Chapter 857: Chapter 856 Spring and Autumn Brush_1
The orange-red sunset divided the vast plains into two realms of black and white. And at the junction of the two realms, there existed a void, impenetrable by light, untouchable by raindrops, and unreachable by the wind.
The concealed Array System appeared to mirror the wonder of the Mirage Mountain Range.
This was the most famous forbidden area in Rainbow State, the Wuyuan Plains.
No one knew the exact location of the Wuyuan Plains, for it drifted constantly, and nobody knew what lay inside it, except for the rare few who were fortunate enough to witness it when the Wuyuan Palace opened.
But on this day, an old man appeared on the Wuyuan Plains, holding a large bundle in his arms as he rushed into the void.
"Palace Master!"
Inside the void lay a majestic palace with angular edges. The old man, seeing the person standing outside the palace, could not help but have tears well up in his eyes, relieved that he had not returned empty-handed.
"You’ve worked hard."
The man outside the palace looked to be in his forties, with caterpillar brows and dark skin. His seemingly casual stance was one of absolute perfection, as if any movement would disrupt the harmony of the entire scene.
"As long as it benefits the grand plan and fulfills the Master’s trust, any hardship is worthwhile."
The man nodded, and with a gesture, he and the old man were suddenly inside a spacious hall. In front of them stood a huge wall, missing a corner on the upper left.
Without needing to be told, the old man unfolded the cloth and fitted the piece of the wall in its place.
Boom!
A profound and enigmatic aura suddenly radiated from the now-complete wall, its surface smooth as a mirror, with blurred images flashing across it rapidly.
The old man grew even more excited.
Joy flickered in the man’s eyes as he drew a brush from within his robe. The brush, just two inches long and as thin as a chopstick, was made of a material that was neither stone nor jade. The firelight in the hall could not cast a shadow upon it. Etched on the very tip were two tiny characters—Spring and Autumn.
"I, the thirteenth generation elder of Wuyuan, on this day use the Spring and Autumn Brush to inscribe a wall of history. May my ancestors above bless our grand plan, may we smoothly welcome back our forebears, settle the heavens and earth, and return triumphantly to our homeland!"
As the Wuyuan elder gestured with his hand, many Seven-colored Palace Lanterns and totemic iron plaques with names etched on them floated out from the right side of the great hall.
Holding the Spring and Autumn Brush, the Wuyuan elder began to write vigorously on the stone wall. As each name appeared, the corresponding Seven-colored Palace Lantern and totemic iron plaque would crack and shatter.
At the same time.
Various people from the Martial World across Rainbow State suddenly stopped what they were doing, as they all found their life force to be dwindling uncontrollably, flowing away to some distant place.
The life force is the essence of a person’s being; once exhausted, it signals the end of life. What on earth was happening?
Many familiar high-ranking warriors, or companions from the same sect, noticed each other’s condition. Gradually, the situation spread far and wide, plunging the whole of Rainbow State into chaos.
On the sixth day after the event, a spokesperson from Wuyuan Palace came forward with a message that shocked the world—a year later, during the Divine Fire Order battle, anyone fortunate enough to be named by the Spring and Autumn Brush would have to participate, or else their life force would be depleted unto death.
"Could my name also have been recorded? I’d rather not have such ’luck’!"
"What is the Spring and Autumn Brush?"
"It must be something that the Wuyuan elder has done—only he has such methods in Rainbow State!"
Among those losing their life force were sect leaders, long-retired Martial World notables, and even Martial Emperors from the Void Origin Realm. Even after trying numerous methods, the Martial Emperors of the Void Origin Realm still could not prevent the loss of their life force.
At this rate, the end of a year would mark the deadline for everyone.
The Martial World was in turmoil.
Some cursed in secret, some reveled in others’ misfortunes, and some were filled with anxiety. Thankfully, precise information came once again from Wuyuan Palace, stating that the upcoming Divine Fire Order battle would be quite mild, assuring that as long as one wished to live, no one would die.
What did this mean?
People were greatly puzzled, but their hearts found some relief. As long as they were not to die, there was hope for anything.
For a time, many figures emerged in various secret places and perilous locations, the least of whom were mid-tier Earth Immortals. All those selected by the Spring and Autumn Brush, knowing they would have to fight in a year’s time, naturally made preparations, striving to improve themselves.
After all, not dying was just the basic requirement; who wouldn’t want to progress further? The more strength one had, the more bargaining power they held.
That year became the busiest year in the Martial World of Rainbow State.
Top figures were either in closed-door cultivation, quietly comprehending, roaming the lands in search of secrets, or sparring with friends to draw inspiration... In short, there were legends of masters everywhere.
"Five days ago, one of the three big bosses, Iron Heart Emperor, defeated the Six-Armed Knife Emperor at the foot of the Cold Mountain!"
"Impossible, right?"
In the Void Origin Realm of Martial Emperors, there are no clear boundaries, only the strength of one’s ultimate move is discussed. And within that circle, ultimate moves are categorized as Human-level, Earth-level, Heaven-level, and Forbidden-level.
A Martial Emperor of the Void Origin Realm who can comprehend a Human-level ultimate move is one in ten, and even with such talent, it requires the polish of time to perfect.
The Six-Armed Knife Emperor’s "Six-Armed Asura Knife" was precisely such a Human-level ultimate move, making it hard to imagine that he could be defeated by the Iron Heart Emperor, who was not yet a hundred years old.
"According to a Void Origin Realm Martial Emperor who witnessed the battle, Iron Heart Emperor’s final move, ’Heartless,’ nearly reached Earth-level in power. Truly a prodigy granted by the heavens! Alas, if not for the Spring and Autumn Brush, he would have had a great chance at obtaining the fifth Divine Fire Order."
To become the master of the Divine Fire Order, one must first possess the strength of the Void Origin Realm and exhibit a peerless demeanor.
Take the Floating Blood Palace Master, the Ghost Emperor, and even the master of the Illusion Orchid Tower—all of them acquired the Divine Fire Order before the age of one hundred. At the time, their strength was far from what it is now, not to mention the many others from the past.
This is why countless people favored the three giants.
But now things are different. With the emergence of the Spring and Autumn Brush, the criteria for selection seem to have changed. Many established Void Origin Realm Martial Emperors, full of ambition, are ready to compete fiercely.
In comparison, the three giants are undoubtedly too immature. No matter how talented they are, they cannot outweigh the accumulation of time.
No sooner had Iron Heart Emperor issued his strongest war cry than three days later, someone vowed that within the Boundless Tidal Sea, one of the three giants, Miao Haihuang, had been spotted. Wherever he passed, the vast tidal waves rose from the ground, splitting and diverting the flow of water.
"Miao Haihuang seems to be creating a new move. I believe its power is not far from reaching Earth-level," someone said.
"My goodness, he is not willing to be outdone by Iron Heart Emperor. It’s said that another of the giants, Great Sorrow Knife Emperor, left his sect many days ago and no one knows his whereabouts."
In the face of adversity, the three giants did not lose heart; instead, they unleashed an unprecedented fighting spirit. This earned them respect from the Martial World, while also setting high expectations for the Divine Fire Order battle a year later.
Perhaps, there was a sliver of possibility for a miracle to occur?
...
This was a strange black forest with trees emitting black smoke, forming various large and small demon heads. In the center of the black forest lay partially concealed ruins.
Three thousand meters under the ruins, within a stone chamber:
The pointer suddenly came to a stop, and the directed Bagua symbols caused the surrounding ghost fog to surge violently without end.
"The one destined by fate, so it is. It’s no wonder he escaped the sensing of my Array System! But why is this lad in a state where yin and yang are indistinguishable, a trait of the living dead... Regardless, to me, he represents a great omen of misfortune and must be eliminated quickly," the voice said from within the ghost fog.
The eyes within the ghost fog reflected a towering killing intent.
Soon enough, a Void Origin Realm Martial Emperor, three Ninth Tier Earth Immortals at their limit, and even six ordinary Ninth Tier Earth Immortals, split into three directions and surged forth from their nests.
Besides those top experts who were out, these were almost all the elite left in the Ghost King Ruins, highlighting the depth of the Ghost Emperor’s intent to kill.
"If I lay my hands upon the one destined by fate, I will suffer a severe backlash from heaven! Therefore, I can only entrust this task to you. Do not disappoint me," the Ghost Emperor instructed.
...
In a desolate mountain range where no one was present, a figure was flying rapidly—it was Shi Xiaole.
More than a month ago, Shi Xiaole had also felt the loss of his essence Qi. After struggling fruitlessly, he had no choice but to accept this reality. Thinking of the great battle a year later, even someone with his disposition felt a sense of urgency.
Wuyuan Palace’s words sounded nice—no one needed to die. But some ways of living are more terrifying than death. If they were truly empathetic, why would they need to force others with the Spring and Autumn Brush?
In the end, it was Shi Xiaole’s lack of strength that was the real issue. If he had another ten years, no, even just five or eight years, his confidence in coping would have been much greater.
Traversing through the mountains and valleys, Shi Xiaole continued his search for secret places while undergoing arduous cultivation.
During this period of enlightenment, his Heart Sword power had reached seventy strands as he wished, but the increase in strength was not significant. At this rate, the outcome one year later seemed bleak.
Under the starry night.
Shi Xiaole sat next to the campfire when suddenly, the Demon Bone within him began to throb, extremely reminiscent of what he had encountered in the mysterious stone cave.
It was as if, in the darkness, something was drawing him closer.
Apart from the cities, Rainbow State had no shortage of places fraught with danger and opportunity, far more than in the outside world, and that was what Shi Xiaole was looking forward to.
Whoosh.
A strong palpitation rose in his heart, prompting Shi Xiaole to hurry towards the eastern mountains. Following the increasingly strong sensation, zigzagging left and right, he eventually came upon a hill overgrown with weeds.
The hill in the night was very desolate, with occasional chilly breezes. But the most eerie part was that, far ahead of Shi Xiaole, a huge, incomplete stone statue loomed.
With just the bare back of its foot several zhang high, the statue reached hundreds of zhang in height, standing with its head bowed. The two hollow eyes exerted enormous pressure on Shi Xiaole.
The restlessness of the Demon Bone reached its peak as he approached the statue.
Spreading out his mental energy, Shi Xiaole leaped, plunging into the left eye of the statue. The scenery before his eyes instantly changed, and in the endless darkness, a white light was reflected on the ground.
On a closer look, what appeared to be white light was actually a pile of white bones!
The bones were crystal clear, some radiating heat, others flowing like water, and some sharp as swords, their murderous aura piercing the sky. Shi Xiaole gathered his courage to test them and found that even the Red Left Sword’s sharpness could not cut them; instead, it notched the surface.
"Could it be that these are all Void Origin Realm Martial Emperors?"
While there seemed to be many bones in front of him, they were only divided into several parts. According to the aura, there were about seven or eight bodies. In Shi Xiaole’s knowledge, only Void Origin Realm Martial Emperors could inscribe their martial aura onto their bones.
