Chapter 2

He remembered that it was clearly an ordinary day, with springtime sunshine and bright scenery on Changliu Mountain, a good day that should last for some time to come.

When he returned from his cultivation with his fellow disciples, he felt lazy and asked his master for a few days of rest. Finding it boring to sleep too long, he chose a dark, fortune-telling outfit, grabbed a fan, and went out.

However, Jiang Zhuochen's past skill of making a living wasn't very popular here. Cultivators valued strength above all else, and all misfortunes were attributed to insufficient strength. Let alone making things up, even if he actually said something, people would just take it as a joke.

After three years of fabricated stories, the inner disciples stopped buying it. Jiang Zhuochen tapped his palm with the handle of his fan and slowly walked towards the outer sect. The outer sect disciples were numerous and transient, and many didn't recognize him, so he actually managed to catch one in the bamboo forest behind the mountain.

He took out two polished pebbles from his bag, which he had found in a small world on his way back from his cultivation journey. His fellow disciples said these pebbles were called "Flaming Sun Hearts," entirely black and shiny, but if held up to the blazing sun, one could see a dot within resembling the sun itself. These pebbles possessed a faint spiritual energy, making them perfect for fortune-telling.

But for some reason, when I tried to use my spiritual energy to sense things, it felt like I touched a layer of gauze. As if it had a mind of its own, the gauze started to move after it realized someone had noticed it.

Jiang Zhuochen's entire sea of ​​consciousness was enveloped by it and he could not move. He wanted to break free, but during the struggle, he inadvertently saw the scene outside the transparent gauze.

He couldn't quite describe what it was; it was a vast expanse of white, yet irresistible, as if he were certain it must be something incredibly powerful.

Drawn forward, Jiang Zhuochen reached out and touched the gauze. The object, which was clearly unyielding to spiritual energy, fell off with a single pull. Immediately afterward, he sensed a vast and heavy force surging into his sea of ​​consciousness, sweeping through his entire body with overwhelming force.

Countless images flashed through his mind in an instant, but he felt that these images appeared for far too long. Pulled between the two, he cried out in pain. The torment did not last long. Just as he finished receiving the information, the ethereal will of heaven forcefully rushed into his mind.

The moment the power appeared in Jiang Zhuochen's sea of ​​consciousness, even a master who had attained enlightenment might not be able to match it, he coughed up a mouthful of blood and his body fell forward weakly.

The outer disciples' hearts nearly jumped out of their chests at the sight. They cried out in alarm, forgetting even their food boxes, and tightly caught the unconscious Jiang Zhuochen in their hands. They called out anxiously twice, but when there was no response, they were about to help him to the physician's hall.

Before he could even raise Jiang Zhuochen's hand, he noticed the grass and trees rustling three steps away, and a figure appeared in front of him in an instant, pulling him close.

The outer disciple was startled and quickly bowed. "Greetings, Sect Leader."

Xu Xing was discussing matters in the council hall when he suddenly sensed that Jiang Zhuochen's soul lamp was activating strongly, so he rushed over.

He grasped Jiang Zhuochen's arm and probed it with his spiritual power. Then, his usually expressionless face showed a change in expression. He carried Jiang Zhuochen in one arm and the little disciple in the other, returning to the outer mountain.

Inside the house, the eldest disciple, Shen Hezhou, arrived at the Mountain Beyond the Mountain with the rest of the disciples, who were all engaged in cultivation. He was so anxious he didn't even have time to bow. "What happened, Junior Brother?"

"The heart meridian has been protected; there is no immediate danger."

Xu Xing toyed with a round stone, his calm expression revealing nothing. He glanced at the outer disciple who had been huddled in the corner, and the disciple had no choice but to step forward and tremble as he recounted what had happened.

After the disciple finished explaining, Xu Xing asked, "Where did you get this Flaming Sun Heart Dust?"

Shen Hezhou hurriedly replied, "On the way back, a small world suddenly opened up north of Pingtan Town, so the disciples went to explore it. Junior Brother picked this up by the Lava River, and since we saw it was harmless, we let him carry it with him. Master, is there something wrong with the Flame Sun Heart?"

Xu Xing lowered his eyes. "There's nothing wrong with the stones themselves."

Before his master ascended to immortality, he told him something: this stone was originally called the Sky-Gazing Stone. Thousands of years ago, it was repeatedly used by people with ulterior motives who fantasized about peering into the heavens and attaining enlightenment, which finally attracted divine punishment. The vibrant spiritual energy within the stone dissipated completely along with the punished individuals, and after that, no one dared to covet it again.

In recent years, some people have discovered that the Flame Sun Heart has regained a trace of spiritual energy, but it is too rare to attract the attention of various immortal sects. Unexpectedly, Jiang Zhuochen's use of spiritual power to activate the Flame Sun Heart for fortune telling coincides with the method of peering into the heavens a thousand years ago.

How could a mere wisp of spiritual energy cause such a severe backlash? If…

As if to verify his thoughts, several more guests arrived at the mountain beyond the mountain the next moment. Several elders and fellow disciples from Wangxian Valley knocked on the door.

Shen Hezhou glanced outside and said, "Master, you may leave now if you have something to attend to. We, your senior brothers, will take good care of Junior Brother."

Xu Xing glanced at Jiang Zhuochen, who was still unconscious, then nodded and left.

As soon as he stepped outside, he noticed the unusual sky color, which gradually deepened from fiery red to black.

"Sect Leader, Senior Brother..."

The disciples of the immortal sect are young and may not know why this phenomenon occurs, but they are certainly aware of it, especially since several elders have personally experienced it.

The moment when red is completely consumed by black, the punishment from heaven will come.

No one expected that a boring pastime would lead to a catastrophe.

…

Night had fallen, but the crimson glow above Changliu Mountain was unsettling. Even the disciples, who were completely unaware of what was happening, should have realized by now that something was wrong and were seeking protection from the various immortals.

This catastrophe was inevitable, but fortunately there was still time. Xu Xing sat down beside the bed with his eyes lowered, gently smoothing Jiang Zhuochen's restless brows in his sleep, and then tapped his brow with a helpless yet indulgent touch.

"You..."

The two short words evoked a tender atmosphere, and it took a long time for the room to return to silence. Xu Xing sat quietly for a while before getting off the bed, his entire being exuding only sharpness.

Inside the council hall, Xu Xing summoned his disciples and instructed them: "For the time being, all affairs within the immortal sect will be jointly managed by several senior uncles."

Because they were personally instructed by the sect leader, the disciples learned some things that outsiders did not know after the incident. Therefore, as soon as their master said this, they all hurriedly took a few steps forward.

Shen Hezhou's tone carried a hint of disbelief: "Master, you wouldn't possibly want to..."

The other disciples also stepped forward and stood beside Shen Hezhou, saying, "Master, please reconsider!"

Xu Xing remained calm. "Don't panic, your master will be fine."

Shen Hezhou had followed Xu Xing in cultivation for over a hundred years and understood his master's personality better than others. His master was a man of his word, never offering words of comfort nor engaging in superficial actions. If he said nothing would happen, then most likely nothing would.

Even though he heard from his martial uncle that this was not an ordinary heavenly lightning, but a divine punishment.

Xu Xing looked at Shen Hezhou and said, "Take good care of the other disciples for me."

Shen Hezhou placed two fingers in front of his chest and bowed slightly in a salute. "I will obey your orders, Master."

After giving his instructions, Xu Xing looked at the concerned eyes of his disciples, a rare hint of relief appearing on his face. He strolled out of the room, as if what he was about to face was just another ordinary, trivial matter.

The rosy glow on Changliu Mountain had been almost completely devoured, and the dark clouds pressed down heavily, making it hard to breathe. Everyone on the mountain watched helplessly as the light disappeared from sight, and the surroundings were silent, as if the air itself had frozen.

A bolt of lightning suddenly cleaved the prelude, and just when they thought disaster was imminent, they discovered that all the heavenly punishments were being drawn away from Changliu Mountain by an inconspicuous ray of light.

Those days were the most agonizing for Changliu Mountain. Even though a protective barrier had been set up, the terrifying situation not far away still instilled fear in people.

Each bolt of lightning that struck carried a devastating force, and the light it emitted even shook the barrier. No one could imagine what Xu Xing, at the center of the catastrophe, must have looked like.

Jiang Zhuochen, still in a deep sleep, was deathly pale, his brows furrowed. Although his mind was in a state of chaos, he felt an inexplicable panic, his whole body screaming to wake up, but he was unable to move as if he were imprisoned.

The flickering light continued relentlessly, and the roaring sounds, which even the barrier couldn't block, came crashing in like a tidal wave. With each passing moment, Jiang Zhuochen felt more suffocated, and tears unconsciously streamed down his face and into his ears.

"Master..."

The divine punishment raged for seven days and seven nights, and Jiang Zhuochen slept for seven days and seven nights. By then, the wind and waves had calmed down, and even the terrifying black clouds had quickly dissipated. If one did not look at the desolate land, it would seem as if nothing had happened.

As dawn broke on the eighth day, Jiang Zhuochen slowly opened his eyes. He sat up, leaning against the headboard, and propped up his heavy head. Before the tightness in his chest could subside, he felt something was amiss. Usually, when he was in trouble, his master would be there to protect him; why was he nowhere to be seen?

Jiang Zhuochen threw off the covers and tried to get out of bed, but he didn't realize that he had been asleep for too long, so his body went weak and he fell down.

The commotion attracted the attention of the outer sect members. Shen Hezhou pushed open the door and helped Jiang Zhuochen up, followed by the other disciples. "How are you? Did you hurt yourself? Why didn't you call for help after you woke up?"

"It's alright." Jiang Zhuochen helped Shen Hezhou up, his eyes full of questions. "Where is Master?"

As soon as he finished speaking, Jiang Zhuochen noticed that the expressions of his senior brothers had become somewhat indifferent, and then a hint of reluctance appeared. The silence in the room made him panic.

He unconsciously gripped his arm tightly, his voice trembling slightly.

Why are none of my senior brothers saying anything?

What happened after I lost consciousness?

Suppressing his grief, Shen Hezhou helped Jiang Zhuochen back to bed before recounting everything that had happened in the past few days.

Shen Hezhou had always assumed that his master's earlier statement that everything was alright meant he needed to go into seclusion to heal from the heavenly punishment, so all affairs within the sect were temporarily managed by his uncles. He never expected that the heavenly punishment would last for seven days, and by the time it ended, not only they, but even the elders and uncles could no longer sense their master's presence.

He refused to believe in evil and led his disciples to the desolate land immediately. They searched the flat, scorched gray-black land for several hours, but they couldn't even find their master's robes. It was as if he had vanished along with the heavenly punishment.

Just like that "it's nothing" statement was only meant to comfort them.

Jiang Zhuochen, whose body was still not fully recovered, felt dizzy upon hearing this. He gripped the wooden board at the head of the bed and it took him a long time to regain his senses. He opened his mouth and then spat out a mouthful of blood.

Internal injuries combined with a sudden surge of anger caused Jiang Zhuochen to collapse and faint again. Even in his unconscious state, he couldn't sleep well, trapped by nightmares, and even the elixirs left by the physicians and his master were of no use.

After the divine punishment, everything returned to normal. The elders of the valley strictly forbade the disciples from discussing the matter, with the threat of having their spiritual roots severed. The punishment was so severe that no one dared to disobey, allowing Wangxian Valley to return to its original state in the shortest possible time.

The hibiscus trees in the mountain courtyard grew increasingly lush and verdant, attracting birds that stopped to perch. Surrounded by spiritual energy, the birds chirped merrily, successfully waking Jiang Zhuochen a month later. His eyelids twitched, then he lifted them somewhat weakly.

When Shen Hezhou entered the room and saw Jiang Zhuochen awake, even though he didn't say a word, he could tell from his calm demeanor that his junior brother seemed to have changed a bit after waking up from his nap.

He was afraid that Jiang Zhuochen would blame himself too much and become depressed, so he didn't mention anything about it. He and his other junior brothers took turns taking care of him and occasionally told him some interesting stories.

After Jiang Zhuochen finished drinking the medicine, he put the spoon back into the jade bowl with a crisp sound. Immediately afterwards, they heard a sentence.

"Senior brother, where is the Land of Heavenly Punishment?"

…

Jiang Zhuochen stepped onto the ruins and stood quietly. After a long while, he slowly reached his hand into the air, his fingers twitching as if sensing something. Finally, unable to suppress his emotions any longer, he lowered his head in despair.

For the past month, he has trapped himself and refused to wake up; he cannot convince himself that his master is no longer here.

When a person dies, their soul scatters. The previous thousand days and nights become like flowers in a mirror or the moon's reflection in water, no longer real, yet they can still suffocate you when you touch familiar things.

He didn't even get to see his master one last time.

"What if the secrets of heaven are revealed?"

He spoke in a low voice, as if talking to himself.

Before long, a faint red blush appeared on the horizon, seemingly spreading out in random circles, but its range pointed directly to where Jiang Zhuochen was!