Chapter 119: Vermilion Bird Chronicle
Hua Changxi had been brought here for a blood sacrifice last time, and the kidnappers kept watch, so she didn’t dare to look around. After being rescued, she was taken away by her father, so she hadn’t properly seen this underground city.
Exiting from the transmission platform led to a spacious plaza.
Hua Changxi surveyed the plaza. There was nothing in the plaza, except for a stone tablet standing against the rock wall directly opposite the transmission platform.
Perhaps due to the great age, the inscriptions on the stone tablet had completely blurred, and only a few fragmented characters could be discerned.
Hua Changxi stared for a long time but couldn’t piece together a single word.
After wandering around the underground city, she discovered that besides the transmission stone on the transmission platform, only this stone tablet might offer some research value. So, she stood before it and began to examine it carefully.
This underground city was clearly related to the Vermilion Bird, with a transmission platform and a transmission stone. Perhaps this stone tablet was also related to transmission?
Recalling the scene of obtaining the transmission stone earlier, Hua Changxi condensed flames in her right hand and unleashed them. With a ‘boom,’ the stone tablet was engulfed in fierce flames.
Hua Changxi continuously channeled spiritual energy into the flames while circulating the Vermilion Bird Breathing and Exhalation Method.
Under the burning of the flames, the stone tablet slowly turned from its original black-gray to red, much like a piece of iron being heated red by fire.
When the stone tablet became completely red and translucent, Hua Changxi felt the ground beneath her begin to vibrate.
The vibrations grew more intense, accompanied by a rumbling sound, as if something was about to break through the earth.
The ground shook so violently that Hua Changxi could barely stand, forcing her to retreat continuously.
Amidst the violent tremors, Hua Changxi saw the stone tablet growing taller. No, it wasn’t growing taller; a platform was emerging from underground, lifting the stone tablet and making it appear taller.
Just as Hua Changxi felt her spiritual energy was about to be depleted, the platform fully revealed itself, and the ground stopped shaking.
The platform was pyramid-shaped, with nine tiers of stairs, and the stone tablet stood at the highest point.
As the platform fully emerged, the stone tablet also changed. The previously bare top of the stone tablet now bore a lifelike statue of a Vermilion Bird.
Sensing the stone tablet suppressing the flames she had condensed, Hua Changxi decisively withdrew her spiritual energy.
As the spiritual energy receded, the stone tablet began to cool. Once it returned to its black-gray color, several lines of text, shimmering with a red luster, appeared on its surface.
The first thing that caught her eye were five large characters: Vermilion Bird Transmission Tablet.
“Before the Vermilion Bird spirit, I solemnly swear. I shall inherit the might of the Vermilion Bird and guard the peace of the four directions. With the power of the blazing sun, I shall cleanse the evil in the world; with the radiance of crimson feathers, I shall protect the well-being of all living beings.
To protect the peace of the world, to guard the prosperity of the golden age, my body shall be immortal, my will shall not waver. If I break this oath, may the spirits jointly punish me. The sacred might of the Vermilion Bird shall witness my original intention.”
Hua Changxi looked at the words on the stone tablet and couldn’t help but read them aloud. After finishing, she stared, dumbfounded, as the words on the stone tablet flew out one by one and merged into her forehead.
Only after all the text had entered her did she snap back to reality.
Then, she felt like crying without tears!
She had caused a commotion and brought out the stone tablet, only to then place a binding spell on herself.
The content of the inscription was clearly a Heavenly Dao oath!
Based on her deduction, the normal procedure to obtain the cultivation method from the Vermilion Bird Transmission Stone should have been to first take an oath before the stone tablet, and then enter the transmission platform to receive the method.
She had luckily obtained the cultivation method first without taking an oath, essentially exploiting a loophole. But now, she had gone and closed that loophole herself.
Hua Changxi stood beneath the stone tablet, gazing up at the lifelike Vermilion Bird, feeling the arrogant aura emanating from it. She covered her face and sighed.
Cleanse evil, protect peace.
She considered herself a righteous person who wouldn’t turn a blind eye to demons. However, actively choosing to do so was entirely different from being compelled to do so by an oath.
Having taken the oath, she felt a new responsibility placed upon her shoulders.
She yearned for a life of freedom and didn’t want to be bound by too many things.
This heavy responsibility had come too suddenly; she was completely unprepared.
After standing under the stone tablet for a while, Hua Changxi decided to leave this place of sorrow and walked towards the exit. As she did, she noticed a brilliant red light emanating from the transmission platform and quickly went over.
Upon reaching the entrance of the stone door, she saw that the Vermilion Bird Transmission Stone, which she had thrown into the lava, was now standing steadily in the center of the transmission platform.
Seeing this, Hua Changxi fell into thought and turned to look at the stone tablet.
Perhaps because she had just taken the oath, she could now enter and receive the cultivation method?
Hua Changxi’s eyes flickered. She had already received the cultivation method twice; could she receive it again?
With this thought, she walked onto the transmission platform and placed her hand on the transmission stone.
Within the transmission stone, a Vermilion Bird reappeared. However, this time, after just one glance at the Vermilion Bird, Hua Changxi felt an overwhelming force pressing down on her.
“Whoosh~”
Sensing danger, Hua Changxi used her cloud-riding skill to descend from the transmission platform at the fastest speed and rushed out of the stone door.
“Plop~”
The moment Hua Changxi rushed out of the stone door, she was still swept by the immense force emanating from the transmission platform, falling heavily onto the ground as if her body had been flung.
“Rumble~”
The stone door closed, blocking the monstrous force.
Hua Changxi lay on the ground, motionless for a long time. After a while, she got up, grimacing.
As soon as she stood up, she saw several bloody marks on her body.
She had only been swept by that immense force, and it had caused her skin to break and flesh to tear. If she had been hit directly, she feared she would have been crushed into a pulp.
Hua Changxi endured the pain and took a healing pill, looking at the closed stone door with confusion.
What was going on? She hadn’t encountered any danger the previous two times she touched the transmission stone!
Hua Changxi thought about the trials she had faced when touching the transmission stone before: “Could it be that the cultivation method within the transmission stone is given in stages? Only when one’s cultivation reaches a certain realm can they receive the next stage of the method?”
Looking at it this way, obtaining the cultivation method from the Vermilion Bird Transmission Stone wasn’t easy; one had to undergo a trial before receiving it.
She was currently a Nascent Soul Realm Cultivator, possessing some strength, and could withstand the trial for receiving the next stage of the cultivation method. However, the trial for the stage after that was something she couldn’t bear.
Hua Changxi clutched her chest, feeling her rapidly beating heart. The thought of that immense force just now still left her with lingering fear.
Fine, she should just leave quickly.
Hua Changxi limped away from the plaza. Following her memory of how she entered, she traversed the underground city for a while. When she reached the end of the passage, she found not the original tunnel entrance, but a stone door.
Hua Changxi walked up to the stone door, and it automatically opened. After passing through, the stone door closed automatically.
The previously half-collapsed ruined temple was gone, replaced by a magnificent grand hall.
The hall was very spacious. The statue, which had only its base remaining, was gone. In the north, there was a rectangular altar of unknown material, and in the center of the hall, suspended in mid-air, was a red jade pendant shaped like a Vermilion Bird.
Looking at the jade pendant, Hua Changxi instinctively reached out her hand, but just as she was about to touch it, she withdrew her hand.
If obtaining the cultivation method from the Vermilion Bird Transmission Stone required a Heavenly Dao oath, who knew what price she would have to pay for taking this jade pendant.
Hua Changxi stared at the jade pendant for a long time. In the end, her yearning for a free life triumphed over the fear of having to bear responsibilities. She chose to give up the jade pendant.
Shifting her gaze from the jade pendant, she looked around the hall again. Finding nothing else, she walked out of the grand hall.
“Lingguang Hall!”
Hua Changxi looked at the plaque above the hall door, and a phantom figure appeared in her mind. The figure was surrounded by spiritual light, so sacred it was impossible to look directly at.
The figure flashed and disappeared, as if it were an illusion.
Hua Changxi was momentarily stunned. After a while, she exhaled, shook her head, and strode away from the place. After walking a distance, she looked back.
“So this isn’t a temple, it’s a Daoist hall.”
Hua Changxi sighed and no longer lingered, quickly heading in the direction of the Capital City.
It was evening when she was captured by cultivators, but now it was broad daylight, and the sky indicated it was almost noon. She hadn’t expected to spend a whole night in the underground city.
Not long after Hua Changxi left, a patrol of soldiers appeared outside Lingguang Hall.
This territory belonged to Nanxiang County, near the Capital City.
The patrol soldiers were all from the Nanxiang County Office and were very familiar with the area. Upon seeing the ruined temple suddenly transformed into a grand hall, their faces changed drastically. They quickly returned to the county office and reported the matter to the County Magistrate.
Upon learning of this, the County Magistrate personally came to inspect the site. After confirming the details, he wrote a memorial to report to the Imperial Court.
Meanwhile, Hua Changxi hurried back to the Hua Family just before noon. Today was her birthday, and the family had informed her half a month ago that they would celebrate it. She hadn’t expected to almost be late herself.
“Mother, I’m back.”
Hearing Hua Changxi’s voice, Madam Yao quickly came out of the kitchen, looking at her reproachfully, “Why are you back so late?”
Hua Changxi smiled and stepped forward, “I ran into some trouble temporarily. Mother, what delicious food have you made for me?”
Madam Yao looked helpless, “Don’t worry, most of the dishes today are your favorites.” She then glanced towards the main hall, “Hurry and greet your grandfather and grandmother. They are paying for all the food today.”
Hua Changxi looked surprised upon hearing this, “Did the sun rise in the west?”
In the past, for her birthday, the family would only provide two eggs. If she wanted anything else, her parents had to pay for it themselves.
Madam Yao glared at Hua Changxi, “Speak properly. Today is your birthday, so behave yourself and don’t stir up trouble.”
Hua Changxi was displeased, “Mother, trouble always finds me. I dislike trouble and never actively seek it out.”
Madam Yao retorted, “You don’t cause enough trouble at home?”
Hua Changxi corrected her seriously, “That’s not causing trouble; that’s resisting.”
Madam Yao looked at her, “We’re all family, what are you resisting?”
Hua Changxi: “I resist you forcing me to do things I don’t like, and I resist you imposing your ideas on me.”
Madam Yao didn’t want to argue with her, “You’re getting more worked up the more you talk.” She said, pushing her towards the main hall, “Go and greet your grandfather and grandmother.”
Hua Changxi knew very well that she had a generation gap with her family and that some things couldn’t be explained. She was too lazy to continue, so she walked into the main hall, “Grandfather, Grandmother, I’m back.”
When Old Master Hua and Old Madam Hua saw her enter, their expressions were good, and they didn’t seem displeased by her late arrival. Old Madam Hua even waved at Hua Changxi with a smile.
“Jiu Niang, come here quickly. Your Grandfather Hua Tai knew today was your birthday and specially sent you a birthday gift. The He Family also sent a gift. Come and see if you like them?”
The gifts from Hua Tai’s family and the He Family were placed in the main hall. Hua Changxi walked over and looked at them. The gifts were things young women liked, and it was evident that both families had chosen them with care. However, she had a very bad impression of these two families.
In the room, Hua Liulang and other younger generation members were present. Even Hua Silang, Hua Qiniang, and Hua Shierniang, who were cultivating at the Earl’s Mansion, had returned specifically for the occasion.
Hua Sanlang knew his sister’s personality. Seeing her silent, he knew she wasn’t interested in the gifts from Grandfather Hua Tai’s family and the He Family, and he didn’t want to disappoint his grandparents. He walked over with a smile.
“Jiu Niang can’t use all these things by herself. Why don’t you share some with your other sisters?”
Hua Changxi glanced at him. She knew very well why Hua Tai’s family and the He family had sent her gifts. After thinking for a moment, she decided to express her thoughts directly.
“Grandfather, Grandmother, I don’t like Hua Tai’s family and the He family, and I don’t want to have too much to do with them.”
As soon as she said this, everyone in the room who was talking fell silent.
Old Madam Hua listened and looked at Old Master Hua.
Old Master Hua was silent for a long time, “Your Grandfather Hua Tai is, after all, an elder in the clan, and Third Master He is your Fifth Sister’s husband. How can you not have any dealings with them?”
Hua Changxi: “I have no opinion on how you interact with them. I’m only talking about myself; I don’t like them.”
Old Master Hua frowned, suppressing his anger, “Jiu Niang, today you are coming of age, you are an adult. How can an adult act solely based on their preferences?”
Hua Changxi: “If I were incapable, I wouldn’t mind enduring it. But now that I have the ability to say no, I don’t want to endure it anymore.”
Hua Liulang and the other younger generation members looked at her with admiration upon hearing her words. They didn’t have that confidence.
Old Master Hua’s frown deepened, “Jiu Niang, one must have magnanimity, otherwise your path will become narrower and narrower.”
Hua Changxi disagreed, “Grandfather, I think I have plenty of magnanimity. As long as they don’t cross my bottom line, I won’t completely dismiss them. However, Hua Tai and Third Master He, who profit by stepping on others and then act as if they are bestowing favors, are truly disgusting.”
Old Master Hua was about to say something more, but Old Madam Hua stopped him.
The room then fell silent.
Hua Changxi didn’t want to spoil everyone’s good mood and broke the silence herself, asking about everyone’s cultivation progress. After understanding their general cultivation levels, she said:
“Cultivators cannot only cultivate; they must also learn skills. At least one of Alchemy, Array Formations, Talismans, or Artifact Refining must be learned.”
She then looked at Hua Silang, Hua Qiniang, and Hua Shierniang, “You are at the Earl’s Mansion. Do the cultivators there teach you these things?”
Hua Silang shook his head, “The cultivator guiding us only tells us to focus on improving our cultivation.”
Hua Changxi: “It’s good to have guidance in cultivation, but you can’t just listen to others. Do you have any thoughts of your own?”
Everyone had only been exposed to cultivation for a few months at most, and they didn’t understand many things. Hearing Hua Changxi’s question, they were somewhat unable to answer.
Hua Liulang directly asked, “Jiu Niang, what do you think we should learn?”
Hua Changxi: “Then I’ll share my opinions, for your reference only. Cultivation is ultimately your own matter, and you must decide how to proceed in the end.”
“Third Brother, Fourth Brother, and Eleventh Brother, who have Wood Spiritual Roots, would be best suited for Alchemy. Of course, Talisman Crafting and Array Formations are also options.”
“Qiniang, you have Fire and Wood Spiritual Roots, making you most suitable for Alchemy.”
“Shierniang has Five Elements Spiritual Roots, so her cultivation speed will be a bit slower. You can learn Alchemy, Array Formations, Talismans, or Artifact Refining; it depends on what you like.”
“Sixth Brother, with your Fire Spiritual Root, you are suited for Artifact Refining.”
“We are a family, so it’s best if our chosen skills don’t overlap. This way, we can support each other and share resources in the future.”
Hearing this last sentence, Old Master Hua’s face showed satisfaction, “Good. You are a family, and you must support and help each other. This way, our family can go further and further.”
Since he started Body Refining, he had clearly felt his body getting better day by day. Now that his grandchildren were so promising, he seemed to see the day when the Hua Family would flourish.
