Ripples Beneath the Staff, Unyielding Even in Death

Looking at the Ceremonial Staff, all the thoughts in Meng Qingbin's mind vanished, leaving only surprise and shock.

"Could this Ceremonial Staff really be the one that Lord Su hundreds of years ago?"

The same question arose in the minds of the other envoys from the Central Plains. Although they had all roughly guessed—judging from the scene, it was not difficult to guess the origin of the Ceremonial Staff —they still found it hard to accept that such a sacred object would spontaneously appear and fall into Qiu Yan's hands.

Even though their opinion of Qiu Yan had changed and they now held him in awe, scholars who served as officials always harbored some spiritual sustenance, and for some things, they valued more than their own lives.

Reputation is one of them.

Lord Su sheep, unafraid of the powerful barbarians, and lived a solitary life until his death, never betraying his original aspirations. Such behavior can be said to be the ultimate expression of integrity, and his Ceremonial Staff was a symbol of this honor.

Over the centuries, countless scholars and poets have used this Ceremonial Staff as a metaphor for Lord Su, leaving behind numerous poems and songs. It can be said that this Ceremonial Staff...

"It embodies the spirit of integrity and perseverance that has been upheld in the Central Plains for hundreds of years! Whoever obtains it, once recognized, will gain a transcendent status! They will not be swayed by official positions or fame!"

The moment Qiu Yan touched the Ceremonial Staff, he felt a vast, profound, and unimaginable spiritual fluctuation within it, like a broad and unfathomable sea!

The seven-colored radiance was the manifestation of this spirit seeing the light of day again, but it was not even a drop in the ocean. Some of it flowed through Qiu Yan's palm into his arm, reaching his limbs and bones, and then seeped into his soul.

The Divine Soul Yin Spirit, though isolated from the outside world, could not extinguish the primal yearning of the Fleshly Body for this spirit. The Heart Fire within the soul immediately ignited, and the projection of the Humanistic Fire Seed reappeared, becoming increasingly clear, seemingly about to solidify into a physical form!

However, the nature of the fire has also changed; it is no longer simply Humanistic Fire Seed, but a more complex and refined flame, through which information flows.

The changes within his soul caused Qiu Yan's spirit to swell rapidly, like a balloon being inflated and expanded. He felt an urge to express himself, and in a moment of inspiration, he gently tapped the bottom of the Ceremonial Staff on the cold, hard ground!

This was quite something. The crowd, already astonished by the seven-colored radiance, immediately noticed that, centered on the bottom of the Ceremonial Staff, visible ripples were appearing out of thin air, rapidly radiating and expanding across the ground, sweeping past their feet in the blink of an eye.

Then, the cold, hard ice and snow underfoot melted, revealing the icy, muddy ground. Further outwards, the ripples continued to spread, dispelling the raging winds and ice crystals within a radius of ten feet, creating a peaceful place. Although it was still cold, it did not feel bone-chilling.

"This is..."

Zhao Can, Zhong Yan, and the others stared wide-eyed at the scene before them, their eyes darting around. As the ripples receded and swept across the icy surface of the North Sea, the North Sea Icefish seemed to sense something. One by one, they leaped out of the water, some flipping and somersaulting in the air, while those closer to the shore landed directly on the ground.

Not to mention Meng Qingbin and his group, even the members of the Three Rivers Tribe stared wide-eyed, utterly shocked by the scene before them.

In their memory, such a scene had never occurred before, violating the habits and wisdom of the icefish.

Then, the exposed muddy ground quickly softened, and a bit of green appeared, growing from under everyone's feet, straight upwards. In their perception, they could clearly feel the grass piercing through their thick boots, penetrating their flesh and bones!

But it didn't bring pain; instead, it brought a strange sensation.

Especially for someone like Meng Qingbin, a former scholar and envoy from the Central Plains, his mind was stirred, his consciousness became hazy, and his heart was quickly filled with a surge of emotions and thoughts. Many images flashed through his senses like a revolving lantern, bringing him a great deal of emotion.

Soon, everyone present, including the Three Rivers Tribe, fell into a dazed state, their eyes glazed over, their emotions turbulent.

On the other side, the ripples emanating from the base of the Ceremonial Staff did not stop, but continued to expand, reaching the depths of the North Sea in the north, entering the raging Ice Plains in the east and west, and returning to the Grasslands in the south.

Deep within the North Sea, a massive shadow rose from the abyss just as Qiu Yan and the others reached the stone statue. It slowly approached, an ancient consciousness dwelling within, radiating an eager emotion. At this moment, as the ripples swept over it, the massive body trembled violently, and memories resurfaced from its depths. It shuddered and sank back down.

From the Ice Plains to the east and west, several beams of light flew rapidly, full of momentum, accompanied and entwined by icy winds. However, as they traveled, they were affected by ripples, and each of them trembled, their auras plummeted, and the beams of light stopped. They were actually several cultivators and other beings, some with flesh and blood bodies, and others with manifested soul forms.

The Ice Plains are covered in ice and snow all year round, the sunlight is scattered, the earth is full of cold air, Yang Qi is not strong. Even if one's cultivation has not reached the level of Soul-Nourishing by the Corporeal Soul, one can still travel during the day.

However, this time, the ones trying to get closer were not cultivators of that level; some even showed signs of Nascent Soul cultivation and the radiance of Spiritual Light!

However, after encountering the ripples, they paused for a moment, pondered for a moment, and then turned around and left, retracing their steps!

To the south, the entire Three Waters Tribe was swept by the ripples. The expressions of the tribe members changed, but because they had not studied or cultivated, their senses were not sensitive enough, and they did not notice much of a difference. They quickly returned to their Original Edition actions.

However, the two Three Rivers cultivators who were recuperating from their injuries, as well as Peng Qianru and others who were stationed at the gathering place and ready to respond to any situation, sensed something. Both sides' expressions changed drastically, and they stepped out of their respective tents, following their senses, and looked north.

"What kind of ripple effect is this? It actually contains a strong Literary Thought Aura, as well as a power that repels Divine Ability. It changes with distance. If we were to reach the source, even I, an old man, would probably have nine-tenths of my power suppressed!"

A mile south of the Three Rivers Tribe's settlement, several beams of light pierced through the air and landed on the ground. They were a group of cultivators led by Lord Shi Nascent Soul. Each of them carried a Sha Qi, and many of them had bloodstains on their clothes.

This blood is not ordinary blood, but a Curse Arts formed by the scattering of Divine Sense and True Essence, combined with the Dao of Fortune. Once touched, it can affect the Fortune of others.

This kind of Curse Arts is extremely difficult to cast, requiring a great deal of Qi and Blood, mental strength, and Origin Source. It is a technique that shakes one's very foundation, and one would never use it unless forced into a desperate situation or trapped in a hopeless predicament.

Conversely, once afflicted, it is difficult to cure completely, and one's Fortune plummets. Those afflicted often need to retreat into seclusion for many years, on the one hand to remove the curse marks, and on the other hand to avoid contact with the outside world and avoid Fortune Karma, so as not to suffer bitter consequences due to bad fortune.

However, the few people who came with Lord Shi Nascent Soul did not care about the blood stained with Curse Arts Divine Ability. They were enveloped by a faint but powerful Fortune, which suppressed the distorted Fortune of the cursed blood.

This group of people were the retainers of the Rear Army Command Office. They had been searching for Qiu Yan in the forest but had not been able to find him. Instead, they had gotten into a fight with the Grasslands cultivators. The fight lasted for several days and involved many people, resulting in losses on both sides.

However, after the fierce battle, although the Grasslands cultivators retreated, Lord Shi and the others did not return. Instead, they continued to venture deeper. Half a day ago, they used their Divine Ability abilities to learn about Qiu Yan's whereabouts and headed directly towards the gathering place of the Three Rivers Tribe, which is why they happened to encounter the ripples.

"Lord Shi, these ripples are so powerful, if we continue forward, something unexpected might happen..." a cultivator advised.

But Lord Shi smiled and shook his head, "I have never done anything wrong in my life, so what am I afraid of? Besides, there is the mark of the Central Plains in Literary Thought, so what do we have to fear?" Before he finished speaking, the ripples that were constantly being transmitted quickly weakened and disappeared in the blink of an eye.

On the shore of the North Sea, in front of the stone statue.

The change came quickly and went quickly; in the blink of an eye, the radiance and ripples disappeared. However, the feeling it gave the envoys from the Central Plains did not fade away. That profound feeling, the subtleties of which lingered in their hearts and were enough for them to savor for three or four days and ponder day and night.

In contrast, the people of Three Rivers were somewhat confused, but in their daze, they still gained some insight. Their gaze towards Qiu Yan changed slightly; amidst their fear, there was a hint of solemnity. They weren't looking at a person, but rather...

Gods.

Qiu Yan, who was the center of attention, stared silently at the Ceremonial Staff in his hand, Ceremonial Staff was slowly turning to stone.

"The power within the Ceremonial Staff, regardless of anything else, can at least suppress cultivators with Divine Ability. If one encounters someone unmatched, this Ceremonial Staff can be used to suppress them. However, the trace of spirit left within it is what is truly worth savoring. The thoughts contained within that spirit may be the essence of that person's true form. In this light, the old man we saw earlier might very well have been a consciousness that formed later."

As he pondered, he remembered the gray wolves he had seen in the snow-white Grasslands.

Even when trapped in one place, he still wanted to do his best to educate the wolves. In the end, Lord Su was undoubtedly a failure. He only managed to drive out the Xionbei through warfare. In this era where success or failure is the measure of a hero, what he can truly be praised for is his unwavering integrity until death. His ambition to shepherd the wolves never spread, nor was it recognized or cared about by anyone. However, being able to uphold one's own will, undisturbed by external things, and persevere even unto death, is it not also a kind of victory?

With this thought in mind, Qiu Yan gripped the completely petrified Ceremonial Staff and followed Three Rivers Shui Laohan and the others back to the tribal encampment. On the way back, Yebalu and the others became increasingly cautious, and when they were in front of Qiu Yan, they seemed to be trembling with fear.

As a result, the atmosphere among the group became increasingly awkward until Pang Qianru arrived, breaking the deadlock.

"Qiu Yan, you've come at the perfect time! An elder wishes to see you! Come with me quickly, this is truly your good fortune!" (To be continued...)

P. S.: Thanks to "Beigong Nanfang" for the monthly vote!

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