Chapter 718 - Painting of a Wonderful World
By then, Gu Zhe and the rest of them had also noticed Li Nianfan and the three girls.
‘Two Wisdom Elites, one Heavenly Realm and a…mortal?’ They were taken aback by the strange lineup.
‘Wait a minute, a mortal?!’ Zheng Shan’s heart trembled as another thought flashed through his mind. ‘Could this be the guy who had entered the state of the ultimate existence?’ The thought took root in his mind and grew uncontrollably, making his blood run cold and his mind go blank.
‘That must be it! It’s the only way to explain how the poop here contains Origins.’ He was about to say something but found himself unable to utter a word at all because an extremely terrifying energy had suppressed him. The energy was so strong that it was impossible for him to shake it off.
It was icy-cold energy that instantly froze everything, including Wisdom, time, and even his man. He was like a baby in front of this force even though he had entered the second-step Wisdom Elite.
His eyes became wide as he saw a beautiful ice fox rushing out of Li Nianfan’s hand and onto him.
‘This is the fox demon’s magic but somehow, its power has been immeasurably boosted! It’s clearly an Origins Ice spell with the ability to freeze a dimensions’ time! How is it possible for such a powerful force to exist in this world? No! I don’t want to die!’ After that, he was no longer conscious because even his thoughts had been frozen.
The ice fox brushed past Zheng Shan gently and in an instant, he was turned into an ice sculpture. Then, with a clink, he fell from the sky and shattered into a million pieces.
‘One down…’ thought Li Nianfan, a little less afraid. To survive in this world, he would need to strike first. Besides, there was no use talking it out when the other party had obviously lost all reason.
He decided to first take down Zheng Shan because his expression was the most savage. ‘I can’t believe it was a one-hit-kill! Little Daji’s spell is so strong!’ Then he changed his target to Gu Zhe and a ball of flaming Phoenix fire instantly shot out.
‘No! Who is he? Why’s he so strong? This spell actually has the Origins under its control. I can’t even escape with the suppression crushing down on me!’ Gu Zhe was still shocked by Zheng Shan’s death the moment before, and in the next second, he was close to death.
Before the fire reached him, a flame was already burning on his body. It was an inextinguishable flame that ignited his Origins of Life. He clearly saw that the flame was not only burning his body but also his past, crossing the realm of time and space, burning any traces of his life cleanly so that he would completely disappear from this world. There was no possibility of resurrection. Even if the time was reversed, there would be no resurrection!
This flame was too domineering, enough to burn a whole world into nothingness! The flame drifted by and Gu Zhe disappeared completely without a trace. The others gasped and their souls almost flew out of their bodies.
‘Did Gu Zhe and Zheng Shan die just like that? They’re both second-step Wisdom Elites for crying out loud! How can they disappear without a trace just like that? That man’s power is more terrifying than I can ever imagine! How is it even possible?’
They wanted to escape, but they were trembling and their legs had turned into jelly. They were so scared that they did not even dare to move. In the next moment, a rush of icy air suddenly surged from all directions before a chill enveloped them, freezing their blood.
In the blue sky, a faint cry of a fox could be heard. Then, there were only ice sculptures left standing where the intruders were before.
“All down! Little Daji and Fire Phoenix’s spells are just as powerful as I expected!” said Li Nianfan with a smile.
Qin Manyun and the other two were dumbfounded; their small mouths were in an ‘O’ shape, making them look very cute. ‘Fine, I admit we worried for nothing. They must have a death wish for coming here. No, no. It must be because they wanted to offer themselves up as game meat to the expert. How nice of them.’
Lord Demon was still in his hiding spot and his jaw dropped to the ground. After having witnessed the whole thing, he wanted to kneel and call Li Nianfan’s ‘father’. He knew how strong this group of people was. The entire seventh dimension had to use all their power to defeat them and Li Nianfan only had to wave his hand.
‘So, he’s the master of the four-part architecture. My god, he’s powerful!’ He quickly dug a hole and buried himself in it.
“All this good game meat has gone to waste,” Li Nianfan said as he glanced at the corpses of the various game animals around. He sighed and then said, “Oh well, let’s see what parts we can salvage. By the way, are there any demons among those people? If yes, go thaw them out so that we can make a hearty meal out of them. Then again, we can’t finish all this meat by ourselves so let’s have a party instead!”
He looked at the ice sculptures and was grateful that Little Daji’s ice spells were so useful. The spell not only kept the corpses intact but could also preserve their freshness. It was a really practical spell indeed.
Shi Tuqin pursed her lips and chuckled. “Things will definitely get lively if master holds a party.”
“Wow, I can’t wait to feast on yummy food! You’re the best, Brother Li!” said Little Fox happily.
Lord Demon, who was buried in the ground, shivered and buried himself deeper. It was crazy how those Wisdom Elites demons were nothing but dinner to the expert. ‘Wait a minute, I wonder if I can join the party, too!’ He got excited at the thought.
“Let’s clean up and wait for the others to come back to hold the party,” said Li Nianfan with a smile.
It did not take them long to clean up the place with their spells. Then, they passed on kitchen prep work to Xiao Bai and went back to the place where they were sketching before.
With the brush in her hand, Shi Tuqin started sketching and painting the scenery in front of her. However, she sighed and stopped after only a few strokes.
“Master, this is really difficult. I can’t even draw the shapes. I’m at a loss for what to do,” said Shi Tuqin.
“That’s because you’re impatient for success. You should start with a tree or a flower and not the whole scenery. Landscape painting’s all about using one’s heart. It’s normal to not know where to begin if you’re not in the right state of mind,” said Li Nianfan with a smile.
He looked at the canvas before him and was suddenly inspired. “Let me paint you something.”
“Yes, please! I’ll observe carefully,” said Shi Tuqin with a flash of excitement in her eyes.
Qin Manyun stopped playing her Guqin and said excitedly, “I want to observe, too!”
Little Fox bounced over quickly and said, “Me, too!”
“You can watch but remember to keep quiet during the process,” said Li Nianfan, still smiling.
The three girls nodded their heads and swore, “We promise not to make any noise.”
Without saying anything, he took up a brush and stared deeply at the scenery before him. There were dense green trees, a stream flowing, lush flowers and grass, and protruding rocks and cliffs. It was truly beautiful and peaceful.
Then, he thought of the tragic death of the wild game animals. ‘What a wonderful world, and yet, those savages tortured and killed the game animals. What grudge could they possibly have against them?’
He slowly raised his hand and put the tip of the brush on the paper. Immediately, the whole world rippled.
Qin Manyun’s eyes widened. She looked at Li Nianfan and actually had a feeling that Li Nianfan was separated from the world, as if he was above everything else and was drawing and creating the world!
“The brush…” Shi Tuqin stared closely at the tip of the brush and gasped. She felt that the world was shaking with each stroke of the brush. ‘He’s using Wisdom as ink and each stroke’s imbued with Origins. This will certainly be a very powerful work of art! So this is what master meant by using one’s heart. Only when I use my heart to create resonance with the world will I be able to create freely!’
Little Fox looked at the landscape outlined by Li Nianfan. She felt that this landscape painting was similar yet different from the landscape in front of her. In the painting, sunlight appeared, small bridges appeared, and cooking smoke could be seen in the distance… She gradually entered into a trace as if she had been sucked into the painting. It was obviously a painting, but somehow, it felt like a real world because the Origins, Wisdom, and laws of the universe were all real! She opened her mouth slightly with surprise. ‘Did Brother Li just create a real world in the painting?’
After a while, Li Nianfan put down his brush, and only then, did the tremor between Heaven and earth stop.
“The painting’s so beautiful. There’s no doubt people will think it’s a wonderful world,” said Little Fox.
“Hahaha, you’ve got a good eye for being able to feel the artistic conception of the painting. This is a simple landscape painting, but I’ve emphasized the lighting and layout to highlight the beauty of the world. So, I decided to name this painting ‘A Wonderful World’! It can be regarded as a tribute to the game animals. I pray that they get to enjoy peace in heaven,” said Li Nianfan. Then he wrote ‘A Wonderful World’ in the blank space of the painting.
‘A wonderful world? Master must’ve painted this hoping that there will be no more senseless killing in the world.’
‘We must make sure this wish of his comes true. To do that, we must kill all those people who like to plunder and slaughter!’
Qin Manyun and Shi Tuqin glanced at each other with determination in their eyes.
Shi Tuqin admired the painting obsessively. She bit her lip and said, “Master, you paint so well. Can I look at this painting often? I want to learn from it.”
“It’s only a painting. You can have it.” Li Nianfan smiled casually. Then, he paused and said, “But I feel like there’s something missing.”
There was a flash of inspiration in his mind. He took out the walnut-cracking stamp. “I need to put a stamp on it!” he said and proceeded to place the stamp on the painting.
Meanwhile, the battle was still raging fiercely in the Chaos. The situation was finally a little under control now that Zheng Shan and Gu Zhe had left with a group of their men. Not to mention, Lord Angel had been acting to be on the enemy’s side all this while.
“Sky Shattering Ice Crystals!” Daji’s voice was cold, and her nine tail apparitions behind her burst out, transparent as ice. At the same time, the wedding ring on her hand exuded a blue halo, drawing to her the boundless Wisdom and condensing it into countless ice crystals.
The sky was lit by countless ice crystals that surrounded Gu Debai and exploded into endless cold air. A layer of frost began to cover his body, slowing down his movements.
‘It’s another Origins Ultimate Treasure!’ Gu Debai shuddered as he stared at the ring on Daji’s finger. He was surprised how the Origins could be easily found everywhere in the seventh dimension.
When he first came here, he encountered the theft of the Origins, and then the book of the Buddhist sutra appeared. After that, it turned out that Daji’s ring also contained the aura of Origins.
“Interesting! The seventh dimension’s getting more and more interesting!” He licked his lips and his eyes became fiercer. The more variables, the greater the chance!
He raised his hand and a bell appeared in it. The bell was not big and the sound it gave out was not loud, but with one shake, it exuded an earth-shaking aura that shook the cold air around him.
It was only natural for the Eldritchs to have the first dimension’s Origins since they were the ones who dominated it. This bell of Gu Zhe had been tempered by the first dimension’s Origins, so it was contaminated with its aura.
On the other side, Fire Phoenix raised her hand and pointed at Yun Qianshan. An extremely golden light shot out like a meteor, traveling through time and space, and instantly appeared in front of Yun Qianshan.
Yun Qianshan dodged in the nick of time but his left arm was still slashed through and an instant piercing pain made his whole body convulse. His Origins of Life was traumatized.
“Origins aura?!” His face turned pale and he quickly retreated to where Lord Angel was. “What’s going on, Tianhua? It shouldn’t take you this long to defeat a little girl. Come and help me! This bunch of people are too strong!”
In the previous siege, they kept their Origins Ultimate Treasures hidden very well and were just waiting to unveil them now. It seemed as if they had certainly come prepared.
Gu Debai was taken aback for a moment. “Origins aura again? You all must be very good friends with the seventh dimension’s Origins to have this much of it!”
On the other side, Gu Lie still had leather pants on his head, and he was being beaten by Blackie and Nanan. Holding a shovel in her hand, Nanan smashed Gu Lie on the head repeatedly. The sound it gave off almost became the most melodic music at the scene.
“Why won’t this guy just drop dead? I’m tired, Blackie. It’s your turn now!” Nanan wiped the sweat from her forehead and handed the shovel to Blackie. He grabbed the shovel without saying anything and continued to smash it Gu Lie on his head.
“Gu Debai, what are you all doing? What happened? My skull’s gonna shatter if you don’t come save me now!” shouted Gu Lie, seething with anger.
Gu Debai found it strange that the group who went to chase after Lord Demon had not come back. Suddenly, a strange and powerful force floated into the void, making everything around them shake and surge crazily.