novelraw Chapter 259 : Dao Ancestor's Bestowal, Three Types of Dao Seals
Chapter 259 : Dao Ancestor's Bestowal, Three Types of Dao Seals
Chapter 259: Dao Ancestor's Bestowal, Three Types of Dao Seals
Three days passed in the blink of an eye.
Chu Huaixu and the others, including Jiang Zhi, returned to the sect one after another within those three days.
The three True Disciples came back not long after the Dao Gate confirmed Lu Pan's death—they returned the very same day, even running into Li Chunsong who had come down the mountain looking for them.
After returning, the three of them reported everything that had happened at the foot of the mountain and handed over Lu Pan's Enforcement Elder Token.
Since then, only Xiang Yan and Shen Man of the Purple Bamboo Forest remained on the mountain. The other elders all descended.
They had only one goal—to kill.
Chu Huaixu made no effort to conceal anything after returning to the sect. He even informed Xiang Yan about the 【Fruit Position of the Soul Transformation Stage】 he learned from the system, though he made up some parts and concealed the system's existence.
Jiang Zhi returned a day later than the others, bringing back the severed arm of the Sect Leader of the Black Moon Sect.
He then immediately went into seclusion. His condition seemed very poor.
Over these three days, Chu Huaixu clearly felt something was off about the atmosphere in the Gentleman Temple. His own mood was also rather foul and irritable.
Those with pressing matters busied themselves.
Those without found something to occupy their time.
Only the Sect Master Xiang Yan appeared no different than usual.
All affairs were arranged impeccably by him. He also sent word to the other three great sects.
It was by his command that Chu Huaixu and the others would go to the Dao Bell in five days to receive the Dao Ancestor's bestowal.
Chu Huaixu remembered that Chu Yinyin had reached the Seventh Realm only after Shen Man had perished within the Origin Spirit Realm.
The Gentleman Temple lost one Seventh Realm sword cultivator and gained another.
She had suppressed her cultivation for years. Once she broke through, her progress was meteoric.
But now, even that seemed to have changed.
"Chu Yinyin broke through earlier than expected," Chu Huaixu thought.
As for the Black Moon Sect, he had no recollection of it from 《Borrowed Sword》.
But that didn't mean it didn't exist.
"This storyline probably wasn't meant to emerge until much later, so the players never uncovered it."
"The Sect Leader of the Black Moon Sect probably wasn't originally in such a rush to find the Fruit Position, but something changed."
It gave him a bit of a headache.
And everything he experienced during this descent from the mountain made him crave power even more.
Chu Huaixu began breaking through one heaven per day.
His stockpile of Experience Points was immense.
He also advanced 【Six Formations of the Broken Array】 from Minor Mastery to Major Mastery.
As for Lu Pan's funeral, it was handled very simply within the Gentleman Temple. Chu Huaixu thought someone might cry—perhaps someone like Chu Yinyin would even cause a scene—but nothing of the sort happened. Everyone was just unusually quiet.
After the funeral, Chu Yinyin went into closed-door cultivation.
Over the next five days, Chu Huaixu focused entirely on improving his strength. Han Shuangjiang and Xu Ziqing did the same.
On the morning of the appointed day, the three of them arrived on time at the Dao Bell.
Other than Chu Yinyin, who was still in seclusion, and Shen Man, who was drawing a prison around herself in the Purple Bamboo Forest, all the other Dao Gate high-ranking members appeared.
They all looked no different than usual.
A vast sect needed to function, and they were indispensable.
The world was always like this. If many people needed you, it seemed there was never enough time to indulge in your emotions. You had to forcibly extract yourself from them.
Because you were already a person of great importance.
"Draw out the wisp of aura from your Sea of Consciousness and return it to the Dao Bell," Xiang Yan instructed.
"Xu Ziqing, you go first."
"Yes, Sect Master."
The refined young man took two steps forward, closed his eyes, and activated his Sea of Consciousness, drawing the wisp of aura from within.
It was instantly absorbed by the Dao Bell.
Immediately, the bell rang twice.
A golden light surged into Xu Ziqing’s body.
Golden characters began to form in the center of his left palm.
At the same time, two golden characters slowly appeared beside the Dao Bell.
——【Emperor Chariot】.
Chu Huaixu felt he had seen those two characters somewhere before.
Thinking carefully, he remembered what the "Emperor Chariot" referred to.
"Emperor Chariot... isn’t that another name for the Big Dipper?" he thought.
Soon, a line of smaller characters appeared beside the golden words:
——【The Emperor Chariot shines beyond dusk and dawn; in the eternal night, a lone lamp hangs.】
Chu Huaixu could generally grasp its meaning.
"The first half means the Big Dipper remains bright through the cycles of day and night."
"The second half is similar—but this 'eternal night' might imply something else."
"Could it be tied to the Heaven-and-Earth Calamity?"
Chu Huaixu could only guess.
The Dao Seal now felt like it was tied to destiny.
"Then what of these last three words: 'a lone lamp hangs'?"
There were four World Protagonists—why only one lamp?
Chu Huaixu began to suspect his earlier theory might be right.
"Maybe in the predetermined end, Little Xu pays a heavy price every time he uses the bronze sword—possibly even his life. Among the four protagonists, he might be the one who dies."
His thoughts began to spiral.
As for the effects of the Dao Seal 【Emperor Chariot】, they'd have to wait until Xu Ziqing fully absorbed it.
Seeing the words 【Emperor Chariot】, Xiang Yan and the others all nodded slightly.
"Not bad, not bad," they murmured.
Clearly, this Dao Seal was extraordinary.
Xiang Yan promptly instructed again: "Shuangjiang, your turn."
"Yes, Sect Master."
The Big Ice Block glanced at Chu Huaixu, then stepped forward.
Once the wisp of aura left her Sea of Consciousness, the Dao Bell rang twice.
Two golden characters began to emerge beside the Dao Bell.
——【Taiyin】！
Chu Huaixu looked at those characters and immediately understood their meaning.
"Though, Taiyin can mean many things."
"The common interpretation is the Moon, opposed to the Sun."
"In terms of time, it corresponds to the Hour of the Rat; in direction, to the North; in season, to Winter; it can also refer to Water."
But for now, he thought the most likely meaning was the Moon.
It made him glance down at his own left palm.
His 【Southward Sunlight】 represented the Sun.
Together, the three of them now formed: Sun, Moon, and Star.
"Could it really be that coincidental?" Chu Huaixu thought.
Soon, a line of small characters appeared beside 【Taiyin】:
【Taiyin rises to command the night, a single lamp in the long night.】
These words didn’t send Chu Huaixu into too much speculation.
The message was brief and not particularly grandiose.
But once again—"a single lamp"?
He remained fixated on the Sun, Moon, and Star.
"Taiyin? It does match well with her Body of Profound Yin," Xiang Yan commented.
To them, Taiyin symbolized the power of the bright moon. Among the two-character Dao Seals, it was undoubtedly top-tier—extraordinary.
Everyone now turned their expectant eyes to Chu Huaixu.
"Huaixu, you're next," Xiang Yan said.
"Yes, Master."
He stepped forward and sat down beside the Big Ice Block.
Once he drew out the wisp of aura from his Sea of Consciousness, the Dao Bell rang twice.
"Dong——!"
"Dong——!"
The next moment, the two golden characters that appeared beside the Dao Bell caused everyone to pause in surprise.
——【Huaixu】.
The characters were his name.
Xiang Yan and the others couldn’t help but click their tongues in astonishment.
This was the first time in a thousand years that someone had received a Dao Seal identical to their own name!
As Chu Huaixu sat with eyes closed, absorbing the power, a tremor struck his heart. Was he just overthinking?
"Why would it be Huaixu?"
If the Dao Seal really tied into fate, could it be from a prophecy by the Dao Ancestor a thousand years ago?
"But I’m a variable—a transmigrator."
"Strictly speaking, Chu Huaixu didn’t originally exist in this world."
"The one who did was——Huo Dingyi!"
"Wait a second!"
A spark flashed in Chu Huaixu’s mind.
Suddenly, something clicked—and his heart quaked.
He remembered the lines from Han Shuangjiang and Xu Ziqing’s verses.
They both contained the same two characters.
"If you put the three characters of Huo Dingyi’s name together—don’t they form..."
"...‘a single lamp’ (一灯)?"