Chapter 2964: Giving Up
Qing Ping’s stellular tribulation had manifested Ce w.a.n.gtian"s ability to undo movement with the power of s.p.a.ce. The chess game had been nothing more than the surface appearance of the trial.
However, the people watching did not know this. Most had only seen Ce w.a.n.gtian manipulating the board and taking back his moves every time he lost a game of chess. It was a pathetic and despicable demonstration of the man’s poor character.
Qing Ping also did not need to explain anything, as Ce w.a.n.gtian loved playing chess and had always taken his moves back. There was a reason why this secret technique was based off of chess and manipulating the board.
Of course, there were still some people present who did understand what had happened, one of whom was Big Sis. She had not been insulting Ce w.a.n.gtian because he cheated at chess, but rather because she simply wanted to insult him. Additionally, she had been impressed with Qing Ping"s abilities, as the man had managed to overcome Ce w.a.n.gtian"s mastery of s.p.a.ce at the same cultivation level.
Ce w.a.n.gtian had always been impressively powerful for his level. While his personality might have been criticized by many people, he had always been exceptionally cra.s.s and extremely cautious. With both of those traits, he rarely took action. Few people during the Heavens Sect era had understood Ce w.a.n.gtian’s true strength, but Big Sis was one of them.
Big Sis was Progenitor Yōu Ming. She had once been Dao Monarch Gu’s honored guest. But even with all of her strength, Ce w.a.n.gtian had still kicked her off of the big tree.
"That b.a.s.t.a.r.d really didn’t reveal his strength until that last moment. The b.a.s.t.a.r.d," Big Sis cursed the man out of pure habit.
Arch-Elder Zen and the others nearby were already used to this. Whenever the Heavens Sect era was mentioned, Big Sis would bring up Ce w.a.n.gtian and start insulting him.
But right now, everyone was staring at the stellular tribulation’s black hole. What would appear next?
No one expected Qing Ping to have an easy tribulation. While both the Sky-like Field of Destruction and Ce w.a.n.gtian’s spatial control had been difficult challenges, neither had been deadly. On top of that, after the trials that tried to kill the challenger outright, there was also the portion that questioned the heart. This was the portion that most Semi-Progenitors were wariest of, including Lu Buzheng and Destina.
As everyone watched, a bell pealed across the sky.
The sound of the bell caused a burgeoning sorrow to rise up within the listeners’ hearts, and tears fell as they listened.
Countless people’s eyes flushed red without them noticing. They began reminiscing on family, friends, and lovers that they had been reluctant to part with, but who were also gone forever.
The bell peals drew out everyone’s deepest sorrows.
Arch-Elder Zen was taken aback. "That bell sounds so familiar."
"Tombkeeper?" Elder Gong exclaimed from a distance.
"Is this a humanoid tribulation?" Big Sis exclaimed at the same time. She and Elder Gong glanced at each other. "Has Tombkeeper appeared?"
Arch-Elder Zen turned to look at Big Sis. "Senior, Tombkeeper is one of our contemporaries. How could you possibly know about him?"
"Bulls.h.i.t! He’s from my era. He attracted people to follow him with his unyielding will to protect humanity’s inheritance, while also waiting for the day to counterattack," Big Sis softly commented.
Elder Gong felt quite puzzled. "Counterattack? He’s just a Semi-Progenitor."
Big Sis listened to the sound of the bell. "This sound is a manifestation of his determination. In every generation, some of the universe’s peak powerhouses will be buried in Burial Garden, waiting for the day when they are summoned out once more. During our era, it was said that being buried in Burial Garden meant that one would never find eternal rest, but that was Aeternus’s methods, not ours.
"Many people believed that saying, and they preferred to escape or die than be buried in Burial Garden. That’s why anyone who was chosen by Burial Garden but refused to enter it would have the death bell rung for them and be carried away on a sedan chair by the Dead Regiment.”
Arch-Elder Zen and others looked at each other. They had regarded Tombkeeper and the Dead Regiment as their peers and equals. Were the people of Burial Garden really that powerful?
Thinking back to his interactions with Tombkeeper, Arch-Elder Zen could not believe the man or the Dead Regiment to be that powerful. Tombkeeper had clearly been just a Semi-Progenitor, while each of the four leaders of the Dead Regiment had only had a power level of just over a million. How could they forcefully take away an ancient Progenitor?
Still, there was clearly something off about the entire matter. The guardians of Burial Garden had been very familiar with the Seven SkyG.o.ds, which was something that no one else from the modern Fifth Mainland could understand. The Seven SkyG.o.ds were each ancient powerhouses, and it was impossible for anyone from the modern era to be familiar with them. Despite that, Tombkeeper of Burial Garden had clearly been quite familiar with a number of the Seven SkyG.o.ds, and had been very antagonistic towards them. On top of that, the Burial Garden had always been waiting to be opened.
During Burial Garden’s last opening, Undying G.o.d had activated a large number of desiccated corpses and sent them out to hunt down people with ancient bloodlines. That was the incident that had prompted Burial Garden to open.
In fact, no one knew just how old Burial Garden was.
But during the last exploration, fiends had appeared, which had been extremely powerful. Burial Garden also contained many ancient inheritances.
The bell continued to ring beneath the stellular tribulation’s vortex. The peals grew louder and louder, and the dour emotions became more and more intense. Qing Ping looked up. He had already learned the truth about Burial Garden from Mister Mu. Qing Ping’s Progenitor’s tribulation had manifested the people of Burial Garden to inter the man into Burial Garden.
Was this just a trial from the stellular tribulation, or was Qing Ping really being chosen by Burial Garden?
Qing Ping could not say for sure.
Bits of white paper fluttered down from the sky as a paper man stepped out of the tribulation’s vortex. It was an odd sight. A river also flowed down, and while it was impossible to make out the color, Qing Ping knew that it was the Yellow Springs.
A strange sedan rode atop the Yellow Springs, with stick-thin figures on either side of it like an escort of guards.
The Dead Regiment had appeared to take Qing Ping back to Burial Garden.
The suona summons forth h.e.l.l.
The dead travel on sedans.
A paper-thin life.
Rice straws protect tombs.
These words entered the minds of everyone watching the stellular tribulation.
Shock filled Big Sis"s eyes. She was seeing this scene again. Even if it was a recreation by a stellular tribulation, it remained as sad and shocking as ever. She was reminded of many tragic events from that ancient era.
How many people had been interred into Burial Garden? How many had been willing, and how many had been carried away by the Dead Regiment? The appearance of Burial Garden brought on despair and the feeling that the battle was already lost, but it also represented new life and humanity’s unyielding will.
In fact, Big Sis had nearly entered Burial Garden herself. If not for the fact that she had happened to catch sight of the big tree, she would have entered Burial Garden.
The Dead Regiment emerged from the stellular tribulation. The knelling of the death bell filled the Neoverse with an odd sound.
The scene gave everyone watching chills, let alone Qing Ping. He had to face the Dead Regiment.
"Has anyone ever successfully resisted the Dead Regiment?" Arch-Elder Zen suddenly asked.
Big Sis frowned. "No one."
These words caused even Mu Xie"s heart to sink. This was a power of the ancient Heavens Sect era. Why had it appeared now? Junior Brother Qing Ping was not a simple person. While he could not compare to Junior Brother Lu Yin, the fact that Qing Ping was able to trigger such a unique stellular tribulation was proof that the true universe had acknowledged the man’s strength.
At this same time, Lu Yin arrived at a tall tower in the Scourge. Inside stood Progenitor Xi, who was silently staring at a river of divine energy, as though in a trance. Lu Yin had no idea what she was looking at. Was she also hoping to find the True G.o.d’s three unique battle techniques?
"Progenitor Xi, the mission fai-"
Before Lu Yin could finish speaking, Progenitor Xi cut him off, motioning for him to step forward.
Lu Yin was wary, but he still walked forward. He followed Progenitor Xi’s gaze and stared into the river of divine energy. His pupils shrank, as there was an image in the river. It was Qing Ping’s Progenitor’s tribulation.
"What is this?" Lu Yin was horrified. If Progenitor Xi was able to see the Origin Universe, she could have seen Lu Yin turning on the Chiliagonist.
This thought chilled Lu Yin to the core.
"I received word that Qing Ping triggered his Progenitor’s tribulation, so I came here to watch. Was it his tribulation that caused your mission to fail?" Progenitor Xi asked.
Lu Yin breathed a sigh of relief. "Yes. The Chiliagonist and I launched a sneak attack to capture Qing Ping, but he shook off the Chiliagonist’s control and dodged my attack. Right when we were about to follow up, Lu Yin took action. He separated us from Qing Ping with exploding stars. I was able to escape, but the Chiliagonist could not get away."
Progenitor Xi did not seem to care. She continued to silently stare into the river of divine energy. "His trial actually summoned Burial Garden. It appears that Qing Ping is quite talented. He deserves to be that person"s disciple."
Lu Yin"s eyes narrowed. Mister Mu? Did Progenitor Xi also know Mister Mu?
The two no longer spoke, as they both silently stared into the river of divine energy.
In the Neoverse, the Yellow Springs spread out until it reached Qing Ping’s feet. A paper figure approached in the sedan chair, and the knelling of the death bell grew louder and louder as it drew closer.
Qing Ping watched as the Dead Regiment approached him. He was unwilling to attack.
Whether they were a part of his stellular tribulation or truly people of Burial Cemetery, they still represented a place that contained countless heroes and the hope of mankind. They were the sorrow of an era, as well as the hope of that era. Qing Ping would not attack them.
He closed his eyes, and the stellular energy within his body retracted. If this was his only option, then he would give up.
"What is he doing?" someone exclaimed.
"Did he give up?"
Arch-Elder Zen watched as the stellular energy within Qing Ping"s body dispersed, his aura growing weaker and weaker. How could the man have given up? Qing Ping"s personality would not have given up, not even if he was absolutely certain of his failure.
Highsage Grandmaster, Elder Gong, and several others watched, feeling torn. They all knew Qing Ping and were broken-hearted to see him abandon his Progenitor’s tribulation.
Sure enough, it was too difficult to become a Progenitor.
Lu Buzheng and many others felt helpless. If they had to face Burial Garden, they would be able to do absolutely nothing.
People from the Heavens Sect era naturally had an understanding of Burial Garden’s legends. They knew that no one could escape from the Dead Regiment when they appeared to inter someone into Burial Garden. The only options were death or giving up.
It was a pity that the Dao Monarch’s senior disciple brother had failed, as he was clearly another amazingly talented person.
Big Sis stared at Qing Ping. Was it that he had not been able to defeat the tribulation, or that he was unwilling to defeat them? Qing Ping had his own determination, and his sense of righteousness forced him to abandon his tribulation.
Little Seven lacked Qing Ping’s determination, but it was also a pity that the man had failed. If he had surpa.s.sed his stellular tribulation, he would have become an amazingly powerful Progenitor.
Mu Xie sighed. Any tribulation sent to a cultivator could be overcome with that person’s strength. Qing Ping knew this truth, but he had still resolutely abandoned his breakthrough. He had not abandoned his tribulation; rather, he had refused to attack Burial Garden. Mu Xie’s junior brother’s heart was as stable as a rock, just like his cultivation, and nothing could shake him.
In the Scourge, Lu Yin clenched his fists at the sight of the failure. Senior Brother, why did you give up?
Progenitor Xi praised Qing Ping, "That man is truly great. Not everyone has the determination to give up on the chance to become a Progenitor in order to remain true to their values. He must understand Burial Garden very well.
"Ye Bo."
Lu Yin looked at Progenitor Xi. "I’m here."
"Continue searching for a way to capture him and transform him into a corpse king," Progenitor Xi ordered, her eyes bright as she continued to stare at the river of divine energy.
Lu Yin felt quite puzzled. "He just failed his tribulation, so hasn’t he lost all value? Even if he is Lu Yin"s senior disciple brother, will Lu Yin still care about him?"
A smile spread across Progenitor Xi’s face. "His value comes from no one but himself. He’s qualified and worthy to be raised up by Aeternus. Just because he’s failed his Progenitor’s tribulation doesn’t mean that he cannot progress further."
Lu Yin"s eyes flashed. "I understand. I will reach out to Mo Shang to plan another attack."
"There’s no need to bother with him. If he captures Qing Ping, he will never give him to us."
"Understood."
Progenitor Xi then left, and the river of divine energy returned to normal.
Lu Yin let out a long breath. Since Senior Brother Qing Ping had failed his tribulation, would Mister Mu show up? The Aeternals had the means to let Qing Ping continue cultivating and graining strength, but what about Mister Mu? He might not have the means.
In the Neoverse, the Yellow Springs flowed beneath Qing Ping’s feet as he remained rooted in place. The Dead Regiment faced him and moved closer, but they were gradually growing indistinct and transparent. Up above, the vortex of the stellular tribulation was also disappearing.
The Progenitor’s tribulation was over.