Chapter 227: Master Shengyun
All disciples in Seven Blood Eyes were stunned by the new information about the Revered Ancient mainland. They felt as if a veil covering their eyes had been lifted away, expanding their minds and opening up the world to them.
It was the same with Xu Qing. However, there was more to it than that for him. The fact that this information had been publicly revealed had deeper implications. To Xu Qing, it felt like the sect was preparing the disciples for things to come.
Obviously, he wasn’t the only one to be thinking that. The disciples of Seven Blood Eyes were like venomous bugs in a jar, and as a result, all had similar instincts. The truth was that he was absolutely right.
Of particular note was that there were only general descriptions of five of the groups from the Emperor-Receiving Prefecture, whereas one group had much more detailed information. And that group was... the Seven Sect Coalition.
The Seven Sect Coalition was actually a composite organization made up of 137 other sects, some of them large, some of them small. And there were seven of them that were the leaders of the group.
That was the origin of the name Seven Sect Coalition.
One reason those seven groups reign supreme was that their high-level cultivators had amazing battle prowess, they had a solid group of strong mid-level cultivators, and their low-level cultivators were numerous. However, there was a more important reason.
And that was... of the 137 sects that made up the coalition, they were the only ones who had ‘taboo treasures.’
Ordinary magical treasures weren’t very common, not even in Revered Ancient. Each and every one could be considered heaven-shaking and earth-shattering, beyond the comprehension of ghosts and gods. However, they could only be used sparingly, as each use would cause it to be contaminated with mutagen to a certain degree. And if used too many times, they would become ‘crippled treasures.’
As a result, anyone who possessed a magical treasure had to be careful about how many times it was used, and at the same time, constantly maintain it in an effort to cleanse it of the polluting mutagen.
As for the ‘taboo treasures’... that was a term applied to magical treasures that reached a higher level of development. They were much rarer than ordinary magical treasures, and were so powerful that even one of them had the capacity to destroy an entire sect.
In the Emperor-Receiving Prefecture, only groups with a magical treasure capable of wiping out another sect would qualify to be in a leadership position. The taboo magical treasures were how the seven sects rose to prominence, and were how they commanded an apex level of battle prowess. Furthermore, it was how the Seven Sect Coalition came to be one of the six most powerful groups in the Emperor-Receiving Prefecture.
With the taboo magical treasures, the Seven Sect Coalition had the capacity to inflict serious damage onto the core essence of the Daoist Rite of Departure or the Supreme Arbiter Immortal Society.
That capacity was also related to ranking.
The seven strongest sects in the Seven Sect Coalition were... the Soaring Cloud Sword Sect, Spiritgloam Valley, House of Grue Hunters, the Lunisolar Dao Palace, the Heaven-Fate Pavilion, the Heavenmirror Treasure Sect, and the Dark Serenity Sect!
Almost immediately, this information became much more hotly discussed among Seven Blood Eyes disciples than the three female cultivators from the Supreme Arbiter Immortal Society.
Zhang San even had a long discussion with Xu Qing about it via voice message.
That said, Xu Qing wasn’t very interested in the subject. His attention was currently focused on the process of opening his wish boxes. He had two wish boxes, one that he had acquired from the young merman he’d killed, which had already been infused with enough dharmaforce that it was halfway open. The other was from Horsefour, which had been completely untouched.
As a result, it was going to take longer to open the latter. As for the former, it was now ninety-nine percent ready, and all Xu Qing needed was another four or five days and he would be able to open it.
I wonder what I’ll find inside....
Xu Qing was really looking forward to finding out. That was especially true when he thought about how Wu Jianwu had seemingly gone into a trance after opening that other wish box.
What did Wu Jianwu find in that one?
Though he was curious, he doubted the idiot would ever explain. [1]
Time passed. Outside cultivators and members of other species showed up on a daily basis. Eventually, on the fifth day, just when Xu Qing was about to open his first wish box, seven enormous ships appeared outside of Seven Blood Eyes.
They were luxurious ships, each of them fully 3,000 meters in length. They pulsed with dazzling energy, and if one looked closely, it became obvious that they had been constructed with sea beasts that were godly entities. Each ship looked different. One resembled a godly bluegreen dragon, another looked like a terrifying jellyfish. Another resembled a vicious turtle, while one... looked like a three-clawed black-scaled dragon.
Their arrival brought a huge tempest into the Seven Blood Eyes port, causing countless watercraft to bob violently in the surging waves. It almost seemed like a tsunami had hit the sect.
It was an incomparably majestic event that led to widespread shock throughout the sect.
In fact, the ships completely ignored the Seven Blood Eyes Formation, sailing right into the port in shocking fashion. It was as if the formation wasn’t effective against them at all. That made it clear that this new group of cultivators had a higher level of authority than the Seven Blood Eyes Formation. It was the first time in many years that any Seven Blood Eyes disciples had seen someone enter the sect without being announced. And in very rare fashion, the sect didn’t do anything about it.
The seven huge ships entered seven different harbors. Then cultivators disembarked from six of the ships, and they radiated such immense glory and radiance that all Seven Blood Eyes disciples were struck to the core.
These huge ships came from the Seven Sect Coalition, and the people disembarking from them were envoys from the seven top sects. Specifically, they were chosen disciples. Among them were both men and women, and all of them were young. They wore extravagant clothing and imparted a sensation that surpassed anything mortal. What was more, their auras were dazzlingly mighty.
Astonishingly, they were all four-flame cultivators!
Every single one had 120 dharma apertures, like glittering stars. Anyone who looked at them would be shaken deeply, and would feel like they were sordid and unworthy.
These people really did seem like the children of gods descended to the mundane world.
The six people stepping off of the six giant ships were obviously outstanding chosen. However, after they were on shore, the first thing they did was look toward the ship that resembled a three-clawed black-scaled dragon.
A roar echoed out from that ship, like heavenly thunder that shook everything far and wide. And as the dragon roared, its head dropped down, and its forehead split open.
Out walked a young man wearing golden formal court attire. Around his waist was a golden silk belt with a spider motif, and his black hair was bound in a golden crown inlaid with jade. [2]
He stood tall and straight, and his facial features were inherently noble-looking. The moment he strolled out into the open, the other six god-like chosen all bowed their heads. It was as if this young man’s arrival made them all feel as inferior as dust.
What was even more amazing was that seven-colored light swirled above his head into the form of a canopy. It was an umbrella that also seemed to pulse with the chanting of wind. From a distance, it was actually possible to see a seven-colored wind-chanting lamp in the umbrella! The lamp’s seven colors were dazzling to the utmost degree, and emanated a mighty pressure that caused all onlookers to be flabbergasted.
“Life lamp!”
It was impossible to say who uttered the words first, but in only a moment, everyone was shouting it.
That seven-colored wind-chanting lamp was none other than... a legendary life lamp!
This young man with the life lamp had opened 120 dharma apertures! What was more, behind him was the faint image of a strange bird with a green body and a red tail, and it also emanated crushing pressure. Shockingly, it was an image projected by an imperial-class technique!
All of these things created an absolutely astonishing moment. With his life lamp, he seemed like a person who could crush all the chosen disciples in an entire epoch.
This person was the number one chosen of this generation in the Seven Sect Coalition. He was... Chu Shengyun from the Soaring Cloud Sword Sect. Although he wasn’t in the Gold Core level, he actually surpassed Gold Core! And his grandfather, the patriarch of the Soaring Cloud Sword Sect, had bestowed upon him the name Master Shengyun! [3]
He was the pride of the Soaring Cloud Sword Sect, and was the dao child and highest-ranking member of their echelon, someone who they hoped would tread the path of the Ancient Emperors and Imperial Sovereigns. He had an extremely high position in the Seven Sect Coalition, and had been groomed to be pitted against the dao children of the other five leading organizations in the Emperor-Receiving Prefecture.
Furthermore, among the countless disciples in the Seven Sect Coalition, he was the only one who had a life lamp and an imperial-class technique. It wasn’t just his cultivation base that was amazing. He had extraordinary facial features, with fair and radiant skin, angular features, and an otherworldliness that made him so extraordinary he was comparable to Xu Qing.
However, he also radiated a sense of indifference when he looked at people, as if they were mere bugs to him. In that regard, he was very different from Xu Qing. Xu Qing was always calm, and the main thing he did when looking at other people was examine their throats.
The figurative tsunami that hit the port, and the sudden crushing pressure that resulted, caused waves to reach Harbor 176.
Xu Qing, who was working with his wish box, frowned. Standing, he walked out of the cabin and looked toward Harbor 1. Given the level of his cultivation, he could clearly see the newly arrived chosen, and of course, the young man with the seven-colored wind-chanting lamp and the green-bodied, red-tailed bird. The moment he saw the lamp, his heart skipped a beat, and his eyes glowed with profound light. At the same time, the green-bodied red-tailed bird caused his golden crow tattoo to emanate intense heat, as if it wished to emerge and crush the bird.
From that reaction alone, Xu Qing could tell that the strange bird was a projection created by an imperial-class technique. This was his first time encountering someone else with either a life lamp or an imperial-class technique. After taking a close look, he turned and went back into the cabin. It didn’t really matter to Xu Qing who this person was, so long as he didn’t exhibit any killing intent. As long as he didn’t, the only thing Xu Qing was interested in focusing on... was opening the wish box!
Sitting down cross-legged, he looked at the lump of metal, his eyes shining with intense anticipation. He didn’t open the box in the strange way Wu Jianwu had. Instead, he just took a breath, closed his eyes, calmed himself, and then opened his eyes. Putting his hand on the box, he pushed.
CRUNCH!
A wish box left behind by someone in a previous epoch was now opening in front of Xu Qing! Looking down, his eyes began to shine, and he inhaled sharply. There were two things inside the wish box.
A black medicinal pill.
And a jade slip that was covered with black blotches!
1. Here are all the main wish box references for those who are interested. Horsefour’s box: chapter 11. Box acquired from young merman: chapter 76. Mermaids mention the actual term “wish box”: chapter 77. Wu Jianwu wish box arc, including the explanation and revelation of his wish box loot: chapter 147 and 148. ☜
2. There is no specific picture I can share to convey what “court attire” is, because it changes based on the time period in China. And of course, this is a fantasy setting, so that makes things even more complicated. The implication, however, is that this garment is not a “daoist robe,” but rather resembles something you would expect to see in an imperial/royal court. To most modern eyes, it would not be something that jumps out. But to the eyes of someone in the setting, that type of garment would look different from the normal clothes worn by either commoners or cultivators, similar to the way a military or police uniform would make someone stand out nowadays. ☜
3. Chu Shengyun/Master Shengyun: Chu does not appear on the list of the 100 most common surnames. It’s the same surname as Chu Yuyan from ISSTH (I’m not implying there’s a connection, just letting you know it’s the same name). Other than being a surname, it was also the name of one of the Warring States, and in addition, means “distinct, clear, orderly, suffering, painful.” Sheng means “holy, sacred, saint, sage” and Yun is a fancy and sort of rare character that means “sunlight.” As for Master Shengyun, it’s a daoist name, but it’s simply a riff on his given name, so I’m not going to translate it directly. As you can see, though, Shengyun essentially means something like “holy sunlight.” Sheng rhymes with hung. Yun is a sound that doesn't correspond directly to anything in English, but is essentially pronounced "yoon." Madam Deathblade says this sounds like someone scholarly and gentlemanly, but at the same time, a bit pretentious. ☜