Chapter 314
Chapter 314
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Translator: Ace
Chapter: [Unknown]
Chapter Title: The Black Iron Pillar Pierces Xijing
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Zhuang Wuji immediately folded back from the yang world.
「Lord Guangxiao!」
He shouted loudly. Lord Guangxiao flew over, carrying him toward the black iron pillar!
Lord Guangxiao was an existence comparable to the Great Vehicle Realm, with extreme speed. Even Blackie Pot running at full tilt from Xijing to the great iron pillar would take a good half shichen, but with Lord Guangxiao carrying Zhuang Wuji, it took only a quarter of an hour.
The two came to a stop. Zhuang Wuji immediately searched all around, trying to find the person who had claimed the treasure. However, the area was a vast white expanse, without even a ghost in sight—let alone a person!
The treasure thief clearly would not stick around in place waiting to be caught and had naturally made a clean getaway!
「Lord Guangxiao, the yang world!」
Zhuang Wuji bellowed. Lord Guangxiao immediately carried him, breaking through the barrier between the yin and yang realms, and appeared in the yang world.
They emerged on a post road tunneling through Xijing's East Mountain.
It was still nighttime, the sky not yet light, but the post road was already bustling with traffic. This road was the vital artery connecting the counties on the eastern edge of Jinzhou Province, crowded with carriages and horses—merchant caravans passing through, teams hauling vegetables and meat into the capital, barefoot porters, traveling scholars out for leisure. Vehicles streamed by nonstop, creating quite the lively scene.
The carriages bore peach talismans and carried lanterns, escorted by Embroidered Uniform Guards with divine shrines floating behind their heads to ward off evil spirits.
Over these past few months, Red Mountain Hall talisman masters had been active in the countryside, eliminating many evil spirits. The number of local threats had dwindled, making night travel far safer. Still, with evil spirits liable to appear, the merchant caravans continued hiring Embroidered Uniform Guards for protection.
Zhuang Wuji stood on the post road, gazing at the throngs of people weaving back and forth. His heart turned ice-cold.
Finding the treasure thief amid this was next to impossible—not to mention the thief might not have taken this road at all!
「I emerged from the mountains this time solely for this treasure. These years, I've cultivated arduously and studied diligently, all in hopes of claiming it! Now it's vanished without a trace—haven't all those years of toil been for nothing?」
He felt boundless melancholy, while a surge of baleful qi welled up in his heart.
「Just who was spying on me in secret and stole my magic treasure? This person must be insidious and cunning, covertly observing my steps for collecting the treasure and pilfering my refining techniques! The moment I failed to claim it, he swooped in to take it himself!」
He was filled with fury and a touch of wariness.
That treasure was a remnant from ancient times, possessing immense and inconceivable power.
He had heard it was left behind by an ancient deity. For some unknown reason, that deity vanished, leaving the treasure unrefined and standing between heaven and earth to be tempered by the five great innate qi of the cosmos. After countless years, it had finally ripened.
Dispatched from the mountains on orders, he had made every preparation and brimmed with confidence as he came for this treasure—only for someone else to pluck the ripe peach!
Zhuang Wuji fell into a daze, then rallied his spirits.
「You think you can steal my treasure and simply walk away? Not so easy! Guangxiao, mobilize every Heavenly Listener at once. Monitor all activity in Xijing and within a thousand-li radius!」
Lord Guangxiao assented and flew off immediately.
Soon, droves of Heavenly Listeners appeared inside and outside Xijing. There had been plenty before, but they mostly surveilled nobles and high-status figures in the city. This time was different—even ordinary folk's homes now had Heavenly Listeners lurking nearby, ears cocked to listen.
In an instant, the city and its outskirts fell deathly silent, like cicadas in winter. People meeting on the street dared not speak, resorting instead to meaningful glances.
Before long, folks realized the Heavenly Listeners were acutely sensitive to words like "stick," "iron rod," or "black iron." Slip one out carelessly, and seven or eight would materialize in moments, jotting down every word and gesture.
By the time Chen Shi returned home, daylight had broken fully, and many Heavenly Listeners now haunted the Chen residence perimeter. Still, with the household busy repairing the damage, it barely registered.
Chen Tang saw how his son had run off after causing trouble, only to return lugging a black stick. Clearly, he'd been too harsh and frightened the boy, who had scavenged a stick outside for self-defense, fearing a beating.
His anger ebbed away. He said to Chen Shi,
「A doting father ruins the son. The nest egg I've scraped together over the years can't take much more of your antics. I'm tapped out—the masons' pay is still owed. You settle the bill.」
Chen Shi laughed.
「I say skip the repairs. Once we fetch Mom, we head back to Qianyang Mountain and ditch Xijing.」
Chen Tang mulled it over and nodded.
「Once your mom's back, we go. But this courtyard needs fixing all the same—if we're heading into the capital proper, we'll need a foothold. Your money.」
Chen Shi said,
「Little Martial Uncle stashed a fortune at Juxian Tower. Short on funds? Withdraw from there. Just say you're Chen Wu's little brother, Chen Shi's dad—they should front you some.」
Chen Tang snorted. He and Creation Little Five were sworn rivals since boyhood, constantly bullied by the man. Use his money? No chance.
「But the boy's money is fair game,」 he thought to himself.
Chen Shi had Blackie Pot subtly influence the others' minds, then drew out the black iron stick for a close look.
It measured just three feet eight inches long, slightly thicker at both ends—but only about as thick as a baby's arm. The surface bore patterns of baffling complexity, though their uniform black sheen made them hard to discern.
Chen Shi swung it experimentally. It whistled fiercely through the air, quite hefty, but seemed otherwise unremarkable.
「Great for bashing heads. Let's test its power.」
Chen Shi tried channeling his qi and blood into it. No reaction.
He lit several sticks of incense. It absorbed the fumes, but formed no spiritual bond.
Chen Shi pondered, about to invoke his fourth new talisman and rouse it with the All-Heavens Fire Realm—then recalled its colossal size in the underworld. If it expanded suddenly here, the Chen residence wouldn't hold.
He fetched the Fox Grape Mirror at once and slipped into its little multiverse.
By now, Red Mountain Hall talisman masters were cultivating inside, while Luban Sect disciples built structures, aiming to erect dwellings for secluded cultivation.
Others inscribed steles with the various techniques Chen Shi had passed down, easing study for newcomers. Yu Tiancheng and company had begun crafting fresh Heavenly Court Tokens—jade pendants to distribute among members.
Trivialities, none needing Chen Shi's attention.
Chen Shi found a clear patch of ground, gripped the black iron stick in his right hand, and circulated his primal qi. His blood converged into the fourth new talisman. Flames erupted around him in an instant, forming an All-Heavens Fire Realm as the innate five qi swirled about the black iron pillar.
「Weng!」
A tremor rang out. Chen Shi abruptly felt boundless weight bearing down, pitching him forward helplessly.
Simultaneously, the stick in his grip shot forth with a whoosh, elongating to unfathomable length. A flare of light burst at the distant barrier of the little multiverse—like a massive impact!
This little multiverse had been forged from the void great realms of the Li clan's elders Li Xintree and Li Kunyu, spanning hundreds of li. Chen Shi's spot lay over two hundred li from the edge!
Several talisman masters practicing near the periphery rushed over and gaped at the colossal black iron stick that had punched clean through the barrier. Horrified, they evacuated and reported to Yu Tiancheng.
「The instructor poked the sky with his stick! Put a hole right through heaven!」
Yu Tiancheng was stunned.
「Such a thing happened?」
At the Red Mountain Hall branch in Highmount County, he stepped out, about to activate his Heavenly Court Token for a look—when he noticed the talisman masters inside all craning their necks, staring blankly toward Xijing.
Some had clambered onto roofs for a better view.
The higher-caliber ones had taken to the air, likewise gawking toward Xijing.
Puzzled, Yu Tiancheng soared aloft and peered toward Xijing. His face went slack as he murmured,
「What in the world?」
Qingyang and Hu Xiaoliang were at Red Mountain Hall too. Spotting the commotion, Qingyang beat everyone to the sky, laughing.
「What's got you all staring? Let me see... Good lord, what a massive stick!」
His face froze, goatee quivering.
Hu Xiaoliang hurried up after, gazing toward Xijing. His eyes bugged out. There in the city stood a gigantic black iron pillar from gods-knew-where, run straight through Xijing and jutting out at a slant over the city like a black mega-firecracker.
Hu Xiaoliang murmured,
「Xijing's done for—it's gonna blow. Who did this?」 Everyone shook their heads.
Yu Tiancheng opened his mouth to speak—then recalled the messengers' words about Chen Shi poking a hole in the sky. He shuddered and dropped from the air in haste, fumbling out his Heavenly Court Token to enter the little multiverse.
Meanwhile, outside Xijing's Meridian Gate lay deserted, save for a handful of eunuchs sweeping.
Morning court was in session; all the ministers were at Tahe Hall for deliberations—a tradition millennia old, not to be altered.
Raucous arguing drifted from the hall. The sweepers paid it no mind.
It'd be the real shocker if Xijing's civil and military officials held court without a squabble.
Suddenly—BOOM!—a colossal crash. The Meridian Gate, unbowed for millennia, splintered apart. Amid the thunderous roar, an impossibly thick black iron pillar hurtled over the eunuchs' heads like a cannon from the mortal realm, slamming onto the white jade steps before Tahe Hall and pulverizing the top few tiers.
The gargantuan pillar bored into Tahe Hall, hurling its roof and rear sections skyward while grazing the roof of Wuying Hall—one of the nine rear palaces!
Wuying Hall, a prized relic of the True King, activated in a flash. Treasure radiance shot heavenward, unleashing peerless might!
The sweeping eunuchs stood dumbfounded. Faint crackles echoed in the space around them—like rending voids or bursting after-thunder.
One eunuch turned his head with effort, tracing the pillar back to its origin. It had threaded the Meridian Gate's center; behind lay nothing but empty air, as if it had materialized from nowhere.
The gate itself amounted to two lone pillars, perfectly braced against the black iron behemoth.—Though "pillar" undersold it; dozens linked hands might not encircle its girth.
In Tahe Hall, the officials' faces froze mid-quarrel, the overhead roof melting from violent friction. The titanic black iron pillar loomed above, radiating crushing pressure, its twisted, eerie patterns heart-chilling.
Tahe Hall crackled and popped, as if something inside were detonating.
Chief Grand Secretary Yan Xianzhi snapped to first, hastily righting his crooked hat from the scare.
He bolted outward, barking,
「Quick! Quick! See what's happened!」
The officials streamed after him, beholding the colossal black iron pillar that had skewered Xijing clear to the outskirts—its outer length unknown.
Ramrod straight, without the slightest bend! Eye twitches rippled through the officials.
At the same instant, Zhuang Wuji spotted the black iron pillar too. His mind reeled as he raced over, thinking,
「That thief's still in Xijing after all! Let's see you escape this time!」
He alighted before fully landing—only to see the pillar contract and shrink at blinding speed, vanishing with a whoosh!
Zhuang Wuji touched down at the Meridian Gate. Its two pillars tottered and crashed down.
Even he, ever composed, seethed with rage.
「To provoke me like this! To provoke Despair Slope! The sheer gall!」
Yan Xianzhi's face turned ashen. He let out a shrill screech.
「Investigate! Get me answers—who did this!」
In the little multiverse, Chen Shi's hand was pinned under the stick, his shoulder dislocated, leaving him stuck fast. He remained oblivious to the pandemonium his treasure test had unleashed outside.
At his end, the stick hadn't thickened—just stretched manyfold, still hand-grippable but crushingly heavy. Forget lifting; prying his hand free was ordeal enough!
Chen Shi yanked with all his might but couldn't budge it. Even twitching hurt like hell. He thought,
「Finger bones must be pulverized! Fine stick, but how do I stow it?」
A thought struck; he withdrew the encircling All-Heavens Fire Realm and innate five qi. Whoosh—the black iron pillar reverted to an ordinary stick in his grasp.
Chen Shi hauled himself up, switched hands, hefted the black iron stick, and swung it about. He thought,
「Handy enough... but post-activation, a nightmare—heavy as sin, impossible to wield. Still, nigh-indestructible; perfect for divine arts like the Million-Li Flying Sword. Send it hundreds of li to jab someone, then boom—enlarge on impact! Pff—」
By the time Yu Tiancheng and the others entered the little multiverse, Chen Shi had already departed without crossing paths.
Chen Tang had gone to Wuchang Street for soy milk, youtiao, steamed buns, and pickled veggies packed to go.—Yesterday's third new talisman test had wrecked the kitchen too; Blackie Pot had nowhere to cook, forcing a breakfast run.
Father and son munched pickles with buns. Chen Tang shared the news.
「While I was out grabbing chow, Xijing blew up—big time. Got to our Qianyang Street corner with the grub and—boom!—a pitch-black pillar erupted from the Meridian Gate, skewering the whole city. Tahe Hall caved. Watched a bit before heading back. Food stayed hot, thank goodness.」
Chen Shi's heart stirred.
「Black pillar?」
Chen Tang's face grew grave.
「Smells like an evil spirit infiltrated Xijing. Why else would the Meridian Gate collapse?」
Chen Shi quietly flicked a glance at the iron stick propped in the corner, face impassive.
Chen Tang caught the look, eyed the stick, then looked away. Utterly mundane—likely Chen Shi's sword-practice prop, not even qualifying as a talisman soldier.
Breakfast done, Blackie Pot donned an apron to clear dishes when a knock sounded at the door.
Blackie Pot wiped his paws and opened up. There stood the Boat Woman in ragged garb, travel-worn and dust-begrimed, old bruises purplish-black on her face. She clutched a snapped-half bamboo pole and, spotting Blackie Pot, grinned sheepishly.
「Is the Xieyuan Lord in...?」