Arc 15: Heavenly Secret Realm | Chapter 283: Inheritance
Although Yun Lie had been influenced by the demonic path, he was somewhat indulgent toward this junior brother. Thus, after Xu Ziqing earnestly requested, he agreed. However, Xu Ziqing could not stray more than a foot away from him; he had to walk hand in hand.
Seeing his Shixiong like this warmed Xu Ziqing’s heart, and he no longer felt any discomfort.
So, with this understanding, the two brothers prepared to leave the White Jade Palace.
As Xu Ziqing swept his spiritual consciousness over the surroundings, he inadvertently caught sight of a flickering light where the White Jade Pool had been. Startled, he immediately took his Shixiong’s hand and walked over to that spot.
As they got closer, Xu Ziqing quickly recognized it as the inheritance crystal, and he was greatly astonished.
Because of the Master of Six Desires, the inheritance crystal had not followed them into the illusion array. He had thought it would surely be taken by someone else, but unexpectedly, it was still here?
Yan Hua was the spirit born from the array’s core. It quickly understood the situation and relayed the details to Xu Ziqing, the master.
Xu Ziqing then realized that this item had its brilliance concealed by the illusion array, which prevented others from taking it.
After a moment of thought, he concluded that while this was a coincidence, it could also be considered a blessing bestowed by the generous Luofu Zhenren, allowing him to avoid the severance of his inheritance and not truly fall into the desires of the Master of Six Desires.
However…
It was said that after they entered the inheritance s.p.a.ce, everyone else had been teleported out, leaving no one else here. Both Xu Ziqing and Yun Lie had their own paths and could not personally accept this inheritance. Did that mean they had to take this item out first and then select it later?
Xu Ziqing asked, “What should we do to get out now?”
Yan Hua replied, “As long as someone accepts the inheritance, they can obtain the method to refine this White Jade Palace. Then, by manipulating it with their mind, they can exit.”
Xu Ziqing frowned upon hearing this.
This was not appropriate. Anyone who accepted the inheritance crystal would inevitably have countless techniques, experiences, and even cultivation poured into them all at once. Moreover, they would definitely be influenced by the established inheritor, which would be detrimental to both of them. He initially thought to use this method to draw on the techniques of the predecessors and validate his own cultivation, but now he found himself in a difficult position.
While he was lost in thought, Xu Ziqing suddenly noticed the spirit of the pair of double lotuses. He first asked, “Why do you still look like this after I have kindled your spirits?”
Hearing this, Yan Hua and Yue Hua came forward to explain, “We, as plants, can only gain intelligence if we can endure for a long time without being born with spiritual awareness. We must draw on the essence of heaven and earth to become spiritual beings, and we must withstand the heavenly thunder tribulation to shed our forms and transform into humans. Compared to ordinary beasts becoming demons, this is much more difficult.”
“But if a wood-element cultivator is willing to lend their pure wood energy to a.s.sist us, we might be kindled without suffering the heavenly thunder tribulation, allowing us to transform early.”
However, this kindling technique creates a significant debt of grat.i.tude from the plant to the kindler, making it a much heavier obligation than for beasts accepting kindling. This is due to the greater threat that heavenly thunder poses to plants, far surpa.s.sing that faced by beasts.
Therefore, the process of kindling is also more challenging.
The most difficult aspect lies in the purity of the wood energy.
The purer the wood energy possessed by the wood-element cultivator, the more capable they are of kindling profound plants. However, the better the roots of the plants, the harder they are to kindle.
Yet Xu Ziqing possessed only the essence of Yimu, which is the most refined part of wood energy. Therefore, he could easily kindle any plant.
The pair of double lotuses not only had rare roots but had also spent countless days and months cultivating their essence. If it weren’t for Xu Ziqing’s willingness to a.s.sist them, it might have taken an unknown amount of time for them to break free from their lotus bindings.
After listening to the words of the double lotus siblings, Xu Ziqing understood the situation a bit better.
Then the two began to talk about their current forms. It turned out that after the essence of plants shed their outer sh.e.l.ls, they manifested in the form of primordial spirits. After absorbing spiritual energy for a period, they could generate physical bodies and become humanoid. Once they underwent this transformation, they were no longer bound by their original forms, and their human bodies were no different from those of ordinary cultivators—only… they were purer.
Xu Ziqing nodded, “So you’re saying that after you two condense your physical forms, you will also have spiritual roots?”
Yan Hua immediately replied, “Exactly. As plant spirits, if we lack innate divine abilities, we often possess wood-element spiritual roots. If we have innate divine abilities, it would be different.”
Xu Ziqing then asked, “How long will it take for you two to take shape?”
Yan Hua thought for a moment and said, “It will still take some time, but it’s hard to predict.”
Xu Ziqing paused, feeling a bit hesitant. “If I were to let you both accept the inheritance… would it be harmful to you?”
As soon as he finished speaking, the two in front were greatly shocked.
They saw the red light cl.u.s.ter tremble, and Yan Hua’s voice quivered as he quickly said, “Inheritance is related to the divine soul; it wouldn’t be a hindrance.”
Ordinary cultivators can only transform their divine souls into primordial spirits once they reach the Gold Core stage, and naturally, a primordial spirit is much stronger than a divine soul. The two brothers had practiced for a long time and already possessed primordial spirits. Even if they lost all their cultivation after being kindled, their primordial spirits would still remain.
If it were an ordinary divine soul without a physical body, it would be weak and could not withstand the impact of inheritance. However, a primordial spirit is quite different and would not fear this.
Xu Ziqing felt delighted and gently said, “In that case, I will pa.s.s this inheritance on to you brothers.” He paused and added, “However, there is only one inheritance crystal. Once you two separate from the double lotus, you will be different individuals and likely cannot accept the inheritance simultaneously. But there is still a White Jade Palace here, which must be a precious item. Therefore, one of you can receive the inheritance, and the other can take the White Jade Palace. This wouldn’t be unfair to me.” Refining the palace is also related to the divine soul, so there is no hindrance. After saying this, he turned to Yun Lie: “What do you think, Shixiong?”
Yun Lie nodded slightly, “It’s up to you.”
Xu Ziqing smiled slightly and looked calmly at the two brothers.
Yan Hua and Yue Hua, however, had never antic.i.p.ated that they were treasures left for the inheritors by the Luofu Zhenren. The best outcome for them would have been to become the vessel spirits for refining treasures from the double lotus. They had asked Xu Ziqing to obtain the essence of Yimu to kindle themselves, which was already a significant advantage. They were originally willing to serve as devoted servants… but they never expected that this master would grant them such an opportunity. How could they feel at ease about it?
Yan Hua quickly declined, “Little servant doesn’t dare. Luofu Zhenren is a great power, and his inheritance can only be obtained by the master. Please retract your command.”
Yue Hua also shook his head, “We are servants and are unworthy of receiving this.”
Upon hearing their words, Xu Ziqing felt a hint of admiration in his heart: “You two don’t need to be like this. The inheritance crystal is of little value to my Shixiong and me; it’s better to give it to you, which also adds to my power. If you are willing, you should diligently cultivate your techniques and not hide anything from each other. When you achieve results, you can also help me validate my own cultivation.”
After hearing this, the double lotus brothers exchanged glances before saying, “In that case, we will certainly do our best. However, the White Jade Palace was painstakingly refined by Luofu Zhenren, so please accept it, Master.”
Xu Ziqing shook his head again, “This item is not ordinary. Even if I obtain it, unless I treat it as my life treasure, it would be difficult to utilize. My own cultivation technique is quite exceptional, and it’s best to refine my own life treasure myself, so I don’t need this. It’s more appropriate for you two to have it.”
Such a treasure, if used hastily, would be better off being refined by the double lotus into a life treasure, allowing them to nurture it more. Moreover, the double lotus had been in the palace for many years, and communicating with it should be quite smooth.
Whether it was Xu Ziqing or Yun Lie, their life treasures had to be honed by themselves. Even if something was a supreme treasure crafted by others, there was no need to be overly attached. Moreover, the primordial spirits of the double lotus were in Xu Ziqing’s hands; they were originally his helpers, and making them stronger ultimately added to his own power.
However, if Xu Ziqing’s initial act of kindling the double lotus was primarily out of compa.s.sion, seeing their conversations and actions now made him value their character a bit more. If Yan Hua and Yue Hua could maintain this kindness, he wouldn’t mind releasing their primordial spirits later when he achieved success in his cultivation, allowing them to become his disciples.
At this point, the double lotus brothers finally understood Xu Ziqing’s intentions. After discussing among themselves, they decided that Yan Hua would accept the inheritance while Yue Hua would obtain the treasure. The two were humble and almost had no disputes; they had reached an agreement.
Then, without further delay, Xu Ziqing took Yun Lie’s hand in one and picked up the inheritance crystal in the other, directing it to tap against the top of Yan Hua’s head. In the next moment, the crystal burst forth with brilliant light, and the red light cl.u.s.ter twitched as it absorbed all the brilliance.
Before long, Yan Hua felt dizzy and recited a series of techniques to Yue Hua.
Yue Hua floated up, quickly moved back and forth, and soon had a jade tablet in his hand. He murmured to himself, separating a strand of his primordial spirit and sending it into the jade tablet. In a moment, he had preliminarily refined the palace.
Having gained a significant advantage, the two did not rush to do anything but instead wanted to share what they obtained with Xu Ziqing.
Xu Ziqing smiled wryly, saying, “My primordial spirit is not yet complete, so your methods are useless to me. It’s better to pa.s.s them on to my Shixiong.” He turned his head to look at Yun Lie, who gave his consent.
After that, Yan Hua transmitted the acquired techniques to Yun Lie’s sea of consciousness, while Yue Hua ill.u.s.trated and imprinted all he knew about the palace.
A dark light flashed in Yun Lie’s eyes as he memorized all the transmitted images, then said to Xu Ziqing, “Once there’s nothing pressing, I will teach it to you.”
Xu Ziqing smiled, “Thank you, Shixiong.” He recalled how his Shixiong had the same demeanor before he fell into darkness, except… he lowered his gaze at the hands of the two brothers clasped together, his expression softening.
With this matter resolved, they should not linger here.
Yue Hua made a few hand signs, and as his thoughts turned, everyone was enveloped in white light, about to be transported away.
With a flick of his hand, Xu Ziqing, at the last moment before disappearing, had already taken Yan Hua and Yue Hua into the sleeve of his robe.
Then, Xu Ziqing felt a lightness in his body, and in the blink of an eye, the world transformed, and he found himself standing on solid ground.
Yun Lie stood beside him, and they didn’t end up elsewhere; at this moment, he was far from the initial disarray he had experienced upon entering the secret realm.
However, as Xu Ziqing clearly saw what lay ahead, he couldn’t help but utter a soft “eh.” He then said no more and began to gesture with his fingers to cast a spell.
In an instant, a phantom map appeared before the two.
Translator: Lynn
Translations are not 100% correct. Please let me know if there are typos/mistakes in the chapter.
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