Chapter Forty-Seven: Burying Oneself, Azure Lotus Protects the Eight Directions

"Mother!" Seeing his mother vanish, Shi Yi was terrified. He hurriedly knelt before Chen Xing and pleaded, "Senior, could I take all the punishment in her stead? I beg you to spare my mother! Please, I implore you!" With that, he repeatedly kowtowed to Chen Xing.

Chen Xing was speechless, lifting Shi Yi up with a helpless sigh, his tone gentle. "Since Shi Hao no longer dwells on the grievances between you, I naturally won't act unjustly. Your mother passed away long ago, and it was by my great power that her soul was gathered. What I did was to send her to the cycle of rebirth, to begin her next life."

He hesitated for a moment, then a thought struck him. With a flick of his fingers, a spell revealed certain truths. He chuckled inwardly and continued, "If you truly wish to see her again, I will give you two choices. But I hope you will consider carefully."

Hearing Chen Xing's explanation, Shi Yi's anxiety eased. He trusted that someone of Chen Xing's status would not deceive him. As long as he could see his mother again, he would accept any risk. He calmed himself, waiting to hear the two paths Chen Xing would offer.

"You have two paths. First, you may continue your journey in this world. With your innate double-pupils, you may reign supreme in the Eight Desolate Regions of the lower realm, and even earn great fame in the upper realm. But to see your mother again would be exceedingly difficult—without extraordinary fortune, it is almost impossible," Chen Xing said calmly.

He glanced at Shi Yi, noting his composure and restraint from questioning further. Chen Xing nodded inwardly; such temperament was rare.

"The second choice is for me to seal you until the endless eras to come. It will be a long wait, but I guarantee you will see your mother's reincarnated self. By then, you will know who she is. But if her cultivation does not reach a certain level, she may not remember you. The choice is yours," Chen Xing continued, his expression unchanged.

"I choose the second!" Shi Yi said resolutely, without the slightest hesitation.

"No!" Two voices rang out in unison. Everyone turned to see Shi Zi Teng and his father, Shi Yuan. Shi Zi Teng had awakened, staring at Shi Yi with eyes full of sorrow.

Shi Yi walked to the two, bowed low, and gave them three resounding kowtows. He spoke softly, "Grandfather, Father, this is what we owe to Mother. If I cannot see her again, I will never be at ease. I hope you two will agree."

"And what about me? I am your father—do you not consider my feelings? If you leave, what will I do?" Shi Zi Teng was utterly distraught. His son, whom he had always been proud of, was choosing to bury himself in this life; he could not accept it.

Looking at Shi Yi, who remained silent and indifferent, Shi Zi Teng gradually calmed. Father and son stood in mute confrontation, the silence so deep that a pin could be heard dropping.

After a long while, a sigh broke the stillness. Shi Yuan spoke, "Let Yi'er go. Her death all those years ago was not without our silent consent. Now I understand—we may love Yi'er dearly, but we cannot replace his mother. This is what we owe her. Let it be... let it be as if Yi'er is gone today."

By then, Shi Yuan's tears streamed down his aged face. All present were deeply moved.

Shi Yi suddenly stood, walked to Chen Xing, and bowed. "Thank you, Senior."

Chen Xing nodded, reached into the void, and countless crystalline objects streamed from heaven and earth, converging in his palm. Soon, they formed a mass several yards high.

Chen Xing pushed his palm toward Shi Yi, and the crystalline mass flew to surround Shi Yi, who sat quietly with eyes closed, enveloping him completely. Inside, Shi Yi appeared to be asleep, utterly still.

With a flip of his hand, a thunderous roar echoed out front of the Martial King Manor. A pitch-black abyss appeared on the plaza, unfathomably deep, radiating eerie black runes as if it led straight to hell.

The crystalline cocoon holding Shi Yi floated upward, descending slowly into the abyss. Before long, both it and the abyss vanished, the plaza restored to its original state, as if nothing had ever happened.

The crowd watched as a prodigy buried himself in this world, sighing in lament.

Only Shi Zi Teng and Shi Yuan stood with tears streaming down, staring blankly at the place where Shi Yi disappeared, overwhelmed by desolation.

They knew they would never again see the son who had brought pride to their family...

What none of them knew was that, at this moment, Chen Xing was inwardly delighted, murmuring to himself:

Ye Hei, with this future Immortal King—possessor of double-pupils—appearing in your era, you will surely be stirred! Heh heh, this is what you get for disrespecting your elder.

As the others felt the matter resolved and relaxed, Chen Xing suddenly turned to the Divine Willow, his expression solemn. "Fellow Daoist, soon these people may only be able to protect the Stone Nation. The entire Eight Desolate Regions of the lower realm may depend on you."

The Divine Willow nodded, indicating no concern, but hesitantly asked, "Will you be alone? Do you need my assistance?"

Chen Xing shook his head. "You cannot help me now. Don't worry. In my eyes, 'he' is but a withered bone in a tomb, unable to harm me. I simply do not wish to destroy this realm. The task of protecting it must fall to you."

He paused, then suddenly pointed at Shi Hao's forehead. Azure radiance flashed across the sky, and a blue lotus slowly emerged from Shi Hao's spiritual sea, as if capable of crushing the world.

With a wave of his hand, Chen Xing sent the lotus to the Divine Willow, saying, "I temporarily lend this to you. It will truly protect this world without worry. The young one's strength is insufficient, so I must trouble you."

The Divine Willow's eyes shone with astonishment, her heart shaken. As an ancestral spirit, she could sense the lotus was even stronger than her true form. If only it had gained sentience—it would surely be an invincible Immortal Emperor.

She hadn't expected Chen Xing to bestow such a treasure on Shi Hao, revealing his deep affection for his disciple.

Fire Ling'er, nearby, stared wide-eyed at the lotus. She had never known Shi Hao possessed such a treasure.

Girls are naturally drawn to flowers and greenery; one could see the love in the eyes of Qin Yi Ning and Jin Ling as they gazed at the lotus.

From the moment she saw it, Fire Ling'er fell in love with the crystalline, jade-like blue lotus.

She shot a fierce glare at Shi Hao, who could only offer a bitter smile. Fire Ling'er sidled up to Chen Xing and whispered, "Master! Do you have any more lotuses like that? Could you give me one?" Her face bore a pleading look.

Chen Xing was momentarily stunned, then laughed ruefully. Before coming to this realm, he had prepared some treasures to give away, but none as rare as the twelfth-grade Creation Blue Lotus. The only Purifying White Lotus he possessed was still with the little demon.

He chuckled, waved his hand, and several treasures floated in midair—a sword, a bell, a scroll. Though not as powerful as the Creation Blue Lotus, each was a rare spiritual treasure, causing everyone present to show envy.

Fire Ling'er ran to Chen Xing, eyes full of hope. "Are these all for me?"

Chen Xing nodded. "Though these three treasures are not equal to the blue lotus, they are rare and precious. Keep them safe, and refine them when you have time."

Fire Ling'er ignored his remark about the treasures being inferior to the lotus, happily collecting them and bowing to Chen Xing. "Thank you, Master!" Secretly, she schemed to exchange with Shi Hao for the lotus when opportunity arose.

As everyone envied Fire Ling'er for receiving Chen Xing's gifts, a boundless pressure suddenly descended upon them, as if the heavens were shattering, space and time splitting, and the entire era about to be erased!

Just as this ancient, overwhelming force arrived, runic chains wove throughout the Stone Nation, fiercely protecting the land and briefly resisting the erasure within its realm.

At that moment, the Divine Willow raised her hand, sending forth the Creation Blue Lotus. It grew immense, shielding the entire Eight Desolate Regions of the lower realm, effortlessly resisting the heavenly pressure.

"Hmm? An Immortal Emperor's weapon?" A deep voice echoed as if from the ancient past, causing all living beings to kneel instinctively to the earth.