Chapter 316: Su Qin and Reincarnation Pagoda (2)
The Vermillion Bird had only just been released from the seal and was still weak, so it remained with Shao Feng to guard Virtuous Heaven Temple. On the other hand, the Azure Dragon had returned to Shen Jingbin's pet space to give the other three Divine Beasts some 'special training'.
Shen Jingbin's head was filled with question marks. Could pets actually undergo special training while they were in the pet space? Huh, the more you know.
Reincarnation Pagoda was located in the Southern Sea and had a total of seven floors, with each floor representing a different kind of hardship. And, Su Qing just so happened to be the Master of Reincarnation Pagoda. He guarded Reincarnation Pagoda all year round and never left it. Aside from people whom he was familiar with, there was no chance at all for one to meet with him.
So, when they reached Reincarnation Pagoda, Xu Sheng bade them wait outside for a bit while she went in to check which floor Su Qing was currently on.
Reincarnation Pagoda had a barrier, rendering most people incapable of entering. However, the four guardians of the Southern Sea had the ability to freely enter each other's domain. Xu Sheng appeared again not long after going in. She stood at the entranced and waved for everyone to come over.
The group walked in as Xu Sheng spoke. "You guys are lucky; Su Qing happens to be on the first and simplest floor today – the suffering of birth. If it were one of the other floors, bringing you to meet him would have been a far more difficult task."
The exterior of Reincarnation Pagoda was a worn, dull grey; giving it the appearance of something that had been weathered by the passage of time. However, the inside was like a completely different world. Putting aside the other floors which they had no knowledge of, for the time being, the first floor was truly a sight to behold. It was so magnificent that people who hadn't prepared themselves in advance would feel like their eyes were dazzled by the splendor before them.
There was nothing on Reincarnation Pavilion's first floor. All that was present were walls lined with gold that sparkled with its brilliance. Looking at the scene before them, the party felt like all of their flaws were laid bare.
A ring of people could be seen at the center sitting cross-legged with their eyes closed. In spite of that, the expressions they wore had nothing in common with one another. The emotions on their faces ranged from joy, sadness, anger, and grief. On closer inspection, there were even some enchanting women present. On the other hand of the spectrum, there were also horrifyingly ugly women. In fact, they looked even worse than Shen Jingbin. There were others who seemed to be in the pink of health, which was juxtaposed by individuals who had lost their arms or legs.
Xu Sheng walked up and patted the ugliest looking person who'd also lost an arm and a leg. The person's eyelids fluttered open, but there were empty sockets instead of eyes.
It was as if Xu Sheng didn't notice how the person looked, and nonchalantly uttered a few words into his ear. After hearing what she had to say, the person looked over to where Shen Jingbin and company were standing.
The person's empty gaze caused a chill to run down the spines of everyone present. At that moment, all of the girls in the group sucked in a deep breath.
'What the f*ck, what the f*ck!' Shen Jingbin's heart was about to explode. This was unbearable!
Seeing this, Quiet And Steadfast walked in front of her and protectively shielded her. Pure Crane and the Winds Of Ximen did the same for Qi Mu and Gentle Flower.
Su Qing stood with Xu Sheng. He was missing his left leg, but he still stood firm, like someone who was whole. He and Xu Sheng walked abreast with one another and made their way over to the group. At a glance, it was like a real-life version of the story: Beauty and the Beast.
Then, something miraculous happened. When Su Qing took his first step, his body began to undergo a change. His barren head sprouted thick, jet-black locks of beautiful hair. His scar-riddled face turned glossy and fair, while his face itself gradually became more handsome. His short stature began to grow taller, and his missing leg started regrowing.
Several steps later, what was once a horrifying creature had now turned into a tall, handsome man! It was even more amazing than those people you'd see in real life who were able to make themselves look like a completely different person!
When he drew nearer, he asked in a low and gentle voice, "Are you the Lead Disciples of the Six Great Sects?" It was a comforting voice, like a warm breeze that gently caressed the ears as it blows by.
Seeing the infatuated looks on his companion's faces, Quiet And Steadfast sighed and stepped out. He handed the plaque that Poison Toad had given him to Su Qing and said, "That's right. I've been sent by the Sect Leader of the Lich Palace, Poison Toad, to pay you a visit and ask you about some matters pertaining to the Shinra Sect."
Su Qing took the plaque from Quiet And Steadfast and glanced at it without any change to his expression. He then placed the plaque in his bosom and inspected Shen Jingbin, who was being shielded by Quiet And Steadfast. "What's the relationship between you and the person behind you?" He asked.
"She's my wife," Quiet And Steadfast stoically replied.
A glint flashed across Su Qing's eyes. "You have an outstanding appearance, and you don’t lack in strength either. Yet, you choose to marry this unbearably ugly woman. Are you satisfied with this?"
Shen Jingbin was shocked back to her senses by what he'd said. Whatever good impression she'd had of him because of his looks was now completely blown away. She wrinkled her nose in disdain. If you weren't an NPC, I would've beaten you up!
"It doesn't matter whether I'm satisfied or not; this was my choice."
"This was your choice? Then, would you still be willing to take her if she were disabled, poor, or incapable of doing a single thing?"
Shen Jingbin glared at Su Qing. Oi oi oi, what're you trying to get at with such speculation?
"This was my choice, so I would take responsibility for my actions," Quiet And Steadfast answered.
With that, the atmosphere became a little strained as Su Qing silently stared at Quiet And Steadfast. Not willing to back down, Quiet And Steadfast stared right back at him.
Shortly after, Su Qing suddenly smiled. "That's good to hear."
Chapter 317: The Final Battle (1)
"There are seven sufferings in life: birth, associating with those we dislike, leaving one's love, being unable to attain what we desire, disease, old age, and death. The sufferings of birth comes in five forms: The first is pregnancy. When a woman is pregnant, the fetus inside the woman's womb is subjected to a cramped and dirty environment.
The second is fertilization. The fetus is formed through the union of its Father's sperm and a Mother's egg. While the fetus is within the Mother's womb, it is entirely dependant on its Mother and lacks freedom.
The third form is growth. During the fetus' ten months of incubation, the womb is hot, making the fetus feel like it's being cooked alive. As it continues to grow, it is inundated with the filth inside the mother's womb.
The fourth is when the baby is born. For the first time, the baby is subjected to the elements and the sensation of clothes brushing against its tender skin; similar to how a person would feel when they're stabbed.
The fifth form is circumstances. A person can be born with high or low moral standing. Their body may be whole or disabled, and they may either be beautiful or ugly. These are the sufferings of birth."
A string of awkward sounding words came flying out of Su Qing's mouth, rendering everyone dumbstruck. Su Qing sighed. "Every person faces their hardships in life, and these occurrences aren't uncommon. Bemoaning one's lot in life won't change anything, and since it can't be changed, why not focus on what's before you instead?"
The Winds Of Ximen looked like he didn't quite get it. He turned to Pure Crane who was beside him and asked in a whisper, "What was he talking about just now?"
Pure Crane thought for a little while before he replied, "He's referring to the saying: if you can't fight against it, then you might as well enjoy it."
The Winds Of Ximen looked like he still didn't really get it.
Su Qing gave a wave of his long sleeve, and the circle of people behind him disappeared without a trace. He then turned to everyone and beckoned them. "Come over."
The group complied and went to where he was.
"Shinra Sect's Jue Tian is someone who has broken free from the cycle of life and death. Destroying him is an extremely difficult task. But, if we don't get rid of him, the Shinra Sect will always remain."
"He's broken free from the cycle of life and death? Doesn't that mean we won't be able to do anything against him?" Shen Jingbin asked.
Su Qing shook his head. "All living creatures can be overcome. There's a way to defeat him, but…"
"But it's very difficult, right?" The Winds Of Ximen asked.
"Do you know why Poison Toad tasked you with finding me? It's because I'm in charge of Reincarnation Pagoda, and it's the only thing that can truly destroy Jue Tian. Everyone says that Reincarnation Pagoda has seven floors, but in reality, there are eight floors. The only thing is that it's impossible to open up the eighth floor unless certain conditions are met. Even I, the Master of Reincarnation Pagoda, have no way around this." Su Qing pulled out the plaque that Quiet And Steadfast had previously given him and weighed it in his hand. "Opening the eighth floor requires three items: the Immortal Transformation Plaque, Magic Stone, and Wooden Figurine. Back then, the Mara Hall and Lich Palace were in charge of searching for these three items, but in the end, they only managed to find the Immortal Transformation Plaque before the situation got out of hand. When that happened, they had no choice but to put off the search for the other two items and turn their attention to dealing with the Shinra Sect instead."
"Then, does that mean that once we find the Magic Stone and Wooden Figurine, we'll be able to open up the eighth floor and destroy Jue Tian once and for all?" Quiet And Steadfast asked.
"Can you tell us what these two items look like?" Pure Crane added.
"You can't judge a book by its cover; these two items look nothing out of the ordinary. To your average person, they would look like a broken rook and damaged plaque…"
An idea sparked in Shen Jingbin's mind while Su Qing was in the midst of speaking. She thought back to that broken rock and plaque that the system had given her when she'd first started playing and hurriedly pulled them out. "Could you perhaps be referring to these two items?"
"Eh?" Su Qing looked dubiously at the items Shen Jingbin held up before him. He then took them in his hands and carefully inspected them. His expression turned serious, and he used one hand to form a hand sign over the items.
"These… these are the real things!" Su Qing exclaimed. "Never would I have expected that these items, which we've been searching for so many years, would actually end up in your hands!"
Shen Jingbin silently mocked up. "Heheh, it's the system's divine providence, after all, so you guys obviously wouldn't be able to find it."
Everyone else stared at Shen Jingbin like they'd just seen a ghost.
What the f*ck, this girl's practically a bug-like existence! The man had just said that these items were incredibly difficult to find, and here she is pulling them out the very next moment!
The hell! Now they definitely knew who they were going to cling to in the future!
Su Qing excitedly stood up and issued a quick reminder before he hurriedly left. "Since the items have been found, we can begin preparations to open the eighth floor! Just remember, you'll have to lure Jue Tian over to Reincarnation Pavilion if you want to destroy him!"
At the same time, the group received a system notification.
"Congratulations to you and your party for finding Jue Tian's fatal weakness. The battle between good and evil will begin once the Divine Weapons have been forged and the number of players within the Shinra Sect has reached its limit. Please continue to do your best."
Why did it feel like trouble was brewing on the horizon?
Although the New Year holidays still hadn't ended, the Shen siblings break was already over. They had no choice but to rejoin the ranks of the working class. Ye Linfan had taught them whatever he could, so he sent in his leave request to Papa Shen and had gone on holiday. Now, B City's branch office was officially in the hands of the siblings.
For now, matters in the game had to be put on hold. At present, Pure Crane needed to forge Divine Weapons for the rest of the Lead Disciples, and they still needed to wait for the Shinra sect to hit its target of one thousand disciples.
Partway through the forging process, Pure Crane found out that there wasn't enough Floating Light Silk, so Quiet And Steadfast helped out by leading a group of players from Jade Sea Pavilion to defeat the Universal Envoy. From this, Jade Sea Pavilion and Bronze Tree's alliance was officially established.