Chapter 98: Heavenly Book

Chapter 98 The Celestial Script

At the bottom of Ancient Sword Lake, a dimension apart.

In essence, when the epoch collapsed, the divine sword’s power protected its master, sustaining a tiny space that was shattered and isolated. To call such a space an otherworld is inaccurate, for it still depends on the main plane for existence; many elements within, including air, are connected to the main plane through some channel, so one could communicate with it by means from the lake’s surface, but searching with the naked eye would never reveal that a space existed here.

Strictly speaking, it should be called a sub-plane.

Zhao Changhe thought of the Azure Dragon Seal because the divine sword’s actions were utterly unreasonable; Xia Chichi could not possibly have given it a reason to kill her. If one had to find a possible connection from Xia Chichi, it could only be the Azure Dragon Seal, also from the last epoch.

Upon testing, it was indeed so.

When the divine sword touched the Azure Dragon Seal, a reaction immediately occurred.

The three of them seemed to glimpse a trace of ancient times, as if dreaming back to the past, seeing shadows of bygone days.

A man in an imperial robe was speaking: “Heaven stirs with killing intent, stars shift their mansions; I fear the Way of Heaven is changing, and a myriad calamities are about to arise. I must return and prepare early… If I can escape this catastrophe, I will come to find you again.”

The woman sighed: “Why hide it from me… The Night Emperor has already fallen; what you seek is nothing but his position, to take charge of that page of the Celestial Script. You fear I have ties with them, so you deliberately leave me here, lest you be constrained.”

The imperial-robed man was silent for a moment: “You may think so.”

“No matter what you go to do… I can wait for you, as long as it takes, even until the epoch begins anew.” The woman’s voice gradually faded: “I only fear… you will not come…”

The man promised: “Rest assured, I will surely come.”

“Good, I believe you. If you truly come, I still have something to give you.”

What became of the man after he left could not be seen in the vision, but Zhao Changhe and Xia Chichi understood clearly: the man returned and prepared the tomb on Beimang, prepared the Azure Dragon Seal’s inheritance, arranged all his affairs neatly, but never once thought to return to the woman.

Zhao Changhe suddenly thought, the bizarre displacement of Beimang might well have been the result of this emperor’s contingency plans. After all, this man was already contending for the Celestial Script, seemingly more formidable than an ordinary mortal emperor.

From this perspective, it seemed this man had indeed given little thought to the woman; there should be no misunderstanding.

When the epoch’s collapse came, the woman knew she lacked the strength to survive, and her heart was as dead as ashes, unwilling to flee. She simply committed suicide in the sword chamber, her final thoughts all centered on the man’s promise before their parting.

The vision dissipated.

The moment Zhao Changhe and the other two opened their eyes, they saw a space resembling a sword chamber, with several swords hanging around. An ancient corpse had long decayed here, even its robes and other items turned to dust. Only a skeleton sat quietly in meditation, devoid of any life force.

The divine sword left Han Wubing’s hand, circling the skeleton with a mournful cry, as if saying: The faithless one has come; do you wish to see him?

But the master would never respond again.

Xia Chichi felt deeply distressed. She unclasped the Azure Dragon Seal and placed it before the skeleton, offering a bow: “Senior, I have indeed received the baptism and technique inheritance of this seal, but I am no longer the original owner… I am a woman, senior.”

The divine sword: “…”

In theory, its inheritance must continue its karma, including its hatred. The divine sword could not think, let alone distinguish male from female; the intent it carried was to kill you without question. But the mutual sacrifice between Xia Chichi and Zhao Changhe nearly caused it to crash. It hated the faithless, so naturally it admired the loyal; now the two conflicted—should it kill or not?

Originally, the killing intent had the upper hand: you are steeped in the Azure Dragon Seal’s techniques, and being devoted to someone else only shows greater faithlessness to the original master. It was about to kill them all when another young man it recognized grasped the sword hilt.

Surrounded by three people of loyalty, the divine sword’s intent completely crashed.

Xia Chichi was equally troubled, for the imperial-robed man was undoubtedly an Azure Dragon inheritor, perhaps even the Azure Dragon’s incarnation—one of the Four Symbols Faith’s deities. Now the faithless one turned out to be from her own Four Symbols Faith, a reversal of Xia Longyuan’s situation. If she were the heroine, she would kill this inheritor, but now she herself was the inheritor.

Xia Chichi sighed helplessly and said softly: “Senior, the inheritance and fortune within this Azure Dragon Seal have already been absorbed by me; in theory, it is now useless, merely kept as a symbol of the Azure Dragon Saintess. If you truly hate it, I am willing to smash it, though I wonder if you would consider that too trivial and meaningless?”

Whether meaningful or not, at this moment Xia Chichi thought of her own mother and felt a deep empathy. Gritting her teeth, she slammed the Azure Dragon Seal viciously against the ground.

It would not break at all.

Xia Chichi, having gone this far, grabbed the divine sword that was circling its master and hacked down with all her might.

The Azure Dragon Seal, a treasure that had survived across epochs, was cleaved in two.

The divine sword, having personally shattered the Azure Dragon Seal, let out an extremely joyful cry; one could almost feel its elation, as if the hatred spanning epochs had finally ended.

Han Wubing, watching from the side, looked at Xia Chichi with a changed expression, thinking to himself: This enchantress is truly ruthless—how could she bear to part with it? Better to tread carefully when opposing this woman.

Only Zhao Changhe understood the empathy Xia Chichi felt. He gently embraced her and said softly: “It’s all right; the senior will also calm down.”

As if confirming his words, the skeleton that had sat motionless seemed to give the illusion of a smile, and then its bones gradually dissipated like smoke, as if it had never existed here.

“This is the end of obsession; it fades away. I have heard similar stories from the elders of the Sword Hut.” Han Wubing finally spoke: “I never imagined that such myth-like events could truly appear before my eyes… the last epoch… the last epoch…”

As he spoke, his mind seemed to wander through the ages, chasing the romance of that time.

Zhao Changhe glanced at him sideways: Shouldn’t you feel like a third wheel right now? In this sword chamber, I’m holding a girl—can’t you see that?

Never mind him. Zhao Changhe, still holding the somewhat melancholic Xia Chichi, asked: “You smashed the Azure Dragon Seal; can you explain it when you return?”

Xia Chichi shook her head: “No one will check my seal; at worst, I’ll say the Maitreya Sect stole it, and we’ll go fight them.”

Zhao Changhe: “…”

Xia Chichi sighed: “As I said, the Azure Dragon Seal itself is useless now, just a symbol. Whether I can secure my position as Saintess doesn’t depend on a symbolic treasure, but on other things. And now this first important mission has turned out so messy…”

Han Wubing, who seemed lost in thought, suddenly spoke: “Your mission was to retrieve the sword?”

“Yes.”

Han Wubing said: “Then your mission is accomplished.”

Zhao Changhe and Xia Chichi said in unison: “We thought it was yours.”

Han Wubing was speechless: “Look at how that sword clings to your hand now—how can you say it’s mine?”

Xia Chichi looked down at the sword and saw that it seemed to depend on her like a cat clinging to its owner.

She understood: the old master’s obsession had faded, and the divine sword would gain new life. If it were to choose a new master, it would naturally be the one who had smashed the Azure Dragon Seal. Others, however loyal, might only be considered companions, not easily acknowledged as masters—just like Longque with Zhao Changhe now.

So the sword was indeed hers, and the mission was complete…

Zhao Changhe also realized this and felt somewhat apologetic: “Brother Han, this…”

Han Wubing was even more exasperated: “I know your sense of righteousness; you thought the sword suited me and should be mine. But I don’t like this sword—I’ve never seen a sword so obsessed with trivial matters between men and women. Would a swordsman want such a thing to vex himself? Besides, it’s far too beautiful; as a bounty hunter, I prefer plain and low-key weapons.”

Zhao Changhe was taken aback: “That’s true… Then your sword…”

Han Wubing pointed to the swords around the chamber: “Aren’t these all ancient masterpieces? Collected by the owner of this divine sword, they should be of no low quality. To be honest, I never seek too fine a sword; it only breeds dependence and harms my sword heart. Enough is enough. Speaking of which, I advise you two to rely less on your divine weapons; winning across levels may bring short-term gains, but in the long run, it may not be beneficial.”

Zhao Changhe stepped back and bowed solemnly: “Thank you for your guidance, Brother Han.”

As he stepped back, his foot accidentally stepped on something. Looking down, it was the cushion the skeleton had been sitting on.

Zhao Changhe found it strange: this object was unusual. The skeleton had dissolved, the clothes had long turned to dust—how could this cushion still be intact?

He examined it closely and found the cushion seemed woven from golden threads. Parting the gaps, he saw a golden light within, as if there were a page of silk.

Zhao Changhe narrowed his eyes.

The woman’s words from the vision flashed through his mind: “The Night Emperor has already fallen; what you seek is nothing but his position, to take charge of that page of the Celestial Script. You fear I have ties with them…”

Xia Chichi and Han Wubing might not know what this meant; they had no understanding of the Celestial Script and might think it was some token. But to Zhao Changhe, these words were like a bell tolling in his ear, impossible to forget.

He thought of the golden light that flashed in the Chaos Chronicle…

If this golden leaf was that page of the Celestial Script…

“If you truly come, I still have something to give you.”

If that man had returned, he would have obtained it.