Chapter 138: Chapter 138: Purple Tenuity Palace, The Three Enclosures and Twenty-Eight Mansions
The talisman actually depicted a miniature transmission formation spirit guide.
As long as the talisman was ignited, the Five Emperors’ Inner Seat would sense it, and then extend mana across the space to form a true transmission formation, descending upon him.
With the five-colored radiance growing brighter and brighter, Zhou Heng’s vision gradually outlined the figure of a man with a noble and majestic demeanor, wearing a Five Emperors’ Inner Seat mask and a Five-Color Gown.
“Young friend, it seems you’ve made your decision?” said the Five Emperors’ Inner Seat with a smile.
“Yes, I will join the Zhou Tian Boundary Officer,” Zhou Heng nodded lightly, “I’ve thought it through.”
“Welcome aboard,” the Five Emperors’ Inner Seat laughed heartily, apparently quite pleased, “Next, I’ll take you to the Purple Tenuity Palace. There might be a bit of dizziness, so get ready.”
Purple Tenuity Palace… Is it really as I had speculated earlier?
Zhou Heng’s gaze slightly firmed as he nodded, “Then I’ll have to trouble my senior.”
Then, he saw the Five Emperors’ Inner Seat wave his hand and bright starlight engulfed both him and the jujube-red horse beneath him; soon after, a slight dizzying sensation hit him, and the layers of light in front of his eyes rapidly disappeared.
Zhou Heng felt as if he was crossing layers upon layers of space, as well as walking down a long road, except this road was at times twisted, sometimes folded, extremely unstable.
He could sense myriad starlights of different colors, as if the brilliance of billions of stars had been gathered on this path or, perhaps, it was the light from these stars that paved the road.
In a trance, he felt as though he heard countless voices murmuring praises in his ears.
“Daluo Tianque… lofty abode of the North Pole… revered as Yudou Xuanzun… governing the measures of heaven and earth… traversing the celestial Purple Enclosure… Grandmaster of myriad phenomena… Sect Hierarch of myriad stars… Ziwei of the central heavens…”
These voices made Zhou Heng’s scalp tingle and gave him the sensation that his body and soul were about to be torn apart.
Finally, after passing through a mist of purple Qi, the murmuring praises stopped, and with them, the feelings of spirit tearing and dizziness faded away. Zhou Heng regained his senses to find that he was still riding the jujube-red horse but was no longer in the original place.
All around was empty, with only purple Qi floating beneath his feet, but in the distance, mountain ranges stretched on and on, and as far as the eye could see there were still peaks. Below these mountains, there were vast, boundless waves of water encircling in the air.
Upon closer examination, Zhou Heng realized the water waves each shone with the light of stars, seemingly containing billions of stars, countless and much like a vast Star River.
“Let’s go.”
With his hands clasped behind his back, the Five Emperors’ Inner Seat flew with Zhou Heng to the highest peak in the distant mountains.
Before landing, Zhou Heng saw a grand and majestic palace with a plaque on it. The plaque was inscribed with a strange script that was completely unfamiliar to him yet somehow conveyed its meaning.
“Purple Tenuity Palace.”
Zhou Heng stared at the text on the plaque, lost in thought… the Purple Tenuity Palace, was it really that Purple Tenuity Palace, or had the Zhou Tian Boundary Officer named it such for some reason?
“Impressed, are you?” The Five Emperors’ Inner Seat noticed the unusual expression on Zhou Heng’s face, assuming he was witnessing this magnificent and mystical sight for the first time and smiled, “It’s normal. This is the Purple Tenuity Palace, the true abode of immortals and gods.”
“Have there ever been immortals or gods who assumed the position of Ziwei?” Zhou Heng suppressed his curiosity and asked with restraint.
“It was more than just ordinary immortals and gods,” the Five Emperors’ Inner Seat shook his head but did not elaborate, only smiling, “One could say all of the Zhou Tian Boundary Officer is but a part of the legacy left by this immortal god.
“Come, I will take you to view the Zhou Tian Star Map and see which Star Officer position has chosen you.”
In front of the Purple Tenuity Palace were two Taoist boys, one in a black Taoist robe and the other in a white one. They looked about seven or eight years old with naïve and adorable features, as if they were carved from jade, quite endearing.
However, the Five Emperors’ Inner Seat treated them with great respect. From afar, he descended from the clouds, walked over with Zhou Heng, and bowed deeply to the two Taoist boys.
—The jujube-red horse was left behind where the purple Qi began and did not follow.
“A newcomer at last?” The Taoist boy in a white robe looked at Zhou Heng with a giggle, and asked the figure from the Five Emperors’ inner seat, “Will it be the independent star path or the common star path?”
“The independent one,” the figure from the Five Emperors’ inner seat said with great respect, “We’re grateful for your efforts, Supreme one.”
“This lad has an extraordinary air about him, and a profound destiny; I actually can’t see it clearly.” Suddenly the black-robed Taoist boy spoke up. With a serious expression and a weighty gaze on Zhou Heng, he contemplated, “Perhaps you will become a great Star Officer.”
Zhou Heng did not know how to respond and looked towards the figure from the Five Emperors’ inner seat with confusion.
“Then we shall take the propitious words of the Celestial Man to heart,” responded the Five Emperors’ inner seat with a bow and a smile, still with a tone of respect, then led Zhou Heng into the Purple Tenuity Palace.
…
“Celestial Man, you couldn’t see through the youth’s fate?” The white-robed Taoist boy looked at his companion of several thousand years with an air of surprise.
“More than just unclear, I wonder if my eyes would go blind if I looked a few more times,” the black-robed Taoist boy rolled his eyes and said, “This kid is no ordinary being, very much so. Yet at a time like this, having such a person join us is also a good thing.”
“Yes, the situation in the West Wasteland is becoming more and more unsettled.” The white-robed Taoist boy sighed deeply and said, “Just now, I noticed that the figure from the Five Emperors’ inner seat still had traces of Demonic Qi on him; it seems his injuries from the West Wasteland have not yet healed.”
“Those demon entities that emerged this time were too strong; even though he’s still able to move around, Heavenly Pillar has already been lying in bed for over a month.” The black-robed Taoist boy smacked his lips and glanced at the Purple Tenuity Palace, “I hope the kid we just saw can bring us some good news.”
“Let’s hope so,” nodded the white-robed Taoist boy.
…
As Zhou Heng stepped into the Purple Tenuity Palace, he found himself in a vast and empty hall with no one else around.
“Entering the Purple Tenuity Palace, you can open two paths: a common star path where multiple people can gather, and an independent star path that only you and specific companions can traverse without encountering anyone else.”
The figure from the Five Emperors’ inner seat explained to Zhou Heng, “But no matter which path, those who step in arrive at the same Purple Tenuity Palace; this involves the fairly esoteric Taoist Rhyme Theory.”
He didn’t go into any more detail, nor did Zhou Heng know if it was because he couldn’t speak of it or he didn’t understand himself.
“Those two earlier were…” Zhou Heng inquired.
“They are two Celestial Men from our Purple Tenuity constellation, known respectively as ‘The Supreme’ and ‘Celestial Man’,” the figure from the Five Emperors’ inner seat said. Soon, he led Zhou Heng deeper into the Purple Tenuity Palace.
Suddenly, Zhou Heng saw a starry sky.
A starry sky that was completely different from this world, yet one he found strangely familiar, almost identical to the view of the stars from Earth.
Moreover, it was divided into celestial regions, with star charts drawn on it.
In the very center was “Ziwei Enclosure,” where purple aura rose majestically—the epitome of splendor. To the sides were “Taiwei Enclosure” and “Tian Market Enclosure,” but their starlight was dim, nowhere near as bright as that of “Ziwei Enclosure.”
Around the three enclosures were the twenty-eight constellations, encircling the four symbols: Azure Dragon, White Tiger, Vermilion Bird, and Black Tortoise. Among them, only the Azure Dragon emitted a blue light, while the other three symbols were also dim.
“The Three Enclosures and the Twenty-Eight Mansions, the Three Enclosures and the Twenty-Eight Mansions! It’s actually true!!” Zhou Heng’s eyes widened as a storm raged in his heart.
He had his suspicions when he heard names like Xuan Ge, Tian Ji, Tian Xuan, and figures from the Five Emperors’ inner seat; now, finally, he confirmed that this was a true “thing” related to Earth that he had encountered in this world.
The starry sky of this world was entirely different from that of Earth, and there were no tales of Earth’s celestial patterns or Star Officers. Yet now, he was looking at a star chart based on Earth’s sky.
“It’s quite a sight, isn’t it?” the figure from the Five Emperors’ inner seat saw Zhou Heng staring at the starry sky and wasn’t surprised, he smiled and said, “I was also very shocked the first time I saw this starry sky, which was so different from the outside world, yet felt incredibly real.
“This is the Zhou Tian Star Chart, a remnant left by a deity who once lived in the Purple Tenuity Palace; however, in Da Qi, only the Ziwei Enclosure and the seven mansions of the Azure Dragon remain.
“Be calm and composed, close your eyes, feel the star energy around you, and you will perceive the energy that fits best with you—that will be your Star Officer position.”