The Divine Nine-Dragon Cauldron

A soul body flew out from the jade box in Su Yu’s arms and transformed into a concrete tangible form. From afar, it looked like a complete body of flesh and blood. Without careful inspection, it would be hard for one to discern that the person before them was actually in their soul form.

“Haha, little fellow, I haven’t seen you for so long! Your growth truly astonishes me.” Yun Yazi scrutinized Su Yu and nodded approvingly. Yun Yazi was a man of wide mental horizons and the number of true prodigies he had crossed paths with in his life was comparable to the number of stars in the sky. To receive such a compliment as “astonishing” from him, Su Yu’s improvement must be truly tremendous.

“Master.” Su Yu’s soul returned to his body. Agitated, he bowed to pay his respects, “Student Su Yu, welcoming Master’s return from isolation.”

Ever since he had come to the Jiuzhou continent, it was rare for him to meet old acquaintances whom he had parted from so long ago. He felt a flood of emotions rolling inside him.

Yun Yazi laughed softly, and held Su Yu up. He said smilingly, “There’s no need for the overelaborate formalities between us.” He raised his head to glance at the surroundings, and asked with surprise, “This place isn’t the Zhenlong world anymore, is it?”

“You are right, Master. This is the Jiuzhou continent,” Su Yu replied.

An expression of nostalgia appeared in Yun Yazi’s eyes. “So we’re in Jiuzhou now. I’ve heard about it. It’s one of the places of origin of the human race. If I’m not mistaken, the stellar ambassador in charge of Jiuzhou is the little girl named Linlang, right?” he asked.

“Master, are you talking about the Glittering Jewel Mortal Fairy?” Su Yu asked as the thought occurred to him.

Yun Yazi looked mournful and glum. “Mortal Fairy? Does that mean that she did not pull through her harrowing ordeal, and is now deceased?” The Mortal Fairies’ lifespan only lasted for an eternity. And now, an eternity had passed, yet she was still being addressed as Mortal Fairy, meaning that she must be deceased.

Su Yu was stunned. If he had remembered correctly, the Glittering Jewel Mortal Fairy was one who had existed long before the eternity had passed. She was the oldest mortal fairy on the Jiuzhou continent. Myths and legends about her rang far and wide in countless ancient classic books. Yet, Yun Yazi had referred to her as “little girl”. Dide that imply that Yun Yazi had existed for over an eternity in this world?

“Yes, she has been deceased since before the eternity,” Su Yu said. “She had left behind a relic in the Jiuzhou continent, for the prodigies of Jiuzhou to learn and equip themselves. It’s called the Glittering Jewel Wonderland.”

Yun Yazi kneaded his beard and said, “Did she really keep her promise to leave behind her heirloom as a legacy for the humans of Jiuzhou?”

Promise? Su Yu could not help but question him. “Master, what promise?”

Yun Yazi cast a look at Su Yu, his eyes full of the bleakness of time. “Some promises between her and me.” He didn’t seem keen to elaborate, so Su Yu did not question him further.

“Since she is deceased now, that thing must have been left behind too. Su Yu, you are obliged to make a trip to the Glittering Jewel Wonderland. It has been waiting for you for a long time,” Yun Yazi said.

Su Yu grew even more curious. The Glittering Jewel Mortal Fairy had left something behind, and it was waiting for Su Yu to retrieve it? Perhaps, that was the promise between Yun Yazi and the Glittering Jewel Mortal Fairy. “Yes, Master,” Su Yu agreed.

Yun Yazi was silent for a long time before the loneliness and grief in his eyes faded. He looked at Su Yu, and his eyes were lit up with brightness again. “Tell me,” he said, “what happened to you during all those years that I was in a deep sleep.”

Su Yu nodded, then began elucidating the many things that happened after the Mysterious Heavenly Divine Pavilion. Starting with the time the Zhenlong world was intruded, and dealing with his experience of being stranded in the Jiuzhou world and then his infiltration into the Red Blood Palace, Su Yu explained almost everything in detail.

When he finished listening, Yun Yazi looked apologetic. It was because of his strictness and austerity toward Su Yu that he had faced the hardships and obstacles all alone. Although Su Yu touched on it only briskly and casually, Yun Yazi could feel the danger and menace involved.

“Luck was on your side as well, if you came across a Tree God at the brink of her death,” Yun Yazi said. “I’ve heard about the Ancient Bronze Tree God’s race. Next time, I’ll lend her a hand. I won’t allow my students to owe others debts of gratitude.”

Su Yu was inquisitive. “Master, how is your cultivation now? How much percentage of the original do you have?”

Yun Yazi chuckled. “Now, I probably have just one ten-thousandth of the original. Even my soul has been greatly damaged. How can it be compared to the past? I suppose my exact cultivation is comparable to the ten whiffs of scents, eh, the eleven whiffs.” The ten whiffs of scents naturally referred to the Nine Great Prefecture’s Kings, the Severed Fairy Cliff Master. To whom was the eleventh whiff of scent referring?

“Strange, why is there a scent of ghost race?” Yun Yazi muttered softly as he stared at the southernmost end of the place, as if he were seeing right through the entire continent.

Su Yu did not hear his mutterings, and did not pay attention to the extra whiff of scent either. In Su Yu’s perception, Jiuzhou was as vast as the boundless clouds, thus the appearance of an entity who was as strong as the Nine Great Prefecture’s Kings was no anomaly.

“Master, if that’s the case, does it mean you are capable of contending with the Central Prefecture’s King?” Su Yu had never forgotten about the Central Prefecture’s King’s threat. After coming out of isolation, he would hunt Su Yu down himself.

Yun Yazi shook his head. “Judging from the speck of golden dust on you, he is the strongest among the eleven whiffs of scents. There’s no guarantee I can contend with him.”

The Nine Great Prefecture’s Kings were the strongest. The ranking of the Nine Great Prefecture’s Kings had always remained a mystery, because the Kings would only show themselves when the time came to vie for the throne of Jiuzhou. The rest of the time, the Nine Great Prefecture’s Kings lived in harmony. Now, it seemed that the Central Prefecture’s King was the strongest individual amongst them all. Tension and a sense of crisis shrouded Su Yu’s heart.

“There’s no need for you to worry too much. The scent of this person is rather bizarre, so there must be some problems with his training. For now, he will not cause you any trouble,” Yun Yazi said.

“I understand. I will figure out the means to enhance my capacity,” Su Yu said, with somber eyes.

Yun Yazi nodded lightly and said, “How have you mastered the many words that I imparted to you?”

Su Yu replied, “I’ve accomplished the highest proficiency in Mu words and mastered 60% of demonic words. As for the dragon words, the insect words and the ghost words, I have mastered around 20 to 30% of them.”

Yun Yazi was surprised. “Highest proficiency in Mu words? It’s only been a couple of years.” Astonished, he began evaluating Su Yu. Su Yu could answer with great fluency and total flawlessness. Even the most remote of ancient Mu words were no challenge to him.

“Tsk tsk, I’ve seen many geniuses with self-proclaimed insane excellence in language. However, in comparison with you, they are just like ordinary people!” He said. Yun Yazi was very shocked. He looked at Su Yu from head to toe, as if trying to see through him.

“To be proficient in the Mu words I left, it’ll take the mediocre people a century, and half a century for the ordinary people, while the prodigies require twenty years. However, you only spent two years,” he exclaimed. Yun Yazi stared at Su Yu, as if he had just discovered a rare, noble treasure.

Su Yu was sheepish. He had accomplished his current success by relying upon the Power of Time of the Divine Nine-Dragon Cauldron. If calculated strictly, he had spent about forty to fifty years of time on it. His talent in language was in fact, only equivalent to an ordinary person’s. “You compliment me too much, Master,” Su Yu said humbly.

An idea occurred to Yun Yazi. He brooded over it for a long time, and finally said, “In that case, it’s time to impart another book to you. Initially, I had thought that it would take you a lifetime to study the words that I passed on. If your talent in language is wasted just like that, it would be a great pity.” As he spoke, Yun Yazi took out a mass of transparent fluorescence from the spot between his brows. The fluorescence then turned into the form of a book and flew onto Su Yu’s palm.

A diversity of complex words flickered in the book, which appeared very unfamiliar to him. Not only that, but every word contained some kind of intangible, subtle profound meaning. While flipping and skimming through the book, Su Yu felt as though he had plummeted into the great path of the universe, as he sank himself into the endless wonders and awe. Primitive eras, the universe, constellations, all living creatures, life, death, reincarnation, destiny… Countless supreme profound meanings of the heavens and the earth were displayed in Su Yu’s mental space. He seemed to have seen the origin of the world, the birth of the immense universe, the reproduction of all living creatures, life and death, the unfathomable mysterious reincarnation, and the laws of destiny.

He even saw the figure of a young man playing chess. He was surrounded by the world and the universe, as well as all the creations, the celestial bodies, and the galaxies. It was as if the entire world and all lives were revolving around him. He was the center of everything. Su Yu stared at the young man’s figure and felt great bewilderment… Who is that, why am I seeing him?

Right at that moment, the young man turned to look as if he had sensed some presence. The look turned Su Yu’s entire body transparent. It was as if he had been seen right through and had no way of escape. Even the Divine Nine-Dragon Cauldron buried deep inside his soul was seen as well. Like a bolt from the blue, Su Yu felt his soul crumbling, as if it was about to turn into ashes and dust under the person’s gaze.

“Su Yu, wake up!” Right at that moment, a loud, clear rebuke sounded like rolling thunder in his ears. Su Yu shuddered. The constellations, galaxies and the universe in his head dissipated just like that, as the reality materialized before his eyes once again.

Yun Yazi queried solemnly, “What did you see?”

Su Yu said, “Everything.” From the book, he saw everything that had ever existed in the universe, as if the book itself was a world that accommodated everything.

Yun Yazi nodded lightly, a smile of pride and satisfaction on his face. However, Su Yu’s next words made his brows crease.

“And a young man playing chess,” Su Yu said.

Yun Yazi’s smile froze, as iciness gradually crept onto his face. In a grave voice, he asked, “You saw him?”

Su Yu nodded, still as baffled as ever. “Master, who is he, and why are the world and the universe revolving around him?”

Emotions flickered in Yun Yazi’s eyes, which were shining with a light that Su Yu had never seen before. He fell into a long silence and did not answer. “You’ll know when the time comes for you to know,” Yun Yazi finally said.

Su Yu tried to recall that young man’s look, but no matter how hard he tried, he kept failing, as if a formless power of the world was erasing that piece of memory.

“You can call this book the ‘Book of First Heavens’. It is said that during the beginning of the universe, the first to be created was these ten thousand words,” Yun Yazi said. “The words of every other race in the world had been derived from a single word in this book.”

Words from the beginning of the world? Su Yu was remarkably stunned.

Humans selected one word to derive from, hence human words were born. Demons selected one word to derive from, hence demonic words were born. Mu selected one word to derive from, hence Mu words were born.

Yun Yazi said, “It is said that if one could thoroughly comprehend all the words in the ‘Book of First Heavens’, they will gain enlightenment in the eight Heavenly Law’s Profound Meanings of the world: destiny, reincarnation, death, life, time, space, soul, fortune.” This was the very first time Su Yu had heard about Heavenly Law’s Profound Meanings.

Su Yu said, “Eight profound meanings. Mastering just one of them would make one the paramount entity of all races, who overrides all lives.” A shrewd thought occurred to him. “What if one masters all eight of them?”

“All eight…” Yun Yazi shook his head. “There is only one who has ever mastered all eight Heavenly Law’s Profound Meanings since the birth of the world. He is the one whom you have just seen, the young man playing chess. He isn’t a living creature anymore: he is an existence of the Heavenly Law’s incarnation,” Yun Yazi said.