The Star Temple's Legacy

“Senior said that even my chances of successfully challenging the War God Hall are not even one in ten,” Ji Ning said. “Why should I go and court death? Besides, the thing that benefited Celestial Immortal Juhua the most was that Star Temple. I’m quite curious about it as well.”

As he spoke, Ji Ning began to walk out.

As for all those fantastic treasures in the Treasure Palace? What use were they if he couldn’t obtain them? Celestial Immortal Juhua had only managed to acquire a single Immortal-ranked treasure after he became a Loose Immortal.

“I need to stay grounded.” Ji Ning had a very clear sense of his own limitations.

He exited the Treasure Palace and continued along the corridor.

The Treasure Palace was at the very front of this corridor, while the Star Temple was located at the very end.

The black ox followed beside him, its mouth chattering nonstop. “The Star Temple is filled with the mysteries of the Dao in every inch. If you train and meditate within, it will be easiest to gain insights into the Dao. But you might accidentally become completely absorbed in it… I can see you’re in a hurry and have important matters to attend to outside, so don’t let yourself get delayed by seeking insights in the Star Temple.”

“Ah.” Ji Ning was startled, and he quickly said gratefully, “Thank you for the reminder, Senior.”

He had almost ruined everything!

Although seeking the Dao was important, if he were to get lost in enlightenment for a day or two, by the time he woke up and went out… everything would be too late.

“In any case.” Ji Ning turned to instruct the black ox. “If I enter a state of enlightenment within the Star Temple, once it turns dark outside, I ask that you, Senior, immediately interrupt my meditation and wake me up.”

“It turns dark outside? That only leaves about six hours.” The black ox said.

“Right, six hours! If I do enter enlightenment… I will allow myself at most six hours.” Ji Ning said hurriedly. “After six hours, immediately interrupt me.”

Based on his calculations, an ordinary Zifu Disciple flying on a magic treasure could cover roughly a hundred thousand li in a day. Of course, that was at normal speed. If they flew without rest, ignoring the massive consumption of Yuan power, they could reach nearly two hundred thousand li in a day. The Yan Mountain region alone was tens of thousands of li across… And to go elsewhere to invite Snowdragon Mountain disciples, there and back…

Just as Ji Jiuhuo had said. It would take at least a day or two!

If he spent only six hours seeking the Dao, it would definitely not delay anything!

“Don’t you worry.” The black ox raised its head, giving a guarantee. “Once six hours are up, I will definitely remind you! When it comes to tasks, us artifact spirits… never forget.”

“Thank you, Senior.” Ji Ning smiled and arrived at the main entrance of the Star Temple.

Unlike the bronze doors of the other three branch halls, the Star Temple’s door appeared to be made of wood. It exuded an ancient, natural aura. Seeing Ji Ning staring at the towering wooden gate, the black ox mumbled, “This is Eternal Azure Flamewood, found only in the Nine Hells. It’s a precious material that is extremely useful for refining Immortal-ranked treasures, yet here it’s been used to make a door.”

“Can we take the door down?” Ji Ning asked curiously.

“If it could be taken down, Celestial Immortal Juhua would have done it long ago.” The black ox said helplessly. “This gate is one with the entire aquatic palace, forming a single part of the treasure. It cannot be budged at all.”

Ji Ning touched the wooden door. The wood gave off a faint, dark azure glow, but felt warm to the touch instead of cold, making one feel quite comfortable. Ji Ning sighed in amazement… Eternal Azure Flamewood, found only in the Nine Hells? Well, he had never even heard of it before the black ox introduced it. His knowledge was truly too shallow.

“Unbelievable…” As Ji Ning walked through the passage of the wooden door, he held his breath, utterly stunned by the sight before him. “Truly unbelievable. This is the work of immortals, the methods of gods.”

In the distance before him was a massive mountain. The mountain was full of life, with countless trees and weeds growing on it. However, at the foot of the mountain, the vitality sharply decreased; the ground was nearly completely barren. Only occasionally could a few sparse weeds be seen growing from the cracks in the rocks. At the base of this desolate mountain, there was a thatched cottage.

In front of the thatched cottage was a small stream. The stream flowed down from the mountain, winding and twisting through the rocks. Only where the stream passed could a few weeds occasionally be seen; everywhere else was desolate, barren stone.

In the sky, there were massive, brilliant stars. The starlight bathed the land, making everything seem somewhat dreamlike.

“Is this… an entire world?” Ji Ning couldn’t help but ask.

“A space.” The black ox had followed him in and said with emotion, “This is a space opened up within the Star Temple by the First Master. This space is connected to the Star Temple’s entrance, so when we step through, we enter this space. According to legend, some ancient powers could open up an entire world within a single grain of sand. This First Master probably possessed similar means.”

Ji Ning nodded.

Incredible! Although he had heard legends as a child, about Houyi shooting down the suns and the like, who had ever seen such things? Those beings were simply too far removed from him. As for opening up spaces… it was generally said that cultivators could open up a space and then build a manor within it.

But this aquatic palace itself was located in another space, and a branch hall within the aquatic palace could contain yet another space… Ji Ning, even if he didn’t fully understand, knew that this feat was truly astonishing.

“I wonder, who was the First Master of this aquatic palace?” Ji Ning mused to himself.

“Come, come, come. The treasures are inside the thatched cottage.” The black ox urged him on.

“Thatched cottage?” Ji Ning took a single step, covering dozens of zhang in an instant, and quickly approached the thatched cottage. The cottage was at the foot of the mountain, looking completely ordinary. In front of it were a stone table and stone stools.

Ji Ning entered the thatched cottage.

He saw a row of books placed on a desk beside the wall. These books were all black, made of a material Ji Ning could not identify, lined up in a neat row. On their covers were beautiful Fiendgod script characters: Star Volume One, Star Volume Two, Star Volume Three… there were a full forty-three volumes in total.

“These are?” Ji Ning looked at the books.

The black ox introduced them: “These are the scriptures left behind by the First Master of the aquatic palace, named The Stars. There are forty-three volumes in total.”

Ji Ning picked up Star Volume One and opened it. The pages were black, the characters golden Fiendgod script. The content, however, seemed a bit baffling… it read like a casual journal! It recorded various moods and thoughts! Ji Ning, who had expected some profound, esoteric text, was somewhat disappointed.

“You need to read it aloud!” The black ox quickly said. “At first glance, it might seem like a random diary, containing no mystery at all. But once you start reading it out loud… you will discover its extraordinary nature.”

“Oh?”

Ji Ning was intrigued. He immediately picked up Star Volume One.

“Go outside and read. Sit on the stone stool.” The black ox said. “And read out loud!”

“But I don’t know how to read Fiendgod script.” Ji Ning asked. Although he understood the Fiendgod script the moment he saw it, and knew which human character each corresponded to, it was still a different writing system.

“Use your human language to read it. That’s what Celestial Immortal Juhua did back then.” The black ox said.

“Mm.” Ji Ning, holding a scroll in his hand, walked out of the thatched cottage and sat down at the stone table. Perhaps, countless years ago, the First Master had also sat here, and Celestial Immortal Juhua had also sat here.

Ji Ning opened the book and began to read.

“Today, Chang came to visit me…” Ji Ning began to read aloud, his heart filled with doubt and confusion as he recited these diary-like musings.

His voice was clear and resonant.

Every single word sounded ordinary, but as each character was read out, and the sounds of the numerous words connected together… just as a piece of music could move people, causing excitement, pain, shock, tears, and so on, the sound of these words was even more powerful in its unadorned art. Simply by reading aloud, the sound stream of these many words was like a chant, yet far more profound…

Gradually, it led Ji Ning into a peculiar state of mind.

When he was immersed in this state, Ji Ning forgot about the Star Volume One in his hand. He looked at the desolate, countless stones in the distance, at the small stream full of life, and seemed to see two ‘Daos.’ A Dao containing boundless, profound mysteries. Even a single tuft of grass growing out contained another Dao.

Ji Ning looked up.

The stars in the high sky were brilliant, each one dazzling and incomparable. Each star gave Ji Ning a different feeling. Suddenly… Ji Ning saw one star. It was the one that felt most familiar and intoxicating to him.

“Longing. Warmth.”

Ji Ning felt as if he were lying in a small boat, drifting on Serpentwing Lake.

It was as if he were lying in his mother’s embrace…

That longing, that warmth, filled his entire heart.

…

The onlooking black ox stared with its big cow eyes wide open. “Unbelievable, simply unbelievable… He almost finished reading the first volume entirely before stopping? Ji Ning’s state of mind is truly high. He read so much of the text; he must have fallen into a very deep state of contemplation.”

The black ox knew this very well.

This book was merely a guide, leading the cultivator into an extremely deep state of meditative comprehension. The more text one read, the deeper the state of contemplation one could enter! Of course… what one could comprehend depended on one’s usual accumulation. So-called ‘thick accumulation gives rise to thin dispersion’; it is the daily accumulation that allows for sudden, instant enlightenment.

“Which star is he looking at?” The black ox saw Ji Ning gazing up at the sky and was also curious. “Juhua said that each star contains a different Dao.”

Ji Ning’s face bore a tranquil smile, as if he were beside his mother.

That smile contained an endless, magical power… Even the black ox, upon seeing Ji Ning’s smile, felt a warmth in its own heart.

It was a kind of longing.

A warmth that touched the soul.

“The sword.” The black ox’s eyes widened.

Ji Ning had risen from the stone table. He pressed his index and middle fingers together, forming a sword-finger, and began to execute a sword art under the brilliant starlight. It was a sword art filled with an endless, profound longing… Ji Ning did not use any sword-light, nor did he use any Yuan power. He simply performed the sword art, looking ordinary and unremarkable.

Yet it made the black ox feel the boundless longing contained within.

The black ox could sense the area around Serpentwing Lake. It knew that over the past few years, Ji Ning had comprehended a great number of True Meanings of the Dao within his sword arts, most of which were sword-ints that belonged to the concept of ‘longing.’

“It’s changing.” The black ox immediately noticed that Ji Ning’s sword art was becoming purer.

“Hua, hua, hua…”

Even though Ji Ning wasn’t using any Yuan power and was merely executing the sword art with his sword-fingers, raindrops suddenly began to form around him. Drop after drop of rain coalesced out of thin air, falling continuously. The rain fell, landing on the chaotic stones of the ground… And within this rain, Ji Ning was like a favored child of the storm, with the raindrops swirling around him, protecting him.

“This… this…” The black ox’s eyes were wide with shock. “Thick accumulation gives rise to thin dispersion! Thick accumulation gives rise to thin dispersion!”

The massive accumulation of True Meanings of the Dao over the past five years had finally, at this moment, undergone a qualitative breakthrough.

**

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