Chapter 462 - 459: Spring and Autumn Cicada - Controlling Time
“Controlling the Time Law?”
Qin Feng and the others, upon hearing this, were all incredibly astonished.
“That’s right, it is the Time Law!”
Fang Chengqian said with a smile, “In this world, there is only this one ancient tree that can master time, a truly unique existence.”
The group nodded, deeply moved.
There are thousands of Laws in the world, countless Daos, but the most difficult to control is time!
Other Laws, even the elusive and intangible space which one can exist within yet find impossible to touch, have unique inheritances that can unravel the arcane of space, allowing cultivators to gain some mastery over space through cultivation.
Just like the Space Cutting divine skill that Elder Kongkong passed to Qin Feng; although Qin Feng had not completely mastered it yet, he had already deduced some clues. Even without relying on the Swallowing Sky Toad’s comprehension of the Space Law, he would most likely be able to master the Space Cutting skill after advancing to the Purple Mansion Realm.
But time was different!
It was always slipping away yet remained largely imperceptible and untouchable.
Time is like flowing water, constantly moving without stop, nothing can halt it. Even the immortals who have attained Dao and become immortals, will still see their lifespan gradually deplete with the passage of time.
Even the Golden Immortal Great Powers, who are said to be eternal as long as the heavens and earth exist and never see the end of their lifespan, or the beings of the Eternal Realm, who shine with the sun and moon, able to thrive with a world for countless years, will eventually see their world come to an end!
Even the higher realm of the Creation Realm ancestors, or even those legendary beings who are said to withstand the ravages of myriad tribulations without perishing, even if the cosmos collapses, could not reverse time.
Thus, the Time Law is regarded as the most mysterious and unfathomable, the most difficult to comprehend of all Dao Principles.
Qin Feng and the others, with their low cultivation, had not even the slightest touch or understanding of the Time Law, so they didn’t know to what extent the Spring and Autumn Ancient Tree that controlled the Time Law could actually do. But knowing that the ancient tree could control time was enough to leave them astounded.
So they all stared at the ancient tree with a very peculiar gaze, trying to discern something from the tree itself.
Fang Chengqian looked at them with a smile, their expressions of shock while gazing at the Spring and Autumn Ancient Tree, without telling them that in the Academy, there had been a Great Power who sat under the tree and sought enlightenment for three thousand years, ultimately failing to grasp even the slightest arcane of time.
Of course, Qin Feng and the others did not expect to comprehend the Time Law by just observing for a moment; their shock had simply kept them from coming back to their senses.
After all, among the many powerful beings, there were few who had any contact with the Time Law, so it was naturally unbelievable that this ancient tree could control such a Law.
However, as they watched, Qin Feng’s expression suddenly changed.
He seemed to hear several cicada chirps.
Following the sound, it took him a good while to spot a jade spirit cicada, sculpted as if from jade, within the branches and leaves.
That jade spirit cicada was only about the size of an inch, and on the ancient tree that towered hundreds of feet, it seemed very unremarkable. Especially as the body of the cicada was a similar color to the leaves, easy to miss as it clung on a branch.
“Daoist Fellow Fang…”
Qin Feng pointed at the jade spirit cicada in surprise and asked, “What kind of spirit cicada is this? Why does it reside on the Spring and Autumn Ancient Tree?”
It indeed seemed strange, for this was not an ancient tree without spiritual intelligence.
The time when the Spring and Autumn Ancestor founded the Academy even predates the human clan’s migration to this world. An ancient tree planted in that distant era and possessing the power of Laws was certainly a formidable being. How could such a tree not have developed spiritual intelligence?
It was simply that the power accumulated over countless years was too profound, making transformation impossible, not an absence of wisdom.
Qin Feng believed that the strength of this ancient tree must surely be no less than that of a Great Power in the Immortal Realm.
Such a being, how could it allow a spirit cicada to reside on it?
After all, spirit cicadas subsist on the sap of trees.
“Oh, that one?”
Fang Chengqian laughed and said, “That is a special existence. The Mountain Master once asked the Spring and Autumn Ancient Tree, and according to the tree itself, that spirit cicada climbed over from a very far distance along its roots. It took seventeen years underground, following the roots, to break through the soil and finally climb to the top of the tree, shed its golden shell, and take on the form it has now.”
After pausing, he continued, “While the cicada subsists on the sap of the spiritual tree, it’s very small, so the Spring and Autumn Ancient Tree doesn’t mind it drawing a negligible amount of power, that’s why it hasn’t driven it away.
Perhaps because it started drinking the sap from a young age, the cicada has a somewhat special power attribute. Over the years, it has also grasped a bit of the Time Law.
Although rudimentary and nowhere near as powerful as the Spring and Autumn Ancient Tree, it’s confirmed to be of the same origin, which is why the scholars in the Academy refer to it as the Spring and Autumn Cicada!”
“Spring and Autumn Cicada?”
Upon hearing this, Qin Feng’s heart involuntarily raced.
He exchanged a look with Liu Xuanling, and he could see the same excitement in his senior sister’s eyes.
However, Liu Xuanling and the others were merely curious about the Time Law, just as any Beast Taming Sect disciple would be instinctively curious about any rare spiritual beast and did not harbor any greed.
After all, they had already decided on their lifebound spiritual beasts and could not switch, even if they were given the Spring and Autumn Cicada, they would at most regard it as a unique spiritual beast to nurture.
But Qin Feng was different.
In the nine layers of space within his Demon Refining Pot, several layers were still empty.
If he could subdue this Spring and Autumn Cicada, he would definitely have the opportunity to understand the Time Law in the future.
Although Qin Feng still didn’t know the specific uses of the Time Law, as one of the most fundamental laws of the cosmic void, it definitely had its unique functions.
So he was particularly interested in the Spring and Autumn Cicada.
“Daoist Fellow Fang.”
Qin Feng forcibly suppressed the greed in his heart and turned to speak to Fang Chengqian, “As you know, our Beast Taming Sect has always been very interested in all kinds of strange birds and exotic beasts. I myself am particularly fond of this Spring and Autumn Cicada. I wonder if your academy might consider parting with this Spiritual Cicada?”
“This…”
Fang Chengqian was taken aback, not quite expecting this question from Qin Feng.
After hesitating for a while, he finally shook his head helplessly, “I really don’t know about this matter. Logically, the Spring and Autumn Cicada shouldn’t be of much use to our academy. In fact, if its cultivation were to increase in the future, it might even damage the power of the Spring and Autumn Ancient Tree. Letting it go wouldn’t be a lost cause.
But this is a Strange Insect nurtured by the Spring and Autumn Ancient Tree itself. Without its say, even the Mountain Master wouldn’t forcibly take away the Spiritual Cicada.”
“What if I’m willing to purchase it with Spiritual Resources?”
Qin Feng was still not ready to give up and continued to inquire.
“Ha ha…”
Fang Chengqian laughed heartily, “Could Daoist Fellow Qin bring forth a treasure that could move the Spring and Autumn Ancient Tree? Or could you provide resources that could move the higher-ups of our academy?”
“Uh…”
Qin Feng suddenly came back to his senses.
That’s right, he was just a Small Cultivator, and although he did have some resources on him, how could any of those catch the eye of the Spring and Autumn Ancient Tree, not to mention the Spring and Autumn Academy, a Great Force with countless years of heritage?
Not to mention other things, but every plant and every stone in the academy, items inherited over countless years, had been refined by the vast energy of the academy for years, each one incomparable to ordinary treasures.
There were also many unique items, such as the painting of the Mountain and River Map on the wall in front of the Danqing Academy, casually displayed there, but in reality, it was a treasure comparable to space-class Immortal Artifacts.
Could such a force be interested in the little resources he possessed?
Surely he could not exchange his Demon Refining Pot for it, right?
The Spring and Autumn Cicada wasn’t worth that price, and even if it were, Qin Feng wouldn’t exchange it.
Because the Demon Refining Pot was his greatest opportunity, one he would absolutely not exchange for something uncertain of bringing any benefit to him.
“Sigh…”
Thinking this through, Qin Feng couldn’t help but sigh lightly.
It seems that he was not fated with the Spring and Autumn Cicada!
“Why not, when you return, mention it to Gui Ling Senior and let him speak with Dean Boyang?”
Fang Chengqian suggested, “If Dean Boyang agrees, it’s possible that this Spiritual Cicada could be gifted to your sect. After all, it’s just a Spiritual Cicada, something dispensable to our academy, not worth stressing over.”
Despite the grand stature of the Spring and Autumn Academy, there was no need to go out of their way to court favor with the Beast Taming Sect. However, if a mere Spiritual Cicada could win over the Beast Taming Sect’s favor, it wouldn’t hurt to consider it.
Qin Feng’s eyes lit up, it seemed like a possible solution.
He was just unsure if the Gui Ling Ancestor would be willing to use his favors for a Spiritual Cicada that at most would reach the Purple Mansion Realm.
Yet, if Gui Ling Ancestor agreed, there really was a chance of success.
After all, what seemed difficult to him was surely not a big deal in the eyes of a Great Power like the Gui Ling Ancestor.
Therefore, Qin Feng nodded, still hesitant about whether to approach the Gui Ling Ancestor.
The main reason for his hesitance was that, should the Spring and Autumn Academy agree, not only would Gui Ling Ancestor possibly owe a favor to the Spring and Autumn Academy, he himself would owe a favor to Gui Ling Ancestor.
Even if Gui Ling Ancestor might not care about his small favor, if there were entanglements of favors between the Beast Taming Sect and the Spring and Autumn Academy, it could lead to concessions by Gui Ling Ancestor during a war expedition with a Great World, should the two sides join forces.
Fang Chengqian did not pay attention to what Qin Feng was thinking and continued to lead them around the Spring and Autumn Academy. Since Zhao Boyang had instructed him to treat these guests well, he spared no effort. Fortunately, the academy was large enough that even a brief tour took quite some time. It wasn’t until dusk began to settle in that he brought Qin Feng and the others back.
“In the dust, I see the moon and feel at peace, especially in the pure autumn within the Immortal Mansion…”
“Traveling north to Yue in the morning and to Cangwu by evening, with a Green Snake in my sleeve, my courage is bold…”
From far away, even before they approached the pavilion where Zhao Boyang and the others were, they could hear someone reciting poetry and matching rhymes.
There, it wasn’t just Zhao Boyang and Gui Ling Ancestor; there were also several other figures. According to Fang Chengqian, they were all great powers of the Spring and Autumn Academy.
These great powers had their own circles. Although Gui Ling Ancestor was not a Confucian Cultivator, he had Proven Dao Immortality through prediction of Heavenly Secrets, so his scholarly knowledge was profoundly deep. Unlike ordinary Immortal Dao powers, he found it easier to interact with these Confucian Great Powers. This was also why he was able to become close friends with Zhao Boyang.
“That is Senior Su Muzhe from the Poetry Institute.”
Fang Chengqian praised, “Dean Su has the most profound Achievement in the Dao of poetry, Proving Dao through poetry; his piece ‘Nine Heavens Moon’ once achieved Longevity directly. His poems are not only beautiful but can also evolve into all kinds of Divine Skills, with boundless power.”
“Poetry?”
Qin Feng pondered thoughtfully!