Chapter 1329: The Master’s Compassion; the Apprentice’s Obedience

As the song drifted about, Third Sib’s expression became one of bewilderment.

“The black pagoda tricked me. It made me think the call was coming from the Ghost Emperor mountain.... Yet all along, the call was coming from here.... But I’ve been to the Supreme Beginning Netherflight Pillar before, and I didn’t feel anything like this....”

Third Sib’s voice trembled in the wind. Xu Qing realized now what had played out. It was all thanks to that black pagoda. Hē had wanted Third Sib to fuse with the Ghost Emperor. It wasn’t just a situation of the pagoda trying to trick Third Sib by making it seem like the call came from the mountain.

Xu Qing wasn’t sure why the black pagoda valued the Ghost Emperor so much.... Although the Ghost Emperor had been strong, that was only from the perspective of low-level cultivators. To truly strong cultivators, the Smoldering God level wasn’t very impressive.

There must be another, deeper reason....

Meanwhile, Third Elder Brother seemed to be in a daze as he started walking toward the ghast hollow. He didn’t stop at the edge. He went right in.

Xu Qing followed. In the darkness of the ghast hollow, the singing became clearer. Paper money drifted everywhere. The mutagen levels were very high.

Third Sib didn’t seem to care about that. He ignored the infection of the mutagen and the filtering paper money. He moved down... faster and faster. His heart was also beating faster and faster. The waiting that had stretched from life to life seemed to be culminating right here and now. Lost memories and shadows of the past seemed to slip through time, shine through reincarnation, and form within his mind. A look of excitement was building on his face, and he was physically shaking.

Upon seeing this, Xu Qing found himself thinking about someone.

It was a person he had known in the scavenger basecamp in South Phoenix, just outside that forbidden region. A similar expression had appeared on his face when he heard a certain song and saw a loved one. He had looked excited, and had even started trembling.[1]

“Sergeant Thunder...” Xu Qing murmured. He continued to follow after Third Sib, clearing the mutagen for him and enabling him to move faster and faster.

Eventually, deep in the darkness of the ghast hollow, a red lamp became visible. And then... Third Sib saw a log cabin. It looked very dilapidated, as if it had existed for countless years of time, to the point where the wood was starting to decay. The structure was pentagonal, and each corner had a gray iron chain attached to it that stretched out to the wall of the tunnel.

On the corners of the pentagonal cabin, where the chains connected, were terrifying zombies. One of them was dripping wet and severely decayed. It had a tattered black robe that looked like it had existed for countless years. Another had its hands at its own abdomen. It was in the middle of ripping apart its own belly, revealing the abdominal cavity beneath. There were no organs inside.

The third zombie was different from the other two. It had a red vine wrapped around its waist. The ends of the vine were held tightly in the zombie’s hands, as if it had tied the vine around itself and pulled it tight to end its own life.

The fourth and fifth were equally bizarre. The fourth was the skeletal remains of a child, lain beneath an unmarked gravestone. The fifth... had been burned. It... was familiar to Xu Qing. It wasn’t the zombie that Xu Qing had fought here. Instead, it was... the dao child Zhang Siyun, who had died here.[2]

“Metal to dissect,” Xu Qing said softly. “Wood to strangle. Water to drown. Fire to immolate. Earth to bury.”

Then he looked at the log cabin suspended in midair.

Faint red light filled the cabin, casting the shadow of a woman on the paper window. The paper was torn in spots, making it possible to see a woman inside, dressed in a red opera costume. She sat at the window, her fair hand extended as she tossed out paper money. The paper money scattered, caught up in a cold wind as it flowed outward and upward.

But then, all of a sudden, her hand stopped moving. The singing stopped.

“You... came...” she said, her voice soft and full of bitterness.

Third Sib shivered as he looked at the shadow on the paper window. “I’m too late....”

Third Sib tried to open the door of the cabin, but it didn’t budge.

“It’s fine... just sit outside and talk to me....”

Third Sib nodded and sat down outside the log cabin. As he looked at the shadow on the paper window, his mind filled with vague memories. A love that lasted seven lifetimes had finally reached this point. However, all he could remember was a feeling. He did not remember who this person was.

Xu Qing looked on, sighing inwardly. He did not know the story of Third Sib and this woman from the ghast hollow. But he did know why the two of them could not truly reunite.

Her shadow on the paper window was beautiful. But in reality, she was a zombie. This was an altar. A ceremony. And originally, that ceremony didn’t involve five zombies. It needed six! She was the sixth zombie, a zombie who had drowned to death in love.

Right now, the two of them... needed time alone.

Xu Qing’s gaze shifted to what was beneath the log cabin. No other person could see, but he could. At the very bottom of the ghast hollow was an eye that was currently trembling and refusing to open. Years ago, that eye put immense pressure on Xu Qing. In fact, it had almost killed him. Were it not for the outside help he had received, he would have ended up mutating and dying. But now, that eye was puny as far as he was concerned.

“So, you’re from Brilliant Heaven,” he said softly. He could sense the same type of bloodline fluctuations as Crown Prince Golden Crow.

He reached out. The trembling eye of the god instantly shrank down to the size of a fist, then flew into his palm. The golden eye trembled violently. All Xu Qing did was put the eye away. Without a source, the mutagen levels in the ghast hollow immediately started to drop.

The dilapidated log cabin gradually began to show signs of life. He looked at the woman in the cabin, then Third Sib. Then he headed back up the tunnel.

Just before he was about to leave, he stopped and looked at the tunnel wall. A trembling figure was there, looking at him. It was the centipede woman who had saved him all those years ago.[3]

Xu Qing’s gaze softened. He waved his right hand, and sent some immortal essence flowing into the centipede woman, which rebuilt her foundation. The woman shivered from head to toe. When she looked up again, Xu Qing was gone.

***

The snowy wind still blew. Time passed. Snowflakes fell. Xu Qing was done putting Revered Ancient in order, and would no longer make casual public appearances.

Humankind had risen to prominence. Under the leadership of Empress Summer Departure, many species flocked to their side, even various species who worshiped gods. Most of the gods decided to stay in hiding. One exception was among the Firemoon Darkheaven people. Of course, there were still people inclined to rebel. After all, Revered Ancient was full of infiltrators. Many were from other parts of the Ninth Star Ring, but there were even forces from more distant star rings. Whenever outside agents and pawns were discovered, Zhou Zhengli and the others would quickly deal with them. Things went very smoothly. Revered Ancient was essentially united at this point.

And yet, even as those things happened, Xu Qing didn’t spend time on reunions with old friends. Together with a very excited Erniu, he... took a trip to what lay sealed beneath the imperial capital of humankind. It was... the entrance to Brilliant Heaven!

𝚏𝗿𝗲𝐞𝐰𝚎𝕓𝐧𝚘𝘃𝗲𝐥.𝐜𝚘𝕞

With the exception of the Heaveneater Region, there was nowhere in Revered Ancient that could pose any threat or obstacle to Xu Qing. The time had come to take care of Brilliant Heaven....

Besides, his Eldest Brother’s true form was there.

As they stood at the sealed entrance, Erniu proudly said, “Let me tell you, Little Ah Qing, you might be a badass, but your Eldest Brother is a badass in Brilliant Heaven!”

Even as the words left his mouth, the person standing next to them suddenly smacked Erniu on the side of his head.

Glaring, Master Seventh said, “You? A badass? If you’re such a badass why didn’t you get out of here on your own instead of squeezing out some lame clone?”

Master Seventh had come along for the trip to Brilliant Heaven. Ignoring Erniu, who looked like his feelings were hurt, he turned to look kindly at Xu Qing. From the kindness in his eyes, it was as if Xu Qing was the only apprentice that he had ever had in his entire life.

“I’m very familiar with Brilliant Heaven, my little apprentice. With me to lead the way, things will go very smoothly. Those old codgers couldn’t actually kill the Brilliant Heaven god emperor back then, so they resorted to a sealing.... I doubt hē’s dead. In fact, based on my calculations, the god emperor probably isn’t at the God Lord level anymore, although hē’s probably close.”

Nodding, Xu Qing bowed. “Thank you for your trouble, Master.”

“Oh, it’s no problem at all! Years ago I took you down to that necropolis, and today, I’ll take you to Brilliant Heaven!” Master Seventh flashed a very benevolent smile.

Erniu clearly did not like being ignored so obviously. “Master,” he said tartly, “you’re too biased. Actually, you took both me and little Ah Qing to that necropolis. Yet you didn’t even mention me just now!

“Also... I too am very familiar with Brilliant Heaven. I’m even more familiar with it than you are! Have you ever even seen that god emperor? Well listen to me, you old codger, I personally laid eyes on the exact spot where the god emperor is sealed. And when I did—”

Erniu let out a loud yelp as Master Seventh viciously kicked him through the entrance. “You little rat bastard! Since you like calling me codger, then going forward, you can forget about calling me Master. You’re familiar with Brilliant Heaven? You go in and lead the way!”

Erniu’s scream echoed out as he tumbled into the entrance. Ignoring him, Master Seventh smiled broadly, reached out, and clasped Xu Qing’s hand.

“Let’s go, my little apprentice.”

1. The scene referred to with Sergeant Thunder was in

chapter 16

. ☜

2. Zhang Siyun did not truly “die” there, as he was accepted as a swordsage and went on to do other important things. However, he was left in a no-win situation, and was said to have used a “life-saving magic” to escape. Perhaps the author made a mistake in this chapter, or perhaps he envisioned Zhang Siyun using some sort of reincarnation or body substitution technique to escape and leave a corpse behind. Go back to

chapters 369

and

370

if you want to check for yourself. ☜

3. The centipede woman saved him in

chapter 369

. ☜