Chapter 1394
Awakening
Chapter 1394 Awakening
The sky was overcast, and the moonlight shone quietly on the ground. The colors of the fleeing light were inconspicuous. Qiu E fled westward and had long since crossed the mountains and rivers. When she looked up, she had already arrived at Yiling.
'That was close…'
He lowered his head and wiped the sweat from his forehead.
He instructed Qiu Shenshi to head east, while he himself used the pretext of seeking help to cross the desert first. When the sun rose in the east, the ominous premonition came true. Qiu E dared not linger and naturally rushed into Sichuan.
Fortunately, he had made preparations in advance and had evacuated. He had been resting here for some time and did not dare to enter the city casually. Now, seeing the white light shining on Wuchuan, it was clear that Mingyang had arrived.
He was deeply shaken:
'I wonder how things are going... but at least the King of Wei has arrived, and I don't know if Qingji has even left the pass...'
Before he could think any further, he emerged from the cave created by the spirit stone and found himself in a dizzying state. It was as if a force had bound him and carried him away from the desolate wilderness, and in an instant he was kneeling before a grand hall!
Qiu E took a breath, not daring to look up, staring intently at the ornate patterns on the ground, before she heard the voice from above:
"He's... your Tian Su?"
"It's him!"
The voice that answered sounded like that of a family member. Qiu E tilted her head and glanced at the man sitting to the side out of the corner of her eye—he had a gloomy appearance, but he seemed to be in a good mood at the moment, with relaxed eyebrows and a dignified air about him.
This is a real person from the Qiu family.
Qiu Wanyi.
Qiu E's rise was too rapid. During that time, this True Man was in seclusion in his cave, having just reached the Purple Mansion stage. Qiu E had actually seen him before—in his previous life, he had just gotten close to this True Man when the King of Wei had already returned from the north. This True Man was imprisoned for refusing to let Qing Ji Fang enter the pass and was eventually killed by the emperor.
Qiu Wan is suspected to be a new generation of True Man of the Qiu family, but he is only in the early stage of Purple Mansion. There has never been any news of him being at odds with Qingji Fang. Even when the emperor came to ask him, he only said: "This man has insulted me several times in Guanzhong."
No one dared to investigate his motives.
To those at the Foundation Establishment stage, the Purple Mansion realm seemed like a high-level cultivation hanging in the sky. Qiu E was struck by its strangeness upon seeing it, but before he could ponder it further, the person above sneered:
"look up."
Qiu E slowly raised his head and saw a man in gray clothes. He looked relatively young, but his lips were slightly pale. His narrow eyes were full of malice as he coldly stared at him.
The real person beside him whispered:
"This is General Qing!"
Congratulations!
How can it be?
'At this point in my past life... Qingji should have been in seclusion and hadn't yet gone out! Wasn't he seeking enlightenment? How long has it been?'
Qiu E felt a surge of terror run down his spine. A chilling tremor, mixed with extremely complex emotions, filled his mind, making his face turn deathly pale.
'They're all here!'
Qiu E had no idea why Mingyang, who was supposed to be free for many years, would suddenly come from the west, nor did she know why Qingji Fang would also suddenly leave the pass so early...
But he knew a little.
The scene now seems extremely similar to that of my previous life; these two people arrived here almost at the same time!
Despite the imposing presence of the two men before him, he knew in his heart that although it wasn't at this time in his previous life, it was still the same when Mingyang attacked the pass. Within a few days, this General Qing would die at the pass, while the respectful Qiu Wanyi stood coldly on the pass. And in a few more days, this Master Qiu would also become a dead man!
To put it bluntly, the current Western Shu has not had the same few years of respite as in the previous life, and it is even missing a Great Master Ji Mu. If the same mistake is repeated, the two supernatural beings in front of us together may not even be able to live for ten more days!
This extremely strong sense of eeriness overwhelmed him, causing his lips to tremble slightly, seemingly at a loss. The general before him, however, waited for him, and coldly sneered:
"You gave him the idea?"
This "he" naturally refers to the current Shu Emperor. Qiu E trembled inwardly, but could only nod lowered his head. Unexpectedly, the other party laughed loudly:
"That's a really good idea! Without you... I wouldn't have known he had so many supporters in the court!"
'what……'
Qiu E's mind went blank for a moment, but then she saw Qiu Wanyi laugh:
"Hurry up and follow me to pay respects to the Great General!"
Qiu E suddenly realized what was happening from those words, her heart trembled violently, and she exclaimed in horror:
'He's taken a liking to me and wants to use my Heavenly Essence!'
But the moment this thought crossed Qiu E's mind, there was no joy in her heart, only endless horror—both of the two people in front of her were about to die, wouldn't that mean she would be buried with them!
But he dared not utter a single word of dissent, and feigned deep gratitude, bowing repeatedly. Qing Jifang, however, merely looked down at him.
The general's mood was at its lowest point.
Originally, seeing the changing situation, he went into seclusion to try to break through to the Great True Person realm. With the help of various treasures and the unique spiritual energy of the cave heaven, his chances of breaking through this time were not low... But for some reason, halfway through his seclusion, there was a change in his spiritual energy, and his Qi surged towards his immortal foundation. Not to mention that he failed at the last minute, it could even be considered that his attempt was stillborn!
This even caused him considerable injury, and he was furious. He went out to inquire and found out that it was the True Lord's departure that had caused changes in heaven and earth.
Qing Jifang was indeed an arrogant person, but no matter how arrogant he was, he couldn't be arrogant enough to offend Zhenjun. These words shut up the anger that was about to burst forth, and he left in a sorry state.
At this moment, he was filled with pent-up anger with nowhere to vent it. He never expected to run into the usually docile Shu Emperor while he was in seclusion, where he had actually done so much...
This was the perfect time to vent. He sneered, but also became curious, toying with the round bead in his hand, and said casually:
"Tian Su...I've heard you have the ability to foresee the future, but I must ask you—when will this true master attain gold?"
'...'
Qiu E was stunned.
'When will the securities firm be ready again? I do know when I'll pass away...'
He certainly wouldn't tell the truth; he simply looked up and sighed:
"My lord! He possesses the Golden Core inheritance and has a celestial cave above him. How could a country bumpkin like me possibly be able to fathom him!"
Qingji immediately misunderstood and frowned.
'That's not bad... I might be going back to my grotto-heaven to attain enlightenment. No matter how much this guy can calculate, he can't guess where the grotto-heaven is. And those things where powerful figures are involved, he probably doesn't know much about them either...'
Naturally, his interest waned considerably, and he casually glanced to the side, where he saw Qiu Wanyi, who was also filled with anticipation, and said:
"In that case, shouldn't you at least consider the future of your own family member?"
Qiu E had no choice but to turn to look at Qiu Wanyi. After a moment of contemplation, he began to flatter him:
"A true general commands a city ten thousand feet high, watching the battles rage beneath it. Even if he cannot hold it for a time, he can retreat with composure. He is indeed a renowned general, and his future is closely intertwined with that of Lord Qing!"
These words were somewhat euphemistic, but Qiu Wanyi didn't take them to heart. How many people could actually hold their own against Mingyang? Being able to escape easily was already an excellent result, so he naturally nodded with delight.
'In that case, this battle will surely be won!'
"All right!"
Qingji Fang simply shook his head, refusing to ask further questions, only inquiring:
Where is the Great Master Wu Gong now?
"We have already received orders from our superiors to leave the capital and head to Wuchuan!"
"it is good!"
Qingji nodded in satisfaction. Hearing that Bai Qilin had already mastered the four supernatural powers, his arrogance subsided considerably, and he became unusually cautious. Now, he no longer cared about achieving great merit, but only said in a sinister voice:
"Although Mingyang has already passed the first level of the Purple Realm, I have two Grand Masters under my command and three passes as a barrier. This time, I will definitely keep him here for three to five years and prevent him from making any progress!"
……
Jianmen.
The chanting was long and drawn out, and the green mist surged forth. The branches of the trees in the mountains swayed, and a person was seen kneeling beneath the gently swaying pine branches.
This man appeared to be middle-aged, not young, with sharp features, a sword on his back, a calm expression, and his hands clasped together in respectful worship.
After a long while, the void began to ripple, and people emerged from the air. The former was dressed simply and carried a sword, while the latter was dressed in black and exuded a dark aura.
The leader said happily:
"Nephew Gu!"
These words made the person kneeling on the ground raise their head, turn around, and speak gently and politely:
"Uncle-Master!"
Cheng Jiuwen patted his shoulder excitedly and sighed:
"I was ordered to guard the northern border and was stationed in Changhe. When I heard the news of your breakthrough, I wished I could rush back day and night. However, King Wei was attacking the north, so I could not act rashly... Now that things in the north are settled, I will return to see you immediately!"
The middle-aged man, however, showed little sign of a smile. He shook his head listlessly, raised his hand to his face, and whispered:
"Sitting idly in the cave has turned me into an old man!"
This statement silenced Cheng Jiuwen.
The person in front of him was his junior apprentice, named Gu Pang. He was a disciple taken in by one of his senior apprentices when he went to the north to make his way in the world. In terms of age, he was even older than Cheng Gao and was once a prodigy.
However, he was deeply mired in ignorance, and people once thought he had died and disappeared. Although he has now broken through the barrier, a full hundred years have passed!
What does this mean? During almost the entire period of his ignorance, Li Zhouwei went from stepping onto the path of cultivation all the way to becoming a Grand Master of the Purple Mansion with the Four Supernatural Powers!
For Gu Pang, it was merely a moment of seclusion. When he opened his eyes again, he was already old, and most of his old friends had died... More importantly, he suddenly did not recognize anything around him.
'Shu-Song, Mingyang, North and South…'
If it weren't for the fact that the majority of the southern forces were still intact, he would have thought he had entered another world!
Cheng Jiuwen didn't say much, but sighed and said:
"Nephew Gu...you should thank...the Great General..."
Gu Pang turned his head stiffly to look at the person behind him. The man in black remained expressionless, but his supernatural powers were extremely terrifying. He was a Grand Master with four supernatural powers of the "Upper Witch"!
He quickly bowed, only then hearing Cheng Jiuwen whisper:
"The General came to see me before. He heard that you hadn't come out of seclusion for a long time, and guessed that you were being harmed by ignorance. If you didn't break through soon, your days would be numbered. So he secretly used a treasure to illuminate the Great Void. It's really your good fortune that it really woke you up!"
Gu Pang only realized this belatedly.
Ignorance has always been one of the watersheds for the advancement of supernatural powers. Many people have been trapped in it for decades, some even for five or ten years, but very few have remained in it for hundreds of years. This means that if Gu Pang had not gone into seclusion early enough, he would very likely have died halfway through his cultivation.
The fact that he has been trapped in this state for a century means that he is basically lost in it, and without external interference, there is an 80% or greater chance that he will never wake up!
'Ridiculous! To think I'm sitting like an old codger is already an honor!'
He gave a bitter laugh. The bitterness that had been brewing in his heart was suddenly overwhelmed by this, transforming into an indescribable complexity. He said:
"So it was your treasure, sir... Why use it on me!"
This century has almost eroded his cultivation time for one or two supernatural abilities. The moment he emerged from seclusion, it was basically announced that there was a 99% chance he would stop before Shen Zi in this lifetime. No wonder Gu Pang was somewhat disheartened for a time.
Yang Ruiyi shook his head and said:
"You were just one step away from success... This treasure is called the 'Mirror of Clarity,' and it's very risky. If you don't wake up, you're bound to perish. I wouldn't have taken it out if I hadn't reached this critical moment where I had no choice but to use it."
"After all, ignorance must be overcome, but it's different from boundless fantasy. Ancient cultivators could only travel through the void in advance as a prelude. To truly eradicate it completely is beyond what we can even imagine..."
Although the other party did not say it, there are many people in the world who want to be photographed but are not qualified to be photographed. This favor is like a second life. Even if Gu Pang felt like he was in another world, he could still distinguish between achieving supernatural powers and dying and disappearing. He returned the greeting and stood aside. Cheng Jiuwen went to thank him again, but Yang Ruiyi stopped him.
The general opened his mouth, his eyes filled with complex emotions, but he quickly lowered his brows, concealing his feelings, before saying:
"Sect Master, there's no need to thank me. I have two things to discuss with you this time... First, I want to see Senior Tianjiao."
Cheng Jiuwen was immediately embarrassed and whispered:
"I'm sorry, General, but the senior went into seclusion again several years ago and there's been no news of him since..."
Yang Ruiyi shook her head.
He spoke quietly, as if stating a fact:
"When Master Gu broke through, there were no unusual celestial phenomena. Of course, someone was dissipating his energy and spirit. The sword immortal was elevating his immortal foundation to verify the Great Dao. My family watched in the Great Void for a long time, but they also did not notice anything. If the four realms could not notice, it must be the senior who made the move. How can you say that there was no news?"
Upon hearing this, Cheng Jiuwen's smile froze slightly, and his eyes darted forward with some unease. Gu Pang also sensed something was amiss, but lacking an understanding of the overall situation, he dared not make any rash moves.
For a moment, only the whistling wind could be heard in the mountains.
A hint of disappointment flashed in Yang Ruiyi's eyes, and she shook her head, saying:
“I’m here to find the senior on their behalf. If they were to do it themselves, it would be disrespectful for the senior.”
His words seemed to have an effect, for a weary voice finally emanated from the spiritual root. The old spiritual cultivator, seemingly overwhelmed and at his wit's end, finally spoke:
"What are your orders, sir...?"
Yang Ruiyi gazed at him and said softly:
"How dare I give orders to the senior? There are important matters to discuss with the Sword Sect. The senior is one side, the Sword Immortal is another side, and my Underworld is yet another side. How can we presume to speak beyond the senior's authority?"
He seemed to only want Tianjiao to speak, without asking him to do anything, before turning around and saying softly:
"Yang came here on an urgent order to lead his men eastward to guard the area from Changhe to Jianmen."
His words came out of nowhere, leaving Cheng Jiuwen stunned. He didn't know why this general was saying these things for no reason, nor did he understand where the current situation was changing. This ignorance made him uneasy, and he said:
"General..."
Yang Ruiyi did not answer him, but whispered:
"Now that I have returned to the capital to protect it, the sword immortal can withdraw."
He turned around, bowed deeply, and said:
"The war between Shu and Song is a time of great suffering for the world. I urge the sword immortal to set off westward, join forces with the King of Wei, break through the three passes, cross the mountains, traverse the Shu region, and together punish the disloyal!"