Chapter 151 - 150: Premonition

Chapter 151: Chapter 150: Premonition

The stars and moon were hidden, and the sky was pitch-black.

Fortunately, after days of wandering, Chen Qingyang had become extremely familiar with the terrain. He could find his way back to Jiuzhen City just by following the silhouette of the mountains.

He then found an inn, rented a superior room, and locked all his things inside before heading up the mountain to the Nine True Temple.

He knew exactly what he had, so there was no rush to examine everything. If Liu Tao noticed he was gone and thought something had happened, she would go out looking for him, which would be a real problem.

Back in the small courtyard of the Nine True Temple.

He had just stepped one foot inside when Liu Tao stormed out of a room, sizing him up. "Hmph! And where have you been? I was starting to think you weren’t coming back at all."

Ignoring her sarcastic tone, Chen Qingyang went and sat down at the round table. He drank a cup of tea to quench his thirst.

His Meridians were injured, and he was utterly exhausted. All he wanted was to meditate and recover. "Senior Sister wasn’t here, and I was bored, so I just wandered around. I lost track of time."

"Hmph!" she scoffed again, her voice dripping with sarcasm. "You could have told me sooner. I went all the way down the mountain to look for you but couldn’t find a trace. I don’t know what’s so interesting to see around here. Unless... you’ve found a sweetheart in the city?"

Chen Qingyang suddenly smiled. "Senior Sister, what are you talking about? I’d rather wander these mountains than find a sweetheart in the city. This mountain is where one finds houses of gold and beauties like jade!"

Liu Tao just rolled her eyes at him before gracefully turning and sitting down across from him.

"How was your mountain patrol today, Senior Sister?"

Hearing the concern in his voice, she was finally willing to answer properly. "It went smoothly. It’s always just those few Arrays. The daily routine is always the same."

Chen Qingyang suddenly remembered that two more Demon Sect Disciples had died today. Given their violent and aggressive nature, they certainly wouldn’t let it go. The patrol routes were likely to become much more dangerous.

"Senior Sister, be extra careful on your patrols for the next couple of days. When you use the Wind Control Skill, try to stay close to the ground and don’t expose your position. Finish your work and leave immediately. Don’t linger at the temples. Once these few days are over, I’ll go with you."

Chen Qingyang’s serious demeanor made Liu Tao suspicious. "What do you mean by that?"

"Have you forgotten, Senior Sister? Two members of the Demon Sect died at our hands last time. I’m worried they’ll retaliate. You must be careful."

Liu Tao looked at him with a tender, affectionate gaze. "Oh, Chen Qingyang, are you worried about me?"

But Chen Qingyang was anxious. "Senior Sister, you have to listen to me, and you must do as I say. We traveled tens of thousands of miles to get here. Nothing else matters; returning home safely is the most important thing."

Looking at him, Liu Tao’s smile grew even sweeter. "Since you’re so concerned about me, I’ll listen to you this once. I’ll be careful about everything and won’t cause any trouble."

Only then did Chen Qingyang feel a little relieved. "Senior Sister, you absolutely must."

"Mm."

...

After his warning, Chen Qingyang sat down and began to circulate his Qi Mechanism to heal his injuries. Perhaps sensing the change in his Qi, Liu Tao asked curiously, "I feel like your Cultivation has gotten stronger again. I can’t even see through it clearly anymore?"

The moment he circulated his Qi Mechanism, the method he used to hide his Cultivation level failed.

Chen Qingyang replied, "I’m probably just a tiny bit stronger than you, Senior Sister. Not by much."

Seeing this, Liu Tao didn’t disturb him any further. Chen Qingyang activated the Danxia Nourishing Truth Sword Technique, slowly clearing the blockages in his injured Meridians. This time, it felt like a long while had passed.

When he opened his eyes, morning light was streaming through the window, and Liu Tao was long gone from the room. When he tried to circulate his Qi again, a dull pain still throbbed in his chest; his injuries hadn’t fully healed.

’Back then, I was only thinking about refining some antidote Elixirs to carry with me. Why didn’t I think to refine some Elixirs for healing and clearing Meridians? I can’t be so careless next time I go out.’

Fortunately, the Qi Mechanism in his body was flowing smoothly enough. Chen Qingyang closed his eyes slightly. A starlight seemed to shine from within him, its faint, beautiful glow illuminating his body.

’There’s been too much happening lately. Even if it costs me, I have to use the Astrology Skill to divine a thing or two.’

In his mind, the entire celestial Star Map appeared. Finally, he looked up through the window and saw the evolution of the starry sky during the daytime.

Amidst the starry river, there were many clusters of green light, like stars with dark green tails, dragging along chaotic, irregular trajectories. They threw what should have been an orderly system into disarray.

This celestial phenomenon had long been recorded. It was called "Mixed Star Demon Qi" and represented calamity, chaos, and, in severe cases, even the advent of war.

In the Tai Xu Purple Star Pivot, it had another layer of meaning: "Where the demon qi passes, heaven becomes clear and earth bright; if the demon qi does not scatter, chaos remains unparted."

This meant that if one could endure the calamity, there would be unexpected rewards, and things that were once confusing would become clear. But if one couldn’t endure it, then disaster was truly imminent.

Unable to figure out what this calamity was, Chen Qingyang pushed harder. The Star Map became blurry and indistinct, obscured by a fog. However, one star, corresponding directly to Nine True Mountain, suddenly flashed with light.

It shone with a brilliant, dazzling golden light.

’If a star corresponds to a person, it speaks of human affairs. If it corresponds to a mountain, it speaks of matters concerning the mountains and rivers.’

’So what exactly is in these mountains and rivers?’

All of Chen Qingyang’s divinations started from his own luck to foresee future events, so whatever he divined would be related to him.

Perhaps this golden light indicated that the Cyan Nether Sword Embryo was certain to appear on Nine True Mountain. As for who would ultimately claim it, that was unclear.

As he tried to continue the divination, Chen Qingyang felt a tightness in his chest, and the pain in his injury intensified. He had no choice but to withdraw the Dharma Gate and smooth out his Qi Mechanism again.

’There are too many things I can’t figure out just by divination. I’ll have to think things through slowly and unravel them one by one. The most urgent task is to start with that map.’

Chen Qingyang washed up in his room, left the Nine True Temple, and returned to the city. After talking to the inn’s Shopkeeper, he learned that it wasn’t the second day, but the fourth. His meditation session had been quite long this time.

In his room, he opened the cabinet.

The things he had collected yesterday were still inside. Chen Qingyang first picked up the Jade Talisman and examined it carefully. A Qi Mechanism flowed over it, and where it converged, there was an indescribable feeling.

It was viscous, as if clumped together and difficult to disperse. This must be the substance that could sense the Spirit Rhinoceros Guide Talisman.

That made sense. Once this aura stuck to someone, it was indeed very difficult to get rid of. It was precisely because the Sword Embryo and this Jade Talisman shared the same aura that they could sense each other.

’When I go out in the future, I should carry this with me to help find that treasure.’

Next, he looked at the Magical Armor. It seemed to be neither gold nor jade, shining with a bright, rosy-pink luster. It was carved with patterns and contained a considerable amount of Qi Mechanism, but he had damaged it with his Sword Qi. If it could be refined through Sacrificial Refinement, he would use it. If not, he could take it back and sell it to Gentle Breeze.

The Flying Sword and the bronze fan could be handled the same way. He counted his Spirit Stones—there were only a few dozen.

That was to be expected. Without a technique like Universe in the Sleeve, no one would carry all their possessions on them. They only needed enough for immediate use.

Finally, he picked up the map.

For the past few days, Chen Qingyang had been walking through the mountains. With the Conscious Fish, he had a good grasp of the general terrain. Seeing the marked areas on the map, he knew the Demon Sect had already searched them. He could still go and check the remaining blank area.

’But even so, it’s still like looking for a needle in a haystack. So many Disciples of the Yu Xiao Demon Sect have been busy for months without success. I’m afraid it’ll be difficult for me to get results either. I need to find a shortcut!’

[Danxia Nourishing Truth Sword Manual: (7807/16000)]

After using all his Immortal Seedlings on his Cultivation, the True Essence in his body became much more robust. The Mingtang Fire burned brightly, and even his injured Meridians had healed significantly.

’To think, the Second Acupoint of Ascension requires 16,000 Immortal Seedlings. For the Third Acupoint, will it become 24,000? At this rate, advancing my Cultivation is going to get harder and harder.’

He spent a good number of Spirit Stones to continue his Cultivation and meditation. As evening approached, he went to a teahouse and sat down. Liu Tao wouldn’t be able to find him at the Nine True Temple, so she would surely come looking for him here.

But he sat and waited for a long time without any sign of her. A bad feeling welled up in his heart. He immediately used the Ziwei Scripture to perform a divination for Liu Tao alone.

The Star Map that appeared in his mind showed Ying Huo, but it only grazed by without a direct collision. Logically, she should be fine.

But Chen Qingyang still felt uneasy. He expended more energy and divined again. This time, he broke out in a sweat, but he also saw more clearly.

It really was just a graze!

’So if she hasn’t come, could she have been summoned by a Master again?’

He couldn’t sit still any longer. Just as he was about to get up, he saw Liu Tao walk in from outside. She also breathed a sigh of relief upon seeing him there.

"Why is your face so pale? And you’ve been meditating and practicing Cultivation for days. Did your Cultivation advance too quickly and cause a problem?" Liu Tao’s beautiful eyes were filled with concern.

She had no idea that he looked this way because he had been divining her safety.

"I’m fine, Senior Sister, I just need a little rest. Did you run into trouble on your patrol today?"

At the mention of this, a look of lingering fear appeared on Liu Tao’s face.

"Thankfully, I listened to you. I flew low when I got near the temples and spotted the Demon Sect Disciples ahead of time. I didn’t even bother with the Arrays. I hid all the way back and was immediately summoned by a Master upon my return."

"Only later did I find out that several of our senior brothers and sisters were injured. Three Disciples never even came back, and their Tokens haven’t sent any messages. I’m afraid it’s more bad news than good..."

"Sigh!" She let out a breath, and her gaze toward Chen Qingyang was exceptionally gentle. "Junior Brother, your warning saved my life!"

At this moment, it wasn’t just her; even Chen Qingyang felt a chill hearing it. "What did the Master say?"

Liu Tao said, "He told us not to act for the time being. We don’t need to do the patrols anymore. We just have to wait three days for the Sect to dispatch another Foundation Establishment Master!"

Chen Qingyang immediately understood the gravity of the situation. "It seems the Sect is taking this Sword Embryo seriously. I bet more than one Foundation Establishment Master will come."

Liu Tao just said, "That’s all Sect business. The good thing is that we’re both okay, so we don’t have to take any more risks."

Chen Qingyang had been planning to tell Liu Tao that he would go with her on patrol tomorrow, but now there was no need.

’I’ll rest for another day to recover from my injuries, then I’ll go out and cause some trouble for the Demon Sect. I’ll see if I can run into anything. With the Conscious Fish, I can hide myself extremely well.’

"Mm, you’re right, Senior Sister."