Chapter 1270: The Inexplicable Clairvoyance
So every spell I’ve learned is indeed in its most original form?
The Nine-Layers Immortal’s words only made Lu Yang more convinced of his own theory.
“What about the Three Flavor True Fire, Shrinking Earth To Inches, and Close Horizon From Cliff? What were they like in the primordial era?” Lu Yang asked.
The Nine-Layers Immortal was utterly befuddled. “What do you mean, what they were like?”
“I mean, could these spells have been different in the primordial era than they are now?”
The Nine-Layers Immortal found Lu Yang’s question rather amusing. But judging by everyone’s reactions, it didn’t seem like Lu Yang was joking, so he didn’t dare jump to conclusions.
“That’s hard to say. Records of the primordial era are too sparse. Most of what is known about primordial history comes from legends passed down among the various races. I’ve had to carefully sift through them to determine which parts are true and which parts are exaggerated.
“Furthermore, it’s difficult to ascertain the veracity of most legends. Take the extinct Kuafu[1] race, for example. According to their legends, the kuafu were all titans, and ordinary clothes were too small to cover them, so they developed spells to enlarge garments. There were even sayings that the Animal Form Fist and the Heaven-Earth Dharma Manifestation share the same origin or whatnot.”
“I see. Thank you for letting me know.” Lu Yang cupped his fists in gratitude.
The Nine-Layers Immortal waved his hand. “They’re nothing but hearsay and legend. I used to tell them to Heaven Mandate and the others as jokes. They never showed any interest.
“Since Young Friend Lu has emerged from seclusion and Everlasting has arrived, does that mean we can proceed with the seal removal?” The Nine-Layers Immortal was raring to go. He had prepared extensively for this day and was determined to make the display even more spectacular than the celestial phenomena during his Immortal Ascension Tribulation.
The Everlasting Immortal Fairy was about to say yes when Lu Yang cut in. “There are still a few things we need to confirm. Once we’re done with that, shall we meet you and the other seniors at the imperial palace?”
“That works too.”
The Nine-Layers Immortal decided not to continue arguing with the “illiterates” at the Imperial Taixue Academy over who was the foremost of the Four Ancient Immortals. He headed to the imperial palace to wait for the others.
After the Nine-Layers Immortal departed, the Everlasting Immortal Fairy voiced her confusion. “What else do we need to do?”
“Immortal Fairy, the ‘Clairvoyance’ you taught me came from Senior Epoch Immortal, right? I’d like to ask him how that spell came to be.”
According to the Xia Emperor, the Epoch Immortal was currently at the headquarters of the Luodi Merchant Guild. The group left the Imperial Taixue Academy and made their way there.
Aside from Yun Zhi, this was everyone’s first visit to the merchant guild’s headquarters. True to its reputation as the number one merchant guild in the world, it was extravagantly opulent. Two pixiu[2] carved from spirit stones guarded the entrance. The floors were paved with warm red jade that kept the place cool in summer and warm in winter, and the entire structure was built upon a massive heart-calming array that not only aided cultivation but also helped people keep a clear head. Fusion cultivators stood guard on every floor all year round to ensure the safety of the headquarters.
The comings and goings were fabulously wealthy merchants and cultivators at the Divine Transfiguration Stage or above.
“Old Meng, you’ve never been here before?” Lu Yang noticed that Meng Jingzhou was also looking around like it was his first time here.
“Never. My family comes here to do business, so they couldn’t exactly bring me along. Once I started cultivating, I barely returned to the imperial city, and when I did, I just went home. There was no reason to come here.”
“Fair enough.”
Yun Mengmeng seemed unimpressed. “This is the number one merchant guild’s headquarters? It doesn’t seem to match up to our Heaven’s Gate Peak.”
I’ve long heard people say that the Luodi Merchant Guild housed the wealth of the world and was unimaginably luxurious. But seeing it now, it’s nothing special. Their items aren’t as valuable as those on Heaven’s Gate Peak, and their people’s cultivation levels aren’t as high either.
“Where is Senior Epoch Immortal?”
“Probably on the top floor,” Yun Zhi replied. She could roughly guess why the Epoch Immortal was here. She headed straight for the stairs, and the others followed.
Technically speaking, the upper floors were off-limits to outsiders, but Yun Zhi’s icy, distant demeanor was so overwhelming that anyone who tried to stop the group was too intimidated to move.
One attendant mustered the courage to stop them, but his supervisor pulled him back. “This is Yun Zhi. There’s no need to stop her.”
“Yun Zhi?” The attendant was unfamiliar with the name.
“Yun Zhi is the Big Senior Sister of the Dao-Seeking Sect and an important client of our merchant guild. The president specifically instructed that she be allowed free access to the headquarters.”
“There’s such a privilege?”
“It’s normal that you don’t know. She hasn’t set foot here in over a hundred years.”
Yun Zhi led the group to the president’s office at the far end of the top floor.
Before she could knock, the door swung open on its own. The Epoch Immortal sat in the president’s seat, delivering a lecture to two students seated before him.
Lu Yang recognized one of the students. It was the Thief King. The other student was an elderly man with one leg, presumably the Thief Ancestor.
Everyone except Yun Zhi was baffled. Why were the two founders of the Thief Sect at the merchant guild headquarters?
Upon spotting Lu Yang and Meng Jingzhou, the Thief King shuddered as the harrowing memories of Zhongshan Commandery came flooding back.
“Senior, are you in the middle of a lecture?” Yun Zhi asked.
The Epoch Immortal chuckled as he rose to his feet. “We have some affinity in terms of cultivation, so I was just casually sharing some things with them.
“Alright, I have some matters to attend to now. You may withdraw.”
The Thief King and the Thief Ancestor bowed in unison. “Yes.”
Both of them had condensed a Speed Incipient Dao Fruit, whose superior Dao Fruit was the Epoch Dao Fruit. Upon learning that the Epoch Immortal had appeared in the imperial city, they earnestly beseeched him to impart his knowledge.
Yun Zhi nodded. She had suspected as much. The Epoch Immortal could only have appeared at the merchant guild headquarters because of the Thief King and the Thief Ancestor.
“Young Friend Lu, you’ve emerged from seclusion? Looks like you’ve gained much. Is this about removing the World Seal?”
Lu Yang cupped his fists. “Thank you for your teachings, Senior Epoch Immortal. I’ve come for two reasons—firstly, for the seal removal, and secondly, I have a question I hope you can clarify.”
“Oh? What is it?”
“Senior, you once taught the Immortal Fairy a divine ability called Clairvoyance. Was it a spell you created yourself?”
The Epoch Immortal replied, “Rather than a spell I created myself, you could say it’s one I was born knowing.”
“Born knowing?” Everyone was taken aback, including the Everlasting Immortal Fairy. She had always assumed it was a byproduct of the Epoch Immortal’s comprehension of his Epoch Dao Fruit.
“It’s somewhat akin to a bloodline divine ability of the demon races.
“As you know, my original form is the Jianmu. After I gained spirit intelligence, I had this inexplicable feeling that I knew a spell. As my spirit intelligence developed, that spell became increasingly clear to me. When I tried to execute it, I discovered I could glimpse the future. Thus, I named it Clairvoyance—foreseeing the future.”
The Epoch Immortal’s answer took Lu Yang by surprise. He had assumed it was a spell he had learned from somewhere.
Since it’s innate, there’s no problem of misinterpretation. But if that’s the case, why can I use “Clairvoyance” to read timelines?
Suddenly, a flash of inspiration struck Lu Yang. “By the way, Senior, didn’t you mention that the Jianmu suffered a great calamity long ago, snapping in half and completely losing its vitality? And that you grew as a new Jianmu from the old one?”
“That’s right.”
“Do you know what that great calamity was?”
The Epoch Immortal shook his head. “No. I hadn’t gained sentience then. It's merely a deduction I made afterward based on the condition of my body.”
Lu Yang furrowed his brows. The Clairvoyance that the Epoch Immortal was born knowing, the old Jianmu snapped in half, and the completely different version of Clairvoyance that I can perform—is there some connection between these three things?
As Lu Yang pondered, a pair of eyes silently watched him from the shadows, unnoticed by everyone.
1. Kuafu is a titan and mythological figure from primordial times. One popular tale is Kuafu Chasing the Sun, where he died of thirst chasing the sun. The term can be used to describe someone as either having great ambitions or overestimating their capabilities. ☜
2. Pixiu is an auspicious beast in Chinese mythology believed to bring happiness and fortune. They often appear in pairs, one male and female, and are seen in houses or buildings to ward off evil. ☜