Chapter 129: A Strange Pavilion, A Strange Sect

As he sat in meditation to regulate his breath, the pure spiritual energy from the jade pendant slowly converged upon his wound. Moments later, the bleeding, though minor, finally ceased.

While sitting cross-legged, Su Fan felt as if he were suspended in mid-air, with nothing beneath him but the sky above and a dense, abundant flow of spiritual energy surrounding him, waiting to be absorbed.

Su Fan mused to himself that it was no wonder such an ordinary pavilion in the center of the lake required such a powerful formation for protection; there was clearly a hidden mystery here. The mere ability to gather the spiritual energy of heaven and earth would be enough to attract a multitude of cultivators.

Yet, how was this spiritual energy gathered? It originated from the void, present everywhere between heaven and earth, though it varied in density. This lake area was neither a spiritual vein nor a spiritual spring; it did not resemble the legendary blessed lands of cultivation.

Given the density of the energy, there had to be some means to gather it. Su Fan immediately thought of array formations. Among these, the Spirit-Gathering Array was designed to concentrate the energy of the world into a single location, allowing even mediocre spots to be forcibly transformed into excellent sites for cultivation. Such arrays were typically installed in the private training chambers of disciples within large sects.

However, after careful observation, Su Fan could not find any trace of such an array. A strange intuition pulled his gaze upward to the support beams, which seemed to have weathered countless ages.

He did not know the type of wood, where it had been harvested, or how many years it had stood. Even the inscriptions carved upon it were beyond his recognition. Yet, he had a distinct feeling that the source of the spiritual energy lay within that crude, unassuming timber.

This was not a groundless suspicion. He carried a jade pendant at his waist that possessed the power to attract spiritual energy, though the pendant seemed more advanced, capable of refining that gathered energy into an even purer form.

In truth, Su Fan’s conjecture was largely correct. No one knew where the wood had been harvested; it was only known that long before the Great Song Dynasty was established, the timber had existed on this mountain, standing upright within the earth.

Later, the founding ancestor of the Xuanji Sect used extraordinary craftsmanship to construct this pavilion from that very tree. The inscriptions on the wood had existed since that time. No one knew their meaning, assuming them to be the work of sages—perhaps warnings to future generations or merely idle scribbles.

As time passed, the characters had shifted and faded, so no one cared for their meaning, nor did anyone have the courage to explore them. Another reason was that few people were ever granted access to this pavilion.

Since the old woman had become the head of the Heaven Branch, she had issued an order forbidding anyone from approaching. The Sect Master, usually known for his gentle and amiable nature, had also issued an uncharacteristically firm order declaring the pavilion the exclusive domain of the old woman, stating that even the heads of the Earth and Human branches were not to step within a single pace of it without her permission.

The old woman’s domineering nature was well-known, and the disciples had long grown accustomed to it. However, the fact that the gentle Sect Master had also issued such a command forced the disciples to take the matter with the utmost seriousness.

Su Fan sat quietly in the center of the pavilion, which contained nothing else. Above his head lay the strange inscriptions. He did not look at them; the mere thought of the flame he had encountered earlier filled him with helplessness. That fire seemed even more terrifying than the flames within the memory of the Immortal Demon—it was a fire of divine wrath, remarkably similar to the Fire Tribulation from the legends of the Immortal Demon.

In the world of cultivation, it is rumored that there are three tribulations. The first is the Fire Tribulation, which descends to incinerate all things. Regardless of cultivation level, whether one is a practitioner or a mortal, all must face it. Those who face the tribulation have no chance of survival, for it is a sentence passed down by the heavens.

The second is the Wind Tribulation. After the Fire Tribulation has burned all things to ash, the Wind Tribulation arrives to blow the remaining cinders into the void. Where is this void? A place beyond knowing.

The third is the Water Tribulation, the final act of destruction. When all things have vanished, the waters of the void descend. Perhaps so much ash had been blown into the void that it obscured the sunlight, causing excessive rain to fall upon the world.

The Water Tribulation is not so simple; its ultimate mission is to freeze the entire world. Perhaps it is the will of the heavens that this world is unsatisfactory, and it intends to wipe it clean and start anew.

The Immortal Demon of that era was just such a being. Powerful as he was, he was ultimately consumed by these three heavenly tribulations and vanished from the world forever.

Of course, these three tribulations do not descend easily. For countless years, no cultivator has ever witnessed them. When they have appeared, it was merely the heavens striking down a specific practitioner who had offended them, obliterating them with a minor tribulation.

In the past millennium, even these minor tribulations have been rare. Those who know of them only do so through the sparse records of powerful families or ancient sects.

Although Su Fan came from the Tianyuan Sect, a prestigious and large organization, he had never truly seen any of its ancient texts. Perhaps they were kept by the other branches, making them inconvenient to access.

Fortunately, Su Fan possessed fragments of the Immortal Demon’s memories, granting him considerable insight into these tribulations. His sensation of that fire earlier truly carried the aura of the Fire Tribulation.

Because of this, Su Fan felt an urge to flee the pavilion. Even if the wood had nothing to do with the heavenly tribulations, if it truly were connected, the entire Xuanji Sect would be unable to resist it, and even with the addition of the Yongle Sect, they would only be throwing their lives away. When the heavens decide to destroy you, you must perish.

With this thought, Su Fan stood up abruptly. He glanced at the lake and leaped into the water. Instantly, a sense of dizzying chaos flooded his mind.

Su Fan felt nauseated and lightheaded, an urge to retch rising within him, though he could expel nothing. On the bank, Yu Ming sighed deeply and called out, "Little Junior Brother, you would do better to stay in the pavilion."

Having said this, he plucked a willow leaf and tossed it into the lake. Immediately, the fish in the water surged, the surface churning. Within moments, the fish instinctively formed a long line.

Working in unison, they hauled Su Fan out of the water, and with a sudden flick, the fish in the center tossed him back into the pavilion.

Drenched and with his mind a blank slate, Su Fan marveled at the power of the lake and the even greater power of the fish within it. Yet, he realized, the most powerful of all was his Third Senior Brother.

After some deliberation, Su Fan decided it was more appropriate to marvel at his own situation—how he had encountered this strange pavilion, this strange sect, this strange master and senior brothers, and these strange fish.

In the end, he dismissed the thought of leaving. At times, he would look up at the sky with trepidation, and at other times, he would sit calmly in meditation with a gentle gaze. He continued to meditate, regardless of day or night, doing nothing else.

He only knew that the willow leaves on the bank had long since fallen, yet Yu Ming remained on the shore, obediently sitting in meditation.