Chapter 1337: Old Friends

The journey into Brilliant Heaven was over.

Xu Qing left. He took the mysterious light with him, that light which was the key to opening the primeval motherworld.

He left behind the sleeping Erniu, Master Seventh, and an empty tomb. Master Seventh had built the tomb personally, not with divine abilities or magical techniques. Xu Qing had not helped him. Xu Qing observed from the side, and took note of the words inscribed on the tombstone.

“Here Lies my Respected Master, Sir Spiritmortal.”

Of course, Sir Spiritmortal was the daoist name of that old immortal from the holy lands. Master Seventh had built him a tomb for the sake of their old Master-apprentice relationship. And as he bowed in front of it, an expression of grief filled his face that sank to the depths of his soul.

***

The god emperor’s karma was erased, and Xu Qing took away the origin light that had long since been worshiped. And thus, the Brilliant Heaven Godfolk lost thēir origin.... Zhou Zhengli crushed many of them, who perished.

Xu Qing did not wipe out the survivors. Instead, he let thēm stay in Brilliant Heaven near his Eldest Brother. Erniu was fusing with the body of the god emperor. Though he was currently asleep, given what the scattered remnants of the Brilliant Heaven god emperor had said, thēy viewed him as thēir new emperor.

Eldest Brother is asleep. He needs some time before he can wake up....

Before leaving, Xu Qing stood near the empty tomb, flanked by Zhou Zhengli and the others, looking at Erniu. Something like the sunrise or sunset glimmered in his eyes, which was the eternal manifestation of the light he had absorbed. He had taken all of the light into him. He also needed some time.

Because of that, Xu Qing was already thinking of going into seclusion.

Master Seventh was also looking at Erniu. But at the same time, he found himself looking at the tomb. After a while, he sighed.

“You’re thinking of going into seclusion after you go back?” he asked.

Xu Qing nodded. “For the time being, most of the potential calamities in Revered Ancient have been dealt with. Next... I need to go visit some old friends. After that, I’ll go into seclusion to completely absorb the light that the Brilliant Heaven Godfolk worshiped. At the same time, I need to further analyze the secrets of the mysterious light. In addition... Eminent Desolation is still there, and the God Paragons are still watching. My cultivation base isn’t sufficient to deal with any of that.”

Master Seventh clasped Xu Qing’s shoulder. Looking wistful, he said, “The dao will I’ve been cultivating has reached an end point. The best I can do is to watch over Revered Ancient while you’re in seclusion. Go do what you have to do. I’ll be here while you’re gone, but I’ll send my will to the outside world.”

Xu Qing looked at his Master and could tell what he was thinking. The end of Brilliant Heaven had affected his Master mentally, and now he just wanted to be alone. Without another word, Xu Qing bowed, then became a beam of prismatic light that shot up into the dome of heaven.

Zhou Zhengli and the others also bowed to Master Seventh before following Xu Qing. As a group, they rose high into the sky before disappearing into the pathway leading to Revered Ancient. When they were gone, Brilliant Heaven became peaceful and quiet.

Master Seventh looked down from the sky, walked over to the tomb, and sat down. He produced a jug of alcohol. Taking a sip, he let the breeze tug at his long hair.

“Master...” he said softly. Years ago, his Master had left, saying that he would return. And so, Master Seventh had watched over Revered Ancient, all while cultivating a special dao will. He had used a reincarnation method to extend his life. Through many reincarnations and transmigrations, he had guarded the mainland.

All that time, he had been waiting for his Master to come back. Unfortunately... what he had been waiting for wasn’t really his Master. As the wind blew, he sank deeper and deeper into rippling memories.

***

Time passed. It had already been a month since Xu Qing left Brilliant Heaven. He spent some of that time in the imperial capital of humankind.

Thanks to the leadership of Empress Summer Departure, humankind had fully risen to prominence. As a unified force, they could move mountains, and were now unstoppable.

Since Xu Qing was the imperial tutor, he officiated over the ceremony in which Ningyan officially became the crown prince.[1]

It was a grand and auspicious occasion, but Xu Qing couldn’t help think about everything that happened in the past, and would occasionally glance at Ningyan’s belly. There was still a vine there. Years ago, Erniu had used Ningyan, sometimes as a shield, other times to smash enemies. Regardless, he had been very useful as a tool. A smile tugged at Xu Qing’s lips. [2]

As Ningyan prostrated, his heart pounded. Even after all the time he had spent processing the recent developments, he still felt like he was dreaming when in Xu Qing’s presence. The dream went on as the ceremony continued.

When the formalities were over, Xu Qing left. His next stop was the Moonrite Region.

Back at the Green Spirit Pharmacy, he met with the Heir Apparent, Princess Brightblossom, Grandpa Ninth... and of course Ling’er.

Ling’er had grown up into a slender, beautiful woman. Tears streamed down her face as she threw herself into Xu Qing’s arms. Xu Qing held her and smiled warmly. It was just like old times. Unfortunately, time would not permit Xu Qing to stay in Moonrite for long. A few days later, Ling’er reluctantly bade him farewell as he left. Before leaving, he took all of the Ancient Spirit destiny aura that he had taken from Emperor Ancient Spirit and used it to bless Ling’er. With her blood purified, she could shoulder the destiny of her species.

Finally, Xu Qing headed in the direction of the continent of South Phoenix.

On the way, he stopped by the island where Yanyan lived on the Sea of Endlessness. There, he completely removed the discarnate divine will that had infected her. As a result, Yanyan’s emotions became normal. As he worked, Yanyan looked at him with mixed emotions. The entire time, she looked like she had something to tell him, but in the end... she chose to remain silent.

In South Phoenix, Xu Qing saw several old friends.

He met with the other two apprentices of Grandmaster Bai, Tingyu and Chen Feiyuan. He gave them the gift Grandmaster Bai had entrusted to him, the seed. “Master is not dead. If you’re willing to go to him, plant this seed. On the day it blooms, the fragrance of the flower will bring you to him.”

Xu Qing also went to see Zhao Zhongheng. Times had changed, but Zhao Zhongheng had not. He was still in love with Ding Xue. In fact, after all the years that had passed, his love for her had become his dao heart. As for Ding Xue... she hadn’t changed either. Because of Xu Qing’s status, she knew he was beyond her reach. But the emotions from years ago still existed in her heart.

The Mute was the most brilliant of the friends Xu Qing visited. He was already in the great circle of Core Formation. Xu Qing well remembered how he had given him an opportunity that would lead to Nascent Soul.[3]

Then there was Zhang San, the great investor who had bet heavily on Erniu and Xu Qing. When they reunited, Zhang San was very nervous at first. But eventually he relaxed, and even told Xu Qing about his dreams and aspirations. In the coming days, he planned to travel throughout Revered Ancient.

“I’m going to expand my business to cover the entire mainland!” he said proudly.

Xu Qing smiled and wished him well.

It was raining on the morning Zhang San set sail. Xu Qing saw him off. Then he looked up into the sky.

Flame Phoenix circled above, sounding very pleased with himself as he reached out to Xu Qing with divine will. Second Elder Sister was on Flame Phoenix’s back, waving down at Xu Qing. They were planning to leave South Phoenix for a time to visit other locales. Behind them was a little bird that kept flapping its wings and snapping at Flame Phoenix’s tail. Xu Qing looked at the little bird and smiled.

As the rain fell in sheets, Xu Qing stood at the mouth of the harbor and looked over his shoulder. A young woman in a green gown stepped out of the eaves of a building. She stood beneath an oilskin umbrella, looking at him.

“Long time no see, Qing Qiu,” he said softly. This young woman was the very same girl he had first met in the scavenger basecamp all those years ago. She walked through the train toward him, and stopped in front of him.

Xu Qing extended his hand and offered her a piece of candy. Qing Qiu looked at the piece of candy for a long time. Finally, she took it and pressed it against her heart. She looked at Xu Qing for a long moment, then turned to leave.[4]

A few hundred paces away, just as she was about to disappear into the rain, her soft voice drifted back to reach his ears. “Big Bro Kid! If my brother hadn’t come to take me away from that scavenger basecamp, I might have gone to Seven Blood Eyes with you. I wonder what things would have been like if that happened....”

Xu Qing said nothing.

After a moment of silence, Qing Qiu put the candy in her mouth and vanished into the rain.

Xu Qing watched Qing Qiu leave, then strolled through the streets of Seven Blood Eyes. He passed many shops and saw many people. Some were mortals, some were cultivators. He had many memories of this place, and there were plenty of familiar locations that made him think of past events. As he reminisced, his heart gradually grew calm.

In the end, he reached the old Harbor 176. Reaching through time, he extracted his original dharmaboat and put it onto the water.[5]

He sat cross-legged in the dharmaboat, and as he felt himself bobbing up and down in the water, he closed his eyes. In that manner... he went into seclusion.

1. Xu Qing was named ‘tutor of the imperial princes,’ or ‘imperial tutor’ in

chapter 929

. ☜

2. The vine first appeared in

chapter 452

. That was back when we didn’t know Ningyan was his full given name, so he was Ning Yan. ☜

3. The Mute failed his Foundation Establishment process in

chapter 309

. When we saw him again in

chapter 996

, he was already in the cultivation level described here. In

chapter 1009

, Xu Qing spent time helping him with his cultivation base. ☜

4. Long before we knew Qing Qiu’s name, she gave Xu Qing a piece of candy in

chapter 26

. Later, he gave her a piece of candy in

chapter 543.2

. ☜

5. Xu Qing originally took up residence in Harbor 176 in

chapter 151

. ☜