True Martial World

Chapter 515: An Unseen but Definite Fate

Yi Yun was beside Lin Xintong and they read this shocking heritage left behind by the ancient Great Empress together.

Without any exaggerations, it was the entire Great Empress mystic realm’s core.

It was the greatest wealth left behind by the ancient Great Empress.

The first volume of the “Great Empress Heart Sutra” was the general principles of the entire cultivation technique.

It described how Yang came before Yin. And when Yi Yun saw the Yang-elemental law’s general principles, he was stunned, for what was written was —

“Sunrise from Tang Valley, Roaming across the World, Spreading Light Onto World, Brilliant Glorious Magnificent Luster, Ten Suns from Fusang, Who Masters Pure Yang…”

The paragraph might sound obscure, but these words, that were full of charm, were extremely familiar to Yi Yun.

This was… the general principles behind the “Tai Ah Sacred Technique”!

The general principles behind the “Tai Ah Sacred Technique” were the same as the “Great Empress Heart Sutra”’s principles!?

Yi Yun’s first reaction was that it was impossible. Although the “Tai Ah Sacred Technique” was quite an impressive heritage, when compared to the level of the “Great Empress Heart Sutra”, it was far from it. If the “Tai Ah Sacred Technique” was such an amazing heritage, the Tai Ah Divine Kingdom would have been destroyed by the evil factions in the Tian Yuan world.

Clearly, the “Tai Ah Sacred Technique” was not to the point where it would cause the various factions from the Tian Yuan world to covet it. Then what was this?

“Yi Yun, I also noticed… Although I never cultivated the ‘Tai Ah Sacred Technique’, while I was in the Tai Ah Divine Kingdom, I had browsed through a little of the core heritage of the Tai Ah Divine Kingdom, that included the ‘Tai Ah Sacred Technique’ and the ‘Dragon Rib Tiger Bone Fist’. The general principles of the ‘Tai Ah Sacred Technique’ do indeed look extremely similar to those of the ‘Great Empress Heart Sutra’!”

Years ago, when Su Jie took Lin Xintong to the Tai Ah Divine Kingdom, she had once sparred with Yi Yun using the “Dragon Rib Tiger Bone Fist”. Lin Xintong’s attainment in martial arts greatly fascinated Yi Yun.

“Oh? Only the first 72 words of the ‘Great Empress Heart Sutra’ and the ‘Tai Ah Sacred Technique’ are the same! After that, it differs.”

Although Yi Yun had only mastered the first few volumes of the “Tai Ah Sacred Technique”, he had also seen the complete “Tai Ah Sacred Technique”. So now even with his eyes closed, the entire “Tai Ah Sacred Technique” could appear in his mind.

The “Great Empress Heart Sutra” was even more profound than the “Tai Ah Sacred Technique”.

“The ‘Tai Ah Sacred Technique’ comes from the ‘Great Empress Heart Sutra’. Actually, in terms of profoundness, it is far from it… However, the two cultivation techniques are definitely related. It’s no wonder that the ‘Tai Ah Sacred Technique’ was used as the cornerstone of the Tai Ah Divine Kingdom. Despite the test of time, it allowed the Tai Ah Divine Kingdom to flourish for millions of years!”

Indeed, the Tai Ah Divine Kingdom had existed for quite an excessive period of time. It was located in the Backwater East, far from the Tian Yuan world and far from conflict. It had witnessed the rise and fall of several factions in the Tian Yuan world.

“What is the origin of the ‘Tai Ah Sacred Technique’? How did it appear in the Tai Ah Divine Kingdom?” Lin Xintong asked Yi Yun. Although the “Tai Ah Sacred Technique” was only a small portion of the “Great Empress Heart Sutra”, it was still quite surprising for Lin Xintong. There were so many family clans and large factions in the Tian Yuan world, but none of their core cultivation techniques had any similarities to the “Great Empress Heart Sutra”.

“In the Tai Ah Divine Kingdom, it was popularly rumored that the ‘Tai Ah Sacred Technique’ was created by the Tai Ah Divine Kingdom’s founding Emperor, and it was constantly tweaked by successive Emperors. But according to what I know, the ‘Tai Ah Sacred Technique’ was actually a remnant that the founding Emperor found in a mystic realm. Later on, based on his own understanding of martial arts, he finally named it the ‘Tai Ah Sacred Technique’.”

What Yi Yun said was information he had obtained in the Tai Ah Divine City.

“Mystic realm… What mystic realms are there in the vicinity of the Tai Ah Divine Kingdom?”

“From what I know, north of the Tai Ah Divine Kingdom, in the Divine Wilderness, there are two mystic realms. One of them is the Meteorite Abyss. However, the warriors of the Tai Ah Divine Kingdom are unlikely to have opened it. As for the second mystic realm, it is within the Tai Ah Divine City, and it is known as the sword and saber tomb!”

“I have entered the sword and saber tomb before. A long time ago, when the Tai Ah Divine City was established, the two tombs had been robbed empty. The cultivation techniques, manuals and treasures in it had disappeared. There were saber and sword marks left on the sword and saber tombs’ walls. These marks were extremely exquisite. It contained supreme sword and saber Dao for people to gain insight in them.”

“And according to what I know, even figures as strong as the Shen Tu Patriarch would not be able to carve something like them… ”

When Yi Yun said this, an idea lit up in his head as he carried on, “Right! About a year ago, the Desolate race’s Empyrean King, Shepherd Boy, once led a desolate beast army to the Tai Ah Divine City, forcing the Tai Ah Divine City’s cultivators to be transported away. Finally, the Tai Ah Divine City fell! And when the Shepherd Boy’s army arrived, the Tai Ah Divine City’s City Lord had asked the Shepherd Boy why he was destroying the Tai Ah Divine Kingdom. The Shepherd Boy’s answer was:

“Because I have something to do… I do not truly want to destroy Tai Ah, but unfortunately, the few countries around the Divine Wilderness are hindering me from doing what I want to do. As such, I can only annihilate!”

Yi Yun’s memory was very good, so he could repeat whatever the Shepherd Boy had said ad verbatim.

When Lin Xintong heard this, her eyebrows ticked. When the Shepherd Boy attacked the Tai Ah Divine Kingdom, she was being forced into marriage by the Shen Tu family clan. So she was in reclusive training, hence, she did not know about things happening in the Backwater East.

“To do something, he was willing to destroy the trillions of lives in the Tai Ah Divine Kingdom. What could it be… Could it be… to find Jiang Xiaorou?”

Lin Xintong naturally knew that Yi Yun’s sister was from the royal lineage of the Desolate race.

Yi Yun shook his head, “No! It was just a coincidence that my sister, Jiang Xiaorou, happened to be in the Tai Ah Divine Kingdom. The Shepherd Boy probably did not know that in the beginning. So the thing he wanted to do was not to find my sister. It seems like it was a bigger matter.”

“The Shepherd Boy had said, ‘All sorts of natural living things support the survival of humans, yet, humans have never reciprocated that to the Heavens. Humans have accepted the gifts from nature, but what they consider is forever their own interests. You have extracted from nature without constraint, and with your trillions of people, you have extracted even more. To survive, are you not killing living beings every second and every moment? And the numbers you kill are far greater in number than the number of humans.”

“The world is heartless, it treats everything as lowly beings. In front of a stronger power, humans are no different from pigs and dogs. You can kill other living beings because you are strong. If other living beings kill you, it is because they are stronger. Not only you, even large worlds can collapse… formation, existence and then destruction, it is all a part of the Heavenly Dao.”

Back then, when Yi Yun had heard the Shepherd Boy’s words, he only felt that the Shepherd Boy was justifying his actions, and he did not think too much about it.

But now, while trying to understand his words in detail, he realized something strange.

Recalling the moment before he had to save Lin Xintong, the God Advent Tower’s Item Spirit had said the words “There’s no time”.

Something that needed the God Advent Tower’s Item Spirit to use the sealed energy left behind by the ancient Great Empress to repel the enemy.

A mysterious faction that plotted against the God Advent Tower, and from the same mysterious faction, came the swarthy youth who had entered the God Advent Tower using an unknown method…

Amongst all this, was there a connection?

Recalling the array images in the second level of the God Advent Tower, in ancient times, the proud and overbearing Azure Yang Lord had annihilated the black-armored warrior with a sword attack!

A sword attack that split the seas, two sword attacks that broke the Heavens, and three sword attacks to annihilate the moon and the sun. He was really unrivaled and he could not be looked down upon!

The Azure Rainbow pierces the Blood Moon, Ice Cold Seals God Abyss…

Blood Moon…

Be careful of the Blood Moon…

Was the Blood Moon a symbol of a calamity?

With all these linked together, it made Yi Yun feel that this was the indication of a storm that was slowly brewing…

However, he found it difficult to guess what had happened in ancient times.

Besides, in ancient times, the martial arts heritage were clearly much stronger than it is now. In the period that the ancient Great Empress existed, the overall strength of warriors was clearly on a different level to what it is now.

Logically, martial arts should improve with civilization. But the fact was that in the Tian Yuan world, martial arts was taking steps backwards, with each generation weaker than the last…

These massive doubts made Yi Yun feel a sense of foreboding. It seemed like an invisible demonic hand was slowly reaching out towards the Tian Yuan world!

“Miss Lin, I recall something. When the Shepherd Boy conquered the Tai Ah Divine City, he did not lead his desolate beast army to flatten the Tai Ah Divine Kingdom. This was most likely due to my sister’s objection, but certainly that was one of the goals of the Shepherd Boy. And also one of his main goals had been accomplished when he conquered the Tai Ah Divine City. The Shepherd Boy’s desolate beast army had stayed in the Tai Ah Divine City for a long period of time, with no one knowing what he was doing there.”

“The Tai Ah Divine City may have a lot of resources, but those things are nothing that a figure at the level of the Shepherd Boy would eye. Other than the sword and saber tomb, I can’t think of anything else he would eye.”

“What is most bizarre is that a few days after the Shepherd Boy occupied the Tai Ah Divine City, there was a strong violent purple beam that shot up in the direction of the Tai Ah Divine City. Following that, purple clouds covered the sky! Even the Cloud Wilderness, which was millions of miles away, also had the same scene! Back then, after being rescued by the Shepherd Boy, I was thinking of escaping to the Cloud Wilderness. I witness the scene. The purple clouds that shrouded the sky… ”

When Yi Yun said this, something lit up in Lin Xintong’s head!

“Purple Clouds’ Birth… Are you talking about the Purple Clouds’ Birth? I have seen that scene before too!”

Back then, Lin Xintong had accompanied Su Jie to the Cloud Wilderness precisely because of the Purple Clouds’ Birth in the Cloud Wilderness! Su Jie believed that it was an opportunity that could join up Lin Xintong’s terminated meridians, so he rushed there together with Lin Xintong.

And it was because of going to the Cloud Wilderness that they met Yi Yun.

“That’s right. It was Purple Clouds’ Birth! You should know that several years ago, due to the engagement with Shen Tu Nantian, you had to leave the Tai Ah Divine Kingdom. Your master had entered a mystic realm in the Cloud Wilderness together with his old friend, Marquis Wenyun. In the end, an incident happened in the mystic realm, causing senior Su Jie to be trapped in there. Only after the Shepherd Boy attacked the Tai Ah Divine City and the purple beam from the Tai Ah Divine City shot up did the Purple Clouds’ Birth appear once again in the Cloud Wilderness. This also allowed senior Su Jie to be released!”

“And I was attracted by the Purple Clouds’ Birth that resulted in me meeting senior Su Jie. This allowed me to follow him to the Tian Yuan world and meet you for the second time!”

“Because of the Purple Clouds’ Birth, senior Su Jie had brought you to the Cloud Wilderness, and he also entered a mystic realm. As such, our meeting was also because of the Purple Clouds’ Birth. And also because of the Purple Clouds’ Birth, senior Su Jie escaped from the mystic realm, bringing me out of the Cloud Wilderness, for us to meet again! All of this seems like destiny… ”

When Yi Yun described all that had happened in the past few years, Lin Xintong felt an inexplicable chill.

She never wanted to succumb to fate. Although she had natural Yin Meridians, it had never weakened her determination to defy fate.

However, when her fate was intertwined with ancient times, something that the ancient Great Empress and Azure Yang Lord failed to resist had extended to the present, befalling on Yi Yun and herself!

In ancient times, the Azure Yang Lord who cultivated pure Yang laws, and the ancient Great Empress with naturally terminated meridians probably stood in front of this very bookshelf as well.

And now, Yi Yun who cultivated pure Yang laws and her with naturally terminated meridians were also standing here. This coincidence seemed like an invisible hand of fate that was arranging things in the dark…

Maybe… she and Yi Yun were to repeat the fates from ancient times?

Then, what was their fate?

Author’s note: This chapter links up all the hidden links embedded in the first 1.4 million characters together. It is also a part of the novel’s main plotline. It’s quite an important chapter. I hope everyone will read it more carefully, or else, some of the plot in the future might be missed. Thank you for your support.

Translator’s note: Refer to Chapter 206 for Yi Yun’s first read of the Tai Ah Sacred Technique.

Refer to Chapter 349 for the exchange between the Shepherd Boy and the Tai Ah Divine City’s City Lord.

Refer to Chapter 371 for what the Shepherd Boy did in the sword and saber tombs, resulting in another Purple Clouds’ Birth.