Chapter 282: All Things Are Miraculous: The Nine Heavens Red

The pool was filled with water lotuses, their green leaves lush and their blossoms elegant. A light mist rose from the small pool, creating an ethereal haze where rockeries loomed in and out of sight.

Rainbows arched from one side of the pool to the other, and several butterflies flitted among the lotus flowers. Taking in this scene, Qin Haoxuan couldn’t help but marvel at what a celestial paradise the Aqueous Manor was.

Having wandered through the manor for so long, Qin Haoxuan guessed that this place might have been the residence of an incredibly powerful cultivator, or perhaps even an immortal. The architecture of the entire manor was either majestic, opulent, or exquisitely refined, and its landscapes were even more elegant and beautiful than those on Emperor Peak. But in the dozen or so days he had spent in the Aqueous Manor across two visits, he had never seen a place more beautiful than this pool.

If he had to describe it in one word, it would be: paradise! It was the most celestial place in the entire Aqueous Manor!

By the pool stood a woman in a white silk dress, sobbing softly. She kept her gaze fixed on the water as she wept. Although he could only see her from behind, Qin Haoxuan was almost certain in his heart that this woman must be a peerless beauty, because her presence here, far from disrupting the paradise-like beauty of the pool, actually added a touch of ethereal artistry to it.

‘Why is this woman crying here? Is she from the Aqueous Manor?’

Seeing this woman, Qin Haoxuan began to speculate. He thought about how he would be entering the manor every month in the future to search for treasures. If he didn’t investigate the situation clearly, and there was someone else here, he would be in danger.

So, Qin Haoxuan mustered his courage and walked over, his palm, which was clutching the Thousand-Mile Talisman, growing slightly sweaty.

“Senior… Senior…” Qin Haoxuan approached the woman and stopped when he was about a hundred steps away, leaving himself room to escape if she were to suddenly attack.

He called out several times, but the woman gave no reaction. No matter how much he called, she continued to sob to herself without even turning her head.

Qin Haoxuan stood there for a long time. Seeing no movement from the woman, he mustered his courage again and took a few more steps closer, then called out a few more times.

He repeated this process several times. After the time it takes for an incense stick to burn, Qin Haoxuan was only ten steps away from the woman, yet she still acted as if he didn’t exist, her head tilted slightly towards the sky as she continued to weep.

This bizarre scene made Qin Haoxuan’s scalp tingle. If it weren’t for the sake of his own safety, he would have turned and fled long ago. Although he was a cultivator, he was still fundamentally human, and all humans have an inexplicable fear of unknown dangers.

Qin Haoxuan took a few more steps closer and asked, “Senior, what troubles you? Why do you keep crying?”

The woman still did not react. It was only then that Qin Haoxuan looked up and carefully observed the woman who was now only five steps away from him.

The woman’s body had not moved. From the moment he had been a hundred steps away until now, her body had not made even the slightest motion. If a person were crying, how could their body possibly remain completely still? Unless… she was a stone carving.

Qin Haoxuan observed carefully for a while longer and finally came to a conclusion that even he found hard to believe.

‘She’s actually… a stone statue?’ Qin Haoxuan was stunned. It wasn’t until he got close that he discovered this woman was not a real person, but merely a stone statue…

He cautiously approached a little closer, his eyes falling on the woman’s face. It was indeed a face of exquisite beauty, with fair and delicate skin, a straight nose, small yet alluring lips, and a pair of beautiful phoenix eyes.

Her delicate features and well-proportioned figure combined to create an aura of pure allure, and the white silk dress she wore accentuated her temperament to the extreme.

Even Qin Haoxuan, with his firm Dao Heart, was momentarily dazed and only came back to his senses after a few breaths.

‘My Dao Heart is considered quite firm, but it still wavered slightly in her presence…’ Qin Haoxuan was horrified. ‘Is this really just a stone statue?’ Even though he had confirmed it, he still couldn’t believe it. How could there be a statue so lifelike, so beautiful? It had perfectly captured the woman’s spirit, temperament, and all her wonderful qualities, as if she were a real person.

‘And… a stone statue can actually cry!’ Qin Haoxuan found it even more incredible. Four words flashed through his mind: “The work of gods!”

After examining the statue from top to bottom, Qin Haoxuan discovered two small, faint characters on its back. He curiously wiped away the dust and barely managed to make them out: “Seven Kills!”

“Seven Kills?” Qin Haoxuan’s face showed his confusion.

As he wiped the two characters, the previously motionless statue suddenly shuddered. This terrified Qin Haoxuan, and he leaped far away, his spiritual energy surging, ready to activate the Thousand-Mile Talisman and escape at any moment.

Just then, the statue, which had only been weeping, stopped crying. A melodious voice entered Qin Haoxuan’s ears: “Starry Sea, Heaven of Eternal Regret, the Giant Stone Immortal Palace is but a square inch.”

The statue was not speaking to him. After saying this to itself, it finally fell silent.

After speaking this single sentence, the previously sobbing statue seemed even more like a celestial maiden who had descended to the mortal world. A transcendent, otherworldly aura emanated from it, and the statue, which had previously shown some minor flaws, now looked even more like a real person.

Qin Haoxuan had thought the statue might transform into a real person, but after waiting for a long time, the statue remained a statue. Only the melodious voice sounded again: “Starry Sea, Heaven of Eternal Regret, the Giant Stone Immortal Palace is but a square inch.”

The voice was pleasant and very beautiful to listen to. It repeated itself periodically, but no matter how many times he heard it, Qin Haoxuan still couldn’t understand its meaning. Since there wasn’t much time left anyway, he simply stood before the small pool, watching this statue that looked like a celestial maiden and listening to her incomprehensible words, until a golden light flashed around him and he vanished from the Aqueous Manor, reappearing on the shore of Sun Moon Lake.

“Starry Sea, Heaven of Eternal Regret, the Giant Stone Immortal Palace is but a square inch.” Standing by the shore and looking at the vast, misty Sun Moon Lake, Qin Haoxuan muttered to himself.

After coming out of the Aqueous Manor, Qin Haoxuan went to Master Xuanji’s room.

“You’re back.” Seeing Qin Haoxuan, a gratified smile appeared on Master Xuanji’s face. “Did you encounter any danger?”

Qin Haoxuan nodded and said, “There were only some minor demons, so I didn’t encounter any danger. However, I didn’t obtain any Spirit Liquid either. Although I saw nearly a full bowl of it, it was protected by a restriction. This disciple’s cultivation is not high enough to break it.”

He gave a bitter smile.

Master Xuanji wore a kind smile and said lightly, “Spirit Liquid is a heavenly treasure. It can be encountered but not sought. There will be other opportunities in the future.”

Qin Haoxuan glanced at his master guiltily, wondering when he could retrieve some of the Spirit Liquid from the Immortal-Slaying Poison Valley to refine a medicinal powder to extend his master’s life. He had been gone for only four days, but his master’s salt-and-pepper hair had turned completely snow-white.

For the next month, Qin Haoxuan spent most of his time in his room. He cultivated during the day and entered the Immortal-Slaying Poison Valley at night by possessing the small snake, both to search for treasures and to train his Spiritual Sense.

Although he had picked a Soul Flower in the valley last time, he didn’t dare to raise a ghost within the grounds of the Taichu Sect. If he made too large of a commotion and the yin qi leaked out, it could cause trouble.

Over the next twenty-odd days, with his master Xuanji’s occasional guidance, Qin Haoxuan’s understanding of some of the incantations of orthodox Daoist arts became much more thorough. However, he had not yet broken through from the Ninth-Leaf to the Tenth-Leaf Spirit Sprout Realm.

The Tenth-Leaf Spirit Sprout Realm was a bottleneck. Many cultivators were stuck at the ninth leaf for their entire lives without making any progress, so Qin Haoxuan was not in a hurry. He could feel his strength steadily increasing. As for when he would break through to the tenth leaf, that would depend on opportunity and luck.

As the one-month period was about to end, Qin Haoxuan had still found nothing in the Immortal-Slaying Poison Valley. That night, he entered the valley early again, heading directly to the furthest point he could reach and continuing his search under the immense pressure.

It seemed his luck was good. As he approached a deep pit, the little snake’s keen intuition told him that he might find something valuable in this pitch-black chasm that looked like the gaping mouth of a giant beast.

Having wandered in the Immortal-Slaying Poison Valley for so long, Qin Haoxuan rarely entered such heavenly pits, for fear of encountering unknown dangers. But now that his one-month period was almost up, if he couldn’t find anything, he didn’t know when he would be able to return after entering the mortal world again.

So, Qin Haoxuan mustered his courage, telling himself that fortune favors the bold, and plunged headfirst into the heavenly pit.

The pit was pitch-black, but fortunately, the little snake had the ability to see in the dark. Aided by the faint light filtering in from outside, he quickly adapted to the darkness, and everything within the pit came into view.

This must have been created when two experts were dueling in mid-air. The loser was struck down by the victor’s palm. When the loser hit the ground, the immense force of the impact blasted open the earth, creating this heavenly pit, which was three zhang in diameter and over ten zhang deep. He knew this because at the bottom of the pit, Qin Haoxuan saw shattered human bones.

Qin Haoxuan looked up, and his gaze was immediately fixed on a flower in front of him.

This small, fiery-red flower had only three petals. In the dark and damp heavenly pit, it was like a burning flame, blooming brilliantly and bringing a hint of life to this sunless, cold, and damp place.

Seeing this small flower, Qin Haoxuan felt his heart pound violently.

This little flower had a resounding name—Nine Heavens Red.

Nine Heavens Red was also a rare heavenly treasure. Although it couldn’t compare to a Nine-Leaf Golden Lotus, its value far surpassed that of a One-Leaf Golden Lotus.

If it were refined into a pill, it could help Spirit Tree Realm, and even Dao Fruit Realm experts break through their bottlenecks. In the eyes of cultivators, it was an absolute treasure that could be encountered but not sought.

Qin Haoxuan’s eyes widened. With this Nine Heavens Red, he could definitely break through to the Tenth-Leaf Spirit Sprout Realm, and he wouldn’t have to worry about being unable to break through future cultivation bottlenecks.

Thinking this, Qin Haoxuan bit down on it without hesitation.

Tch!

The little snake’s unusually strong teeth actually failed to bite off the Nine Heavens Red. They didn’t even leave a single tooth mark.

Only then did Qin Haoxuan remember the description of the Nine Heavens Red in the book. A seemingly inconspicuous little Nine Heavens Red often weighed as much as ten thousand jin, and it was harder than metal or stone, difficult to damage even with divine weapons.

The book recorded that a cultivator had once chanced upon this marvelous object, but despite trying every possible method, he was unable to pick it and take it with him.

At the time, many people had treated this story as a joke, thinking that the cultivator was simply too weak and foolish. Even Qin Haoxuan had thought so. How could a tiny flower possibly weigh ten thousand jin and be impervious to divine weapons?

(End of Chapter)

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