Chapter 885 - 613: The Long Passage of Time

Time flowed by in silence.

On this particular day.

Outside the Clear Profound Hall, immortal music lingered soft and slow, faint Spirit Light coiling in the air.

A newly advanced Dharma Master stepped into the grand hall; his figure drew in, and he bent to offer a bow:

"Qin Clan of the Southern Province, Qin Jihai, pays homage to Patriarch!"

On the Main Position of the grand hall, Chen Sheng sat quietly upon the Jade Couch; his gaze fell upon Qin Jihai, giving him a faint glance.

After a moment, he spoke slowly:

"The Qin Clan of the Southern Province... so you are Ping’an’s descendant."

The young man before him had gentle brows and eyes, his bearing mild and warm; indeed, he bore a faint resemblance to his own disciple Qin Zhaoyu, who had fallen many years ago.

Qin Jihai bent even lower, his tone growing ever more respectful:

"This junior is precisely the direct descendant of Ancestor Ping’an, belonging to the Xuan-character sequence, the... generation. Having today attained the Dharma Master Realm, I have come specially to pay homage to Patriarch and to listen to your instruction."

Chen Sheng listened quietly as he reported his lineage; when he heard "the thirty-five thousand three hundred and fifty-fourth generation descendant of Qin Ping’an," an almost imperceptible ripple flashed through his eyes.

He could not help but sigh in his heart: time is merciless; unwittingly, so many ages had already passed.

He raised his hand and lightly waved it, speaking words of encouragement:

"To achieve the Dharma Master Realm shows that you have cultivated diligently, and that your Talent is excellent. Hereafter, you must not slacken."

"If you can devote yourself to Enlightenment, it is not impossible for you to knock upon the Realm of Daoist Monarch."

After that, he pondered for a moment, then assigned Qin Jihai a post in the Disciplinary Hall; his tone remained flat:

"Go."

"Yes, many thanks, Patriarch!"

Qin Jihai once more bent in salute, then turned and stepped lightly out of the grand hall.

Chen Sheng watched the retreating back of the man, his gaze unchanged, slowly withdrawing his eyes.

To him, this was nothing more than a routine audience.

Over these years, as the undisputed leader of the Antarctic Immortal Mansion, the number of newly advanced Dharma Masters he had received was already beyond counting.

Among them were not a few disciples born of the orthodox bloodlines of Panwu, such as the Qi Clan, Qin Clan, Yuan Clan, Zhang Clan.

These clans, under his shelter, had passed down through endless ages; their branches already thick and lush, their population flourishing. Naturally, they constantly produced figures of astounding brilliance, who Comprehended Dharma Seeds, achieved Integration, and stepped into the Dharma Master Realm.

Only, for the Chen Sheng of today, his vision was no longer what it once had been; what could enter his eyes was no longer an ordinary Dharma Master.

Unless one could cultivate to the fourth step of Integration, with hope of Daoist Monarch, one would not be qualified for him to pause even slightly and grant special attention.

...

Outside the Clear Profound Hall, immortal mists coiled and drifted.

Qin Jihai walked out of the grand hall and slowly exhaled a breath of turbid air; in that breath was contained a tension that had been suppressed for long.

Though Patriarch’s expression was mild and his tone flat, without the slightest oppression, that was, after all, a Daoist Monarch San Shuai.

In the entire Spirit Realm, there were at present no Mahayana Cultivators; the strongest figures were only two Daoist Monarchs of Four Declines, and Patriarch was one of the foremost Great Powers of the Spirit Realm.

He understood clearly in his heart that the reason the Antarctic Immortal Mansion could firmly suppress the other two branches of the Supreme Emperor, the reason it could stand as a single line shoulder to shoulder with the top-tier forces of the Spirit Realm, relied entirely upon Patriarch sitting in town.

Thinking of the post in the Disciplinary Hall to which he had just been assigned, a trace of joy flashed in Qin Jihai’s eyes; he whispered softly to himself:

"Hall Master of the Disciplinary Hall... If I recall correctly, Ancestor Yu in those years once held this position."

"In this way, it can also be considered that I have inherited Ancestor Yu’s mantle!"

As a son of the Qin Clan, from childhood to adulthood he had grown up listening to the legends of Qin Zhaoyu.

Qin Zhaoyu was the existence he revered most in his heart—though not the founding Ancestor of the Qin Clan, he was the one who truly cemented the Qin Clan’s glory.

To this day, through four hundred Primordial Assemblies of inheritance, counting him, the Qin Clan had produced in total nine Dharma Masters.

And Qin Zhaoyu was the one among these nine Dharma Masters who had walked the furthest, only half a step away from knocking upon the gate of Daoist Monarch and achieving the dignity of a Daoist Monarch.

They, the later generations of the Qin Clan, had all been able, generation after generation, to receive the benefits Qin Zhaoyu left behind and to be sheltered by him, thus taking many fewer detours on the road of Cultivation.

Thinking thus.

Qin Jihai raised his hand and took from his bosom an ancient, simple Copper Mirror; the surface of the mirror was lustrous and moist, suffused with Yin Yang Qi, Dao Patterns flowing, with a faint Spiritual Rhyme flickering within.

Hum—

The Copper Mirror quivered lightly; a wisp of faint Yin Yang Source Qi spilled out, winding about his fingertips.

This mirror was precisely the Tier Seven High Grade heaven-penetrating Spiritual Treasure—[Yin Yang Treasure Mirror]—passed down by Ancestor Yu.

This Treasure Mirror’s origin was extraordinary; it was an imitation of a Creation Dao Artifact.

In those years, after Ancestor Yu slew a family nemesis in the Dharma Master Realm, he obtained it from that foe’s hands and specially left it for descendants of the Qin Clan who primarily cultivated the Path of Yin Yang.

And he, by coincidence, primarily cultivated the Path of Yin Yang; this Treasure Mirror’s compatibility with him was extremely high.

It was precisely with the help of this Yin Yang Treasure Mirror that he had been able to successfully condense a Yin Yang Dharma Seed, break through his shackles, and advance to Dharma Master.

Qin Jihai held the mirror surface in his hand; a trace of contemplation flashed through his eyes as he whispered softly:

"It is said that, when Ancestor Yu first obtained this mirror, there remained within the mirror a remnant soul of an Artifact Spirit, only that spirit’s nature was unyielding and would not submit."

"In the end, it was refined into this mirror by Ancestor Yu and turned into the foundation of this mirror."

"If one day an appropriate Tier Eight rare treasure can be found and refined into the mirror, this Yin Yang Treasure Mirror might not be unable to advance into a Dao Artifact."

Speaking to this point, he shook his head lightly, his tone carrying a touch of helplessness:

"Only, Tier Eight rare treasures are far too difficult to obtain; even an ordinary Daoist Monarch may not possess a single one..."

After sighing, he no longer thought further; he returned to his own palace and began the Refinement of the Restrictions within the Yin Yang Treasure Mirror.

Back when he was still in the Void Refining Thirteen Tribulation stage, he had obtained this Treasure Mirror from the Treasure Vault of the Qin Clan; only, at that time his Cultivation was insufficient, and he could only refine a few Restrictions, unable to wield its true might.

Now that he had advanced to Dharma Master, he would take this opportunity to refine more Restrictions and gain complete Control of this treasure.

Hum—hum—

One Dharma Seal after another fell upon the mirror surface; the Treasure Mirror’s radiance surged, Yin Yang Qi billowed, Restrictions unlocking layer by layer; countless profound messages surged into Qin Jihai’s mind like a tide.

Among them, there was even a rather mysterious Daoist Monarch Cultivation Technique that imprinted itself upon his Heart Spirit.

"The ’Dongyin Treasury Record’... this is actually the legacy of Daoist Monarch Dong Yin, a Daoist Monarch San Shuai!"

A glimmer of delight flashed in Qin Jihai’s eyes.

What he presently cultivated was the upper scroll of a Loose Immortal legacy obtained from an Immortal Mountain; its grade was not low and it was sufficiently profound, yet it was confined to the level of Dharma Master and could not guide him toward the Realm of Daoist Monarch.

Whereas this ’Dongyin Treasury Record,’ though its grade was not high, happened to point out for him the method of Yin Yang transformation at the level of Daoist Monarch.

Even if it could not be cultivated directly, it held extremely high reference value.

...

Time slipped away in silence.

Tick—tick—

The years voicelessly passed; another several hundred thousand years of light and shadow flicked by in a finger snap.

Qin Jihai devoted himself to Comprehending the ’Dongyin Treasury Record’; his Cultivation steadily rose, and he completed the second step of Integration.

At the same time, he thoroughly refined all the Restrictions within the Yin Yang Treasure Mirror, completely bringing this Tier Seven High Grade Spiritual Treasure under his Control.

It was precisely because he had Comprehended the ’Dongyin Treasury Record’ that, when refining the final few Restrictions, he accidentally discovered newly hidden secrets within the Treasure Mirror.

"Hm?"

Qin Jihai’s brows lifted slightly; a trace of astonishment and doubt flashed through his eyes as he murmured to himself:

"What a subtle hidden method... Unless one, like me, is a Dharma Master who has Comprehended the ’Dongyin Treasury Record,’ I fear only a Daoist Monarch could perceive the mystery within."

"Perhaps, back then, Ancestor Yu also failed to discover these secrets."

"After all, Ancestor Yu did not step into the Realm of Daoist Monarch, nor was he primarily cultivating the Path of Yin Yang; he might not have been able to see through the profound mechanisms in the depths of this Treasure Mirror."

He gathered in his Heart Spirit and began to parse these hidden secrets bit by bit.

Countless pieces of information flowed through his mind; most were trivial past events of no practical value.

Yet at this moment, one message suddenly burst into his Heart Spirit like a clap of thunder, making his whole body jolt, his heart pounding violently!

"A Daoist Monarch once obtained a wisp of Innate Yin Yang Ancestral Qi and laid down a Yin Yang Grand Array to guard that place of gestation..."

"After being washed by the passage of endless ages, there may perhaps be a sliver of chance for another wisp of Innate Yin Yang Ancestral Qi to be gestated anew..."

Innate Yin Yang Ancestral Qi!

A Tier Eight rare treasure!

Brilliant light burst forth instantly in his eyes; even his breathing grew rapid.

...