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Chapter 409: Saving Someone and Seeing Them Through to the End
There was a saying of “if you want to help someone, go the whole hog. If you send someone off, see him until he reaches his home.”
Jiang Chen could see that the duo had no other paths available to them. Otherwise, they wouldn’t have spent their time on him, a secular disciple.
With Elder Shun’s strength, to spend three years keeping a covert eye on a secular disciple for Miss Huang’er’s illness, he had truly put a great deal of thought and gone to enormous effort.
He had also aided Jiang Chen several times, so there was no reason for Jiang Chen not to try his best.
“Elder Shun, fortune is needed with regards to the Requiem Wood. If we cannot find it, it will be impossible to dispel the Generation Binding Curse. But there are ways to delay the ailment from flaring up and weakening the pain associated with the symptoms. However, I’ll need some time to prepare.”
Elder Shun was delighted to hear this. “Time is of no problem. We can very well stay in the Eternal Spirit Mountain for a year or two with no issues at all.”
He was a bit abashed at Jiang Chen’s look of confusion and chuckled. “Actually, I only changed some things in the formation. I moved the spirit stones powering it. The formation will open again if the spirit stones are returned to where they were. The four sects had prepared to let the candidates stay here for about three years. If it wasn’t for my haste, your selection wouldn’t have ended ahead of time. Although the others are unable to, you can actually continue to enjoy this environment for the next three years.”
Jiang Chen stared, open mouthed, when he heard those words. He became even more curious about Elder Shun’s strength.
To be able to tamper with the formation beneath the nose of the four forefathers, this meant that his strength vastly outstripped them!
“When it comes down to it, we have at least a year and a half to two years worth of time. Is that enough?” Elder Shun asked.
“We don’t need that much time. Three months will be enough.”
Elder Shun clapped. “Then it’s settled. Jiang Chen, no matter if this matter is successful or not, I’ll owe you a favor.”
Jiang Chen smiled faintly, not placing much emphasis on favors.
Elder Shun seemed to realize that Jiang Chen didn’t care much for his promise. He laughed ruefully and sighed, “Jiang Chen, do you know what one of my favors means?”
“Elder Shun, I, Jiang Chen, only seek to have a clear conscience when I act. You have reached out a helping hand to me twice, and I should naturally put forth my best efforts for Miss Huang’er’s affairs. I would not dare ask for compensation.”
This wasn’t Jiang Chen speaking in hyperbole, he truly wasn’t expecting anything from Elder Shun.
Methods? Cultivation pointers?
Jiang Chen was indifferent about them all.
It was because that he had confidence and reassurance that he could be neither humble nor haughty and completely ignore Elder Shun’s favor and whatnot.
Those of the four sects left the outskirts of the Eternal Spirit Mountain after ten days.
They could reactivate the formation now and not worried about being disturbed by others.
There were plenty of residences in the sky quadrant as well. Life was quite carefree with each of them occupying one residence.
Jiang Chen gave Elder Shun a list of ingredients. He wanted to refine a kind of pill that would sooth the soul and calm the heart.
The name of this pill was the Six Daos Pill, and it was exceedingly difficult to refine it.
Apart from the Six Das Pill, Jiang Chen rummaged through the memories of his past life to pull out more information.
He’d known the Generation Binding Curse in his past life and thus knew several ways to counteract it.
There was a scripture-like chant of the “Sacred Deliverance Mantra” that would suppress the interference within the soul and calm souls when chanted.
This was something easier to manipulate and would see great effects.
Another kind was a musical score, the “Ethereal Soothing Melody”, that had the same purpose as the “Sacred Liberation Mantra”, but its effects were much greater.
This score could also be performed by many instruments, with particularly great effect from instruments with an intangible sense of otherworldliness. The guqin, ancient flute, konghou, or guzhen would be particularly effective here.
Jiang Chen pulled these two out of the depths of his memories and spent another half month to fully perfect them.
“Miss Huang’er, if you recite this ‘Sacred Deliverance Mantra’ three times every morning and night, and when you feel troubled or distracted, it will suppress the interference in your soul.”
“This ‘Ethereal Soothing Melody’ can be performed by instruments to control the noise in your soul if the symptoms flare up strongly. Although this will not cure the heart of the issue, it is absolutely effective in delaying the onset of your ailment. If utilized adequately, it will ensure that you remain unbothered by the curse for ten years. However, the curse is one of vengeance and hatred. It will not rest until you are dead. If we cannot cure the heart of it, the backlash will still come upon you one day, and it will be incredibly strong then. Therefore, these two items can ensure that you are fine for ten, even twenty years, but it will be difficult to say the same for thirty five years.”
Elder Shun spoke resolutely on the side, “I will find the Requiem Wood and clean the curse from within Huang’er!”
Jiang Chen nodded. The heavens would never leave no way out. Miss Huang’er didn’t seem like someone who would die young. Perhaps there would be a change in her fate.
At least the two of them meeting him was a change already.
A trace of gratification appeared in Huang’er’s eyes when she accepted these two items.
“Sir Jiang, apologies for causing you to go to effort and time for a matter of Huang’er’s.”
“Miss Huang’er, I will be ashamed if you speak thus. If it wasn’t for Elder Shun, I may not have made it past even the disaster of Second Crossing.”
Huang’er smiled softly. Her features were ugly, but that smile gave one the feeling of the warm rays of sunshine and a hundred flowers blooming in unison.
“Sir Jiang, Huang’er knows a little bit of music and can tell that the ‘Ethereal Soothing Melody’ is an uncommon item from a glance. Your knowledge is as immense as the immortals and are someone of great talent.”
Huang’er was actually a genius and had achieved great attainments in the area of music.
But she was shocked with a single glance at the musical score. That the “Ethereal Soothing Music” was found in the secular world truly did startle her. She felt that Jiang Chen, a peer, was becoming more and more mysterious.
She hadn’t thought much of Elder Shun’s attentions on Jiang Chen before, only thinking that he seems to have received some marvelous occurrences and had some potential in martial and pill dao. This was why he appeared so extraordinary in the sixteen kingdoms.
It seemed like her eye was still not as keen as Elder Shun’s.
When she thought of how she’d taken Jiang Chen lightly before, she felt greatly ashamed. She was a pure and kind hearted girl, and now that she’d received Jiang Chen’s aid, she couldn’t help but feel guilty for her previous unkind thoughts.
“Miss Huang’er has no need to worry. I have been observing your countenance, and you look like someone with great fortune. You will be able to turn calamities into blessings even if you meet with disaster, not to mention with such a benevolent senior as Elder Shun, you are sure to enjoy the fruits of labor later in life.”
Jiang Chen wasn’t speaking carelessly. He had the ability to read people in his past life and gain some hints about their life from observing their countenances.
Miss Huang’er was indeed someone who wasn’t meant to have a life that ended prematurely. It was just that she had some disasters in her life, and once she surpassed them, she would enjoy great fortune.
Elder Shun was also startled upon hearing these words.
Jiang Chen’s words were actually similar to old man Qian Ji’s. The old man’s divination had also said that Huang’er was destined to meet with great fortune in her life, and to enjoy sweetness in life after bitterness. She was sure to turn ill luck into good after meeting someone offering great aid!
To think that Jiang Chen would say the same as old man Qian Ji despite being separated by mountains and rivers!
It was easy to imagine the shock within Elder Shun’s heart.
A trace of surprise flashed through even Huang’er’s eyes. Her admiration of Jiang Chen unknowingly deepened a bit more.
“Elder Shun, I will tarry around here for another half year to a year and make use of the great environment of the sky quadrant. In addition, Chu Xinghan has yet to awaken. Perhaps some more time is needed. This time will be enough to prove the usefulness of those two items, and I will prepare some pills for Miss Huang’er as well.”
Elder Shun could only be thankful that Jiang Chen was doing so much. What else could he ask for?
As Jiang Chen lingered in the Eternal Spirit Mountain, many of the lives of those in the four sects had had their fates altered by this selection.
Within the Purple Sun Sect.
Sunchaser’s anger had yet to dissipate when he returned to the sect.
“Jiang Chen!” Rage grew in Sunchaser’s heart when he thought of this name. He still wasn’t fully at peace without having seen Jiang Chen die in the Eternal Spirit Mountain with his own eyes.
“Shuiyue, you said that a mysterious person saved him in the secular world. What was that about?”
Master Shuiyue had yet to recover from Long Juxue being hacked into two. Her entire being was listless, distracted, and quite sullen.
She thought for a moment and then repeated the message that Chu Xinghan had brought back from the Second Crossing.
Sunchaser thought silently for a moment. “You originally said that you suspected Ye Chonglou of being this mysterious person?”
Master Shuiyue nodded. “Indeed, according to Jiang Chen’s background, it’s most likely Ye Chonglou.”
“Bullshit!” Sunchaser flew into a rage. “How would Ye Chonglou be so overweeningly arrogant as to dare threaten to take a walk in our Purple Sun Sect?”
The more Sunchaser thought about this, the more he felt something was amiss. That pinecone on the stage in particular had sent him reeling backwards. No matter where it’d come from, there must have been someone stronger than him present then that no one had detected.
He suspected now that whoever had acted at the ring was the one who’d beaten back Chu Xinghan at the second crossing!
Purple Sun Sect head Zixu Zhenren asked upon sensing the tense atmosphere, “Forefather, our sect suffered heavy losses in this time’s selection. What should we do after Long Juxue’s demise? If that person asks, how should we answer them?”
This question made Sunchaser’s brow furrow even more deeply and he cursed, “What else can we say? Tell them the truth. Who would’ve thought that Long Juxue of the innate constitution would be cleaved into two by a secular disciple?”
Zixu Zhenren smiled wryly, “I’m afraid that speaking the truth will direct their anger at us. Although we’ve long since come to an agreement, these people are domineering and without reason.”
Master Shuiyue was utterly befuddled. “Wait, forefather, sect head, what are you talking about? Those people?”
Sunchaser snorted oddly and looked around, sweeping his gaze in front of every senior executive’s face. “I won’t need to conceal it any longer since you’re all here. The fate of the sixteen kingdoms has long since been decided. We lack talent, our resources are drying up, and our strength is feeble. We’ve long since been ostracized in the Myriad Domain and will certainly be exiled as desolate wilderness in the coming decades. Our Purple Sun Sect has had to make some preparations, and it was necessary to find some backers in the Myriad Domain. Our sect cannot go down with the sixteen kingdom alliance!”
The senior executives were all flabbergasted at Sunchaser’s words.
The fate of the sixteen kingdoms had long since been decided? Then the selection… was just a show, and it seems that the sect had long since found a backer?