“The Martial Dao Roars... I heard the sound of a force that shatters all laws!” Elder Mu's voice was heavy with shock. The Peak Masters of Body Tempering Peak and Qionghua Peak, along with the others, froze in place. Shattering All Laws!
Just moments ago, these top True Disciples had unleashed terrifying strikes, each representing the 'Grand Dao' they cultivated, against Ye Chen's Martial Dao Furnace. But the Furnace roared, and a single force shattered all their laws! A profound question arose in everyone's mind: The Three Thousand Great Daos are vast and mutually restrictive. Could the Martial Dao truly shatter them all?
Not far away, Fang Yan wore a look of bitter resignation as he supported Luo Lingkong. Luo Lingkong was utterly devastated, his Dao Heart on the verge of collapse. Why? Why?! His entire Sword Dao lineage had taught him one thing: One sword shatters all laws! Yet now, his very Dao had been annihilated by the roar of Ye Chen's Martial Dao Furnace! Luo Lingkong felt an overwhelming bitterness. He had just refined his sword intent, eager for a rematch with Ye Chen, only to be defeated before Ye Chen even made a move. This was unacceptable! Utterly unacceptable!
Fang Yan glanced at Luo Lingkong, shaking his head slightly. It seems Ye Chen's blow to Lingkong was far worse than the one he dealt me! After all, before Ji Fuyao and Ye Chen arrived at the Grand Dao Sect, Luo Lingkong had been the undisputed number one prodigy of the younger generation for years! Nearby, Liu Xuan was equally distressed. The petals of brilliant divine light beneath her exquisite feet had been crushed, mirroring the destruction of her mental state by the sound of this law-shattering power. She finally understood her master's warning: the bane of the Illusion Dao was any path of overwhelming brute force and heaven-defying slaughter, such as the Sword Dao or the Martial Dao. At the same same cultivation realm, they could break her illusions.
At that moment, the Peak Masters of Body Tempering Peak and Qionghua Peak exchanged glances, immense waves of shock crashing in their hearts. Just which Great Emperor was the source of Ye Chen's terrifying Martial Dao legacy? This was beyond their comprehension! To see a single spot and know the whole leopard—it was clear Ye Chen's inheritance far surpassed anything they knew.
Elder Mu’s gaze was profound as he swept his eyes over Ye Chen, then the top True Disciples like Luo Lingkong and Liu Xuan. He sighed internally. Ever since Ji Fuyao and Ye Chen appeared, these once-peerless geniuses had suffered blow after blow! First, they were defeated by Ji Fuyao, then by Ye Chen, and now, Ye Chen’s Martial Dao Furnace had shattered their laws. He realized that once Ye Chen’s enlightenment finished, he would need to help Luo Lingkong, Liu Xuan, and Fang Yan stabilize their Dao Hearts. In the path of cultivation, a fractured Dao Heart meant severely limited future achievements!
Just then, the Martial Will emanating from Ye Chen surged like a great, unstoppable river, flooding the land. Far from stopping, it intensified! Endless, brilliant spirit runes shot into the sky, the Martial Will spreading like a prairie fire. A profound, esoteric aura permeated the world, and above the void, a massive Heaven and Earth Phenomenon began to manifest.
Boom! Boom! Boom! Instantly, this Heaven and Earth Phenomenon attracted the probing gazes of numerous hegemonic powers. Great Emperors from the Supreme Profound Sect, the Ancient Qin Family, and the Heavenly Net Temple all turned their attention toward the Grand Dao Sect’s encampment. They were intensely curious. But before the Great Emperors could fully observe, Elder Mu flicked his sleeve, instantly deploying countless seals and restrictions across the void, locking down the entire sky. The divine senses of the Great Emperors could not penetrate an inch.
A Great Emperor from the Yao Family frowned slightly. “That fellow Mu Yunhai is so stingy, having an epiphany and refusing to let anyone see.” A Great Emperor from the Pill Fragrance Sect felt a pang of regret. “Could it be that Mu Yunhai gained some insight from the wisp of Dao Rhyme when he sealed the Bronze Ancient Palace a few days ago?” Everyone shook their heads, unable to know the truth. The Grey-robed Great Emperor from the Heavenly Net Temple sneered, casting a murderous look toward the Grand Dao Sect’s location. Soon, the divine senses of the Great Emperors dispersed, returning to their task of inscribing their Great Emperor Dao Patterns.
Meanwhile, back at the Grand Dao Sect encampment, Elder Mu withdrew his gaze and focused on Ye Chen. Ye Chen’s martial talent was simply too terrifying! Since Ye Chen hadn't fully matured yet, some things needed to be kept hidden. He was already being targeted by the Heavenly Net Temple, the Supreme Profound Sect, and the Ancient Qin Family. If they knew his martial talent was this heaven-defying, they would surely dispatch Emperor-realm experts to assassinate him.
Boom! Divine light radiated from Ye Chen. A profound, rhythmic sound of hammering echoed within his bones and blood vessels. His white robe billowed, his long black hair fluttering, making him look like a divine son descending to the mortal realm, ethereal and transcendent. Elder Mu realized this was the Martial Will tempering his body.
Soon, the Martial Will surrounding Ye Chen continued to evolve. Above the sky, it condensed into visions of mountains, rivers, and ancient palaces... culminating in an incredibly blurred silhouette. Everyone was deeply shaken. Who was that figure? Liu Xuan, Luo Lingkong, and Fang Yan all felt their scalps tingle. Just the silhouette formed by the Martial Will was enough to fill them with dread!
Elder Mu’s eyes burned with intensity, his spirit arts shifting in his hands. He couldn't resist trying to peek at the source of Ye Chen's Martial Dao legacy. I am a Five-star Great Emperor! I refuse to believe I cannot uncover a single thread of this mystery! With that thought, Elder Mu’s sleeves billowed. He unleashed his Great Emperor Dao Patterns, intending to use the power of his Dao to deduce the identity of the legacy holder from the Heaven and Earth Phenomenon Ye Chen had conjured! As Elder Mu’s aura surged, he became like a towering mountain, like a blazing star, his vast power pressing down upon Ye Chen’s phenomenon.
Moments later, blood trickled from the corner of Elder Mu’s mouth. He muttered, “I heard the echo of the Grand Dao roaring, I saw a figure standing alone through the ages, I saw the endless surge of the Invincible Stance…” The fragment of the vision he glimpsed was too terrifying! A grain of dust can fill the sea, a single blade of grass cuts down the sun, moon, and stars, a flick of a finger annihilates all heavens, causing stars to fall... The Dao! The power of the Dao! That was the power of the end, the ultimate force where the path of the Grand Dao ends, where the cycle of time and space ceases, and the Three Thousand Daos are sacrificed…
After witnessing this blurred image, Elder Mu’s eyes burned with fire, blood streaming down his face, turning his eyes crimson. His heart was utterly shaken. What kind of power was that? What kind of supreme being? Boom! Elder Mu instantly buckled under the strain, stumbling backward, blood pouring from his seven orifices!
The Peak Masters of Qionghua Peak and Body Tempering Peak were stunned. They rushed forward to support Elder Mu. “Elder Mu, what happened to you?” Elder Mu coughed several times, spitting out black blood. “Cough, cough, cough…” The image in his mind quickly blurred, dissolving like ripples in water. Elder Mu realized he had glimpsed a causality he could not bear.
Moments later, Elder Mu swallowed several Emperor-tier healing pills and quickly regulated his breathing. He looked at the crowd, his voice weak. “If one hears the Dao in the morning, one can die content in the evening. I saw the source of Ye Chen’s legacy, and it is too terrifying.” He looked at Liu Xuan, Luo Lingkong, and Fang Yan, sighing deeply. “Your defeat by Ye Chen is not unjust! The being behind Ye Chen’s legacy… perhaps only the founder of our Grand Dao Sect could contend with him!” The statement instantly shocked everyone. What? Ye Chen possessed such a terrifying inheritance? If that were the case, Liu Xuan and the others felt slightly more accepting of their defeat.
Several hours later, the Martial Will surrounding Ye Chen finally began to dissipate. His enlightenment had ended. Ye Chen collected his aura and slowly opened his eyes, immediately freezing in shock. What in the world happened? Elder Mu was injured, blood staining his seven orifices, looking at Ye Chen with a strange expression that was neither a smile nor a cry. Liu Xuan wore a look of deep resentment, the brilliant divine petals beneath her feet shattered. Luo Lingkong, Fang Yan, and the other top True Disciples were all staring at him with complex, intense expressions.
Ye Chen quickly rushed forward, his face fierce, and asked in a low, dangerous voice, “Elder Mu, who dared to injure you?” Elder Mu’s face twitched. Ye Chen then turned to Liu Xuan, Luo Lingkong, and the others. “Senior Brother, Senior Sister, what’s wrong? Did someone bully you?”
As his voice fell, countless fingers pointed directly at Ye Chen. Ye Chen was utterly dumbfounded. Uh, what? He scratched his nose, looking completely bewildered. “Huh?”
Elder Mu recounted everything that had just transpired. Ye Chen was speechless. I just had a little enlightenment, how did it cause such a massive scene?
Liu Xuan extended a delicate, trembling hand, her chest heaving with indignation. “Junior Brother Ye Chen, you must compensate me for my shattered Dao Heart, and for my divine petals!” Luo Lingkong added, “You owe me for my spiritual sword…” Fang Yan crossed his arms across his chest with a proud, stubborn look. “You owe me for… well, I don’t think I lost anything, but I don’t care! You still have to pay me something!”
Ye Chen was utterly speechless.
***
Grand Dao Sect. Azure Mystery Peak.
Lu Xuan was sitting at the stone table, enjoying a meal with Ji Fuyao. Today’s dish was Spicy Spirit Fish, caught from the Cangxuan Old Ancestor’s river.
Ji Fuyao smiled sweetly. “Master, it seems we’ve finished all twenty spirit fish. We were supposed to save a few for Junior Brother Ye Chen.”
Lu Xuan chuckled. “No matter. When Ye Chen returns, I’ll just go catch a few more from the Cangxuan Old Ancestor.”
Ji Fuyao nodded. “Very well.”
These spirit fish contained the Cangxuan Old Ancestor’s Dao Rhyme, making them far more delicious than ordinary spirit beast meat. Every bite felt vibrant and alive, as if one were immersed in the great river of Heaven and Earth, leaving the mind clear and immensely comfortable.
Soon, Lu Xuan finished eating and immediately settled into his recliner. Just then, the System’s voice chimed in.
“Ding! Host’s Second Disciple, Ye Chen, has achieved enlightenment in the Desolate Heaven Art! Synchronization commencing!”