sbdcsierra Chapter 436 Crystal Lotus
Chapter 436 Crystal Lotus
In the early morning, Shen Xu rubbed his sleepy eyes. As expected of a wealthy sect, even the bed they found was so comfortable.
Sitting cross-legged and closing his eyes, Shen Xu carefully sensed the state within his body. The healing energy had already reached a stalemate with the purple patterns that had invaded his flesh and blood.
But he knew that the healing energy within him was finite, and the purple patterns would devour his flesh and grow stronger. He had to find the Thunder Spirit Liquid before the balance was broken.
His consciousness was focused on his soul, and a nine-tiered crystal lotus with ice cracks was slowly floating above the gray mist of his soul, rising and falling, swaying gently.
Each lotus petal is hazy and indistinct, with gray-blue mist swirling around its base, engraved with three thousand Dao patterns, seemingly spreading chaotic energy, or perhaps evolving the mortal world.
The essence of his divine consciousness, given to him by the shadowy figure, floated in the very center of the Crystal Lotus at some unknown time, radiating a dazzling light that illuminated the crystal lotus petals. Endless divine brilliance filled the air, creating a dreamlike and illusory scene.
In the hazy light, the crystal lotus seemed to be stirring the great Dao of the heavens, or as if ancient deities were chanting scriptures, with the divine sounds of the Great Dao never ceasing.
"To understand one's true nature, one need not seek it externally; to be free from defilement is not to be free from dust, but to know that dust does not dwell on it; the seal of the Way is not the fruit of the Way, but to guard one's heart and attain the Way..."
A crystal lotus appeared between Shen Xu's brows, its nine petals radiating brilliant light, enveloping him and showering down a sky full of clear radiance.
After a long while, Shen Xu opened his eyes, and there seemed to be patterns of the Great Dao flowing in his golden-red eyes.
The nine-grade lotus of the heart, three real and six illusory.
The intent of thunder flowed through the first layer of lotus petals, and purple lightning pierced through the cracks in the glass, dyeing the entire glass lotus bud with a magnificent and domineering purple lightning color.
Feeling the lightning intent being continuously condensed, Shen Xu couldn't help but smile bitterly.
The Immaculate Dao Seal requires an immaculate Dao heart.
With the Immaculate Dao Seal, he could even skip the tribulation of inner demons when breaking through to the next level, but Shen Xu knew that he could not keep the Immaculate Dao Seal at all.
Given the near-shattered state of the Crystal Lotus, the day he flees will be the day the Dao Seal shatters, at which time his soul will also be severely impacted.
"What is this, a trial card for the Immaculate Dao Seal? Another time bomb planted in his soul?"
Taking a deep breath, Shen Xu concealed the crystal lotus between his brows, then pushed open the door and went out.
Last night, with the help of the Spirit Eyes, under the moonlight, he was able to clearly see the beautiful and enchanting scenery inside the Spring Prosperity Pavilion.
As dawn broke and the warm, gentle morning sunlight fell softly on Chunfan Pavilion like a golden veil, he couldn't help but express his heartfelt admiration for the scene before him.
Although the scenery here is slightly inferior to the natural wonders of Qinglingxi, the interior of Chunfan Pavilion is still exquisite and ingenious.
Every detail has been carefully conceived and cleverly designed. Every delicate and beautiful flowering tree, every tall and slender bamboo, and even every seemingly ordinary stone slab, brings a sense of appropriateness and perfection.
The shadows cast by the pillars cut through the star-patterned floor tiles, and the location of the pavilion secretly matched the overall layout of the Tianhe Sword Sect, as well as the trajectory of the stars in the heavens.
Shen Xu felt that the person who designed this pavilion was definitely not simple, and might even be a stargazer of a high rank.
"Young Master, you're awake." Guan Bi, who was sweeping the yard, said with a smile to Shen Xu, who had just stepped out of the room.
"Guanbi, you're really boring." Shen Xu couldn't help but stretch, the unique moisture of the Milky Way filling his lungs and making him feel very comfortable.
"Does the son-in-law not like this title?"
"I hope you would still dare to call me that when Bailu is here."
By the way, hasn't Bailu gotten up yet?
"Miss dares to call him 'son-in-law' even in Guanbi's house! Miss must be too fond of the son-in-law's scent. I wouldn't want to leave the bed where the son-in-law slept either." Guanbi stopped sweeping, seemingly lost in thought.
Shen Xu couldn't help but pinch his forehead; he had no way to deal with Guan Bi.
Seeing Shen Xu's helpless expression, Guan Bi couldn't help but chuckle, "Miss went to see the sect leader! She even said she wanted me to take the young master to tour the Sword Sect."
"Alright! Do you have any extra brooms?"
“The son-in-law can just watch. There’s no reason for a maid to make the son-in-law do chores. Besides, this place isn’t very big. There are only some fallen leaves and petals. I’ll sweep it up in a bit.”
"Does no one usually come to clean this place?" Shen Xu asked, somewhat puzzled. Logically speaking, given Bai Lu's status in the Tianhe Sword Sect, her living area shouldn't be bad.
"Madam doesn't like outsiders coming into Chunfan Pavilion, so she cleans it herself. After Madam leaves, I take over the cleaning."
"Uh... Guanbi, do you know where Bailu's mother went?" He used to think that Bailu's mother had died, but now it seems that this is not the case.
"I don't know either. One day, Madam left without saying goodbye, leaving Miss and me to depend on each other. Miss and I were very young at the time, and we suffered a lot." Guan Bi's voice choked up, and then she gently wiped away non-existent tears.
"I don't believe you!" Shen Xu thought to himself. If Tianhe Sword Master could endure hardship, Bai Lu would never be able to.
"So pitiful!" Shen Xu shook his head with a face full of pity.
"The little maid has been taking care of the young lady for you for so long, so doesn't the young master intend to compensate the little maid in some way? Like a hug, a kiss or something." Guan Bi blinked her big eyes.
"So direct?" Shen Xu's eyes widened immediately.
"Guanbi, let me sweep the floor for you!"
"Tch! So clueless about romance." Guan Bi stopped looking at Shen Xu and focused on sweeping the fallen leaves and flowers from the stone slab into the ground next to her.
Shen Xu sat on the steps in front of the pavilion, quietly watching Guan Bi's every move.
"Is it pretty?" Guan Bi couldn't help but ask, sensing Shen Xu's gaze.
"It looks nice, but Guanbi, why is the cleaning pattern you followed so strangely?"
"It was Madam who taught me this. If we don't clean like this, we might miss a certain place or corner."
"Madam's method is indeed very effective. At first, I only felt extremely tired, but after I became more proficient, I felt very refreshed after each cleaning session, and I could experience a sense of peace and tranquility."
"So that's it!" It seems that Bai Lu's mother was the designer of Chun Fan Pavilion, and probably a master of formations as well. Why didn't the ancient forest give him this feeling?
In his previous life, Shen Xu had studied array formations and patterns with the witch for a period of time. Although he didn't understand them well or become proficient, he could still tell that Guan Bi's cleaning path followed the specific path of the array patterns carved on the floor.
The rest was beyond his comprehension. If Bai Lu's mother was both an astrologer and a master of formations, then Bai Lu...
Thinking of this, Shen Xu couldn't help but smile.
What are you grinning about? Do you think I'm lying to you?
"No, I think Bai Lu's mother must have been a woman of exceptional intelligence. Bai Lu is somewhat wasting the intelligence she inherited."
"Actually, Miss is very smart; she's just too lazy to think things through most of the time."
"Shen Xu, you'd better be careful in the future. If you offend Miss, you'll really have trouble even drinking cold water," Guan Bi said very seriously.