LIGHTNOVELONLINE Chapter 7: Upgrading the Qingping Sword
Inside Three Purity Palace, Yuanshi’s newly refined spiritual artifact, the brothers sat on prayer mats in the grand hall. Next to them was an empty prayer mat. Laozi opened his eyes and looked at Yuanshi. "Second Brother, calm down your heart. Third Sister will be fine. If anything had happened to her, we would have felt it."
Yuanshi opened his eyes. "I'm not worried about her. I'm simply pondering on the complexity of the myriad laws."
Laozi closed his eyes as if to say, “Whatever you say.”
Time passed, but every once in a while, Yuanshi would open his eyes and stare out of Three Purity Palace. One day, Yuanshi suddenly stood up and flew out of the palace.
Laozi opened his eyes and frowned a bit but then smiled. He rose as well and left Three Purity Palace.
"Third Sister, you're finally back," Yuanshi said as he saw Tongtian return.
Tongtian looked at the new addition to Kunlun Mountain and smiled. "It seemed that you guys weren't idle while I was gone."
"The secrets can no longer be divined. You almost got caught in the tribulation. What do you have to say for yourself?" Yuanshi asked with a stern expression.
Tongtian rolled her eyes. "Who are you? My father?"
"Hurry and show me my room, I have to sort out my gains and refine my Qingping Sword," Tongtian said as she flew into Three Purity Palace.
Yuanshi gave Laozi an almost pleading look, but Laozi ignored him and went back into the palace too. If he didn't have to maintain his image, Yuanshi would have stomped the floor like a petulant child.
After she was shown to her room, Tongtian locked herself in. First, she recovered her lost essence. Once she was in her peak condition, she took out the Qiankun Cauldron and began to refine the restrictions.
The Qiankun Cauldron had forty-two restrictions on it, and it took a hundred thousand years to refine thirty-seven restrictions. Unlike the Qingping Sword, the Qiankun Cauldron did not have an innate connection with her. Not to mention she didn't practice the Law of Qiankun.
With the preliminary preparation done, Tongtiang took out the Qingping Sword and the Chaos Clock shard. She placed both of them into the Qiankun Cauldron and began to refine them.
Under her control, the Chaos Clock shard melted into a gray liquid. The gray liquid coated the Qingping Sword and, after a while, submerged into the sword. Next, a line appeared at the center of the sword.
The newly reborn Qingping Sword flew out of the Qiankun Cauldron and into Tongtian's hand. During the refinement process, the restrictions had reset, forcing Tongtian to refine it again, but she wasn’t upset. The number of restrictions on the Qingping Sword had increased, and she could sense a timeless aura on it, which meant that it had successfully upgraded into a top-grade cardinal spiritual artifact.
However, when she saw the exact number of restrictions on the Qingping Sword, a strange expression appeared on her face. "Forty-four restrictions? That doesn't sound ominous. Not at all."
Tongtian shook her head to clear those needless thoughts and took the time to restore all the essence she had used. Then, she calculated the total time it took for her to merge the Qingping Sword and Chaos Clock shard.
"Three hundred thousand years?!" Tongtian nearly shouted. She covered her face with her hand. "Time really is the most worthless thing in the Great Desolation."
She pinched her nose and worked on refining the Qingping Sword. She still needed to finish refining the Twelfth-Ranked White Lotus of Purification.
Another ten thousand years later, Tongtian finally opened her eyes again. She finally finished refining the Qingping Sword, although she only refined thirty-seven restrictions and the Twelfth-Ranked White Lotus of Purification.
Tongtian blinked when she realized she had reached the Advanced Great Firmament Realm. "Huh, not bad. But I really need to go out now."
When she left her chambers, she saw Laozi and Yuanshi in the grand hall on their prayer mats. Tongtian joined them.
"Third Sister, you were cultivating for over three hundred thousand years. Just what did you gain?" Yuanshi asked.
Laozi didn't say anything, but he waited for her answer too.
"Oh, nothing much," Tongtian said. She floated in the air, and a white lotus appeared beneath her. "Just a Twelfth-Ranked White Lotus of Purification. It's not as good as the Twelfth-Ranked Green Lotus of Good Fortune, though."
'It's not as good as the Twelfth-Ranked Green Lotus of Good Fortune, but it's better than my Three-Treasure Jade Scepter and Laozi's Void Refining Horsetail Whisk!' Yuanshi thought. He couldn't help but stare at Tongtian's white lotus in envy. If he already regretted not joining Tongtian, what she took out next practically made his eyes red.
"Oh, and just this Qiankun Cauldron," Tongtian said as she held said cauldron in hand. "It's only a top-grade cardinal spiritual artifact. Not only can it refine pills and artifacts, but it can also make cardinal spiritual artifacts. Unfortunately, I don't have the skill to do so. It's such a waste in my hand, but who told me to be its owner? Hahaha."
Hearing Tongtian's smug laughter, Yuanshi hated that he couldn't grab the Qiankun Cauldron in her hand. His intestine turned green with regret. Why did he insist on returning to Kunlun Mountain? He should have followed her. Even Laozi stared at the Qiankun Cauldron with a heated gaze.
After having her fun, Tongtian tossed the Qiankun Cauldron to Yuanshi. Yuanshi just stared blankly at her.
"I've already used it," Tongtian said as she showed her Qingping Sword. "I'm not skilled in refining, so it's better in Second Brother or Eldest Brother's possession. Since Eldest Brother already has a top-grade artifact, I figured you should have it."
Yuanshi pushed the Qiankun Cauldron back into Tongtian's hand. "I can't accept this. Third Sister, you got this by yourself. You should keep it."
Tongtian pushed the artifact back. "It will only end up collecting dust in my hands. It's better for you to hold it. If you really can't accept, help me refine a few artifacts then."
Yuanshi stared at the Qiankun Cauldron. Among the three, only he didn't have a top-grade cardinal spiritual artifact. Plus, it was a cauldron which held great allure for him. "Alright, Second Brother will make whatever you want."
Tongtian smiled, it was a beautiful smile that Yuanshi reflected back. At least until Tongtian opened her mouth again. "I want one hundred twenty-nine thousand six hundred swords. They don't have to be cardinal or innate spiritual artifacts, but they have to be spiritual artifacts at the very least."
Yuanshi's face cramped up. He wanted to reject it, but seeing Tongtian's smiling face, he could only swallow this bitter pill.
"Second Brother, lend me the Qiankun Cauldron for a bit too," Laozi said.
"Scram!" Yuanshi yelled.
On Jade Spirit Mountain sat a majestic palace with Violet Heaven Palace written on the plaque above the entrance. Inside the main hall sat an old Daoist. He was one of the protagonists of the previous calamity, Hongjun!
He sat with his eyes closed, constantly muttering. In his hand was a broken jade disk. If Tongtian were here, she would have recognized the broken jade disk as the Jade Butterfly Disk of Good Fortune.
Right now, it had been broken, but its grade was still a top-grade cardinal spiritual artifact. The current Jade Butterfly Disk of Good Fortune had below-average offensive and defensive capabilities, but it was Hongjun's most precious treasure.
The Jade Butterfly Disk of Good Fortune had absorbed all the laws of the chaos fiendgods Pangu had slain. In other words, there were three thousand laws recorded within!
However, due to its broken nature, the law records were incomplete. Hongjun occupied the largest piece, and Rahu obtained the second largest piece after him. Since the Beast Tribulation, Hongjun and Rahu had been collecting as many broken fragments as possible.
Now, the only two left were in each other's hands. Both of them had surpassed the Great Firmament Realm and were only a step away from the Primordial Origin Realm.
However, no matter what they did, they could not break through. Each had a feeling that only after the other fell would they be able to break through into the next realm.
The Jade Butterfly Disk of Good Fortune disappeared from Hongjun's hands, and he waved his hand; the door to Violet Heaven Palace opened.
Two old Daoists appeared inside. One wore a black and white robe, and the other wore a light green robe.
"Fellow Daoist Yin-Yang, fellow Daoist Kunwu," Hongjun greeted them.
Yin-Yang Ancestor and Kunwu Ancestor nodded in greeting.
"Since both of you have arrived, it's almost time to leave. The war between the Dragon Clan, Phoenix Clan, and Qilin Clan has almost reached its peak. Once Rahu appears, I'll have to ask for your aid," Hongjun said.
"This is natural," Yin-Yang Ancestor said. "But after Rahu is defeated, you won't forget what you promised us, right?"
"Since I have promised you two, I will naturally keep my word," Hongjun said.
Upon hearing this, both Yin-Yang Ancestor and Kunwu Ancestor’s eyes flashed with yearning and excitement.
After confirming everything, the three of them sat down and waited. Hongjun couldn't help but stare out the entrance of Violet Heaven Palace with a trace of disappointment in his eyes. 'You didn't come in the end, Daoist Yangmei.'
He waved his hand, and the entrance to Violet Heaven Palace closed.
Outside Jade Spirit Mountain, the battle between the three overlords continued. It eventually shifted from the East into the West. Devastation followed wherever the three clan's fought.
The battle between the three clans raged on for thousands of years. Not only did it not show signs of dwindling, but it intensified instead. It was as if madness had blinded the three clans, and they would stop at anything short of absolute destruction of their foes.
Phoenix Ancestor and Qilin Ancestor formed a tentative alliance upon discovering Dragon Ancestor's superior strength. Of the three, Qilin Ancestor was the weakest.
After the battle with the Three Purities, Qilin Ancestor discovered that his cultivation had slowed down. He was once equal to Phoenix Ancestor, but now, he was weaker.
The ground quaked as it devolved into a wasteland from the clash of the three overlords. Below them, their clan members slaughtered each other, dying the land red.
"Dragon Ancestor, obediently accept your death!" Phoenix Ancestor shouted as she flapped her scarlet wings and spewed flames from her mouth. As the Phoenix Ancestor, she controlled the Undying Phoenix Truefire, one of the top ten truefires of the Great Desolation.
"With just you?" Dragon Ancestor retorted. Burns and gashes littered his golden scales, but he still bravely charged through Phoenix Ancestor's flame and struck her with his claws.
"Don't look down on me!" Qilin Ancestor shouted as he charged towards Dragon Ancestor's back. Cracked scales and cuts littered his body like Dragon Ancestor.
Dragon Ancestor roared and used his tail to whip Qilin Ancestor into the ground. After climbing out of the crater, he flew up to Phoenix Ancestor.
Five claw marks marred Phoenix Ancestor's body, but a flash of fire later, the scars completely disappeared. She had no injuries because she used the innate ability of the Phoenix Clan, Nirvana Rebirth to heal herself, but conversely, she expended the most energy. Out of the three, Dragon Ancestor was the most injured.
Still, none of the three had any thoughts of backing down. The fierce battle that consumed the world continued. Finally, after more than a hundred years, the three overlords collapsed onto the ground. They all struggled back onto their feet, each one wanting to end the other's life.
At this moment, devilish laughter echoed in their ears. "Hahaha, this seat thanks you for your contribution!"
Flying out of Mount Sumeru was a middle-aged man with long black hair, wearing black robes. His eyes emitted slaughterous intent and exuded an evil aura.
With the appearance of Rahu, it was as if the veil of madness had been lifted off Dragon Ancestor, Phoenix Ancestor, and Qilin Ancestor's eyes. They shared a look and looked around them.
Everywhere, they saw the corpses and broken bodies of their fellow clansman. Tears of grief streamed down their faces as they glared hatefully at Rahu.
"You schemed against us! The Phoenix Clan didn't kill my son. You did!" Dragon Ancestor roared.
"Haha, no need to thank this seat!" Rahu said. He opened his arms, absorbing the dense killing intent that had suffused the battlefield. His aura grew until it left Dragon Ancestor, Phoenix Ancestor, and Qilin Ancestor numb with shock.
"As thanks for helping this seat, I will send you on your way," Rahu said as a plain black spear appeared in his hand. Just as he was about to pierce the three overlords, he stopped and stared into the distance.
An old Daoist flying on a golden lotus appeared. Next to him were Yin-Yang Ancestor and Kunwu Ancestor.
"I'll send them on their way after sending you off, Hongjun!"