Embers of Sword

Chapter 569 Twenty-Four Hours (Fifteen)

The Great Chu Imperial City, Carp Pavilion.

Today, a guest arrived at Carp Pavilion, an old man dressed in a black linen robe. The old man's hair and beard were all white, but his eyes contained a golden light. After he stepped into Carp Pavilion, the entire carp pond was suppressed by a powerful aura. No matter how many fish Yan Xin threw out a handful of bait, the surface of the carp pond remained as calm as a mirror, and no fish dared to show their heads.

"Old man... you're not dead yet."

Yan Xin looked at the old man in front of her and spoke softly.

In the past century, he recalled meeting Qin Zu only a handful of times.

"almost."

Qin Zu, however, did not find the statement unlucky.

He replied casually, then leaned back against the jade railing, personally grabbed a handful of bait, and dipped his palm into the pond. The golden carp, pressured by the martial arts aura, had no choice but to swim over, cautiously licking the bait scattered in the old man's palm…

"It's a real pity that Zhao Chunyang didn't kill you."

Yan Xin scoffed.

these years.

Although he held the position of Imperial Preceptor and enjoyed immense respect,

But Qin Zu... was never at peace with him.

Back when Emperor Chu was in power, he wanted to create the "Moon Hidden Cave Heaven," which required collecting the fortune of four dragon veins simultaneously. This task fell to him, and Yan Xin's first stop was the northern suburbs of Great Chu. Unfortunately, he suffered a setback at this very first stop. Qin Zu was the guardian of the Great Chu martial arts dragon vein and refused to relinquish it under any circumstances.

All attempts to persuade him, whether gentle or forceful, ended in failure.

He reasoned with them and appealed to their emotions. The late emperor wanted to build the "Moon Hidden Grotto," a monumental achievement that would benefit the world. Once the grotto was completed, its abundant fortune would flow into the Great Chu Dynasty, giving the Chu Kingdom a great chance to usher in an unprecedented golden age. Qin Zu approved of this approach... but he refused to hand over the "Martial Arts Dragon Vein."

Warriors have always been like that.

Once you've accepted a principle, you won't turn back or change it.

Qin Zu had a close relationship with the Emperor Taihuang, and was entrusted by the Emperor to look after this dragon vein.

This martial arts dragon vein is the most important foundational dragon vein of the Great Chu Imperial City.

anyway.

He will not hand it over.

While forging the Moon-Hidden Grotto is important, reshaping one's destiny through the forging of a grotto is not without the possibility of failure.

If it fails...

The backlash from the martial arts dragon vein is a price that Da Chu cannot afford.

As the guardian of the dragon vein, Qin Zu's task is to avoid all risks, even if this choice prevents the Great Chu from entering its strongest era in history. As long as the Great Chu can uphold its bottom line and maintain peace and stability, that's enough.

“I know you’re still angry about the argument you had back then.”

Qin Zu lowered his eyes and said slowly, "Even if time were to rewind and we could do it all over again, I would still do the same thing."

"..."

Yan Xin remained silent.

He looked at the old man in front of him, frowned and said, "Why are you here to talk to me instead of suppressing the martial arts dragon vein? Is it just to say this?"

"Of course, that's not what I'm talking about."

Qin Zu calmly said, "A secret message came from Renshou Palace, requesting the restart of 'Moon Concealment'."

"...?"

Yan Xin raised an eyebrow.

After Emperor Chu passed away, everything he left behind was taken over by the Holy Empress... and what the Holy Empress did after taking control of the situation was very simple.

collapse.

She did only one thing.

That is disintegration.

The system of garrison commanders in the northern border, established by Emperor Chu, disintegrated within six months. Those famous generals of the northern border were dismissed; some remained in the northern prefectures, while most were relocated to the imperial city.

The Moon-Hidden Cave was completely sealed off.

For a full decade, the fortunes of the Great Chu Empire stagnated... Many people were cursing the Holy Empress, but Yan Xin, in his highest position, saw things clearly. This move, though poorly executed, was a "last resort." Emperor Chu's war with the Demon Kingdom had depleted much of the nation's fortune. The reason he wanted to forge the Moon Shadow was because Great Chu was already on the verge of collapse; one step back might mean utter destruction. Rather than crumble, it was better to take a gamble. The Holy Empress's dismantling of all of Emperor Chu's plans was simply to show the four realms of Great Chu their stance.

She must spare no expense to recuperate and recover.

These past ten years.

The Great Chu was peaceful and free of strife. The Sword Palace closed its doors and the Daoist sect went into seclusion, seemingly indicating a decline in fortune. However, after the great tide of the North Sea, ten years of recuperation yielded unexpected results.

The "thousand-year golden age" that Emperor Chu wanted to create has not yet arrived.

But Da Chu...

But it came back to life.

"Reboot 'Moon Shadow'?"

Yan Xin found it somewhat ironic: "Hasn't she always been against Yueyin? And you... you wouldn't actually approve of Yueyin, would you?"

"She told me... that restarting Moon Hidden Cave Heaven does not require building four dragon veins."

Qin Zu calmly said, "The great tide of the North Sea has arrived. Now is a once-in-a-millennium golden age. If we want the tree in the Moon Hidden Cave to blossom and bear fruit, there are actually other ways."

"Bullshit."

Yan Xin curled her lip: "This old woman is lying to you."

"Is it……"

Qin Zu lowered his eyes.

He said softly, "What if it's true?"

Yan Xin was taken aback.

He looked at the old man before him with suspicion, then reached out and gently touched him from outside the pavilion. The [Hun Yuan Yi], suspended several miles away in the library, sensed this and sent out countless golden threads that enveloped the entire Carp Pavilion. Qin Zu did not struggle, but simply let the golden threads fall on him, like a layer of light golden snow.

"You...are you really going to die?"

Golden threads are laid down.

Yan Xin was taken aback; he stared at the person in front of him in disbelief.

That remark I made when we first met was, of course, just a joke.

Yan Xin wished Qin Zu to live more than anyone else in the world... If the Zen Master was the longest-lived cultivator in the Great Li Dynasty, then Qin Zu was a "living fossil" of the Great Chu Dynasty.

Although Qin Zu is now recognized as the number one martial artist in the world, he was not particularly gifted when he was young.

When Qin Zu and Taihuang first met, Qin Zu had already been cultivating for many years but still hadn't grasped the essentials. The two hit it off immediately, feeling as if they had known each other for a long time, and became close friends.

One hundred years have passed.

The Emperor Taihuang became the supreme ruler, unparalleled in heaven and earth.

Qin Zu became the Emperor's closest comrade-in-arms and the guardian of the martial fortune of the most important dragon vein in Da Chu. The dragon vein's fortune was the Emperor's most generous gift to him, which is why he valued this dragon vein so much... Having cultivated to this level, he had become indifferent to many things, and even the flesh and blood of the Qin family were no longer so important to him.

But this dragon vein was the one Qin Ancestor valued more than his own life.

Yan Xin knew.

If he were not the most loyal person to the Great Chu Dynasty, then he would be the one.

That must be Qin Zu.

At this moment, the golden threads of the [Hun Yuan Yi] touched the old man's skin, and Yan Xin only felt a deathly aura... This deathly aura was suffocating, a harbinger of his impending death. This martial arts patriarch, who had guarded the dragon vein for hundreds of years, had reached the end of his life, with very few years left.

"Everyone dies."

Qin Zu smiled and said, "It won't be long before I can go to the underworld to see the Emperor Taihuang again."

"...Was it caused by the battle with Zhao Chunyang?"

Yan Xin looked worried and couldn't help but speak.

"Do not."

Qin Zu shook his head, his expression solemn: "Zhao Chunyang's condition is not much better than mine... In the previous battle, I only touched the other side and did not fight him to the death. In fact, I also gained something from the battle with him."

"What's the catch?"

Yan Xin raised an eyebrow.

In terms of cultivation, he was certainly no match for Qin Zu. The Celestial Watchers lineage had never had an advantage in matters of cultivation.

However... he was still somewhat curious about the secrets of the peak of the Yang God Realm.

"You should know that after the nine levels of the Yang God realm, there is a tenth level."

Qin Zu spoke calmly.

People say that Qin Zu transcended worldly affairs, having already transcended the Yang spirit and achieved the realm of heaven and man.

That's why there's this saying.

On the one hand, it is because Qin Zu has never appeared in public, his strength is too great and he is too mysterious... which has led to his status in people's hearts being infinitely elevated.

In fact.

This statement is only half true.

Qin Zu truly transcended the Yang God realm... He cultivated to the legendary "Tenth Heaven" during the Battle of Drinking Poison.

If the Yang spirit is the mountain peak.

Therefore, this tenth heaven is the pinnacle of the mountain peaks.

"For years... I've been stuck in the tenth heaven."

Qin Zu said with some regret, "I don't understand why someone as brilliant and talented as the Supreme Emperor would be stuck at this level. Even with the blessing of the dragon vein's fortune, my lifespan is not long..."

After reaching the Yang Shen realm, the more one becomes entangled in karma, the shorter one's lifespan becomes.

Qin Zu tried his best to break through.

It's a pity that there has been no progress all these years.

This last tiny bottleneck is truly an insurmountable barrier.

"During that battle with Zhao Chunyang, did you suddenly realize a new Dao?" Yan Xin rubbed his chin.

"It's not a new highway."

Qin Zu smiled and said, "It is something even more profound within the primordial Great Dao."

"...?" Yan Xin was somewhat bewildered.

"To ascend to the Celestial Realm, what you need to do is not to open up a brand new path, but to explore your own path to its ultimate limit."

Qin Zu tilted his head slightly, pondered for a long time, and said seriously, "If it is a thing... then it is probably the 'Source of the Dao'. In the long river of the Great Dao, the source corresponding to one's own Great Dao is invisible and formless, yet it can be touched, comprehended, and manipulated."

"Too complicated, I don't understand."

Yan Xin said irritably, "So you've broken through to a higher realm?"

"……No."

Qin Zu sighed with some regret, "I feel that Zhao Chunyang seems to have touched the 'Source of the Dao'. The duel at the top of the imperial city that day was less a provocation on his part and more a desire to seek a collision of the Great Dao... It gave me some inspiration."

Yan Xin found it somewhat unbelievable.

“I have a premonition that once I touch the ‘Source of the Dao’ and master it, I should be able to become the legendary ‘Celestial Being’.”

Qin Zu was silent for a moment, then slowly said, "The reason why no one has been able to do it all these years, even the Emperor Taihuang failed... is not because they lack talent."

Yan Xin cautiously continued, "Is it because the times were wrong?"

"Yes."

Qin Zu said with some regret, "It's a pity that my lifespan is not long. I'm afraid I won't be able to reach the 'Source of the Dao' realm in this lifetime."

The conversation turned.

"However... I have already found a disciple."

Qin Zu smiled with satisfaction: "The future martial arts fortune of Da Chu will be guarded by Wu Zhexian. He was born in a great era. With his talent, Dao heart, and fortune, he will surely go further than me."

"Xiao Wu is indeed a promising talent."

Yan Xin smiled as well.

"So... while my days are numbered, I want to do something more."

Qin Zu said softly, "The Holy Empress now wants to restart 'Moon Concealed Grotto Heaven.' If she succeeds, then Xiao Wu and the other Chu people will all receive a gift that is a thousand years overdue..."

The Moon-Hidden Cave is a place that only a very few people have ever stepped into.

All who stepped inside were awestruck by the magnificent beauty of the towering tree.

Legend has it that this was a seed that the Emperor once picked up, which took root and sprouted in the Moonlit Cave, silently absorbing the fortune of many years until it grew into its current form. Yan Xin once consulted the royal family's secret records and found information about the prehistoric history of this giant tree... If he wasn't mistaken, this giant tree was called the "Immortal Tree".

A thousand years ago, in the golden age before the decline of fortune, the Immortal Tree was a divine object coveted by both races.

The area where the Immortal Tree is located is a vibrant place with life for miles around, and spring lasts all year round.

Enveloped in good fortune, vitality abounds.

The Emperor found the seed, nurtured it until it grew, and handed it over to his most trusted successor... Without a doubt, he was cultivating the Immortal Tree as the most important blessing for the Great Chu Dynasty.

Emperor Chu's original plan was to use the four dragon veins to activate the Immortal Tree.

Once the Immortal Tree is revived.

Then the Great Chu Dynasty will be restored to its "golden age" of a thousand years ago!
"Nothing in this world is that simple..."

Yan Xin sighed softly, "How easy is it to bring Yueyin Cave back to life?"

The Holy Queen now claims that she can make the Immortal Tree bloom and bear fruit without needing four dragon veins...

He simply didn't believe such a thing existed.

"Ren Shou Palace has been in seclusion for some time now, casting arrays..."

In response, Qin Zu calmly replied, "Because the Holy Empress has already cultivated to the perfection of the tenth level of Heaven."

Yan Xin was secretly startled.

He knew that the Empress was a woman of exceptional talent.

Even when she was by the Emperor's side, she was not overshadowed by him; her brilliance was unparalleled.

How many people in this world can cultivate to such a level?

Xiaoyaozi, Zhao Chunyang, Qin Zu, Zen Master...

It is said that this era is running out of luck.

However, in Yan Xin's view, the number of top experts in this era should be the largest in the past thousand years!

"The tenth level of the Yang God realm, what a distant concept... I probably wouldn't reach that level even in ten lifetimes... How come it sounds as simple as drinking water today?"

Yan Xin smiled and said leisurely, "But no matter how much you talk, it's useless. Even if she cultivates to the level of a Celestial Being, so what? If she wants that Immortal Tree to take root and sprout, it still needs nutrients. If not the dragon vein as bait, what else can she use as bait?"

Qin Zu stirred the pool water.

The koi carp scattered swiftly across the pond, the water reflecting a golden aura, creating a hazy, ethereal scene.

Yan Xin narrowed his eyes.

That was a fragmented clip from the [Moon Hidden Cave].

A withered branch regained its color and grew a tiny, tiny flower bud.

"It is indeed incredible, but she has done it."

Qin Zu said softly, "This is a secret message sent by the Holy Empress."

"???"

Although Yan Xin remained silent, he was deeply shocked.

He looked up in disbelief at the person in front of him.

"She invited me to Moon Hidden Cave for a chat..."

Qin Zu asked, "I'm planning to go take a look. What about you? Will you come with me?"

……

……

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(End of this chapter)