Chapter 1962: Chapter 1959: The Three Divine Artifacts
Some classmates, probably not knowing Lin Tian, hurried to distance themselves, walking around him as if afraid of catching his "madness." Lin Tian found it amusing that no one believed the secrets of this world when spoken aloud, and instead, took him for a lunatic.
There was silence on the phone momentarily before Lin Tian called out again, "Lingyu?" He was, of course, trying to reach Zhang Lingyu. If one wanted to go to the Netherworld, beyond the Zhang Family, there’s likely no one else in the world who could do it.
"You start talking, and it’s about going to the Netherworld. Lin Tian, you really do surprise people every time," Zhang Lingyu said, somewhat helplessly.
"I’ve already got news on Ying Gou; he is very likely in the Netherworld. Of the five bloodlines, Ying Gou is the last one left. I must find him quickly. You know, the foreign energy within Xuanxuan’s body remains unresolved each day, and she’s in danger with each passing day," Lin Tian said directly and straightforwardly.
"I understand. It was I who gave you the Elixir Recipe, so of course, I understand. I just didn’t expect you had already gathered the blood from the four bloodlines. I truly envy Xuanxuan; with you protecting her, no matter how difficult the task, you can accomplish it," Zhang Lingyu sighed slightly, showing undisguised envy.
Lin Tian blinked, puzzled, and said, "Are you out of your mind with a fever? Xuanxuan carries foreign energy, akin to having a ticking time bomb on her back. This bomb could explode anytime, reducing her to pieces. What’s there to envy?"
"What do you know, you blockhead. I’m not talking to you," Zhang Lingyu huffed. This left Lin Tian clueless, scratching his head in confusion, truly proving that a woman’s heart is as inscrutable as the depths of the sea.
"Ahem, let’s talk about how to get to the Netherworld. If anyone can open a passage to the Netherworld, only your Zhang Family can do so," Lin Tian praised generously.
"It’s too late. If it were before, I could still do it, but now I’m unable to open a passage to the Netherworld," Zhang Lingyu responded seriously.
Upon hearing this, Lin Tian stopped in his tracks, questioning very confusedly, "Why?"
"The last time you and I trespassed into the Netherworld to retrieve Xuanxuan’s soul, it disturbed the order of the Netherworld. The Netherworld is very dissatisfied with our Zhang Family. To account for it, the Elders have constrained my ability to open the Netherworld passageway for a year, and the Netherworld has also banned me from entering for a year."
"Which means I cannot open a passage to the Netherworld within this year. Moreover, don’t even think about contacting Sister Ruyan. Her punishment back then was even harsher; she is permanently banned from opening a passage to the Netherworld," Zhang Lingyu said regretfully.
"Damn it, this is too much. Xuanxuan’s lifespan wasn’t up yet. It’s entirely the Netherworld’s fault for recklessly capturing her soul, and now they blame you!" Lin Tian swore, getting so upset that he almost crushed his phone.
"Not having one’s lifespan end doesn’t mean death won’t occur. In the Demon Exorcism World and the Netherworld, we term the death of someone whose lifespan isn’t up as an abnormal death. Such souls are sent to Wangsi City to wait for the end of their lifespan before entering the Six Paths of Reincarnation."
"Xuanxuan is in such a situation. This rule seems rather unreasonable because for someone who died abnormally, their body might still be intact. If their soul is taken away, it is indeed a wrongful death."
"But the Human Realm has been weak for a long time and is not as strong as the Netherworld. Some matters even our Zhang Family feels helpless about." Zhang Lingyu’s tone was a mix of anger at the Netherworld’s overbearing behavior and helplessness at their own weakness.
Lin Tian frowned deeply, recalling the Ghost Messenger’s words: who is the lord of your human world? Who speaks for you? Lin Tian couldn’t comprehend what these words meant, nor could he grasp what it meant by the Human Realm being weak for a long time.
However, right now wasn’t the time to ponder over these matters. He asked again, "Is there no other way?"
There was a brief silence on the other end before the voice continued, "There isn’t none, but the hope of achieving it is too slim."
Lin Tian was delighted and exclaimed, "If there’s a way, that’s good. You know my style; there’s no such word as retreat in my dictionary. No matter what obstacles, I’ll fight my way through. Just tell me the way."
"Have you ever heard of the Three Divine Artifacts of Huaxia?" Zhang Lingyu suddenly adopted a mysterious tone, switching topics so abruptly that Lin Tian was momentarily stunned.
He shook his head to clear his mind and after some thought said, "I’ve heard of Divine Artifacts, but not of any Divine Objects, especially not Three Divine Artifacts."
"The Heavenly Cluster Cloud Sword, the Qiong Gou Jade, and the Yata Mirror, these are the Three Divine Artifacts of Huaxia," Zhang Lingyu stated solemnly.
"So you’re talking about them. I remember now. I think ancient records mentioned that back in the Qin Dynasty, the Fangshi Xu Fu took with him three years’ worth of food, medicine, literature, treasures, and three thousand boys and girls aboard a ship to search for the Immortality Pill for Emperor Qin Shi Huang Ying Zheng."
"They say among those treasures were the Heavenly Cluster Cloud Sword, the Qiong Gou Jade, and the Yata Mirror. I don’t know if this record is true," Lin Tian answered in detail.
"Of course it’s true. The three Divine Artifacts were taken to Japan by Xu Fu, yet the Japanese amusingly claim them to be their Divine Artifacts," Zhang Lingyu said disdainfully.
"And what’s the relation between those three Divine Artifacts and opening a passage to the Netherworld?" Lin Tian asked, puzzled as to why the Beautiful Sky Master brought up the Three Divine Artifacts.
"The Qiong Gou Jade among the Three Divine Artifacts is a type of Gou Jade, also called Curved Jade. It originates from the Spring and Autumn Warring States Period and looks like a comma or the Yin-Yang fish in a Tai Chi Diagram. In ancient times, it was used for worship and to communicate with the spirit and Nether realms."
"The Qiong Gou Jade was actually a Magic Artifact used in Fangshi and Magician rituals, akin to a Demon Exorcist’s Magic Artifact, possessing Spiritual Power. It comes in a pair, divided into Yang Jade and Yin Jade; Yang Jade is used to communicate with the divine, and Yin Jade to communicate with the Netherworld during ceremonies."
"Am I making sense?" Zhang Lingyu said a lot and then paused to ask Lin Tian.
Lin Tian wasn’t a fool and naturally understood her intention: "I understand. So the Qiong Gou Jade is a ritual Magic Artifact, and you can use it to open a passage to the Netherworld? But this Divine Object has already drifted to Japan and disappeared long ago."
"That’s why I said it was difficult," Zhang Lingyu sighed, but before Lin Tian could say anything, she continued, "You only got it half right just now. Xu Fu only took half of the Qiong Gou Jade to sea, the Yang Jade; the Yin Jade is still in Huaxia, but it’s just as hard to find."
Lin Tian narrowed his eyes, calmly saying, "Regardless of the ends of the earth, I will find the Yin Jade and open the Netherworld passage."
"Alright, thank you for telling me all this. Once I find the Qiong Gou Jade, I’ll contact you again." Lin Tian sincerely thanked Zhang Lingyu but didn’t say much more and then hung up the phone.
Lin Tian put away his phone and did not return to the student dormitory. Instead, he turned around and retraced his steps, soon returning to the teacher’s apartment he had been to just now.
Continuing upstairs and just about to knock on Xu Feibai’s dorm room, the door suddenly opened, and the masked man and Yasuo came out. Both of them had deeply furrowed brows, blocking Lin Tian once more.
"Step aside," Xu Feibai’s cold voice came from inside. The two had to move, but as they left, both remained on guard against Lin Tian, as if facing a formidable enemy.
