Chapter 51: The Origin of the Scroll Miracle

Chapter 51: Chapter 51: The Origin of the Scroll Miracle

"I gaze upon the myriad stars and yearn for my homeland, but alas, the path to the heavens is severed. My parents are long gone. Only this broken body remains. When lucid, my Daoist Techniques are less than a ten-thousandth of their peak. When I am not, I am lost in ignorance. I instructed my disciple to place this Miracle beside the Mang Divine Hall. When the Divine Hall falls, the Miracle will emerge, and one who is fated may obtain it. Should the fated one one day master the true Technique, and should you meet my true self, use a technique of the Divine Soul to restore my memories. I shall reward you with immense gratitude."

In a county town called Jiangdong County, approximately four hundred li from Zao Ying Mountain.

Chu Fan and Yan Ying found Ye Xiaohan and his two companions, who had already settled in here for several days.

After sending Wang Xing and Qi Wei to prepare a meal, Yan Ying pulled Chu Fan into an empty room, urging him to take out the Scroll from the Divine Statue so they could study it.

Upon opening the Scroll, they saw several lines of text materialize on its surface in a golden radiance.

Just from reading these lines, it was nearly impossible to grasp the full meaning of the message.

However, by combining what they had learned about Ascendant Xingfeng from Ye Xiaohan with the seventy-two murals they had seen in the Broken Army Cave, they could roughly surmise the passage’s meaning.

Ye Xingfeng’s lineage could be traced back to an Immortal who had fallen into the mortal realm. For unknown reasons, this Immortal had been stranded in this world, suffering from irreversible, grievous injuries that caused him to drift between lucidity and unconsciousness.

Even when lucid, his Magical Power was less than a ten-thousandth of its peak. Whenever he fell unconscious, he would lose all his memories.

During a moment of clarity, he had entrusted this painting to his disciple, instructing them to place it near the Divine Hall. When the Divine Hall was destroyed, the painting would reveal itself to the world. A fated person who obtained it and learned the Daoist Technique within could, upon meeting the fallen Immortal in the future, use a technique related to the Divine Soul to help him restore his memories.

Since the Immortal himself had called the painting a Miracle, it must possess extraordinary value.

’But could merely possessing this painting grant someone the ability to help an Immortal restore his memories in the future?’

Chu Fan glanced at Yan Ying, his expression laced with disbelief.

Yan Ying’s eyes, too, were filled with astonishment.

As they turned back to the Scroll, the characters shimmering with golden light let out a soft CHIME before vanishing.

The Scroll then reverted to its original appearance.

On the three-foot-long Scroll was a single Yin Yang Diagram. A large, smoothly written character for ’Dao’ was inscribed over it.

Beyond that, there were no other markings.

Chu Fan and Yan Ying both narrowed their eyes as they stared at the Scroll.

They were unaware that with just a single glance, they both fell into a trance-like state as their Divine Souls left their bodies.

Their Divine Souls sat cross-legged on the floor.

The ’Dao’ character on the Scroll, originally black, slowly turned to gold. Then, the Yin Yang Diagram beneath it floated out from the painting and began to rotate above their Divine Souls.

Their physical bodies remained standing in place, maintaining the exact posture and expression of a moment before.

Clearly, they had both lost consciousness.

As the Yin Yang Diagram spun, shimmering motes of black and white light rained down upon their Divine Souls.

Nearly an hour passed before Qi Wei called out from outside that it was time to eat, breaking the spell.

Their Divine Souls shot back into their bodies, and the Scroll returned to its normal state.

"Why do I feel so clear-headed?" Yan Ying muttered to herself in confusion.

"Wait, how is it time to eat already?"

Yan Ying and Chu Fan exchanged a look. Chu Fan put away the Scroll, opened the door, and asked Qi Wei, "How long was I in this room?"

Qi Wei gave them a strange look, his eyes darting between Chu Fan and Yan Ying. "Almost an hour," he said.

"We’ll be right there." After speaking, Chu Fan closed the door again.

"Spiritual Power?" Yan Ying exclaimed.

At that moment, Chu Fan also understood. This painting was far more powerful than the one passed down in the Ye Family.

’Truly worthy of its lineage.’

Chu Fan’s curiosity about Ascendant Xingfeng’s master was now piqued.

According to the murals, Ascendant Xingfeng was the disciple of a legendary woman, who in turn had been saved by a White Fox.

’So, was it the Immortal who taught the legendary woman her Cultivation Technique? Or the White Fox? Or maybe the White Fox’s master?’

’And this painting was clearly placed inside the Zao Ying Mountain Divine Statue only after Ascendant Xingfeng had already ascended.’

’That Immortal has at least two generations of disciples in the legendary woman and Ascendant Xingfeng. There might have even been several generations before her!’

’His lineage of disciples must have seen this painting frequently, right?’

’Why couldn’t they help the Immortal restore his memories themselves? Why resort to this whole "search for the fated one" trope?’

’Even if a fated person appears, how would the Immortal ever know? How would he even meet them?’

"This painting should belong to both of us, right?" Yan Ying said suddenly.

Chu Fan shot her a look. "I paid a steep price for your help, remember?"

"I’ll trade you the Cultivation Technique I got in the Divine Hall. I’ll even give you back those ten Swords. I’m not trying to take it for myself. How about we each keep it for one year at a time? Or, you could come with me to the Celestial Dao Palace. You don’t have to join; you can stay as an honored guest, and I’ll provide all the resources you need for your Cultivation."

He had only glanced at it. To him, it felt like a single moment, even though nearly an hour had passed. But in that one glance, his Spiritual Power had risen by more than two full levels.

’How could he possibly be willing to give up a painting like this?’

’Yan Ying’s proposal was demanding, but then again, who wouldn’t be tempted by such a Miracle?’

’She was trying to negotiate rather than steal it or bring the Celestial Dao Palace to seize it by force. That showed she was fundamentally a decent person.’

’Wealth can move any heart, to say nothing of a divine artifact.’

"One year each," Chu Fan decided. "I’ll take it for the first year. Come find me on this day next year."

In truth, if he had insisted on keeping it for himself, Yan Ying would have had no grounds to object. He had, after all, paid a hefty price for her help in securing the Scroll beneath the Divine Statue.

But as they’d spent more time together, he’d found that despite her moody temper, Yan Ying was cold on the outside but warm on the inside. Once you got to know her, she wasn’t so bad.

She was no longer as insufferably arrogant as she had been at first.

"Alright, it’s a deal. I’ll give you back the Swords, and I can let you make a copy of the Sword Technique from the Divine Hall as well."

"You can keep the Swords. I am interested in seeing the Sword Technique, though."

"I should warn you, this Sword Technique is suited for... for women."

"Then never mind."

Chu Fan quickly waved his hand dismissively. ’What would I do with a Sword Technique for women? Am I supposed to give it to Yun Xi to practice in the future?’

’Better to just drop it to avoid any misunderstandings.’

"Come on, let’s go eat."

When they arrived in the dining area, both Wang Xing and Qi Wei, unlike Ye Xiaohan, were staring at Chu Fan and Yan Ying with odd expressions.

Chu Fan didn’t notice, but Yan Ying immediately did. She didn’t offer an explanation, simply shooting Wang Xing and Qi Wei a cold glance.

Her attitude toward Chu Fan had changed as she got to know him, partly because his Cultivation and Combat Power both surpassed hers.

But in her eyes, Qi Wei and Wang Xing were still just commoners from a backwater region. Besides, she hardly knew them.

That single glance sent a chill through Qi Wei and Wang Xing, as if they had been plunged into the depths of winter.

"As soon as we got back, Brother Yan and I were just discussing some things about Cultivation, we didn’t..." Chu Fan was halfway through his sentence when Yan Ying stomped hard on his foot under the table.

He looked at Yan Ying, confused. She glared back at him, her eyes filled with fury.

Still not getting it, Chu Fan continued, "Have you two been slacking in your training these past few days?"