Chapter 473: Dao Heart Versus Selfishness
Translator: StackThatCoin Editor: Hitesh_
It was raining cats and dogs. Inside the dark, deep hall of Zhang Le Palace, Yan Dan and Yan Qijun were kneeling before Princess Zhang Le.
Yan Dan had trapped Princess Zhang Le with his immortal energy. No matter how she struggled, she could only watch helplessly as they dropped to their knees before her, listening to their request, "Zi Xuan, the rise and fall of Ji Clan is in your hand. As you are leaving Myriad Immortals Planet with Wu Qi, this is the only chance we have. Your decision will either make Ji Clan great again, or perish forever!"
A sudden lightning bolt tore the dark night sky apart, followed by the ringing of a muffled thunderclap. The light leaped into the hall through a window, flashing across the darkened faces of both Yan Dan and Yan Qijun.
Princess Zhang Le's eyes went wide with terror as she stared blankly at her grandfather and father, her heart filled with a restlessness. It was as if a raging thunderstorm was wreaking havoc in it.
…
Princess Zhang Le was standing on top of a boulder, facing the rising sun eastward, sinking in a deep meditation as she studied the profound secrets of the Heaven and Earth. But, the unfathomable divine energy in her body went out of control suddenly. She trembled, then coughed out a mouthful of blood, and fell feebly to the boulder beneath her feet. Her eyes were tightly closed, and the words that Yan Dan and Yan Qijun told her before she left Myriad Immortals Planet were lingering in her ears.
She was upset and confused. She opened her eyes abruptly, and a five-colored auspicious cloud rose from under her feet, carrying her as she flew towards Green Cliff Mountain at the quickest speed possible.
At the back of Green Cliff Mountain, right next to the Heart Cleansing Pool, Princess Zhang Le sat cross-legged with both hands performing an incantation gesture. Her eyes were closed, and she had gone into a deep meditating state. Attracted by some kind of magical force, the natural energy that existed ten thousand miles around her was rolling and swirling towards her. Mists and fogs were rising from the ground, and rains mixed with a strong natural energy were drizzling down from the sky, nourishing this piece of land one thousand miles in circumference at the back of Green Cliff Mountain.
Nourished by the rain mixed with strong natural energy, the land behind Green Cliff Mountain had turned into an extremely fertilized spirit land.
The shoots of Ganoderma, Ginseng, Chinese Knotweed, and many other spirit medicines could be found everywhere, while some rare herbs had just sprouted from under the ground. A carpet of fresh green shoots blanketed the forest floor, and a strange fragrance lingered in the air.
This was the help that a person who inherited the bloodline of Ancient God could bring to an immortal sect.
Originally, many spirit medicines were extinct on Green Cliff Planet, and even could not be found throughout the entire Puluo Heavenly Realm. However, after Wu Qi went to Pangu Continent, Patriarch Yuan Hua had poured in a great effort, visiting many places to gather and trade for the seeds of some extinct spirit medicines. Then, he tried to plant them at the back of Green Cliff Mountain.
Because of Princess Zhang Le, the weather at the back of Green Cliff Mountain had become favorable for crops, the natural energy was copious, and there was even a miraculous life force hiding across the land. As a result, all of these extremely difficult to grow spirit herbs had sprouted smoothly. With proper care, in just a few thousand to tens of thousands of years later, Yuan Hua Sect would have welcomed a grand harvest.
About 47,000 seeds of spirit herbs were planted, among which, nearly 35,000 were extremely rare species. Rumors said that only some almighty experts had planted them in their residences, and the quantity was still too little. But now, at the back of Green Cliff Mountain, these spirit herbs which could hardly be found throughout the entire universe were flourishing, full of vitality and even showing sign of maturing.
Princess Zhang Le took a deep breath, trying to force some ill thoughts out of her head. However, the memory of Yan Dan and Yan Qijun kneeling before her, their despairing faces, and their helpless words were making her heart cramped again and again, causing her to nearly lose control of her divine energy once again.
"When he was by my side, I would not think about these."
"How long has he gone for? Just a little bit more than three years... But, why can't I control my mental demons anymore?"
"It shouldn't be like this. I have the Divine Flame of Order protecting me, so no mental demons can hurt me. This is not a mental demon, this is my obsessiveness. It is an obsessiveness that cannot be removed by any external force, but only my willpower."
"But... why should I be obsessed about the rise and fall of Ji Clan? I, Ji Zixuan, am just a girl."
"I just want to spend my life peacefully with Wu Qi. The life of Heaven Immortals does not end, and what I want is a safe and sound life with him. Why should you place the salvation of Ji Clan on my shoulders? You are men with heroic spirit, mighty warriors, but what have you done to me?"
She lightly waved her right hand and thrust it forward. A couple dozens huge trees in front of her disintegrated soundlessly, vaporizing into faint energy and dissipating into all directions.
"I... the very existence of Ji Clan should not be my responsibility. And Wu Qi... you have no reasons to ask me to force Wu Qi to risk his life for you!"
In the sky off in a distance, Patriarch Yuan Hua was sitting cross-legged on a white cloud veiled by a dense layer of floating clouds. His hands were placed before dantian, his eyes closed as he was in a deep meditation, and his aura was concealed within his body. Beside him stood a handsome youth, clad in a white robe, a pair of white leather boots, and his hairs tied up with a white jade crown. He was all white from top to bottom, and he had a fair skin complexion as well.
Patriarch Yuan Hua's surname was 'Zi', and the youth was his nineteenth-generation grandson in the mortal world, Zi Yuexin. He was a genius in cultivation from Zi Clan, and had received an all-out protection and training from Patriarch Yuan Hua. Although Zi Yuexin was less than thirty years old, Patriarch Yuan Hua had already modified his tendons and washed his marrows a few times, even instilling him with a great degree of enlightenment of the Heaven and Earth, using this method to forcibly improve his cultivation base to peak-stage Nascent Divinity realm.
Zi Yuexin was just one small step away from becoming a Heaven Immortal.
Patriarch Yuan Hua had never told anyone about his clan in the mortal world, and the members of Zi Clan had been secretly dwelling on a planet dominated by ordinary mortals within Puluo Heavenly Realm. They were very low profile, dwelling in deep seclusion and rarely coming out. They spent most of their time quietly cultivating, over and over. Zi Yuexin was the candidate who Patriarch Yuan Hua had meticulously cultivated, the descendant he chose to help in breaking through the Gold Immortal realm. In order to claim the promise made by the severely wounded Immortals, Patriarch Yuan Hua had already made too many efforts, preparing too many measures.
"This girl, Zi Xuan, is excellent!" Patriarch Yuan Hua opened his eyes and said with a sigh. "She has the bloodline of Ancient God, and has formed her innate divine soul. Yuan Hua Sect will thrive because of her, and she could also bring great benefit to my clan."
Zi Yuexin stooped a little, listening attentively to Patriarch Yuan Hua.
Shaking his head, Patriarch Yuan Hua said coolly, "Too bad that she is Wu Qi's fiancée."
After a moment of silence, a flush flickered across his face as he said under his breath, "Wu Qi is a young man of great depth, and his origin is unknown to us. Although it is Jiang Yun who brought him into our sect, I do not trust this fellow. He is able to fight against a Heaven Immortal with just a cultivation base of Nascent Soul realm. Could this be something little Jiang Yun taught him?"
Zi Yuexin turned to give Princess Zhang Le an examination glance, then suddenly put up a charming smile and asked, "Patriarch, do you mean..."
Patriarch Yuan Hua breathed out a long sigh, slowly nodding his head and saying, "Zi Xuan is a good girl. If we have her, Yuan Hua Sect will thrive, and so will Zi Clan. You can tell that easily by just looking at all the shoots of spirit herbs spreading everywhere over the hills and dales. With or without her, Yuan Hua Sect is in two completely opposing situations."
He closed his eyes, slowly shaking his head as he said, "Her heart is with Wu Qi, and that is not good. We do not know what is in Wu Qi's mind. He is a man with wild ambition, and although his cultivation base is weak, he actually has the courage to brave the Pangu Continent. If it were some other disciples in Yuan Hua Sect who had come to me with the same request, I would never agree to that. However, since it is him, not only did I approve him, I've even given him a few spirit items."
Zi Yuexin understood now. He bowed and said, "I'll approach Princess Zhang Le now. And, if I manage to capture her heart..."
Patriarch Yuan Hua answered coolly, "Make her stick to you, as that will make her stick to Yuan Hua Sect, to Zi Clan. If you can do that, you will be the Master of Zi Clan. I heard that Wu Qi said he will come back to Green Cliff Planet within one hundred years. You have plenty of time to accomplish this."
After a brief moment of pondering, Zi Yuexin said smilingly, "Isn't it better if Wu Qi will never return to Green Cliff Planet?"
Patriarch Yuan Hua did not say anything. At last, his body began to gradually dissolve into the clouds, and his whisper came into Zi Yuexin's ears, "Chi'er, Min'er, and Mo Luan have arrived on Pangu Continent. Just half a month after Wu Qi set out, with the excuse of cultivating in seclusion, they had left here following his trail."
Zi Yuexin narrowed his eyes, and his lips curved into a smile as he praised under his breath, "A comprehensive plan, Patriarch. Now, I don't see anything that will stop me from accomplishing the task. She is just a little girl, an easy target! I've enjoyed numerous pretty girls under the heaven, but one with the bloodline of Ancient God? Tsk, I bet it will be more exciting!" He laughed wickedly. Then, he carefully took out a fist-sized sparrow from under his sleeve, whose eyes shimmered like flame and feathers were green. He threw the bird out, which flapped its wings and transformed into a green beam of light as it flew towards Princess Zhang Le.
After that, he unleashed a crescent-shaped longsword, transformed it into a sheet of light that shrouded himself, assuming a serious look as he fixed his gaze at the fleeing sparrow and began to chase behind it. In just a few breaths of time, Zi Yuexin had arrived above the Heart Cleansing Pool. With his right hand, he cast a restrictive spell, trapping the bird in midair. "Where are you going? I'm bringing you to a good Master, don't you like it?" He said smilingly.
Princess Zhang Le opened her eyes, staring coldly at Zi Yuexin.
Zi Yuexin gave Princess Zhang Le a look of 'surprise'. Hastily, he landed before her, cupped his fist, and said, "Please forgive me for rudely disturbing you, Miss. My younger sister's birthday will be in just a few days, and I happened to bump into this Jade Sparrow, so I wanted to capture it and give to her. I have no intention to disturb you. Please forgive me!"
Princess Zhang Le was in a bad mood. When she heard what Zi Yuexin had just said, she snorted coldly and rose to her feet. An auspicious cloud emerged under her feet. Without giving Zi Yuexin another look, she soared up into the sky on a cloud.
Zi Yuexin was struck dumb. He had never met a girl with such attitude, and it had thrown him into a brief moment of confusion. Quickly, he flew into the sky with his sword, chasing next to Princess Zhang Le and asking with a loud voice, "Please forgive my brusqueness, I am Yuexin. Are you one of Yuan Hua Sect's disciples?"
"Scram!" Princess Zhang Le long-gone obstinate temper had erupted instantly. With a pointing of her finger, her innate divine energy surged and attracted several dozens of thunderbolts, thrusting down from the sky and smiting the unprepared Zi Yuexin.
A series of loud crackling echoed out as Zi Yuexin howled tragically, falling to the ground with wisps of dark smoke rising from his body. The thunderbolts had broken his bones and tendons, while at least seventy percent of his muscles were charred. Even his defensive spirit item- 'Passing Cloud Barrier' was ripped to shreds. He was nearly killed on the spot.
Princess Zhang Le snorted coldly and left straightaway on a cloud.
Suddenly, a twisting figure came next to the charred Zi Yuexin. The figure chuckled under his breath and said, "Brother Zi, you can't get what you want with this trick!"
Zi Yuexin kept howling and shrieking with pain, then lowered his voice and cursed hysterically.