Chapter Twenty-Eight: Holy Change
This little sword floated silently in the cold space, accompanied by only some stars and the fragments of meteors. There was occasionally an odd light that came from inside which caused this sword to look like a star.
When the odd light accumulated to a certain extent, transparent crystals would form on the blade like frost. But because the blade’s surface was too smooth, the crystals could not stick, falling downwards from the blade. These crystals drew long lines of light in the space, quickly growing large and spread out like ice flowers blooming. This was a very profound and beautiful scene. But the change in this cold space was one that other people did not know.
Before these flowers made contact with the primal energies of the universe which most cultivators could sense, they completely disappeared, turning to invisible threads of energy that flowed into the primal energies.
The changes of the sun, moon, and stars came from the vibrations of energies in space, and some of the astral energies that reached the mortal realm would become barriers that obstructed cultivators in their path.
The star energies that had gone through Zheng Xiu’s change was even more so. They could easily merge into the paths of energy already in the world, silently changing some of the primal energies of the universe that other cultivators were familiar with.
From a certain point of view, this meant extinction. It meant that many cultivators and the experiences that elders passed down to teach the later cultivators to sense the traces of primal energies of the universe would become ineffective. If this small sword grew larger, and she grew larger, she could silently “corrode” and change these primal energies of the universe, and silently destroy the cultivators’ world. Even now, she controlled the crystals that came from the sword. The cultivators which these flowers fell may be greatly affected.
Especially when some cultivators were being hindered by a breakthrough. They may be delayed for a decade or maybe a lifetime.
**
One flower had fallen into the cold land near the Donghu border. The flower had already disappeared, turning to countless threads of energy that flowed in the wind.
That little sword floated in the void, moving along its natural track like the stars and the pieces of meteor. The energies that came from inside the sword were not controlled by Zheng Xiu, randomly floating around the world unknown to anyone else.
But when the wind carrying this flower blew past a mountain covered in eternal glaciers, suddenly, many waves of vast energies seemed to suddenly surge out of this unchanging mountain.
This mountain was the holy mountain where the Donghu monk had been cultivating.
All of the ascetic monks and many Donghu cultivators who wanted to have breakthroughs would choose to cultivate here. Many thought that this was a question of faith, but what happened today caused everyone to understand that this was not just a question of faith but protection.
These vast energies came from some of the hardest-to-reach caves halfway up the mountain. These caves were too cold and at such a high elevation that the cultivators who delivered food and drinking water had a hard time reaching them. So only the monks who had unimaginably low needs were able to stay there for a long time.
Many ascetic monks, in order to think and feel even better, forgot the passage of time and never spoke. Many of the monks had stayed in these caves for decades. The flowing energies in their senses were unchanging. They only needed to have a breakthrough in their physical body and spirit.
But at this time, they sensed this change.
The fall of this flower, to their perception, was an evil item that came from outside the world. As many vast energies charged out, there suddenly seemed to be an invisible barrier around the holy mountain.
The flowing wind was restrained by the power of the caves. With a soft pop, that flower which had turned to threads of energies already was forced to reappear. But in the next moment, it was worn down by these powers and disappeared without a trace.
This struggle only occurred for a short moment, but because it related to the entire holy mountain, all of the cultivators who were cultivating inside sensed this.
The cave that Li Xixing had been in had originally belonged to the old monk who followed Ding Ning. It was at a high elevation, and at this time, Hu Jingjing was making tea at a sheltered place by the entrance.
She had just put a piece of ghee which could help fend off the cold into the tea. Before she used her vital energy to increase the heat of the tea, she saw the strange rainbow light when the flower disappeared. Then she sensed the minor vibrations came from the peak of the mountain. Then many of the glaciers on the mountain exploded due to the vibration as they increased.
She was shocked and did not understand what was happening. But she subconsciously turned to Li Xixing who was deep in the cave.
Li Xixing had been sitting on the old monk’s bed. In front of him, there was a yellow light that was changing into all kinds of sword shapes. Ever since he came here from the Wuzhi ancestral mountain, he had cultivated here for a long time, but from the start, he had not had a breakthrough.
Hu Jingjing stayed in Donghu to cultivate, and often took care of Li Xixing’s meals and daily life. The mountain wind turned her face to a purple black color, but she did not lose her patience. She just worried that Li Xixing would lose his patience, and the important chance for a breakthrough.
When she turned back to look at Li Xixing, the motionless man opened his eyes. He did not speak to Hu Jingjing first like he usually did but took a deep breath and looked down at his body.
It was not possible to see the original color of the blanket under him. After the oily dirt, wind and dust, it had turned to a purple black. But when the energies of the mountain moved, rays of golden light came out. These golden lights were not strong, but kept on shining, even reflecting on the ceiling over his head, forming lines that were like characters.
Hu Jingjing was so shocked she almost shouted. She unconsciously covered her mouth, fearful that she would disturb Li Xixing. She did not understand these lines, but realized that they may be the traces the old monk left behind during his cultivation and had been naturally activated to resist the item that had fallen down. But from Li Xixing’s presence right now, these lines seemed to have been his important chance, and resonated with his body.
Li Xixing’s expression turned from shock, joy, and confusion to woodenness.
With a soft pop, the blood and vital energy in his body seemed to burn. As the golden lights slowly faded, golden light surged out of his body. His flesh, blood and bones seemed to have burned into golden lava, brimming out of his skin and turning his body into a golden person.
That sword in front of him which had never taken form started to twist violently.
