Chapter 479 – The Agony of Exhausting Divine Sense

No one knew how much time had passed. The ancient characters within the scroll continued to stream forth without pause, while Zhang Xiaohua already felt his divine sense nearing total depletion. Although he now possessed the Guiding the Spirit Technique, and thus need not fear the exhaustion of his divine sense, he could not help but worry—if these writings pouring into his sea of consciousness lost the tether of his divine sense, might they backfire and harm him? Or perhaps damage the scroll itself?

These were things Zhang Xiaohua could not know.

All he could do was grit his teeth and push his remaining divine sense forward, praying that he could complete the transmission before it ran dry.

After some time, the flow of characters began to slow—it seemed the transmission was reaching its end. Yet Zhang Xiaohua’s divine sense had already been utterly exhausted. With a soft sigh, he prepared to withdraw what little remained of it, ready to deal with any unexpected backlash from the sudden interruption.

But just then, the golden formation outside his Pill Heart began to revolve, and from within the formation, a strand of golden light shot straight into the core of the Pill Heart. At once, the Pill Heart trembled and suddenly gave rise to a fresh wisp of divine sense.

Though this new divine sense was scant in quantity, the moment it emerged, Zhang Xiaohua could feel its density. If his current divine sense was like thin air, then this new strand was like a stream of viscous water. As soon as it left the Mud Pill Palace, it plunged into the scroll.

In that instant, the pages of the scroll, which had been turning slowly, suddenly picked up speed, flipping rapidly to the very end. At the same time, the characters transmitted into Zhang Xiaohua’s mind surged in intensity. The abrupt flood of information made his head feel as though it were about to split open.

Fortunately, the process had reached its final stage. Though the influx of information was fierce, it lasted only a moment. The pain flared—then vanished.

By the time Zhang Xiaohua came back to his senses, that ancient-looking scroll had already closed itself, floating quietly in midair. The blue radiance had long since vanished, and it had returned to its earlier appearance as a Wordless Heavenly Tome.

Zhang Xiaohua patted his forehead and beckoned with his hand. The Wordless Heavenly Tome floated down into his palm. He glanced at the cover, then flipped through its pages—still completely blank. He wanted to use his divine sense again to inspect the restriction, but now that his mind was spent and empty, he was willing but powerless.

He carefully tucked the tome into his robes. Without yet checking the text that had just been imprinted in his mind, he calmed his breath, focused inward, and silently recited the second-layer incantation of the Guiding the Spirit Technique. Slowly, he began to revolve the Pill Heart, replenishing his depleted divine sense.

Although he had exhausted his entire reserve of divine sense just moments before, that final, breathtaking wisp which had shot forth from his Pill Heart had illuminated a path forward in his cultivation. Divine sense, it seemed, was not merely about quantity—true strength lay in its quality. That single thread, though small in Zhang Xiaohua’s perception, felt as though it was equivalent to at least twenty percent of his full divine sense.

Clearly, this Guiding the Spirit Technique required far more effort and refinement.

It wasn’t until the sun began to sink in the western sky that Zhang Xiaohua finally opened his eyes. Calmly surveying the interior of the pill chamber, he rose to his feet.

Earlier that morning, after transcribing the Great Evolution Five Elements Formation with Nie Qianyu, she had left behind the pill recipe and medicinal herbs that Zhang Xiaohua would need for the afternoon’s alchemy session. Yet the entire afternoon had been consumed by his encounter with the wordless tome—how could he have spared any thought for those herbs?

Having been left untouched for half the day, the herbs were already beginning to wilt. Fortunately, when Zhang Xiaohua had deciphered the Wordless Heavenly Tome just now, a surge of the Yuan Qi of Heaven and Earth had erupted forth, saturating the pill chamber. Though the herbs had been separated from the soil, the energy within them hadn’t dissipated much. Still, if they were left out in the open overnight, they would likely be unusable by tomorrow.

After a moment of thought, Zhang Xiaohua stored the herbs inside his money pouch. He had considered placing them into a jade box, but the box was too small, and the herbs too long. If he trimmed them and stored them that way, who knew how Nie Qianyu might question him when he brought them out tomorrow? Better, then, to put them directly into the space within the money pouch—there seemed to be an abundance of Yuan Qi in there, and the herbs likely wouldn’t change much.

After tidying up the herbs, Zhang Xiaohua stepped out of the pill room, shaking his head that still ached faintly. That sensation of his divine sense being drained and a flood of words pouring into his mind was truly unpleasant. It seemed that in the future, whenever he read jade slips, he’d have to be more cautious. From the way the Wordless Heavenly Book transmitted knowledge, it was clear that the immortal path recorded writings not only on jade slips. If he ever encountered strange restrictions again, he’d best prepare some sort of defense in advance. Just thinking about what had happened earlier—if those words had been accompanied by a sudden attack from the scroll itself, he would surely have been caught off guard, perhaps even injured. Restoring divine sense was one thing—he had the Guiding the Spirit Technique—but as for other unknown forms of attack, that was another matter entirely.

Outside the pill room, dusk had already settled in. The air was warm, tinged with the fragrance of herbs that swept over him. Zhang Xiaohua took in a deep breath. He loved that faint medicinal scent. Under the distant stone cliffs, though many disciples were still coming and going from the pill room, there were far fewer than in the morning. Their busy faces all carried smiles of quiet satisfaction.

For some reason, Zhang Xiaohua suddenly thought of his father and elder brother, far away in Guo Village. At this very hour, they must also be returning from the fields outside the village, hoes slung over their shoulders, perhaps with a dry tobacco pipe still between their lips, strolling home at ease. In the small courtyard not far ahead, the evening cooking smoke must already be rising—no, perhaps now, two plumes of smoke instead of one.

Mother’s face suddenly surfaced in his mind, etched deep into his memory. He thought of the tender love in her eyes, of her hopes and expectations for him. Unknowingly, Zhang Xiaohua lifted his gaze. The sun on the distant horizon was about to set. A warmth quietly filled his heart, and the ache in his head seemed to lessen. Striding briskly into the inner valley bathed in the afterglow, his shadow stretched longer and longer behind him!

After winding through several narrow paths, Zhang Xiaohua arrived at a medicinal field. Here grew rows upon rows of delicate red flowers, clusters of crimson buds raised atop slender stems and leaves. A gentle breeze swept across, sending faint ripples rolling from one end of the field to the other.

Zhang Xiaohya found a clean, slightly raised patch of earth and plopped down, just as he had in his younger days, resting on the ridges of the fields back in Guo Village when the farm work grew tiring.

Casually, he tugged a stalk of delicate red flowers from the field and twirled it in his hand, swaying it from side to side like a dog’s tail flower. In that moment, his heart seemed to return to ten years ago. It had been so long since he had indulged in such carefree idleness, so long since he had enjoyed this kind of unhurried leisure. He sat there lazily, letting the wind brush through his hair, letting the sunlight graze across his face.

From the nearby forest came the chirping of birds, lively and noisy, until the setting sun finally drew back the last rays of light from the world. Only then did the forest gradually quiet down, and the birds all returned to their nests, savoring the warmth of home.

Zhang Xiaohua closed his eyes. He neither looked at his surroundings nor released his divine sense. Yet in this moment of stillness, it was as though everything around him was perfectly clear in his heart—clearer than sight, more detailed than divine sense. It was as if he had become one with this silence, and this silence had become one with him.

The headache from overtaxing his divine sense, from that torrent of words forced into his mind, seemed to quietly fade away without him even noticing.

Just as Zhang Xiaohua was savoring this tranquil beauty, his brows suddenly knit together. He faintly sensed someone approaching from afar. Though he couldn’t be certain, his heart stirred with undeniable awareness.

At once, he released his divine sense—and sure enough, several dozen zhang away, Valley Master Nie was slowly walking in this direction, pausing here and there as though searching for something.

The corners of Zhang Xiaohua’s lips curved into a smile. Within Spring Rebirth Valley, for Valley Master Nie to personally look around like this—aside from Elder Zhang and a few others—most likely the only one he would seek out was himself. Judging by the direction of his search, it could only be him.

With a soft sigh, Zhang Xiaohua rose to his feet, still holding the stalk of the delicate red flower in his hand. His rare stolen moment of leisure had come to an end. From the looks of Valley Master Nie, there must be something important at hand.

A thought flashed across Zhang Xiaohua’s mind. Could it be that envoys from the Incense-Spreading Sect had arrived? By his reckoning, the time was indeed about right.

The moment he remembered his missing second brother, Zhang Xiaohua dared not delay. He quickly strode forward to greet the approaching figure.

After a short while, he came face-to-face with Valley Master Nie. Seeing Zhang Xiaohua walking over, he immediately halted, smiling as he said: “Nephew Ren, why are you not in the pill room today refining or cultivating? To think you’d be in the mood to enjoy the scenery of the valley instead!”

Glancing at the Linglong Red in Zhang Xiaohua’s hand, Valley Master Nie spoke again before Zhang Xiaohua could open his mouth: “My Spring Rebirth Valley is like spring all year round, and the scenery within the inner valley is especially beautiful. This Linglong Red is but one small corner of it. If Nephew Ren enjoys it, tomorrow I’ll have Little Yu take you around for a proper tour.”

Zhang Xiaohua lifted the stalk of Linglong Red, studying it with interest before saying: “Thank you for Uncle Nie’s concern. These past days I’ve been endlessly transcribing formation diagrams. Today, I was seized by a nameless restlessness, so I came out to walk around. But to toy with flowers and gaze at the moon—that seems the pastime of scholars. For those of us who walk the jianghu, best not to pretend otherwise.”

Hearing this, Valley Master Nie looked a little embarrassed. With a smile, he said: “Speaking of which, I must still thank Nephew Ren. And privately, I also wish to offer an apology on behalf of Senior Brother Si. Truth be told, though Senior Brother Si’s actions seemed rash, he too has his difficulties…”

At that, Zhang Xiaohua could only give a wry smile. “Everyone has their difficulties. Forget it, why cling to grievances? This Wordless Heavenly Book can only be deciphered by me. Even if it were kept in the Artifact Forging Sect for countless years, it would remain but a blank book. In the end, it would likely vanish like so many other legacies of the Immortal Dao. This very afternoon, I imprinted new restrictions into the scroll and infused it with my divine sense. Though the flaw on its cover remains unrepaired, its vitality is brimming. Preserved like this, it should endure another thousand years without issue.”

With that, Zhang Xiaohua waved his hand, cutting off Valley Master Nie’s words. “I hold sincerity in my heart, so why should I be afraid of the moonlight shining into the depths of valleys and gullies? Too many explanations are unnecessary. My Big Dipper Sect has always been true to its word. Once the elders of my sect uncover the book’s secret, we will certainly inform the Artifact Forging Sect.”

Valley Master Nie’s expression turned solemn. He bent deeply in a respectful bow. “Nephew Ren’s righteousness is truly admirable. On behalf of the Artifact Forging Sect, I give you thanks.”

Zhang Xiaohua let out a soft sigh, shaking his head as he returned the salute. “Valley Master Nie, did you come here specifically in search of me?”

Valley Master Nie nodded. “Indeed. It is precisely because of the matter you and I agreed upon here in Spring Rebirth Valley that I came to discuss it with you.”