Chapter 28: The Jade Decree

As dusk fell, the sky was ablaze with brilliant clouds. The six of them gathered warmly around the dinner table, when Zhuangzhuang returned. Yet his appearance caused the two women among the group to blush in embarrassment and hurriedly leave the table, covering their faces!

The main reason was that this shameless fellow's attire was enough to make anyone want to beat him up: women's underwear wrapped around his arms and legs, a corset tied around his head, and most notably, a pair of tight, silk lace shorts that were unmistakably feminine.

"You’re making such a fuss! This is Bear Lord’s spoils of war. Wow, it even smells nice," Zhuangzhuang shamelessly sniffed the garments, reveling in the fragrance with an air of jealous enjoyment.

Leng Tian felt an urge to thrash him, though he knew he wasn't strong enough to match him. Yanlong and his companions could only laugh inwardly; to see a sacred beast with such tastes truly made one want to scream.

"Kid, come with me. Bear Lord has something important to discuss," Zhuangzhuang suddenly shifted to a serious tone as he addressed Leng Tian.

Leng Tian, puzzled, wondered what this fellow could possibly want to discuss with him. Nevertheless, he followed Zhuangzhuang into the inner room.

"Speak up, stop skulking around!" Leng Tian demanded directly. If Zhuangzhuang wanted to bring up something shameless, he was determined to fight him, even if he couldn’t win.

Zhuangzhuang adjusted the bib tied across his chest, sat cross-legged on the chair, smacked his lips, and produced a water-blue token from his hand. It was a few inches in size, crystalline and translucent, engraved with four ancient characters, though Leng Tian did not recognize them.

"Kid, Bear Lord is giving you a chance at great fortune. This is a Jade Qiong Decree—your pass to the Ancient Realm! Take it," Zhuangzhuang tossed the token to Leng Tian.

Leng Tian caught the decree and felt its cool, smooth surface, sensing a peculiar energy fluctuation within. Though subtle, it was clearly detectable.

"Such a familiar wave!" Leng Tian thought, recognizing the elusive sensation. After a brief hesitation, he exclaimed, "Law—this is the fluctuation of Law!"

"Good, kid. This token has indeed been imbued with Law," Zhuangzhuang replied, surprised that Leng Tian could sense it.

"You say this is a pass to the Ancient Realm—what is that, and why would it bring me great fortune?" Leng Tian voiced his confusion. What connection was there between luck and the Ancient Realm? If it was called a realm, it must be a distinct place.

"Heh heh! The so-called Ancient Realm refers to the parallel spaces birthed alongside this world at its creation—companion spaces, sealed within the world's inner dimensions. These hidden spaces are called Ancient Realms," Zhuangzhuang explained, producing a tea set from somewhere and pouring himself a cup, gesturing for Leng Tian to join him.

Clearing his throat, he continued, "In the distant past, when gods walked everywhere and saints were as common as dogs, powerful beings with defiant abilities abounded—even those who had transcended into the Celestial Realm. These mighty ones discovered these small, companion worlds within the main world, rich with innate treasures and wild beasts rivaling god-level power. They fought fiercely for control of the Ancient Realms, seeking secluded places to cultivate."

"That means it will be very dangerous inside. With my meager strength, wouldn't I just be courting death?" Leng Tian, hearing Zhuangzhuang's explanation, felt this was no luck at all—if he went, it would surely be misfortune.

"Don’t jump to conclusions—let me finish," Zhuangzhuang shot Leng Tian a look of deep disdain, adjusted his lace shorts, and said with a hint of melancholy, "It was a calamity sweeping heaven and earth. No one escaped; peerless masters perished, and even the few Celestial Realm guardians were forced to exile themselves in endless space and time to avoid the disaster."

Leng Tian was astounded by this ancient secret. He knew not what the Celestial Realm truly entailed, but the god-level was the ultimate goal he always pursued. To think that even gods could not escape annihilation was shocking.

Zhuangzhuang noticed Leng Tian’s changing expression and smiled faintly, continuing, "The ancient gods, unable to escape, chose to sink themselves into the oceans of Law they mastered, sealing their divine bodies in hopes of avoiding the catastrophe."

"And what of the others—the god-level, the saints? Did they all perish?"

Zhuangzhuang did not answer directly, but instead asked, "Do you think they could escape?"

Leng Tian fell silent, his resolve to pursue martial mastery wavering and filled with doubt for the first time.

"Kid, don’t overthink things. Walk your own path. The Ancient Realm holds no danger anymore. Once you leave, I’ll take care of them here—rest assured, nothing will happen with me around."

Zhuangzhuang stood, glanced at the sky, then turned to Leng Tian, saying, "This Ancient Realm is called the Jade Ocean Qiong Sky Domain, once the sanctuary of an ancient master of water Law. This Jade Qiong Decree was stolen by me. When the time comes, be careful—the Jade Ocean Qiong Sky Domain opens in a month, and you’d best depart tomorrow. The location is in the far north, deep within the Endless Sea."

"Tomorrow? Is it really so urgent? The Endless Sea—how am I supposed to find it?" Leng Tian felt Zhuangzhuang was being deliberately difficult.

"Here, take this sea map. The marked spot is where the entrance to the Jade Ocean Qiong Sky Domain lies," Zhuangzhuang pointed to the designated area on the map and explained.

Leng Tian did not examine it closely, but instead recalled the strange events he had encountered in the underground palace. After some thought, he decided it was best to inform Zhuangzhuang, since he would be leaving soon and for quite some time. With Zhuangzhuang’s cultivation, there was no doubt—he should investigate.

With this in mind, Leng Tian put away the map and told Zhuangzhuang every detail of his experience. Zhuangzhuang, listening, also sensed something amiss and immediately followed Leng Tian to the underground palace.

As they walked, Leng Tian asked, "Zhuangzhuang, why are you so good to me? Our relationship isn’t that deep, is it?" He knew Zhuangzhuang expected nothing from him, but wondered why such a great opportunity was left to him. Didn’t Zhuangzhuang or his kin need it?

Zhuangzhuang grinned, showing his teeth, "Of course there’s a reason, but it’s not time to say. All you need to know is that I’ll never harm you—how you decide to trust me is up to your own judgment! Heh heh…"

Knowing this fellow would never reveal his true intentions so easily, Leng Tian decided not to press further and brought Zhuangzhuang into the palace.

Zhuangzhuang stood before the wall, his gaze strange. "Here?"

"Yes, right here."

Zhuangzhuang’s squat body leapt from Leng Tian’s shoulder to the ground, unleashing a vast divine sense to probe the wall. After a moment, he declared, "There’s something odd—a strong spatial fluctuation!"

His thick arm brushed lightly across the wall, and as if an invisible force swept over it, several inches of stone peeled away, revealing a snow-white, smooth jade gate.

On it, nine lifelike divine dragons twined and chased each other across both doors. When Zhuangzhuang saw them, his eyes glazed over for a moment, then he muttered quietly, "Can it really be this much of a coincidence? This is too unlucky for a bear!"

His broad bear paws pressed against the jade doors and pushed firmly. "Voom!" The space trembled, ripples radiating from the gate. Unlike Leng Tian, Zhuangzhuang was not thrown off by the force; he merely stepped back calmly, letting the spatial waves crash over him.

Leng Tian dared not face it head-on, so he dodged to the side and waited for the space to stabilize before returning.

The void remained dark and silent. Suddenly, nine resounding dragon roars shattered the quiet. "It’s happening!" As the roars echoed, Leng Tian was enveloped by the azure aura emanating from Zhuangzhuang, sparing him from the ordeal he had suffered previously.

In the void, nine azure dragons chased each other, circling a large silver-white crystal bow that floated serenely at their center. As nine more dragon roars sounded, a blurred figure emerged from the bow.

It was the same imposing middle-aged man as before, repeating the same gesture and words. He grasped the crystal bow, drew it to a full moon, and the nine azure dragons roared as they surged into the bow.

"In the name of Heaven, summon the supreme will—let Heaven’s Punishment descend to slay gods and purge demons!"

A feathered arrow of azure energy shot forth, transforming instantly into a three-thousand-zhang divine dragon. The immense creature’s claws and movements exuded a crushing pressure, shredding the space, though it all healed instantly afterward.

"It truly is the Divine Execution Bow! Hahaha! I’ve struck it rich—this time, I really am wealthy!" Zhuangzhuang leaped with excitement, pointing at the writhing divine dragon and the crystal bow in the void, dancing with joy.

"The Divine Execution Bow—what a commanding name!" Leng Tian gazed at the bow with shining eyes.

The massive azure dragon fixed its gaze on the exit of the void and, with a series of roars, charged forth.

"It’s coming out—what should we do?" Leng Tian could hardly believe it; if such a dragon emerged, with its world-ending might, who knew if the royal city would survive.

Zhuangzhuang snorted coldly, and an aura of deep azure light radiated from him, piercing the void to form a giant azure staff, which he brought down upon the charging divine dragon.

Leng Tian was startled—was Zhuangzhuang going to directly confront the world-destroying dragon? The giant staff and the azure dragon collided, not with an earth-shattering boom, but with a mournful cry from the dragon, which then faded into starlight and disappeared into the void.

Martial Peak 28_Chapter Twenty-Eight Jade Qiong Decree Complete!