Chapter 1637: Mi Ming
Editor: Atlas Studios
The incident at the Hundred Flowers Palace ended when the sun set.
The hundred flowers inside were all dismissed and they set off on a long journey with their new dreams.
Only the fox beauty… was still there.
She had the ident.i.ty of Gongsun Qingmu’s disciple, the token of the Thunder Punishment Palace, and was also the next Palace Master of the Hundred Flowers Palace.
This double ident.i.ty allowed the fox beauty’s goal to be more or less completed.
As for Her staying in the Junior Aurora Hall, it was Her personal freedom.
As a cultivator of the Immortal Palace, it was entirely normal for visitors to come here unless Xu Qing himself refused them. Furthermore, everyone knew that the young master was sentimental, so under these circ.u.mstances, the Spirit Phoenix Fairy ultimately had no choice but to leave in a huff, shaking her sleeve as she went.
Furthermore, everyone knew that the Young Lord was sentimental, so under these circ.u.mstances, Fairy Spirit Phoenix ultimately had no choice but to leave in a huff, shaking her sleeve as she went.
Though she appeared angry, in reality, her emotions were half genuine and half feigned.
The genuine part stemmed from the words of the fox beauty, which had truly irked her.
The feigned part, of course, was a deliberate act; after all, this was simply part of her agreement with the Fourth True Monarch.
It was just a transaction.
Regardless of the outcome, according to the agreement, the Fourth True Monarch had to protect her path in the future.
The fact that the Fourth True Monarch didn’t achieve his goal had nothing to do with her.
As for the Fourth True Monarch, after a short silence, he emitted a hint of danger. After that, he smiled faintly and left the Hundred Flowers Palace as well.
He seemed to have put this matter aside for the time being.
Hence, this turbulent s.p.a.ce-time formed the sand of time and appeared in front of Xu Qing.
“There aren’t many.”
Looking at the sand of time in front of him, Xu Qing put them away. After that, he looked in the direction the Fourth True Monarch had left in and a dark glint appeared in his eyes.
“I should get rid of this person as soon as possible.”
“Otherwise, with his intelligence, after suffering two consecutive setbacks, it will be very difficult to deal with him the third time.”
“If I wait until the day of the grand wedding, his presence might bring about some unnecessary complications.”
“However, it won’t be easy to deal with this person.”
Xu Qing kneaded the sand of time as he pondered.
“How can I chase away the outsider’s consciousness on his body…”
…
Time flowed by and five days pa.s.sed.
There were only ten days left until the wedding.
As the end of the month approached, the sky of the Fifth Star Ring no longer displayed evening hues only at dusk, nor did it darken solely in the evenings.
Sometimes, it would appear that the sun had just risen, only for it to set in the next moment.
At other times, it could be high noon, yet the red clouds would obscure the sky and sun, evoking a sense of dusk.
At this moment, a strange phenomenon unfolded in the heavens, revealing an odd scene of equal parts darkness and brightness, with no moon visible in the darkness and no sun seen in the brightness.
The cycles of day and night were no longer regular.
The changes in weather reflected this chaos as well.
Mortals would be struck with shock, confusion, and terror.
But for cultivators, even if not everyone had experienced this, many texts contained descriptions of such phenomena.
During the transition of eras, as the Immortal Lords took their turns, the star ring would also shift before resuming its operation. This period would last for seventeen days.
The first ten days appeared as chaos, where thoughts could not be grasped and the intent of the Dao was elusive.
The following seven days represented the reopening of heaven and earth, where all beings enjoyed the blessings of creation, cleansing themselves as if receiving auspicious signs.
This change in the heavens and earth signified that the cycle was altering, and the handover was reaching its conclusion.
The Dao of the Nine Sh.o.r.es Immortal Lord was being severed from the Fifth Star Ring, while the Dao of the Aurora Immortal Lord was merging in.
It was precisely this convergence that resulted in such peculiar changes in the world.
During these seventeen days, all methods of divination were weakened, and all perceptions also diminished.
Even omniscience couldn’t be perfect.
“This is also the reason why outsiders aren’t able to know the secrets hidden in this period of history.”
At this moment, Qianjun and Piyi in the sword furnace, the daughter of the Nine Sh.o.r.es in the Southern Guest Hall, the Fourth True Monarch in the True Monarch Palace, Gongsun Qingmu in the Thunder Punishment Palace, Zhong Chi, and heaven’s chosen Li Heaven who was forced to enter seclusion, along with other outsiders who had hidden themselves and not been discovered all looked at the sky.
They could sense the blurriness of the heavenly secrets.
They could also clearly sense that the wheel of history was crushing over with an irreversible aura.
The Fourth True Monarch laughed.
He had been waiting for this day.
The power of order would rise.
In front of the Junior Aurora Hall, Xu Qing stood there and looked at the black and white sky.
He could sense that with the chaos of the heavenly secrets and the inevitable pa.s.sage of history, the lake water of this s.p.a.ce-time had become much more heavy than before.
If he wanted to cause waves in it, a stone could no longer do it. He would need a strong wind to blow at it.
This was because what stopped the waves was no longer external forces but the lake itself.
“After coming to this place and sensing and probing during this period, I’ve roughly gained some understanding of this s.p.a.ce-time.”
Xu Qing muttered to himself.
“Some parts of history aren’t difficult to change and can be rewritten…”
“However, there are some parts that can’t be shaken at all. Once you touch it, you will definitely suffer a backlash!”
“The most important thing here… is the matter on the day of the wedding!”
Xu Qing retracted his gaze and opened his palm, staring at the sand of time acc.u.mulated in his palm. After that, he turned around and was about to ask the fox beauty to come see him. However, at this moment, a dignified voice suddenly echoed in his mind.
“Come to the Aurora Palace!”
Xu Qing stopped in his tracks and lowered his head respectfully.
“Yes.”
The voice was from Aurora Immortal Lord!
The Aurora Palace was located at the center of the Immortal Palace, beneath the Aurora Grand Hall. It served as the sleeping quarters and seclusion chamber of the Aurora Immortal Lord. On ordinary days, no one could step inside without permission.
Not even the Immortal Lord’s four disciples or his son.
Hence, when he heard that the Immortal Lord wanted him to go to the Aurora Palace, Xu Qing’s heart also froze.
However, he knew that he couldn’t delay. Hence, his body swayed and he left the Junior Aurora Hall, heading straight for the Aurora Palace.
Not long later, a cl.u.s.ter of buildings appeared in front of Xu Qing.
The first thing he saw was a huge plaza. The ground was covered in neat bluestone slabs that were as smooth as a mirror.
On both sides of the plaza, the jade buildings were well-arranged, like an exquisite painting.
As he walked along the center axis, magnificent buildings appeared one after another. They were layered and had a majestic aura.
Among them, the most vast one was located in the center.
Its style was unique, majestic, and magnificent. The towering red walls and golden tiles shone brightly under the sunlight.
It was the Aurora Grand Hall.
Numerous terrifying auras rose in all directions. Xu Qing took a deep breath and quickly got close.
Those auras only swept past his body before spreading out. They didn’t stop him.
However, one could imagine that if the person who came wasn’t Xu Qing, it would probably be difficult for him to take a single step forward.
Just like that, Xu Qing walked all the way in until he reached the entrance of the Aurora Grand Hall. He then bowed.
At the next instant, a mysterious force descended. Xu Qing’s vision blurred. When it became clear, he was no longer in front of the hall but in a long pa.s.sageway.
On both sides of the pa.s.sageway, there were rows of flickering candles that were silently burning.
Under the illumination of the fire, one could see a greenish-black path on the steps that extended into the depths below.
There was also the sound of metal knocking and hammering echoing in his ears.
This place was the Aurora Palace.
Through the host’s memories, Xu Qing wasn’t particularly unfamiliar with this place. In the host’s memories, he often came here when he was young. It was just that he rarely came here after he grew up.
Hence, Xu Qing took a deep breath and walked down the steps.
The knocking sounds became clearer and louder.
After about fifteen minutes, the knocking sound was like heavenly lightning and heat waves gushed over. Xu Qing finally reached the end.
It was an underground palace.
Earth fire erupted in the center.
Aurora Immortal Lord was forging with the earth fire!
The huge hammer shone with a silver light as it continuously landed on a metal plate the width of a palm.
Every time it landed, a rumbling sound would echo and heat waves would spread out.
Moreover, Aurora Immortal Lord didn’t use any cultivation base. He only relied on his physical strength to forge it again and again with an incomparably serious expression.
Xu Qing looked at these and walked closer. He didn’t say anything. As he silently watched, he was also hesitating inwardly.
He didn’t know why the Aurora Immortal Lord had called him, nor did he know what the other party was doing at this moment. In his perception, there was nothing too strange about this iron plate.
At most… it was very st.u.r.dy.
As he forged, a golden light slowly appeared.
However, as time pa.s.sed, the light of the iron plate became increasingly intense until it completely turned golden. Its appearance also gradually changed from the irregularity from before.
What appeared in Xu Qing’s eyes was like a piece of gold plate.
Aurora Immortal Lord also stopped forging at this moment. He picked up this golden iron plate and placed it in front of him. After examining it carefully, his expression gradually revealed satisfaction.
After some thought, he lifted his finger and began to write on the golden iron plate.
“Two families unite in marriage, a solemn bond is forged. From this moment, a good union is formed, a perfect couple bound together, to grow old in harmony, enduring until the seas dry up and the stones crumble. They vow as lovers first, foretelling long years of prosperity and growth, to flourish and thrive.”
“With this vow of everlasting union, it is written upon this scroll, and by the pact of red leaves, inscribed in the records of lovers.”
“This vow is made, and this is the proof.”
These words, under the graceful movement of the Aurora Immortal Lord’s fingers, were written boldly. In that instant, each character seemed to come alive, celebrating and rejoicing.
They would be stripped from the mortal world from now on. The sentences they formed would become law and Ordinance.
It became a certificate that only belonged to his son and daughter-in-law!
This was the marriage contract!
Xu Qing understood.
It was also at this moment that Aurora Immortal Lord lifted his head and looked at Xu Qing.
“You have to put your name on the marriage contract. Are you going to write your name yourself, or do you want me to help you write it?”
When these simple words landed in Xu Qing’s ears, he instantly fell into a daze. This was because he suddenly realized something unbelievable!
He didn’t know or remember the name of the Young Lord he was in!
In his memory, there was actually no such thing!
What caused Xu Qing’s heart to tremble even more was that before this, he actually didn’t notice this at all. Moreover, he had never heard anyone mention it.
This involuntarily caused Xu Qing to fall silent.
The Aurora Immortal Lord cast a meaningful glance at Xu Qing before calmly speaking.
“I’ll help you.”
As he spoke, he raised his hand and wrote two words on the golden iron plate.
Mi Ming
The instant he saw these two words, Xu Qing’s mind churned and a strange feeling gushed into his heart. This was because his perception of the host’s memories had a name at this moment.
Moreover, this name gave him an extremely heavy feeling.
It was so heavy that the ground under his feet cracked as though it couldn’t hold on anymore.
Even his body was trembling.
The profundity of this matter caused Xu Qing to involuntarily speak.
“Father, this…”
“The marriage contract implicates one’s entire life. It’s naturally like this.”
Aurora Immortal Lord calmly spoke. After that, he took out a jade box and placed it inside the marriage contract, hanging it above the earth fire.
After that, he seemed to want to say something but the flames here suddenly dimmed a little.
Aurora Immortal Lord frowned and waved his hand.
“Leave. I called you here because I know about your Hundred Flowers Palace, so I’m here to witness the oath of this marriage contract.”
“This book is hanging here. Other than you and me, no one can touch it.”
“When you get married in ten days, I’ll take it out.”
As he spoke, Xu Qing’s vision blurred and his body dissipated as he was sent out of the underground palace.
Almost at the instant he left, the flames in the underground palace instantly dimmed. Waves of black gas spread out from Aurora Immortal Lord’s body.
More and more of them gathered in front of him, forming a pitch-black figure.
If Xu Qing was here, he would definitely be able to recognize at a glance that this black figure was none other than the reflection of Aurora Immortal Lord under the ice lake back then!
“During the change of the eras, when the heavenly secrets of the Fifth Star Ring are in chaos, you seized the opportunity to remove the names of the sun and moon, leaving the world utterly unaware that they have forgotten their true names.”
“With your abilities combined with the chaotic heavenly secrets, even the Immortal Lords or the Venerable Immortal won’t be aware of this for some time.”
“The most ingenious part is how you’ve hidden and replaced the names of the sun and moon within your offspring’s name.”
“This is going to be quite the grand surprise for your Venerable Immortal father.”
That dark Aurora glanced at the place Xu Qing was at earlier and spoke hoa.r.s.ely.
Aurora was expressionless as he coldly stared at the dark Aurora.
“You used the wrong term of address. You’re me and I’m you. That’s our father.”