats people! It's just a matter of big fish eating small fish, and small fish eating shrimp..."
"Having explored enough of the Wu Kingdom, perhaps it's time to take a look at the Northern Zhou?"
In the present world, on the banks of a great river.
Fang Qing glanced at Qiantang City, then stepped into the Void:
"The precipice is desolate, yet I fear it will capsize; the light boat still sails upstream. Li Lu left behind a lingering regret, which will forever cause sorrow."