Chapter 652: Chapter 636 Are You Helping Me or the Venerable?

Zhao Changhe didn’t bother responding to the blind man’s griping.

Old Xia suggested not relying too much on the Heavenly Book, and Zhao Changhe deeply agreed.

After all, Old Xia had cultivated to his current level with just a page of the Heavenly Book; it couldn’t possibly be all because of that page—it was fundamentally still up to himself. Zhao Changhe had already consciously tried to control himself since the previous two pages, not to immediately clamor for the Heavenly Book, weaning off the dependency. Of course, it wouldn’t be appropriate to say this to the blind man, letting her think that his neglect of the Heavenly Book due to a woman was a good thing.

As long as it was confirmed to be Night Sand, this was an even more interesting and unexpected find.

Night Sand was the last missing item needed to forge the Night Emperor’s Sword; they had only been lacking this to start forging the sword.

San Niang had said she hadn’t paid much attention to looking for it, somewhat wronged, because there were no clues at all—who would be so fixated on chasing after such an illusory thing? It’s not like there was nothing else to do…

This didn’t mean she truly didn’t care; in fact, she cared a lot inside, having paid special attention everywhere they went. San Niang, Ying Wu, and members of the Spirit Clan from overseas had been searching for half a year with nothing to show for it.

The Night Sand, for which there had been no news anywhere and which was thought to only be found in some extremely mysterious and unknown secret realm, turned out to be right under their noses in such abundance that one could even decadently pave the Heavenly Vault with it… It even seemed highly likely that it wasn’t just enough to be used up, there was a great chance that there were leftovers beneath the platform…

Scratching his head and thinking for a long time, he had indeed never asked Old Xia about such things before. At that time, he had been very opposed to him, adamantly advising against it, so it was impossible for him to ask him about anything.

In reality, Old Xia probably had many great treasures, having traveled the world in his early years and entered more secret realms than Ying Wu, some of which were of extreme difficulty. Moreover, Old Xia had slain divine beings; for example, he had once destroyed a Buddhist divine, which started when he killed a deity of the Buddhist sect. In that case, Old Xia might still have some Buddhist spoils of war on hand, and perhaps others as well.

“Why didn’t you say it before, that we have been here…”

“How many times have I said I’m not your guide, why should I tell you where the treasures are? Are you perhaps misunderstanding our relationship?” The blind man scoffed coldly, “You still want to take advantage of me, constantly asking for my guidance on this and that, why should I…”

“Hey, familiarity aside, talking nonsense like that could still get you sued for slander. When did I ever think of taking advantage of you?”

“…” The blind man couldn’t be bothered with him.

You don’t want to take advantage?

I know all you father and son-in-law hate me… As for how to do it, perhaps your methods are even more malicious than your father-in-law’s.

Zhao Changhe pondered for a moment, then went under the platform to look for a hidden door. There must be a collection here, confirming it was Night Sand, forging the Night Emperor’s Sword could now truly be put on the agenda.

For Zhao Changhe’s current level of discernable qi, finding a hidden door wasn’t hard. Almost at a glance, one could see where there was a distinct aura drifting—it didn’t take long for Zhao Changhe to find the hidden door beneath the platform. He activated the Control Crane Skill to open it from the inside, and the scene inside surprised him.

He had thought Old Xia would have a collection of many top-tier treasures, but as it turned out, that wasn’t the case; this place was mostly materials—the leftover materials for constructing the Underground Sky Dome, as well as some that might have been used for practice. Judging by the situation, it was very possible that even the Dragon Sparrow was used for earlier practice.

It seemed that in the latter part of his cultivation, Xia Longyuan wasn’t that interested in collecting treasures anymore, or else he wouldn’t have ignored various secret realms… He was pretty different in every aspect.

In the center of the underground was a fire, a very special Earth Fire. Above the Earth Fire was a furnace, a forge of very peculiar shape, its faint shining treasures emitting a sort of Immortal Cultivation charm. Looking at the qi, Zhao Changhe could almost see that the Earth Fire here was connected to all directions, converging the Mountain and River Qi, drawing forth the Nanming Li Fire—this thing had another name, the Vermilion Bird Fire.

Yes, that Vermilion Bird… However, this wasn’t about collecting Vermilion Bird Fire; it was invoked through Earth Veins. The true fire source isn’t here; this is a special Array that makes use of all directions and the Six Harmonies.

This Heavenly Vault was created with the methods of artifact refining, tightly integrated with the Earth Veins, so Xia Longyuan could simply point to the sky and reach any location…

If one were to talk about the most special treasure here, perhaps it would be this Earth Fire and the furnace?

Zhao Changhe finally examined Xia Longyuan’s page of the Heavenly Book and immediately furrowed his brows into a “川” shape.

He had thought it might be a space, since Old Xia’s related things had a profound sense of spatial control, but this investigation revealed something even more outrageous.

This page was not about space; it was about cause and effect… He didn’t know if falling out with the Buddhist sect had to do with seizing this page, but it likely was.

Is cause and effect not one of Martial Arts? Of course, it is, but its mystery far surpasses the previous page on faith, fortunes, and virtuous deeds—it’s much more ethereal…

So, all of Old Xia’s actions could be summed up as, “with one cause, link numerous effects”, turning himself into the cause of many effects, and hence controlling everything. In his prime, he could probably do many outrageous moves, but having not seen them all, and ultimately his failure could entirely be attributed to consequence backlash.

For Zhao Changhe’s current level, the gap was indeed too large, and it was premature to come into contact with it. However, some concepts could still be applied…

For example, forging the Night Emperor’s Sword requires not only the material Night Sand but also enough understanding of the stars and constellations to align with the sword’s intent, in order to forge it successfully. Without merging with the Sword Intent, it ends up just a sword-shaped object— a failed, spiritless sword.

So, here comes the question: Back then, to break through the limitations of his comprehension of the Four Symbols, the Night Emperor needed to comprehend the constellations beyond the Four Symbols through the process of forging this sword. When he finally understood, the sword was complete. So, who is the cause and who is the effect?

Is it to first comprehend the stars and then forge the sword, or to comprehend the stars in the process of forging? Which is the purpose, and which is the result?

Why should the foundational star essence within this sword blank be ignored and discarded? Does it really make sense to first comprehend the Star Intent before forging the sword, or is it like seeking fish from trees or target shooting in the void?

Is the correct path to have a foundational understanding of the stars, then to combine that with forging, steadily merging with the intent within the sword, ultimately achieving the endpoint of one’s path?

Furthermore, why must I forge this sword myself? Am I falling into the Night Emperor’s causality?

If I wish to continue this causality without suffering backlash in the future, what should I do?

My intent must not align with the Night Emperor’s; I cannot covet his name to deceive the Vermilion Bird into submission. I must make it clear that I am unrelated to the Night Emperor, yet still gain recognition. To avoid backlash from causality as much as possible, one must be extremely careful.

When it comes to comprehending the stars, I have both an advantage and a disadvantage that sets me apart from others in this world.

My advantage lies in transcending this world’s understanding, knowing the true nature of the star dome, naturally broader and more accurate than their confined notion of the Four Symbols and the Big Dipper.

The disadvantage is precisely due to my preconceived notions of cosmic knowledge. Yet many martial arts in this world are achieved through resonance with the celestial vault of this plane. This is confirmed in many arrays and the cultivation techniques of the Four Symbols Sect; they are indeed effective and real. If you refuse to acknowledge their reality, insisting that true cosmic stars are millions of light-years away and considering the people of this world foolish, you will be incompatible with the martial arts of this world and unable to utilize them.

This is why Zhao Changhe has always felt a certain detachment from sword forging and why he has been unable to match his “martial arts genius” with arrays, only skimming the surface—that’s the reason.

Xia Longyuan and I are subtly different. Although he understands how cosmic stars work, his knowledge is somewhat shallower, and his mindset is not as firmly ingrained as mine, which makes it easier for him to reconcile and combine the cognitions of both worlds. He has already begun to construct his own unique celestial vault.

This serves as an invaluable reference for Zhao Changhe, a path that his predecessors have trodden, priceless to follow.

Zhao Changhe hesitated for a moment while looking at the earth fire and the forge in the dark room, but ultimately he decided to leave and study the very nature of the celestial vault first.

He reached out to touch the celestial vault, soft like satin, like sand flowing, and slowly, a look of amazement appeared in Zhao Changhe’s eyes.

In fact, combining them is simple—just needing a wake-up call. Turning this canopy into a three-dimensional sand table, with some stars further away and others closer, and allowing them to flow like sand, constructs the concept of the stars’ distance and motion in the mind, unlike the flat screen cognition of this world. And yet, it’s not as vast and exaggerated as my previous understanding, becoming something practical to use.

Such a simple shift in thinking is what constitutes genius, inspiring endless insights.

Could this Star Intent be used to construct my own Night Emperor’s Sword?

“Empress Dowager!” A respectful salutation came from above, and Zhao Changhe turned away from his thoughts to see Huangfu Qing floating down.

“They said you were looking for me in my palace earlier?” Huangfu Qing ascended to the platform, a trace of grievance in her eyes: “I thought you were busy cozying up with Tang Wanju, busy indulging your pleasure in toying with the Emperor that you didn’t bother with me for two days…”

“Not at all,” Zhao Changhe said with a smile: “Aren’t you too busy to pay attention to me as well… We’re all busy, it’s not the time for love and affection. Are you finished now?”

“Things are too complicated, and I can’t finish them for the time being,” said Huangfu Qing.

“Then how come you have the time to come find me?”

“Because… the treasures here, including the earth platform and the celestial vault, the Venerable didn’t have time to concern himself, only ordered people to guard them. Once he’s free, he’ll see if it should be moved to the Main Temple. I heard you came, so naturally, I’d come and take a look.”

Zhao Changhe gave a slight smile: “Does the Venerable mean this is the Four Symbols Sect’s spoils of war, and I can’t take them?”

Huangfu Qing hesitated: “The Venerable probably wouldn’t stop you from taking anything… but you shouldn’t take everything, should you?”

Zhao Changhe gently wrapped his arm around her waist, whispering in her ear: “Qing’er…”

Huangfu Qing shivered a little: “What are you doing…”

“If I wanted everything, would you help me, or would you help the Venerable?”