📖 Chapter 1026 - Book of Heaven’s Mandate!

17 Jul, 2023

“Sure enough, ginger is spicier the older it gets^[1].” Wang Baole felt like his eyes had been opened as he returned to his pagoda.

Through the play that the Flame Patriarch had put on with his clones, Xie Haiyang had unknowingly become inextricably linked to the Raging Flame Galaxy. Although Xie Haiyang himself had no idea of the cause and effect leading up to this point, there were no disadvantages to him. To a certain extent, he stood to gain great benefit instead.

Before, Xie Haiyang had only entered the Raging Flame Galaxy for business benefits. But now, he felt a true sense of belonging. After all, a sense of belonging was a very complex sort of emotion. Feeling moved, feeling indifferent, feeling conflicted, etc… all could increase the sense of belonging. And once all these emotions blended together, they formed invisible fetters that would bind a person even further.

“Later, Xie Haiyang should encounter some danger, and Master or First Senior Sister… no, maybe even Old Seventh or Fifteenth, will rescue him. His relationship with the Raging Flame Galaxy will grow stronger and stronger, until it reaches the point where even if the truth is revealed someday, Xie Haiyang won’t want to break things off. Instead, his sense of belonging will be strengthened even further.”

Wang Baole sighed and was deeply moved. He knew that the Flame Patriarch had no need to do any of this; obviously, it was all for his sake!

“He taught me the Flame Spirit Curse and found a sect nephew for me… Master, just what are you preparing for?” Wang Baole fell silent. In the past few days, he didn’t know why, but there was always a sense of unease in his heart.

This unease didn’t come from himself, but from the Flame Patriarch.

However, Wang Baole didn’t know what exactly it was, so he could only sigh lightly and suppress his worries, immersing himself again in the study of the Flame Spirit Curse.

Just like that, three months passed slowly. During these three months, Wang Baole familiarized himself with the basics of the Flame Spirit Curse, but didn’t make too much progress. As for Xie Haiyang, he seemed to have smartened up. No matter what anybody said to him, he was always full of praise for the Flame Patriarch, and at the same time, he worked hard to keep Wang Baole happy.

Wang Baole didn’t need to go out and look for any cultivation resources. The moment he opened his mouth, Xie Haiyang would instantly bring some over. Moreover, Xie Haiyang’s flattery became better and better, always leaving Wang Baole with a smile on his face. Eventually, Wang Baole asked the Flame Patriarch to let him bring Xie Haiyang along for Reverend Heaven-Learned’s birthday celebration.

Once the Flame Patriarch agreed, Wang Baole and Xie Haiyang spent several days preparing. Then, under the watchful gazes of First Senior Sister and the others, they left the Raging Flame Chief Planet in the Raging Flame Galaxy’s special space shuttle.

As the young master of the Raging Flame Galaxy, Wang Baole naturally wouldn’t travel on his own like before. By his side were several Eternal Star Realm powerhouses from the various civilizations in the Raging Flame Galaxy, accompanying him as Dao Protectors.

A total of eight Eternal Star Realm powerhouses were traveling alongside Wang Baole, bearing the mission of keeping him safe throughout the journey. Among them was the Eternal Star Realm ancestor of the Scorching Spirit Civilization.

Combined with Xie Haiyang’s own guards, Wang Baole’s entourage was already comparable to a major force.

However, no one thought that he was being excessively ostentatious. Wang Baole represented the Raging Flame Galaxy, and it would be ridiculous for the Raging Flame Galaxy’s young master’s entourage to be any weaker than this.

Thus, as they streaked across the starry sky, there were already hundreds of space shuttles in Wang Baole’s fleet. Moreover, aside from the eight Eternal Star Realm Almighties, there were also quite a few Planet Realm cultivators. Mighty fluctuations rippled in all directions as they shot toward Planet Heaven’s Mandate, where Reverend Heaven-Learned lived.

Inside the main ship at the center of the fleet stood Wang Baole. With the magnificent red robe on his body and the golden combat boots on his feet, he had an imposing and noble bearing. At that moment, his eyes flickered with thought as he held a jade slip.

Xie Haiyang was outfitted in similar clothes, but his were of slightly paler colors. Standing beside Wang Baole, he spoke in a low voice.

“Sect Uncle, here in the Never-Ending Dao Domain, Reverend Heaven-Learned can be considered an existence similar to Grandmaster, an almighty figure who the Never-Ending Clan doesn’t dare to provoke. Moreover, he is skilled at deducing the changes in heaven and earth. Thus, he has friends all over the Dao Domain and the Never-Ending Clan treats him with even greater respect!

“His cultivation base is the same as Grandmaster’s, and he has an extraordinary treasure called the Mark of Heaven’s Mandate. That treasure can grant Reverend Heaven-Learned endless power, and some people suspect that his battle prowess can reach a level comparable to the Universe Realm!

“His birthday celebration is always attended by people from various forces. Aside from showing good will, there is another reason everyone clamors to attend; every time Reverend Heaven-Learned celebrates his birthday, he will arrange a trial. The trial is different every time, but no matter what, those who succeed in gaining the reverend’s approval will obtain the qualification to flip through the Book of Heaven’s Mandate a single time!”

“Book of Heaven’s Mandate?” Wang Baole narrowed his eyes. Before leaving, the Flame Patriarch had summoned him and explained that Reverend Heaven-Learned had agreed to give Wang Baole a chance to obtain insights from the Mark of Heaven’s Mandate. However, he hadn’t mentioned this so-called Book of Heaven’s Mandate at all!

Wang Baole had learned from the Flame Patriarch that obtaining insights from the Mark of Heaven’s Mandate meant crossing the river of time and condensing countless versions of himself from his past lives. Then, once these countless shadows of his past lives converged on his present, his vitality would instantaneously explode!

As for how far back he could go, that depended on his natural talent and potential. Moreover, he couldn’t do it just by standing in front of the Mark of Heaven’s Mandate; it required Reverend Heaven-Learned to unleash his ultimate divine ability, which caused irreversible damage to himself every time he used it.

Wang Baole didn’t know what price the Flame Patriarch had paid, but he was certain that it must be extremely heavy.

A moment later, Xie Haiyang’s voice interrupted Wang Baole’s thoughts.

“The Book of Heaven’s Mandate is a magical item with an unknown origin. Even Divine Emperors can’t remove it from Planet Heaven’s Mandate, and Reverend Heaven-Learned is the only one who can control it, even if only to a limited extent. In fact, it’s rumored that Reverend Heaven-Learned himself is the artifact spirit of the book, but nobody knows if it’s true or not.

“When you flip through this book, each page represents 500 years, and allows you to view an incomplete picture of your future during that timespan… It’s impossible to describe how powerful this sort of prophetic divine ability is. However, the image that appears is only one of the endless possibilities, so it’s not guaranteed to happen. Furthermore, you’re unable to view a specific point in the future; each image is displayed randomly. And every time you turn a page, it consumes your own vitality, so you can’t flip through it too much. If not for all these restrictions, the Book of Heaven’s Mandate would be even more terrifying!”

“It can let you see the future?” Wang Boale’s eyes widened, and his breathing hastened as he looked at Xie Haiyang.

Xie Haiyang nodded.

“We cultivators are full of doubt about the future. We don’t know what will happen, we don’t know when death will suddenly arrive, we don’t even know whether or not we’ll be able to break through before our lifespans run out. There are too many things that we don’t know, which is why Reverend Heaven-Learned’s birthday celebration is never without guests. Everyone wants to pass the trial, to flip through the Book of Heaven’s Mandate, to take a peek at their future…

“Even if the image that appears is random, even if it’s only one out of thousands of possibilities, it can still become a powerful guiding force for our future endeavors!”

Wang Baole thought for a moment and nodded. He was extremely interested in this Book of Heaven’s Mandate, as he, too, wanted to see what his future held.

“The past, the future…” Wang Baole murmured. Unknowingly, his expectations for this trip to Planet Heaven’s Mandate had begun to rise. A few days later, when the fleet of space shuttles was about a third of the way to Planet Heaven’s Mandate, dozens of giant blue ships suddenly appeared in front of them!

Each of these giant ships was as big as a planet, and the sight of dozens of them lined up in a row was incredibly shocking. Wherever they passed, the starry sky distorted under their immense momentum.

Moreover, it was possible to see a large number of cultivators flying back and forth between the giant ships, making for a lively scene. At the same time, each ship flew a giant flag with a single word clearly written – Xie!

“That’s my family’s interstellar market. Aside from transactions, it’s also used for transporting goods and even people!” The moment he saw the giant space shuttles, Xie Haiyang narrowed his eyes and spoke. Taking out a jade slip, he exchanged some sound transmissions before looking up at Wang Baole with a smile.

“Sixteenth Sect Uncle, this interstellar market’s destination isn’t far from Planet Heaven’s Mandate. Shall we go over and take a look? Their speed is faster than ours, and it can also be considered letting your sect nephew make some contributions.”

Wang Baole looked at Xie Haiyang with a smile on his face. Running into the Xie Family’s interstellar market at this time was too much of a coincidence. If someone told him that Xie Haiyang hadn’t done anything behind the scenes, Wang Baole definitely wouldn’t believe them. But in any case, this matter was still quite convenient, so he nodded his head.

"Let's go!"