Chapter 263: Chapter 263: Flying Sword, Skipping Bullet
Zhou Heng had barely finished speaking when Xuan Ge and the Heavenly Spear had already arrived at the mountaintop.
“We’ve seen the Star Lord.”
The two of them saluted with clasped hands and then turned to Cheng Jianjian with a smile, “So Beidou is here too. Since the two of you are waiting here, you must have guessed our intentions?”
“You haven’t concealed your own movements, so it’s naturally easy to guess,” Zhou Heng said with a smile, “Beidou and I don’t like to play coy, so if you have any thoughts, feel free to speak directly.”
“Indeed,” Cheng Jianjian nodded.
“In that case, let’s have Heavenly Spear explain,” Xuan Ge nodded.
“Before this moment, you always push me forward,” Heavenly Spear said helplessly, shaking his head, then continued, “We’ve discovered a secret realm, which is suspected to be related to the heritage of the Lawsaint of the Middle Ancient Era.”
“With only our current level of cultivation realm, are we capable of touching the Lawsaint’s heritage?” Zhou Heng said with a half-smile, “I often hear that although one is born blind, there are also those born with the law eye that sees through fate and human hearts. If so, why beat around the bush when speaking?”
“The Star Lord is absolutely right, it was my overcautiousness,” Heavenly Spear took a deep breath and said solemnly, “That secret realm is actually a cave dwelling, inscribed with a stele.
“Written on the stele is the phrase ‘Wei Xixing’s Separate Residence.’ After some verification, we’ve loosely confirmed that this should be the legacy dwelling of Wei Xixing, a Fifth Rank Sect Master from the Middle Ancient Era.
“Wei Xixing came from a sect of the Middle Ancient Era that specialized in the study of fate, ‘Astrology Gate,’ a branch of the Lawsaint lineage. However, Astrology Gate was destroyed before the Battle of Tianyang, making it initially difficult to confirm.
“Fortunately, there were still some rumors about Wei Xixing left in the world, allowing us to find some clues. After cross-referencing with other texts, we have roughly ascertained the identity of the dwelling’s master.”
“You’re inviting us to explore this ‘Wei Xixing’s Separate Residence’ together?” Zhou Heng asked with a smile, “Since it might be the legacy of a Grandmaster, why don’t you explore it yourselves?”
“That’s because… the entrance to the dwelling is protected by a powerful restriction that can’t be broken by our own strength,” Heavenly Spear said with a wry smile, “And the mechanism of that restriction is strange; if you can’t forcefully break it or resolve it, it can only be opened by luck.”
“By luck?” Zhou Heng was astonished, then laughed, “So there are such things.”
“We are helpless as well,” sighed Heavenly Spear, “That’s precisely why we thought to use the method we did before to test the purchasers’ luck, while incidentally gathering good karma to buy the elixirs and talismans needed to explore the legacy secret realm.”
“Well, that makes sense,” Zhou Heng nodded slightly, but then he changed the subject and shook his head, “Yet such a secret realm doesn’t seem to have enough allure for me, especially since not even you are clear about what exactly is inside. Beidou, what do you think?”
“I’m not particularly interested,” Cheng Jianjian also lightly shook his head.
“But, but that’s the legacy of a Grandmaster,” Xuan Ge was somewhat puzzled and said, “For you, that should also be a good opportunity, right? And since none of us have explored it yet, how could we know what’s inside?”
“Risking the unknown for uncertainties isn’t a good deal,” Zhou Heng said with a light chuckle, “Actually, I even thought about suggesting that none of you should go.”
“How could that be, Heavenly Spear and I have put so much effort into—” Xuan Ge tried to argue.
“No need to speak further,” Heavenly Spear stopped Xuan Ge with a wave of his hand and then nodded, “I think I understand what the Star Lord means. After we have clarified what might be inside the dwelling, may we still come to you?”
“Of course,” Zhou Heng said with a smile, “I’m waiting for the good news.”
“Thank you,” Heavenly Spear nodded and then, pulling Xuan Ge along, descended the mountain, “Let’s go, we’ll continue to investigate.”
“Huh?” Xuan Ge was utterly confused and puzzled, but he still followed Heavenly Spear down the mountain; he always listened to Heavenly Spear’s words.
After the two had left.
Cheng Jianjian smiled and said, “Those two must come from extraordinary backgrounds; otherwise, they wouldn’t have access to texts involving the Middle Ancient Era. Do you want them to continue to clarify the details of that cave dwelling?”
“Exactly,” Zhou Heng nodded slightly, “Since there are records of this dwelling’s master in the texts, there are likely descriptions of his life.
“If diligently investigated, one should be able to find detailed information about Wei Xixing: what martial arts he knew, what treasures he had, who he had contact with, and maybe even some hidden secrets.”
“What if in the end he’s just an obscure figure, with only his name passed down through the ages?” Cheng Jianjian asked with interest.
“Then this exploration of the dwelling will be irrelevant to you and me, and it won’t be worth the risk for an uncertain dwelling,” Zhou Heng’s gaze turned toward the mountain base as he spoke with a smile, “If Heavenly Spear and Xuan Ge find nothing, they will likely give up exploring on their own.”
“After all, not everything in a Grandmaster’s legacy dwelling has to be a treasure,” Cheng Jianjian nodded, “I’ve heard of people who went to great lengths and difficulties to open the sealed doors of a Grandmaster’s legacy dwelling, only to find that everything inside had been plundered long ago.”
“That’s just too sad, haha,” Zhou Heng laughed upon hearing this, then added, “Actually, I hope they do find something interesting, after all, this dwelling is related to the Lawsaint’s heritage.
“And the Lawsaint is linked to the end of the Middle Ancient Era… If indeed there are clues in this dwelling, perhaps we can learn some secrets of the Middle Ancient Era.”
This would be beneficial for him to investigate the various mysteries and truths of this world, and might even provide clues on finding a way back to Earth.
…
At the base of the mountain.
Xuan Ge was somewhat indignant and said to Heavenly Spear, “Why didn’t he agree? That’s the legacy of a Middle Ancient Grandmaster.”
Heavenly Spear, however, shook his head and said, “No, you’re wrong, that’s just our perception, we’ve been too rash. For the Star Lord and Beidou, what we call ‘opportunity’ is actually just a silver note filled with uncertainties.”
“So what do we do now?” Xuan Ge scratched his head and muttered softly, “That seems to make sense. Heavenly Spear, there must be good things inside a Grandmaster’s legacy dwelling, right?”
“This… I was too impatient,” Heavenly Spear sighed, “Let’s continue investigating. Moreover, our goal was initially to ask for the Star Lord and Beidou’s help, but we did not show enough sincerity… too many issues, I was too hasty, too hasty.”
“You’re just worried out of your mind,” Xuan Ge patted Tian Qiang’s shoulder, comforting him, “Just calm yourself down and you’ll surely become that astute Tian Qiang who can see through the affairs of the world again. As for the other things, you have your brother here.”
“Mm, I plan to go home for a bit, to put my mind at ease,” said Tian Qiang in a deep voice.
“I’ll go with you,” Xuan Ge said.
“Okay,” Tian Qiang nodded.
…
After Xuan Ge and Tian Qiang left, Zhou Heng went to the Starlight Bridge, preparing to leave the Purple Tenuity Palace.
Cheng Jianjian did not join him on this trip.
The girl was thinking of completing a few more missions before the Morning Sun Banquet, or perhaps due to lingering trepidation from her previous cross-world journey, she decided not to take on other world missions for the time being.
However, when Zhou Heng was about to leave through the Starlight Bridge, Fang Su suddenly came looking for him.
“Lord of the Stars, please wait,” she approached Zhou Heng, and took out a brocade pouch, smiling, “The flying sword you requested has been forged. You only need to refine it with your inner Qi to begin commanding it.”
“Thank you,” Zhou Heng took the brocade pouch, shook it, and smiled, “Received, and I’ll leave a good review after use.”
“Good review?” Fang Su was momentarily startled, but she quickly understood what that meant and smiled, “Then I shall eagerly await the Lord of the Stars’ happy tidings.”
Zhou Heng had previously promised her that, if he felt satisfied with the experience of using this flying sword, he would give her an “Eight Diagrams Purple Gold Pill” that could extend one’s life by ten years.
“Rest assured,” Zhou Heng nodded lightly, waved to Fang Su, and then left through the Starlight Bridge from the Purple Tenuity Palace, summoned his reddish-brown horse from his Cave Sky, and returned to Huangtong Mansion City.
Before the start of the Morning Sun Banquet, he didn’t plan to wander around. He would first refine the flying sword.
After all, this was a treasure-grade flying sword, equivalent to a Secret Six Rank expert. With his current state at the peak of the Seventh Rank cultivation realm, even an initial refinement would take quite a bit of time.
…
Ten days passed by in the blink of an eye.
By this time, Zhou Heng had already refined the flying sword into a Sword Pill, which could be used to cast light, as if it was an extension of his arm, equivalent to complete refinement, and he named it “Purple Lightning.”
This process had gone much smoother than he had initially anticipated.
Actually, at the beginning, Zhou Heng’s progress in refining “Purple Lightning” was not smooth at all, and he hadn’t even managed initial resonance after three days, let alone sword command.
However, on the fourth day, when he was practicing the Sword Technique of Conviction, the flying sword seemed to be drawn by an invisible force, flew to his side on its own accord, and kept trembling as if it wanted to submit.
After that, refining it became incredibly easy for Zhou Heng.
He completed the initial refinement in less than a day, and after another two days, he had completed most of the refinement. He could now remotely command the flying sword and display swordsmanship.
With this, Zhou Heng’s strength had leaped forward dramatically. Even against a Secret Six Rank innate expert, as long as they did not possess a treasured weapon, he could put up a fight.
And if he were to use the Sword Technique of Conviction, even Secret Six Rank might not be unslayable!
…
On the twenty-eighth day of the first month.
Zhou Heng bid farewell to Lin Cang, Yu He, Lei Xiuyan, and others, and set off to leave Huangtong Mansion City, planning to go to the Imperial City in Zhongzhou to attend the Morning Sun Banquet.
However, not long after he left the city gate, he sensed that someone seemed to be tracking him in secret.
And the presence was obscure and difficult to discern, definitely a master.
After Zhou Heng traveled thirty miles from the city, the sun in the sky seemed to suddenly expand, and a dazzling, bright golden Sword Light suddenly descended from the heavens, striking at him.
This Sword Light was extremely fierce, bringing with it an unparalleled high temperature. Before it even truly fell, he felt waves of scorching heat rushing towards him.
Zhou Heng, ever vigilant, did not hesitate for a moment to dismount and roll on the ground to dodge.
He also took the reddish-brown horse into his Cave Sky.
The next instant!
Without a word, he opened his mouth and spat out a purple Sword Pill.
This Sword Pill merely bounced lightly, and instantly turned into a purple lightning that slashed towards the Sword Light coming from the sky!
“A treasured weapon?!”
An exclamation followed.