Chapter 134: Nine Infants
Chapter 134: Nine Infants
“Yes!”
That single word “yes” stabbed at his eyes.
Li Yi’s expression shifted slightly, and he found himself speechless.
An imperial prince?
His first feeling was one of absurdity, but then he felt that many things seemed to make sense now.
Someone who could use Yu Qian as a pawn, who could command the Twilight Deep Pupil, who could make Qin Yun and Su Xuan’er retreat…
“An imperial prince?” Li Yi’s mouth felt bitter, and he gave a bitter laugh. “Such a noble personage, why trouble yourself with me?”
“Third Prince Xiao Yu is about to become a disciple under Wu Yi,” Zhangsun Shenji said after a pause, laying it all out.
Li Yi suddenly understood.
It was extremely difficult for an Armament Master to produce a truly accomplished disciple. Therefore, although they might take on many disciples, the vast majority of their energy was focused on just one. Someone like that half-baked Zhou Xun was one of the eliminated ones.
“Figured it out now? That ‘Profound Darkness Heart’ was a masterpiece of divine skill, it stole the show! Even though Yan He was pushed to the forefront, it couldn’t hide from those with sharp eyes…”
Li Yi remained silent.
“Do you still want to become an Armament Master?” Zhangsun Shenji pressed. “Even if your opponent is an imperial prince?”
“I do!” Li Yi’s eyes turned sharp, his voice firm.
“Then, get ready!” Zhangsun Shenji had already anticipated this.
“Ready for what?”
“A month from now, there will be a grand event that all Inner-Mansion Disciples will attend. On the surface, it’s to welcome us newcomers. In reality, it’s a carefully prepared debut ceremony for the Third Prince.”
“So what?” Li Yi said.
“To show the solemnity of this event, almost all the secluded elders will attend. ‘Lord of Dawn’ Zhao Tianji and Master Wu Yi will also rush back!”
“Hm?” Li Yi’s expression changed slightly.
Lord of Dawn wasn’t a specific title but an honorary term for the Manor Lord.
“If you can become Zhao Tianji’s Direct Disciple, plus Master Wu Yi’s disciple, you’ll be able to walk sideways at Dawn Cliff! Even the Third Prince would think twice before crossing you. Don’t worry, although Zhao is a common surname, Zhao Tianji comes from a commoner background and holds no prejudice against commoner disciples. Li Yi, grasp this opportunity well!”
“I’ll do my best!” A gleam appeared in Li Yi’s eyes.
“Don’t worry too much. Those low-level tricks will actually decrease once the Third Prince arrives…” Zhangsun Shenji explained. “A prince may seem glamorous, but he faces more constraints than a scion of a great family. You should know, the other princes have their eyes closely on him! Actually, there are other ways, but I don’t really recommend them.”
“I know—allying with other princes to oppose the Third Prince.” Li Yi gave another bitter laugh.
“Oh? Smart!” Zhangsun Shenji cautioned. “But the struggle for the throne is far too dangerous. It’s best not to get involved.”
That didn’t need to be said.
“Although Armament Masters are few, there are still over ten. Why choose Master Wu Yi specifically?” Feeling puzzled, he asked again, “Among Armament Masters, Master Wu Yi’s ranking isn’t particularly high.”
“The reason is simple: Master Wu Yi’s teacher—Yang Yue.”
“Yang Yue?”
“The bloodline of the imperial Xiao clan is called ‘Nine Infants’. Its effect is mastery over nine types of magic, unparalleled in the world, hailed as ‘Heaven’s Choice’! However, because the bloodline is so unique, there are almost no compatible Dao Transformation Armaments. In history, only one person succeeded: Yang Yue.”
“Oh?”
“That Dao Transformation Armament was called—Dragon Soul of Myriad Curses! The Nine-Infant Bloodline is drawn from the Nine-Headed Snake Emperor. This armament can transform the serpent into a dragon, turning the Nine-Infant Bloodline into a nine-headed Dragon! It can even cast Draconic Spells!”
“What tier armament was it?” Li Yi asked eagerly, his mind swaying.
“Need you ask? The highest tier, of course!”
Highest tier meant Fifth Tier.
“Now you understand! If Xiao Yu can comprehend even one-tenth, or one-hundredth of it, and create a Tier 2 or Tier 3 imitation, his position in the line of succession is bound to rise sharply. Moreover, even if he fails in the succession struggle, this would become a get-out-of-death-free card!”
Li Yi gave a bitter laugh once more.
It seemed that without even stepping outside, he had already become a thorn in the side of the Empire’s Third Prince.
…
Midnight.
Cloudwater Abode.
The Great Soft-Shelled Turtle hung alone, seeming somewhat desolate. As it drew in a long breath, a dim, gloomy haze floated about.
“Hmph!”
With a light snort, Li Yi opened his eyes, his face troubled.
His mood remained unsettled for a long time.
Too many emotions were pent up in his chest, hard to dispel, giving him a feeling of difficulty breathing.
“Never mind, I’ll rest for a while…”
Muttering to himself, Li Yi took out the Crane-Luan Brush and began drawing aimlessly on a sheet of white paper.
Most Armament Masters were first-rate painters.
As the brush tip glided over the paper, picture after picture sprang to life.
First, he sketched his parents, his friends. Then, his first childhood sweetheart, his childhood playmates, the neighbor’s puppy.
Every drawing was lifelike, detailed down to the finest point, so clear it was unsettling.
As he wielded the brush, an indescribable fear and loneliness enveloped him.
Li Yi suddenly realized that after coming to this world, his longing for the previous world and the loneliness of walking the Grand Dao alone were merely buried deep in his heart, never gone.
The pressure from the Third Prince was just a trigger, letting these emotions erupt.
His gaze grew vacant. Li Yi paid no heed, his brush flying across the paper!
Airplanes, trains, skyscrapers, even cartoons he had watched—they all appeared one by one.
More scenes from his memories were released and solidified on the paper.
He didn’t know how much time had passed. Li Yi squatted down, looking at the bright moon outside the window. Two lines of hot tears slowly streamed down his face.
“One day, I will go back.”
After this venting, his mood calmed considerably.
“Burn them—burn them all!”
Staring blankly at the pile of drawings, Li Yi raised a hand. A fireball flew out, igniting the papers.
The papers burned to ashes, but these memories would remain deep in his heart for a very long time.
The flames crackled. Picture after picture was swallowed by the fire tongues, as if another world was step by step moving towards destruction.
“Hm?”
Li Yi’s expression moved slightly.
He seemed to have grasped something, yet not quite, like the Sudden Enlightenment spoken of by Buddhists.
Closing his eyes, scenes flashed one after another in his mind.
“This is… record it!”
Taking out a new scroll of paper, his brush danced like a soaring dragon. A painting formed.
The image on the paper was the scene of flames devouring the papers.
He thought for a moment. Something else surfaced in his mind and continued to appear on the paper.
…
The Water Bullet Spell, born under the immense pressure of “Bearing the Stele,” that fleeting, restless “Annihilation.”
During the Colossal Beast Scripture Lecture, the clash of light and dark fighting fiercely, like the cataclysm of “Obliteration.”
The terrifying force unleashed by the collision of the two Bloodline Runes, “Lurking Abyss” and “Bearing the Stele,” like needle against awl.
Countless scenes, sparks flying, bizarre and motley, appeared one by one.
Amidst the chaotic papers, Li Yi sat cross-legged, eyes tightly shut, like an old monk in deep meditation.
His thoughts were in utter Chaos.
But this tangled mess of thoughts was constantly approaching a single fine thread, merging into it.
One day, one night.
Li Yi, as still as a stone sculpture, moved again.
The Crane-Luan Brush descended. A gray arc, sometimes curved, sometimes straight, wandered over the paper, drawn in a single stroke.
This arc was not a picture. It more resembled an expression of emotion, or rather—the coalescence of a Rule/Law!
The brush tip continued to roam. Between the strokes hid the murmurs of angels and the roars of Demons. Even the air became heavy and sluggish.
It was a Dao Transformation Armament!
Not a copy, not an imitation, but something from the depths of his soul, his own unique Conceptual Realm/Artistic Conception!
More arcs filled in, evolved, and settled.
His brush moved like flying!
Without the slightest pause or a moment’s hesitation, stroke after stroke fell. Arcs, deep or shallow, long or short, were all completed in one go.
Truly, it was as if a god guided his hand!
A design blueprint for a Dao Transformation Armament lay before him.
Staring blankly at the thing before him, Li Yi’s expression was complicated, and he found himself speechless.
This was an armament for the upper arm. An armament that should have been emotionless actually carried a mood—desolation, loneliness, chill, and a strand of the vicissitudes of time.
It seemed a fragment of Li Yi’s soul had also merged into it.
“Let’s calculate… eleven thousand White Crystals…” Li Yi muttered softly to himself. “Should be enough, right?”
Let this armament serve as a memorial for my previous life!
…
Butian Pavilion.
“Senior Brother, I need to ask a favor!” Li Yi strode in, his movements swift and decisive.
“Don’t tell me you’re leaving too?” Yan He’s expression darkened. It seemed he had heard some news and made a guess.
“Leave? I’m not leaving!” Li Yi laughed heartily and handed over a list. “Senior Brother Yan, please help me purchase all these things.”
“What are you planning to do?” Looking at the densely packed list, Yan He was stunned.
“A small thing—creating a Dao Transformation Armament!”