CHAPTER 782: CHAPTER 005 XUANYUAN SWORD’S QI

Zhou Yan, having grown accustomed to the atmosphere of the Cultivation world, still felt somewhat out of place upon suddenly returning to a world permeated with the flavor of technology.

Even though he possessed the memories and body of his previous life, he truly couldn’t adapt.

He couldn’t adapt to the atmosphere here, the way of life, nor the strange attire.

This place should have been a Holy Land of Cultivation, yet now it was inundated with the thick atmosphere of technology, filled with a clamorous essence.

People had forsaken the cultivation and development of their own bodies and had wholly thrown themselves into external things, relying on technology to replace the evolution of the body. On the surface, this appeared to be progress of the era, but external things were ultimately external, not one’s own strength, and could never last.

Standing amidst this land of tombs, Zhou Yan gazed upon the opulent graves that blanketed the hills and then upon the simple graves of his parents, suddenly overwhelmed by an indescribable sentiment.

His Soul Power reached out, and while many of the coffins in these tombs had nearly rotted away, the urns and cremated ashes within remained; not a single grave was empty.

Except for those of his birth parents and adoptive parents.

"If the accidents involving my parents were all illusions and they’re still alive, why would my brother come here to pay respects?"

"If my parents are truly no longer with us and have passed away, then why are these graves empty?"

Zhou Yan sensed the lingering auras in the Void, then using Soul Power, he concentrated that energy into his hand.

The spiritual essence in Zhou Yan’s hand derived into an Eagle Form Ghost, but after coming together, what should have been able to cohere for a moment dispersed in an instant.

In this world, the strength of the Ancient Sealing forces was truly formidable, so powerful that some Ghosts simply could not survive for long.

Even those who did not wish to die but died unexpectedly could sustain their souls for a few extra days due to strong obsessions, but ultimately faced suppression and dissipated into nothingness.

In this world, it was nearly impossible for Cultivators to escape Reincarnation unless one cultivated to an extreme. Even then, the cost of a single Reincarnation was immense.

After sensing, analyzing, reflecting, and experiencing the Heavenly Dao Rules of this world, Zhou Yan gradually drew a series of conclusions.

These insights could only be fully understood through personal experience.

"Brother, since you are still around, why can’t I sense you? I am about to descend upon this Planet, and I’ve already caused some disturbances in the city; can you really not sense me? With your strength, you surely must have sensed it by now, right? But why not come to see me?"

Zhou Yan murmured to himself, his feelings complex.

After a long while, Zhou Yan’s figure moved, disappearing from that spot, and in the next moment, he returned.

His hand now held a bunch of delicate flowers, dripping with beauty and radiating a fresh fragrance.

...

"Is that person a celebrity? Even with a bare face, he really has such a presence," remarked a fashionable young girl, holding up a pale gold smartphone and pointing it at Zhou Yan standing amongst the gravestones on the hillside. She pressed the button to snap a photo.

With a "click", her phone captured several pictures in quick succession.

The girl excitedly turned to her phone’s screen.

In that moment, her face, filled with joy and admiration, froze in shock.

It seemed she had witnessed something so startling that her pretty face instantly turned pale.

The area was somewhat crowded with people; it was not a deserted place. And the latest 6S smartphone had just been released without any known issues.

Unconvinced, the girl took several more photos and then turned her camera towards other people.

The figures of other people all appeared in the photo gallery, while the one man with the presence of a star didn’t leave the slightest trace in her phone, as if he were merely a puff of air.

And yet, he was clearly standing there, had been standing there for quite some time.

"A ghost..."

"I’ve seen a ghost..."

The girl could no longer remain calm; suddenly, she let out a shrill scream and bolted, speeding up the concrete steps like she was flying.

...

Zhou Yan came to his senses at the sound of the scream. He looked up into the distance, saw the frightened girl who had been scared because of him, and witnessed her panic-stricken and embarrassed state.

He also saw the immense fear in her eyes when she looked back at him.

"Whew—"

Zhou Yan let out a light breath, and a powerful warm breeze stirred up at that moment, sweeping past the girl who was chilling to the bone from sheer terror.

The girl immediately calmed down, the previous scene becoming like a fleeting Qingming Dream.

She suddenly came to, but found herself still standing by the previous gravestone, her phone still in hand.

Yet, there were no photos on the phone.

Time seemed to have stopped at about a minute after she last looked at her phone.

She was lucid now, yet without any sense of dread—she felt exceedingly peaceful and safe.

Previously, she was quite timid, but at that moment, she felt that ghosts were simply that, and no longer feared them.

She looked back subconsciously, towards the place she saw in her ’Qingming Dream,’ where nothing stood in solitude.

After pondering for a moment, she walked up the steps towards the three separate graves, arriving where Zhou Yan had stood before.

She took out the incense and candles that she had prepared, lighting them there, and respectfully knelt and bowed three times to each lonely grave before standing up, her voice trembling as she spoke, "How humble of me... Liu, Liu Haoting, has always deeply believed in the existence of ghosts and gods, and in the presence of Divine spirits above our heads.

Before, I was terribly scared of those things, but after the brief Huangliang’s Dream just now, I suddenly feel very peaceful in my heart.

I know one of you must have helped me, and I’m truly grateful.

I also hope that in that other world, you can live well."

Her sincerity was palpable; her demeanor earnest.

"If possible, I hope you can help my brother, Liu Haoxin. These past few years, it’s as if he’s been cursed... I, Liu Haoting, am willing to pay any price, as long as my brother can get better," said the young woman, mustering her courage, her body shaking yet speaking earnestly.

After speaking, she seemed to fear her attitude was not somber enough, so she continued to kneel and bow three times to all three graves.

Zhou Yan silently watched this woman finish her actions, yet his heart remained very calm.

He had no intention of offering help.

Cultivators were not suited to intervene in the lives of ordinary people, a point that was made very clear by the suppression of the Heavenly Dao.

Zhou Yan could feel that this was a form of adjustment from the Ancient Sealing, seemingly harboring vast secrets. If a cultivator were to intervene in the life of an ordinary person, they would likely endure increasingly powerful hindrances.

The fact that Feng Shui masters capable of foretelling fortunes and misfortunes have nearly vanished is the best proof.

Those who practice Feng Shui and fortune-telling face soul backlash from the suppression of the Heavenly Dao, and most outcomes are extremely tragic.

Even though his Soul was now strong, almost Invincible in this era and unafraid of karma, after suffering the suppression of the Sealing energy a few times, Zhou Yan faintly understood some things.

Therefore, he did not wish to get involved in the problems of ordinary cultivators.

He planned to leave this place and inquire about his past at the Kunlun Holy Land, and investigate the history of the Weaver Star.

But just at this moment, the young girl named ’Liu Haoting,’ after standing up, turned her gaze towards the graves.

On each grave, a name was engraved, with a photograph beside it—this was the portrayal of an ordinary person’s life.

A line of text, capturing a life. Liu Haoting looked at the photos on the tombstones and exclaimed, "’Professor Zhou’? Master Xi? You, you actually..."

Only then did the girl notice the identity of the tombstone’s owner. Startled, she sat on the ground and began to cry bitterly.

Zhou Yan, about to leave, suddenly paused. The girl’s convulsive crying evoked a sense of compassion in him.

She was truly mourning for her foster father and mother.

Mourning for two people who had passed away three or four years ago.

Those who can grieve and weep for the death of others are people worthy of help and protection.

Parents, having such a student, would also be consoled.

Zhou Yan thought to himself.

Afterward, Zhou Yan reined in all his emotions and paid close attention to the young girl. Then, he was immediately somewhat surprised—he sensed an extremely faint aura of the Xuanyuan Sword on her.

Such an aura, if not for focused attention, would have been impossible to sense.

"She herself does not carry the Xuanyuan Aura, and her bloodline is rather ordinary. But she must have come into contact with a Xuanyuan Sword Fragment."

Zhou Yan made this judgment in his heart.

"Stop crying, the spirit of my parents in heaven knows your sincerity, and they too would be comforted."

Zhou Yan consoled her, bestowing a trace of spiritual power on Liu Haoting so that her ordinary eyes could see him.

"Yes, thank you—you, you—you—"

Liu Haoting stammered, her body suddenly rigid with coldness sweeping over her, she looked behind her at the sudden appearance of Zhou Yan with growing fear.

Another breeze came by, causing her light yellow curled hair to flutter and dance in the wind.

The flicker of fear vanished in an instant.

"A lack of will is a lack of courage. Learn to be strong, so you may fear nothing. With your constitution and strength of Soul, if Virtuous Energy resides in your heart, you can deter the Eternal Evil Souls."

Zhou Yan said.

Liu Haoting looked at him, uncomprehending, as if she was staring at an alien.

"Are you an alien? An Immortal? A ghost or a demon?"

She asked, still somewhat chilled.

Mortal fear of ghosts and gods is innate, even if momentarily soothed, that dread still permeates the soul.

"I am the Thunder Lord, Lei Yan King. You can think of me as a Heavenly Immortal descended to earth, my name is ’Zhou Yan.’"

Zhou Yan spoke.

"A Heavenly God descended..."

Hearing this, Liu Haoting was almost shocked speechless. It took a while before she came to her senses, realizing this was not all a dream. Combining this with her previous experience of Huangliang’s Dream, Liu Haoting knew, even if the man before her was not a Heavenly God, he must be a benevolent ghost. For do Heavenly Gods have parents? And would those parents be already deceased?

She harbored such thoughts clearheaded, immediately intending to kneel in worship, but Zhou Yan stopped her in her tracks.

"There is no need to kneel to me, sincerity is what matters. I will help you resolve your brother’s hidden ailment, removing your greatest worry."

Zhou Yan said.

Liu Haoting gasped, her whole being struck by an immense feeling of happiness.

"Where is your home, I will take you back."

Zhou Yan inquired.

"My home is at..."

Liu Haoting instinctively blurted out her address. After finishing, she realized if he were a Heavenly God, how could he not know where her house was? Aren’t Heavenly Gods omnipotent?

She began to doubt, and upon regaining her composure, she felt all this was too strange.

But in the next moment, Zhou Yan waved his hand lightly, and the Void suddenly changed, with Liu Haoting appearing above the blue sky, her body feeling almost non-existent.

Her heart leaped to her throat, and the change made all her doubts vanish on the spot.

This was the power of Immortals to fly through the sky and escape the ground!!!

"Hmm? There indeed is an aura of a Xuanyuan Sword Fragment..."

Zhou Yan felt a shock in his heart, and as he swept over the airspace of an ancient small city, he immediately sensed the aura of a Xuanyuan Sword Fragment, which seemed to be hiding within a bloodline, difficult to detect.

However, Zhou Yan had Emperor Blood of Xuanyuan within him, and he was particularly sensitive to such hidden bloodline auras.