Chapter 424 Insurance

Chu Xun stayed for two days at Qianlong Mountain.

He left before daybreak on the third day, quietly and alone before anyone noticed him leaving.

He had stayed two days to strengthen the magic of the enchantment that kept the mountain safe.

He had even left instructions to Chen Hanlong, Sun Ying, and the others to not stray outside for the time being.

He had seen faint black lines running along their foreheads and in Chinese esotericism, it was a sign of impending doom.

Guilt gnawed at him for not being able to spend more time accompanying his parents.

He had rarely been home, but he knew how worried they were about him.

Especially with nerve-wracking news of him in trouble reaching their ears on a daily basis. If even the most ordinary man could read about his exploits on the Internet, rest assured that his parents knew about them too.

Most other parents would have long crumbled with anxiety. Who else could endure the tortures of having their son fighting a never-ending war every day?

Before his departure, Chu Xun came to his parents’ room and stopped outside. He went down on his knees and bowed three times quietly.

He left Qianlong Mountain and headed for Gujiang to visit the Rock Sect.

There, he spent another two days accompanying Jiu You and Tang Rou.

Before his departure, he left behind a huge amount of supplies too.

He even told them to withdraw to Qianlong Mountain if anything happened.

He left quietly too, knowing that Jiu You and Tang Rou would never let him go if they were any the wiser.

After that, Chu Xun sped nonstop back to the capital. He went back to the Fire Dragon Palace to set his matters in order.

Then, with Jing Hong, they journeyed to Dragon’s Back to see Emperor Ao.

The ancient dragon deity knew about Chu Xun’s promise to go to Nether Mountain too.

Chu Xun told him about the inexplicable foreboding he had been feeling.

“Are you saying that you feel this time it would be dangerous?” asked Emperor Ao quietly.

Chu Xun shook his head. “I don’t know. Something is coming, but just can’t seem to put my finger on it.”

Emperor Ao peered at him, holding him in a long gaze before he gave Chu Xun a drop of his own blood.

Chu Xun could use it in the gravest of situations but nothing less.

Emperor Ao had placed a magical seal on the blood, but even so, Chu Xun could still feel an overwhelming power inside, like a beast struggling to burst out.

“Only use it at the worst possible hour. This blood will help enhance your powers for a short period of time, allowing you powers akin to the complete mastery of the Golden Core Stage.”

“Can I have another drop?” Chu Xun would not complain to have more of such helpful tools.

“Are you having a death wish?!” scowled Emperor Ao, “That you carry the bones of the Ancestral Dragon is the sole reason you’re able to consume one drop of my blood. Any other human would have instantly disintegrated by the sheer might contained inside each drop. And though you’re bestowed with great powers for a temporary time, you can guarantee you won’t be thanking me when the effects end. In return for using my blood, you might suffer irreparable damage.”

That was enough to dissuade Chu Xun from wanting more of his blood.

After that, Chu Xun and Emperor Ao talked at length. They discussed countermeasures to whatever the alien races might be plotting, combing out any other possibilities which they might have missed.

“Send Long Yi and Long Er to protect the Chief Official,” suggested Emperor Ao.

Chu Xun’s face contorted with horror, “You mean they might try to assassinate the Chief Official?!”

The Chief Official, the one person who wielded just as much power and borne just as heavy a burden like a king to common humans, was bestowed a protective aura native only to kings and monarchs. That marked him as the anointed leader of Huaxia citizens by the mandate of Heaven. No matter how powerful the alien race mutants might be, they were still warriors who should respect the wishes of Heaven. Would they dare to launch an assault on the anointed leader of humans and defy the wishes of Heaven?!

“It’s just in case,” said Emperor Ao.

Chu Xun nodded.

“I think it’s prudent to send some reinforcements to the Rock Sect,” added Jing Hong.

Having mastered the Evocations of Heavenly Secrets, Chu Xun knew better than to doubt her hunch. He nodded in agreement, saying, “I’ve thought about that too. I wish to send some of the Silver Dragon Guard – Long Liu (literally, Dragon the Sixth) to Long Shi (literally, Dragon the Tenth) perhaps – there to keep them safe.”

“I guess that’s the best insurance we can come up with for now,” said Jing Hong.

“Look again. Is there anything that we might have left out?” Chu Xun channeled his Evocation magic again. Still, the strange dread lingered over him like a dark cloud.

“What about the Yans and the Sanctuary of Tetrarchy?” pointed out Jing Hong suddenly.

Chu Xun nodded and placed telephone calls to both the Yan Family and the Sanctuary, warning them to practice extreme caution in the coming days.

Yet even after doing all that, Chu Xun and Jing Hong still shared dark looks; the same feeling of dread hardly subsided.

“What else have we forgotten about?” Again and again, Chu Xun raked his mind for anything that he might have missed.

“How about sending Tang Rou, Jiu You, and Hong Ling to Qianlong Mountain?” said Jing Hong.

Chu Xun shook his head this time. Yan Yi and the Rock Sect were also part of the Chu Mansion forces and sending Tang Rou and Jiu You – both formidable fighters in their own right – to defend Qianlong Mountain would be unfair to them.

Long Yi and Long Er would temporarily serve as bodyguards to the Chief Official.

Long San, Long Si, and Long Wu (literally Dragons the Third to Fifth respectively) would be charged with assisting with the defenses of the Fire Dragon Palace.

The rest of the Silver Dragon Guard would be deployed to reinforce the Rock Sect.

What else did he miss?

He was not at all worried about the capital. With Emperor Ao keeping watch here, no enemies would dare stand at its gates.

“Perhaps you should go to the Sanctuary, Jing Hong,” said Chu Xun suddenly, “I’m worried that the Zombies might use this chance to mount a comeback.”

“No, I’m coming with you!” insisted Jing Hong sharply.

Chu Xun shook his head gravely, peering at her solemnly, “I’m going alone. That way, I’ll be able to retreat immediately if anything is wrong.”

“But with the best champion of the Zombies now at Nether Mountain, Yue Fandie is enough to keep watch at the Sanctuary,” pestered Jing Hong.

“You rascal,” snapped Emperor Ao suddenly, “You’ve forgotten something alright!”

Chu Xun and Jing Hong stared at him.

“You,” Emperor Ao pointed out, “You’ve forgotten about yourself.”

Jing Hong gasped with shock. He was right. Chu Xun had been so worried about everyone else that he had forgotten all about himself.

Confused and dazed, Chu Xun began to wonder if Emperor Ao was right; was the strange foreboding dread hovering over him because of impending danger?

“Therefore, I agree that Jing Hong should come with you.”

But Chu Xun could only beg to differ; if this danger could cause mortal harm to him, then Jing Hong being present or not won’t make any difference.

“She won’t have to go to Nether Mountain with you. She only needs to stay nearby to assist if need be,” said Emperor Ao.

“Don’t you forget, Chu Xun; the safety of your friends and loved ones won’t mean anything if you are in danger yourself,” Jing Hong pointed out.

“Jing Hong’s right. Think about it; if anything happens to you, who would there be left to resist the alien races?”

In the end, Chu Xun relented; he would bring Jing Hong with him.

“Shouldn’t you go in my stead, Ao, if you’re really so concerned for my well-being?” Chu Xun scowled at Emperor Ao sardonically, “With your incredible might, I’m sure you’ll make short work of those goons.”

Jing Hong gazed at her teacher. Oddly, Chu Xun’s words made sense. There had yet to be anyone in the world who could defeat Emperor Ao, him being a Cultivator of the Integration Stage.

The sudden suggestion came as a surprise even for Emperor Ao too. But he looked unusually morose before he finally answered after a moment of silence, “I’m afraid I can’t leave this place for extended periods.”

“What do you mean?”

“Perhaps you might not have realized: I cannot stay in the mortal realm for more than five hours without the Celestial Calamity trying to strike me down,” revealed Emperor Ao.

Chu Xun and Jing Hong held him in a long, transfixed reticence before Jing Hong let loose what seemed to be an unmistakable snort.

They both came from the World of Cultivation, not a pair of three-year-olds who couldn’t tell if Emperor Ao was lying.

“Spit it out, Ao. You’re just being lazy. You can’t leave this place for extended periods? Do you think we’d fall for that!?” scowled Chu Xun with disgust. “You are in the Integration Stage. The Celestial Calamity won’t strike you yet.”

It was common knowledge even to children of the World of Cultivation that the Great Ascension Stage and the Tribulation Transcendence Stage comes after the Integration Stage and the lightning strike of the Celestial Calamity would not come as a test for Cultivators before achieving Tribulation Transcendence.

“It’s because of the Firmament Chains,” said Emperor Ao grimly. He said to Chu Xun, “I thought you would never need to hear about this before you reached the Nascent Soul Stage. But I see that I can wait no longer.”

The somber expression of the ancient dragon deity was unsettling to Chu Xun.

“The Firmament Chains, the manifestation of the Firmamental Laws that govern the cosmos, is known to some as Heaven’s Grudge. This name illustrates exactly the purpose of these chains: to restrain Cultivators to prevent them from breaking past the Integration Stage. Heaven won’t suffer any challenge to its rule and it begrudges any Cultivators who seek to do just that.”

“Are you saying that the Heaven has a sentience of its own?” gasped Chu Xun with shock.

Emperor Ao nodded. “We Cultivators are mortal beings seeking ways to defy Heaven’s rule of mortality. But so long as our powers and magic remain low enough for the Firmamental Laws to continue affecting us, Heaven will leave us be. At least for now. But once you’ve broken past the threshold and become an entity powerful enough to threaten its rule, Heaven would set its sights on you and would do anything to restrain if not execute us, for our very purpose is blasphemous enough to be punishable by death.”

It was the first time Chu Xun and Jing Hong heard about this that they were so shocked that they could hardly speak.

The lion ignores the ant because nothing the ant could do to pose any threat to it. The ant could jump or scurry around all it wants, and the lion would not so much as bat an eyelid at it.

But if the ant could demonstrate enough danger to harm the lion, the beast would immediately kill it without any hesitation.

The same could be related to the correlation between Cultivators and the Firmamental Laws and by extension Heavens.

“Wait. That’s impossible,” Chu Xun shook his head just then, “There have been instances where Cultivators managed to ascend past the threshold, more than once too, in fact. This refutes your theory.”

“And what makes you think that these so-called Firmamental Laws are not written by these Cultivators?” uttered Emperor Ao thoughtfully.

“What?!” Chu Xun’s eyes went as wide as eggs.

“Wait, that’s not right too,” Chu Xun shook his head vigorously. He could not accept the theory and was only too happy to disprove it. “If those who managed to ascend past the threshold possess the right to rewrite the Firmamental Laws, then why would the first Cultivator who ascended allow others to rise up to be his equal? How could he suffer having a rival to his dominion?”

“He didn’t,” Emperor Ao shook his head, “He was deceived, of sorts.”

“What do you mean by ‘deceived’?”

“Take these fishes for example,” Emperor Ao gestured at the pond of koi fishes, “I might believe that the fate of these fishes is up to me. Up to me to kill or set free; everything shifts according to my will. But in truth, it is not. There might be those who put up a facade, quietly biding their time to make the last sprint past the threshold. For all we know, among these fishes are a few who might be lying in wait for the chance to magically ascend into a dragon. By the time we realize what is going on, it’s too late. All we can do after that is to restrain one another.”

Chu Xun fell into contemplative silence. Emperor Ao’s words made enough sense to render him speechless.

“So if anyone can circumvent the Firmamental Laws, why can’t we?” he said at last.

“How can you, when you’ve already caught their attention?”

“So I’m like a bull or a sheep? No matter how I try, I’ll never shake away my yolk of subjugation?” Chu Xun growled with anger and discontent simmering in his chest.

“A crude analogy, but a right one.”

“So I can make any move, but I’m still being surveilled by them?” muttered Chu Xun coldly.

“Not really,” The answer came as a surprise as Emperor Ao shook his head, “I believe your case is a special one.”

“How special?”

“They’ve set their sights on you, all right. But not now. Before. You’ve attracted their attention when you were still in the World of Cultivation. Somehow, for reasons unknown, you only became bound by the Firmament Chains only after you came back here.”

“Possibly… Possibly because I was casting the spell to return back here when they set the Firmament Chains on me…” Chu Xun uttered dazedly as if searching for a distant memory.

“It’s possible,” said Emperor Ao raspily, “They intended to restrain you – you back in the World of Cultivation. Your rapid climb to the rank of Immortal Emperor in just three thousand years must have greatly unsettled them. But at the same time, you were just about to come back when these high entities decided to act against you and with its viable target suddenly missing, the Firmament Chains left only a shred of Destiny’s influence on you. That could explain why the Firmament Chains activated only when we first met then.”

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