HSSB715: The existence atop the altar
Seeing her simple, honest mentality, Yan Zhaoge minded it not as he allowed her to tug at his sleeve.
Hearing Xiao Ai’s words, Yan Zhaoge looked where she was pointing. He saw radiance flickering atop the altar, bright at times whilst dim at others.
Yan Zhaoge gazed up at the altar, not moving an inch, “Xiao Ai, did you know that the stone coffin of the Dim Radiant Emperor in the mausoleum chamber is empty?”
Xiao Ai nodded straightforwardly, “I do!”
She continued pointing at the altar up above, “The Dim Radiant Emperor is right up there.”
Yan Zhaoge looked rather surprisedly at Xiao Ai, “He didn’t die in the first place, or did he revive?”
This time, Xiao Ai shook her head, “Lady said that the Dim Radiant Emperor did really die back then. Still, he secretly set up some mechanisms when he was still alive, activating a ritual upon his death.”
“His corpse left the mausoleum chamber, ending up on the altar where it became a part of the ritual. Lady didn’t speak very clearly on it back then, so this maid doesn’t really understand it.”
Hearing her words, Yan Zhaoge narrowed his eyes slightly, “Oh, it was like this?”
Xiao Ai explained, “Lady went atop the altar to take a look back then. She just said that some time was still needed before the ritual would be complete, asking this maid not to go over and touch it.”
“Still, according to what Lady said, as long as the radiance atop the altar is flickering between bright and dark in a fixed rhythm like right now, that would be a sign of the ritual already being complete.”
Xiao Ai momentarily paused before elaborating, “Lady also said that she lent a hand, speeding up the rate of completion of the ritual. Still, it wasn’t convenient for her to stay for long in this mausoleum. She just arranged for this maid to stay here and recuperate, while she would come back to wake me afterwards when it was convenient for her.”
At this point, the girl looked smilingly at Yan Zhaoge, “Who would have known that before Lady had returned, it would instead be Young Master who came.”
Yan Zhaoge asked, “How long have you been here already?”
Xiao Ai appeared a little blank, “The rate of time in the Dim Radiant Mausoleum is chaotic, and this maid can’t grasp it very well. Still, I guess that a few years should have passed?”
“Lady told me then that I would be able to recuperate fully within a year, and those next few years after that would be spent sleeping.”
Yan Zhaoge smacked his lips, “Oh, no wonder you seem young. You’ve spent all the good times of your life sleeping.”
Xiao Ai forcefully shook her head, her eyes shining, “How could that be? Able to sleep amidst a whole bunch of treasures-this maid couldn’t be any happier!”
She had originally still been focused as she conversed earnestly with Yan Zhaoge.
At this point, however, she was no longer able to hold herself back as she surveyed the precious treasures all around her that were heaped up into a mountain, feeling incomparably excited.
From how she looked, if not for not wanting to appear rude in front of Yan Zhaoge, she would really have gone and thrown herself onto the pile of treasures.
Yan Zhaoge looked up.
Not only was she man-crazy, she was money-crazy as well…
Yan Zhaoge smiled and shook his head, gazing back up at the top of the altar as he pondered silently.
Xiao Ai unwillingly shifted her gaze away from the treasures that were heaped up into a mountain, swallowing her saliva, “Young Master, do we go up there now?”
Snapping out of it, Yan Zhaoge strode forward, “Why not?”
Xiao Ai cheered, hurriedly following after him.
Yan Zhaoge asked casually as he walked, “You don’t have a full name?”
“Xiao Ai is this maid’s name!” Xiao Ai answered casually, “This maid’s parents died young. I didn’t even know what my surname was. At first, I was called Xiao AI, AI for sorrow. After I got together with Lady, Lady changed my name to Xiao Ai, Ai for love.”
“This maid wanted to follow Lady’s surname. Lady said that she should currently be known as Yan-Xue Chuqing. Because of that, this maid is called Yan Xiaoai.”
At this point, she sneaked a glance at Yan Zhaoge, “Hmm…Young Master, you and Lord wouldn’t object, right?”
Yan Zhaoge smiled, “Of course I wouldn’t. My father also most likely won’t mind.”
Xiao Ai instantly smiled happily.
Yan Zhaoge finally arrived on that altar now. It shook mightily.
The radiance in the sky up above gradually condensed into a single figure who stood arrogantly atop the air, his shocking aura shooting straight over!
The heavens and the earth seemed to suddenly turn dim at this moment, all radiance extinguished.
Closely following that, a speck of pure, bright light suddenly lit up amidst the boundless primordial darkness.
That figure which shocked one’s very soul and virtually caused one to feel like prostrating themselves in worship before him presided mightily between light and darkness.
His entire person seemed to be divided by a formless boundary, one side with bright radiance that shone brightly while the other half was merged with the dim darkness, being hard to keep track of.
Looking carefully, however, this person’s entire body also seemed to be covered by a dim layer of radiance that was neither bright nor dazzling, being completely blurry.
Just from that appearance, it vaguely seemed to emanate some semblance of chaos.
While it was just an illusory figure, the shocking aura it contained seemingly caused the entire world to shudder.
Not just this foreign dimension that was behind the stone door, outside of the stone door, the entire Dim Radiant Mausoleum also shook alongside it, causing the minds of everyone within to be shaken.
Regardless of cultivation base, the martial practitioners of the Radiant Light Sect and the Dim Darkness Sect all fell into panic for a time.
Atop the altar, Yan Zhaoge gazed at that figure.
He felt as though that figure was directing his gaze at him as well.
He was a majestic looking middle-aged man in black clothes and a white robe, with jet-black long hair streaking down his back whilst also eyebrows that were pure white in colour.
The distinction between the black and white of his eyes were clearly evident, pure to the extreme as the white of his eyes seemed to emit immeasurable light, his black irises seeming deep as the abyss.
This person was actually just standing quietly there, not looking towards any single person.
Still, be it Yan Zhaoge or Xiao Ai, both felt as if this person’s gaze was currently meeting theirs.
As for the others within the Dim Radiant Mausoleum, they vaguely felt as though there seemed to be a single pair of eyes opening in some unknown location as drawn by fate, gazing intently at them.
While it was just a silhouette, Yan Zhaoge was still able to accurately confirm his identity from this.
The Dim Radiant Emperor, Yin Tianxia!
Still, meeting the gaze of this silhouette, Yan Zhaoge was finally able to confirm something as well.
This expert who had once reigned domineeringly for a time was really well and truly dead.
Otherwise, no one in the mausoleum today would have been able to withstand the might of his one ‘glance’.
It was just like how Yin Liuhua had previously fallen dead with just a single glance from Yan Zhaoge.
The difference between the cultivation bases of both sides was just so large it was unreasonable.
Even though he had already died, he still brought about immense pressure, intimidating one’s soul.
Xiao Ai’s cultivation base being low, she was naturally even more unable to withstand it. Still, after a muffled groan, she extended a finger, drawing in mid-air as a massive rune then instantly appeared.
The rune expanded unceasingly within the air, a formation gradually taking form.
As the formation appeared, the pressure exerted by the silhouette of the Dim Radiant Emperor amidst space instantly eased.
That formation was not for defence, being mainly for communication.
At this moment, Yan Zhaoge and Xiao Ai seemed to have assimilated as one with that altar, no longer being rejected by it.
With just a single glance at the formation, Yan Zhaoge was rather taken aback, “Oh, how skilled in formations. This formation shouldn’t be one that she can control with her current cultivation base.”
While thinking this, Yan Zhaoge extended a finger and pondered, making a few slight adjustments to the formation that Xiao Ai had set up.
The effects of the formation instantly became even more prominent.
The figure in the air turned into streams of light once more, descending towards the top of the altar.