Chapter 122: The Terrifying Celestial Phenomenon (6k)

Zhou Qing placed the talismans one by one in different locations, then his gaze fell on the final black talisman.

A life-substitution talisman?

Back then, Qian Dafu had apparently stumbled upon one such talisman and escaped my pursuit.

After securing it, Zhou Qing let out a long breath, then pulled out the last half-supreme spirit stone and began activating the Yin-Yang Scripture to absorb its spiritual power.

The two golden cores within his body—one black, one white—began spinning rapidly, accelerating until they resembled two joyful fish darting in circles.

At this point, he no longer suppressed the spiritual power surging through his meridians; instead, he relaxed his body and mind, guiding this vast force to flow unimpeded through every limb and bone.

As time slowly passed, Zhou Qing’s aura grew deeper, like an abyss or an ocean; the surrounding air seemed drawn in, forming subtle vortexes of airflow.

This continued for a full forty days.

Mo Xingjian had been closely monitoring the surroundings with his vast spiritual sense, and now his face was lined with exhaustion.

“Normally, forming a Nascent Soul takes a month at most. When the third brother broke through, he only needed twenty-some days, then spent time consolidating—could something be wrong?”

Mo Xingjian muttered to himself, then, as his spiritual sense pierced through layers of seals, he suddenly saw that Zhou Qing held a supreme earth-type and a supreme wood-type spirit stone in each hand, frantically absorbing them.

And inside the box before him, only one metal-type spirit stone remained.

“My god, is this guy breaking through to Nascent Soul—or Soul Transformation?”

Before Mo Xingjian could recover from his shock, Zhou Qing’s entire body convulsed violently, his face twisted in frenzy as he snatched up the last supreme metal-type spirit stone and swallowed it whole.

This sight sent a chill through Mo Xingjian’s bones—he feared the terrifying energy would instantly burst Zhou Qing apart.

Seven more days passed. Beyond a hundred li, Luo Lingling had not rested a moment; all her puppets had become her eyes, guarding every direction without the slightest lapse.

“Something’s wrong—” Mo Xingjian, who had just assured Luo Lingling all was well, suddenly snapped awake and scanned the surroundings.

The desert, once dominated by blazing sun and swirling sand, now fell into absolute silence—as if time had frozen and all things had halted.

The raging sandstorms vanished without a trace, and the previously cloudless sky darkened instantly under a blanket of storm clouds.

“T-Three Flowers Gather at the Crown?” Mo Xingjian’s face lit up with joy, his fatigue instantly evaporating.

Such an omen must be the legendary phenomenon recorded in ancient texts—how could a normal Nascent Soul breakthrough produce such grandeur and strange transformations?

Immediately after, he received a message from Luo Lingling.

[Old Mo, is something happening? I’m seeing dark clouds forming above me, and lightning flickering!] Luo Lingling’s message carried a note of tension.

Mo Xingjian snapped out of his elation and quickly grabbed his token, sending a swift reply.

[It must be. Get as far away as you can—find out how far this cloud cover extends.]

Above, the storm clouds were as thick as ink, pressing down heavily.

Within the clouds, lightning serpents writhed wildly, and faintly, terrifying entities seemed to glide and dart through them, their latent aura inspiring dread.

Seeing this, Mo Xingjian’s worry deepened; he regretted not summoning the several Supreme Elders along.

Who could have imagined this kid would cause such a commotion?

Even with his Soul Transformation cultivation, he’d been pushing his limits for two straight days—he was now far beyond Taiqingmen, and any message he sent would never reach.

Just as he grew desperate, Luo Lingling’s message finally came back.

[Old Mo, things look bad. I’ve fled over seven hundred li beyond the desert, reached the storm’s origin, but it’s still expanding slowly. My connection with the puppets is flickering, so I had to turn back. I estimate the storm covers at least a thousand li.]

Reading this, Mo Xingjian swallowed hard, his heart pounding with shock and elation.

According to the sparse ancient records, celestial phenomena ranged from dozens to a few hundred li—never exceeding a thousand.

This alone showed how extraordinary Zhou Qing’s talent was—wasn’t he always just average? How had he suddenly become this powerful?

Was it because of the Dao’s Qi?

That couldn’t be—it merely raised the starting point of cultivation; it couldn’t enhance innate talent itself.

But now there was no time to ponder this—such a massive phenomenon, if it spread further, would draw countless eyes; some might even think a treasure had surfaced.

“No good—I’m already getting goosebumps. While there’s still time, I must set up a teleportation array. Once he succeeds, we must flee this place immediately!”

After speaking, Mo Xingjian retreated a distance, then, once far enough, his hands trembled with excitement as he frantically pulled out various items to begin setting up the array.

“I’ve emptied my entire vault!” Mo Xingjian muttered, yet his smile never faded.

BOOM!

The next instant, the silence shattered. Heaven and earth pulled at each other; the sand within hundreds of li boiled like a raging sea, waves rising one after another.

Some waves reached dozens of zhang high, spreading outward with the power to obliterate all.

The withered cacti were instantly crushed to dust by the sand waves, scattered by the gales.

Meanwhile, the previously dark clouds above began thundering incessantly, and jagged black lightning bolts, like giant serpents, crashed down at intervals.

Soon, above Zhou Qing’s head, a strange glow began to emerge from the clouds—first a silver radiance, like the first ray of dawn piercing through darkness.

As the light grew brighter, it gradually took shape as a massive silver flower phantom, hovering beneath the clouds.

Seeing this, Mo Xingjian, still setting up the array, trembled with excitement and immediately pulled out a blank image stone, his eyes filled with urgency and delight, desperate to record this precious scene.

“Please, let it be three flowers, three flowers—” Mo Xingjian’s face flushed red as he prayed.

Despite the gales battering his body, he dared not use spiritual power to block them, fearing even the slightest interference might disrupt Zhou Qing.

Ancient texts recorded that many cultivators attempting Nascent Soul formation had failed, producing only one or two flowers—and after that, they never recovered, sinking into despair.

After all, forming the final flower was unimaginably difficult.

Roughly another hour passed. As Zhou Qing’s breakthrough deepened, the second flower’s phantom began forming within the clouds.

This one was blue—deep as the ocean’s abyss, radiating a unique resonance. The moment the blue flower appeared, torrential rain poured from the sky, the droplets a deep blue; within moments, pools of blue water formed across the desert’s edges.

Mo Xingjian had no time to rejoice—he was dodging lightning strikes in the midst of it all.

At that moment, a new anomaly erupted: between the silver and blue flowers, countless shadowy figures surged forth—formless, whispering endlessly, then howling as they clawed toward Zhou Qing below.

“What are these things? Could they be why those prodigies in the records failed to form the third flower?”

Seeing this, Mo Xingjian, still fleeing, turned pale with terror.

Meanwhile, within Zhou Qing’s mind-sea, two identical flowers had appeared—the two golden cores dimming steadily, as if all their energy were being channeled into the birth of the three flowers.

The next instant, the sudden shadows attacked his spirit directly.

His face turned ashen, beads of sweat rolling down his forehead.

Zhou Qing held his spirit firm, unmoved—if these things disturbed his mind, all his efforts would be wasted.

He immediately focused, splitting off some spiritual sense to form a faint luminous barrier around his mind-sea, blocking the intruders.

It worked—but the shadows kept slamming into the barrier, shrieking horribly, yet kept coming, relentless, as if they would not stop until they succeeded.

Though his spirit drained rapidly, Zhou Qing’s soul power far exceeded that of his peers; he replenished it continuously, while rapidly activating the Yin-Yang Scripture to dispel the negative influence of the shadows.

Now, it was a battle of endurance.

Another hour passed. As Zhou Qing struggled against the unknown shadows, the third flower’s phantom began to form in the sky.

This one was red—a blazing flame that turned the entire sky crimson.

After the flame flower appeared, temperatures soared; the sand waves melted into scorching magma, flowing across the desert.

As the three flowers fully coalesced, silver, blue, and red blossoms shone together in the sky, their spiritual fluctuations spreading like tidal waves.

Seeing this, Mo Xingjian could no longer contain his joy—he let out a wild cheer, then collapsed to his knees, clutching his face in tears of ecstasy.

His disciple—Mo Xingjian’s disciple—had achieved Three Flowers Gather at the Crown!

Do you know what this means?

In the entire Shengwu Empire, no one had ever achieved Three Flowers Gather at the Crown—and now it had happened to his own disciple.

It felt like a dream.

But at that moment, Luo Lingling, a hundred li away, sent a frantic message.

[Old Mo, I saw the Three Flowers Gather at the Crown—Xiao Qing succeeded. But I have bad news: my three puppets saw it too, six hundred li away. You know what I’m getting at.]

Reading this, Mo Xingjian’s face darkened.

That meant everyone within the cloud’s range could see it—even those farther away could observe this strange phenomenon.

[Return immediately! Once the fourth one finishes, we leave without delay!] Mo Xingjian sent back urgently.

Then he stared anxiously at the scene before him, muttering over and over: “Hurry up, hurry up…”

…………

Taiqingmen!

Yan Xiao, looking utterly exhausted, stepped out of the Jade Dining Hall, his six-tier food box now reduced to two tiers.

No choice—he’d been here over a month, spent nearly all his spirit stones on meals; he had to cut costs.

He pulled out his identity token again to contact his Master and Senior Sister—but after waiting a long while, received no reply.

“Everyone’s vanished, leaving me here to clean up, and I’ve spent so much money,” Yan Xiao grumbled.

This meal bill must be reimbursed by Old Mo!

But suddenly, a commotion erupted around him—everyone seemed to have heard something and rushed out in panic.

Intrigued, Yan Xiao picked up his food box and followed them outside.

The next instant, his eyes widened in shock.

In the sky, three enormous flowers had appeared—floating like mirages, projected upward.

The silver flower glowed with a cold radiance, like a full moon hanging in the heavens, its light exuding a mysterious serenity;

The blue flower was profoundly deep, as if containing the entire vast ocean;

And the final red flower pulsed with flowing magma, churning as if ready to burn the entire sky;

Black lightning danced and weaved between the three blossoms, adding even greater majesty and mystery to the already awe-inspiring sight.

Though Yan Xiao had never seen such a scene before, he instantly understood—and his body trembled with excitement.

He knew exactly what Old Four and his Master had gone out to do.

“I-it’s really Three Flowers Gather at the Crown—Old Four did it! Old Four actually did it! My god!”

Yan Xiao’s heart surged with excitement; he longed to rush to the scene and witness it with his own eyes.

This damn brother-in-law showed up at the worst possible moment, forcing me to miss this opportunity.

I’ve always been by Little Four’s side, yet now, at such a pivotal moment in his life, I wasn’t there—can you imagine how painful that is?

How many times in a lifetime does one get to witness the birth of a Three Flowers Gathering at the Crown?

“What’s going on? Those three flowers are terrifying!”

“I don’t know—could a treasure have emerged, causing this celestial phenomenon?”

“It seems not far from us.”

“Not far? Look how bright those thunderbolts are, yet we hear not a sound—clearly it’s refraction.”

“A mirage? Come to think of it, look at the background behind the three flowers—it looks like a desert.”

…………

Countless Taiqingmen disciples buzzed with chatter; Yan Xiao immediately dropped his food box, pulled out a map, and began searching intently.

“Three Flowers Gathering at the Crown!”

From the center of Jin Yang Peak, Gao Xian stepped out, arms behind his back, his eyes filled with awe—he had lived so long, yet had never seen such a sight.

“Someone is breaking through to Nascent Soul?” Gao Xian instantly realized it; without hesitation, he vanished in a flash, leaving the sect behind.

The value behind a cultivator achieving Three Flowers Gathering at the Crown while breaking through to Nascent Soul is incalculable.

Immediately, the peak masters of Zi Xia Peak, Ling Xiao Peak, Xuan Bing Peak, Bai Zhan Peak, and others—all as if sharing the same intuition—quickly departed the sect.

If the cultivator is a lone cultivator, we must find him first, show goodwill, and bring him into our sect; if he comes from another sect, like Cangyan Dao Palace, then it’s another matter—we cannot afford to let this opportunity slip.

They all knew: no one wanted to face a future master of Zhan Ling on the opposing side.

Moreover, from the projected image, the cultivator seemed not far away—some had even guessed his exact location.

Bai He stood frozen, staring at the scene before him, lost in thought.

“Mu Er, you stay behind to guard the sect. The rest of you, scatter and search—find him before anyone else does!”

Behind Shen Yue Peak, several Tai Shang Elders radiated terrifying cultivation base fluctuations; after speaking, they immediately left the sect.

…………

Qingyu Immortal Sect!

Sect Master Xuan You Xianzi also witnessed this astonishing sight; her body trembled slightly, her eyes reddened.

“Heaven has been kind to me! Taiqingmen produced one, and now another has ascended—find him, we must find him!” she murmured to herself.

Before she could act, several Tai Shang Elders appeared before her like ghosts.

“Xuan You, what are you daydreaming about? You know full well what a Three Flowers Gathering at the Crown means to you and to the entire Qingyu Immortal Sect,” said an old man with snow-white hair; before he finished speaking, he vanished in a flash.

Xuan You Xianzi snapped back to reality, immediately pulled out her token, and issued a command for the sect to search with all its strength.

…………

Cangyan Dao Palace!

Sect Master Sikong Yan strode out in a crimson robe, his brow furrowed, his eyes brimming with murderous intent.

“Whoever he belongs to—kill him on sight!” he ordered coldly, without hesitation.

A red-haired old man, radiating late Soul Transformation cultivation, stepped forward from behind him, frowning slightly, his expression hesitant.

“He might be a disciple of a small sect—we might still…” The old man began, but before he could finish, Sikong Yan raised his hand sharply, silencing him.

Then he said coldly: “Don’t forget—we have that one supporting us. Besides, do you think we can truly sway a Nascent Soul cultivator who has already achieved Three Flowers Gathering at the Crown? He’s not Qi Condensation, not Foundation Establishment—do you think he doesn’t understand the difference between adding flowers to brocade and giving charcoal in snow? He knows. We know too.”

The old man fell silent.

Sikong Yan continued: “We cannot control someone who has already risen to prominence. Or, to win him over, will we hand over the foundations our sect has built over countless generations? When he becomes Zhan Ling, will Cangyan Dao Palace still be the same Cangyan Dao Palace?”

The old man slowly nodded.

“Besides, our Shengwu Empire is still a newborn fourth-tier cultivation nation, barely three thousand years old—there are only a dozen or so Zhan Ling masters total. Whether the old Emperor or the current one, they all want more Zhan Ling masters to fend off the ambitions of other cultivation nations. I don’t want to become the target of everyone.”

Sikong Yan emphasized this again.

The old man nodded once more, understanding; then he led the others away swiftly, leaving Sikong Yan standing alone, his crimson robe flapping in the wind, the murderous intent in his eyes undimmed.

…………

Tianji Gate!

Upon witnessing the shocking sight of Three Flowers Gathering at the Crown, Sect Master Xuan Ji Zi acted instantly, leading his disciples to begin divination.

After paying a heavy cost, they swiftly pinpointed the location and activated an ancient teleportation array without hesitation, rushing toward the target with all speed.

Also departing together was Jin Leizong.

In truth, no one knew that perhaps due to some unique property of the desert sea—or some other unknown reason—beyond the Five Great Sects, countless others across Lingyun Prefecture had also witnessed the dreamlike celestial phenomenon in the sky.

Prefect Xiao Ji and other powerful figures appeared immediately, without delay, sending word to the Empire at once, then set out to search.

Likewise, in the north, south, and west of Lingyun Prefecture, numerous sects of equal strength to Taiqingmen and the other Four Great Sects had also seen this astonishing phenomenon.

A great uproar erupted; all of them poured out en masse, like a hundred rivers flowing into the sea, heading toward the anomaly.

Mo Xingjian never imagined that the desert sea he had carefully chosen, because of Zhou Qing’s breakthrough and the resulting disturbance, had caused the celestial phenomenon to spread across the entire Lingyun Prefecture.

“Could it really be that kid?” said the Second Elder, emerging from an ancient ruin, gazing up at the sky in silent astonishment.

Thinking of how much Yan Ling Blood Paste Zhou Qing had taken, and calculating the time—it must be him.

“What a lucky fellow—he actually succeeded. Now Xuan You’s sister will be green with envy,” the Second Elder muttered, his face filled with amazement.

Then, as if remembering something, a sly smile appeared on his face as he muttered to himself: “Old man, don’t forget our bet—you can take as many disciples as you want, but I’m relying on this kid to break through all obstacles. Don’t you dare back out later!”

…………

At this moment, Mo Xingjian remained completely unaware that the outside world had erupted into chaos due to Zhou Qing’s breakthrough. He simply waited quietly in place.

After a long while, he saw numerous puppet lizards racing back from all directions, while Luo Lingling descended gracefully from the sky, gathering them one by one.

“Incredible!” Luo Lingling looked up at the massive three flowers above, her eyes gleaming with excitement, her voice trembling with thrill.

Mo Xingjian deeply agreed, nodding in affirmation.

“I have a feeling Little Four’s Three Flowers Gathering at the Crown won’t stay hidden!” After a brief hesitation, Mo Xingjian said, his face filled with worry.

Seeing such a terrifying scene, even the usually cautious Luo Lingling nodded.

She always acted only after careful planning—never moving without absolute certainty.

But look at this—everything was rushed, including this celestial phenomenon, which they never anticipated.

“I’ll prepare the evacuation array!” Luo Lingling said.

Mo Xingjian immediately pointed to a distant spot obscured by dust: “Already prepared.”

“No—ten at minimum to feel safe. We need more decoys. If we enter and someone behind us casts a divine technique to destroy it, we’re in danger.” Luo Lingling said at once.

Mo Xingjian couldn’t help but feel admiration.

(End of Chapter)