"You …" Hearing those words, Zhang Jiuxiao's body staggered, and he nearly spurted blood.
It was just a moment ago that he had asked the other party to grind ink for him, and in the blink of an eye, the other party had turned to him … This slap to his face was way too fast!
Zhang Jiuxiao's face reddened, and the durian fruits fell all over the floor. Just as he was about to lash out at the other party, the other party's voice sounded once more.
"Why? You don't agree to it? I am going to resolve the seal, and there are so many people here who would like to take a look as well … Surely, you won't turn down such an important matter, right? "
Zhang Jiuxiao's face darkened, and the words that he wanted to say were stuck in his throat, unable to come out.
It seemed like … those were the exact words that he had said to the other party a moment ago …
It was just a moment ago that he had been in high spirits, and now … his face was swollen.
"You reap what you sow …"
Zhang Jiuxiao felt stifled, but he knew that it was only right for the other party to say the same thing back then. Thus, he walked up to the other party and began grinding the ink.
"Un!"
Seeing that the other party didn't say anything else, Zhang Xuan nodded in satisfaction.
To be honest, he wasn't a vengeful person. He would settle his grudges on the spot.
He could see the other party's hostility toward him as soon as they met, and since that was the case, there was no need for him to play the good guy.
Not to mention, the other party's clan was interested in marrying Lozosy …
Back then, Feng Xun had been pummeled into a pig's head just by confessing to him. Even though he didn't know where the other party's clan was, and he didn't have the strength to challenge the other party for the time being, it didn't matter.
Seeing that the other party was done grinding the ink, Zhang Xuan was just about to dip the brush in to break the concept of the painting when a thought suddenly flashed through his mind. He turned to Guild Leader Meng and asked.
"Guild Leader Meng, may I know if you have any painting books with you? I need both sixth level and seventh level paintings, the more the better. I need to find a suitable spot to activate the spirit of the painting so that it won't harm one another … I would like to take a look and see if there are any similar books that I can use as a reference! "
"Sixth level and seventh level paintings?"
Not expecting the other party to ask for a book at this crucial moment, Guild Leader Meng shook his head. "I don't have many on me, but the Painter Guild isn't too far away. I can bring some over!"
"I'll be troubling you then …"
Zhang Xuan's hand.
"You're welcome!" Guild Leader Meng Chong nodded before leaving the room. Not too long later, he returned, and with a flick of his wrist, a huge pile of books appeared before him. There were at least several dozen thousand of them.
As the head of the Painter Guild, no one would say anything about him taking some books.
Zhang Xuan came to the front and quickly scanned through them. Then, he pretended to take out a book and casually flipped it open. He pretended to be reading carefully, but in reality, his consciousness had entered the library.
"The sixth level of the Heaven's Path Painting Art, the seventh level …"
With a light chuckle, Zhang Xuan flipped open the newly formed sixth tier book.
Zhang Xuan had only learned the fifth dan. Even though he was able to create a painting at the level of Spiritual Wisdom through the miraculous nature of the Heaven's Path Divine Art, he hadn't learned the sixth dan yet.
An hour later, he had mastered the sixth level.
Another hour later, he had also mastered the seventh level.
Zhang Xuan exhaled and put down the book in his hand, his eyes shining.
At this moment, his comprehension of painting had already reached the level of Seven Star pinnacle. In fact, it was already on par with an 8-star beginner Grandmaster Painter.
"Zhang Shi … Can we start now?"
Seeing how the young man before him had picked up an inconspicuous book and sat down for two whole hours, the copper-masked figure asked anxiously.
"I'm done."
Nodding, Zhang Xuan took in a deep breath before walking up to the painting. Activating his Eye of Insight, he began examining it once more.
If it was just a moment ago that he couldn't understand the painting at all, he would have to rely on the flaws provided by the Library of Heaven's Path to comprehend it. However, at this moment, he was already able to see what was going on.
"I'm going to start now …"
Without any hesitation, Zhang Xuan placed his brush on the inkstone and licked it until it was full. After which, he found the right spot and placed the tip of the brush on the inkstone.
Hu hu hu hu!
In the blink of an eye, a painting appeared before his eyes. It floated quietly in midair, not falling to the ground at all.
"What a profound Book of Void!"
Seeing how Zhang Xuan was painting, Guild Leader Meng Chong narrowed his eyes in astonishment.
While the layman enjoyed the spectacle, the expert appreciated the artistry.
Zhang Jiuxiao's Book of Void had only scratched the surface of it. On the other hand, the painting before Zhang Xuan contained a profound artistic conception within it.
"Profound? How does it compare to you? "Guild Leader Mu asked.
"To be honest … I'm far from being able to match up to him. Every single stroke of his Book of Void carries its own unique charm, and it feels as if it will become something real at any moment … He's already close to reaching the eighth level of painting, whereas I'm still far from it …"
Meng Chong smiled bitterly.
Even though he didn't want to admit it, he knew that the other party was simply too far ahead of him.
It was no wonder the other party was able to see through the flaws in the painting with a single glance. There was probably no one in the entire Qingyuan Empire who could match up to him.
"This …"
Upon seeing this sight, Zhang Jiuxiao's lips twitched, and he felt as if he was going insane.
When he first met the other party, he was still gleefully declaring that he would offer him some pointers. Only at this moment did he realize that the other party was far more skilled than him in both appraising and painting.
To actually show off before an expert … How embarrassing!
Hu hu hu!
Amidst everyone's shock, Zhang Xuan's brush continued moving forward, and a door appeared before everyone's eyes.
"A door?"
"Why is he drawing a door?"
"That's what you don't understand. To us, the Painting of Mountains and Rivers appears to be reflected on a window. Even though it looks very close, there's actually a certain distance between it and the other party … There's only one way to approach it with one's consciousness, and that's to open the door and get right in front of it.
…
Upon seeing what Zhang Xuan had drawn, the crowd was stunned for a moment before widening their eyes in realization.
Everyone present was one of the top figures of Qingyuan City. Even though they couldn't tell how the seal was broken, they could still understand what Zhang Xuan was up to.
The Painting of Mountains and Rivers had reached the level of Evanescent Reality. Even though it appeared to be very close to the other party, it was actually extremely far away. In order to enchant the other party's consciousness, one would have to be right in front of the other party. Naturally, that would require a door …
Hu!
After completing the door, Zhang Xuan put away the brush, and his eyebrows shot up as he abruptly pressed his palm downward.
Huala!
The droplets of ink floating in the air immediately fell onto the painting.
Hong long!
With a resounding boom, the mountain range that was a distance away from the painting suddenly appeared before everyone's eyes. It was as if the door that Zhang Xuan had drawn had opened a passageway, allowing everyone to dive right into the painting.
"Alright, I'll be starting now …"
After doing all that, Zhang Xuan heaved a sigh of relief. He turned to Wu Shi and said, "Wu Shi, I'll have to trouble you to guard the painting for me!"
Even though it was impossible for them to launch a sneak attack on Zhang Xuan, they still had to be careful.
"Alright!"
Wu Shi said as he walked up to Zhang Xuan.
Zhang Xuan sat down cross-legged on the floor, and with a thought, he sent a sliver of his consciousness through the door that he had just drawn.
As soon as he stepped through the door, he was immediately greeted by dense moisture. Zhang Xuan's consciousness swiftly advanced forward, and it didn't take long for him to arrive at the waist of the mountain.
The mountain peak that was shrouded in white clouds was pitch-black, such that one couldn't see anything at all. It was as if one had stepped into the darkness of the night. Zhang Xuan knew that this was due to the fact that the spirit of the painting had yet to be fully awakened. Without any hesitation, he drove the spirit enchantment technique and tapped his finger on the painting.
Hu!
Brilliant rays of light burst forth from the painting, and it took more than twenty flames to light up the surroundings. However, it was still a step away from fully awakening the spirit of the painting.
Even so, the light still managed to illuminate the darkness beneath the clouds, revealing the entirety of the mountain peak to Zhang Xuan.
It was a dense forest, and it looked no different from any other place. However, under the illumination of the sun, a faint silhouette slowly surfaced on the mountain peak, leaving one with an urge to kneel down and worship it.
"This …"
Upon taking a closer look, Zhang Xuan narrowed his eyes in astonishment.
He had seen this silhouette before.
Kong Shi!
At this moment, Kong Shi was silent and calm, giving one a feeling of peace and tranquility. At the same time, it felt as if he was traveling through time, as if he would vanish at any moment.
"This is … the sight that the Sorrowless Old Man saw!"
Zhang Xuan clenched his fists tightly.
This painting was drawn by the Sorrowless Old Man, so naturally, the silhouette of Kong Shi was fake as well. However … the silhouette before Zhang Xuan was filled with vigor, leaving one with an urge to kneel down and worship it. It wasn't something that could be imagined.
In other words …
The Sorrowless Old Man had seen this sight with his own eyes, and it left a deep impression in his mind. That was why he painted it.
"Wu Shi said that the Sorrowless Old Man was extremely mediocre when he was young. However, after reaching 180 years of age, he suddenly gained enlightenment. Not only did his cultivation soar, his talent in painting also seemed to have been bestowed by the gods … Could it be that he suddenly gained enlightenment after seeing Kong Shi's silhouette?"
Wu Shi had once told Zhang Xuan that the Sorrowless Old Man had been through many miracles.
Zhang Xuan would never believe that the Sorrowless Old Man hadn't come across some kind of fortuitous encounter.
Perhaps … it was due to seeing Kong Shi's silhouette that he gained enlightenment and became an 8-star painter. After reaching a certain level of mastery, he decided to write down his thoughts on paper in gratitude.
"However, the implications of the matter regarding Kong Shi are simply too great. After finishing the painting, he knew that he would be in deep trouble if news of this matter were to leak out … Perhaps, the trouble had already arrived, so he decided to use the white clouds to cover it up. Yet, in the end, he still ended up being murdered.
Zhang Xuan deduced.
After being acknowledged as a Celestial Master Teacher four times, Zhang Xuan's mind was clear and organized. Even though there were many things that he was unable to make heads or tails of, he was still able to deduce a few things.
Why would Kong Shi's silhouette appear in this mountain range, and where was it? These were all questions that could not be answered. If someone were to discover it, it would surely cause a huge uproar.
As an 8-star painter and a Leaving Aperture realm expert, it was impossible for the Sorrowless Old Man not to know about this matter.
However, it was a pity that he couldn't bear to give up on his work, and after thirty years of contemplation, he still couldn't escape his fate.
"The fact that Kong Shi appeared in this mountain range means that, just like the Qiu Wu Palace, there's bound to be some kind of ancient domain here … Let's take a look at where the silhouette appeared first!"
After coming to a conclusion, Zhang Xuan hurriedly turned his gaze toward the location where Kong Shi's silhouette had appeared.
"Over there …"
Soon, Zhang Xuan found the exact location, and his eyes lit up. He quickly rushed over.
You've already exceeded your reading limit for today. If you want to read more, please log in.
Login
Select text and click 'Report' to let us know about any bad translation.
