Chapter 23 The Great Urn, Raised, Overflows Rivers and Seas
2626 Words
In the blink of an eye, another day had passed.
As the sky grew increasingly dark, the twilight gradually enveloped the sea of trees. Just then, Chu Weiyang, dragging a cheetah in one hand and carrying a bag of spiritual herbs in the other, strolled leisurely from the depths of the thickening mist. He slowly passed through the barrier, then placed the dead cheetah and the herbs on the flat ground in front of Zhaifeng Tower.
There, Steward Ma was tending the campfire with a branch, the flames now swirling and growing stronger.
Holding his longsword upside down, Chu Weiyang quickly skewered half a piece of meat with a branch and roasted it over the fire. Leaving half the fire extinguished, he carefully used the bag of colorful spiritual herbs to scorch away the moisture.
Even if Steward Ma considered the *Green Bamboo Elixir Scripture* utterly worthless, the fact that it bore the name *Elixir Scripture* meant it still possessed some depth.
A dark green jade slip imparted to Chu Weiyang not only the cultivation methods of the Green Bamboo Ancestor, but also a wealth of knowledge on poisons to aid his cultivation. These weren't things Chu Weiyang could comprehend in a short time, but at least he could now use the lush forest to select poisonous herbs. In
just a short while, the herbs, dried and shriveled, were easily crushed into powder in Chu Weiyang's hands with a slight effort. A little while later, the entire bag of herbs had transformed into a whole wooden bowl of dusty powder in Chu Weiyang's hand. Reaching
the large urn, he carefully lifted the sealing talisman. Upon opening it, a pungent, fishy odor wafted out.
At first, his body emitted a strong, pungent stench as a warning, but before he could even register it, the stench suddenly transformed into an exquisitely elegant and rich fragrance with every breath, like a hundred flowers blooming, soothing and intoxicating that one couldn't help but want to inhale it more.
In a flash, Chu Weiyang gently bit his tongue; the sharp pain jolted him awake. He quickly moved away from the jar's opening, instead using the wooden bowl in his hand to evenly sprinkle the dusty medicinal powder into the jar.
Instantly, the fragrance grew even stronger.
Carefully sealing the jar's opening with a talisman, Chu Weiyang sat back down by the campfire, picked up the roasted meat, and devoured it like a gluttonous beast reborn!
After swallowing an entire cheetah, the sky grew completely dark. Chu Weiyang continued his cultivation relentlessly. He first swallowed several Hundred Herbs Calamity-Breaking Pills whole. After the evil energy within his body changed, he endured the alternating warm currents and excruciating pain flowing through his limbs and bones. Chu Weiyang picked up his longsword and practiced the thirty-six forms of the Springtime Sword technique again and again without pause.
Now, only two sword intents remained uncomprehended.
The direction of the Clarity Sword Intent was still undecided, but the Grain Rain Sword Intent was undoubtedly a sword technique for nourishing the body.
According to Steward Ma, when evil energy surged through the limbs and bones, and medicinal power nourished the five internal organs and chakras, it was easiest to comprehend the sword technique for nourishing the body with complete concentration.
Ancient Xuanmen sages used water as a metaphor for magical energy.
The Rain Water Sword Intent was thus based on this, and the Grain Rain Sword Intent surpassed it even further.
Perhaps he had finally fully recognized his talent in swordsmanship.
During this time, Chu Weiyang completely forgot the thirty-six forms of the "Springtime Sword," focusing solely on using his mind to experience the vast and boundless artistic conception as he moved and shifted.
It was like a torrential downpour pouring from the sky!
Like a vast ocean roaring within his dantian!
This boundless artistic conception, ultimately extracted from the pure imagery of rain and primordial energy, transformed into something formless and immeasurably vast. Finally, due to the transmission of wisps of pain, it gradually overlapped with the almost countless stagnant malevolent energy accumulated in his limbs and bones.
The malevolent energy formed a sea, vast and boundless.
Chu Weiyang had a long and thorough understanding of this tangible, boundless artistic conception regarding the accumulation of malevolent energy within his body.
The suffering he had endured in the past was now truly becoming, little by little, the resources to embark on the path ahead.
Over the past few days, Chu Weiyang's state of mind had fluctuated several times, coming incredibly close to comprehending the essence of the Valley Rain Sword. This significant progress forced him to focus more of his attention on cultivating the Springtime Sword.
Each additional sword intent he grasped was seen as a step closer to escaping the mire of death.
Meanwhile, by the dim campfire flickering in the night wind, Steward Ma watched with considerable emotion as Chu Weiyang's sword danced in the darkness.
At this moment, Steward Ma suddenly recalled the poem he had overheard Chu Weiyang reciting a few days earlier—
"The guest has been gone for a long time, the beautiful scenery is reserved for you. In the west tower, I savor the beauty of the scene, why bother asking the hour? I summon the bright moon, to illuminate my heart full of ice and snow, the vast rivers flow. The whale has not yet swallowed the sea, the sword's aura already sweeps across autumn."
"Wild light floats. The sky is vast, the beauty of nature is serene. The regrets of the Central Plains, I wonder how many are saddened tonight. Who remembers the hero who has grown old, not saying that fame and fortune are insignificant, his decisions still uncertain. This matter is too complicated to explain, let's discuss it another day."
Sighing to himself, Steward Ma looked at the moonlight reflecting the sword's light, and his emotions stirred inexplicably.
In a moment of melancholy, he seemed to have an urge to get drunk.
Or perhaps, just looking at the scene before him was enough to make him feel intoxicated.
...
The next day, when Chu Weiyang swallowed another Hundred Herbs Overcoming Calamity Pill, the slightly waning warmth barely lifted the young man's spirits.
After many days of unrestrained practice of the "Five Viscera Qi-Nourishing Essence Technique," Chu Weiyang finally sensed the weakening effect of the Hundred Herbs Overcoming Calamity Pill.
This was not within the scope of Chu Weiyang's cognitive limitations.
His experiences in both his past and present lives made him easily accept the concept of "drug tolerance."
The inevitable decline in the efficacy of the medicine was something no cultivation method could compensate for, even if it was only showing a slight sign now, it meant that Chu Weiyang would inevitably face a predicament in the future.
One day, his cultivation would not be able to catch up with the growth rate of his evil qi.
One day, the Hundred Herbs Overcoming Calamity Pill would completely lose its medicinal effect.
Thinking of this, Chu Weiyang shook his head wearily.
This discovery was just one of the airtight chains that had bound him in his long-standing predicament.
He slowly stood up, supporting himself on his knees, leaning against the open window, letting the warm sunlight shine on his sickly pale face and his still thin body.
The gentle warmth of the sun gradually relaxed Chu Weiyang's body.
Then, the young man drew his sword, immediately slashed his palm, and dripped bright red blood into the wooden bowl.
After a short while, Chu Weiyang, slightly unsteady on his feet, swallowed a Dragon-Tiger Rejuvenation Pill before walking slowly to the large urn and pouring the bowl of blood
, brimming with malevolent energy, into it. A night passed, and the pungent aroma grew stronger, its intensity subtly shifting. The intense, alarming scent was replaced by a gentler fragrance, like the smell of sun-dried bedding, the earthy scent of grass, or the delicate fragrance of orchids on a beautiful woman's neck.
A careful sniff seemed to conjure up countless beautiful images, a thousand different fantasies, none related to poison, none resembling snakes.
Thinking of this, Chu Weiyang couldn't help but sigh after resealing the talisman.
"This poisonous energy is already so potent even before it's fully developed. Once the venomous snake is born, taking lives will be incredibly easy."
Whether it was the irreconcilable conflict between good and evil, or the constant interaction had corrupted his mind with the malevolent energy, Steward Ma had never uttered a kind word about the *Green Bamboo Elixir Scripture*.
Hearing Chu Weiyang's sigh, Steward Ma merely scoffed.
"Ha! Yes! Yes! That poisonous creature is certainly deadly, but once it devours its master, it will likely kill us just as fiercely!"
Perhaps accustomed to Steward Ma's reactions, Chu Weiyang drew his longsword, casually twirling it as he spoke.
"If we could die in that gentle illusion, it might not be such a bad end..."
Ultimately, it was unclear who taught whom, but Chu Weiyang and Steward Ma were now adept at stabbing people in the back.
Another day without the venomous snake emerging, and the sword intent still unfulfilled.
...
The third day.
Adding another bowl of blood imbued with malevolent energy, Chu Weiyang and Steward Ma entered the forest together, gathering an entire basket of poisonous herbs. The roasted medicinal powder nearly filled the entire large urn.
According to the *Green Bamboo Elixir Scripture*, regardless of whether the venomous snakes in this urn could be refined, this would be Chu Weiyang's last addition of ingredients.
It involved life.
Even the life of a still-unconscious demon beast, in the eyes of both righteous and evil cultivators, already touched upon the profound level of life's creation.
In such a wondrous realm, it was beyond the perfection of human crafting; often, to achieve something, one needed to minimize the traces of manipulation, to rely on the power of nature. The more natural it was, the easier it was to create miracles of life's creation.
At this moment, Chu Weiyang had reached his limit.
Those bowls of blood, brimming with pure, malevolent energy, in some ways even transcended the boundaries defined by alchemical texts, belonging to a unique treasure of malevolent energy!
From now on, everything would depend on the workings of nature.
Even though he had been consistently belittling the *Green Bamboo Alchemy Scripture*, for this day, Steward Ma's mind and attention were almost entirely focused on that large urn.
Chu Weiyang, unusually, was also affected; even repeated practice of the *Springtime Sword* couldn't dispel the restlessness in his heart.
Until a certain moment, when rustling sounds came from the urn—initially barely perceptible, but then, as the sounds became more frequent—Chu Weiyang and Steward Ma both breathed a sigh of relief.
It was a feeling of relaxation that instantly spread throughout their bodies.
It was a strange sense of emotion that followed relaxation, after witnessing the magnificent power of nature's creation.
Even Steward Ma, trapped in prolonged phantom pain, revealed a pure, childlike smile at this moment.
Between life and death lies immense terror and immense destiny!
This was merely a tiny manifestation of the power of life and death, yet it was enough to soothe the soul of this ailing man.
Steward Ma seemed about to express some sentiment.
But the next instant, when his eyes met Chu Weiyang's, that childlike smile froze on his face.
His stiff cheeks and twitching lips made the smile no longer that of a child, but more like that of a fool.
And under Steward Ma's gaze, a brand new sword intent emanated from Chu Weiyang, appearing from nothing!
It was the vitality of all things hidden in the rising spring.
It was the filth and gloom washed away by the verdant earth.
It was the power of life and death quietly revealing itself to the world.
Just like the large urn before him, this fleeting display of vitality and destiny nurtured a venomous snake or demonic beast that would later easily take lives.
It was a sword strike that nurtured health and longevity, and also a sword strike that brewed killing intent.
Two completely different images intertwined and resonated in this moment like never before!
Concealing its edge in its sheath—the clear sword intent!
He no longer needed to make a choice, because he had already made his choice!
Seeing Chu Weiyang's lips slowly curl into a smile ,
the smile vanished from Steward Ma's face.
He seemed to have displayed all the grievances he had suffered in his life on his face, gritting his teeth and cursing bitterly.
"Damn heavens! Damn heavens! Such unreasonable damn heavens!"
"This is the Six Righteous Sword Intent!"
...
On the fourth day, Chu Weiyang, unusually, did not diligently cultivate.
He and Steward Ma squatted in front of the large urn, listening with interest to the sounds within and sensing the changes inside.
Chu Weiyang was interested because such changes were extremely helpful for his comprehension of the *Green Bamboo Elixir Scripture*, allowing him to corroborate the knowledge flowing in his memory and gradually achieve enlightenment.
Manager Ma's observation was likely largely driven by envy and jealousy of Chu Weiyang's clear, concealed sword intent.
Even with half his body gone, Manager Ma still sought to understand something.
Throughout the fourth day, the activity within the urn was no different from the previous day, and at times even less so.
The real disturbance arose late on the fourth night.
For the first time, Chu Weiyang and Manager Ma realized that the hissing of snakes could be so loud and frequent.
Even separated by the entire urn, only the sounds could be heard, yet Chu Weiyang and Manager Ma could clearly perceive the murderous intent and utterly ruthless ferocity contained within the hissing!
Then, the chaotic sounds made it impossible to discern the changes within.
There were sounds that seemed to be collisions, sounds that seemed to be shrill roars, and even the sound of snake bodies slamming against the inner wall of the urn.
These sounds made Manager Ma's eyelids tremble uncontrollably.
Even someone as worldly-wise as Chu Weiyang, a true descendant of the Sword Sect, had never witnessed such a brutal cultivation method!
Listening to the sounds from within the urn, Chu Weiyang slowly closed his eyes.
Memories of the past flooded his mind.
Upon closer inspection, this large urn was no different from the Demon-Suppressing Cave; the dense sounds were no different from the deathly silence of the former grotto.
Both were simply eerie, hellish realms of struggle.
In a daze, Chu Weiyang felt that what was happening in the urn was merely a replica of what had happened in his own Demon-Suppressing Cave.
"Good boy, keep going! Keep going! Don't be defeated! Find a way, try everything, try everything to survive!"
With these soft murmurs, the dense sounds grew increasingly intense, then gradually subsided after reaching their peak.
For a whole night, when the morning sun shone once more on the sea of trees,
the large urn cracked open.
Chu Weiyang looked ahead in surprise.
"Good boy, come here quickly, let me take a good look at you!"
The response to Chu Weiyang was a hissing sound.
Within the broken urn, a snake, as white as mutton-fat jade, slowly slithered, crawling towards Chu Weiyang.
The jade snake lingered, its light swirling. Like pearls clustered together, the curtain of water stretched far. Flowers stirred, revealing fish swimming. A red-skirted string seemed about to fall.
A person approached, startling the kingfisher. The ducklings were startled back to sleep. Green shade grew on both banks. Orioles could be heard from the covered walkway.
- Writer
