Sadly, even I have never laid eyes on this Qi Condensation manual, let alone others,” said He Luohua. “The scripture was not handed down. It exists only in the memory of the Patriarch.” Meng Hao remained silent, and Chen Fan’s face flashed with realization. Xu Qing raised her head to look at the statue of Patriarch Reliance.
Silence reigned in the main temple hall.
“Four hundred years have passed, and everyone in the outside world assumes that the Patriarch died during his meditation. Only myself and a few others know that the Patriarch… is absolutely not dead.” As his words drifted out into Meng Hao’s ears, they seemed to transform into a thunderous roar.
“Four hundred years ago, the Patriarch’s Cultivation base had reached the late Nascent Soul stage. And yet, he was reaching the end of his life. In order to break through to the fabled Spirit Severing stage, one must be at least one thousand years old. If not, how can he defy the Heavens to sever his Spirit?
“The Patriarch chose to meditate in seclusion, in order to sever his Spirit body and be reborn. It was a meditation of… four hundred years.
“When he went into meditation four hundred years ago, the Patriarch left a command. Every one hundred years, he would send out some pieces of Vorpal Jade, formed from his own blood. Then, the outstanding members of the current generation of Inner Sect disciples could use the Vorpal Jade to enter his meditation zone. By kindling the Qi and blood inside the Vorpal Jade, they could have a chance, if lucky, to gain enlightenment of the knowledge he permeated throughout the area. Knowledge of… the Sublime Spirit Scripture.” He Luohua’s words echoed out. Meng Hao lifted his head up, as did the others.
“Success is success. Failure is failure. If things had stayed the same, surely a disciple would have succeeded already. But two hundred years ago, the Patriarch experienced an accident in his cultivation. He almost lost his life. Afterwards, the chances of enlightenment in his meditation zone grew weak, and the restrictive spells stronger. He didn’t send any more Vorpal Jades out until five years ago… When he did, he sent out three pieces.
“Three pieces of Vorpal Jade indicate that three individuals may enter. It also reveals how powerful the restrictive spells are in the Patriarch’s meditation zone, and means that there are only three areas where enlightenment may occur.” He Luohua’s voice reverberated throughout the main hall. He flicked his right sleeve, and three blood-red streaks shot toward Meng Hao and the others, to stop floating in front of them.
They were jade-smooth Blood Crystals, also known as Vorpal Jade.
“You three are the only disciples of the Inner Sect, and therefore I bestow these Vorpal Jades to you. Whether or not you gain the enlightenment of the Sublime Spirit Scripture will depend on your luck.” With that, he flicked his sleeve again, and the statue of Patriarch Reliance began to hum. Its eyes shone with boundless radiance, and a vortex began to form in front of him.
“Enter,” said He Luohua, his voice sounding out like thunder. “I wish you luck in enlightenment.” Meng Hao and the others seemed to transform into auroras as they gripped their pieces of Vorpal Jade and shot into the vortex, disappearing inside. Outside, the vortex remained, but without a Vorpal Jade, no one, not even a Cultivator at the Nascent Soul stage, could enter it.
Looking up at the vortex, Grand Elder Ouyang quietly said, “Who knows which of them will acquire the Sublime Spirit Scripture, or… perhaps they will all come up empty-handed.”
“It depends on personal fortune, there’s no use in thinking too much about it.” He Luohua sat down cross-legged next to him and began to meditate.
When Meng Hao entered the vortex, a blinding light appeared in front of his eyes which forced him to close them. A rumbling roar sounded in his ears, and then he heard strange shrieks and screams coming from all directions. After what seemed like years, he felt his body suddenly tremble, and then the sounds ceased. The shrieking turned into silence. He opened his eyes to find himself standing on top of a sacrificial altar that was several meters tall. He looked around.
The place was enormous. Up above was black earth, dotted with small crystals that shone like stars, casting a dim light on the surroundings. Nothing was very clear, as if everything were covered with gauze. Various buildings rose up out of the fog.
“How desolate! It seems like no one has been here for hundreds of years.” It was Chen Fan’s voice, drifting from some distance away. Eventually, he appeared, walking through the fog. In the direction from which he came could be seen another altar, several meters tall.
“The soil up above has restrictive spells cast on it. These are the Sect catacombs.” Xu Qing appeared from another direction. Dressed in her silver robe, she appeared matchlessly beautiful.
“I entered the Sect earlier than both of you,” said Chen Fan. “Once I pe