Archean Eon Art c1-766
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Only Guo Ke’s second Heart Saber Stance variation was suitable for contemplation at the moment.
Be more restrained when attacking? Meng Chuan pondered for a moment before he swung his saber. His hundred-foot perception domain let him see his saber techniques clearly. He shook his head in displeasure and continued cultivating.
As he immersed himself in cultivation, he forgot about time. Without any distractions, he focused on improving his saber art.
In the past, he had relied purely on words and drawings to cultivate the Heart Intent Saber Art. Now that the entire legacy was imprinted in his mind, he had many ideas to try.
Some failed despite plenty of attempts. Some ultimately succeeded after repeated revisions.
Every time he succeeded, the improvement in his saber art filled him with joy. He could clearly sense his saber art increasing in might, and he became more knowledgeable. This feeling intoxicated him.
…
Days passed…
Meng Chuan only had his saber art on his mind! He thought about his saber art while eating. When forced to bathe by Qiyue, he would still be thinking about his saber art. He thought about his saber art even before sleeping.
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He even forgot about his daily drawing! He had also forgotten to cultivate his Quintessential Essence every day! All of this was thrown to the back of his mind…
When he wasn’t eating or sleeping, he practiced his saber.
Ah Chuan used to have long chats with me during dinner, but he’s so terse when we have dinner together nowadays. Liu Qiyue saw Meng Chuan rush to the training grounds alone after he was done with dinner. She couldn’t help but smile. All these years, she hadn’t seen Meng Chuan so obsessed. However, she still felt very happy. She knew that this was a time for Meng Chuan to advance by leaps and bounds. He couldn’t afford any interference.
“Lady Liu Qiyue, someone wishes to meet you,” Steward Liu said respectfully.
“Oh?” Liu Qiyue came to the cave abode’s entrance and saw a mortal middle-aged man. He said respectfully, “Lady Liu Qiyue, I’m here to invite you to Blood Red Cliff tomorrow afternoon. The name of Godfiend, Senior Chang Yong, will be engraved.”
“Senior Brother Chang Yong is dead?” Liu Qiyue was slightly taken aback.
Engraving a name on Blood Red Cliff meant a Godfiend’s death. The engraving of the name was for Archean Mountain juniors to pay their respects.
On the 28th of every month, the Archean Mountain Godfiends—who died in battle over the past month—would have their names engraved on Blood Red Cliff.
“No other Godfiends’ names are being engraved on Blood Red Cliff this month, right?” Liu Qiyue asked again.
“Yes, just Senior Chang Yong.” After saying that, the middle-aged man left respectfully.
Senior Brother Chang Yong… Liu Qiyue frowned slightly. She obviously knew the names of all Archean Mountain disciples of recent years. Senior Brother Chang Yong was a Great Solar Godfiend. He was already 152 years old this year. For him to die in battle at his age, he was considered to have lived a long life among the Godfiends.
Liu Qiyue felt terrible every time she witnessed the name-engraving of a fellow sect member who had died in battle. However, she had gotten used to it after all these years.
Every year, Godfiends died in battle, numbering from just a handful to thirty Godfiends. She had been to too many engraving days, so she could now face everything calmly.
Ah Chuan is madly cultivating his saber art, and he said that he cannot be disturbed. Liu Qiyue looked towards the distant training grounds. Through the courtyard entrance, she could see Meng Chuan sitting there in a daze. I won’t tell him about this.
Not attending the name-engraving ceremony at Blood Red Cliff on two or three occasions wasn’t a problem for the entire human race. Stopping Meng Chuan’s mad cultivation would set him back significantly. Even the Supremacy had specially instructed him not to participate in any matters.
…
Inside the training grounds, Meng Chuan sat still. His mind was constantly in motion, even though he was seemingly dazed. He stood up after ten minutes. After using his saber art a few times, he sat down in confusion and continued to ponder.
He had cultivated the Heart Intent Saber Art for nearly eleven years. This was the first time he had obtained the legacy via intent. There were too many things that required further verification.
Days passed, and he acquired greater insights! His saber art also transformed rapidly!
…
23rd July.
Meng Chuan instantly drew his saber, and the saber beam transformed into blinding lightning. At this moment, the extremely restrained saber beam made the lightning even more resplendent. Through the saber in his hand, Meng Chuan could vaguely sense the fluctuations coming from the void. He followed one of the fluctuations closest to his target and attacked, causing the saber beam to teleport dozens of feet away.
Despite being dozens of feet away, the distance between him and his target seemed to be greatly shortened by following the fluctuation’s trajectory in the void.
How magical. Meng Chuan was overjoyed after executing that strike.
It was truly magical. It was akin to two points. By taking detours, one might walk five kilometers to go between the two points! But if one took a straight path from one point to another, one would only walk one kilometer. Despite the same outcome, the time it took to achieve that outcome differed.
It was the same with Meng Chuan’s strike. When one looked at it with the naked eye, the target appeared to be 30 to 40 feet away. However, when his attack followed the mysterious void fluctuation, the distance between him and the target was reduced to ten feet.
The more condensed the strike’s might, the stronger the lightning. It can even influence the void. Meng Chuan came to a realization. To the average Godfiend, the void was extremely stable. However, when he condensed his strike’s power to a certain extent, the void would distort and warp. The distance between him and the target would change. By following the nearest fluctuation, he would be closer to his target.
Guo Ke could warp his attack from hundreds of feet away to just being in arm’s reach of his target. The condensed strike’s strength, the control over his strength, and the control over his Quintessential Essence were ten times more brilliant than Meng Chuan’s.
Meng Chuan had just scratched the surface of the Heart Intent Saber Art.
Since I can affect the void, it can be considered a qualitative change. According to the books, I have attained Greater Mastery of Saber Soul. Meng Chuan nodded slightly.
Meng Chuan didn’t think too much about his achievement. Instead, he continued to cultivate like crazy because he still had many ideas. He didn’t focus on only the Heart Saber Stance; he also experimented with Swallow Stance, Dragon Roar Stance, Tiger Roar Stance, Red Lotus Stance, and Extreme Yin Stance. He had many ideas that required experimentation.
…
In the blink of an eye, it was already late autumn.
Meng Chuan returned to normal on 19th September.
He had tested every idea he thought of in the three months. Some of his ideas were on the wrong path while he gained significant benefits from others. He was quite satisfied with attaining Greater Mastery of Saber Soul. It wasn’t easy to reach the Realm of Soul’s peak. Of course, it was much harder to break through from the peak of the Saber Soul realm to the Saber Dao realm. Many Great Solar Godfiends would fail to succeed their entire lives.
Wonderful. Meng Chuan stretched his back on the training grounds. It’s about time to become a Great Solar Godfiend. Once I clear the Nine Mystical Caves, I can leave the mountain.
Chapter 124 - Name Engraving on Blood Red Cliff
Translator: CKtalon Editor: CKtalon
Meng Chuan left the training grounds. When he saw the servants sweeping the cave abode, he couldn’t help but ask, “Where’s Qiyue?”
“Lord, Lady Liu Qiyue
left early in the morning. Lady Liu Qiyue recently cultivates until noon before returning,” said one of the servants. The rest were bowing respectfully.
“Oh.” Meng Chuan nodded slightly. “Prepare some tea and send it to my study.”
After giving instructions, Meng Chuan sat down and placed a scroll on the desk. He held down the scroll with something and began to leisurely splash ink. He drew the scene of Senior Guo Ke executing the Heart Saber Stance’s second variation. Senior Guo Ke was very old when he demonstrated the saber art. His body was already waning, but he was ultimately a Regis Godfiend. He was invincible during that period.
He drew very carefully. He drew Senior Guo Ke’s white hair and his ordinary elderly aura. He even drew the wood-chopping blade carefully.
The first time he drew Senior Guo Ke brandishing his blade, he felt something different. It gave him another perspective to the Heart Saber Stance’s second variation.
When it comes to the intrinsic beauty of the move, mine is much worse than Senior Guo Ke’s. Meng Chuan compared his and Guo Ke’s moves with an artist’s perspective and gained a new understanding of the second variation.
…
After a long time…
Upon hearing Qiyue’s voice, Meng Chuan put down his brush and opened the door to welcome her. From afar, he shouted, “Qiyue.”
Her eyes lit up. “You actually came out to welcome me today.” Liu Qiyue walked back with a quiver on her back. “Ah Chuan, I had to go to the training grounds every day to make you eat lunch. What happened? Are you done with your mad training?”
“It’s over.” Meng Chuan walked closer and nodded. “I’ve already tested all the ideas I had after cultivating the Heart Intent Saber for 11 years. I’ve also managed to attain Greater Mastery of Saber Soul. I need to cultivate slowly for now.”
It took ten years to forge a good sword. This was the same for cultivation.
The further he went, the more time he would take to improve. He needed to have sufficiently high perceptivity! Many geniuses that entered Archean Mountain would be stuck at the Realm of Soul their entire lives. They couldn’t reach the Realm of Dao even when they were on their deathbeds. Meng Chuan believed that he would be satisfied if he attained Saber Dao in 20 to 30 years.
Senior Guo Ke had only managed to create the Heart Saber Stance’s fifth variation when he was in his later years. However, he was unable to break through with his aged body. A breakthrough required three indispensable elements—body, Essence Soul, and realm.
This was how life was—it was difficult for things to go according to one’s wishes! One had to work hard to get closer to their goals.
“Ah Chuan, you have attained Greater Mastery of Saber Soul?” Liu Qiyue brought Meng Chuan to sit on a bench nearby. She said excitedly, “Doesn’t that mean you can become a Great Solar Godfiend?”
“Yes.” Meng Chuan nodded. “Actually, it’s been two months since I attained Greater Mastery of Saber Soul. However, all my attention was on the saber art. I forgot to tell you.”
Liu Qiyue said excitedly, “Ah Chuan, I have good news for you too.”
“What good news?” asked Meng Chuan.
“Last month, when I was cultivating in the Earth Fire lava Pond, I found myself very close to the Realm of Soul’s Greater Mastery. I’m getting closer and closer,” said Liu Qiyue. “I can break through within a month; otherwise, in the next five months.”
“Alright,” said Meng Chuan happily. “That’s great. After you achieve Greater Master of the Realm of Soul, we will break through to the Great Solar realm together! We will clear the Nine Mystical Caves and leave the mountain together.”
“Okay.” Liu Qiyue nodded.
Liu Qiyue’s face turned even redder due to her lies. However, her face had already turned red because of Meng Chuan’s achievement. It was normal for her to have a rosier complexion.
“Did anything happen on Archean Mountain in the past three months?” Meng Chuan asked.
“Something major happened.” Liu Qiyue lowered her voice. “It happened eight days ago. Scholartree Mountain Pass was overrun, and there were many casualties.”
“Scholartree Mountain Pass?” Meng Chuan was shocked. “That’s a medium-sized city pass!”
Medium-sized city passes were the most dangerous in the world. It was relatively easy for a small city pass to be defended. A large city pass had a Regis Godfiend! For medium-sized city passes, they could be held if a Marquis Godfiend was deployed there. However, there were very few Marquis Godfiends. Most medium-sized city passes relied on powerful Great Solar Godfiends to defend them. They also needed a group of Godfiends to help.
Liu Qiyue nodded gently. “That’s right. The medium-sized city pass was breached. It shocked the world, and the casualties are especially heavy. There were twenty-seven Godfiends at Scholartree Mountain Pass, and Senior Brother Qian Yu was among them.”
“Qian Yu was also at Scholartree Mountain Pass?” Meng Chuan listened carefully and asked seriously, “How were the casualties?”
“Marquis Plum River quickly rushed over. When he arrived, he only managed to save a single Godfiend—Senior Brother Qian Yu! Since Senior Brother Qian Yu was a Great Solar Godfiend sharpshooter with good movement techniques, the other Godfiends sacrificed their lives to protect him. That was how he survived. As for the other Godfiends, they all died in battle. Senior Brother Qian Yu had cast forbidden spells for too long, so his body was on the brink of collapse. Even though Archean Mountain tried its best to save him, his completely collapsed dantian couldn’t be restored, despite his Godfiend Body and shattered meridians being repaired.”
“His dantian collapsed?” Meng Chuan’s heart sank. The dantian space was extremely important to Godfiends. If the dantian space collapsed, there was no way of recovering. It meant the end of one’s cultivation.
“According to Marquis Plum River, Senior Brother Qian Yu was able to use forbidden spells crazily because the other Godfiends were fending off the demon monarchs. He managed to kill 62 demons. The other Godfiends killed over a hundred demon monarchs. However, there were roughly 300 demon monarchs in that fateful battle. Some were elite third Firmament demon monarchs. They failed to hold Scholartree Mountain Pass despite using all its defensive treasures,” said Liu Qiyue. “By the time Marquis Plum River arrived, it was too late. Many powerful demon monarchs have already infiltrated our human world. The other demon monarchs stopped chasing Senior Brother Qian Yu immediately and fled back to the demon world. As for Marquis Plum River, he only managed to kill twenty-plus demon monarchs.”
Meng Chuan also knew that every time the city passes were breached, the demon monarchs would retreat to the demon world. Others would be ordered to infiltrate the human world.
“Being the only one alive, Senior Brother Qian Yu has turned mentally unstable. It’s useless no matter who talks to him.” Liu Qiyue shook her head. “His cultivation path has been severed. All his comrades died on the battlefield, leaving him the only one alive. It dealt him a terrible blow.”
Meng Chuan nodded lightly.
…
28th September.
If Archean Mountain Godfiends died in battle, they would have their names engraved on Blood Red Cliff on the 28th of the month they died.
Today, the autumn wind was bleak as rain poured.
Meng Chuan, Liu Qiyue, Yan Jin, Li Ying, and the rest of the Godfiends arrived at Blood Red Cliff. They walked into the cavern—which had gems embedded in the walls. The faint light illuminated the names on the stone walls.
The names were neatly carved on them. Names filled one stone wall after another.
All the Godfiends walked in. Everyone was very quiet and solemn. These were Archean Mountain Godfiends who had died in battle. They were heroes of humanity.
“This time, 26 Godfiends died at Scholartree Mountain Pass. Nine of them were disciples of Archean Mountain,” said Liu Qiyue via voice transmission.
Meng Chuan nodded slightly and followed the crowd.
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A mid-sized city pass was under immense pressure, so the ratio of Archean City disciples was much higher. There was no choice. They would be sending a weak Godfiend to their death if they deployed them there.
In front of them, Archean Mountain Lord held a carving knife. He personally carved the names. Be it Archean Mountain, Black Sand Grotto-Heaven, or Two World Island, the sect leader would personally carve the names of their dead disciples.
This time, there were nine names. When Archean Mountain Lord carved the names on the stone walls, he felt like he was carving them on his heart. His eyes turned slightly red.
He could put a face to each disciple’s name. This was because he had personally sent every disciple off when they left the mountain. Some were extremely talented with a chance of becoming a Marquis Godfiend. Some were still young.
There was also a pair of Godfiend disciples who became husband and wife…
The other disciples watched silently as Archean Mountain Lord carved the names.
“Rest in peace.” After carving the names, Archean Mountain Lord left silently.
Meng Chuan and company stood there for a long time before leaving one by one.
When they walked out of the cave, Meng Chuan and company saw a decadent man drenched by rain walking over. He held an alcohol flask and silently walked over.
“It’s Senior Brother Qian Yu.” Meng Chuan and company recognized him. As Godfiends, they could easily isolate themselves from the rain. Even if his Quintessential Essence had dissipated, he could influence the Heaven and Earth powers to ward off the rain from his body; however, Qian Yu allowed the rain to soak his entire body.
Meng Chuan clearly remembered. Back then, it was Senior Brother Qian Yu who had provoked him outside Qiyue’s cave abode! As a member of an ancient Godfiend family, he had an air of nobility.