Chapter 57 - Mandate of Heaven
Dive into Chapter 57 of "Journey to the End of the Night": The elder revealed a smile and said, āI called you here today because I wanted... Find out more!
The elder revealed a smile and said, āI called you here today because I wanted to know if Brother Si Chen is really the person I have been waiting for.ā
Baili An frowned slightly, but still obediently walked to the edge of the ancient well.
He looked down into the well, and his dark pupils took on a layer of astonishment.
Because what was reflected in the well was neither the cool beauty of the night scenery nor the shimmering ripples of the water.
Instead, it was a sky-full of the azure Star River.
It was as ifā¦
the waters of the Star River above the sky had all been carried into this well.
Baili An was profoundly captivated by the beauty of the Star River, and his gaze could not be shifted from it, accompanied by a faint laughter from the elder.
Inside his body, it felt as if a massive door had been violently thrust open.
A strange scene occurredā¦
Baili Anās perspective changed; it became higher and further.
He saw his own body standing by the well, bending down to look into it.
But his motionless body housed a transparent soul that detached from the shell.
The Star River-like well water began to swirl into a beautiful vortex, seemingly with an infinite suction power that directly drew the soul beneath his shell into the mouth of the well.
In the next moment, Baili Anās view flipped upside down, and as he suddenly looked up, he found himself standing on a boundless Star River.
And above his head, imposingly, stood a total of ten halls.
Baili An reached out bewilderedly, trying to touch the unreachable holiness of those temples.
At that moment, an aged voice rang in Baili Anās mind, āChild, tell me, what do you see?ā
His palm trembled slightly as he had yet to fully extend it, but Baili An somehow felt an illusion.
An illusion that he had grasped all ten halls in the palm of his own universe.
He murmured, āI see ten temples, very tall.ā
The elderās voice fell silent for a long, long time.
After a long while, the elderās voice echoed again, carrying a husky emotion barely restrained, āSo it is, is it really that?
No wonderā¦ no wonderā¦ā
Just as the elder was about to summon Baili Anās soul back using his Divine Thought, Baili An shifted his gaze slightly and added, āAnd thereās moreā¦ā
More?!
The elderās heart suddenly leapt, and the shock caused the ancient treeās vines and leaves to rustle loudly.
Impossible!
Those halls have been ten since ancient times!
It certainly cannot have an additional one!
Is this young man lying?
Baili An was unaware of the elderās thoughts at this moment.
He slowly spread his palm, which now startlingly bloomed with nine green lotuses, each carrying an ancient scroll within it.
āI also saw nine green lotuses, each containing a book.ā
This time the silence lasted even longerā¦
As if dead silence reigned!
Baili An shifted his gaze again, looking downward.
Beneath his feet, the Star Sea displayed thirteen reflections.
The reflections were too dark to discern their forms, but by their contours, they resembled thirteen giant Ancient Swords.
Before the elder could recover, Baili An spoke slowly again, āI seeā¦ hidden in the Star River, thirteen swords.ā
His gaze meandered along the Star River flowing toward the distance, and at the end of the Star River, he saw a hint of crimson red.
Baili An wanted to clearly see what the source of that red was, starting to step forward.
However, this Star River was exceedingly long, and the journey too far could not be sustained by the elderās current spiritual power.
The Star River shattered, the thirteen Ancient Swords fell into darkness and vanished.
The nine green lotuses in his palm also seemed to be torn apart by some breaking force and withered away.
Baili An looked up bewilderedly, watching the ten halls in the rolling clouds disappear into the skyline like a mirage.
A feeling of weightlessness came from beneath his feet.
Baili Anās body lightened, plunging into the darkness of the Abyss.
As if an extremely long century had passed.
Baili An, standing by the well, slowly opened his eyes, his pupils still retaining a trace of the Star River scenery.
He groaned, taking several steps back, an uncalled-for sense of fear arising in his heart.
What was that just now?
At this moment, the elder in the ancient tree had not noticed that Baili Anās consciousness had returned.
The wind hissed fiercely, as if reflecting the elderās emotions, with thunder echoing in the sky above.
āOldā¦ grandfather?ā Baili An tentatively called out.
The elder shuddered all over, and thenā¦ from those aged eyes, tears slowly fell.
His gaze shifted, looking at Baili An as if through a boundless ocean.
His body trembled, voice quivering as he said, āIt really is you.ā
Baili An looked down at his empty palm, not a single green lotus left.
An unexplainable pain in his heart, as if he had lost a very important memory.
He looked up somewhat uncomfortably at the elder and asked, āWhatā¦ exactly happened?ā
The elderās look towards Baili An had completely changed, no longer like an elder viewing a younger generation.
His gaze carried supreme fervor and reverence, filled with a faith and radiance!
He spoke deliberately, as if conveying a very important responsibility, āFrom today onward!
You are the new lord of this mountain!ā
His words became deeds!
The moment his words fell, golden light burst forth from Baili Anās body instantly, soaring to the sky like a pillar, enveloping him as if he were a deity.
And at that moment, Baili An felt a majestic, ocean-like power of worship flowing crazily from the elderās body into his own.
In the depths of the Dantian, the Yin Yang Tao Fish began to spin wildly.
One circle represented a First Realm.
Baili An felt as if a force was about to burst through his abdomen.
He knelt on one knee in agony, his facial expression pale and enduring, clenching his teeth hard without letting out a cry of pain.
The Yin Yang Tao Fish ascended a layer of sacred, pure golden outline.
After circulating ten full circles, Baili Anās lower bodyās Qi shook, and at that moment, instantly broke through to the Second Realm of the mortal world, the Realm of the Opening.
And his body, which had ceased growing, seemed to have grown significantly in height at the same time.
The golden light dispersed.
The mountain was still this mountain.
The lake was still this lake.
Only, the master of this Mountain Realm had, in a mere instant, changed into a completely different person.
Baili An gasped heavily, vomiting out the water in his stomach thoroughly.
His pupils, slightly larger than those of an ordinary person, became clearer and more luminescent, as if washed by fresh rain.
A burning heat arose in his cold palm, with a golden platform seal flickering in and out of visibility.
Baili An knew, in this moment, he had inexplicably taken on a significant responsibility.
He smiled wryly, āOld grandfather, you never asked if I was willing to be the lord of this Kongcang Mountainā¦ā
He stopped suddenly.