Chapter 388: Do I... Look Like a Supreme Treasure?
"Wine Immortal was certain the Blood-Robed Sword God wouldn’t kill him, nor could he, because he believed that to meet the Jade Maiden, one would need his introduction," the Painter said, painting a look of helplessness on her face.
Qi Yuan looked at the Painter with curiosity. If Xiao Jia had this skill, it would be amazing. Then he could know more about her emotions.
"The Great Calamity is unstoppable," the Painter continued, now drawing an expression of despair. "The Jade Maiden once said that there are three thousand worlds like Canglan Realm. Some of these worlds are ten, even a hundred times more powerful and expansive than Canglan Realm. Yet, in all these years, not a single world has successfully resisted the Great Calamity.
"In Canglan Realm, our greatest hope was a single Yang God. In another world, three Yang Gods gathered, but they, too, failed to defeat the Great Calamity."
The Painter painted despair on her face once more. "That’s why, whenever I hear someone wants to challenge the Great Calamity, I can’t help but feel sorrow. Your fate won’t be any better than that of the Yang Gods."
"You’re just a painter; what do you know about the Great Calamity?" Qi Yuan couldn’t help but say. "No one knows more about the Great Calamity than I do! I’ve already crafted a detailed and foolproof plan, ‘Qi Yuan Defeats the Calamity.’ Within half a year, the Calamity will be gone!"
Back when he was at the Nascent Soul stage, he might not have been completely confident in facing the Great Calamity.
But now, having reached the Purple Mansion stage, he was certain of success—well, almost certain.
His only concern was the mark of the Calamity.
If he destroyed the Calamity, the one in Taihuang Palace could, with just a thought, wipe out all the cultivators in Canglan Realm. That would include his junior sister, Jiang Lingsu.
Not even he would be able to protect them.
The Painter didn’t draw anything this time. "Perhaps you don’t know this, but every cultivator in Canglan Realm has been branded with a mark. If the one behind the Great Calamity wills it, all living beings will die in an instant. That includes your junior sister, your family, and your friends."
Her tone was filled with despair.
"Sometimes, living in ignorant bliss, without thinking about what looms above, is a blessing."
"You know about the mark?" Qi Yuan asked, looking at the Painter. "Did the Jade Maiden tell you about it?"
This mark couldn’t be detected unless one had reached the Yang God stage. There was no way the Painter could have discovered it on her own.
So it had to be the Jade Maiden who told her.
"The Jade Maiden is mysterious; she’s suspected to be from a higher realm," the Painter explained.
"Oh? Does she know more about this mark?" Qi Yuan was quite interested in this. He examined the marks on all the cultivators every day, hoping to find a way to break them.
So far, he hadn’t found a legitimate solution, though he had come across some rather... unorthodox ideas.
The Painter’s body trembled slightly. "It’s related to a supreme treasure. The Jade Maiden once said that even Yang God powerhouses in the upper realms crave such treasures. In fact, if a Yang God from the lower three heavens were to obtain a supreme treasure, they could elevate their entire sect to the middle three heavens.
"If Canglan Realm had such a treasure, perhaps we could truly break free from the Great Calamity!"
The Painter’s voice was filled with suppressed excitement, but the fervor and hope in her tone were evident.
This was the only solution she had found in all her years of "giving up," the only hope for escaping the Calamity.
Qi Yuan frowned in thought and then looked at the Painter seriously. "Do I... look like a supreme treasure?"
The Painter was speechless.
"Your expression is making it hard for me to keep a straight face. Are you going to paint yourself a watermelon head next and make a video saying, ‘Fellow cultivators, today I encountered something completely absurd...’?"
Qi Yuan speculated maliciously.
This Painter might have no face, but her expressions were all too clear.
"I don’t really understand what you mean, but strong cultivators often have quirks," the Painter replied.
"Speaking of the mark and the supreme treasure, does that mean... if I had another supreme treasure, I could solve the issue of the mark?" Qi Yuan pondered.
The Painter shook her head. "I don’t know. Even a supreme treasure can bring death to a Yang God. How could someone like me, just a small fish, know such things? But supreme treasures possess unfathomable abilities. Perhaps they could really neutralize the mark.
"However, the true power of a supreme treasure goes far beyond merely neutralizing a mark..."
The Painter didn’t know much about supreme treasures, not even their exact names, but the Jade Maiden had mentioned that Canglan Realm and the other three thousand realms faced their current predicament because of a supreme treasure.
"Alright, we’ve got the game lore; now let’s get on with the quest." Qi Yuan said, then added, "Sorry, played too many games; it’s stuck in my head. This isn’t a game, and what you said isn’t game lore.
"I came to you for help. I need you to paint something for me."
The Painter glanced at Qi Yuan. "I rarely paint for others, and even when I do, I have certain standards. I won’t paint something unless it’s truly challenging."
"Perfect! What I want is quite difficult to paint," Qi Yuan said cheerfully. "Don’t worry, I won’t let you go unrewarded. If you paint it well... hmm, I’ll give you a whole... one square meter of land in the painting!"
Qi Yuan declared generously, offering a full square meter of land.
"Oh? What is it that you want me to paint?" The Painter completely ignored the second half of his statement.
"I want you to paint... the Underworld," Qi Yuan said seriously.
The Painter’s face showed surprise. "The Underworld? But that’s just a myth. There’s nothing particularly worth painting about it."
In Canglan Realm, there were also legends of the Underworld, even tales of reincarnation.
But most cultivators didn’t take them seriously.
After all, when cultivators killed, they annihilated the soul as well. Where would an Underworld be? How could there be reincarnation?
"The Underworld I want you to paint is different from what you’re imagining. And I’ll even provide you with a special brush to use," Qi Yuan said calmly.
"I usually prefer to use my own brush for painting. Any brush you provide, no matter how special, is still too ordinary..."
However, before she could finish her sentence, her body froze.
Her eyes flashed with what seemed like lasers, burning holes in the paper covering her face.
She stared blankly at the brush in Qi Yuan’s hand, her breathing becoming rapid.
"This brush... this brush... How could such a brush exist in the world? What kind of brush is this? Is it a magic weapon? No, it’s a treasure! No... that’s not right either!"
For some reason, a flicker of hope had ignited in her long-dead heart.
Could he really succeed?
Her heart trembled at the thought, but she quickly pushed it aside.
She had already decided to write to the Wine Immortal’s hidden organization, urging them not to seek trouble with the Blood-Robed Sword God.
Otherwise... it would be suicide!
...
Raindrops pattered lightly as Qi Yuan sat in a pavilion, his expression calm.
Each day, he observed the cultivators of the world, not just those in Helan Continent.
But unfortunately, his findings had been minimal.
The Painter’s information on the mark had also been limited.
Just then, footsteps approached.
"Fellow Daoist Qi, long time no see! I heard you’ve broken through to the Purple Mansion. Congratulations!"
Qi Yuan looked up and saw an expression of delight cross his face.
"Wise True Lord, my good friend! You’ve finally arrived!"
Seeing the Wise True Lord brought Qi Yuan a sense of calm.
Every time he encountered a difficult problem, the Wise True Lord’s sharp mind always provided valuable insights.
"I came as soon as I received your message," the Wise True Lord said, "I’m exhausted and starving, though. Let me eat something first."
As he spoke, he pulled the bone hanging from his neck and began chewing on it, even licking it a few times.
Qi Yuan was stunned. "What kind of treasure is that?"
The Wise True Lord looked flustered and quickly pulled the bone back. "Ahem, do you remember last time, when someone tried to curse you with a sick bird, hoping to make you sick?
"The bird got overcooked, so I didn’t eat it because I have standards.
"You ate the bird meat, but you were going to give me the bones..."
"I remember. I threw the bones away because the bird was sick," Qi Yuan said, recalling the event clearly.
Back then, a destiny-crafting cultivator had tried to curse him with a sick bird. Later, Qi Yuan killed the person and obliterated Destiny Mountain with a curse.
"Ahem, but I noticed you didn’t seem to get sick, which means the bird wasn’t poisoned, right?
"I saw the bones weren’t burnt, so I picked them up to try a bite.
"It’s just... the bones are really tough, impossible to chew through," the Wise True Lord explained.
"I see," Qi Yuan nodded.
At that moment, the Wise True Lord spoke again. "I’ve been thinking about the mark you mentioned. I’ve come up with some ideas."
"Oh?" Qi Yuan’s eyes lit up.
As expected of the Wise True Lord, arriving with results right off the bat.
"Do you remember the book I once saw in a dream?" the Wise True Lord asked.
"Could it be you’ve found a way to break the mark in that book?" Qi Yuan’s eyes gleamed.
Much of his understanding of the Yang God realm had come from the book the Wise True Lord had seen in his dream.
The Wise True Lord replied, "Yes... and no."
"Wise True Lord, stop being cryptic. I know your tricks," Qi Yuan teased.
"Do you remember where that sick bird came from?" the Wise True Lord asked.
"This door!" Qi Yuan waved his hand, and a small wooden door appeared.
This door came from the destiny-crafting cultivator who had tried to curse him.
It resembled the Gate of All Principles that Qi Yuan had encountered in the Flowing Wind Realm.
"Exactly. This door resembles the legendary Gate of Principles!
"The Gate of Principles is said to be the supreme treasure, the greatest of all unique treasures!
"It’s said that every cultivator who breaks through to the Principle realm leaves a mark of their understanding on the Gate of Principles.
"This gate, protected by the laws of the Principles, can block all marks and causal ties!"
Qi Yuan paused.
He remembered that during his time in the Flowing Wind Realm, when he comprehended the original divine ability, the Great Forgetting Mind Scripture, he had left a mark on the Gate of Myriad Forms.
Am I a Principle?
How could I not know?
Looking at the Wise True Lord, Qi Yuan’s face was full of suspicion. "You know a lot. If this world were a game, you’d definitely be best friends with the developers."
Qi Yuan felt more and more that the Wise True Lord was shrouded in mystery, as if surrounded by a mist.
Perhaps this mist had a name: the Halo of Wisdom.