Chapter 1196 - Officiants!
The secret origin grounds were located in the centermost region of the Graveyard of Fallen Immortals.
It was a boundless landscape permeated with an ancient, primordial air. These lands were full of all manner of forbidden perils.
There were mysterious rains of immortal light flashing within the depths of spatial rifts.
There was the murmuring of demonic gods, echoing throughout blood-colored wastelands.
And there were strange, malevolent, forbidden grounds shrouded in dim light, like inauspicious abysses that had stood there since antiquity.
Whoosh!
A colorful, lifelike bird shot through a blood-colored sky brimming with a catastrophic aura. It crossed a mountain formed entirely out of piled corpses and arrived at a bronze palace emanating the aura of chaos.
The bronze palace was ancient and grand. It stood amidst the purple lightning clouds hovering beneath the dome of heaven.
A chaotic aura lingered around the palace, and it was shrouded in purple lightning. This only made the palace seem even more sacred.
Like the abode of the gods!
A thin man crouched in front of the palace. He held a half-foot-long bronze knife, and he was completely focused... on trimming his nails.
His long hair hung loose, and he wore worn-out dark robes. His temples were graying, but his features were youthful. The hand gripping the knife was as white as jade, with clearly defined joints.
Most eye-catching of all was his forehead. There was a scar there, and it looked like the result of a sword wound.
“Chief Libationer, your orders have been transmitted.” The spirit sparrow flew over and stood in the air not far away.
“Mm.” The dark-robed man grunted, then put away his bronze knife. He stretched out his hands and examined them intently for a while before smiling in apparent satisfaction. Then, without so much as turning his head, he asked, “Did anything unexpected happen?”
“The trial-taker made Jin Chi slap himself.”
The dark-robed man was stunned, but then, he laughed. “That doesn’t count as unexpected. An Enforcer violated the rules to bully another. Surely others are allowed to fight back! But... was that the trial-taker’s only request?”
The spirit sparrow nodded. “That’s right.”
The dark-robed man stroked his jaw and said softly, “It seems my intervention wasn’t necessary...”
“What do you mean, Officiant?”
The dark-robed man said distractedly, “Had he asked you to kill Jin Chi, it would prove that he was afraid, and that he wanted to borrow my power to eliminate a threat.
“But he didn’t do so. That’s unquestionable proof that the trial-taker in possession of the secrets of reincarnation has the strength and confidence to handle Jin Chi on his own. There was no need for me to maintain justice on his behalf.”
Here, the dark-robed man sighed. “It’s even entirely possible that he’s displeased that I didn’t mind my own business.”
“......” The sparrow didn’t know what to say. One slap, and he inferred all that?
“You’re wise, Officiant,” complimented the sparrow. But its voice was indifferent, without the slightest trace of emotion.
“You’re just a little sparrow manifested of the Laws. What do you know of wisdom?” The dark-robed man rebuked it with a laugh. But then, he seemed to realize something, and he waved it away. “Go on. There’s nothing else for you to do here.”
The sparrow beat its wings and soared through the air.
Meanwhile, a series of heavy, rhythmic footsteps rang out.
There were ninety-nine stone steps leading up to the bronze palace. Someone was currently climbing them, and he was headed right to the palace gates.
He was a bony old man in hemp clothing. His long white hair was tied into a Daoist topknot, and his face was covered in wrinkles, the marks of countless years.
Most eye-catching of all was the blood-red sword case he carried on his back!
Every step the ancient elder in hemp clothes took went off like a clap of thunder, echoing throughout the firmament.
Dazzling electric light surged from his feet as they made contact with the stone steps, as if they were natural, eternal barriers blocking his path. Despite this, they couldn’t stop his ascent.
“I just know you’d come, old man,” grumbled the dark-robed man crouched before the bronze palace. He said directly, “If you’re here to reason with me, don’t bother.”
The old man said expressionlessly, “I know you aren’t amenable to reason. I’m just here for an explanation.”
As he spoke, he continued his ascent. He was gradually drawing closer.
The dark-robed man furrowed his brow. “What kind of explanation?”
The old man said, “We lost seven of our ten Custodians, and you publicly humiliated Enforcer Jin Chi, leaving his reputation in shambles. Don’t you think that requires an explanation?”
The dark-robed man laughed. “The Custodians’ greed led to their demise. They violated Venerate Flooding Heavens’ rules, and their deaths are unworthy of pity.
“And Jin Chi is an Enforcer, yet he colluded with Old Man Stargazer in secret, exploiting the rules to harm a trial-taker. Sparing his life was already an act of benevolence.”
As he spoke, he rose to his feet, his smile fading. “I know that they were your subordinates, but the rules are the rules. Anyone who violates them must be punished, no matter who they are!”
The atmosphere was suddenly tense.
The old man suddenly halted his ascent and looked up at the man in dark robes. “Over the years, all of them loyally carried out their responsibilities...”
Before he could finish, the man in dark robes waved and cut him off. “Sentiment is sentiment, and rules are rules. Don’t get them confused.”
The old man frowned, his eyes flashing with imposing light. “Very well, I won’t discuss it. Instead, tell me. Just what are you thinking?”
The dark-robed man didn’t quite understand. “What do you mean, what am I thinking?”
The old man let out a cold, derisive laugh. “I’m sure you know full well why that catastrophe befell the Birthplace of Ten Thousand Daos in ancient times. Venerate Flooding Heavens and the others suffered devastating casualties while attempting to ward off that very catastrophe!
“If not for Venerate Flooding Heavens using his unparalleled strength to seal that weapon not of this era here at the final moment, the entire Dark and Gold Star Realm would have been destroyed.
“But the Infernal Monarch of the Netherworld, the one who’d mastered reincarnation, never stepped forth to help us!”
Here, chilling hatred appeared on the old man’s face. “As you ought to understand, the Birthplace of Ten Thousand Daos, the origin of the Laws of the Dark and Gold Star Realm, were missing a single Law: reincarnation. This left that catastrophe an opening to exploit!”
The dark-robed man couldn’t help but let out a long sigh. “I wouldn’t have thought you’d still cling to this grudge even after all these years, old man.”
Here, he looked at the elder and said emphatically, “Very well. I’ll say it just once more. Even if the Infernal Monarch of the Netherworld had come to our aid, he couldn’t have stopped that catastrophe!”
The old man laughed coldly, “I’ve heard those words so many times, my ears have grown calluses. It’s like chewing on a candle; there’s no flavor to them at all.”
The dark-robed man’s brow tightly knit, but then, he shrugged as if in exasperation. “Then what exactly do you want from me?”
“Simple,” said the old man. “Tell me what you’re really after. Why did you help that trial-taker? Remember: I want the truth!”
The dark-robed man sank into silence.
Some time passed before he rubbed his face and said, “I can tell you with certainty that from beginning to end, I was acting in accordance with Venerate Flooding Heavens’ rules!”
The old man snorted coldly. This answer was obviously disappointing to him.
The dark-robed man stared intently at him for a time, then said, “Ol’ Peacock, if you trust me, just wait a while longer. Let’s see whether or not that trial-taker makes it this far. Don’t forget; this is a trial Venerate Flooding Heavens put in place back then. Should he make it here, you’ll naturally learn more of the truth.”
He paused, then added, “Honestly, I’ve been wanting to learn those secrets too.”
The old man sank into a lasting silence, then turned and left without a word.
With his back turned, his red sword case was even more eye-catching.
The dark-robed man furrowed his brow. “Old Peacock, you’d best not try anything. As I’m sure you’re aware, if an Officiant acts without permission...”
“I know what I ought to do, and what I ought not to do. There’s no need for you to warn me!” As the old man faded into the distance, his raspy, indifferent voice resounded throughout the surrounding area.
The dark-robed man said no more.
It was only after the old man had faded from view that he let out a long sigh. “I hope that’s true.”
He then crouched before the bronze palace in complete silence once more.
......
The Black Blood Ruins.
When Su Yi awakened from his meditation, his qi was rumbling and booming throughout his entire body. The mysteries of the Laws transformed into a misty rain of light around him.
“I’ve finally returned to the cultivation I had at the peak of my past life...” Su Yi sighed with satisfaction.
He was now at the pinnacle of Profound Unity, the Imperial Apex Realm!
But his current cultivation base was already far beyond his past self.
It wasn’t just his cultivation base, either. His soul, physical body, essence, qi, and spirit... all of them far surpassed his past self!
“These are the benefits of reincarnating,” Su Yi said softly. “They’re unique and unparalleled, and they’re enough to drive even the old-timers of the depths of the starry skies completely mad...”
He’d reincarnated to make up for the regrets of his past life’s cultivation, and to seek out a higher path!
This alone was enough to make reincarnation a taboo. Other Laws weren’t at all comparable.
“Now, I ought to begin preparations for challenging the World King Realm.”
He had the Temple Master’s experiences, and he knew that the Temple Master had regrets about his World King Realm cultivation.
Specifically, he regretted the mistake that became a stumbling block when he reached the end of the Path of Heaven’s Ascension, preventing him from striving for even greater heights!
Ultimately, his Grand Dao was flawed!
“This time, my foundations are perfect and unified. All I need to do is divine the Laws of the Dark and Gold Star Realm and fuse my cultivation base with them. Then, I’ll be able to step onto a Path of Heaven’s Ascension far beyond that of my eighth lifetime!
“That aside, in this lifetime, I’ve mastered the secrets of reincarnation, and I control the Laws of Profound Ruin. When I step into Heavenly Longevity, I’ll be able to establish an unsurpassed, undying Dao!”
Su Yi was full of strong conviction in regards to this.
The figure he’d met atop the River of Destiny had said it clearly. The power of Profound Ruin would have inestimable wondrous applications once he stepped into Heavenly Longevity.
Su Yi had already witnessed the terrifying power of Profound Ruin, and he believed this without a doubt.
“In pursuit of the Grand Dao, one must seize the present day. My Dao will one day far surpass the Temple Master, and my swordsmanship will strive for greater heights!” Su Yi took out a jug of wine and drank with relish.
He’d reincarnated to cultivate anew. Today, he’d returned to the Imperial Apex Realm!
But his knowledge and perception were entirely different than they’d been in his past life.
The only thing that hadn’t changed was his unshakeable Dao Heart.
In times of rest, his heart was as smooth as jade.
And in times of action, it was as sharp as his sword!
Without any further thought, Su Yi leisurely rose to his feet, brushed off his clothes, and emerged from the Daoist temple.
He’d decided to venture deeper into the Graveyard of Fallen Immortals today!
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