novelraw Chapter 414 - 341: Taiyuan and Cold Monarch
Chapter 414 - 341: Taiyuan and Cold Monarch
Celestial Spin Star, Yuan Huang Palace, stands tall like the Ancient Divine Mountains.
The palace roof is covered with glazed tiles made of congealed Star Sand, each embedded with three thousand miniature star paths.
During the day, they bathe in heavenly light while emitting delicate Starlight, and at night, they can invoke the Power of the Circulation Stars, resonating with the starry sky.
The side hall "Observatory Pavilion" occupies the southeast corner of the palace, with an entire wall made of a transparent Star Crystal sourced from the Outer Realm starry river.
Inside the pavilion, there are no lamps; the only light source is the starlight filtered through the Star Crystal, perfectly casting on a Cold Jade chess table in the center.
This chess table is crafted from the Ice Marrow of Kunxu’s core, with ice patterns faintly appearing on the table body like the veins of a star river, and the chessboard itself carved from the heart of the Ice Marrow.
Black and white chess pieces are placed in a Jade Box beside the table, the white pieces are forged from Star Essence Gold, reflecting starlight with a warm glow.
The black pieces are polished from Taiyin Cold Jade, condensing lunar radiance and exuding a chill, and ordinary cultivators would be completely frozen upon touching them.
Sitting across the chess table are the direct disciples under Dharma Master Hong Jue: Taiyuan and Cold Monarch.
Taiyuan is dressed in a Moon White Daoist Robe, with white hair and beard yet a face like warm jade, and a faint golden mark at the center of his forehead.
At this moment, he holds a white piece, and as his fingers approach the chessboard within three inches, slight ripples of space-time spread out, with starlight falling on the ripples, refracting images of the past and future.
As the white piece is placed, the brightness of the starlight in that corner of the chessboard suddenly dims by three degrees, as if a miniature starry sky collapses due to this move, instantly trapping the surrounding black pieces in an invisible space-time bind.
Opposite him, Cold Monarch is clad in an ink-colored Daoist Robe.
At this moment, his hand poised with a black piece pauses slightly, gazing at the white pieces forming a surrounding shape on the board, a trace of gravity flashes in his eyes.
His fingertips coalesce a wisp of faint blue cold air, unlike ordinary frost, it is the manifestation of the "Primordial Cold Annihilation Dao Domain", touching it can freeze space-time and annihilate vitality.
Even the starlight filtering through the Star Crystal is momentarily frozen upon contact with the cold air.
He places a black piece at the "Kun" position in the southwest corner, the cold air instantly spreading over the piece, forming a thin layer of frost on the Ice Marrow chessboard, just countering the collapsing force of the white pieces’ space-time.
"Senior Brother’s ’Space-Time Trap’ has reached the Mastery Realm."
As Cold Monarch withdraws his hand, the cold air at his fingertips quietly dissipates, he lifts the Ten-Thousand-Year Warm Jade Tea Bowl beside the table, the Star Spring Tea Soup inside emanating misty warmth, forming a peculiar balance with the primordial cold aura surrounding him:
"At the moment of the move, I actually felt my Spirit Vein circulation slow down by half a beat, almost dragging me into a temporal quagmire."
"If this continues, this game might follow the same path as the previous Star Tower challenge, with Senior Brother suppressing me without any chance to fight back."
Taiyuan laughs lightly upon hearing this, raising his hand to brush over the chessboard, a gentle yet irresistible mana sweeps across, instantly dispersing the thin frost at Cold Monarch’s previous move.
"Your ’Primordial Cold Annihilation’ has become purer, that move at the Kun position could freeze the space-time ripples I created."
"A thousand years ago, if you made that move, it’s likely the piece would have shattered under the power of space-time."
"Practice for a few more days, and once you further integrate Taiyin with Primordial Cold, the sixteenth level of the Star Tower will no longer be an obstacle for you."
Just as he finishes speaking, a light sound of footsteps drifts in from outside the Observatory Pavilion.
Moments later, a figure in a gray robe appears, bowing at the pavilion entrance, it’s Elder Mo Yuan.
He doesn’t even dare to lift his head, his voice is extremely low, yet each word clearly reaches the two’s ears:
"Reporting to Your Highness, we’ve investigated, only a few named disciples were discussing, with no malice."
Taiyuan’s hand holding the chess piece doesn’t stop, he merely nods gently:
"You may leave, instruct the Law Enforcement Hall to quietly restrain discourse, if there are malicious ones, they shall be punished by serving in the Star Ore Vein for a hundred years."
He pauses, as a white piece falls from his fingertips, another area of space-time collapse occurs on the chessboard:
"Let my younger disciple focus on honing his foundation in peace upon entering the sect, and not be distracted by such trifles."
Elder Mo Yuan respectfully bows:
"Yes, Your Highness."
Cold Monarch can’t help but laugh lightly: "Senior Brother really protects this young disciple tightly."
"Back when I first entered the sect, failed the Star Tower challenge, and was gossiped about by several named disciples, I didn’t see you get this angry, even wanting to punish them to the ore vein for a hundred years."
Taiyuan finally lifts his gaze, a hint of amusement flashes in his eyes, he lightly taps his fingertips, causing a ripple of space-time to fill Cold Monarch’s empty tea bowl with Star Spring:
"Our master’s disciples are few, besides the three of us, only the nine inner sect junior brothers can inherit the Ending Technique."
"Now that the young disciple has entered, and is young, we as Senior Brothers naturally must protect him thoroughly."
He shifts the topic with a touch of mischief:
"When you entered the sect, although I didn’t involve the Law Enforcement Hall, I quietly planted a ’Space-Time Stagnation Seal’ in those gossiping disciples’ Spirit Veins, making it difficult for their cultivation to progress for three years."
"It wasn’t until they begged the Law Enforcement Hall that they found it was my doing—have you forgotten this?"
Cold Monarch is taken aback, then bursts into laughter, slapping the table:
"So that’s how it was! No wonder those few later avoided me like the plague, and their cultivation was stagnant, it was Senior Brother’s discreet intervention. I spoke wrongly, deserve punishment!"
Saying so, he is about to lift the just-filled tea bowl to punish himself.
But notices Taiyuan’s expression suddenly shift, the light golden mark at his brow suddenly brightens, and the space-time ripples around him instantly solidify like crystal.
In the next moment, above Taiyuan’s chessboard, a semi-transparent light screen materializes out of thin air, not by mana but as a manifestation of the Space-Time Dao Domain.
The light screen’s edges sparkle with star path patterns, and within is a scene as clear as being there, unmistakably the scene at the base of the Star Tower.
The tower is built of countless Star Crystal Stones, each engraved with runes, with star patterns flowing on the inner walls.
A figure of a youth in a green robe strolls in, a sword hanging at his waist, engraved with faint Sword Patterns, though unsheathed, already exudes a sharp Sword Dao aura.
Cold Monarch’s laughter halts abruptly, he leans in front of the light screen, eyes curious:
"Is this our young disciple? He takes the same path as the second senior brother, the Sword Dao."
"All studying the master’s Ending Technique, the three of us have walked three distinctly different paths—Senior Brother proves the end through space-time collapse, the Palm Yuan Imperial Bell can disturb the temporal and spatial sequences."
"Second Senior Brother proves the end through the extinction of the Circulation Stars, wielding the Circulation Stars Sword can cut down the Outer Realm Star Demon."
"I prove the end through Primordial Cold Annihilation, wielding the Taiyin Absolute Freeze Banner can freeze a realm’s vitality."
He pauses, looking at the green-robed youth’s back in the light screen: "Now this young disciple, I wonder how he will meld the Ending Technique and Sword Dao into something unique."
Taiyuan gazes at the light screen, a trace of approval flashing in his eyes, the faint golden mark at his brow slowly dims.
The Moon White Daoist Robe on his body gently billows, the inner side faintly reveals an ancient bell pattern, which is the natal mark of the Yuan Huang Bell.
In past years, he held this bell to break through the seventeenth level of the Star Tower, later defeating several ten-tribulation Void Refining cultivators, earning the reputation of "Invincible in Void Refining."
And the faint blue banner hanging at Cold Monarch’s waist slightly trembles, the banner face painted with a Taiyin Star Map, seven Taiyin Cold Beads hanging from its corners, precisely the Taiyin Absolute Freeze Banner.
It once helped him freeze the "Starfire Purgatory" at the fifteenth level of the Star Tower with Primordial Cold Annihilation power, not matching Senior Brother, but among the Refining Void Great Powers, it is top-tier combat strength.
Just like Mansion Master Bai and others, they are no match for him.
Taiyuan, with a gaze carrying a hint of anticipation, speaks slowly:
"Second Senior Brother’s Circulation Stars Sword utilizes the Star Power to annihilate all things, integrating the Sword Dao and the fall of stars into the Ending Technique."
"This young disciple, not yet a thousand years old, can make our master break convention to accept him as a direct disciple, he must be extraordinary, let’s keep watching."