Chapter Fifteen: The Seed of the Azure Lotus

Wang Zhenling was struck with terror and shouted, “Stop! Let’s talk this over…”

But the shadow merely turned its head to glance at him. In that instant, the eye-like hollows in its mist-formed shape blazed with a sudden, piercing light, brighter than twin suns, fixing their gaze upon Wang Zhenling.

A formless force, unstoppable as a locomotive, crashed into him head-on, sending him flying through the air. He landed so heavily that the breath was knocked out of him and his ribs nearly broke!

“How powerful—how incredibly powerful! This shadow is clearly only a projection, a manifestation of some spiritual will, yet it possesses such might. At the very least, it must have reached the Divine Nether realm!”

He watched helplessly as the shadow rampaged, no one able to resist it.

However, at that very moment, the Celestial Green Lotus in the spirit pool began to sway as if it had come alive, fiercely absorbing the waters of the pool.

In the blink of an eye, the surging spirit water receded, and the Celestial Green Lotus unfurled its petals. This time, rather than allowing passage, a beam of light shot forth from the heart of the blossom, striking the shadow directly.

The shadow did not even manage a scream before being pierced through. Though its features were indistinct, there was no mistaking the profound shock that radiated from it.

It tried to speak, but not a single word escaped before its entire form collapsed in an avalanche of dissolution!

The Celestial Green Lotus quivered, its light sweeping the chamber, annihilating every trace of black mist.

In the next instant, the entire cavern was restored to its former state. Yet the once-swelling waters of the spirit pool, now transformed by the lotus’s power, were greatly diminished.

The black waters had vanished, but less than half the spirit pool’s water remained.

The jade vessel, too, lay shattered in pieces, thin wisps of black still curling from it, but they no longer posed a threat.

Only now did Wang Zhenling struggle to his feet and, with a respectful bow, call out, “Might I ask which exalted master lent a hand just now? Please, show yourself!”

He saw the Celestial Green Lotus in the pool emit a faint glow, within which the hazy outline of a Daoist figure slowly emerged.

Seated cross-legged upon a lotus leaf, the apparition was insubstantial, its form blurred and shifting, yet it exuded an indescribable aura—ancient, wise, and venerable.

Could this be a spirit born of the Celestial Green Lotus itself?

Or perhaps it was a spirit all along.

It is said that when grasses and trees awaken to consciousness, they become spirits.

Not like those long-eared creatures of Western tales—this was something else entirely…

“Is this the Celestial Green Lotus transformed into a spirit, or the founder of the Jun Tian Sect?”

That was Wang Zhenling’s first thought.

For cultivators, the transformation of plants into spirits was not particularly strange.

If animals could become demons, then it was only harder, not impossible, for grass, trees, or even stones to become spirits! Legends told of bone spirits, stone spirits, even bench spirits. How much more likely with the Celestial Green Lotus, steeped in the spirit pool!

If this was a plant spirit, things would be much simpler.

But if it was the founder of the Jun Tian Sect, things would be more complicated.

To put it bluntly, Wang Zhenling’s own cultivation amounted to little more than an usurper taking over another’s nest, did it not?

Yet it was clear that whether this was the Celestial Green Lotus spirit or the sect’s founder, they were both in a pitifully weakened state.

Their speech was halting, the apparition itself so faint it seemed liable to vanish at any moment.

Only after the Celestial Green Lotus had forcefully absorbed more of the spirit pool, lowering its waters by another thin layer, did the shadow barely stabilize.

Yet as soon as it stabilized, its aura, though faint, became even more overwhelming.

It was not contradictory—like a crane standing among chickens; no matter how many chickens there are, the presence of the crane cannot be concealed.

“Do not be afraid,” the ancient Daoist said. “My spiritual essence is nearly spent. If I do not wish to be utterly extinguished, I must soon seek rebirth.

“Since you have declared yourself a disciple of the Jun Tian Sect, then you are now my successor.

“I hope you will carry our lineage forward… and deliver us from this sea of suffering.”

How could Wang Zhenling, ever clever, fail to realize that the events of his previous visit to this cavern had all been seen by this ancient master?

If not for the master’s permission, how else could he have glimpsed the Celestial Diagram of Nine Heavens’ Primordial Yang?

Hearing these words, he knew exactly what to do.

He immediately knelt and bowed three times, crying, “Master, your disciple pays his respects!”

The old Daoist’s face twisted into a peculiar smile, but he did not object. He merely said, “You have shown sincerity. In that case, I shall give you this Celestial Lotus Seed.”

With that, he pointed, and from the spirit pool a single lotus seed rose into the air.

“What is this?” Wang Zhenling asked.

“This is a seed of the Celestial Green Lotus. Every disciple of the Jun Tian Sect, when approaching the stage of condensing the Moon Wheel Heaven, receives one.

“Only by planting this seed at the moment of forming the Moon Wheel Heaven can the true Divine Palace be constructed—and, in future, the genuine Celestial Diagram of Nine Heavens’ Primordial Yang be cultivated.”

The old Daoist spoke with a mix of sorrow and joy.

“Your lotus seed is different—it is the child of the lotus mother, a legacy reserved for the sect’s head.

“This was originally meant for Zhen Yunzi…

“Its wondrous uses are recorded in the writings of our ancestors.”

As he spoke, he flicked his finger and the lotus seed shot toward Wang Zhenling’s brow.

Wang Zhenling instinctively tried to block it, but it was too late.

He felt a gentle breeze brush his face, then a sudden brightness at his brow, as if something had entered his forehead.

This was the seat of the Divine Chamber within the sea of consciousness.

The so-called sea of consciousness is the ocean of the mind—the realm of thoughts, memories, and awareness, an utterly intangible space.

The Divine Chamber, however, is different.

Wang Zhenling could already send forth his spirit, but had not yet reached the true out-of-body stage, for his spiritual essence was not fully consolidated.

There was another reason for this: his Divine Chamber was yet unformed.

To solidify the vital energy is to forge the Divine Chamber; only once it exists can the primordial spirit be nurtured.

Wang Zhenling’s Divine Chamber was incomplete; thus, though he could travel in spirit with the help of magical tools, he had yet to reach the true spiritual stage.

Now, as the lotus seed entered his sea of consciousness, his brow felt swollen, as if an actual seed had been planted there.

Yet upon closer examination, it seemed entirely immaterial, a phantom.

But there was no time for Wang Zhenling to ponder this further.

The lotus seed’s words, and the sense of finality in its tone, made him uneasy, so he quickly inquired, “Master, what exactly happened just now?”