Xu Xian rested one hand on his elbow and stroked his chin with the other. "Is there some specific meaning behind it?"
The youth in green robes said, "The phenomena of the Heavenly Star foretell the fortune of the world. Within a thousand years, something major is likely to happen in Fanzhou!"
"Is it for good or for ill?" Xu Xian asked.
The youth raised his hand from beneath his wide sleeve, his fingertips dancing as he performed a quick calculation. A faint light flickered in his eyes for a moment before he stopped, whispering, "Fortune and woe are hard to predict!"
"Hmm?"
"I was never particularly skilled in the arts of divination and star-reading," the youth admitted bitterly.
Xu Xian glanced at him out of the corner of his eye and asked tentatively, "Does this have anything to do with that sword intent from today?"
"It's almost certainly related."
Xu Xian blurted out, "Then it must be a good omen!"
"Oh?" The youth in green robes stared at Xu Xian, his eyes filled with deep suspicion.
Xu Xian began a serious analysis. "What does the emergence of a great artifact prove? It proves that the fortune of this place is at its peak, and a divine artifact was born in accordance with that luck. Look, Senior Brother, the star flickers between bright and dim. What does that signify?"
The youth remained silent. It was true that divine artifacts were born from fortune, but great artifacts could also emerge in response to a tribulation. Still, he instinctively shook his head.
Xu Xian raised his voice. "One Yin and one Yang constitute the Dao; one light and one dark determine rise and fall. Since the divine sword was born in our Wendao Sword Sect, it proves our sect's fortune is at its zenith. And what does our sect represent? We represent the entire human race. Therefore, the fortune of humanity is strong."
"Our sect has produced a divine sword, meaning demons, beasts, and spirits are destined to be suppressed by us for another hundred generations. Thus, the dimming of the Heavenly Star foretells that for those not of our race, their fortune is reaching its end!"
"Therefore, it is a great fortune for our sect, but for the world outside, it shall be a great woe!"
The light in the youth's eyes flickered just like the Heavenly Star above.
Admittedly, Xu Xian's explanation was quite superficial.
He didn't believe that his Little Junior Brother, who was only at the nascent soul stage, could truly see through the mysteries of the Heavenly Star.
However...
He had to admit that Xu Xian's words weren't without logic.
When one strips everything away to look at the essence, things often become clearer. Sometimes, the simplest methods and interpretations are the ones that get closest to the truth.
He didn't argue. Instead, he agreed, saying, "That makes sense! A single word wakes the dreamer."
A hint of smugness appeared in Xu Xian's eyes.
"I didn't expect you to know so much, Little Junior Brother."
Xu Xian waved it off. "It's just that you were overthinking it, Senior Brother."
After all, he was the one who had pulled the divine sword. The sword was currently lying in his own Sword Tower. No matter how one looked at it, this was a good thing for him, and naturally, it was a good thing for the Wendao Sword Sect as well.
It was just that...
Whoever decided to oppose him would probably suffer some terrible luck.
Within a thousand years, Xu Xian was confident he could build five floors of his Sword Tower and step into the tribulation transcendence stage.
When that time came, who in all of Fanzhou could possibly compete with him?
Demon gods, demon sovereigns, mountain spirits, ghost immortals, sages... wouldn't he just slaughter them all with ease?
The youth in green made no effort to hide the admiration in his eyes. He reached out and patted Xu Xian's shoulder, praising him, "This Senior Brother of yours truly is getting old. I'll leave the future of the Wendao Sword Sect to you."
Xu Xian replied humbly, "You overpraise me, Senior Brother. I still need you and the other senior brothers and sisters to hold the fort. It's still too early for me."
The youth smiled and released the boy's shoulder. "Alright! It's getting late. Go on back and attend to your business!"
"Then I'm really leaving?"
"Yes!"
Xu Xian looked back with every few steps. Suddenly, he asked, "By the way, Senior Brother, I still don't know your name?"
As the Fifth Patriarch, everyone in the mountains addressed him with titles of respect. Xu Xian had indeed never heard anyone mention his actual name.
The youth in green robes spoke slowly, "My surname is Yun, and my given name is Zheng."
"Yun Zheng—ascending to the azure clouds, a life of towering prominence," Xu Xian whispered to himself, then suddenly smiled. "I've remembered it."
Xu Xian strode away, waving his hand over his shoulder as he called out, "See you later, Senior Brother Yun Zheng!"
Yun Zheng stood still and watched him go. Only after Xu Xian's figure was completely swallowed by the moonlight did he withdraw his gaze and murmur softly.
"My own luck isn't so bad either. At the end of my days, I managed to get such a Little Junior Brother."
Through their brief chat today, he had learned everything he wanted to know. The boy's character, temperament, and talent were all one in ten thousand.
He wasn't mistaken.
And just now, the boy had managed to enlighten him with a single sentence. That was truly precious.
He glanced back at the majestic Sky Gate before turning into a wisp of wind and returning to the Ancestral Peak.
That night, many Pavilion Elders within the Wendao Sword Sect were like Yun Zheng, peering at the stars beneath the moon and witnessing the flickering of the Heavenly Star.
Some did not recognize the sign.
Some did not understand its meaning.
Some were worried at heart.
Some simply laughed it off.
Naturally, some tried to ponder and calculate the portents. The conclusions they reached were not much different from Yun Zheng's.
Within a thousand years, Fanzhou's fortune would either reach a magnificent peak or suffer a steep decline. That was all!
The Wendao Sword Sect established itself through the sword, cultivating the path of slaughter while performing great acts of kindness. The disciples within the sect only had a superficial understanding of divination and star-reading.
However, knowing that a sword intent had birthed a Sword Mound and that its aura was as grand as a rainbow, they had a general idea of what was happening.
Naturally, the majority of them were optimists...
That night, the entirety of Fanzhou was restless.
In the Holy Land of the Demon Abyss, a long howl abruptly echoed through the heavens and earth, startling the winds of the chaotic night.
This was followed by a sound like wailing that drifted through the air. She was crying, she was mourning...
"Heaven has no virtue! It favors the human race! My race is in danger! My race is in danger! Damn heavens... how much longer will you continue to bully my demon race?!"
The entire Demon Abyss was steeped in a deathly atmosphere.
At times, one could hear mournful cries, and at others, the sound of weeping.
Deep in the heart of the Great Desolation to the east, by the side of the Divine Moon Pool, a silver-haired man slowly opened his eyes. A trace of golden liquid seeped from the corner of his tightly clenched mouth.
His face was as pale as his hair, looking like someone who had just recovered from a major illness.
A red-haired girl waiting nearby saw this and hurriedly asked, "Emperor, are you alright?"
The silver-haired man wiped the corner of his mouth and said weakly, "It is nothing."
"What did you see?"
The silver-haired man slowly raised his head, his gaze fixed intensely on that Heavenly Star. He said in a grim tone, "I saw a human youth carrying four giant swords, and..."
He hesitated, his voice growing heavier. "The Great Desolation was a wasteland, a sea of blood and mountains of corpses!"
Hearing this, the red-haired girl's expression changed instantly, turning pale in a flash.
Her eyes were filled with disbelief and the fear of the unknown.
"This..."
Emperor Bai Ze.
The Beast God of the Great Desolation.
He possessed the ability to foresee the future. He might not see everything clearly, but he was never wrong!
The silver-haired man said softly, "Go. Take my token and summon the masters of the Eight Desolate Tribes to see me immediately!"
The red-haired girl bowed and beat a hasty retreat.
Only the silver-haired man remained, staring at the calm, waveless waters of the deep pool beneath the moon, smiling bitterly as he murmured to himself.
"A great tribulation is coming. In an era of great upheaval, if my race wishes to survive, we can no longer remain content in our one corner..."
In the North Sea, jiaoyu tossed the waves, the Golden Ao showed its head, and the Heaven-Swallowing Sparrow spread its wings and let out a long cry. Those holy beasts, ferocious beasts, and exotic beasts recorded in books appeared one after another, letting out roars of indignation toward the heavens.
The North Sea was not at peace!
In the Central Plains, within a certain academy, a white-haired scholar let out a long sigh...
By the Sea of Bitterness, a great monk pressed his palms together and chanted a Buddhist phrase, "Amituofo, well said, well said."
Among the green mountains of the mortal world, an old Daoist riding a water buffalo backward through the night looked at the sky, then at the earth, and finally stared at his own palm.
He said helplessly, "It’s the Wendao Sword Sect again..."
It wasn't just them; secluded sages and forbidden zones that had ignored the world for ages were also stirring.
Even in that Ancient Sword Mountain, which had been sealed for thousands of years, the long-absent sound of forging rang out that night.
Clang!
Clang!!
Clang!!!
Rate on N.U.
