Chapter 388.2: Do I... Look Like a Supreme Treasure?

Chapter 388.2: Do I... Look Like a Supreme Treasure?

Qi Yuan laughed. "That's a rather roundabout compliment for a brush."

The Strange Painter's gaze remained fixed on the brush, shifting with wonder. "What is this, really? Could it be a supreme treasure? No, those are things of legend, and even Yang Spirits can barely obtain one. How would something like that appear here?"

She was excited. In comparison, her brush was utterly and embarrassingly ordinary!

He paused. "Well, I’m not sure if it is a supreme treasure, but this brush is quite something."

After all, Dong Jun had once used this very brush to turn illusion into reality within the Mountain-Sea Scroll. However, Qi Yuan didn't know if it was comparable to Taihuang Palace Master’s supreme treasure. Did supreme treasures come with tiers?

Then, Qi Yuan waved his hand, and seven presentation slides materialized in the air. "The brush is ready. Now it's your turn to tell me about the underworld."

Something struck him, and he turned solemn. How could one explain a presentation without the presenters? Long ago, through extensive discussions with the underworld's divine administrators, Qi Yuan had already mapped out its structure. He had also worked out a thorough and well-developed plan together.

Thus, he declared like giving an imperial decree, "Empress Earth, Underworld King, the Ten Kings of Hell, the Five Ghost Emperors, come out now!"

Just then, a cold wind seemed to pass through the entire studio. Over a dozen figures materialized, each exuding a deep, enigmatic presence that felt as inscrutable as the abyss.

The Strange Painter's expression shifted. The Jade Maiden, a Mythic, was the strongest existence she had ever encountered. And yet, these figures carried an aura more mysterious and unfathomable than the Jade Maiden's. Had someone told her that each of them was a Yang Spirit, she would have believed it.

Then, something even more spectacular happened. All of these mysterious powerhouses lowered their heads before Qi Yuan.

"Greetings, my lord!"

The Strange Painter's heart lurched. Could it be that the Blood-Clothed Sword God really is a supreme treasure?

When Qi Qi spotted Jiang Lingsu, her face lit up with a bright, cheerful smile. "Godfather, this must be Godmother, right? She's a breathtaking beauty! You two are a perfect match!"

As the one who visualized Empress Earth, she also oversaw the founding of the underworld.

Jiang Lingsu's face went scarlet in an instant. She stared at Qi Qi, completely at a loss.

Qi Yuan cleared his throat. "Don't say things like that. This is my junior sister."

Qi Qi's smile only widened. "With how beautiful she is, wouldn't it be a waste if she married someone else?"

"Hey, Qi Qi, don't go defining women like that. Why does a girl have to get married?" Qi Yuan then turned to the rest. "I want you to introduce her to the structure of the underworld. When I find suitable land, help her paint it out for me."

"Leave it to me, Godfather! I'll take good care of this!" Qi Qi said.

Qi Yuan turned to the Strange Painter. "Paint the underworld for me, and I'll give you that square meter of land. Oh, and while you're at it, I need you to compile everything the Jade Maiden told you about the Great Calamity, the supreme treasure, and Taihuang Palace. The Qi Yuan Eliminates the Great CalamityPlan has to be as thorough and perfect as possible.

"It will undoubtedly be the greatest plan in the history of the Canglan World. I wouldn't be surprised if future generations record it in history books and commemorate it in museums. I'm sure future generations will make dramas about it. I just hope whichever actor plays me is good-looking, or they won't be able to capture my essence.[1][2]"

The Strange Painter was somewhat bewildered. She had followed the first part well enough, but the second part had completely lost her. Even so, she nodded earnestly. "Understood. I will compile everything for you immediately."

She now used formal language to address him. Before, when Qi Yuan had spoken of overthrowing the Great Calamity, she had seen only a lone courageous fool pressing forward against the impossible.

Now, after seeing the Brush of Mountains and Rivers and over a dozen mysterious Yang Spirit-level cultivators appeared at his side, her attitude changed. Her long-dormant heart kindled with the faintest thread of hope.

Could he actually do it?

Still, she suppressed that hope. At the same time, she came to a decision. She would write to the Hidden World Organization, where the Wine Master had belonged, and tell them not to bring trouble to the Blood-Clothed Sword God. Otherwise, they were walking to their own deaths.

***

Rain fell with a quiet pitter-patter. Qi Yuan sat in a pavilion, his eyes calm and still. Every day, he observed the cultivators of the world beyond just Helan Province. Progress was slow. His knowledge of the mark remained limited, and even the Strange Painter had been of little help.

The sound of footsteps approached. "Fellow Daoist Qi, it's been a while. I heard you broke through to the Violet Palace realm, what a pity and a cause for celebration all at once!"

Qi Yuan looked up, and a warm smile broke across his otherwise composed face. "Lord Great Wisdom! My dear friend, you've finally come!"

Genuine relief washed over him. Every time a problem emerged, Great Wisdom had always found a way to offer some new angle with that brilliant mind of his.

Great Wisdom said, "When I received your transmission, I came as quickly as I could. I'm exhausted and a little hungry. Let me eat first."

He lifted the bone hanging around his neck to his mouth, gnawed on it, then licked it a few times.

Qi Yuan watched him. "What is this treasure of yours?"

Looking startled, Great Wisdom quickly pulled the bone back. "Ah, well. Do you remember the last time we met, when someone tried to curse you using a diseased bird? At the time, the bird got burned to a crisp. Since I'm a man of refined tastes, I didn't eat it. You ate the bird's flesh and you were going to give me the bones..."

Qi Yuan stated clearly, "I remember throwing the bones away because the bird was diseased."

He remembered it well. The cultivators of the Mountain of Fate had tried to ambush him using a sick bird. He'd killed them afterward and wiped out the Mountain of Fate with a curse technique.

Great Wisdom replied, "Well, you didn't end up getting sick, did you? Doesn't that mean the bird was fine after all? I saw the bones hadn't been fully burned, so I picked them up and gave them a taste. They're just really tough, I can't quite chew through them."

Qi Yuan nodded "I see."

"I've had some thoughts about the mark you mentioned."

Qi Yuan's eyes lit up. "Oh?"

Great Wisdom truly lived up to his name. From the moment he arrived, he already had something to offer.

Great Wisdom asked, "Do you remember the book I once saw in a dream?"

Qi Yuan's eyes brightened further. "Could it be that you also found a way to break the mark in that book?"

His understanding of the Yang Spirit realm had come entirely from the book Great Wisdom had glimpsed in that dream.

"Yes and no."

"Great Wisdom, stop being cryptic and playing the wise sage. I know exactly how capable you are."

"Where did that diseased bird come from?"

Qi Yuan waved a hand and a small wooden door materialized. "This door!"

The door had come from the cultivators who had tried to ambush him back then. Its appearance was similar to the Myriad Phenomena Gate Qi Yuan had once seen in the Flowing Wind World.

Great Wisdom explained, "Right. That door bears a striking resemblance to the legendary Myriad Principle Gate. The Myriad Principle Gate is a supreme treasure, the foremost of all extraordinary artifacts.

"According to legend, every cultivator who reaches the Principle realm and breaks through will leave an imprint of their comprehended principle upon the Myriad Principle Gate. This door is protected by the laws of principle itself. It may well be capable of severing all marks and chains of cause and effect from this world!"

Qi Yuan froze as he recalled something. When he had been in the Flowing Wind World, while comprehending his Origin Divine Technique and the Great Forgetfulness Sutra, he had also left a mark inside the Myriad Phenomena Gate.

Am I technically in the Principle realm then? How would I not know?

He stared at Great Wisdom, slightly suspicious. "You know a remarkable amount. If real life were a game, you'd definitely be on very good terms with the developers."

Qi Yuan felt that his friend was truly mysterious, like he was shrouded in some Wisdom Halo fog. [3][4]

1. Big sis votes for Xu Kai or Dylan Wang ☜

2. This editor votes for Dylan Wang. ☜

3. Internet slang here that is used when someone has unnatural insight that they otherwise shouldn't have about a plot. ☜

4. ***E/N: I did think it was weird when he casually pulled nuggets of wisdom out of a random dream. ☜