Dragon Canon

“Sacred Heart, you old demon, I’ll never forget this! Ouch, easy there, easy there! Junior Nephew Sun, be gentler!”

Trueman Chu He was currently lying face-down on the bed in a thatched cottage[1], his face bruised and swollen, and his body covered in wounds.

There were three bone-deep gashes in his back, and several of his ribs had been sliced nearly in half. Sun Yu was currently treating his wounds, working as swiftly as the wind while employing rather brutal methods.

The Trueman kept cursing Sacred Heart while begging Sun Yu to go easier on him. Sun Yu kept agreeing, but he just couldn’t shake the habits that had been ingrained into him over the years in the Xuanming Hall.

For instance, he pulled out a severed tendon[2] from the old Daoist’s wound, stretched it taut, and tied it in a knot with another severed end. He then applied an ointment that caused the old Daoist’s screams to rise an octave higher. Finally, he imprinted a mark of Dao energy.

It was said this was the standard procedure of the Xuanming Hall: connecting vital tendons and using an ointment to regenerate the severed flesh. The reason they applied a Dao energy mark was to inform the patient that once the tendons had healed, they could remove the excess tissue themselves.

Despite the old Daoist’s pitiful appearance, his screams were full of vigor. His exposed muscles were writhing non-stop, and patches of green shoots were even sprouting from within. All his wounds were healing at lightning speed, and after Sun Yu’s treatment, it looked like he’d be back on his feet in less than three days.

The whole incident had happened far too quickly. By the time Wei Yuan flew out of the merit hall, the battle beyond the domain had already ended.

Trueman Chu He had plucked a hidden Great Warlock from the void as soon as he flew out of the realm, but there was a problem—it was Sacred Heart, the formidable Great Warlock Wei Yuan had encountered once in the Realm of Coldbelow.

It was only after Trueman Chu He had whipped out his eight immortal swords that he realized every single one of them looked dull and lightless, and their power reduced to a mere twenty or thirty percent. Before he could even process his bewilderment, Sacred Heart’s shamanic arts had already crashed down on him.

Sacred Heart was a rare Dao Warlock. He was also a formidable warrior capable of weathering the Day of Flies head on and escape. Naturally, beating an old man whose immortal swords had turned into useless hunks of metal was child’s play. He had instantly bloodied the old Daoist’s face and bruised him everywhere.

Seeing the writing on the wall, the old Daoist hurriedly broke through the swarm of shamanic arts and fled back to the realm. Right before Sacred Heart would cross into the domain, he suddenly stopped in his tracks. He ignored the cat and snake hovering at the edge of the domain and glanced toward the center, seemingly pensive. Then, he turned and vanished just like that.

Master Chu He had been holding onto a big, golden pill and getting ready to swallow it. He had been quite surprised to see that Sacred Heart hadn’t pursued him into the realm. So, he put the pill away and, supported by his disciples, returned to his thatched cottage.

That was when Wei Yuan finally reached the scene and summoned Sun Yu to treat the Trueman’s injuries. At the same time, the entire realm entered a temporary state of high alert, ready to meet any possible surprise attack from Sacred Heart.

However, despite remaining on high alert for quite some time, there was not the slightest sign of movement from the Shamans. Standing at the edge of the domain, Wei Yuan could sense something extremely subtle constantly brushing past his body. Had his perception not been so keen, he would have overlooked it.

Wei Yuan pretended not to notice and stayed on guard for a while longer. Only then did he return to the center of the realm to check on Trueman Chu He’s injuries.

Trueman Chu He’s physical body was remarkably resilient. He looked like he was moments away from being torn to pieces, but in reality, he had suffered only superficial injuries. On the other hand, the bruising on his face was caused by Sacred Heart’s shamanic arts. While the injury itself was not severe, the shamanic energy embedded within was extremely tenacious. The bruises wouldn’t fade until the shamanic energy was broken down bit by bit.

Sacred Heart was a Dao Warlock. His mystic energy and his level of existence were exceedingly high and roughly on par with Ji Liuli and Bao Yun. It was also a full tier higher than Trueman Chu He’s. Thus, it would not be easy for Trueman Chu He to dispel it. He was going to have to carry two black circles around his eyes for at least three or four days.

Trueman Chu He was, of course, so furious that he let loose a torrent of curses, no longer caring about the dignity befitting a high cultivator.

After ranting for a while, it abruptly occurred to the old Daoist that the main reason he’d been beaten blue and black was because his eight immortal swords had suddenly ceased to function. He was a man of great knowledge and experience, so he guessed the truth immediately. “Did the Shamans modify this part of the world and seal away all immortal swords?”

“That’s right,” Wei Yuan replied.

The old Daoist was fuming. “Why didn’t anyone to tell me?”

“You’ve only just arrived; I haven’t had a chance to tell you yet. Besides, I figured guarding the place is my job, and you’re just here to rent a few plots of land. I didn’t realize that you were so fiercely opposed to evil that you’d rush out like that.”

Wei Yuan was telling the truth. He truly hadn’t intended to drag the old Daoist onto his chariot so to speak—all he’d wanted was to farm a few more plots and form a small karmic bond with him[3].

Trueman Chu He could not say anything against that. He’d originally planned to make a grand showing of himself in front of the disciples of Fen Hai; to show them just how formidable the farmers and pig-raisers of the Jianmu Hall really were. Instead, not only did he run headlong into a Dao Warlock—a breed of Shaman so rare it was entirely possible to live for eight hundred years and never run into one—but his immortal swords were also sealed! With such luck, one could only say his year was cursed.

Feeling frustrated, Trueman Chu He summoned his two spirit pets back. A cat and a snake instantly appeared by his bedside and stared curiously at the dark circles surrounding his eyes.

Enraged, the old Daoist was about to strike the two insolent creatures as punishment. But when he saw that the black cat was missing patches of fur and couldn’t straighten one of his claws, and the snake was missing a whole section of scales with blood seeping from its skin, he found himself stopping.

The old Daoist sighed and said to Wei Yuan, “These two little fellas have been with me for many years and are no less intelligent than your cultivators. You can say they’re my disciples in all but name. Feel free to get to know them; that way, you can look out for each other.”

The two spirit pets looked small and cute, but in reality, they had both attained the Avatar stage. Wei Yuan stood up and bowed in greeting. Then, seeing how docile and adorable the black cat was, he wondered if he should shake its paw.

Suddenly, the black cat let out a shriek, arched its back, and bristled. Staring at Wei Yuan, it took two steps back, then suddenly spun around and darted into the old Daoist’s sleeve, vanishing from sight. The snake had also slipped silently into his pocket before anyone noticed.

This unexpected turn of events caught both Trueman Chu He and Wei Yuan off guard. The old Daoist looked at Wei Yuan with confusion and asked, “What were you trying to do to them?”

Wei yuan was just as baffled. All he had wanted to do was to shake the black cat’s paw. He hadn’t even planned to pet it yet, so why were they acting so terrified? Besides, why would two Avatar-stage spirit beasts be afraid of a mere early-stage Dao Foundation stage cultivator?

The old Daoist spent a few moments communicating with his two spirit beasts. When he looked at Wei Yuan again, his expression had grown serious. “Black Jade can bridge the realms of the living and the dead and foretell fortune and misfortune,” he said. “It sensed an aura of death on you. It seems you’ve been targeted by something.”

“Are you sure it’s not sensing the quietude energy of the nether soul?”

Trueman Chu He shook his head. “Quietude energy is one of the origin qi of the world. What Black Jade divines is fortune, and it would seem that misfortune is about to befall you in the near future. A big misfortune, even.”

Wei Yuan understood what this meant and replied, “This junior understands.”

Trueman Chu He looked thoughtful. “It seems you’ve made preparations. That’s good.”

Trueman Chu He got out of bed just as Wei Yuan was about to take his leave, the sudden movement causing him to hiss in pain. Cursing Sun Yu under his breath, he pulled out a carrot-like object and handed it to Wei Yuan, saying, “Plant this in front of your house. It can tweak your fortune.”

Wei Yuan was taken aback. Was there such a spirit plant?

Trueman Chu He said, “You’re such an ignorant lad. The spirit plants for feng shui at our Jianmu Hall had always been our main source of income. If not for the emergence of True Lord Yan Shi, the Heavenly Mysteries Hall would not have surpassed us to become the leader in the Dao of feng shui.”

Wei Yuan was surprised once more. He had no idea that the relationships between the various halls within the Palace of Absolute Beginning were so complex, or that their domains overlapped with one another. He accepted the carrot and asked, “What is this spirit plant called? What makes it special? And what should I be careful of when planting it?”

“It’s called the Fortune-Tweaking Carrot. It absorbs surrounding yin qi and negative qi to ward off misfortune for you. But don’t expect miracles from it—it can only ward off minor illnesses and small disasters, and improve your luck by a tiny bit.”

Wei Yuan thanked him, then said, “Actually, I have a bit of nether soil left. It should be enough to fill three more plots.”

Trueman Chu He’s eyes lit up. “What are you waiting for then? With six plots, this old Daoist’s speed in cultivating new immortal plants might just double! This matter concerns my Dao path—it must be treated with the utmost importance!”

Wei Yuan silently thought to himself: There is only one Xu Wenwu. I could clear sixty more plots for you, and the one that mutates will still likely be that single plant, so it won’t speed things up one bit for you.

But of course, he couldn’t say this. The Trueman was still recovering from severe injuries, and he didn’t want to dampen his spirits.

After taking his leave of Trueman Chu He, Wei Yuan returned to his quarters and planted the carrot by the window. He had never grown a fortune-tweaking spirit plant before, so he was quite curious about it. That said, he didn’t harbor any high hopes for it. The trouble he’d caused was simply too great; even if he gathered every spirit-possessed carrot in the entire world, it likely wouldn’t be enough to turn his fortune around.

Still, this carrot had arrived at just the right moment. Wei Yuan had already set up an array around his room, but he hadn’t had the time to place the spirit object due to various circumstances. Now, this carrot would be occupying a slot.

After putting the carrot, Wei Yuan placed the rest of the spirit objects in the corresponding direction as well. Then, he dripped a single drop of white-gold sap of the Bay Laurel Immortal Tree into the array on his desk and activated the array.

This was an array for fortune-fishing. The bait was the drop of tree sap.

Although Wei Yuan did not recognize Sacred Heart’s name, he would never mistake his mystic aura. The Dao Warlock normally operated within the Realm of Coldbelow, but now, he had appeared outside the realm’s boundaries. He was clearly targeting Wei Yuan.

The realm wasn’t impenetrable or airtight. Frankly, it was full of gaps that any Great Warlock with even a smidgen of skill could infiltrate like a sponge. Take that female Warlock, for example. She basically came and went as she pleased. That was why Wei Yuan had prepared multiple contingency plans. This fortune array was merely one of them.

Once the array was activated, the array disc gradually vanished, and all the spirit objects used to set it up disappeared as well, leaving not a trace behind. All that remained in its place was a simple wooden house, completely unguarded.

Wei Yuan reentered the merit hall and began going through the advanced Dao spells he hadn’t finished reviewing earlier. He quickly found what he was looking for.

The Dao spell he was looking at was named Water Blade Storm. Its original template was the basic of the basic, the Water Blade spell. In the Shaman realm, all water and wood-element Dao spells received significant boosts, and metal-element spells also saw a slight boost. Since Wei Yuan had always been adept at using Water Blade, he had set his sights on this advanced technique.

Water Blade Storm was classified as Profound-grade. In the Palace of Absolute Beginning, Dao techniques were divided into four grades based on their power and function: Heaven, Earth, Profound, and Yellow. Water Blade was an untiered spell, but Water Blade Storm was a Profound-grade Dao spell; perfectly average. Though it was primarily intended for Avatars, it could be practiced by Dao Foundation stage cultivators as well.

The creator of Water Blade Storm was quite the prominent figure, though. It was none other than Pei Tinghai.

So, the Immortal Lord had also modified Dao spells in his early years and built his fortune on them, Wei Yuan mused.

After an advanced Dao spell was submitted to the merit hall, every time someone redeemed a copy, the Palace of Absolute Beginning would give a portion of the rewards to the original author. Though the amount wasn’t large, it was a steady, long-term source of income.

The Profound-grade advanced Dao spell was likely one of Immortal Lord Tinghai’s earlier works. By now, it must have generated over a thousand years worth of merits. As long as the original author was still alive, the Palace of Absolute Beginning would continue to share the proceeds. If the author had passed away, his descendants could still receive the share for another three hundred years. Thus, ever since this system was implemented, countless cultivators had devoted themselves to refining Dao techniques. After all, if they succeeded in developing even one Dao spell that was widely circulated, it would become a true blessing for future generations.

Wei Yuan estimated that Immortal Lord Tinghai did not need to wait until the Ultimate Unity stage to start earning merits. The number of people exchanging for Water Blade Storm had probably surged significantly after he became a True Lord. After all, they all had to be thinking the same thing; they must have hoped to glean a glimpse of the secrets of ascension through his early works.

In fact, there were six other Dao techniques that were similar to Water Blade Storm. However, only one of these authors had become a True Lord, while the rest were merely Avatars. One of these Avatars had even passed away. After comparing the authors, Wei Yuan ultimately chose to exchange for the Immortal Lord’s Water Blade Storm.

Wei Yuan was empowered by fortune right now. He had a faint premonition that this Dao technique might not be as simple as it appeared on the surface. It could very well be hiding some sort of secret.

As a Profound-grade Dao spell, Water Blade Storm required only 2,000 merits to exchange—a full ten percent cheaper than other Dao spells in the same vein. Wei Yuan surmised that perhaps the Immortal Lord was concerned about saving face and felt it would be inappropriate to set the price too high. He had to make it cheaper to give the appearance of benevolence and goodwill.

While marveling at the Immortal Lord’s character, Wei Yuan proceeded with the exchange. A thin volume quickly appeared in his hand.

The medium used to record any and all Dao spells were identical—a single piece of jade paper. However, to signify their importance, all Dao techniques of a certain grade were bound into volumes with front and back covers.

Having acquired the Dao spell, Wei Yuan opened the book and read it carefully. Water Blade Storm was actually quite simple. The text consisted of only a few thousands words, written concisely and to the point. Wei Yuan read it from cover to cover in less than half a teatime and finally realized—he hadn’t understood a thing.

Wei Yuan recognized each and every word on the piece of jade paper. Each sentence was succinct, concise and comprehensive as well. But when put together, the text made no sense to him.

Even stranger, even though he hadn’t understood the book, he was now capable of casting Water Blade Storm. Wei Yuan was bewildered to say the least.

It felt just like when he had listened to his Heaven and Earth Theory teacher explaining the orbits of planets and stars—he knew the answer, but didn’t understand the process at all.

Fortunately, there was a short passage at the end of the book: “If there are any points that you do not understand, you may exchange for my modest work: The Principles of The Water Blade Spell.”

In truth, Wei Yuan could already use Water Blade Storm. However, that was merely copying the form without understanding the essence. How could someone walk the path to immortality with a superficial grasp of a certain knowledge?

With a blank expression, Wei Yuan sacrificed a chunk of nether soil and exchanged for The Principles of The Water Blade Spell. This time, the fruit split open and dropped five books in one go, causing a sense of foreboding to well up in Wei Yuan’s heart.

1. If you search for the word 草庐 you’ll find that it’s shaped very much like a pavilion. Hence, not a mistake (also I’m just the translator, he literally used the word pavilion in the previous chapter shrug). ☜

2. A reminder that what this world calls a “tendon” is a “nerve” in our world. Now shudder. ☜

3. I just want you to make you part of the sacrifice that will happen should the Shamans be crazy enough to enact a Great Karmic Curse. 😀 ☜