As momentous events played out in Revered Ancient, Xu Qing was making his way through the city ruins, with no idea about what was happening so far away. He did notice that the sky seemed a bit more red than normal, but other than that, it seemed like an ordinary day. That redness was so faint it would be hard for anyone to connect it with anything happening in Revered Ancient. After merely glancing up, Xu Qing looked back at the ruined buildings he was traveling through.
The architectural style of these buildings was different from any of the other cities Xu Qing had been in. They were modular and orderly, and from above, the layout of the building structures generally resembled the character 井. There were big structures and small ones, tall ones and short ones. But they were all very neat and organized, making the entire place seem like it had been planned out with much thought. Despite how the entire city had apparently existed since ancient times, it still seemed like a luxurious and fancy place. The tiles on the ground all had lavish designs on them, and many buildings still had spirit stones set into the walls. The streets were paved with white jade, and the canals that existed in the city were lined with gold. That said, all of the beauty of the city was now marred by encroaching mutagen, and had lost much of its luster. Because of the erosion, there wasn’t much value left. However, anyone who looked at it would be able to imagine the city’s former grandeur. After all, with some imagination one could ignore the animal droppings, the silt, the creeping vermin, or the vicious-looking weeds everywhere.
But in the end, this city was a shell of its former self, with only bits of evidence left to harken to its past. For instance, Xu Qing did see some crumbling steles with the words Violet Cyan on them.
According to the map I found in the Immortal Bathing Cistern, this place was once the mansion of the crown prince of the Sovereign Kingdom of Violet and Cyan. That means the crown prince himself lived here. ｂ𝚍ｎｏ𝚟ｌ.
Xu Qing walked along through the silt, leaving footsteps behind in the weeds, and keeping his eyes on everything around him. Eventually he spotted cultivators in some of the buildings.
There weren’t many. But based on the information he’d read back in the sect, this place was a common destination for cultivators who were out exploring. They came from all over South Phoenix. Some came from powerful sects, others were rogue cultivators. There were immense riches to be found in Forbidden by the Phoenix, and therefore, there were always people willing to brave the dangers to find them.
In a chaotic world like this one, people fought over everything. And that was especially true of people from small sects and organizations, or rogue cultivators. The only way for them to improve their cultivation bases and battle prowess was by means of bloodshed. And to do that, they had to risk their lives.
Cultivators from big sects had a similarly bitter life. But it was different for those in a weaker position.
These ruins had been here for so long that they were relatively safe. And that was why it had become something of a rest stop for cultivators hunting in Forbidden by the Phoenix.
Xu Qing attracted some attention when he arrived. However, most people just glanced at him then looked away. Cultivators who came to this place were a cautious lot, and kept their guard up against others. That fit in line perfectly with Xu Qing’s personality. As he walked along, he kept an eye out for dangers from all sides. He also started moving faster and faster.
Before long, he saw a familiar-looking temple up ahead. The architectural style was different from the other buildings. The Supreme Vastness daoist temple was circular. In fact, looking at it from directly above, it looked like a perfect circle in the middle of the ruins. It had obviously been an amazing structure in the past. [1]
Xu Qing looked at it closely as he approached. From a distance, he could see a few dozen cultivators from various species gathered outside of it. Some of them gathered in groups of two or three. Others stuck to themselves. Though all were sitting cross-legged outside of the temple, they were able to see inside.
Most of them were in the great circle of Qi Condensation, but a few were Foundation Establishment cultivators with no life flame. There were two old men who appeared to be in the one-flame level. Despite their relatively high level, it made sense for them to be here, as it was still possible that they could gain enlightenment of the Supreme Vastness Solitary Saber. If they did, they would reach heaven in a single bound?and make amazing progress.
On the other hand, it seemed strange for people in the great circle of Qi Condensation to be here.
However, after looking them over, Xu Qing realized the reality of the situation. When he arrived, many in the crowd looked over at him with greed and malevolence. However, after sensing his aura, they looked away in alarm. At the same time, it was possible to see rotting and shriveled remains in the surrounding underbrush.
This was a Supreme Vastness daoist temple, where one could gain enlightenment of the Supreme Vastness Solitary Saber. But this was also Forbidden by the Phoenix, where the weak were the prey of the strong, and unscrupulous and vicious people abounded.
Given how famous the Supreme Vastness daoist temples were, it wasn’t uncommon for cultivators to come visit. If they were strong enough, they would be fine. But if they weren’t, then they would die here and lose everything. It didn’t matter how the people outside the temple presented themselves, it was obvious to Xu Qing that they were there for nefarious purposes.
Taking note of all that, he continued walking.
Many of the people outside the temple exchanged glances, but none of them dared to make a move on him. People camping out at a location like this would obviously come prepared, and all of them could tell that Xu Qing wasn’t a person who should be trifled with.
As Xu Qing neared the temple, he spotted statues inside that seemed both familiar and strange.
Seated cross-legged in front of one of those divine likeness was Master Shengyun. His golden robe was dazzlingly eye-catching, as was the scintillating umbrella that floated over his head. His eyes were closed, and he emanated a coldness that made it seem like he felt all emotions to be superfluous.
Xu Qing stopped in place, and his guard went up even further. He hadn’t paid very close attention to Master Shengyun back in the sect, and was surprised to find him here seeking enlightenment.
Though Xu Qing’s cultivation base was high, he preferred to go into conflicts knowing he could crush his opponent. Unless he was sure of that, he would rather avoid fighting. Despite how enticing Master Shengyun’s life lamp was, after some thought, Xu Qing decided it wouldn’t be good to try to take it with force. Furthermore, he decided that instead of going into the temple, he would find a spot outside where he could see the statue, and try to seek enlightenment from there.
Unfortunately, the tree may wish for quiet, but the wind will not subside.
Master Shengyun noticed him.
He opened his eyes and stared emotionlessly at Xu Qing outside of the temple, his gaze like two blades. Without saying a single word he waved his right hand. Instantly, the air in front of him rippled and distorted, sending out fluctuations in all directions. As dust swirled up, a stone sword took shape in front of him. The sword pulsed with astonishing energy, and spat out sparks of sword energy that hissed as they landed on the ground and dug out furrows.
Outside the temple, the two one-flame old men were visibly shocked, and started backing away.
They knew full well that, given their own level of strength, there was no way they could fight someone capable of forming a sword out of nothing like that. A single blow would likely kill them. The other cultivators in the area also backed away as fast as they could.
At the same time, the sword in the temple swiveled until its tip pointed at Xu Qing. Then it shot toward him. It pierced through the air with a high-pitched whine, leaving behind a wake of fluctuations as it headed in the direction of Xu Qing’s forehead.
Xu Qing’s expression turned grim as he reached out and flicked the sword with his right index finger. A pop rang out, and the stone sword collapsed, the pieces falling to the ground in front of him. A shockwave blasted out, ripping up weeds and sending dirt flying everywhere.
Thankfully for the other cultivators in the area, they had reacted quickly enough that they managed to avoid being caught up in the blast.
As dirt rained down everywhere, Xu Qing looked coldly into the temple at Master Shengyun.
“What was that for?” Xu Qing said.
Master Shengyun’s expression was the same as ever, as if all of this was going exactly as he wished. If he wanted to do something, he would do it. If he wanted to kill someone, he would kill them. As far as he was concerned, humans from South Phoenix weren’t even worth thinking about.
Before, he hadn’t known anything about Xu Qing. But after Xu Qing crushed Sima Ling, Master Shengyun took a slight interest in him. That said, he didn’t know what he looked like, and had planned to let him get a bit stronger until it was convenient to make proper use of him. During the time in which he had been seeking enlightenment, he got messages from other disciples in the Soaring Cloud Sword Sect warning him about Xu Qing. That was the first time he saw an image of what Xu Qing looked like.
His attack right now had been casual, yet it was still surprising to him that it hadn’t hurt Xu Qing at all. All of a sudden, he was thinking it might be a good idea to kill Xu Qing and absorb him.
Then he considered that doing it right now might not result in the best flavor, and thus he said, “You’re the one who took advantage of my absence to snatch my Junior Brother? Go back, kowtow to him three times, and then set him free. Let me make it clear, Xu Qing. For every hair on his head that you harm, I’ll cut off one of your fingers. No exceptions.” [2]
Having said this, he ignored Xu Qing and went back to meditating.
Meanwhile, the crowd gathered outside the temple looked on with bated breath as they watched Xu Qing and Master Shengyun. All of them had long since identified who Master Shengyun was, and had even experienced some of his domineering ways. And now they knew how mighty he was when he took action. Thanks to what Master Shengyun had just said, they now knew who Xu Qing was.
“Xu Qing from the Seven Blood Eyes echelon?”
“He’s a chosen from Seven Blood Eyes….”
“So what if he is? Even he has to bow his head in the presence of people from the Revered Ancient mainland.”
Xu Qing stood in the entrance of the temple studying Master Shengyun’s throat, and then his life lamp. Cold light shone in Xu Qing’s eyes, as well as killing intent.
Within the black iron skewer, Patriarch Golden Vajra Warrior felt the urge to gasp repeatedly, but suppressed the feeling. More than ever he felt like Master Shengyun was the real deal.
In the books I’ve read, what usually happens is that the enemy bullies the main character into a corner. Finally, the main character can’t take it anymore and has no choice but to fight back with deadly force. Those scenes are awesome, though I admit they get old after a while.
But the Fiendish Xu is different. With him, if an enemy simply shows a teeny bit of killing intent, he’ll take it as a threat to his life. The enemy doesn’t even have to attack him, and his own killing intent will skyrocket.
Xu Qing had no way of knowing what the patriarch was thinking about. But he did know that he and Master Shengyun weren’t on the same level in terms of battle prowess. Because of that, he didn’t do anything impulsive. Turning, he found an appropriate position to sit down cross-legged, and without revealing what he was doing, started lacing the area with poison.
He had already decided to kill Master Shengyun.
After all, when he arrested that Soaring Cloud Sword Sect disciple at that Night Dove headquarters, he hadn’t just harmed some hairs on his head. He had smashed him into the ground and broken most of the bones in his body. Based on what Master Shengyun had said just now, if a hair was worth a finger, then a bunch of broken bones had to be worth a life.
In that case, I’ll kill you before you kill me!?Xu Qing’s eyes narrowed as his killing intent built. However, he didn’t reveal it in his eyes. After putting down his poison, he looked around to see if there were any dao protectors in the area.
Seeing what was happening, Patriarch Golden Vajra Warrior thought, The Fiendish Xu is lacing the area with poison. That’s what he usually does when he gets ready to beat the enemy to the punch! This is going to be a battle between real deal main characters from two different novels!
1. I’ve been to a lot of temples in China, and in my experience, those with circular architecture are not very common. Probably the most famous circular temple is the Temple of Heaven in Beijing which looks like this. I have no idea if that’s what the author was thinking of in this case, but it’s possible. 👈
2. Xu Qing arrested a disciple who claimed to be Master Shengyun’s Junior Brother during the Night Dove crackdown. That was in👈