Chapter 371: Earth, Fire, Wind, and Thunder

It was nothing but absolute darkness. Not only were his eyes blind, but even his heart was shrouded in pitch-black gloom.

Yet, in this place where not even a sliver of light could be found, Zhang Xiaohua felt an inexplicable sense of safety. It was as if, all around him in the darkness, there existed a presence that was both intimately familiar and utterly strange. Upon careful reflection, Zhang Xiaohua realized, wasn’t this presence the very Dao of Heaven he had sensed during his two moments of unity with the heavens and earth, once outside Songning Town and once outside Pingyang City?

Zhang Xiaohua tried to move his hand, but felt no sensation. He tried to blink, but there was no response. It was as if he existed only as a wisp of consciousness, without any physical form.

He had no idea how much time had passed, an instant, perhaps ten thousand years, or even longer. Zhang Xiaohua had lost all sense of time. Then, at some point, whether distant or near, a sudden change occurred. It began with a trembling, sending out a mysterious ripple that instantly spread throughout the entire space. That single point, once engulfed in endless darkness, became transparent. Then, one by one, colors appeared: red, orange, yellow, green, cyan, blue, and finally violet. Each color brought forth a different ripple, spreading through the space. The final violet hue lingered the longest, its waves the most intense, and the entire space became filled with the same swirling purple mist as within the spherical formation.

Zhang Xiaohua was greatly alarmed. What was happening? What was he witnessing?

Yet, even stranger changes followed.

After the violet faded, the entire space ceased its trembling. For a brief instant, there was utter silence. The colors that had appeared now converged at that single point, and the space was filled with seven kinds of ripples. Suddenly, that point flared brightly, a streak of white light flashed forth, instantly flooding the whole space. The chaotic ripples transformed into a more profound vibration.

The sudden appearance of light made Zhang Xiaohua feel dizzy, and he instinctively tried to shield his eyes with his hand, but before the sensation could reach his nonexistent arm, the point underwent yet another transformation.

That barely perceptible point suddenly collapsed inward, then erupted outward in an explosion, expanding infinitely in the blink of an eye, far beyond Zhang Xiaohua’s perception. What had been a space of single substance now contained light and other mysterious things.

Where did this light come from?

Zhang Xiaohua pondered in silence.

This chaotic state did not last long. The familiar Dao of Heaven once again filled the entire space. In the blink of an eye, earth, fire, wind, and thunder evolved within the void. Endless matter and countless miracles unfolded before Zhang Xiaohua’s eyes in an instant.

Afterwards, innumerable stars appeared, each radiating boundless starlight. On these stars, life emerged, some living in confusion, others possessing the power to move mountains and fill seas…

Zhang Xiaohua was stunned, utterly dumbfounded. With his cultivation only at the sixth level of Qi Refining, he could not comprehend any of what he was witnessing. What was this? With his limited understanding, he could only vaguely guess. Was this life?

But then, the thought struck him: What is death?

And in that very instant, it seemed as if countless ages had passed within that space. The ripples throughout the void gradually grew chaotic. Countless stars contracted and collapsed, followed by the collapse of the entire space itself. Then, this collapse slowly shrank, as if reversing the previous explosion and expansion, returning to a single tiny point. The light retreated into that point, the seven colors flashed by, and all returned to endless darkness.

Is this death?

Zhang Xiaohua wondered.

But before he could dwell on it, a bright light flashed before his eyes, and the scene changed. He found himself once again in the Zhang family’s small courtyard in Guo Village. Before him was the newborn infant, its bright, sparkling eyes gazing intently at Zhang Xiaohua.

At this moment, Zhang Xiaohua felt his divine sense could move freely once more. Unconsciously, he released it, enveloping the entire stone table. On the table, the formation that had been split in two was now merging back together at a speed visible to his divine sense. As they rejoined, the swirling purple mist that had been inside the sphere was also divided into two, each half wrapped within the respective halves of the formation. The faint purple aura covering the infant’s body also seemed to seep into the child’s skin. With a sweep of his divine sense, Zhang Xiaohua was astonished yet again: inside the tiny infant’s body, countless meridians were absorbing the external purple energy, and among them were the very meridians cultivated by his own “Carefree Heart Sutra”.

At this very moment, even if Zhang Xiaohua were the dullest person alive, he would know that a tremendous opportunity was right before him. He dared not be careless and immediately used his divine sense to scan the infant’s body. At this time, the child’s body seemed transparent, as if nothing could block his divine sense, allowing Zhang Xiaohua to memorize everything as if in a frenzy.

In just a few breaths’ time, the thin layer of purple energy around the infant was completely absorbed. In an instant, the meridians throughout the child’s body flickered a few times, then vanished from sight. No matter how Zhang Xiaohua scanned, he could find nothing more. Yet, a faint smile appeared at the corner of Zhang Xiaohua’s lips.

Just as Zhang Xiaohua was about to withdraw his divine sense, the two halves of the formation on the stone table had already fused together, forming two spheres of equal size, each radiating golden light. They were just like the complete spherical formation from before, with endless tadpole-like runes swirling in dazzling brilliance. As soon as Zhang Xiaohua focused his divine sense on the two spheres, it was as if they sensed something. Suddenly, they both flew up from the stone table, heading straight for Zhang Xiaohua’s brow. But halfway there, one of the spheres abruptly changed direction, veering off and shooting directly into the infant’s brow.

The remaining sphere showed no such anomaly. As it neared Zhang Xiaohua’s brow, it transformed into a strand of golden light and shot inside.

The golden light entered Zhang Xiaohua’s brow and went straight to the Niwan Palace in his upper dantian. There, his painstakingly cultivated Pill Heart was slowly revolving. The golden light spun once within the Niwan Palace, instantly covering the Pill Heart with a layer of gold. Yet the golden light did not linger; it left the Niwan Palace and headed straight for a mysterious place at the back of Zhang Xiaohua’s head. Once it entered, it vanished without a trace.

This mysterious place was not unfamiliar to Zhang Xiaohua. Back when he was stranded on a deserted island and his Jade Blood Refines the Pill Heart technique had reached its limit, just as his Niwan Palace was about to be scorched by internal fire, a life-giving vitality had once emerged from this very spot. But now, after the golden light entered, Zhang Xiaohua searched for it again, only to find not a single trace.

Zhang Xiaohua was surprised to sense the golden light entering that mysterious place at the back of his head. Before he could ponder it further, the infant on the stone table underwent another change. As soon as the golden light entered the child’s brow, golden radiance burst forth from the infant’s body. A golden phantom rose from the child, appearing like an adult. The adult-like infant pointed one hand to the heavens and the other to the earth, a compassionate smile on his lips. Zhang Xiaohua was stunned. What could this mean?

The phantom finished its smile, then first expanded and then rapidly contracted, finally returning into the infant’s brow and disappearing without a trace.

At this moment, in Zhang Xiaohua’s divine sense, the infant showed no abnormalities at all, appearing no different from any ordinary person. There was not even the slightest fluctuation of Heaven and Earth’s Yuan Qi!

However, Zhang Xiaohua simply stood there in a daze, his divine sense never relaxing for even a moment. The events of this day were simply too miraculous. Everything that had happened was beyond imagination. Who knew what other unseen wonders might occur in the next instant? Even if, right now, this peacefully sleeping infant with closed eyes were to suddenly grow into an adult, call him “Little Uncle” with a smile, or immediately soar into the sky, Zhang Xiaohua would believe it without the slightest hesitation!

At that moment, Zhang Xiaohua suddenly felt someone tugging at his sleeve.

“Huh? Could it be that the Dao of Heaven has grown an arm?” He swept his divine sense to check, only to find that it was not the Dao of Heaven, but his own mother gently pulling at him.

Zhang Xiaohua quickly withdrew his divine sense and asked: “Mother, is something the matter?”

Guo Sufei was overjoyed, her voice trembling as she asked: “Xiaohua, is… is the child alright now? Can I hold him? He… he mustn’t be left out here in the cold, or my precious grandson might catch a chill. After all, it’s winter, and a newborn child mustn’t be exposed to the cold, not even a little.”

Zhang Xiaohua was taken aback and turned to look. Sure enough, there was nothing left on the stone table except for a chubby, fair-skinned infant, sleeping sweetly with closed eyes, a sight that stirred both tenderness and affection.

Zhang Xiaohua thought to himself: “Mother, you can rest assured. Even if I were to freeze, your precious grandson would not suffer the slightest harm.”

Still, he couldn’t help but ask: “Mother, did you see anything just now?”

“See anything?” Guo Sufei was momentarily stunned, then replied with pride, “Xiaohua, you really are capable now! Where did you learn swordsmanship like that? With a single stroke, you split that lotus open, much sharper than Butcher Liu’s cleaver for slaughtering pigs! Yes, after you split the lotus, you just stood there without moving. We didn’t dare disturb you, but the child is still so little, he mustn’t be left in the cold. Look, can I take him back inside?”

From his mother’s words, Zhang Xiaohua realized that from the moment he split the lotus to when she tugged his sleeve, only a brief moment had passed. Yet, in that short span, he had experienced things that others might never comprehend in a lifetime!

Zhang Xiaohua glanced at the small sword in his left hand, gave a wry smile, and tucked it into his robe, saying: “Of course, Mother. Please, quickly take the child back inside.”

Guo Sufei was delighted and hurried forward, a mix of fear and joy as she carefully picked up the infant. Yet, as soon as the baby touched Guo Sufei, he immediately opened his mouth and began to cry loudly. His cries were strong and clear, echoing throughout the small courtyard.

At that moment, a voice filled with surprise and joy rang out: “Ah? Mother, the child has been born? Is Qianqian alright?”

Zhang Xiaohua turned to look. Sure enough, the gate to the courtyard had just been pushed open, and a young man, about the same height as Zhang Xiaohua and with a face bearing an eight-tenths resemblance to his own, was rushing toward the sound of the baby’s cries, his face alight with excitement.

Who else could it be but Zhang Xiaohua’s own elder brother, Zhang Xiaolong!

Behind Zhang Xiaolong followed an elderly woman with a disappointed expression. There was no need to look, her dejection alone revealed her identity as the midwife who hadn’t arrived in time!