I Might Be a Big Shot — Chapter 45
Letting Rang Weiran not notice Changkong Zhuoyu’s despondence was easy enough — after all, he was an expert at keeping a straight face. Only when looking at his own disciple did Changkong Zhuoyu’s eyes well up, but when he turned his head back, his expression turned stern again, and his tone was faint: “I have severed the past; not much of my previous memory has recovered. I thought very few knew of my identity as a blood cultivator, but it seems Elder Rang knew all along.”
Rang Weiran smiled proudly. “Sect Master Xue still deigns to look favorably upon me.”
Changkong Zhuoyu almost wanted to cry again, but this was not the time or place to be alone with his disciple; in front of others, he still cared about his image. So he took a deep breath, forcibly pressed down the urge to wipe his eyes, and said resolutely to Rang Weiran, “I no longer intend to serve as sect master of the demonic sect. Heaven-Shaking Peak belongs to Xuan Minglie. I only wish to live as a wandering cultivator. Please just regard me as an ordinary rogue cultivator.”
Li Xinglun looked at his master with a heart full of pain. Even though Changkong Zhuoyu still stood tall and straight, he looked as though he would cry at any moment. Li Xinglun dearly wished to rush over, embrace his master, and press his head to his own shoulder to comfort him — that way he might feel a little less sad. But he couldn’t. This was the Hundred Flowers sect, and everyone was watching.
So master and disciple could only hold it in and follow Rang Weiran into the hall. Rang Weiran said, “Earlier, Cencen came back and told me you are the descendant of Nüwa. I have already scolded her — this is pure nonsense. Blood cultivators no longer have any bloodline to speak of; how could one tell whether someone is a descendant of an ancient god? Sect Master… Venerable, you certainly deserve the most honored status in the world, but this really makes no sense. Cencen is still young and foolish — please don’t take offense, Venerable.”
“That line about ‘deserving the most honored status in the world’…” Changkong Zhuoyu had intended to say, ‘You’re quite right,’ but suddenly felt his disciple pinch his thigh under his robe, so he stiffly corrected himself: “Y-you flatter me. But regarding the matter of being a descendant of Nüwa, it may not be a misunderstanding.”
Changkong Zhuoyu’s heart bled — the identity of Xue Qianjie was finished, but the title of Nüwa’s descendant had to be preserved!
Li Xinglun’s heart ached terribly. He quickly said to Rang Weiran, “Elder Rang is not a blood cultivator, so there are some details you may not know. It’s like this: even if one is a blood cultivator, one cannot resist the invasion of divine power, because divine power is imprinted upon the divine soul, not passed down through bloodline. It doesn’t disappear because of any change to the body. The so-called descendant of Nüwa may not refer to a bloodline inheritance, but rather an inheritance of divine power.”
The moment he spoke, Changkong Zhuoyu’s eyes lit up again. This explanation from his disciple made perfect sense — why hadn’t he thought of it before?
So Changkong Zhuoyu covertly patted Li Xinglun’s thigh twice, as a sign of praise. {Storing favors #1.}
Li Xinglun felt his soul almost fly out from those pats, and he nearly lost his composure and assaulted his master’s rosy lips in front of everyone.
At the side, Rang Cencen — who was watching them intently — was so angered by this pair of dog-men that her silver teeth almost shattered. Strangely enough, Rang Cencen’s feelings were for Xue Qianjie, and even though it was already confirmed that Changkong Zhuoyu was not Xue Qianjie, she never told anyone and still harbored great animosity toward Pei Xingchen, that little fox spirit. Truly, the heart of a woman was hard to fathom.
Hearing Li Xinglun’s explanation, Rang Weiran fell into thought. After a moment he said, “That may indeed be possible. In fact, I found it strange before — not only did Cencen say so, but our sect’s sacred beast also firmly believes that Venerable is the descendant of Nüwa… Since that’s the case, why not give it a try?”
“Try?” Changkong Zhuoyu asked back.
“Venerable may not know — the Hundred Flowers sect has guarded, for generations, the map to the Mystic Fog Yao Valley. But this set of maps is not merely a drawing — it is a divine artifact. According to legend, only the descendant of Nüwa can gain its recognition and enter the Mystic Fog Yao Valley; no one else can find the entrance no matter what.” Rang Weiran replied.
“I see. Then let’s try it.” Changkong Zhuoyu said calmly.
As for whether he could gain the divine artifact’s recognition, neither Changkong Zhuoyu nor Li Xinglun had any doubt. After all, whether it was the Twin Swords of Purple and Azure, the Sacred Beast immortal artifact, or the Buddhist sect’s supreme treasure {the statue protecting the town near the Heaven-Shaking Peak}, whenever they saw Changkong Zhuoyu they all obediently submitted. Changkong Zhuoyu considered this simply because he had originally been the rightful master of those artifacts, but now Li Xinglun thought it was because he bore divine power.
Back in ancient times, those legendary artifacts had never had the concept of recognizing a master. The divine artifacts that could destroy heaven and earth could be borrowed or stolen by anyone. As long as one possessed divine power, it seemed one could wield all weapons. If so, that would explain why Changkong Zhuoyu was so favored by various artifacts.
Thinking of this, Li Xinglun’s heartbeat quickened even more. Could he really keep such a master?
Since Changkong Zhuoyu wanted to try, Rang Weiran — as the devoted subordinate of Sect Master Xue — naturally led him there. Although Rang Weiran still harbored some doubts in his heart, the Twin Serpents were very insistent about Changkong Zhuoyu’s identity, and the map would only open for the true descendant of Nüwa. Letting Changkong Zhuoyu try couldn’t hurt.
The Hundred Flowers sect did not have many members — only a sect master and three elders. Rang Weiran was the highest-ranking elder, and since he and Rang Cencen were in agreement, there was no need to bother the other two elders. The master and disciple were led by Rang Weiran to a secret chamber, whose walls and door were carved with strange talismans — not Central Plains craftsmanship. Changkong Zhuoyu only glanced at them briefly before he understood the subtleties from the patterns.
“These talismans are made of special materials that store spiritual energy and transform it into patterns, which together with the energy form small defensive formations. Countless such small formations are combined in a special array arrangement to form a powerful defensive formation — not as simple as one plus one equals two. Its power is incalculable. Moreover, these talismans also have a self-destruct function — if someone tries to enter the secret chamber improperly, the talismans will explode, both to harm the intruder and as a warning. You’ve already reached the Nascent Soul stage — you should start learning formations. I am an expert in formations, and my disciple must also understand them thoroughly. You don’t have to comprehend the Kunlun divine formation like my junior brother, but at the very least, when you reach the Great Ascension stage, you should be able to break the barrier at the bottom of the Soul-Breaking Gorge on your own.” Changkong Zhuoyu transmitted his voice to Li Xinglun.
{Oh. Maybe he did. Maybe they really were supposed to fall asleep together, but Xue Qianjie broke the barrier and left. And then he went and comprehended the Kunlun formation.}
Li Xinglun thought for a moment before realizing that when his master said ‘my junior brother,’ he meant Elder Yin of Kunlun. He now only hoped that after they reached the Mystic Fog Yao Valley, his master wouldn’t go around claiming relatives. Changkong Zhuoyu had too many identities — if he started saying “your martial uncle” or “your granduncle,” Li Xinglun would be at a loss as to which was which.
Fortunately, the identity of Xue Qianjie was finally impossible. While his heart ached for his master, Li Xinglun also couldn’t help but laugh inwardly.
He couldn’t help it — his master’s tearful look was just too adorable. Once they got to the Mystic Fog Yao Valley, he must find a secluded place and let his master have a good cry. Li Xinglun thought with some wicked amusement.
He didn’t even realize that in his heart there was no possibility at all of being unable to open the map or failing to enter the Mystic Fog Yao Valley. Countless experiences had taught Li Xinglun one truth: whatever Changkong Zhuoyu wanted to accomplish, he almost always did.
Rang Weiran used the Hundred Flowers sect’s secret art to open the secret chamber’s door. After everyone entered, the room was empty except for a landscape painting hanging on the eastern wall.
Everyone’s eyes fell on that painting at once. Changkong Zhuoyu strode to the eastern wall, reached out, and casually tossed the painting aside.
Rang Cencen: “….”
Having never been in the secret chamber before, Rang Cencen instinctively thought that painting was the map. Seeing Changkong Zhuoyu treat it like that, she felt a mix of love and hate — she herself didn’t even know where this love came from.
After tossing the painting aside, Changkong Zhuoyu tapped the wall with his finger and said, “This wall itself is the map, isn’t it?”
Rang Weiran froze briefly, then laughed aloud. “Hahaha — worthy of Sect Master Xue, recognizing the map’s true form at a glance. Perhaps you really are the descendant of Nüwa!”
Changkong Zhuoyu placed his hand on the wall and said, “I didn’t recognize it with my eyes — I felt it.”
The moment he entered, this wall had been drawing him in, making him approach involuntarily, as if it were calling to him.
Changkong Zhuoyu casually gathered a wisp of spiritual energy and injected it into the wall, but it showed no reaction. After thinking for a moment, he infused his own power into it, and at once the whole room began to shake violently, the wall rumbling thunderously.
They quickly left the secret chamber. Inside, brilliant light burst forth, and a jade wall flew into the sky, growing smaller and smaller amid the white light until it was the size of a palm, then landed in Changkong Zhuoyu’s hand.
“This…” Rang Weiran was overjoyed, dropped to his knees, and kowtowed three times to Changkong Zhuoyu. “So Venerable truly is the descendant of Nüwa. I failed to recognize you — if not for Cencen and the sacred beast, I nearly missed you!”
Bathed in white light, Changkong Zhuoyu held the jade wall in his hand, ran his fingertips over its patterns, then casually tossed it, letting it sink deep into the ground. He then carved many talismans on the ground, piecing the broken wall fragments together and pressing them firmly atop. Since the wall already bore talismans, Changkong Zhuoyu simply used them to guard the place.
Next, he traced a few patterns in the air and pressed his hands down forcefully, and the patterns sank underground, firmly sealing the jade wall.
After all this, Changkong Zhuoyu had Rang Weiran extend his hand, lightly painted a few strokes on it with water, and said, “This is the unsealing method. If anyone wishes to enter the Mystic Fog Yao Valley in the future, use this to open the seal.”
Rang Weiran looked a little stunned and asked curiously, “Venerable, you won’t use the jade wall to open the map and enter the Mystic Fog Yao Valley?”
“No need,” Changkong Zhuoyu shook his head. “The map carved on the jade wall is already clear to me — I can open the passage to the Mystic Fog Yao Valley anytime.”
“But… that jade wall is the token of becoming the descendant of Nüwa…”
Before Rang Weiran could finish, Changkong Zhuoyu casually cleaved open a door, pulled Li Xinglun through, and as soon as Li Xinglun’s robe hem passed the threshold, the door in the void vanished, and the two of them were gone.
{Cyan Wings is a master at writing overpowered characters.}
~ Chapter End ~
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