Chapter 338: Chapter 61 Returning the Bright Pearl, Heaven Does Not Restore
The beauty, appearing as a hundred flowers, split in two, her delicate and charming face cracking open—even though no flesh and blood lay within, just an emptiness.
"Swoosh—"
A lingering shadow suddenly withdrew from that emptiness; in a fleeting glance, Jiang Li met a pair of eyes that were nearly transparent.
Ji Jiji?
These eyes so closely resembled the ones that had manifested in Ji Jiji’s body that day.
That shadowy figure halted a few yards away, steadying itself to reveal its true form—not Ji Jiji, but rather a cultured middle-aged man.
The man had handsome features, dressed in Confucian robes, with a wooden hairpin in his hair. His bearing was that of a scholar, elegant and refined, yet those eyes, indifferent and abyss-like, harbored myriad mysteries, incongruous with his scholarly demeanor.
As the beauty dissipated, the Confucian appeared, holding a sword identical to that of the beauty. He raised it, a streak of blue light piercing the sky toward the still-unfolding Sword Rainbow, causing a blue lotus to suddenly appear.
Unlike Li Qinglian who used thousands of sword styles to form the blue lotus, the middle-aged Confucian’s single strike was straightforward and immensely forceful, like a blue lotus breaking through water, naturally displaying his skill.
"Ding!"
The swords clashed, the sound resonating in ripples, more daunting to the soul, with Sword Intent striking directly at the heart, that blue lotus both in sight and blooming in the heart.
Whether it was the beauty or the Confucian, their swordsmanship was characterized by classic beauty as form and graceful beauty as essence, the sword momentum extraordinary, with Sword Intent that could move the soul, encapsulating all human emotions.
Jiang Li’s initial sword style shattered thousands of chrysanthemums, then broke through the cold plums, and finally slashed at the beauty; two efforts exhausted, three declined, eventually being blocked by the blue lotus, the figures emerging from the integration with the Sword Rainbow.
"In future years, should I become the Blue Emperor, I shall let the peach blossoms bloom wherever."
The Confucian moved again, his sword splitting into a dual style, rolling up a ten-mile spring breeze, red fluttering chaotically, manifesting endless vitality, yet also revealing chrysanthemums bloom, cold and merciless energy sweeping across.
Dual swords merged, spring peaches and autumn chrysanthemums bloomed together, forming a Life and Death Map that was both stunningly beautiful and filled with killing intent. For a moment, Jiang Li felt as if he were physically present within it, experiencing both spring and autumn winds, flowers flying and yellow leaves covering the ground.
’The ability of the Confucian Daoist painter...’
A thought flashed through Jiang Li’s mind as he stood in mid-air, the Great Circle Sword becoming more transparent, nearly invisible.
He had already realized that this was not reality; otherwise, the commotion he and the beauty had caused would have already brought people from the Imperial College to investigate.
This was a realm of illusion.
Since it was illusion, everything here represented manifestations of intent.
In Jiang Li’s hand, the sword gradually turned invisible, even the crystalline blade disappearing completely from his grip. Simultaneously, as the Great Circle Sword vanished, the Life and Death Map hesitated momentarily, an almost indiscernible pause.
Heavenly Escape Sword Skill!
One cut to sever unknowing greed and hatred, a second to sever unknowing love and desire, a third to sever unknowing troubles.
Sword severed all thoughts, breaking life and death, slashing Divine Intent.
The Life and Death sword style, originally teeming with vitality and death, split evenly; the invisible Sword Light swept over the Confucian’s body.
In that moment’s pause, the sword style suddenly scattered, infinite red and golden petals dancing in the air, while Jiang Li’s figure had already appeared behind the Confucian.
A sword mark suddenly appeared on the Confucian’s body surface, with bursts of Sword Light exploding out from the wound, the Confucian’s head slowly turning.
"Snap—"
His body shattered like glass, countless fragments flying. Within them, a figure turned around, following the movement of the head.
Zhong Shenxiu!
The newly appeared figure was none other than Zhong Shenxiu.
The sword transformed into a saber; "Zhong Shenxiu" had an indifferent expression, eyes nearly colorless, devoid of compassion, purpose, or intent.
A third round?
This is endless, isn’t it?
Jiang Li turned to look, his gaze meeting "Zhong Shenxiu’s":
Into the eyes of both deep, obscure shadows appeared.
Heart Demon Secret Sword!
In the moment when the sword slashed the Confucian, Jiang Li reversed the Heavenly Escape Sword Skill, infusing it with Heart Demon Sword Intent. Now, with the start of the Heart Demon, dirty and chaotic intent invaded, the original heartlessness being eroded by various intricate thoughts.
When Jiang Li became aware of his opponent’s state, he already had a countermeasure in mind. Since the opponent was as heartless as the sky, he would use the Heart Demon Secret Sword to inject his own intent, invading with the Three Corpses Evil Thoughts.
Let’s see what this mysterious existence can do in response.
The shadows in his eyes were about to engulf his pupils when the figure, which had shown no change in expression until now, finally fluctuated.
"Returning the Pearl,"
"Zhong Shenxiu" intoned slowly, "Heaven is no more."
His figure, and the surrounding heaven and earth, began to collapse inward, transforming into a bright pearl that flew towards Jiang Li’s brow.
Jiang Li indeed reached out and grabbed it, catching the pearl before it could enter his brow, and the Heavenly Escape Sword Intent was gathering momentum in the Mud Ball Palace of his brow.
He had no intention of letting an unknown object enter his Sea of Consciousness.
Thanks to his practice of the Heavenly Escape Sword Skill, Jiang Li caught the invisible pearl, but at the same time, a tremendous amount of information also entered his mind.
"Observe the way of Heaven, perform the actions of Heaven, that is all. Heaven has five thieves, those who see them will prosper. The five thieves lie in the heart, enacted upon Heaven. The universe is in the hand, all transformations arise from the body..."
The mysterious scripture echoed in his mind, followed by a complicated array of talismans forming a torrent, which Jiang Li found difficult to clearly sort out.
Suddenly, the scene before his eyes blurred, and Jiang Li returned to the earlier tower, with a bright pearl lying in the palm of his Primordial Spirit.
"The Heavenly Body..."
Information flowed in his mind, countless runes and talismans flashed before his eyes, "Ji Jiji truly has the audacity of Heaven."
The Ji Family’s "Form Tomb" could cultivate all forms and appearances, gaining various divine skills from transforming into a Yinglong Dragon to becoming a small insect. Both Yinglong Transformation and the Fourth Prince’s Nine Insect Technique originated from "Form Tomb."
The Yellow Emperor Ancestor indeed interpreted all phenomena with it.
But Ji Jiji intended to forge a new path with "Form Tomb," using "Yin Talisman Scripture" as a base, attempting to evolve into the Heavenly Body, even to the point of stealing the power of the heavens.
Unlike the Yellow Emperor who comprehended the cosmos to transform it into the Heavenly Dharma, Ji Jiji targeted a specific entity—Heaven—and emulated and evolved it, much like the Yellow Emperor transforming Chi You into one of the Six Dharma. Ji Jiji also tried to transform Heaven into his own Dharma and steal the power of Heaven to replace it.
This was truly audacious; Ji Jiji even wanted to encompass Heaven itself.
And from the results, he had indeed made progress.
"First become the Heavenly Dharma, then perform the Heavenly Action, and finally, steal the Heavenly Dao..." Jiang Li exhaled softly, "Three steps in total, the Heavenly Dharma, which Ji Jiji has already created; the Heavenly Action just has a rough outline; and the Heavenly Dao..."
Seven words emerged in Jiang Li’s heart.
—If Heaven had feelings, Heaven too would age.
The third step consisted of only these seven words.
It seemed Ji Jiji wanted to affect Heaven with emotions, allowing Heaven to harbor human sentiments, and thereby fall.
Although the third step comprised only seven words, the basic idea was pointed out.
He hid this so-called bright pearl in the Famous Flower Beauty painting before him, also intending to guide future generations with it. Even in Ji Jiji’s plan, the successors needed to first obtain the transmission of the Great Scholar, learn the Famous Flower Beauty Sword, and then use this sword to defeat the intent hidden in the painting to gain the pearl.
But Jiang Li, who had created the even more specialized in intention and more harmfully stealthy Heart Demon Secret Sword, skipped this step and obtained the pearl directly.
"If Heaven had feelings, Heaven too would age, can human emotions truly confront Heaven?" murmured Jiang Li.
Ji Jiji really dared to dream, not even perfecting the second step before thinking of the third, and from the results...
"Perhaps it’s useful," thought Jiang Li, emotions roiling within him.
Ji Jiji died within his own Cave Heaven Blessed Land, and his killer erased the related records.
The remaining information mentioned that if he died, it meant his method was effective. That might mean... human emotions could indeed affect Heaven.
"What a madman."
Jiang Li held the pearl tight, glanced at the painting one last time, and with a flash, left the Huanzhu Building.
After he left, the painting remained excellent, but now, it lacked an unexplainable and indefinable charm.
...
...
Just as Jiang Li left the Huanzhu Building, by the banks of Dragon Abyss Lake, inside the Iron Pillar Temple, a person suddenly turned around, contemplatively looking towards the direction of the Imperial College.
He was dressed like a Daoist, his appearance ordinary and unnoticeable, but as he turned to look towards the Imperial College, his ordinary face suddenly changed, his features disappearing one by one, leaving only his eyes, and the palms of his hands became incomparably smooth, like perfect jade, all palm lines utterly vanished.
A handprint slowly emerged through his robe.
"Somebody... has found... the Cultivation Technique."
His mouth opened and closed, uttering a sentence in a stiff and dry voice, his steps rigid as he moved forward, merging into the air like a drop of water into the sea.