Chapter 2

Chapter 2

He remembered it was an utterly ordinary day on Changliu Mountain, bathed in the gentle warmth and clear vistas of spring, promising good weather for the days to come.

After returning from training with his senior brothers, feeling lazy to the bone, he had asked his master for a few days off. Bored from sleeping too much, he picked out the specific ink-black robes he used for fortune-telling, grabbed a fan, and headed out.

However, Jiang Zhuochen's means of making a living wasn't very popular here. Cultivators believed solely in strength; any misfortune was attributed to insufficient power. Even if he spoke the truth, others would at most treat it as entertainment. So, after three years of spinning tall tales, the inner disciples stopped buying it. Jiang Zhuochen tapped the handle of his fan against his palm and leisurely made his way toward the outer sect.

The outer sect had many disciples with high turnover, and many didn't recognize him. Thus, he managed to find a customer in the bamboo grove behind the mountain. He took out two smooth, polished stones from his pouch, which he had picked up in a minor realm on his way back from training. His senior brothers said these stones were called Flame Sun Hearts, jet-black and gleaming, but if aimed directly at the blazing sun, one could glimpse a dot within resembling the sun in the sky. These stones contained a faint trace of spiritual energy, perfect for fortune-telling.

But for some reason, when he channeled his spiritual power to sense them, it felt like touching a layer of gauze. This gauze, as if it had a will of its own, began to move upon sensing discovery. Jiang Zhuochen's entire sea of consciousness was wrapped by it, rendered immobile. He tried to break free, but during the struggle, he inadvertently glimpsed the scene beyond the transparent gauze.

He couldn't clearly describe what it was—a vast, white expanse he felt powerless to resist, as if he instinctively knew it was something immensely powerful. Drawn forward, Jiang Zhuochen reached out and touched the gauze. Something that spiritual power couldn't disperse now came away with a simple tug. Immediately, he felt a vast and ponderous force surge into his sea of consciousness, sweeping through his entire body like a force that crumbles the rotten and breaks the brittle.

Countless images flashed through his sea of consciousness, yet he felt their appearance was agonizingly slow. Torn between these two opposing sensations, he cried out in pain. The torment didn't last long. The moment the information finished transmitting, an ethereal, domineering will of Heaven forcefully rushed into his sea of consciousness.

The next instant this power, which even Dao-comprehending masters might not rival, appeared in Jiang Zhuochen's sea of consciousness, he spat out a mouthful of blood and collapsed forward, powerless.

The outer disciple witnessing this felt his heart nearly leap out of his chest. He exclaimed "Hey!", even forgetting his lunchbox, and rushed to catch the unconscious Jiang Zhuochen with both hands. After anxiously calling out twice with no response, he was about to help him to the medical hall.

Before he could even lift Jiang Zhuochen's arm, he noticed the grass and trees three paces away rustling and stirring. A figure appeared before him in the blink of an eye, taking Jiang Zhuochen into his arms.

The outer disciple was startled and quickly bowed. "Greetings, Sect Leader."

Xu Xing had been in the council hall when he suddenly sensed a violent disturbance in Jiang Zhuochen's soul lamp and hurried over. He grasped Jiang Zhuochen's arm, circulating his spiritual power to probe. Then, his usually expressionless face showed a ripple of emotion. Holding Jiang Zhuochen with one arm and the junior disciple with the other, he returned to the remote mountain retreat.

Inside the room, Senior Brother Shen Hezhou arrived with all the disciples except those in seclusion, too worried to bother with formalities. "What happened to Junior Brother?"

"His heart meridian is protected. He's temporarily fine."

Xu Xing toyed with a round stone in his hand, his calm demeanor revealing nothing. He glanced at the outer disciple still shrinking in the corner, who then stepped forward, trembling, and recounted the incident again.

After the disciple finished, Xu Xing asked, "Where did Chen'er get this Flame Sun Heart?"

Shen Hezhou hurriedly replied, "On the way back, a minor realm suddenly opened north of Pingtan Town. The disciples went to explore. Junior brother picked this up by the Molten Rock River. We saw no harm in it and let him keep it. Master, is there a problem with the Flame Sun Heart?"

Xu Xing lowered his gaze. "The stone itself is not the problem."

Before his own master ascended to immortality, he had once told him about this stone. Its original name was Heaven-Peering Stone. Over a thousand years ago, it was repeatedly used by those with ill intentions who sought to peer into the heavens and attain the Dao, finally incurring the Heavenly Punishment. The stone's once abundant spiritual energy dissipated along with the punished individuals, and since then, no one had harbored such thoughts.

In recent years, some discovered the Flame Sun Heart had regained a wisp of spiritual energy, but it was too scarce to attract the attention of the immortal sects. Unexpectedly, Jiang Zhuochen's act of using spiritual power to activate the Flame Sun Heart for fortune-telling coincidentally aligned with the heaven-peering method from a millennium ago.

How could a mere wisp of spiritual energy cause such severe backlash? Unless...

As if to confirm his thoughts, several guests arrived at the mountain retreat the next moment. Elders from Wangxian Valley and fellow sect brothers knocked on the door.

Xu Xing looked at the still unconscious Jiang Zhuochen, then nodded and left.

Just outside, he noticed the unusual sky, shifting from a flaming red to a deep, ink-like black.

"Sect Leader Brother..."

Current sect disciples, being young, didn't know what this phenomenon meant, but the elders did, especially those who had personally experienced it.

When the red was completely consumed by black, the Heaven-Peering Punishment would arrive.

No one could have imagined that a mere idle pastime would bring about such a great calamity.

...

Night had fallen, but the sky above Changliu Mountain was an unsettling, panic-inducing red. Even the uninformed disciples now realized something was wrong and sought protection from their respective masters.

The calamity was unavoidable, but fortunately, there was still time. Xu Xing sat by the bedside, gently smoothing the troubled brow of the sleeping Jiang Zhuochen, then tapped his forehead with a mix of helplessness and indulgence.

"You..."

These two short words carried a world of tenderness, lingering in the quiet room. Xu Xing sat silently for a while before rising from the bedside, his entire aura turning sharp and formidable.

In the council hall, Xu Xing summoned the disciples and instructed, "From now on, all sect affairs will be temporarily managed jointly by the several martial uncles."

As the Sect Leader's personal disciples, they had learned some insider information after the incident. Hearing their master's words, they anxiously stepped forward.

Shen Hezhou's tone held a hint of disbelief. "Master, you don't mean to..."

The other disciples also stepped forward, standing beside Shen Hezhou. "Master, please reconsider!"

Xu Xing remained calm. "Do not panic. Your master will be fine."

Having trained under Xu Xing for over a hundred years, Shen Hezhou understood his master's character better than most. His master was decisive, never offering empty comfort or superficial gestures. If he said he would be fine, he likely would be.

Even though he had heard from his martial uncles that this was no ordinary heavenly thunder, but a Heavenly Punishment.

Xu Xing looked at Shen Hezhou. "Take care of the other disciples for me."

Shen Hezhou placed two fingers before his chest and bowed slightly. "As you command, Master."

After giving his instructions, Xu Xing looked at the concerned faces of his disciples, a rare hint of solace appearing on his face. He strode out of the room as if facing just another mundane task.

The red glow over Changliu Mountain had been almost entirely consumed. Dark clouds pressed down like ink, suffocating. Everyone on the mountain watched as the light vanished from sight. The surroundings fell into a dead silence, as if the air itself had frozen.

A bolt of lightning suddenly tore open the sky, heralding the beginning. Just as they thought disaster had struck, they saw all the Heavenly Punishment chasing after a faint, inconspicuous point of light, drawn away from Changliu Mountain.

Those were the most agonizing days for Changliu Mountain. Even with barriers erected, the terrifying events nearby filled everyone with dread.

Each heavenly thunderbolt fell with world-shattering force, its mere radiance shaking the barriers. No one could imagine what Xu Xing looked like at the epicenter of the calamity.

The unconscious Jiang Zhuochen was deathly pale, his brow tightly furrowed. Though his sea of consciousness was in chaos, he felt an inexplicable panic. His entire being screamed to wake up, yet he was trapped, unable to move.

The flickering light continued relentlessly. The roars, which even the barriers couldn't fully block, came crashing like tidal waves. With each passing moment, Jiang Zhuochen felt more suffocated. Tears unconsciously streamed from the corners of his eyes into his hair.

"Master..."

The Heavenly Punishment lasted seven days and seven nights, and Jiang Zhuochen slept for the same duration. By then, peace had long returned. Even the terrifying dark clouds had swiftly dissipated. If one ignored the desolate land, it seemed as if nothing had happened.

At dawn on the eighth day, Jiang Zhuochen slowly opened his eyes. He sat up, leaning against the headboard, supporting his heavy head. Before the tightness in his chest could ease, he felt something was amiss. Whenever he was in trouble before, his master would always stay by his side. Why wasn't he here now?

Jiang Zhuochen threw off the covers, wanting to get out of bed. Unaware of how long he had slept, his body was weak. He lost his balance and fell.

The noise attracted attention from outside. Shen Hezhou pushed the door open, helped Jiang Zhuochen up, followed by the other disciples. "Are you alright? Not hurt? Why didn't you call for someone after waking up?"

"I'm fine." Jiang Zhuochen held onto Shen Hezhou, his eyes full of inquiry. "Where's Master?"

As soon as the words fell, Jiang Zhuochen noticed the expressions of his senior brothers fade slightly, followed by a trace of strain. The silence in the room made him panic.

He unconsciously tightened his grip on the arm supporting him, a tremor creeping into his voice.

"Why aren't any of you speaking?"

"What happened after I fell unconscious?"

Shen Hezhou swallowed his grief, helping Jiang Zhuochen sit back on the bed before laying out everything that had happened over the past few days.

Shen Hezhou had always believed their master's earlier assurance that he would be fine merely meant he would need to go into seclusion to recover after enduring the Heavenly Punishment, which was why all sect affairs were temporarily handed over to the martial uncles. He never expected the Heavenly Punishment to descend and last for seven full days. By the time it ended, neither they nor even the elders and martial uncles could sense their master's presence.

Not convinced, he led the disciples to the desolate land immediately. For hours, they searched back and forth across the flat, gray-black scorched earth, but not even a trace of their master's robe could be found. It was as if he had vanished along with the Heavenly Punishment.

As though those words had been meant only to comfort them.

Jiang Zhuochen, whose body had not yet fully recovered, felt his vision darken upon hearing this. He gripped the wooden headboard, taking a long moment to collect himself. He opened his mouth, only to cough up a mouthful of blood.

His internal injuries, compounded by acute distress, left him too weak to support himself, and he fell unconscious once more. Even in his sleep, he found no peace, tormented by nightmares that not even the physicians' hall or the immortal pills left by their master could dispel.

After the Heavenly Punishment, everything returned to normal. The valley elders strictly forbade any discussion of the matter among the disciples, on pain of having their spiritual roots severed. The punishment was so severe that no one dared disobey, allowing the Wangxian Valley to return to normal in the shortest time possible.

The Fusang tree within the Mountain Beyond Mountains grew increasingly lush and vibrant, attracting birds that perched among its branches. Amidst the swirling spiritual energy, they chirped cheerfully, and a month later, their calls finally roused Jiang Zhuochen from his slumber. His eyelids fluttered weakly before he managed to open them.

When Shen Hezhou entered the room and saw Jiang Zhuochen awake, even without a word spoken, he sensed from his little junior brother's calm demeanor that something about him had changed after this long sleep.

Fearing that Jiang Zhuochen might blame himself excessively or lose hope, Shen Hezhou avoided mentioning anything related to the incident. Instead, he and the other junior brothers took turns caring for him, occasionally sharing amusing stories.

After finishing his medicine, Jiang Zhuochen placed the spoon back into the jade bowl with a crisp clink, followed by a question.

"Senior Brother, where is the site of the Heavenly Punishment?"

...

Jiang Zhuochen stepped onto the ruins and stood there quietly. After a long while, he slowly reached out into the empty air, his fingers twitching slightly as if sensing something. Finally, unable to suppress it any longer, he lowered his head in despair.

For this entire month, he had trapped himself in unwillingness to wake, unable to accept that his master was gone.

When a person dies, their soul disperses. The thousand or so days and nights they had shared now felt like flowers in a mirror or the moon reflected in water—unreal, yet suffocatingly heavy when he touched familiar objects.

He hadn't even been able to see his master one last time.

"What would happen if one were to reveal heavenly secrets?"

He murmured softly, as if speaking to himself.

Before long, a faint red glow began to spread across the horizon, appearing as though it were casually diffusing outward in rings, yet its range pointed unmistakably toward where Jiang Zhuochen stood!