Chapter 509: Ancient Sun and Moon, What Are the Dual Polarities

Chapter 509: Ancient Sun and Moon, the Dual Polarities Defined

"Hey, Blindie."

Zhao Changhe truly had not wished to press the Blind Girl on every matter; beyond the scope of the Heavenly Book, she rarely uttered a word, leaving him to knock against a wall of silence and perhaps suffer her dry ridicule for nothing.

Yet this hypothesis of a body transforming into a world felt chillingly grand; surely even she might find it intriguing?

Predictably, a lazy murmur echoed through his sea of consciousness: "Hmm?"

Zhao Changhe exhaled softly. "Since you answer, it means my guess is on the right track?"

The Blind Girl replied languidly, "More or less."

"Isn't that utterly preposterous? No matter how I look at it, figures like Old Cui and Ying Wu on the Heaven Ranking are still within the realm of martial arts... If this is truly a body-formed world, it is not merely immortal cultivation, but high fantasy..."

"The rupture between the two eras was severe to begin with. Have you not come to the Spirit Race precisely to find the bridge that joins them?"

"Even if I have guessed it, is there any value?" Zhao Changhe seized the opportunity. "The convergence of the Vermilion Bird and the White Tiger in the Southwestern Wilderness—it cannot be that the Vermilion Bird and Chichi are meant to run all the way here for something, can it?"

"Them? They are merely self-proclaimed Vermilion Birds and White Tigers now. Do they truly believe they share a single copper coin's worth of relation with the beasts written by the ancient Grand Shamans? Are they worthy?"

Zhao Changhe keenly caught the word "now." Merely self-proclaimed *now*... It implied that in her mind, they might truly have the chance to become the genuine Vermilion Bird and White Tiger in the future, corresponding to the stars above.

Leaving that unsaid, he turned his words elsewhere. "But the problem lies here: the Spirit Shaman's understanding of celestial phenomena should not involve the Vermilion Bird or White Tiger. Even referencing Western constellations would sound more normal than this. Did he know the Night Emperor?"

The Blind Girl sounded somewhat perplexed. "Why could a Grand Shaman of the Spirit Race not recognize the Vermilion Bird and the White Tiger?"

Zhao Changhe scratched his head, at a loss for words, before finally saying after a long pause, "So it truly refers to astronomy? Meaning that under a specific celestial alignment, this person can resurrect?"

The Blind Girl snapped crossly, "Please, how should I know?"

Zhao Changhe stared into space. "?"

"I am not an omniscient, omnipotent god. What rank was a Grand Shaman capable of turning his body into a minor world? Why must I be able to decipher the intent behind the prophecy he left behind?"

"Your mystique is slipping, Blindie."

The Blind Girl did not bother to acknowledge him.

When you apply beauty serum to your face, do you feel any sense of mystique?

Zhao Changhe remarked evenly, "Why hide it from me? At the very least, you must know two things."

"Oh?"

"First, if this person has truly transformed into the land, is there still any possibility of resurrection under such circumstances?"

The Blind Girl fell silent for a moment. "The body, of course, cannot turn from soil back into flesh and blood, but the soul remains an unknown. Therefore, at the very least, the cataclysm you fear—the shattering of heaven and earth that would turn your little maidservant to dust—will not come to pass."

Zhao Changhe sneered. "I worry not only about that, but also whether the so-called collapse of your previous era was caused in exactly this manner."

The Blind Girl felt a touch of astonishment at his words, and she smiled faintly. "No."

"Very well. Second, you should at least know what moment his celestial phenomenon refers to."

"It is actually a certain day during the transition between summer and autumn, most likely the autumn equinox. At the hour of sunset, the very moment when the sun and moon share the sky."

"...Just that? Then why phrase it in such a cryptic, profound manner?"

"Because the intersection of the Vermilion Bird and the White Tiger in the southwest denotes the transition from summer to autumn, yet not every year's transition deserves such a title. Which specific year he meant, or whether it requires the true Vermilion Bird and White Tiger to set something in motion, or what He intended to inform posterity by leaving this prophecy—all remain unknown. Let me say it once more: I am not omniscient and omnipotent."

Zhao Changhe nodded, casting his gaze up toward the sky.

It was currently late summer; would the transition between summer and autumn not arrive swiftly? In theory, every single day from now onward could be counted as that transition. It would be better not to overthink things; he might as well cultivate here for a time and see what happened when the moment arrived.

Furthermore, judging by the contours of the map, this area resembled the head, making the stone platform beneath him highly likely to be the spiritual terrace.

If it was formed from the spiritual terrace of a Grand Shaman, it would undoubtedly harbor certain benefits. Cultivating here was inherently advantageous, so instead of harboring idle thoughts, he ought to quiet his mind and focus on his training. Perhaps he might even find the opportunity to break through the Second Secret Crypt...

...

Zhao Changhe had never imagined this day would arrive so quickly.

Perhaps the ancient predecessor had not intended a specific day at all, but was instead telling posterity to come and worship their ancestors during the transition of summer and autumn... for their own benefit.

The people of the Spirit Race from the previous era must have felt these boons, which was why they buried their dead here even in demise, invisibly answering the significance of the "Abyss of the Setting Sun" and forming a sacred burial ground.

Yet the Spirit Race of this era had entirely lost this heritage.

With a maidservant who burned with passion down to her bones accompanying his cultivation, maintaining a tranquil mind proved exceedingly difficult. Especially when the other handmaidens had been sent away and no longer needed to serve them, the two lived a life entirely devoid of shame on this platform.

Upon the terrace, Zhao Changhe sat cross-legged, eating. The little maidservant knelt before him, her beautiful hair swaying up and down as she too partook in sustenance.

This was a common ritual of oral satisfaction after a period of "tiring cultivation, drawing to a pause." Zhao Changhe himself did not know how it had formed; it seemed that whenever he sat here to eat dinner, Sisi would linger there seductively, and things naturally developed into this state...

A little enchantress of an exotic tribe, possessing not a shred of restraint... She required a robust man like Zhao Changhe; anyone else would have been sucked utterly dry.

For Zhao Changhe, however, it was perfectly fitting; he truly needed it.

He gently stroked Sisi's silken hair, and the blood-red, malevolent aura within his eyes gradually receded, finally turning placid.

This was Zhao Changhe's seventh day of quiet cultivation here...

It had to be said that these days of training were remarkably effective. Zhao Changhe could feel his spiral-shaped energy taking complete form; his surging blood vitality and internal breath began to stabilize, resembling a tranquil, deep ocean that concealed endless explosive power.

Just a fraction away, merely a single step.

According to what Yue Hongling had said, when she moved from the intent of the setting sun reflecting a solitary wild goose to the reverse intent of a grey eagle striking the setting sun, her Second Secret Crypt was broken.

This correspondence posed a certain difficulty for Zhao Changhe. He possessed no such clear, physical imagery; his intent was abstract. Matters like the stars of the heavens... during battle, they might resemble the Galaxy hanging upside down, but could they conversely become the starry river rolling backward? It held no meaning. In essence, the wisdom provided by Yue Hongling's experience was the process of moving from blending into the natural world and utilizing its strength, to beginning to master the forces of heaven and earth.

For Zhao Changhe, that meant moving from being able to utilize the surrounding malevolent blood aura to becoming the sovereign of that aura... Perhaps becoming a sovereign was premature, but striking through it or assimilating it until no distinction remained, ensuring he would never again be invaded by it—this should be the turning point of this step.

Thus, during his cultivation, Zhao Changhe had been deliberately driving his own malevolent energy and calling upon the resonance of the surrounding aura. This was particularly pronounced upon this mountain of graves; every day he turned his eyes blood-red, his body filled with a violent tyranny that found no release.

Then the little maidservant would offer herself, allowing him to vent that tyrannical aura completely until he returned to a natural state.

The evening sun sank into the west as the night breeze gently brushed past. The sun had not yet completely dipped below the mountain, while the moon in the east had already poked its head out. Sun and moon coexisted; the world hovered between light and dark.

The malevolent aura had been expended; it was a time of absolute clarity.

An indescribable, profound sentiment welled up from the depths of his heart, as though his spirit had returned to the primordial dawn, watching a Grand Shaman who stood between heaven and earth, holding the sun and moon in his hands. Around him, dragons and phoenixes soared, a hundred beasts roared, and a single stomp of his foot tore fissures into the earth.

Sisi seemed to feel a sudden resonance, and she raised her eyes in wonder.

At this very moment, she unexpectedly attained many insights into the shamanistic arts of life's origin. Certain supreme incantations recorded in ancient texts that had once baffled the mind suddenly seemed perfectly clear.

—The meaning of that prophecy was practically: *You fools must come to worship your ancestors at this time.*

Sisi watched the hundred beasts run rampant; Zhao Changhe gazed upon the sun and moon within his grasp.

If the saber was Yang, then the sword was Yin.

The malevolent blood aura was Yang, while the true qi was Yin.

His own self was Yang, and Sisi was Yin.

At the junction of summer and autumn, the sun and moon shone in unison.

The first page of the Heavenly Book was faintly manifesting characters: "Unnamed Insight of the Dual Polarities, pending completion."

This was the first time since Zhao Changhe had obtained the Heavenly Book that it did not display another person's cultivation method or martial technique, but was instead recording his own comprehension.

A realization of his internal cultivation, and of the harmony between saber and sword...

Yue Hongling had once bidden him to seek references from other sects in the Central Plains, but it seemed that was no longer necessary... A divine art combining saber and sword was currently taking shape within his heart.

For the first time, Zhao Changhe was creating his own technique.

Though it was merely a secret art of power harmonization and a technique of sword and blade coordination, it marked the most crucial step in his martial path—from learning others' methods to sensing the intent of the ancient sun and moon and creating his own.

Though there was still a hint of others' intent, it was very vague, offering no concrete techniques. This was truly his own creation.

The second secret treasure remained unbroken, but Zhao Changhe's expression was utterly calm; he already knew how to break it.

"Your Majesty, Your Majesty." A young maidservant came running from afar in haste: "Military intelligence from Taoyuan Town outside: Zhai Mu's troops are advancing into Miaojiang, and Lei Zhentang has recovered from his wounds and left seclusion!"