Chapter 225: This This This This Can

The crystals unearthed by Xuan Yuan Shuo looked as if soaked in blood, their surfaces emitting a faint, shimmering heat.

Faint crimson auras drifted subtly between the stones.

This material is perfect for forging magic treasures; a single piece is worth at least one supreme-grade spirit stone.

That means these things could easily fetch seventy or eighty supreme-grade spirit stones.

Zhou Qing’s eyes burned with longing.

Indeed, the saying “you eat what your companions eat” was utterly correct.

“Is this… a ten-thousand-year Blood Ginseng?” Soon, Second Uncle let out a startled cry.

The two froze, immediately turning to look.

There, beside the jade bed, sat a jade casket.

The casket was entirely emerald green, radiating a soft, warm luster—but now, a slender arm protruded from a crack.

The arm was as pale as jade, yet crisscrossed with jagged scars, as if slashed by sharp blades.

Second Uncle carefully lifted it and gently opened it.

Inside lay a humanoid form, its face delicate, its features nearly childlike.

Its long eyelashes trembled slightly, as if in deep slumber.

But its head was large, its body tiny, and its lower half clad in a tattered red belly-band, exposing skin riddled with wounds.

Some wounds had scabbed over; others still oozed faint threads of blood—horrifying to behold.

Around its neck coiled a golden iron chain, one end fused to the jade box, with strange runes flashing briefly across its surface.

“This is a divine herb!” Second Uncle swallowed hard, his eyes filled with awe.

Xuan Yuan Shuo swallowed too.

Ten-thousand-year Blood Ginseng can instantly replenish qi and blood—these wounds were clearly the result of Jin Peng slicing off small portions each time he was injured, to restore his primordial energy.

Zhou Qing studied it curiously, reminded of the Bingli Lingque Zhi in Zone Six, which had once taken the form of a tiny white bird, sleeping peacefully beside him.

But—

Zhou Qing almost laughed, because his Third Senior Brother owned a so-called ten-thousand-year Blood Ginseng, and had once claimed that even selling the entire Taiqingmen wouldn’t get you such a herb.

Indeed, if any sect possessed such a divine herb, even Soul Severance cultivators would come to seize it.

After all, possessing such a herb meant having a second life in a critical moment.

But clearly, Third Senior Brother’s Blood Ginseng was nowhere near ten thousand years—he’d tasted its roots, likely only three or four thousand years old, yet still priceless.

“Brother Da Ye, I beg you to let me have this ten-thousand-year Blood Ginseng. I’ll take nothing else from this cave, and I’ll add fifty supreme-grade spirit stones!”

Xuan Yuan Shuo’s eyes blazed red as he stared at the Blood Ginseng in the jade casket, his throat bobbing as he struggled to swallow.

Second Uncle looked at the living Blood Ginseng and slowly shook his head. “No. We agreed to split it evenly. I’ll cut it into three pieces—one for each of us. Harmony brings wealth.”

As he spoke, he mimed slicing motions with his hands.

At once, the Blood Ginseng inside the box shuddered.

How much crueler than Jin Peng.

At least Jin Peng carefully shaved off tiny bits—painful, yes, but he left the Ginseng alive.

You? You’d rather cut it all at once and be done with it.

Fine. It had suffered enough. Better to die now and be free. Next life, it would never wish to be a divine herb again.

Xuan Yuan Shuo’s face twitched.

Zhou Qing saw Second Uncle give him a subtle glance and instantly understood. He stepped forward. “I don’t want my share.”

Second Uncle nodded, his face filled with regret. He sighed. “Blood Ginseng, Blood Ginseng… I truly wanted to nurture you properly. But since we all saw it, we all deserve a share. Don’t blame me—I didn’t want this.”

He gestured with his hands. “Old Shuo, since Zhou Qing won’t take his portion, we must redistribute. I’ll chop off these two legs for you. Hope it’s still alive when you get it.”

Second Uncle pulled out a broken blade and handed it to him. “For fairness, you do the cutting.”

At that moment, the sleeping Blood Ginseng strained with all its might to break free of the golden chain’s seal.

In the years Jin Peng was gone, it had barely managed to extend one arm from the jade box, hoping one day to escape this prison.

Yet in the end, fate could not be escaped.

Its eyelashes trembled violently, then slowly parted—dark pupils filled with tears, gazing pitifully at Xuan Yuan Shuo.

Xuan Yuan Shuo: “...”

I really want to curse. No—how did I become the villain here by accident?

I wanted the Blood Ginseng to keep it safe, for emergencies.

Yet now, this master-disciple pair have forced me into the role of executioner.

What good is dismembering it?

It’ll just slowly bleed out and become a dried radish.

You two are perfectly coordinated—said fifty-fifty, then twisted it into three-seven.

I won’t commit such a waste of divine resources.

Damn it!

“Then the fifty Fire Crystal Stones are mine. Also, I claim the Five-Color Restriction here!” Xuan Yuan Shuo, furious and helpless, flung his sleeve and shouted.

Seeing Xuan Yuan Shuo relent, Second Uncle snatched the jade box into his storage pouch with lightning speed, grinning. “No problem—I’ll find the array flags for you right away.”

Zhou Qing watched, silently amused.

Even if the Five-Color Restriction didn’t go to Xuan Yuan Shuo, no one else could touch it.

If anyone took it, the whole deception would collapse—it was meant to stay here, a bluff to deter rival factions.

“Found it!” Soon, Second Uncle spotted a hidden compartment in the floor, where a glowing array plate pulsed with five-colored light.

Around it were embedded many supreme-grade spirit stones, sustaining its operation.

Second Uncle turned to Xuan Yuan Shuo. “Will you take it yourself, or shall I help?”

Of course, Xuan Yuan Shuo now realized—he erupted into curses.

He’d been so enraged by this master-disciple pair he’d lost his wits.

But it was too late. He had no choice but to swallow his anger and continue searching the cave.

Crack—

Someone must have triggered something—the stone wall trembled, then a hidden chamber slowly revealed itself.

The three exchanged glances, eyes gleaming with surprise, then rushed inside together.

Inside the chamber lay many jade slips, and beside them, a coffin, within which rested the corpse of an old man.

“These are… jade slips on array and restriction techniques!” Xuan Yuan Shuo glanced briefly at the corpse, then picked up a nearby jade slip and flipped through it.

Second Uncle nodded, gently placing his hand on the coffin.

“This man was once a Soul Transformation cultivator at peak. He’s been dead over a hundred years. But why was he frozen here by Feng Xuan Ling? Was there something special about him?”

Second Uncle mused.

“This is a journal—he was a Level Four Array Master!” Xuan Yuan Shuo, flipping another jade slip, exclaimed in astonishment.

Second Uncle and Zhou Qing froze, then hurried over to inspect.

Indeed, the jade slip recorded the man’s insights and notes on Level Four restrictions.

Xuan Yuan Shuo’s eyes lit up. “I understand. This master must have wandered here by chance, only to be captured and brutally killed by Feng Xuan Ling.”

“He somehow obtained a Five-Color Restriction, which the feathered beast secretly installed here.”

“I always thought—after all these years dealing with him—he never had a Five-Color Restriction. So that’s how!”

Second Uncle agreed with Xuan Yuan Shuo’s analysis, then looked at the corpse with regret.

A Level Four Array Master—if he’d reached Soul Severance, his status would have been immense. But he was unlucky enough to cross paths with Feng Xuan Ling.

Such is fate.

“Take these jade slips out, find a scenic place to bury him, and give them to Master,” Second Uncle said.

Xuan Yuan Shuo immediately objected. “Who says I don’t need them? These are the insights of a Level Four Array Master. I’m entitled to copy them. Who knows? One of my Xuan Yuan clan’s descendants might have talent for arrays.”

As he spoke, Xuan Yuan Shuo pulled out blank jade slips and began copying.

Meanwhile, Zhou Qing stared intently at the corpse in the coffin.

One who had mastered ten thousand to fifty thousand spirit seals could be called a Level Four Array Master.

Number Six, a Soul Severance cultivator, had barely over ten thousand spirit seals.

This man had obtained the Five-Color Array Plate—his fortune was extraordinary.

Perhaps… I could try.

Zhou Qing immediately checked the “Touching Corpse Scroll” in the Odd Scroll Record. According to its description, touching a corpse would trigger the deceased’s final wish.

Fulfilling the wish granted a random precious item from the deceased’s lifetime—limited to three people.

After confirming the details, Zhou Qing slowly opened the coffin lid. The other two turned to look.

Zhou Qing sighed, then lit three incense sticks and bowed three times with solemn reverence.

His movements were devout, respectful, his eyes filled with honor.

Xuan Yuan Shuo shook his head slightly. This boy truly valued loyalty and sentiment.

Of course—you’re both Array Masters. You understand and revere the legacy and spirit of your predecessors more deeply.

Second Uncle stepped forward too, bowing solemnly before the coffin.

Since he had entered the Array Master lineage, every ancestor he encountered could be called “Master.” Especially now—these jade slips held immense significance for his own future understanding.

“Take him out later and bury him somewhere beautiful,” Second Uncle murmured.

Xuan Yuan Shuo raised the freshly copied jade slip. “Si Tu Jiu Yao.”

So this was his name.

After the memorial, Zhou Qing wore a look of reverence and softly murmured, “Master Situ, rest in peace!”

With that, he gently placed his hand on the corpse and activated the [Corpse-Touching Scroll].

The next instant, the scroll emitted light, and one-third of its surface immediately darkened.

Following this, a series of faintly glowing characters surfaced.

【Triggered the deceased’s final wish.】

【Wish One: I hope someone will avenge me and kill that Peng Huang.】

【Wish Two: I hope someone will bring me back to the Tianyun Sacred Dynasty, so I may return to my roots in the Wind-Eroded Ancient Sect.】

【Wish Three: I hope someone will retrieve the Five-Color Array Disc for me—it took me over three hundred years to slowly extract it from that ruin.】

Seeing these three wishes, Zhou Qing felt something extraordinary.

So this was the [Corpse-Touching Scroll].

He wondered how long the scroll’s time limit was for corpses.

After all, according to Second Uncle’s earlier deduction, Master Situ had likely been dead for over a hundred years.

As for the first wish, he’d already killed Feng Xuanling—had that been fulfilled in advance?

As for the second wish, he hadn’t expected Master Situ to be from the fifth-tier spiritual nation, Tianyun Sacred Dynasty.

Only recently, during idle chatter with Second Uncle, had Zhou Qing heard of this distant spiritual nation, even speculating that No.6 might hail from Tianyun.

And now he’d encountered someone from its capital so soon.

Clearly, the distance between the Shengwu Sacred Dynasty and Tianyun Sacred Dynasty was too vast; unless one had reached the Severing Spirit realm, it was impossible to cross.

The third wish seemed simple, but Xuan Yuan Shuo would never let him touch that array disc.

For one, you couldn’t explain why; for two, if the disc failed and someone realized they’d entered this cave mansion, how would the plan proceed?

After much thought, only the first wish seemed currently achievable without causing too much trouble.

After a brief hesitation, Zhou Qing, with a touch of reverence, gently placed the Taiyao Token on Master Situ’s corpse and said, “Master Situ, the Peng Huang is dead by my hand—your vengeance is complete. Rest in peace.”

No sooner had he spoken than a strange sight occurred.

In the vision visible only to him, a rapid succession of scenes flashed by like a moving panorama.

Zhou Qing’s heart surged with excitement—he hadn’t expected it to actually work.

So now, was the [Corpse-Touching Scroll] randomly selecting precious things from the deceased’s life?

This filled him with anticipation.

Soon, the scenes slowed and stopped. Before he could clearly make out what they showed, he suddenly felt the world spin violently.

Then came a powerful pulling sensation. When his vision returned, he found himself inside a grand hall.

Opposite him sat a woman with silver hair and a veil, eyes closed; around her floated over eight thousand spirit seals, glowing strangely and rising and falling.

“No.6?” Zhou Qing froze.

But as soon as the sound left his lips, he instinctively clapped a hand over his mouth.

He suddenly realized—the voice wasn’t his own. It sounded ancient and worn.

He quickly looked down at his hands—wrinkled skin, rough texture—confirming this was not his original body.

Especially since No.6 should have already condensed ten thousand spirit seals and advanced to the fourth-rank array master, not this mere eight thousand.

“So this is Master Situ’s body—and I’m in some past moment!”

In an instant, Zhou Qing understood, a flash of clarity in his eyes.

Clearly, No.6 came from the fifth-tier spiritual nation Tianyun Sacred Dynasty and knew Master Situ Jiuyao.

This scene resembled a fellow cultivator visiting for exchange.

Soon, he saw a middle-aged man seated to the left.

Around him floated over nine thousand spirit seals, which slowly flowed into the young man’s body as the elder formed hand seals, deepening his aura.

Then, the middle-aged man bowed deeply to the body Zhou Qing inhabited—Master Situ Jiuyao—with solemn, reverent motion.

Afterward, he slowly turned his head toward the silver-haired woman, his eyes instantly filled with adoration.

“Thank you both—I’ve had a sudden insight!” Zhou Qing couldn’t help speaking, his voice trembling with uncontainable excitement.

The next instant, a powerful epiphany surged through him.

Countless complex runes and lines appeared clearly before his eyes. After a brief stunned pause, Zhou Qing immediately understood.

The precious thing randomly selected by the [Corpse-Touching Scroll] was precisely the epiphany he’d gained from his exchange with No.6 and the stranger.

That they remembered it so vividly proved this epiphany was no ordinary thing.

Without hesitation, he immediately opened the inheritance of enlightenment left by Master Xuanqing in his mind.

He felt his thoughts had become extraordinarily swift—each thought triggered a cascade of new insights into array theory.

Far more effective than the Four-Color Flower he’d experienced during his breakthrough to Soul Transformation, or even the [Epiphany Scroll].

Meanwhile, in the secret chamber:

Zhou Qing’s entire body suddenly erupted with one hundred and sixty-eight spirit seals, slowly revolving around him.

The two stared, bewildered, exchanging puzzled glances.

Especially Second Uncle, watching Zhou Qing’s closed eyes, frowned in concern and took a step forward to speak—when Zhou Qing suddenly moved.

His hands danced rapidly, fluid as flowing water, yet carrying an indescribable rhythm.

Spiritual power surged and roared from his palms, emitting faint thunderous rumbles.

This sight struck Second Uncle as familiar—he suddenly remembered something, his face paled, and without hesitation, he stepped back, his expression filled with wariness.

“What’s wrong?” Xuan Yuan Shuo noticed Second Uncle’s alarm, his heart jolted, and he too tensed up, fully on guard.

Could it be that Master Situ Jiuyao wasn’t dead—that he was now attempting to possess Zhou Qing?

Second Uncle didn’t immediately answer Xuan Yuan Shuo’s question. His gaze remained locked on Zhou Qing, his mind flashing back to the moment Zhou Qing broke through to Soul Transformation.

“Could it really be happening again?”

No sooner had the thought formed than a spiritual vortex suddenly appeared on Zhou Qing’s chest.

Instantly, the one hundred and eighty-seventh spirit seal formed within it.

Seeing this, Second Uncle covered his forehead, his face filled with helpless envy.

Xuan Yuan Shuo first froze, then exhaled in relief, a faint smile of satisfaction appearing on his face.

“Looks like this kid received divine blessing after paying respects to Master Situ—he’s gained a spirit seal! Aren’t you envious? If you’d burned incense earlier…”

His words cut off abruptly. He stared, dumbfounded, eyes wide with shock and disbelief.

Around Zhou Qing, thirteen spirit seal prototypes appeared simultaneously, compressing and condensing.

In less than a few breaths, the thirteen spirit seals fully formed.

In an instant, light blazed—two hundred spirit seals now shone brilliantly before the two.

It also meant that, at this moment, Zhou Qing had officially become the ninth two-rank array master of the Shengwu Sacred Dynasty.

Xuan Yuan Shuo snapped back to reality and rubbed his eyes, ensuring he wasn’t hallucinating.

“Do your array masters’ spirit seals form like this? Shouldn’t they accumulate gradually?” he whispered.

Second Uncle smiled bitterly and shook his head. “Mine formed this way too—he’s not normal.”

Though he spoke these words, his eyes burned with excitement, as if gazing upon a rare treasure.

Though he didn’t know exactly what had happened, Zhou Qing’s advancement to two-rank array master meant they could now jointly enter the first coffin.

“This-this-this…”

The next instant, Xuan Yuan Shuo’s eyes bulged, his face filled with shock, his voice rising shrilly as he trembled, pointing at Zhou Qing.

Second Uncle was equally speechless, his expression frozen in disbelief, eyes wide with utter astonishment.

In the next second, a hundred spirit seal prototypes suddenly erupted around Zhou Qing like blossoming flowers.

These prototypes glowed faintly, and under Zhou Qing’s spiritual power, they condensed completely within mere breaths.

Before the two could recover, another hundred appeared, condensed, then another hundred appeared…

In a short time, the number of spirit seals around Zhou Qing swelled like a snowball—utterly breathtaking.

Two Severing Spirit experts, revered as gods by others, now stood blank-minded, dumbfounded, staring like fools.

After who knew how long, when a full thousand spirit seals surrounded Zhou Qing, he slowly opened his eyes, still savoring the moment.

Gazing at the thousand spirit seals circling him, Zhou Qing sighed inwardly.

No wonder this became Master Situ’s most treasured thing—condensing eight hundred spirit seals at once? Anyone would consider it an unforgettable experience and fortune, something to boast about for life.

After all, for an array master as profound as Master Situ, each new spirit seal became harder to form the further one advanced.

Soon, he sharply sensed two burning gazes fixed upon him.

He turned his head and saw Second Uncle and Xuan Yuan Shuo standing nearby, mouths agape, as if petrified, staring at him in awe and shock.

Seeing this, Zhou Qing scratched his head, slightly embarrassed.

Xuan Yuan Shuo, snapping back to himself, swallowed hard and stammered, “I’ve lived this long, and today I’ve finally seen what true prodigy means. Ever since I saw you repair the Four-Color Array, I should’ve guessed.”

Second Uncle, beaming with joy, rushed forward eagerly. “What happened?! How did you suddenly do that?!”

Zhou Qing scratched his head and lied: “I don’t know—I just suddenly entered an epiphany state.”

No sooner had he finished than Xuan Yuan Shuo’s eyes lit up. He lunged forward, shoving both Second Uncle and Zhou Qing aside.

He picked up the Taiyao Token resting on Master Situ Jiuyao’s corpse, mimicked Zhou Qing’s earlier actions, lit three incense sticks, and waved them in the air.

Then, with solemn reverence, he addressed the corpse: “The Peng Huang was first severely wounded by me, then delivered the fatal blow by Zhou Qing and his allies—your vengeance is complete. Master, you may rest in peace.”

After bowing, he carefully placed the Taiyao Token back on Master Situ Jiuyao’s body.

He stared without blinking, eyes closed, full of eager anticipation.

Watching Xuan Yuan Shuo’s actions, Zhou Qing couldn’t help but twitch his face, secretly amused inside.

You’re at least a Preemptive Spirit Realm elder—have a bit of sense, will you?

(End of Chapter)