The wall that was lined with boxes barred his way.
Nobody else could have understood the runes on the walls. However, as a transmigrator and a person from the modern world, Lu Zhou understood the meaning of these runes. Even if the runes were only half visible, he could still recognize them as the 26 alphabets. Could this be… fate?
Even if Jiang Wenxu was a peerless genius, he still could not have understood these runes.
What was the password?
He walked up to the wall and touched the remaining halves of the runes. Although he could tell they were alphabets, he needed some time to understand them.
“Ji Tiandao?” A while later, Lu Zhou touched the alphabets that formed the pinyin of Ji Tiandao’s name. Yet, the wall did not move.
“Was I mistaken?”
Lu Zhou tried again, switching between similar runes. He attempted it several times but to no avail.
“It’s not Ji Tiandao?”
All of a sudden Lu Zhou remembered the poem: The bright moon shines over the sea; from far away, we share this moment together.
He tried again. He touched the alphabets related to the poem. On his third attempt, the wall finally shook.
“It worked!” Lu Zhou was delighted.
After a short moment, the wall dissolved in the air like a cloud of smoke.
Frames after frames of images flooded his mind, and they seemed ethereal.
…
The first segment of the fragments of Ji Tiandao’s memories spanned different lengths of time.
Ji Tiandao had successfully attained the Eight-leaf golden lotus stage.
Emperor Yong Shou came to congratulate him with gifts. Before leaving, Liu Ge said, “The improvement in your cultivation base is truly shocking, Brother Ji.”
Ji Tiandao answered, “I’m merely lucky.”
Liu Ge asked, “Do you believe in the existence of the Nine-leaf stage, Brother Ji?”
“Of course, I do. What about you?”
“I don’t…” Liu Ge’s smile was meaningful. “What do you intend to do after this, Brother Ji?”
“I’ll establish a sect and recruit disciples.”
…
The second segment of the fragments of Ji Tiandao’s memories spanned different lengths of time as well.
“When Great Void was on its way back, they lost a few tomes of cultivation methods and a pill?”
(The memories related to Great Void were distorted and blurry.)
(Ji Tiandao suspected it might not be a medicinal pill.)
“I’ve mastered the secret and method to reach the Nine-leaf stage.”
“I need to teach nine disciples and use their longevity or lives to attempt the Nine-leaf stage.”
“I’ve recruited three disciples. I need six more… Most of the candidates aren’t talented enough or suitable. They can’t endure the process of being modified by the pills… Alas, I’ve lost one.”
(Parts of the memory were exceptionally blurry and distorted.)
“Yu Zhenghai and Yu Shangrong’s cultivation bases are improving quickly. Is this really the effect of the pill?”
“Duanmu Sheng has just joined. The effects of the pill aren’t too clear on him.”
…
The third segment of Ji Tiandao’s fragmented memories.
“I must make them hate themselves… That way, they won’t have any qualms when I kill them in the future.”
“The people outside say that I have a short fuse. I’ll kill them when I have the time. The thing that annoys me most is when someone bad mouths me behind my back.”
“The Wuqians and the Noblemen are in conflict. Their cultivation bases are improving at roughly the same pace, and their tempers are at odds. The cultivation world is starting to pay attention to the Evil Sky Pavilion. I must set an iron rule that fellow disciples aren’t to fight each other.”
“I’ve gravely injured Yu Zhenghai and Yu Shangrong for the tenth time… They’re stubborn. They must hate me by now…”
“The Evil Sky Pavilion has lost some items, but they’re not important. I don’t need the Sky Fragments and the blank pages. However, the cultivation world has its eyes on Golden Court Mountain. It’s eyeing us like a predator eyeing its prey. I must intimidate them… I’ll have Old First and Old Second spend some time outside.”
…
The fourth segment of Ji Tiandao’s fragmented memories spanned different lengths of time as well.
“The Evil Sky Pavilion’s name shocks the world. I’m pleased.”
“I’ve recruited the fourth disciple. He has talents, but I don’t quite like him.”
(A part of the memory was distorted and blurry.)
“I’ve recruited my fifth disciple. An orphan of Princess Yun Zhao? She’s struck by the Dark Yin Palm Seal as well? Liu Ge is a useless ruler. I’ll take the royal token from him!”
“I’ve recruited my sixth disciple. This little girl had it rough. Should I tell her the secret about the royal family massacring the Fish Dragon Village?”
(A memory about the truth and knowledge about the Fish Dragon Village appeared.)
“I’ve recruited my seventh disciple. He’s witty. I like him.”
(A part of the memory was distorted and blurry.)
(He confirmed that he had given Old Sixth and Old Seventh their weapons and cultivation methods.)
…
The fifth segment.
“I’ll try killing Yu Zhenghai and Yu Shangrong. I wonder if I can obtain their life span?”
“Yu Zhenghai and Yu Shangrong left the Evil Sky Pavilion.”
(A recollection about the fight between Ji Tiandao, Yu Zhenghai, and Yu Shangrong appeared.)
“I’ve misjudged the cultivation bases of the two traitors. I managed to defeat them, but I couldn’t kill them!”
“Change of plans. I’ll teach them incomplete cultivation methods. Also, I won’t give away weapons for free. I must think of some way to retake Ye Tianxin and Si Wuya’s weapons. I must limit the progress of the other disciples.”
“My great limit is nearing. I must recruit the eighth and ninth disciple soon.”
(A memory related to Ye Tianxin and Si Wuya leaving the Evil Sky Pavilion appeared.)
…
The sixth segment of Ji Tiandao’s fragmented memories spanned different lengths of time as well.
“Old Eighth’s cultivation method is greatly flawed. Cultivating it will decrease his lifespan…”
“Old Ninth is the latest addition. The pill has worked wonders for her. I can’t make the same mistakes. I shouldn’t give her the Jade Horsetail Whisk or teach her the complete cultivation method.”
“That traitor, Old Seventh, has tricked Old Eighth into leaving…”
(A memory about Old Eighth leaving the Evil Sky Pavilion appeared.)
“Yu Zhenghai’s Nether Sect is now the greatest Fiend sect. I’ll try and see if I can kill him… Alas, I can’t find him. He runs too quickly.”
(When he returned to the Evil Sky Pavilion, he was attacked by the ten elites.)
…
The seventh segment.
“Someone called Jiang Wenxu told me about the dangers of the Nine-leaf stage.”
“Jiang Wenxu’s second appearance. He displayed his strength as a Nine-leaf red lotus cultivator. I think he’s trying to threaten me… I convinced him that I’ll seal my knowledge about the secrets and methods to reach the Nine-leaf stage.”
“My great limit is drawing closer… The cultivation world is keeping a close eye on me, and Jiang Wenxu is coveting my pills.”
(A fragment about Jiang Wenxu questioning the origins of the pills, weapons, and cultivation methods appeared.)
“Pills? Perhaps, these aren’t medicinal pills… They’re more like seeds, the seeds of Great Void…”
(A fragment of the memory was distorted and blurry.)
“I’m afraid that the plan of using my disciples to reach the Nine-leaf stage won’t work.”
“Perhaps, Jiang Wenxu was right; the Nine-leaf stage will bring forth a great disaster. However, how’s he a Nine-leaf cultivator, then? Won’t the red lotus absorb his life?”
“… How many years of a person’s life will the golden lotus take? Maybe it’s not the golden lotus alone. The heaven and earth shackle might actually exist.”
“I’ve made my final attempt at the Nine-leaf stage… My time is up, and I somehow managed to reach the Eight-leaf-a-half stage… That old fox Jiang Wenxu snuck up on me.”
“Jiang Wenxu wants me to give him all my memories about the Nine-leaf stage’s secret, the Great Void seeds, and the origins of the weapons and cultivation methods… I’ve sealed all this inside the crystal. However, he can’t possibly know about my origin. I’ll set an obstacle that he can never overcome.”
(A fragment of the memory was distorted and blurry.)
…
Swoosh!
The images around Lu Zhou disappeared, and he returned to reality.
Although much of the information was just as he had guessed, having it confirmed made everything clear now.
He regained most of his memories from what his disciples told him. However, some mysteries remain unsolved even with the crystal.
“Great Void seeds? What’s Great Void? Where’s Great Void?”
Lu Zhou noticed something too strange to be a coincidence as well. Every time there was mention of Duanmu Sheng, Mingshi Yin, and Si Wuya, the memories would be blurry.
