Chapter 1602: The Earthly Sovereign’s Gift

Translator's Note: My creator mission posts are up. Check it out if you want to. In this case I basically wrote a small fanfic from the perspective of Ye Qing's storage artifact, Nine Heavens. He never stopped carrying it, you know?

https://forum.wuxiaworld.com/blogs/entry/13-chapter-7-i-am-nine-heavens/

https://www.instagram.com/reel/DQ4fMW2kqKS/?igsh=MXFkbGt2cmh2cndlZA==

“I’m about to depart from this world very soon, and this is my final request. You’re not going to refuse me and prevent me from resting in peace, are you?” The Earthly Sovereign said sadly.

“This subordinate... I...” It took a good few seconds before the Soul Collector finally gathered the strength to say, “This subordinate, obeys!”

“Good!” The Earthly Sovereign suddenly broke into a smile. “Oh right, I want you to take care of the boy, but that doesn’t mean you should handle everything for him. A fledgling cannot grow its wings and see the rainbow unless it has weathered the storm, you know?”

The Soul Collector saluted him. “This subordinate understands.”

“Mm. Your work never fails to assure me.” The Earthly Sovereign chuckled. “Alright, you really should stop tugging your facial muscles already. Are you seriously going to send me off with that sad as hell mug of yours? Give me a smile, won’t you?”

The Soul Collector obeyed and tried very hard to relax his facial muscles into a smile. Unfortunately, he could not do it no matter what.

“Oh, forget it. I can’t believe that your smile looks worse than your cry.”

The Earthly Sovereign waved him over. “Come. Sit with me and speak with me for a bit!”

“As you command!” The Soul Collector sat down in front of the Earthly Sovereign.

After the Soul Collector took his seat, the Earthly Sovereign began talking on his own about all sorts of things. Sometimes, he talked about an old memory. Sometimes, he talked about an ancient secret. Sometimes, he reminisced about some funny event in the past. There was no rhyme or reason behind his story whatsoever. He just kept talking about anything and everything.

Slowly, his voice grew softer and softer. His consciousness was weakening as well.

“Live well, Mu Yue. Remember to report back to me when the boy has slain the Four Evils and kill that refuse-to-die Taishan, okay... don’t forget...”

The Earthly Sovereign’s voice grew weaker and weaker. When he had said his last words, he slowly closed his eyes... and his consciousness disappeared forever.

𝐟𝚛𝕖𝚎𝕨𝗲𝐛𝚗𝐨𝐯𝐞𝕝.𝐜𝗼𝗺

“This subordinate... obeys...”

The Soul Collector got up to his feet, clasped his hands in front of him, and slowly bowed to the Earthly Sovereign. “I will not disappoint you, leader...”

Behind him, the souls in the darkness were all kneeling and wearing bleak, sorrowful expressions as well. They were silent.

Their sorrow ran so deep that no sound could be heard.

Their pain was so terrible that it was unspeakable.

......

Buzz...

The moment the Earthly Sovereign’s consciousness disappeared, the Earthly Sovereign Bell let out a soft whine from Ye Qing’s hand. It sounded sorrowful.

“We’ll come back one day, so don’t be sad.” Ye Qing did not know what was happening inside the Earthly Sovereign’s Coffin. He thought that the Earthly Sovereign Bell was simply missing its original master and comforted it.

Thang... thang... thang...

Suddenly, the Earthly Sovereign Bell floated into the air and rang three times in a row. It was a deep, resounding bell chime that echoed throughout the sky and resonated in every land. The breeze and clouds slowly hung low, and everything turned sad and forlorn.

“Hmm? How did the Earthly Sovereign Bell become so powerful?” It was at this moment Ye Qing noticed that the Earthly Sovereign Bell was much more powerful than before. Its aura smelt greater, smoother, and more perfect than before.

“Absolute purity... Is this... Profound Yellow Origin Power?” At the same time, Ye Qing felt a power rising from inside his body. It was weak and unnoticeable while lying dormant, but when it came active, it felt like the endlessly profound sky and the boundlessly thick earth. It was vast, infinite, and unfettered. It wasn’t mixed or chaotic like most things were, however. It was absolutely pure and extraordinary. It was an origin power of the Great Way, and it was peerlessly pure just like the Innate Yin Yang Qi. Actually, scratch that, it was greater and purer than even the Innate Yin Yang Qi.

This origin power clearly shared the same source as the Profound Yellow Mother Qi , but it was closer to the Great Way and peerlessly profound. It was the purest Profound Yellow Origin Power.

After the Profound Yellow Origin Power spread out, the “Earthly Sovereign Scripture” cycled on its own and rapidly grew stronger. Ye Qing could clearly feel the injuries he sustained during his battle against Emperor Jing Run and King Taishan healing rapidly, and his fatigue disappearing like it never was. It wasn’t done after all of his injuries were healed, and his energies were restored. It continued to build up his mind and body.

His five visceras and six bowels were growing tougher, his bodily points and meridians were growing wider, his skin, flesh and blood were growing stronger, his strength and true qi were growing thicker, and his mind and consciousness were growing more powerful as well.

In just a few breaths, Ye Qing felt his cultivation becoming denser, and his strength reaching a new level.

This was the outcome after absorbing just a small portion of the Profound Yellow Origin Power too. He had no doubt that everything about him would climb to a whole new level after it was fully refined.

“Disciple Ye Qing thanks you for your gift, master!” Ye Qing bowed in the direction the Earthly Sovereign’s Coffin had departed.

Clearly, this was a gift from the Earthly Sovereign.

Now that he thought about it, the Earthly Sovereign had delivered the wisp of Profound Yellow Origin Power into his body while he was clapping his shoulder.

Ye Qing could not help but feel touched. When he entered the Earthly Sovereign’s Coffin, he was worried that he might be coerced or plotted against. He was worried that he would face grave dangers that he might not be able to overcome. However, all of his worries had turned out to be for nothing.

The Earthly Sovereign had not schemed or coerced him to do anything like King Taishan had. He hadn’t displayed any selfish intentions either.

Forget selfish intentions and schemes, the Earthly Sovereign had even bestowed him with two major boons.

He had been as generous and tolerant as a parent would to their children. There wasn’t a hint of selfishness or ulterior motive behind his actions whatsoever.

Frankly, he had never felt such selfless care and love from anyone except Gu Suitang, Fang Xiaoman, Yi Pin, and the like. It went beyond even a family’s love for each other.

“This disciple... will not disappoint you...” He should be excited and happy to receive such an incredible boon, but for some reason, he felt indescribably sad and mournful.

He did not understand why he was feeling this way, but right here and now, his heart was weeping tearlessly and soundlessly like the world around him.

About a teatime later, the Earthly Sovereign Bell suddenly entered his mind in a flash, and Ye Qing looked toward the horizon as if he sensed something.

A few breaths later, an old man landed in front of Ye Qing.

“Are you alright, boy?” The newcomer was none other than the Chief Libationist. He looked very worried.

After examining Ye Qing closely for a few breaths and confirming that he was indeed fine, the Chief Libationist let out a sigh of relief. “Thank goodness. I didn’t think that bastard would pull the wool over me. Thank goodness you’re fine, or my sins would have been enormous.”

“Sorry to worry you, mister. I—” Before Ye Qing could finish, the space in front of him rippled like water, and Feng Qingyou stepped out into the open.

“Are you fine, Joyless?”

Feng Qingyou looked calm, but he could hear a hint of nervousness and worry in her voice. He could not help but feel warmed by it. “I’m fine, I’m fine. Not only that, I received a tremendous fortune thanks to it.”

The two of them had decided to split up after rescuing Meng Feixue and noticing that something big was happening in the imperial palace. He had stayed behind in the imperial palace to support the Chief Libationist and help out wherever he could, whereas Feng Qingyou had left to evacuate the citizens of the imperial capital. After all, assuming that the Chief Libationist failed to keep his battle against Emperor Jing Run under control, or if the Yellow Spring were to spill out into the human world, then everyone living in the imperial capital would be in danger. The consequences would have been unimaginable.

That was why Feng Qingyou hadn’t shown up when he was fighting against Emperor Jing Run and King Taishan.

The only reason she found him afterward was thanks to the Earthly Sovereign Bell’s chime. It must be the same for the Chief Libationist.