Chapter 91
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In the second level of the Sutra Repository, a vast collection of items radiating dazzling divine brilliance filled the space, dazzling to the eye.
The Shangqing lineage was known for its carefree nature, and even within this Sutra Repository, no concealment formations had been set. Any disciple who possessed the karmic affinity could ascend. However, the second level was not a collection of Daoist lineages established by the various True Lords. Instead, it contained scriptures personally written by the Great Heavenly Venerable Lingbao, left here casually. It was also a section frequently perused by the Qingyang Miaodao Heavenly Lord, in days past.
Ordinary disciples had no opportunity to set foot in this place.
Each scroll contained profound and esoteric teachings. Works such as [The Nine Ramparts Dragon Wondrous Sutra of Pacification and Tranquility], [The Inner Sounds of the Heavens, Jade Script of Natural Law from the Lingbao Lineage], and [The Nine Heavens Divine Manifestation Sutra of the Lingbao Lineage] were mystical scriptures that would stir the hearts of all true transmission disciples. If an ordinary disciple was fortunate enough to enter, obtaining the transmission of even a single scripture would immediately cause them to be sent out of this place.
They didn’t even need to pick one up.
Simply having a thought arise in their heart, recognizing the value of a scripture, would grant them its transmission, only for them to be transported away in the blink of an eye.
Yet, Yun Qin had not considered this at all. She was only thinking of finding the [Scroll of Flowers, Birds, Fish, and Insects], completely ignoring the glowing jade slips scattered throughout the hall.
She walked straight to the innermost area in one go.
There, a small door stood. Pushing it open, she saw a middle-aged Daoist seated atop a Taiji platform. He wore black Daoist robes and rested one hand against his cheek as if he were dozing. His jet-black hair was like the night sky, held in place by a jade hairpin whose end resembled auspicious clouds. His face was clear and handsome, like carved jade, and he bore five naturally flowing strands of long beard. Indeed, he seemed to be dozing off. Instinctively, the young girl slowed her steps.
Yet, the black-haired Daoist still opened his eyes, stretched lazily, and spoke in slight surprise:
“Oh? A child, of all things, has come here?”
“You walked straight in, all the way to this place.”
“Why, did none of the many profound scriptures in the Shangqing Sutra Repository stir your heart?”
The girl naturally replied: “Because what I want isn’t here.”
The middle-aged Daoist clapped his hands and laughed. “Hmm? ‘What I want isn’t here’—how interesting.”
“Since you are able to see me, you should receive a gift. Let me see, how about this? It’s a rather fine method for artifact refinement.”
He seemed to have the temperament—and habit—of giving gifts to any junior he met.
Casually rummaging through his sleeve, he tossed out a streak of flowing light.
It was a sword—its blade slender and radiating a sharp, formidable aura. Countless streams of light intertwined upon it, each formed from the convergence of endless cloud seals, embodying the principles of artifact forging and sword refinement. The young girl strained to decipher them, but she could not determine the name of this sword. All she could do was hesitantly ask: “This… What sword is this?”
“This sword is a method I refined by observing the spiritual essence of slaughter across the world.”
“With a single slash, it can level the heavens and extinguish the earth, ceaselessly execute gods, and sever even the Five Celestial Vital Energies.”
Yun Qin asked in confusion: “A sword? But aren’t many divine abilities specifically designed to counter sword cultivators?”
“Divine abilities?”
The black-robed Daoist let out a cold snort and said indifferently:
“No divine ability can hinder it—ten thousand spirits, all are cut down! What immortal dares to defy it? What god dares to pry into it?”
“In the Netherworld, it reaps forms; under the Northern Dipper, it severs life. This is what this sword is. The myriad living beings of the world—none are beyond its reach for execution and eradication.”
“Of course, you’ll have to refine it yourself.”
“This too is cultivation.”
The young girl was stunned by this string of words. She looked at the middle-aged, handsome Daoist, who was lounging in this small hidden chamber behind the Shangqing Sutra Repository, sleeping the day away, her face filled with suspicion. “Is it really that powerful?”
“Uncle, you’re making things up, aren’t you?”
The middle-aged Daoist froze for a moment, then stroked his beard and burst into laughter. “Uncle? Uncle? Hahahaha—”
He laughed so hard he could barely breathe.
Yun Qin didn’t understand what was so funny and simply asked in confusion: “You’re from our Shangqing lineage too, aren’t you? Were you also forced by your teacher to memorize things? Like more than ten thousand Cloud Seals? So you sneaked in here to take a nap?”
“Being forced to memorize Cloud Seals?”
“Hahaha—Me? Cloud Seals? Forced? Hahaha! No, I can’t—It’s been years since someone made me laugh like this.”
The middle-aged Daoist laughed even harder, and in the end, he roared with laughter and said:
“This is truly amusing, truly amusing! That’s why I enjoy meeting you children.”
“Uncle wasn’t joking.”
“It really is that powerful.”
“When I refined it, an entire mountain—just one crack—and it was split apart.”
Yun Qin said: “It’s just splitting a mountain. Even my Uncle Niu can do that.”
“His true form is so massive that no matter what kind of mountain it is, he could kick it over with a single stomp.”
The middle-aged Daoist said: “I also used this sword to cut through a red river.”
“My Uncle Niu could drink that entire river dry in one breath!”
“Oh? Then I once wielded this sword to chase and beat up an old bird with three legs. While I was at it, I also gave a long serpent a good thrashing!”
“Hmph! My Uncle Niu could swallow that three-legged old bird in one gulp!”
“And he’d play with that long serpent like it was just a rope!”
The black-robed Daoist, with his five strands of long beard and exceptionally refined features, was momentarily surprised. Stroking his beard, he praised:
“Oh? Eating that old bird and playing with the long serpent like a mere bug? Has such a fine ox appeared in this world?”
“Impressive, truly impressive.”
“Of course, Uncle Niu is amazing!”
“But what about this sword?”
The refined-looking Daoist sighed and said: “I took it to test against a Daoist brother of mine.”
“It broke.”
The young girl immediately gave him a look that said, I knew you were exaggerating. The black-robed Daoist, however, simply smiled freely and said: “What’s the big deal? Listen, that Daoist brother of mine has a tower. When it unfolds, it hangs down five-colored pendants, radiating brilliance—under heaven, nothing can shatter it.”
“But precisely because nothing can cleave it apart,”
“It makes one want to refine something just to test it out, doesn’t it?”
“Little one, don’t you agree?”
Yun Qin propped her chin up, thought for a moment, and said: “You have a point.”
“The more my father forbids me from eating something, the more I want to try it.”
“The more my mother doesn’t want me to go see the mortal world,”
“The more I want to go down there.”
The black-robed Daoist chuckled and nodded. With a sweep of his sleeve, he withdrew the sword-shaped stream of light and took out another object— a seal. He said: “Then how about trying this one instead? That sword—I’ve given it to quite a few people before, but almost no one has been able to refine it. Most ended up hurting themselves instead. But this seal, now, this one—several people have successfully cultivated it.”
“It is called the Shangqing Five Thunder Fire Spirit Seal.”
“It is a spiritual treasure, a divine ability, and a path of cultivation all in one.”
“If one truly refines it,”
“Its radiance flashes like lightning, illuminating the Three Purities. Flames surge for ten thousand miles, erasing ghostly fiends. With a single stamp, malevolent spirits turn to ash!”
“A fine treasure indeed.”
The young girl shook her head. “Father and Mother said not to easily accept teachings or divine abilities from others; otherwise, it might entangle one in karmic ties.”
“Besides, I don’t really want to do something like [setting the land ablaze for ten thousand miles].”
“That doesn’t sound interesting at all.”
“I just wanted to ask, Uncle, do you recognize this bird egg?”
The middle-aged Daoist smiled faintly as he withdrew the second treasure’s refining method as well. Only then did he release the divine ability that was about to send the girl away. Since she was merely asking about an egg, he let out a laugh, glanced at the egg Yun Qin had conjured, and shook his head.
“I might recognize it once it hatches, but just by looking at the egg, I really can’t tell.”
“Oh…”
The girl sighed in disappointment. “How can that be…? How could this egg be that hard to recognize?”
“I already promised…”
“How about asking Teacher? She’s well-read and experienced. Maybe she’ll be able to tell.”
“Alright then, Uncle, you can keep sleeping. I’ll be heading back now.”
The black-robed Daoist couldn’t help but laugh. Sitting cross-legged atop the Taiji Diagram, he pressed a finger to his lips in a shushing gesture, smiling carefree:
“Little one, keep it a secret.”
Yun Qin nodded. “I understand. You’re avoiding your teacher, right? I won’t tell anyone.”
“Don’t worry.”
“But you must still work hard in your cultivation. If you always slack off, that won’t do. Right now, you may have leisure, but in the future, there will be things you cannot avoid or escape from. The body may rely on pills to extend its lifespan, but the spirit cannot withstand the erosion of endless years. One day, it may collapse.”
The black-robed Daoist cupped his hands with a smile and jokingly said: “Then this [poor Daoist]…”
“Thanks the little immortal for her guidance.”
Yun Qin coughed. The fifteen-year-old girl waved her hand dismissively and said: “I wouldn’t call it guidance. No need to be so formal.”
“Well, I’m off now.”
“Oh, right! I have a friend who will be bringing me osmanthus cakes.” She had finally found someone she could boast to without worrying that he would spread it around. Pausing in her steps, she turned around with a smile and proudly declared: “Do you know about osmanthus cake? It’s a delicious pastry from the mortal realm, translucent like jade paste and carrying a delicate sweetness.”
“My friend is sending some for me.”
“No one else will get to eat it!”
The black-robed Daoist smiled and said: “How wonderful.”
Yun Qin thought for a moment. Since she had mentioned having osmanthus cake, it would be rather unkind not to share. So, with a sense of loyalty, she said: “Don’t worry. Once my friend delivers it—”
“I’ll bring you some too.”
“So you can have a taste.”
The black-robed Daoist chuckled, nodded, and accepted: “Then, many thanks to you.”
Pausing for a moment, he added with a smile:
“And thanks to your friend as well.”
Taking advantage of the fact that the Qingyang Miaodao Heavenly Lord had yet to return, Yun Qin slipped out from the second level of the Shangqing Library Pavilion. When she turned back, however, the entrance to the second level was nowhere to be seen. Finding it rather odd, she left the Shangqing Qingyang Heavenly Palace, formed a hand seal, and boarded a flying boat to return. On the way, she saw clouds billowing as an old yellow ox descended from the highest heavens, riding on starlight.
Recognizing the old yellow ox, Yun Qin called out in delight:
“Uncle Niu? Uncle Niu!”
The old yellow ox shuddered, and when he turned back to see that it was Yunqin, he let out a small sigh of relief. “Ah, it’s little Yun Qin. That shout of yours nearly scared half my soul away.” Yun Qin maneuvered her flying boat closer, leaped up, and landed atop the auspicious cloud that the old yellow ox was riding. “Uncle Niu, what’s wrong? Why are you in such a hurry?”
The old yellow ox let out a long sigh, patted his chest, and said worriedly: “I don’t even know myself.”
“I just keep feeling uneasy today, like someone has their mind set on me.”
“My back is practically freezing.”
The more Old Yellow Ox thought about it, the more he felt something was wrong. He patted his chest, but the chill on his back still hadn’t faded.
Yunqin comforted him for a good while before he finally calmed down.
With a chuckle, he sighed: “Ah, little Yun Qin is still the best. No wonder people say she’s like a warm cotton jacket.”
Yun Qin asked curiously: “Uncle Niu, aren’t you going to the Thunder Mansion?”
“No, no. I already feel uneasy today, so I won’t go watch the show. I’d rather not get dragged into trouble by those folks at the Thunder Mansion.”
“Hmph, this time, the commotion is going to be big. I heard the [Northern Pole Exorcism Court] has already begun its procedures.”
“Within half a month at most, it’s bound to start.”
“Those killing stars are all direct subordinates of the Northern Emperor, and ever since my… cough since your Uncle Niu received an amnesty… well…”
“I’m just saying, your Uncle Niu is, at the very least, a Star Officer—technically even a Deputy Assistant to a Star Lord. If they catch sight of me, they might just drag me in as a conscript. Wouldn’t that mean I’d have to go down there and fight life-and-death battles again? No way am I going. But little Yun Qin, why do you have that look on your face? Don’t tell me your teacher gave you another impossible task?”
Yun Qin replied: “I already passed my teacher’s test.”
Old Yellow Ox was surprised, then laughed: “Isn’t that a good thing?”
“But I only passed because Wuhuo helped me, so I ended up boasting that I’d help him find his bird egg.”
“But I still haven’t found it.”
At the mention of this, the young girl looked somewhat frustrated.
Old Yellow Ox grinned. “What kind of bird egg? Let me have a look.”
“Your Uncle Niu was once a dominant force in the Demon Kingdom sixteen hundred years ago. I had over a dozen Demon Kings under my command, roaming freely across tens of thousands of miles… Ahem—I mean, your Uncle Niu has vast experience, vast experience… Maybe I’ve seen it before.”
So, Yun Qin conjured up the bird egg.
Old Yellow Ox stared blankly.
He glanced at the egg. Then at the expectant girl in front of him.
He pondered deeply, then asked with great seriousness: “Yun Qin.”
“Has little Wuhuo…”
“Recently been harassed by bald donkeys?”
PS:
The description of the divine ability comes from [The Supreme Compilation of Essential Secrets for Assisting the Nation and Saving the People, Volume Three], edited by Song-Yuan Miaozong.
