STNS: Chapter 473 (Patreon)

Sui Mei Xilan huddled on her bed as rain pounded against the surface of her glass window, knees drawn up to her chest. Her blanket was wrapped around her body and thrown over her head.

It was the rainy season. She hated the rainy season because it was never sunny out. All it did was rain, rain, rain all day every day, which meant she couldn’t go outside and play. She wished it would stop running. Beyond the rain…

Krrsssh-boom!

“Eeek!”

Lightning flashed in the sky beyond her window and a loud crashing sound like a giant stomping against the ground echoed around her. Her older brother had once told her that thunder happened when the heavens became angry, so someone had made the heavens very angry today because she had been hearing thunder all night.

KRRRSSSSSH-BOOM!

“Iyaaaaaaahk?!”

The thunder this time sounded very close. It was so startling that Sui Mei Xilan leapt up, became tangled in her bedsheets, and took a tumble of the bed. Even though she smacked her noggin against the floor, that didn’t stop her from inchworming toward the door until she could untangle herself. Once she managed to work her tiny body out of the sheets, she scrambled for the door, flung it open, and raced down the hallway--the sound of thunder continuing to echo behind her.

The Sui Kingdom royal palace was a bunch of buildings connected via walkways, gardens, and courtyards. Most of the buildings were used for ceremonial purposes and the like. The building where she and her family slept was located further from the main hall in a tiny, private section that other people were not allowed to enter except maids. It was not very far to her parents’ room, and yet, it felt like traveling that distance took forever. The constant pounding of thunder rang in her ears and made her even more scared. By the time she had reached her parents’ room, Sui Mei Xilan had tears and snot dripping down her face.

“Māma! Bàba!”

Sui Mei Xilan called for her parents over and over again as she pounded on the door. Why weren’t they coming? Did the heavens take them away? Maybe the heavens were angry at her for not eating her vegetables at dinner?!

Her fears were unfounded. The door eventually opened and a sleepy looking woman appeared from within. She wore a white robe that was on the verge of slipping off her shoulders and had long black hair.

“What’s wrong, bǎobèi--oh, my!”

Sui Mei Xilan buried her face in her mother’s stomach and wrapped her arms tightly around her waist. She felt an almost immediate sense of relief when her mother began rubbing her head.

“What’s this now? Is everything okay?”

“The heavens are angry at me because I didn’t eat my vegetables. They’re coming to get me…”

“The heavens are coming to get you?” her mother asked. Sui Mei Xilan nodded against her mother’s stomach.

“What seems to be the problem, dear?” asked another voice further back. She recognized her dad’s voice.

Her mother turned and smiled. “It seems the heavens are after our little Sui Mei.”

“That is quite the problem.” Sui Mei Xilan peeked at her father from beyond her mother. He looked troubled. Maybe he forgot to eat his vegetables too. “I guess there’s no helping it. Come inside. We’ll protect you from the heavens.”

“You will?” Sui Mei Xilan sniffled.

“Of course. Though you will need to eat your vegetables from now on,” her father said sternly.

“… Okay.”

She did not like vegetables. They were icky. But if that was what it took to prevent the heavens from taking and punishing her, then she would do it. She would eat every vegetable on her plate.

Her mother led her onto the bed. Sui Mei Xilan wound up between her parents, who lay on either side of her. She felt much warmer and safer now than she had before. Her mother and father were very warm people. Her mother was super pretty, with long black hair, soft skin like polished jade, and a pretty smile. Her father wasn’t pretty, but she always felt safe around him.

Krrrrsh-boom!

“…”

Thunder echoed around them, but it didn’t sound as loud. It still bothered her though.

“Why don’t I tell you a story?” suggested her mother.

“Tell me the one about how you and dad got married,” Sui Mei Xilan said.

That was her favorite story of all-time. Her mother and father were never supposed to get married. Father was just a bodyguard and her mother was the princess of the Sui Kingdom. They had at some point fallen in love over the course of several years, but they couldn’t display their love for each other because she was beyond his station. However, their secret affair was eventually discovered. Her mother’s father flew into a rage and tried to have her father executed, but her mother threatened to kill herself if anything happened to her father. Her mother’s father, in a desperate bid to prevent her father from marrying her mother, gave her father a series of challenges that he would have to overcome if he wanted to marry.

The challenges were very hard, so difficult that most people would have given up after the first challenge. They were designed to test his mind, body, and cultivation. Each challenge was something that even a Human Limit Realm cultivator would have had difficulty with, and her father was only at the Asura Realm back then. The challenges should have been impossible.

And yet…

Her father had overcome each one, pushing himself to the point where his body broke over and yet, and yet, not once did his will break. He continued to work hard and eventually succeeded in completing the challenges after fifteen years. The challenges had been so trying that he had even broken through to the Human Limit Realm. With that, her mother’s father had been unable to dispute their relationship and reluctantly allowed them to marry.

Sui Mei Xilan listened to the story, her eyes slowly closing as she was embraced within the comfortable warmth of her parents.

***

The seven elders and Qiang Bao stood around the two young woman, waiting for a sign that the Luminous Eclipse Seal had either worked or failed. This was the first time in the history of their sect that they had ever used this sealing array. It was an ancient and powerful sealing array left behind by their founder.

“Did it… work?” asked Elder Xi Feng.

“They’re not moving. It must have worked,” Elder Tu Yan said.

Sui Mei Xilan and Hou Jingshu stood dead still in the center of their formation, not moving a single muscle. Qiang Bao could not see Hou Jingshu’s face. It was cast in shadows as her head tilted forward, causing her long brown hair to cascade before her and hide it from view, but Sui Mei Xilan’s face was perfectly visible. Her blank stare as she gazed at nothing told him that the sealing array had been successful.

“This is my first time seeing the Luminous Eclipse Seal in action,” said Elder Shi Yuan. He was studying Sui Mei Xilan’s face, cupping his chin with one hand. “I don’t even know what it’s supposed to do. How does it even work?”

The elders turned as one to look at Qiang Bao. He was the only one who knew how this sealing array worked.

He briefly considered telling them it wasn’t any of their business, but his relationship with the elders had been strained lately due to recent events. Telling them might appease them. It wasn’t like they were in a hurry now. With the Luminous Eclipse Seal being so clearly successful, they had the time.

“The Luminous Eclipse Seal harnesses the power of the sun to create a unique psychological barrier that traps a person or persons within their own mind by enveloping them in their most comforting memories, effectively isolating them from the external world.”

Qiang Bao studied the pair further. Sui Mei Xilan was trapped. She might have been standing, but her posture had become completely relaxed and her expression was slack. Hou Jingshu was harder to tell. However, she had dropped her spear and her shoulders were slumped forward.

“The sun is a symbol of the mind, enlightenment, and truth. These properties illuminate the inner psyche of individuals trapped within the sealing array. It’s activated when at least seven people at the Human Limit Realm infuse their sun chi into the sealing array. It can be further powered by the sun’s rays. We were unable to do that this time since they chose to attack at night, but once the sun is out, this sealing array will become even more powerful.”

“I had no idea we even had such a powerful sealing array,” murmured Elder Jin Sheng. He was frowning. “Why were we not informed of this earlier?”

Qiang Bao shrugged. “Because we have never had a need to use this sealing array before.”

“You said the sealing array shows people caught within it their most comforting memories. How does that work?” asked Elder Xi Feng.

Upon activating, the seal interfaces directly with the individual’s spiritual consciousness, utilizing the radiant energy of our sun chi to penetrate their mental defenses and infiltrate their chi sea to access their subconscious. Then it uses the individual’s own chi as a medium to sift through their memories. This is what allows it to bring forth memories that are imbued with the most comfort and emotional significance.”

The Luminous Eclipse Seal was a sophisticated and thematically rich tool within the Undying Sun Sect’s arsenal, and that was why it was only to be used in emergencies. Qiang Bao honestly didn’t even want to use it here. However, they were going up against someone at the Seeker Realm.

“This sealing array is quite extraordinary,” said Fei yun.

“Indeed, though I am a little concerned,” muttered Tu Yan.

“What about? Don’t tell me you think these little girls can break out of their own subconscious now that they have been trapped,” joked Elder Lei Gong.

Tu Yan shook his head. “That isn’t it. There were supposed to be three other cultivators who posed a threat, weren’t there? Where are they? Now that we have used the sealing array to trap those two, we cannot use it again, right?”

It was true. The Luminous Eclipse Seal could only be used once, and once activated, it could not be used again. They would have to recreate the sealing array if they wanted to use it once more. However, it would take the better part of several days to repaint everything. Sealing arrays also required a special ink, and Qiang Bao didn’t know if they had anymore.

However…

“You need not worry about them,” Qiang Bao said. “I have tasked Luan Desheng with defeating those three.”

“Well… if he’s dealing with them, it should be fine,” murmured a reluctant Elder Lian Huo.

Nobody in the Undying Sun Sect liked Luan Desheng or the other members of his sect. Eclipse Soul was a dark sect that committed heinous crimes in their pursuit of power.

Even though nobody liked them, everyone still agreed to continue hiding the dark sect because the Undying Sun Sect needed Soul Eclipse’s power as much as Soul Eclipse needed the Undying Sun Sect to hide them. They had been using Soul Eclipse ever since they took over the Sui Kingdom. If they didn’t have the dark sect at their beck and call, it would have been impossible for them to maintain their hold over this kingdom. A stronger power would have come in and taken over.

They could be secure in the knowledge that Luan Desheng would not lose against a trio of upstart cultivators, even if one of them was at the Seeker Realm.

Shaking his head, Qiang Bao renewed his focus. He could leave the three other cultivators to Luan Desheng. For now, there was a threat in front of him that he still needed to get rid of.

“Now that explanations are out of the way, let us remove these two,” Qiang Bao declared.