Chapter 119: Zhu Que Records

When Hua Changxi was kidnapped for blood sacrifice last time, she was watched by kidnappers and didn't dare to look around. After being rescued, she was taken away directly by her father, so she hadn't properly looked at this underground city.

Coming out of the transmission platform, it was an open square.

Hua Changxi looked around the square. There was nothing on the square, only a stone tablet standing against the stone wall directly opposite the transmission platform.

Perhaps because the era was too long ago, the handwriting on the stone tablet was completely blurred, and only a few broken characters could be seen.

Hua Changxi looked for a long time but couldn't piece together a single character.

In this underground city, besides the transmission stone on the transmission platform, only this stone tablet might have some research value.

Therefore, she didn't give up directly.

Thinking of the scene of fishing for the transmission stone earlier, Hua Changxi condensed fire in her right hand and waved the fire. With a 'boom', the stone tablet was submerged by the raging fire.

Hua Changxi kept sending spirit energy into the fire while operating the Zhu Que Breathing and Inhaling Method.

Under the burning of the fire, the stone tablet slowly changed from its original black-gray to red, a bit like an iron block being burned red by fire.

When the stone tablet became completely red and transparent, Hua Changxi felt the ground vibrating.

The vibration became more and more intense, and a roaring sound rang out, as if something was about to break through the ground.

The ground shook too violently, and Hua Changxi couldn't stand steadily, having to keep retreating.

In the violent shaking, Hua Changxi saw the stone tablet getting higher. No, it wasn't getting higher; it was that a tablet base emerged from the ground, lifting the stone tablet, making the stone tablet look higher.

When Hua Changxi felt that the spirit energy in her body was about to be exhausted, the tablet base completely revealed its full appearance, and the ground also stopped vibrating.

The tablet base was pyramid-shaped, with nine layers of steps, and the stone tablet stood at the highest point.

When the tablet base was completely presented, the stone tablet also changed. On the top of the originally bare stone tablet, there was an extra lifelike Zhu Que.

Feeling the stone tablet suppressing the fire she condensed, Hua Changxi decisively withdrew her spirit energy.

Once the spirit energy was withdrawn, the stone tablet began to cool down. When the stone tablet returned to black-gray, there were a few lines of characters shimmering with red luster on the tablet surface.

The first thing that came into view were five large characters—Zhu Que Transmission Tablet.

"I, before the Zhu Que spirit, solemnly swear. I shall bear the majesty of Zhu Que and guard the peace of the four directions. With the power of the blazing sun, I shall cleanse the world of evil; by the brilliance of the red feathers, I shall protect the welfare of all living beings."

"... Protect the peace of the world, guard the prosperity of the flourishing age, this body is immortal, this ambition is unwavering. If I break the oath, spirit and god shall punish together, Zhu Que's holy majesty, witness my original intention."

Hua Changxi looked at the words on the stone tablet and couldn't help but read them out. After reading, she looked at the words on the stone tablet flying out one by one, entering her brow.

It wasn't until all the handwriting had entered that she came back to her senses.

Then, she was crying without tears!

She tossed and turned for a while, tossed the stone tablet out, and then put a tight hoop spell on herself.

The content on this tablet inscription was clearly a Heavenly Dao oath!

According to her inference, the normal process to obtain the technique in the Zhu Que Transmission Stone should be to first take an oath under the stone tablet, and then enter the transmission platform.

She luckily obtained the technique first, without taking an oath, which was considered a loophole, but now, she had come to fill the loophole herself.

Hua Changxi stood under the stone tablet, looking up at the lifelike Zhu Que on the stone tablet, feeling the disdainful momentum emanating from it, and sighed while covering her face.

Eliminate evil, protect peace...

She felt she was still a righteous person. When encountering evil, she wouldn't turn a blind eye, but actively choosing to do so and swearing to do so were completely different feelings.

Having taken the oath, she felt an extra responsibility on her shoulders.

What she yearned for was to live as she pleased, not wanting to be bound by too many things.

This heavy responsibility came too suddenly, and she had no preparation at all.

Standing under the stone tablet for a while, Hua Changxi prepared to leave this sad place. When she walked to the exit, she found that the transmission platform was flourishing with red light, so she hurried over.

Walking to the stone door entrance, she saw the Zhu Que Transmission Stone she threw into the magma standing steadily in the center of the transmission platform.

Hua Changxi pondered and turned to look at the stone tablet.

It should be that she had just taken the oath, and now she could go in to receive the technique.

Hua Changxi's eyes flickered. She had already received the technique twice; could she still receive it again?

Thinking this, she walked onto the transmission platform and placed her hand on the transmission stone.

In the transmission stone, a Zhu Que appeared again, but this time, Hua Changxi only took one look at the Zhu Que, and she felt a giant force like a mountain and sea pressing toward her.

"Whoosh~"

Hua Changxi felt danger, flew down the transmission platform with the fastest speed, and rushed out of the stone door.

"Thump~"

The moment Hua Changxi rushed out of the stone door, she was still swept by the giant force emanating from the transmission platform, and then she lay on the ground like a five-body prostration.

"Boom~"

The stone door closed, blocking that monstrous giant force.

Hua Changxi lay on the ground for a long time without moving. After a while, she climbed up, baring her teeth and grimacing.

As soon as she got up, she saw several bloodstains on her body.

Just now, she was only swept by that giant force, and she fell and was bruised and battered. If she had been hit, she was afraid she would have been crushed into meat paste.

Hua Changxi endured the pain and took a repair pill. What was going on? Clearly, the first two times she touched the transmission stone, there was no danger!

Hua Changxi thought of the test she encountered when she touched the transmission stone earlier: "Could it be that the technique in the transmission stone is given in stages? Only when the cultivation level reaches a certain realm can one receive the next stage of the technique?"

Moreover, the technique in the Zhu Que Transmission Stone was not so easy to get. Before receiving it, one had to accept a test.

She was now a Nascent Soul realm cultivator and had a certain strength, so she could withstand the test of receiving the next stage of the technique, but the test of the next stage of the technique was not something she could withstand.

Hua Changxi looked at the tightly closed stone door, holding her chest, feeling her heart beating violently. Thinking of the giant force just now, she still had lingering fears.

Forget it, better leave quickly.

Hua Changxi limped away from the square. According to the memory of coming in, she shuttled through the underground city for a period of time. When she walked to the end of the tunnel, what she saw was not the original tunnel entrance, but a stone door.

Hua Changxi walked to the stone door, the stone door opened automatically, passed through the stone door, and the stone door closed automatically.

The previously half-collapsed ruined temple was gone, replaced by a magnificent hall.

The hall was very empty. The statue that only had a base left was gone, and only in the due north direction was there a rectangular altar made of unknown material, and a Zhu Que-shaped red jade pendant floating in the air in the center of the hall.

Looking at the jade pendant, Hua Changxi instinctively reached out, but when she was about to reach it, she withdrew her hand.

Obtaining the technique in the Zhu Que Transmission Stone required taking a Heavenly Dao oath. Taking this jade pendant, who knew what price would have to be paid again.

Hua Changxi stared at the jade pendant for a long time. In the end, her yearning for a free life overcame the fear of carrying responsibility forward, and she chose to give up the jade pendant.

Moving her gaze away from the jade pendant, she walked around the hall again, didn't find anything else, and walked out of the hall.

"Lingguang Hall!"

Hua Changxi looked at the plaque on the hall door: "So this is not a temple, it's actually a Daoist hall."

She was kidnapped by a cultivator in the evening, but now it was broad daylight. Seeing that it was almost noon, Hua Changxi didn't expect that she had stayed in the underground city for a whole night, so she hurried toward the capital.

Not long after she left, several cultivators appeared outside the Lingguang Hall.

Several people were from the capital and knew this area quite well. Seeing this suddenly brand-new hall, they all quickly sent messages home.

An hour later, a prince, two dukes, and three marquises appeared here one after another.

Hua Changxi hurried and finally returned to the Hua family before noon. Today was her birthday, and she had been notified half a month ago that the family was going to celebrate her birthday. She didn't expect that she would almost be late herself.

"Mother, I'm back."

Hearing Hua Changxi's voice, Yao Shi hurriedly walked out of the kitchen, looking at her with reproach: "Why are you back so late?"

Hua Changxi smiled and stepped forward: "I encountered something temporarily. Mother, what delicious food did you make for me?"

Yao Shi revealed a look of helplessness: "You, rest assured, most of the dishes made today are what you love to eat." As she spoke, she looked at the main room, "Hurry up and greet your grandfather and grandmother. The money for today's food was all given by them."

Hua Changxi heard this and revealed a look of surprise: "The sun came out from the west?"

In the past, when she celebrated her birthday, the family only provided two eggs. If she wanted to eat other things, her parents had to spend their own money to add them.

Yao Shi glared at Hua Changxi: "Speak properly. Today is your own birthday, take it easy, don't make trouble for no reason."

Hua Changxi was unhappy: "Mother, it has always been trouble finding me. I am a person who hates trouble and never takes the initiative to cause trouble, okay."

Yao Shi replied: "Is the trouble you caused at home still little?"

Hua Changxi corrected seriously: "That's not called causing trouble, I am resisting."

Yao Shi looked at her: "We are all one family, what are you resisting?"

Hua Changxi: "I am resisting you forcing me to do things I don't like, I am resisting you imposing your ideas on me."

Yao Shi didn't want to argue with her: "The more you talk, the more energetic you get." As she spoke, she pushed her to the main room, "Hurry up and greet your grandfather and grandmother."

Hua Changxi knew very well that she and her family had a generation gap, and some things couldn't be explained, so she was too lazy to say more, stepped into the main room: "Grandfather, Grandmother, I'm back."

Old Master Hua and Old Madam Hua saw her enter the room, their expressions were good, and they were not dissatisfied because she just returned. Old Madam Hua even smiled and waved at Hua Changxi.

"Jiuniang, come here quickly. Your Uncle Hua Tai knew today was your birthday and specially sent you a birthday gift. And the He family also sent you a congratulatory gift. Hurry up and see if you like them?"

The gifts sent by the Hua Tai family and the He family were placed in the main room. Hua Changxi walked over to look. The gifts were all things young ladies liked. It could be seen that both families had chosen them with care, but her impression of these two families was really bad.

In the room, Hua Liulang and other juniors were all there. Hua Silang, Hua Qiniang, and Hua Shierniang, who were cultivating in the Count's Prefecture, had also returned.

Hua Sanlang knew his sister's temper. Seeing her not speaking, he knew she was not interested in the gifts sent by Uncle Hua Tai's family and the He family. Not wanting to disappoint his grandfather and grandmother, he walked over with a smile.

"Jiuniang can't use all these things alone, share some with the other sisters."

Hua Changxi glanced at him. She knew very well why Uncle Hua Tai's family and the He family sent her gifts. After thinking about it, she decided to express her thoughts directly.

"Grandfather, Grandmother, I don't like Uncle Hua Tai's family and the He family, and I don't want to have too much involvement with them."

As soon as these words came out, the people talking in the room became quiet.

Old Madam Hua heard this and looked at Old Master Hua.

Old Master Hua was silent for a long time: "Your Uncle Hua Tai is a clan elder after all, and Uncle He San is your fifth sister's husband. How can there be no involvement?"

Hua Changxi: "I have no opinion on how you interact with them. I am only speaking for myself; I don't like them."

Old Master Hua frowned and said with suppressed anger: "Jiuniang, today you are reaching adulthood, you are an adult. How can an adult act entirely based on likes and dislikes?"

Hua Changxi: "If I didn't have the ability, it wouldn't matter if I endured it, but now that I have the ability to say no, I don't want to endure it anymore."

Hua Liulang and other juniors heard her words and all cast admiring glances at her. They didn't have this confidence.

Old Master Hua's brows knitted tighter: "Jiuniang, a person must have tolerance, otherwise your path will become narrower and narrower."

Hua Changxi didn't agree with this: "Grandfather, I think I have quite a lot of tolerance. As long as my bottom line is not stepped on, I won't beat them to death with one stick. But Uncle Hua Tai and Uncle He San, they step on others to suck blood for profit, and still have the face of a benefactor. It's truly disgusting."

Old Master Hua wanted to say something more, but was stopped by Old Madam Hua.

Thus, the room became quiet.

Hua Changxi didn't want to ruin everyone's good mood, so she took the initiative to break the silence and asked about everyone's cultivation situation. After knowing the approximate cultivation level of the family members, she said:

"Cultivators cannot just cultivate, they must also learn skills. Pill, array, talisman, and weapon—at least one must be learned."

As she spoke, she looked at Hua Silang, Hua Qiniang, and Hua Shierniang: "You are in the Count's Prefecture. Did the people in the Count's Prefecture let you come into contact with these?"

Hua Silang shook his head: "The cultivator Fang who teaches us only lets us seize the time to improve our cultivation."

Hua Changxi: "It's a good thing to have guidance in cultivation, but you can't completely listen to others. Do you have any ideas of your own?"

Everyone had only been in contact with cultivation for a few months, so they actually didn't understand many things. Hearing Hua Changxi ask this, they couldn't answer.

Hua Liulang asked directly: "Jiuniang, what do you think we should learn?"

Hua Changxi: "Then I will give my opinion, for your reference only. After all, cultivation is your own business. How to do it in the end, you have to decide for yourselves."

"Third Brother, Fourth Brother, and Eleventh Brother, who have wood spirit roots, learning pill refining is the best. Of course, making talismans and setting up arrays are also possible."

"Qiniang, you have fire and wood spirit roots, most suitable for pill refining."

"Shierniang has five-element spirit roots, the cultivation speed will be slower. Pill, array, talisman, and weapon, you can learn any of them, see what you like."

"Sixth Brother, who has fire spirit roots, is suitable for weapon refining."

"We are one family, it's best if the skills we choose to learn don't overlap, so that we can help each other and communicate with each other in the future."

After hearing this last sentence, Old Master Hua revealed satisfaction: "Not bad, you are one family, you must help and support each other, so that our family can go further and further."

Since he started body refining, he clearly felt that his body was getting better day by day. Now that the grandchildren were so promising, he seemed to see the day when the Hua family would flourish. ===== CHAPTER 120 =====