The Divine Nine-Dragon Cauldron
chapter-998

Chapter 998: Book of Life

The disaster of flowers was yet to properly begin, and Su Yu had already encountered a crisis of unknown source.

The people of the Heaven’s Craftsmen Faction must be playing some tricks…

Judging from the behavior and moral conduct of the students of the Heaven’s Craftsmen Faction, Su Yu could hardly believe that the Heaven’s Craftsmen Faction still maintained any affinity with the Blessed and Heavenly Lands. Even though they had joined hands in fighting the ghost race in the past, their alliance was now clearly over.

They had kept up the charade of co-operation merely because the Blessed and Heavenly Lands hadn’t really declined to a worrisome extent, and still had a formidable reputation. The cordial relations between them were only superficial.

Su Yu had faced huge obstacles and hardships all his life. To him, crises were nothing more than ordinary occurrences. They were worth his attention, but they weren’t the be all and end all.

Swish!

As he thought things through, the feeling of intense vertigo he had been suffering from stopped. Su Yu felt stable ground under his feet once more.

He opened his eyes and glanced at his surroundings, finding himself in the middle of a jungle. Countless peculiar trees with dark-colored trunks and scarlet leaves formed an enormous jungle. There was no visible boundary.

Su Yu examined the foliage. Much to his surprise, he discovered that there was a book adhered to each tree, with the color varying from one book to another!

Nimbly leaping off the ground, Su Yu flew to the nearest tree and stretched out his hand to reach for the book. He had thought that the book was suspended from the tree. As he got closer, he discovered that the book was actually growing on the trunk of the tree!

He flipped open the book and looked at the many lines of closely packed words.

Huang Ze, male, aged 23. Embarked the Path at the age of 10, achieved the level of fairies at the age of 13, and the level of Almighty at the age of 16. Accomplished the late-stage Almighty at 20, mastered the techniques of ‘Growls of the Thunder Lion’, and educated in the Heavenly Knife Region.

Passed away in Year 1703 Jiuzhou A.D. His biography is as follows…

The introduction that followed was extremely monumental.

Huang Ze had recounted both the monumental and minor events of his life from his own perspective. He had even depicted the hemorrhoids on his buttocks in detail.

Su Yu had a bizarre feeling while reading which made him fairly uncomfortable. It was like reading about himself.

After flipping back and forth for a while, Su Yu went right to the end of the book.

“In 1703 A.D., he sacrificed his life at the hands of Mo Tianxuan of the Red Blood Palace, while fighting for the Book of Life of the starry sky prodigy, Mo Jidao.”

As he read through the final paragraph, Su Yu couldn’t help but feel surprised that written records about Mo Tianxuan could even be found here. The year 1703 A.D. was approximately 300 years ago, and Mo Tianxuan had even been a figure of great prominence then.

At that time, she had been a participant of the Glittering Jewel Wonderland too and had defeated and killed the student of the Heaven’s Craftsmen Faction named Huang Ze, who was mentioned in the book. They had been fighting over the Book of Life named Mo Jidao.

“What is meant by the Book of Life?” Su Yu asked the master of the flower yard, who was standing underneath the tree.

She had been very quiet since being transported here with him. She was waiting under the tree and did not get too close to it. It was as though she had a great resistance to trees.

A wisp of sorrow flickered through the yard master’s indifferent eyes. “Aren’t you holding the Book of Life in your hands?”

Subconsciously, Su Yu let go of the book, which then plunged to the ground and caught fire in midair. The big pitch-black tree started burning too. In an instant, both the book and the tree were reduced to a pile of dark dust and debris. The dust didn’t appear to be ashes, but fine powdery remains of bones that had been eroded by the winds.

“The bodies of those who die at the book yard will turn into pitch-black, giant trees. Their souls will turn into a book which is a full recount of the entire life of the deceased. You have probably read the biography of a deceased man just now.”

Su Yu felt relieved. No wonder the perspective from which the story was recounted seemed so strange.

Su Yu heaved a silent sigh as he gazed at the skeletal remains beneath his feet. A 20-year-old late-stage Almighty was considered a rare talent in the world. How tragic was it that he had been buried in the Glittering Jewel Wonderland before he could make his mark on the world?

Su Yu rolled his sleeves up and released a mass of Vital Energy to dig a small pit, burying skeletal remains in it.

The yard master noticed what he was doing. “Look after yourself. Don’t get killed here,” she said.

Su Yu nodded. He didn’t want all of the details of his life to be hung on some trees and be on display for strangers.

“Yard master, are you familiar with the book yard? Could you give me some clues?” Su Yu looked over and enquired.

He had saved the yard master because of his sympathy for her and also because he was hoping to get some help from her. He may be able to use her familiarity with the Wonderland to his own advantage.

“In comparison to the flower yard, the book yard is rather harmless,” the yard master replied brusquely, “Just remember to guard yourself against the disaster of books and the challengers, and you’ll be safe.”

Su Yu was speechless. She might as well not say anything as she was going to provide such a general answer.

As if she had known Su Yu’s thoughts, the yard master said, “I have never left the flower yard before. Everything that I know is based on the verbal description of the past challengers. That’s what they had told me.”

Abruptly, the yard master added, “Oh, now I recall. They said that it gets more dangerous as you venture deeper into the book yard, because the nearer to the heart of the yard you are, the more powerful the trees were in their previous life.”

Su Yu scanned the densely packed trees around him, and his eyes shone. From Huang Ze’s Book of Life which he read just now, not only had he learned about his biography, he had gained a clear insight into his training experience too.

The techniques of “Growls of the Thunder Lion” which he practiced were explicitly recorded in the Book. Even the entire process of his training, including a single thought, was written in detail.

Any descendants who referred to his Book of Life could master all of his techniques within a short period of time.

Anyone would have been moved. This could be called a sublimation itself!

Amongst the past elites that had perished here were numerous eminent Heaven Rulers. Wouldn’t the techniques that they practiced be earth-shaking?

Su Yu felt his heart pound with excitement. However, he was unsure of how many experts were present in the book yard right now, and the danger at the central region was uncertain.

“Right, I’ve remembered something else. They said that the height of the trees could be used to determine your distance from the central region. Hundred-feet-tall trees are on the outer periphery, 200-feet-tall are on the central periphery, 300-feet-tall ones are on the inner periphery. Those taller than 400 feet should be in the core area.”

Su Yu took a look at the thousand-feet-tall trees all around him, and the green veins on his forehead quivered. “What else haven’t you remembered yet?”

He had been transported to the core of the core region!

No wonder he had come across a prodigy who had accomplished the late-stage Almighty at the young age of 20, by simply opening up a book.

The yard master’s dainty face went red. She said, “Umm, there’s something else. The book yard is different from the flower yard. Upon entering the book yard, if one does not open any book, they will be unaffected by the disaster of books. This disaster merely focuses on the challengers who have flipped through the books.”

Right here right now, there were only six words that Su Yu wanted to say.

Why didn’t you tell me earlier?!

It was too late now. The disaster of flowers hadn’t ended, and the disaster of books was right around the corner.

“Ahem, this place belongs to the book yard. As the master of the flower yard, I’m not supposed to stay here for long. Have you any means to shelter me?” the master of the flower yard asked. She was pinning her hopes on leaving the Glittering Jewel Wonderland with Su Yu. Even if Su Yu chased her away right now, she wouldn’t necessarily be willing to leave.

Su Yu asked, “Can the common storage spaces be used?”

Upon hearing that, the yard master glared at him. “What do you think?”

Storage spaces couldn’t accommodate living things because they lacked the elements of life. Even the All Creations Old Monsters couldn’t survive too long in them.

Su Yu contemplated for a moment. There was only one space suitable for the yard master.

“Fine, I think we can work something out,” Su Yu said. He scanned the area and caught sight of a caved-in basin. He moved there in a flash. The basin was surrounded by enormous trees and dense foliage. Viewing it from above, it was difficult to make out the bottom of the basin.

This place was situated at the center of the book yard, so naturally, it was a precarious region. However, it could also be considered a relatively safe place in which to hide.

Su Yu delved into the bottom of the basin, and with a flick of his arms, a mass of suspended spiritual light appeared.

As he stared at the yard master thoughtfully, Su Yu said, “Hope you aren’t too agitated and hope you don’t do anything eye-catching.”

The yard master’s eyes shone. “Independent Space treasure?” she marveled. “This is refined by the Mortal Fairies!”

It was a unique talent of the Mortal Fairies to create spaces.

Curious, the yard master gleamed with fluorescence and turned into a daffodil plant. She blended with the dazzling emerald light and entered the Nine Jade Spiritual Pearl.

The instant she entered, the yard master was in awe. “This is unbelievable! Such concentrated spiritual energy of the world! Ordinary Mortal Fairies couldn’t have created such spaces!”

When her gaze fell upon the golden yellow nursery beside the courtyard, she was initially stunned. Then she seemed to have recalled something and took a few steps towards it.

The look on her face changed drastically, and she shuddered. “Supreme Growing Soil!! There’s so much of it. It can’t be true right? Even a single grain of the Supreme Growing Soil is hard to come by, and there’s a whole nursery here? Am I dreaming?”

After being startled for a while, the yard master had an urge to pounce onto it and transplant herself into it.

The Supreme Growing Soil had incredibly astounding effects on the growth of plants. Despite being the yard master, it was an irresistible temptation to her!

But Su Yu’s warning occurred to her. She held back the urge and bit her lip. With a reddened face, she asked, “Could you let me be cultivated in it for a few days, and have a taste of the Supreme Growing Soil?”

She was actually imploring one of the challengers!

As one of the five great yard masters of the Glittering Jewel Wonderland, her status was irrefutably exceptional as an evaluator to the challengers. Imploring the challengers required her to put her pride aside. Besides, the other person wouldn’t necessarily agree to her request.

The Supreme Growing Soil was a sacred item much sought after by floral creatures. This was something that the challengers must have known.

As she fidgeted, Su Yu said, “As you wish.”

Based on his years of observation and application, the spirituality of the Supreme Growing Soil wouldn’t diminish just by cultivating plants. He was very certain of that. The yard master should be allowed to use it, rather than leaving it in neglect.

As to whether he was worried that the yard master would expose the existence of the Supreme Growing Soil, Su Yu had definitely prepared things before letting her in. He was confident that he could erase her memories or could keep her in detention forever.

“Really?” The yard master was moved.

Su Yu did not speak. He walked up to the nursery, retrieved a handful of crystal-like seeds and buried them into the Supreme Growing Soil.

These were the seeds of the Grass of Crystallization obtained from the body of the eldest senior brother of the Heaven’s Craftsmen Faction, which had originated from the mysterious Great Oriental Family. Once they came into contact with blood, they would begin growing rapidly and crystallize the person.

Using them in times of necessity would yield unexpected outcomes.

Although there were only about a hundred seeds, with the cultivating speed of the Supreme Growing Soil and the short lifespan of the Grass of Crystallization, thousands of seeds could be obtained within a short period of time.

With slightly more time, hundreds of thousands of the seeds wouldn’t be a problem.

The yard master could hardly suppress her agitation as she watched Su Yu’s back.

“Nothing in this world comes without a price. I don’t have anything valuable with me, apart from my Honey of Hundred Flowers!” The yard master was glinting with fluorescence.

Three drops of orangish-yellow liquid trickled from the center of the pistil, emanating strong, tantalizing fragrance.

After a light sniff, Su Yu felt his head clear up in an instant, and a rejuvenating comfort washed through his body.

“This is my Original Life essence, which has the effect of enhancing spiritual intelligence and brings enlightenment of living creatures. Three drops is the limit I can give away. This can be considered compensation for using the Supreme Growing Soil.”

Su Yu wasn’t acting prudently. With a roll of his big sleeves, he took the three drops of liquid. His eyes flickered with joy.

All of the floral treasures were treasures of great value! Yinmu’s Zen under the Tree and Fountain of Life were both precious treasures of the world. The Honey of Hundred Flowers before his eyes was certainly a hard-to-come-by treasure too.

“Alright, make yourself free,” Su Yu said. He didn’t pay another moment of attention to the yard master. With a flash of his figure, he appeared near Shengge.

She was quietly training with her eyes closed while holding a golden leaf in her hand.

She had been merely a third-grade fairy the last time they met, but now, much to his surprise, she had reached the cultivation level of a ninth-grade Almighty! The groundbreaking difference in her cultivation brutally shocked Su Yu.

Even if she could keep enhancing her cultivation by absorbing energy without facing any obstacles, could she also have omitted the ordeal of destiny that came with breaking through the Almighty?

Swish!

Shengge opened her eyes, and a grey gleam flashed in the depths of her pupils, giving off a corrosive power.

“Young Lord!” Shengge stood up. Despite her tremendous improvement in cultivation, her respectful attitude hadn’t changed a bit. With both hands, she returned the golden yellow leaf.

Su Yu took back the leaf and glanced at it roughly. The Mortal Fairy’s Strength in it had been consumed by 20 percent, and the mere 20 percent had contributed to the birth of a ninth-grade Almighty. The magnitude of the Mortal Fairy’s Strength was far beyond imagination.

“Your cultivation progress is way beyond my expectations!” Su Yu voiced his astonishment. He had thought that it would be useful enough if she managed to achieve ninth-grade fairy, but she had shockingly achieved the level of ninth-grade Almighty!

Even Su Yu had to deploy certain tactics in order to suppress her.

A proud delight flickered in Shengge’s gorgeous eyes. “It’s all because of your gift, Master!” She had never imagined herself attaining such a terrifying level of power! Ninth-grade Almighty, she was only one step away from becoming a Ghost Soldier!

“It’s your unique body nature that has enabled you to accommodate such enormous power, and to be able to pull through without having to negotiate the ordeals.” Su Yu shook his head gently.

Shengge furrowed her brows. “Eh? Master, didn’t you help me resolve my ordeals?”

“What makes you say that?” Su Yu questioned, feeling strange.

Shengge said, “I have been through the ordeals when I broke through the level of fairies, therefore, I do not have the unique body nature that omits ordeals! A few days ago, when I broke through the Almighty level, I had a clear feeling that the ordeal was about to begin, but the feeling went away for some unknown reason. Master, weren’t you the one who resolved my Almighty ordeals?”

Ordeals couldn’t occur in spaces, and they would only manifest in the outside world. The only reason she could think of was that Su Yu had resolved it for her.

There was a brooding look on Su Yu’s face as he said, “When you’re done training, come out with me!”

With a flash of emerald light, Su Yu’s soul returned to his body. In the meantime, Shengge finally left the Nine Jade Spiritual Pearl and arrived in the outside world.

“Stand guard for me,” Su Yu said and sat down with crossed legs.

Shengge nodded obediently. A shrewd light flickered in her bright eyes as she scanned the surroundings vigilantly. The idea of running away to faraway places after her rebirth hadn’t occurred to her for once. She had interacted with Su Yu for such a long time. It could be described in one sentence—she was amidst mountains of gold and houses of silver, yet she was totally unaware.

She had thought about abandoning a nature-defying talent like Su Yu, who had incredible potential and phenomenal treasures, and seeking another refuge. Wasn’t she too ignorant to recognize the real hero?

Now she had accomplished the ninth-grade Almighty with such ease, this was something that no one else, not even her old self, could ever imagine. Even if she were to be evicted right now, she would beseech Su Yu to let her stay.

Su Yu had gotten in touch with Yun Yazi at that moment.

“Master, what happened? A follower of mine has broken through the Almighty without negotiating the ordeals. Such a significant incident has happened without my knowledge. Could you have given a hand and helped erase the ordeal, Master?” This was the only possibility Su Yu could think of.

A wisp of hair on top of Su Yu’s head fluttered gently and transformed into the figure of a human which appeared beside Su Yu. The figure gazed at Shengge.

Shengge hadn’t noticed anything and only cast a surprised look at Su Yu’s side.

Yun Yazi observed her for a moment, and his expression turned solemn. “I didn’t help. You, in fact, are the reason.”

Su Yu was shocked. “I am? But I don’t even have confidence in pulling through my own Almighty ordeals. How could I have resolved hers?”

“No, I’m not saying that you resolved it, but your three-nine ordeals have accepted hers!” Yun Yazi said gravely.