Chapter 254: Immemorial Inheritance
In this silent Immortal Tomb, time seemed to freeze.
Jiang Che gazed at those ancient tombstones and suddenly spoke, "I once read a dilapidated ancient book that recorded a few words about the Immemorial Era."
His voice echoed in the empty cemetery, carrying an indescribable heaviness.
"The world back then was completely different from today," Jiang Che said slowly. "There were the Thirty-Three Heavens above and the Four Seas of East, South, West, and North below, surrounding the Four Great Continents. The entire world was a unified whole, without the distinction between Upper and Lower Realms, and the laws of heaven and earth were far more complete than they are now."
Han Yu's gaze moved slightly. "Thirty-Three Heavens..."
"Correct." Jiang Che nodded. "The ancient book described that cultivators at that time comprehended the complete Great Dao; they could move mountains and fill seas, and pluck stars and seize the moon with mere gestures. As for what we call the 'Upper Realm' and 'Lower Realm' today, they are merely fragments left after that Great Calamity."
"Fragments?" Chen Xingcai opened her eyes wide in surprise.
Jiang Che squatted down, his fingertips lightly touching the ground, and his True Essence outlined a simple pattern on the green jade bricks. "According to the author of that ancient book, the earth-shattering Great Calamity at the end of the Immemorial Era smashed the complete world into scattered pieces."
"The current 'Upper Realm Nine Heavens and Ten Earths' and 'Lower Realm Thirteen Provinces' combined are probably far less vast than a single continent from back then."
His finger swiped lightly across the pattern, and the complete circle instantly split into dozens of fragments.
"What is even more terrifying," Jiang Che's voice grew lower and lower, "is that the author speculated that there might be more than one 'fragment world' like ours. They are scattered in the void, isolated from each other. But when a certain time comes..."
"All fragments will gather again?" Han Yu suddenly cut in, a sharp light flashing in his eyes.
Jiang Che looked up and met his gaze. "Correct. The ancient book even mentioned at the end that this gathering might lead to the reopening of heaven and earth, and the glory of the Immemorial Era might reappear."
The wind suddenly stopped.
The entire cemetery fell into a strange silence, and even the dewdrops on the silver grass stopped rolling. Those ancient tombstones cast long shadows under the hazy heavenly light, as if silently witnessing this terrible conjecture.
Xiao Luo unconsciously hugged her arms tightly, her voice trembling. "Then... would that be a good thing?"
No one answered.
In the distance, on a broken tombstone, several incomplete ancient characters appeared faintly in the mist—
Heaven... Return... Calamity...
The last character was already blurred, but the sharp brush strokes still allowed one to feel the fear and despair of the person who carved it at that time.
Just as everyone was immersed in shock, Chen Xingcai suddenly let out a soft sound of surprise.
She walked quickly to the tombstone of "Bladeless Sword Hermit Immortal, Cangfengzi", squatted down, and brushed away a thin layer of soil—
A lustrous jade box revealed a corner.
"This is..." Her eyes lit up, and she immediately knelt down respectfully, put her palms together, and bowed three times.
The young girl's serious appearance was especially cute; the tips of her hair swayed gently with her movements, and even the arc of her fluttering sleeves during the bow revealed piety.
The jade box was lifted up carefully. The moment the lid opened, a wisp of clear light flowed out. Inside lay a primitive wooden case quietly, with a green jade slip beside it.
Chen Xingcai probed her Divine Consciousness into the jade slip and instantly widened her eyes. "Inside here is the life story of this Senior Cangfengzi... and the explanation of this sword case!"
She looked up in pleasant surprise. "Th-this is an inheritance left by an Immemorial True Immortal!"
Hearing this, the few people immediately gathered around. Spiritual light circulated in the jade slip, and several lines of ancient and unsophisticated characters emerged:
Cangfengzi.
Daoist Title: Bladeless Sword Hermit Immortal.
Swordsmith of the Yin Shang Dynasty. Comprehended the Dao after witnessing the tragedy of Ganjiang and Moye.
Enlightened by Yunzhongzi. Guardian of the Kunlun Mountain Sword Mound. Secretly killed multiple spies of the Jie Sect during the Great Calamity of the Investiture of the Gods.
Magic Treasure: Formless Sword Case.
Contains seventy-two strands of Formless Sword Qi, released and retracted at will.
"In front of every tombstone?" Jiang Che immediately turned to look at the nearest tomb of "True Lord of Pure Void and Wondrous Laws, Xuan Xiaozi". After bowing solemnly, he indeed found a jade box of the same specification under the soil layer in front of the stele.
As jade boxes were taken out one by one, this Immortal Tomb that had been silent for ten thousand years finally revealed its treasured secrets to the world—
The jade slip in Han Yu's hand recorded:
Xuan Xiaozi.
Daoist Title: True Lord of Pure Void and Wondrous Laws.
Magic Treasures: Nine Luminaries Star Dust Banner, Cold Jade Ice Soul Sword.
Originally a reincarnation of a Zhou Heaven Star Official. Because his tribulation number was not full, he was enlightened by the Primordial Lord of Heaven and guarded the "Constellation Cliff" of Kunlun Mountain. During the Great Calamity of the Investiture of the Gods, he once helped Jiang Ziya break the Jie Sect's "Ten Thousand Stars Formation".
...
In the jade box in front of Jiang Che was displayed:
Perfected Being Lingyan.
Daoist Title: Daoist of Samadhi Fire Virtue.
Magic Treasures: Five Fire Seven Poultry Fan, Li Fire Mirror.
...
Xiao Luo stood timidly in front of the "Fairy Miaoyin" tomb, and the text on the jade slip made her hold her breath:
Daoist Title: Primordial Sovereign of Heavenly Sounds.
Nine Heavens Ring Pendant Zither, Golden Rosy Cloud Hairpin.
...
Twilight-like glimmer shrouded the cemetery, and those names buried by dust for ten thousand years shone brightly at this moment. Every magic treasure lay quietly in its jade box, as if waiting for its true master; every life story narrated a fragment of that glorious era, and the traces of Immortals from back then could be vaguely seen between the lines.
"These..." Chen Xingcai held the sword case, her voice trembling slightly. "Are all true Immemorial Immortal Treasures."
The wind brushed over the silver grass, and the sound of dewdrops rolling down was clearly audible.
The shadows cast by the tombstones gradually elongated, as if those departed Kunlun Immortals were watching this group of destined people with smiles.
Chen Xingcai held the jade slip with both hands, her brows knitting slightly. "The 'Great Calamity of the Investiture of the Gods' mentioned in these life stories... is it the cause that led to the fall of these True Immortals?"
Han Yu shook his head gently, his fingertips stroking the mottled cracks on Xuan Xiaozi's tombstone. "Judging from the records, the Tribulation of the Investiture of the Gods was actually their opportunity for achieving the Dao."
He pointed to the text flowing with spiritual light on the jade slip. "Look here—Xuan Xiaozi helped Jiang Ziya break the Ten Thousand Stars Formation, and Daoist Tieguan patrolled the human world on behalf of the Primordial Lord of Heaven... They all established merit and attained the Dao in this tribulation."
Jiang Che continued thoughtfully, "In other words, they should have been in their prime after the Investiture of the Gods." He looked around at the tombstones standing in great numbers. "To make so many True Immortals who attained the Dao fall collectively..."
"A more terrible tribulation must have occurred later." Han Yu's voice fell heavily in the cemetery. In the distant mist, a few broken tombstones were inserted obliquely into the silver grass, like some kind of silent accusation.
Xiao Luo suddenly shivered and unconsciously leaned closer to Chen Xingcai. The young girl patted her shoulder comfortingly and solemnly stored the Formless Sword Case into her storage bag. Surprisingly, she did not continue searching for other jade boxes; instead, she retreated three steps and bowed respectfully three times to Cangfengzi's tombstone again.
"Not going to keep looking?" Jiang Che raised his eyebrows and asked, the red light of the Li Fire Mirror in his hand reflecting in his smiling eyes.
"Biting off more than one can chew." Chen Xingcai patted the storage bag at her waist, the starlight in her eyes clear. "Obtaining Senior Cangfengzi's sword case is already a heavenly opportunity."
She looked toward the looming group of tombstones in the depths of the mist. "We must leave some for those who come later..."
"A thread of Immortal destiny." Han Yu took over the conversation and also put the Nine Luminaries Star Dust Banner into his bag. He took a last look at Xuan Xiaozi's tombstone, then suddenly formed a sword with his fingers and carved a simple sword mark on the green bricks in front of the stele as a marker.
Jiang Che laughed heartily and casually tucked the Five Fire Seven Poultry Fan at his waist. "Fine! If these seniors have spirits in heaven and see us knowing when to advance and retreat like this, perhaps they will send down opportunities again."
The wind swept across the cemetery, making the silver grass rustle. Those untaken jade boxes were buried by thin soil again, emitting a faint lustrous glow under the hazy heavenly light.
...
Hey readers! Want to stay 40 chapters ahead of free members? Join our Patreon today! You'll instantly unlock 20 chapters the moment you sign up to start closing that gap.
You'll enjoy 14 new chapters every week. Plus, we have 3 other exciting fics with the same release rate, giving you a massive 42 chapters per week total! Stop waiting and join the adventure now!
Patreon: https://patreon.com/Alex_Cruise
Hey everyone, I really need to be honest with you all. With the recent wave of Patreon cancellations, things have become financially difficult for me, and it's getting harder to keep everything running smoothly. If you've been enjoying the translations and want to support me, please consider joining Patreon—it truly makes a huge difference.
I'm also planning to take on new fics. Just comment the genres or specific titles you want to see translated, and I'll pick them up. If there's a novel or fanfic you believe deserves a proper translation, tell me—I'm open to expanding and giving you more variety.
Your support keeps this work alive. Thank you for sticking with me.