Chapter 866: One Leaf in a Thousand Years, Sitting Motionless Like a Pine

Chapter 866 -864: One Leaf in a Thousand Years, Sitting Motionless Like a Pine

“I don’t know.”

Cang Feng shook his head.

Xu Yang was dumbstruck. He didn’t know?

“That kind of place is simply beyond the knowledge of cultivators in the Black and White Starry Sky,” Cang Feng said with a bitter smile. “It is said that one must at least step into the upper realm, the Nine Moons Ringing Sky, to even learn how to enter the Wind, Fire, Thunder, and Rain Skies.

“Although it can also serve as a trial, it is extremely dangerous and not meant for ordinary people. Even if one were to go, the requirements are exceedingly harsh.”

That made sense. Xu Yang sighed, temporarily suppressing his distracting thoughts. But no matter what, even if there was no one inside, he still had to make a trip there. The secrets of the Mandate of Heaven had to be uncovered. The four divisions of Wind, Fire, Thunder, and Rain—the direct subordinates of Fentian—were bound to hide a heaven-shaking secret. If he didn’t unravel it, he wouldn’t find any peace of mind, as the mysteries involved were simply too immense.

Could the Mandate of Heaven be a puppet? He didn’t even dare to imagine it. If word of this got out, he would probably be ridiculed. Yet, it invoked a deep, visceral fear. What if it was true? That was the Mandate of Heaven itself.

“There is a saying: the Mandate of Heaven cannot be defied!” Cang Feng suddenly murmured.

Xu Yang shuddered, a subtle flash of terror crossing his eyes as goosebumps covered his skin. He even suspected that Cang Feng might have figured something out, but he couldn’t be sure. The phrase echoed in his mind: the Mandate of Heaven cannot be defied.

He had originally wanted to ask about Ancient Immortals and Demonic Immortals, but he instantly abandoned the idea. Cang Feng knew so much that asking too many questions might lead the man to deduce something. Even if there was only a one-in-ten-thousand chance of that happening, he didn’t dare risk asking anything else.

His eyes darting away as his thoughts churned, Xu Yang quickly changed the subject. “Pavilion Master, what era are we in now?”

“The era of the Mangya Immortal Lord seems to have ended peacefully, without any drastic changes to heaven and earth. The ones sitting at the very top right now should be the mighty experts who served under the Mangya Immortal Lord,” Cang Feng replied. “However, perhaps only the Nine Moons Ringing Sky knows the details clearly.”

Being in the lowest tier of heaven, their information was too restricted, leaving them without the qualifications to pry further.

Xu Yang nodded slightly.

“Do you know of the Starfall Immortal Ruins?” Cang Feng asked.

“I know a little. It is the absolute most terrifying forbidden zone in the Eastern Continent, bar none,” Xu Yang said in a deep voice. “It’s said that countless experts from past generations have fallen there. It borders the origin of the starry sky, making it both horrifying and teeming with endless opportunities.”

“Correct,” Cang Feng said solemnly. “The Starfall Immortal Ruins are about to open. When the time comes, all the major immortal sects will step inside. There are even opportunities to break through to become a Sage Immortal in there.

“To ascend to the upper realms, aside from having connections with upper-realm sects who can use special methods to guide you up for a certain price, one must break their shackles and advance to the Sage Immortal realm.

“But the difficulty is immense. Although the origin of the Black and White Starry Sky is quite extraordinary, it is suppressed by the upper realms. The underlying issues are highly complex and are deeply tied to how the original Nine Heavens were reduced to the current Six Heavens, with only four of them still inhabited by cultivators.

“In short, it is incredibly difficult to break through to the Sage Immortal realm right now. However, the Starfall Immortal Ruins can slightly lower that difficulty and make up for what’s missing.

“Therefore, every time it opens, it becomes a fierce battleground for those of us in the Golden Immortal Extreme Realm. Of course, many know they have little hope, and even if they improve, they won’t choose to forcefully test the bottleneck. After all, staying in the Black and White Starry Sky isn’t a bad choice either.

“Aside from that, it also offers opportunities for slightly weaker cultivators. Over countless years, the major immortal sects have tacitly established a set of rules. All the sects and teams that enter will compete for their own areas, planting their flags to claim territory and scouring for lucky encounters.

“When the time comes, I would like to ask you to represent Heaven’s Edge Pavilion.”

Xu Yang’s eyes flickered as he quickly weighed the pros and cons. After just a few breaths, he smiled and said, “I have no objections.”

Based on Cang Feng’s few words, he could predict that entering the Starfall Immortal Ruins alone would make it difficult to achieve anything significant. The only factions he could somewhat rely on in the Eastern Continent were Celestial Sword Mountain and Heaven’s Edge Pavilion. However, his connection to the former was purely because of Lord Mobai; the attitude of Celestial Sword Mountain as a whole was a different matter entirely.

As for Heaven’s Edge Pavilion, he held the esteemed position of a Dragon-Tiger Venerable and had gained the approval of the vast majority of its members. Furthermore, the pavilion was by no means weak—it was second only to the top-tier immortal sects, making it very formidable. Following the Heaven’s Edge Pavilion team was undoubtedly his best choice.

Receiving Xu Yang’s answer, the smile on Cang Feng’s face deepened. With the Black Fire Immortal Mountain backing him, he wasn’t worried at all about how Xu Yang would ascend to the upper realms. When the time was right, he would inevitably be guided into the Nine Moons Ringing Sky.

There was still some time before the Starfall Immortal Ruins opened. Given the growth speed of Xu Yang’s Ninth Grade immortal foundation, one could easily imagine his progress. By then, he would be a powerful combatant just below the Golden Immortal Extreme Realm, which would be of great benefit to Heaven’s Edge Pavilion.

“Last time, we hadn’t formally met in person, so the welcoming gift was just a minor trinket. This time, I will give you a true welcoming gift,” Cang Feng said. He suddenly flicked his finger toward an ancient pine tree at the edge of the terrace.

Before Xu Yang could even see clearly, a quaint leaf hovered in the air before him. Its veins crisscrossed chaotically, looking completely devoid of any profound mysteries. It just seemed like an ordinary leaf.

“This is a leaf from the Heaven-Reaching Ancient Pine. It takes a thousand years to form a single leaf, undergoing ten cycles of withering and flourishing,” Cang Feng explained. “The Heaven-Reaching Ancient Pine is one of the very few top-tier botanical immortal treasures in the Black and White Starry Sky. Not even the major top-tier immortal sects have them; the only three in existence are right here.”

Xu Yang’s heart gave a jolt as he looked at the three ancient pines in astonishment. They looked completely unremarkable. Had Cang Feng not spoken explicitly, he never would have guessed that they were peerless immortal treasures.

“This item will be of great benefit to you,” Cang Feng said, his voice turning stern. “Calm your mind and focus.”

Xu Yang’s expression grew serious. He immediately suppressed all distracting thoughts and slowly closed his eyes.

Cang Feng raised a finger.

SWISH!

The leaf spun through the air, drifted into the center of Xu Yang’s brow, and vanished without a trace.

Xu Yang shuddered, instantly sitting as still as a statue. He remained completely motionless, and even the aura radiating from his body completely dissipated in just a few breaths.

Cang Feng slowly stood up and swept his gaze around before finally fixing his eyes on Xu Yang. “The Mandate of Heaven cannot be defied,” he murmured absentmindedly. “Those who defy it shall be hunted down by all other Mandates… an insurmountable chasm.

“Slaying a defier of the Mandate even grants unimaginable, earth-shattering opportunities… I hope I am just overthinking things.

“Generation after generation of Immortal Lords, through cycle after cycle of eras, there has actually been no lack of those who defied the Mandate. Unfortunately, it has always been like striking a stone with an egg.

“Is this Mandate of Heaven truly the Mandate of Heaven?”

Muttering to himself, Cang Feng turned and walked away with a complicated expression.

Even the old monsters in the top-tier immortal sects of the Black and White Starry Sky didn’t necessarily know this information. The only reason Cang Feng knew was because of a few secrets passed down by the first Pavilion Master of Heaven’s Edge Pavilion. Though it was only a few fragmented words, it was enough to strike fear into one’s heart.

Cang Feng’s figure gradually faded from view.

Xu Yang was left sitting alone on the terrace, unmoving like a statue in the face of the changing winds and clouds. As time passed, his aura became entirely dead and withered. But at a certain moment, it suddenly revived, soaring straight up until it was overwhelmingly vigorous. Then, it shifted and circulated once more, alternating between withering and flourishing like a cycle of reincarnation. It happened again and again, as if he were undergoing a tribulation.

The Heaven-Reaching Ancient Pine leaf took a thousand years to condense, enduring ten cycles of withering and flourishing, once every century. Yet on Xu Yang’s body, the cycle seemed to occur once every three days. After each withering, the flourishing aura that revived would far surpass the previous one, as if breaking through yet another limit.

All was peaceful within the surrounding mountains. Outsiders had no idea where Xu Yang was or what he was doing, and Xu Yang had severed all thoughts, sitting in withered silence like an ancient pine.