Chapter 34 - 34 34 Seven Lives

34: Chapter 34 Seven Lives 34: Chapter 34 Seven Lives Those with the Seven Lives are indeed Evil, Strange, Mixed, Original, Wondrous, Divine, and Heavenly. A Heavenly Mandate or Divine Mandate, unless it is the reincarnation of an Immortal God or protected by Heaven’s Will, shall not exist. Therefore, the most precious Fate Pattern in the human world is the “Strange Mandate”. Within Strange Mandates, there also exists classifications like ‘Heavenly Gang and Earth Fiend, Mountain Sea Starry Sky’. The fate that Bai Qinghan had received was indeed the most honored among the many Star Detriment Wondrous Destinies – the “Mysterious Yin Star Mandate”! — The Ritual Tracks had just begun, and there was already a Mysterious Yin Star Mandate; even if everyone else died afterwards, it would still be worth it! Although these words surged in the heart of Master of the Medicine Manor, he did not speak them aloud. Because he was well aware that the quality of this batch of materials was beyond imagination; the emergence of a most precious “Heaven Star Mandate” now did not mean that there would not be a second one later! It should be noted that the “Imperial Heaven Star Detriment Grand Rite” employs the power of Outer Space Demons and the Imperial Heaven’s True God to plunge the recipient into a calamity of Heavenly Demon invasion, and then break it open with the power of the Immortal Heaven’s True God, connecting fate through the mysterious and unclarified Mysterious Primordial Qi, thereby seeking the Path through demons, ensuring life through death, and preserving divinity through calamities in this secret rite. This ‘Hanging Fate Valley’ was exactly where, during the Great Calamity of Embracing the Void, a Sword Immortal subdued demons and exorcised evil. The valley naturally harbors the intent of divine demons and star detriments, most capable of enhancing the power of ritual sacrifices! In this interplay of Yin and Yang, and cycle of life and death, the recipients have a certain possibility of entering different states of Enlightenment. If they can survive, they may awaken their Fate Patterns! “Bai Qinghan…” Glancing at the roster to confirm the name of the individual who awakened their Fate Pattern, Master of the Medicine Manor nodded in satisfaction, “Truly an orphan fished out from Hanhai, having survived the Demon Calamity from ten years ago, he is indeed extraordinary.” “Continue!” he said, his spirits high, as he sliced his hand with a jade dagger, scattering a spray of fresh blood, “Honor the Imperial Heaven to discern Heaven’s Will!” The other sacrificers also maintained their roles in the ritual sacrifice, “Honor the Imperial Heaven to discern Heaven’s Will!” The light of the Great Formation flickered under the ground of the White Sand Ground, like mountain and sea cloud patterns outlined by azure light ink, connecting everyone’s Qi with the Ritual Tracks, where the successful ones would help maintain the Ritual Tracks and reduce consumption. The ‘spent materials’ who died in failure, their souls and Blood Qi, all of it would transform into Blood Pill Great Medicine behind the Ritual Tracks, enhancing the cultivation and bolstering the lifespan of those conducting the rite. This was why they earnestly and openly nurtured these young men and women—the successful and lucky survivors would become one of them, while the failures would also become a part of them. — Heaven’s Will approaches the Path, using all beings as sacrifice, taking from the surplus to replenish the insufficient. The fresh blood they now spilled was the ‘sacrificial damage’, and the feedback after the rite would be the ‘sacrificial replenishment’! Thus, the grand ritual continued. Meanwhile. In the middle of the Ritual Formation, An Jing was lost in memories. He recalled his entire life. When An Jing was born, Sir An was participating in his third imperial examination. On the day he failed again and completely gave up, planning to return to his hometown to take over the family business, coincidentally, a Demon Calamity struck Hanhai, severing the Northern direct route. Sir An hurried back from Shenjing, enduring countless hardships along the way, only to find his son An Jing already two years old, clever and alert. Sёarᴄh the novel(F~)ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. Seeing a tall man with a full beard, whom he didn’t recognize, entering his home, he immediately called the neighbors to pin him down. After the villagers released the man they thought had died in the Demon Calamity, Sir An, covered in dust, didn’t mind at all. Instead, he laughed heartily, holding his fiercely pinching wife, Lady An Shen, with one hand, and in the other, his son, whom he had left pregnant with but could not meet due to the catastrophe, and joyfully exclaimed that his child was like him. He thought too much because An Jing was far smarter than him. The Gufeng An family was originally a Martial Family, whose ancestors were Pioneering Warriors who responded to the command of Da Chen’s founding emperor to expand the territory. The family owned hundreds of acres of good land and properties in the city, which supported the expenses of Sir An’s repeated examinations. Switching from literature to martial arts, upon returning to take over the family business, Sir An, though busy, still took time to read ancient texts, and An Jing would sit by his side, nodding and reciting along with his father. At first, it was thought to be just a child’s joining in on the fun, but Sir An soon realized An Jing seemed to understand, and not only understand but also read. Amazed, Sir An pulled out a volume of “Great Fierce Astronomy” and pointed at a page, asking, “Can you understand this?” An Jing scanned the text. Many pieces of information emerged in his mind—texts he seemed to have read before. Although some characters looked slightly different, he could completely recognize them, so he began to recite fluently: “Before the heavens were formed, vague and fleeting, deep and blazing, hence it is called the Great Illumination…” Reading more and more smoothly, An Jing even started nodding and shaking his head toward the end. Sir An was immediately plunged into happy perplexity—his child seemed to be a Heaven Star reincarnated with innate wisdom, far smarter than his old father. In Da Chen, the Heavenly Mandate is taken seriously with frequent talks of Stars descending to earth; hence, no suspicions arose among the An family, although Sir An himself, though modestly successful in letters and holding a degree, was only moderately capable. To teach a child with Innate Wisdom Heaven Star, he was hardly qualified. The monstrous beasts around Gufeng County had been eradicated two hundred years ago by ancestors and the Conquering General, thus An Jing’s upbringing was comparatively peaceful. In the year An Jing turned six, trade at the Northern Border flourished, making Gufeng County an increasingly bustling relay point in trade routes. Sir An also participated, becoming busier, and An Jing was left in the care of Lady An Shen. Lady An Shen was also from a Martial Family. Although her talent was not extraordinary, her enlightenment faced no impediments. The An family in Gufeng steadily prospered, and their days became increasingly prosperous. An Jing solidified his physical foundation, and was also able to read through classics. All the nearby teachers exclaimed, “Worthy son of a successful candidate, he will surely step into Shenjing, excel in the imperial examinations and hence be granted the talisman of longevity.” But the good times did not last. When An Jing was nine years old on a summer day, the market of border trade suddenly shut down. As easy business was no longer feasible, Sir An had no choice but to lead a team to trade at Green Jade Pass. But before he had set off for long, news of war erupted from the north. The Thirteenth King of the Northern Barbarians assembled an army of three hundred thousand, their banners unfurling wide, like black clouds pressing down on the border. By imperial command, Da Chen, the Grand General for Northern Stability, led his troops to quell the invasion, the pounding of their horses’ hooves shaking heaven and earth. From Green Jade Pass to Bailu River, from Yungu County to Ming Mountain City, war enveloped all one hundred and twenty cities north of Mystic Imperial Mountain. In less than two years, both sides had rendered the entire Northern Plains desolate and exhausted, and Sir An had completely disappeared. This coincided with the Frost Calamity, a thousand-year anomaly, leaving the millions in the Northern Border barely clinging on, now rendered unspeakably distressed. In fact, there had been signs of the Frost Calamity early on. Leaving aside the demon calamity of Hanhai, the wilderness beyond the Northern Border had already noticed the winters growing colder each year, their harvests and herds shrinking increasingly in size and number. The previous trade was their last struggle; the Northern Barbarians, unable to sustain life despite exhausting all savings, had no choice but to unite and push southward, having no other options. The An family, along with the entirety of Gufeng County, rapidly declined. Due to wartime exorbitant taxes, military requisitions, and also because of the southward shift of the Frost Calamity, crops were frozen dead. Long drought followed by heavy snowfalls… coupled with the invasion from the Northern Barbarians, everyone fell into despair. Before the stored grain was exhausted, the people of Gufeng County had no choice but to flee en masse. Fleeing famine was difficult. The stored grain was quickly consumed, and with no wild vegetables under the frost calamity, the only options were to gnaw on bark, break ice for roots, and even Guanyin Soil was hard to come by. Then there came the practice of trading children for food, of breaking apart corpses for fire. Cannibalism. It was just that simple, just that direct. At that time, it truly was a year of great famine; people ate one another. The An family had saved plenty over the years, yet they were not much better off. After all, most of their assets were in real estate and livestock, and Sir An had also been keen on purchasing ancient books and scriptures, spending a significant amount of family wealth. In the past, this indeed was a way to elevate a family’s status, to nourish a family heritage. Had there been peace for another twenty or thirty years, having a family member emerge as an Inner Strength martial master or a granted official would have been enough to become a major clan of the Northern Border. But with the arrival of both war and calamity, all questions of family background and social standing were as dust. The livestock was conscripted, crops died of drought, scholarly books and Martial Scriptures became useless papers, and land in those times was worthless. The elders of the family couldn’t bear to abandon the land and properties that generations of ancestors had cultivated through blood, sweat, and lives, choosing instead to die in their hometown. The remaining family members were scattered, one after another, in raids by horse bandits and conscription by soldiers. Facing the vast Huai River along the Northern Border, the once great An family had all but disbanded. An Jing and his mother fought their way out of numerous sieges, defeating refugees, robbers, horse bandits, and slave traders alike. After a grueling journey and at the cost of his mother’s severe injuries, they finally made it to the vicinity of Ming Mountain City, the hub of the Northern Border. Such was his life up to that point. A cascade of memories flickered like shadows in An Jing’s mind. In the haze, he saw a complete darkness before him. It was not light, not shadow, not stars, not gods, just an empty desolation, a chaotic void. A total obscurity flowed before his eyes. Then it spoke. [What is thy Heavenly Mandate?]