Immortal of the Ages

Chapter 626: Rune Lake, Taking a Dip!

With urgency pressing and no time to waste, Yun Xiao urged Nine Kites forward. She led him through the lingering mists of the Celestial Court, over rivers and mystical mountains, until they beheld the elegant spires of many a palace ahead, clustered around the peaks.

They had arrived at the Taisui Sigil Palace.

Nine Kites steered their colorful thunderclouds, guiding Yun Xiao to alight before this grand edifice. Looking up, Yun Xiao saw the palace’s simple facade which belied its complexity. The walls, lined with glazed bricks, were interwoven with magical arrays and symbols that shimmered in the flowing light—ingenious and sublime, a testament to wisdom at every turn.

At the entrance of the Taisui Sigil Palace stood a boy. Yun Xiao half expected Nine Kites to try and sneak him in covertly. Instead, Nine Kites approached openly and boldly.

“That boy is a Jiangshi made by the Taisui Sage. He lacks true sentience. I’ll handle the talking; you stay quiet,” Nine Kites whispered to Yun Xiao before moving toward the child.

The boy, clad in a black and white daoist robe with his hair neatly tied up, was conspicuously pale. His demeanor was somewhat stiff, and a yellow talisman clung to his forehead, emitting a faint, eerie light.

Yun Xiao sensed that this boy, though lacking real intelligence, possessed formidable strength.

“Greetings, Miss Nine Kites,” the boy said with a smile, bowing to Nine Kites as she approached.

“Hmm! Are Prince Zhen and the Taisui Sage inside?” Nine Kites asked knowingly.

“No matter, I’m here to retrieve some items,” Nine Kites said casually, walking past the boy.

He made no move to stop her, but as Yun Xiao followed, the boy’s eyes suddenly narrowed, casting a chilling gaze upon him.

“Who is this intruder?” he asked.

"He's my junior from the Thunder Department; he's with me," Nine Kites stated, her displeasure evident.

The boy was silent for a moment before bowing deeply to Yun Xiao. "Underling from the Thunder Department, please, enter."

"Thank you."

Without changing his expression, Yun Xiao stepped past the boy, entering the Taisui Sigil Palace with Nine Kites.

Pushing open the door, they were greeted by a vast expanse of a courtyard enveloped in celestial mist, elegant and serene. It was evident that the owner held high status and refined taste within the Celestial Court.

Once inside, Yun Xiao noticed that the entire palace was staffed with Jiangshi children, each with a talisman affixed to their foreheads, busy with their assigned duties. As they passed, each child greeted Nine Kites before returning to their tasks.

"These Jiangshi children produce a vast quantity of talismans daily, allowing the Taisui Sagel to profit handsomely without lifting a finger. He has no heirs, so eventually, this palace will belong to me and Prince Zhen..." Nine Kites began casually, but as she spoke, she bit her lip, seemingly uneasy about the future.

"Arranged marriages can be uncomfortable, huh? A bit of the wild in a man is more appealing to a girl," Yun Xiao said with a light laugh.

"What are you talking about? You and me? That's impossible," Nine Kites retorted, dismissively.

"Am I bad?" Yun Xiao shook his head. "Don’t misjudge; I’m a decent man."

"Let's drop this topic!"

Indeed, Nine Kites's heart was set on someone else, and she knew it was even less likely, so she preferred not to discuss it to avoid being upset.

"I’ll take you to the Lesser Sigil Hall, where Prince Zhen usually crafts his talismans. His Rune Pen, Rune Spirit Ink, and the inscription manuals are all there... But honestly, I don’t believe you can accomplish anything significant with your Rune Prison situation in just one hour. The disciplines of sword and sigil are the result of years of painstaking cultivation, not something to be mastered overnight."

Speaking thus, Nine Kites herself felt a bit possessed and chaotic—how could she, for the glory of the Thunder Department and the dignity of her forebears, bring this young man here to the Taisui Sigil Palace to steal things?

"Lead the way," Yun Xiao said. There was no need for argument; he was pressed for time.

Together, they sped through the estate, brushing past numerous Jiangshi children along the way. These creatures seemed interconnected; when the first did not stop Yun Xiao, the others paid him no heed.

The two had not yet reached the Lesser Sigil Hall when Yun Xiao halted on a white jade bridge.

"What's the matter?" Nine Kites asked, turning back.

Yun Xiao looked down into a vast lake below the bridge, where the water shimmered with a mystic light. On closer inspection, he noticed countless water-like Runes swimming like aquatic plants and fish, playing throughout the lake. These Runes filled the lake densely, too numerous to count, some even clustering into small arrays, mimicking the function of celestial formations.

"What is this?" Yun Xiao inquired.

"It’s the Rune Lake," Nine Kites paused, "It’s where the Taisui Sage discards all unused Runes. Over time, it has turned into this bizarre Rune Lake. Even the water is infused with Runes."

"How long has it been?" Yun Xiao asked.

"Nearly 1,000 years." Nine Kites glanced at him, adding, "But it’s just a spectacle, really. It serves no purpose, just a dump for rejects. Last I heard, Prince Zhen's master thought about cleaning it out."

"Don’t ever clean it; this is a treasure," Yun Xiao’s lips curled into a slight smile.

Nine Kites paused, about to ask if he was mad, but Yun Xiao turned to her, earnestly cutting in, "I won’t go to the Minor Sigil Hall. I’ll stay here in the Rune Lake until it’s almost time to battle. Wait for me here."

"Are you sure?" Nine Kites asked, incredulous.

"Sure."

"Alright then."

In Nine Kites's eyes, Yun Xiao had always been odd, and she had little interest in meddling, only warning, "Just don’t drink the lake water."

"Why?" Yun Xiao asked.

"The Taisui Sagel likes to wash his feet there, has been for hundreds of years, every day. Don’t believe me? Go smell it." Nine Kites burst into laughter as she saw Yun Xiao’s face twist in disgust.

"I’ll endure!"

Without another word, in front of Nine Kites, Yun Xiao leapt from the bridge, plunging into the middle of the Rune Lake. As he entered, the colorful waters stirred, sending ripples of shimmering light across the surface.

For a moment, the Rune Lake transformed into a colorful sea of watery flowers, in which the handsome young man bathed, his skin aglow under the radiant light, truly without parallel in all the world.

"It's beautiful..." Nine Kites murmured these words, her mind swirling in confusion. The faces of Yun Xiao, An Yao, and Prince Zhen shifted in her thoughts—what had been a simple hierarchy between An Yao and Prince Zhen was now jumbled by Yun Xiao's intrusion.

Nine Kites leaned on the bridge railing, resting her chin on her hands, utterly captivated.

"There must be some sorcery in this world designed to bewitch a woman's heart, a strategy to conquer her affections..." Yun Xiao glanced up at the bewildered Nine Kites. "Such a thing is hardly honorable."

"I think it's quite nice!" Red Moon chimed in weakly.

"Get lost."

Yun Xiao knew what this little black beast was after!

"Attraction should be mutual, the culmination of genuine feelings, not some trick of the soul to brainwash a lady."

"Please, you're handsome, so girls naturally flock to you. Shouldn't the less fortunate have their tricks?" Blue Star curled his lips.

"Nope, it's still downright disgusting!"

Yun Xiao might have his opinions. But this was the problem of the Sixth Prince, and it had nothing to do with him just yet. His focus remained on the water-like Runes in the lake before him.

These Runes, though flawed and discarded, had preserved well in the Rune Lake, and due to their sheer volume, had undergone curious transformations.

"For the Prison Warden Sigil, these are like the remains of destroyed Life Sigils, broken and imperfect, yet they are the best nourishment for it!"

The Prison Warden Sigil and the Heaven Burial Sword Soul had a unique ability to absorb the essence of these castoffs. Be it Runes or Sword Auras, even if deemed worthless, these divine artifacts could extract their essence.

Even if the yield was low, the sheer volume of the Rune Lake promised much more efficiency than Yun Xiao crafting Runes from scratch.

"Let's try this..." Yun Xiao slowly sank deeper into the lake, took a deep breath, and called forth the Prison Warden Sigil from his brow.

This violet sigil, with its nine dragons opening nine pairs of eyes, beheld the sea of Runes before it—like a wolf among sheep. Or like Yun Xiao in a wine cellar...

JustLivingJL's Thoughts

"The Taisui Sagel likes to wash his feet there, has been for hundreds of years, every day. Don’t believe me? Go smell it." Nine Kites burst into laughter as she saw Yun Xiao’s face twist in disgust.