Painting 106: The Legacy of the Predecessor

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“Luckily, we arrived quickly. If we had waited until the competition ended, it would have been very difficult to save Xiuer’s soul.” Sang Sang entered, swept her sleeve to open the ice coffin, picked up the stone brush, and concentrated her spiritual power in her fingers to draw a talisman array. From the brush, she summoned a faint spiritual light. “Teacher, you go fetch water from the Pregnant Life Pool. Bring plenty; we’ll need it soon.”

The implication was clear: there was still hope.

The worry in Xing Yubi’s eyes was replaced by hope. He kept saying, “Alright, alright,” and turned to fetch the water.

Sang Sang used the Law of Life to nurture Xiuer’s soul while simultaneously applying the Law of Space-Time to accelerate the soul’s reintegration. She then cleared the fine hidden needles lodged in the corpse’s acupoints and gathered spiritual energy to restore vitality.

Xiuer’s injuries were suspicious. The hidden weapons on her body were normal enough, but injuries severe enough to shatter the soul into fragments were extraordinary. Especially in the Danxia Painting Realm, where the soul is paramount. Even in cases of mortal enmity, typically only the chance of resurrection within seven days is broken—not to the extent that the opponent loses the chance for their next life entirely.

Such injuries could not be remedied by the Danxia Painting Realm’s creative paintings alone. That was why Sang Sang sent Xing Yubi to fetch water before beginning treatment.

Fortunately, Xiuer had only recently died, and her own strength was weak. The Danxia Painting Realm was closed off, and the Heavenly Dao had its own secrets, preventing the formation of spatial-temporal branches. So even fully applying the Law of Space-Time for her resurrection would result in only mild backlash.

As for Sang Sang, she was keen to study the power of space-time, wondering whether combining space-time with creation in resurrection might become a highlight of her faith chart.

By the time Xing Yubi returned with several large vats of water in storage containers, Xiuer’s body had regained vitality. If her chest hadn’t stopped rising and falling, one might have thought she was merely asleep. Meanwhile, the spiritual light in Sang Sang’s hand, once flickering faintly, had become stable and much brighter.

Sang Sang drew a guiding rune on Xiuer’s forehead, sent the still-nurturing soul inside, then immersed her in the water. Watching her gradually breathe again and her chest rise and fall, she finally asked Xing Yubi how Xiuer had died.

It turned out that ever since Xing Yubi received the visualization chart from Sang Sang, his spiritual energy sensing had recovered and his affinity had slowly increased over time. Thinking of the Painting Competition in the capital, he set off with Xiuer to reclaim his title, only to encounter members of the Yun family upon entering the city. Xiuer was abducted, and with the aid of friends, he escaped, retrieved his title, and returned to rescue her. But tragically, she was killed by a single palm strike right before his eyes.

Sang Sang’s first thought was: this couldn’t be so simple.

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“Teacher, did the Yun family mention my name? A few days ago, I crushed a direct heir—one of their top painters.”

Xing Yubi shook his head. “They did mention you, accusing you of disguising yourself as royalty and threatening to report you after the competition. But Xiuer’s death isn’t related to you. Even without you, even if I hadn’t recovered, the Yun family would never have let me go.”

Sang Sang didn’t inquire about any deep grudges between them. She simply said, “If you need help, come to me. One Yun family isn’t enough to concern me.”

Upon hearing this, Xing Yubi took a deep breath, as if making a decision. He retrieved a box from beneath the ice coffin and handed it to Sang Sang. “You healed me and saved Xiuer. You’ve learned the brush techniques; I have no way to repay you. The Yun family has long sought this. Now I entrust it to you, hoping it will be useful.”

Sang Sang had sensed something hidden in the dark chamber during her scan, but the box blocked spiritual energy, and she didn’t think it held anything worth her attention, so she hadn’t probed it forcibly. Now, opening the box, she was startled.

Inside was a data storage chip marked with the emblem of the Temple.

“It’s said to contain the secret method of Waterless Creation. Over the years, many have collected it, but no one has ever figured out how to access the information within. The Yun family somehow discovered I had it and have been trying to obtain it ever since.”

“This will indeed be useful. Thank you.” Sang Sang recalled the predecessors who had died in the Danxia Painting Realm, took the chip, and glanced at Xiuer, still soaking in water but visibly improving. “Xiuer’s soul hasn’t fully recovered yet. She may suffer memory loss. Tell her not to overthink it. Her memories will gradually return as her soul reintegrates. For now, she should absorb more spirit crystals; it will aid her recovery.”

Having said this, Sang Sang poured a pile of spirit crystals into a corner of the chamber and then called out loudly, “Heavenly Emperor, keep a watch on the Xing family. Anyone trespassing with ill intent, let them face reincarnation.”

The Heavenly Emperor’s voice echoed from the void. “Understood. Shall I destroy that Yun family now?”

“Don’t provoke the Danxia Lord. Wait until after the Painting Competition.” Sang Sang waved her hand, put away the chip, and bade Xing Yubi farewell. “Teacher, I’m heading back. Rest assured, with the Heavenly Emperor watching, this place is very safe. Even if the entire Yun family comes out, it’s not enough to trouble him.”

Back at her dormitory, Sang Sang inserted the chip into her portable terminal to export and read the data. The chip was of high quality; after so many years, the information remained intact—a set of subspace coordinates and a brief recording.

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The chip’s owner stated in the message that he refused to be controlled by the Danxia Lord. Now, having lost contact with the Temple and critically wounded with life hanging by a thread, he had no way to leave a spiritual tether in the Divine Tomb due to his insufficient level, fearing he might lose even his soul. He hoped the Danxia Lord would allow him to return to the Great World’s cycle of reincarnation.

He urged any successors who found this message to retrieve his remaining Law insights from the subspace. Use whatever is useful; the rest, if possible, should be handed to his family after returning to the Temple. If too much time has passed and his family can no longer be found, then dispose of it as you see fit.

“Black Butterfly, synchronize this recording with Xiao Jin and check if his family still exists.”

Though the recording was over two thousand years old, advanced civilization beings lived long lives. As long as one reached the Starry Sky level, living two or three thousand years was not unusual, so they should still be findable.

After giving instructions to Black Butterfly, Sang Sang tore open space according to the coordinates, causing a pile of items to fall from above, nearly burying her. She quickly shut the spatial gate, took out a new large spatial container, combined the two coordinates, and transferred everything from that subspace directly inside. Then she scanned the stored Law insights.

If improperly stored, Law insights dissipate over time until not a trace remains. Only some mysterious objects bearing primordial aura—such as materials from tombstones in the Divine Tomb—can guarantee long-term preservation.

After several scans, Sang Sang finally found a stone paper in the corner. It depicted a mother and child. Though ancient, the colors remained vivid and lifelike.

“Black Butterfly, help me sort and categorize the contents.”

Sang Sang took out the stone paper, sent Black Butterfly’s spirit into the container, and prepared to study the Laws depicted on the paper. Suddenly, she sighed and looked toward the door. “If you have business, come in. If not, go to class. This coming and going—have you been up to something questionable again? Wait, who’s that following you?!”

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