Chapter 14 (2/2)

It was late at night, an old man in black robe stood alone on the Observatory. He was white-haired and stooped as if a gust of wind could blow him away.

He was the Flamen of Ziyao Empire, an old man who enjoyed supreme position and was wise enough to read god’s will.

It was said that he had lived for a very long time and had been the only owner of the Observatory since the first emperor’s ascension.

Like so many other days passed, the old man came to the top of the Observatory alone tonight as usual. However, he didn’t meditate or observe the stars as he normally did. Standing quietly before the railings, his gaze fell on the prosperous world of mortals covered in the dark sky. Something was not right.

“Sure enough, something will happen tonight!”

After a long time, seeming to sense something, the old man looked up abruptly and cast his gaze far out into the night sky. A bright glow flashed by his eyes that were surging with vicissitudes of life.

But only a moment later, the old man muttered with a frown, “Why did it disappear? No, this is impossible. Before an anomaly fall upon the mortal world, there must be some signs of it, which may hide in the changeable clouds, conceal in the cycle of stars, or present itself in way of extraterritorial disasters or auspicious lights shining over the rivers and mountains.”

“But why did the signs disappear? Did I deduce it wrong?”

His white hair fluttering with the cold and harsh wind, a touch of rare seriousness appeared on his wrinkled face. He had a feeling that something unusual did happen tonight, but he was unable to see it with his own power.

Such an abnormal situation had barely happened over the years.

Though old, he was still a Flamen, a person even the royal family in Ziyao Empire must show respect to.

An anomaly even a Flamen was unable to perceive must be of unusual significance which would shock the world.

The old man gave out a heavy sigh after long time of deep meditation, he then turned away and walked down the Observatory.

This night, a special notice from the Flamen was sent directly to the Imperial Study, which even disturbed the emperor already in sound sleep.

In the notice it read “A heavenly anomaly fell upon the thousands of mountains on the southwest border, whose profound mystery is beyond my capability to perceive. I sincerely hope your majesty would pay great attention to this as it might indicate the appearance of peerless treasure.”

Peerless Treasure!

Little would the Flamen think that the words he used would expose the southwest border to the highest ranks in the capital, bringing about a big upheaval in the following days.

…

Lin Xun was woken up by a sudden cockcrow. When he opened his eyes, his mind was in a trance.

“Still alive?”

Raising his weak body from the desk, Lin Xun noticed that it was already daylight. A ray of morning light shone through the window, casting a warm glow.

He was alive!

Taking a deep breath, Lin Xun felt the Qi reverberating throughout his body, now finally sure that he was still alive.

He examined himself at once, and found his blood and Qi thriving, his Qi-function connected. There was no sign of injury as if what he experienced last night had been just a dream.

But Lin Xun knew it was not.

He remembered clearly that last night, his life was flowing away. He was at death’s door with his blood absorbed continuously and uncontrollably by the cyan inscribing pen.

Wait…where was the pen?

Stunned for a moment, Lin Xun checked around the desk and found no trace of the cyan inscribing pen or the ancient scroll.

He then stood up anxiously looking for the pen and the scroll. They were the most significant treasures Master Lu had given him, how could he bear to lose them in his own hands?

But he almost rummaged through the whole room and did not find the two treasures. Lin Xun frowned and grew more anxious.

Did anyone steal them during the night?

Lin Xun wasn’t sure of that. Just then, he inadvertently noticed that an extra gate appeared in the empty sea of his consciousness.

It was indeed a gate, bright red and shining as if soaked in blood, whose surface was engraved with an intricate and mysterious pattern.

On closer inspection, a wild and antique atmosphere pervaded the pattern. Just a quick glance at it gave Lin Xun a faint reminiscent feeling.

It was the weird pattern on the last page of the scroll.

Suddenly, Lin Xun remembered that the pattern on the gate bore a striking resemblance to the weird pattern he had seen.

But unlike the incomplete pattern he saw before, this one carved on the gate was complete, creating a sense of renewal.

The gate floated silently in the empty sea of his consciousness, presenting an inexplicable mystery.

Lin Xun’s expression altered suddenly, and an uncontrollable thought came to his mind, “Did the disappearance of the scroll and the pen have anything to do with this suddenly popping up gate?”