"Qian, Kun, Zhen, Xun, Kan, Gen, Li, Dui!"
The Eight Trigrams of Creation—the fundamental forces of the universe—spun into existence. Circles of brilliant spiritual runes flowed between heaven and earth like colossal grinding wheels, and a strange, overwhelming power instantly filled the cosmos.
Space shattered! The void twisted!
In short order, the independent pocket dimension of the Ancient Inheritance Secret Realm was forcibly torn open by the combined might of numerous Great Emperors. For a moment, countless Great Emperor Dao Patterns surged wildly, and a ferocious, ancient aura, primal and untamed, wafted out from the Secret Realm.
The crowd erupted in shouts of awe. "The Martial Great Emperor's Inheritance Secret Realm has opened!"
With a deafening roar, a terrifying, peerless aura poured out, like a massive flood breaching a dam. The savage energy of the Ancient Era connected with the current epoch, causing everyone present a moment of dizzying disorientation.
At this time, Elder Mu and the other Great Emperors stood high in the void, gazing down as they announced the rules for the Inheritance Secret Realm. "The formation entrance will remain stable for two hours! Only cultivators below the Profound Saint Realm may step inside!"
"If someone successfully obtains the Martial Great Emperor's inheritance, this small world will automatically break open!"
"The time limit is six months. If the Secret Realm does not open on its own, we will forcibly tear it apart! As for the Dao Rhyme left behind by the Bronze Ancient Palace, you must act within your means. Do not be reckless!"
"Everyone, enter the Secret Realm quickly!"
As the command fell, the cultivators below became incredibly agitated. This was the Inheritance Secret Realm of an Ancient Martial Great Emperor! Even if they couldn't obtain the Emperor's legacy, there were surely other great opportunities within!
A young man stared at the rift in the formation and shouted excitedly, "I can feel it! My destiny lies in there!"
Another middle-aged man cried out, "Even if we only get a Saint-tier opportunity, it's a massive profit!"
Immediately, countless cultivators surged forward on divine rainbows, transforming into streaks of light that shot toward the Secret Realm entrance.
Suddenly, a formation roared and descended, like the sky collapsing. The auras of several men abruptly spiked to the Profound Saint and Saint King Realms. They looked up at the formation above them in horror, pleading with Elder Mu and the others, "Seniors, we were wrong! Please let us go!"
The Great Emperors remained utterly indifferent.
In the next instant, the few Profound Saints and Saint Kings were instantly pulverized by the formation's power.
Boom!
Their forms and spirits scattered into dust, annihilated without a trace.
Witnessing this, all the Profound Venerate cultivators felt a chill run down their spines. They hadn't expected someone would actually try to fish in troubled waters, suppressing their cultivation to sneak into the Secret Realm.
Alas, the entrance was guarded by a Heaven-Reaching Formation jointly established by the Great Emperors. Any cultivation exceeding the Profound Saint Realm was instantly obliterated.
Meanwhile, Chen Changsheng, blending into the crowd, flew toward the formation entrance at lightning speed. He glanced up at the colossal formation, his expression calm and unperturbed, and easily stepped into the Secret Realm.
A faint smile played on Chen Changsheng’s lips. The expected annihilating force did not descend upon him, just as he had anticipated.
On the other side, Qin Xiao, clad in embroidered robes, gazed passionately at Nangong Baixue, kissing her cheek. He whispered, "Baixue, wait for my return!"
Nangong Baixue let out a soft sound. "Mmm, I'll wait for you. And bring back that trash Ye Chen's head when you do!"
Qin Xiao nodded. "I will."
He then turned his gaze toward Ye Chen in the distance.
Ye Chen sensed Qin Xiao's stare and looked back. Their eyes met.
Qin Xiao's eyes were filled with provocation, pity, and disdain.
Ye Chen merely let out a sneer and stepped directly into the Secret Realm entrance.
Boom!
At the rift in the formation, terrifying spatial gales sliced at his skin like razor blades. However, a brilliant divine light surged from Ye Chen's body, repelling the destructive force.
The entire Secret Realm space, like a gaping abyss, erupted with boundless suction, drawing Ye Chen and the others inside!
Buzz!
Ye Chen felt a sharp sting in his Sea of Consciousness. The scenery before him shifted—a power of Star Shift surged—and when his eyes cleared, he found himself in a desolate wasteland within the Secret Realm.
As far as the eye could see, the land was vast and boundless. Distant mountain ranges were broken, rivers were dry, and everything spoke of ruin and decay. On the peaks of the mountains, a few ruined cave dwellings emitted a faint, dim divine light.
This small world was incredibly ancient. A light breeze swept past, rustling Ye Chen's hair. As the ancient wind of the Ancient Era brushed his face, Ye Chen felt the profound, archaic aura of the passage of time.
The breath of the ages!
Ye Chen couldn't help but sigh with emotion. Even a Martial Great Emperor, strong as he was, was ultimately swallowed by the long river of time, leaving behind only this broken pocket dimension as his resting place.
He took a few steps forward.
Crack!
Ye Chen looked down. He had stepped on a skull. With that single step, the skull from the Ancient Era instantly crumbled into dust, scattering in the wind.
Ye Chen paused, scanning the surroundings with his divine sense. He saw endless white bones half-buried in the yellow earth. He realized this place had once been the cultivation ground of a powerful faction, but it, too, had failed to withstand the erosion of time, and everyone had perished here.
Before entering the Secret Realm, Elder Mu had explained its origin. An Ancient Martial Great Emperor had used his power of creation to carve out this small world, bringing his entire faction inside, mostly to wait for the opportunity of the Ultimate Path.
Unfortunately, the Ultimate Path only opened after endless ages. The Great Emperor never saw it, his main body perished, and his entire faction was extinguished in the river of history.
Thinking of this, Ye Chen felt an endless sigh well up in his heart, further strengthening his resolve to cultivate the Dao.
Moments later, Ye Chen sent his divine sense sweeping through the vicinity. There were no traces of other cultivators nearby, let alone Liu Xuan or Luo Lingkong.
He frowned slightly, muttering, "It seems the spatial gales scattered me from Senior Sister Liu Xuan and the others after we entered the entrance."
He tried to activate his communication jade slip.
Alas, the distance was too great; his jade slip couldn't connect with theirs.
After a brief moment, Ye Chen restrained his aura, took to the air, and flew into the distance. He would search for opportunities first!
***
Elsewhere, Chen Changsheng, clad in a gray robe, slowly landed on a mountain peak. His divine sense swept out and quickly discovered an ancient divine tree on the mountain.
He recognized it instantly as the legendary Dragon Flame Divine Tree! The tree was withered and dying, but on its remaining dead branches hung three crystals, the size of a child's fist, blood-red and glistening—the only remaining fruits.
Information about the Dragon Flame Divine Tree immediately surfaced in Chen Changsheng's mind.
"The Dragon Flame Divine Tree grows in places of extreme, scorching fire. After a thousand years, it can bear a single crystal, which is a great tonic for cultivators of the Spirit Fire Path... The crystal is called the Dragon Flame Divine Fruit!"
He examined them closely. All three Dragon Flame Divine Fruits were Quasi-Emperor tier!
Chen Changsheng did not rush forward to pick them. Instead, he manipulated his spiritual seals, checking the area for residual formations or powerful guardian spirit beasts hidden in the dark.
Before long, Chen Changsheng concluded that the area was 98% safe.
He retreated swiftly, flicked his sleeve, and a wooden puppet flew out. With a thought from Chen Changsheng, the puppet surged with divine light and profound energy, instantly transforming into the appearance of a black-robed old man.
Whoosh!
Chen Changsheng vanished from the spot, leaving the black-robed old man to take to the air and fly toward the Dragon Flame Divine Tree.
Just then, a sharp shout descended from the sky. Several Profound Venerate cultivators flew over, wielding spiritual sabers that gleamed with cold light. The mark of the "Heaven Blade Sect" was etched onto the chests of their robes.
"Scram! Where did this old geezer come from! These spirit fruits are ours!"
As the words fell, the Heaven Blade Sect disciples' saber intent surged like a vast, turbulent sea. Their spiritual sabers vibrated in the air, emitting clanging sounds.
The black-robed old man turned slightly, raising a hand to stop the disciples. "Fellow Daoists, hold on a moment!"
But the Heaven Blade Sect disciples ignored him, drawing their sabers and slashing toward the black-robed old man.
"Old man! Die!"
Saber Qi crisscrossed the sky like long, fierce rainbows!
The black-robed old man sighed softly. He first plucked the three Dragon Flame Divine Fruits and stored them in his storage ring. Then, his figure moved like a ghost, and he flicked his sleeve.
A light, almost imperceptible breeze wafted toward the Heaven Blade Sect disciples.
Suddenly, one of the disciples clutched his forehead, frowning deeply. "What's wrong? Junior Brother, I feel a little dizzy..."
Before he could finish, he heard a ghostly voice right beside him. "Relax, dizziness is normal."
The Heaven Blade Sect disciple was startled and looked around, only to see the black-robed old man standing next to him. He rubbed his eyes, shocked to find his fellow disciples all sprawled out on the ground, unconscious.
"You..."
His consciousness blurred, and he crashed heavily to the ground.
The black-robed old man approached the disciples and immediately activated a spiritual seal, casting it over their heads. Soul Search!
Moments later, the black-robed old man murmured, "It seems these people weren't targeting me specifically; they just wanted the Dragon Flame Divine Fruits."
He shook his head slightly.
It was a pity. He had given these Profound Venerate cultivators a chance.
He, Chen Changsheng, always sought to be kind and avoid unnecessary karma. When he had said, "Fellow Daoists, hold on a moment!" it seemed like a simple question. But in reality, he was asking, "Have you truly decided to create karma with me?"
Since the Profound Venerate cultivators chose to attack, they had implicitly agreed. If that was the case, Chen Changsheng could only resolve the karma!
Resolving karma was simple: resolve the person who created the karma. This was quite similar to the philosophy, "Instead of dealing with the problem, deal with the person who raised the problem."
Chen Changsheng's principle was straightforward. He didn't wish to engage in excessive slaughter, so he always preferred to argue his case—to "reason" first, as he had with his "Fellow Daoists, hold on a moment."
But if reason failed, he also knew a little punching and kicking!
To deal with a few Profound Venerate cultivators, he didn't need to use lethal force. The faint breeze he had released from his sleeve contained the Dizzying Incense he had refined. Once inhaled, they instantly collapsed.
At this point, Chen Changsheng slowly walked out, and another wooden puppet flew from his sleeve. A streak of light soared, surging with profound energy, and this puppet transformed into a white-robed middle-aged man, standing opposite the black-robed old man.
Looking at the Heaven Blade Sect disciples lying haphazardly on the ground, the white-robed middle-aged man produced a searing flame, and the black-robed old man produced a Buddhist scripture, The Sutra of Salvation.
With a thought, the white-robed middle-aged man's scorching flame enveloped the disciples. The black-robed old man began to chant softly, and an endless profound Buddhist essence flowed toward the disciples.
Firelight blazed, and Buddhist profoundness permeated the air.
"Om Mani Padme Hum..."
Moments later, the Heaven Blade Sect disciples were reduced to a pile of ashes. A light breeze swept by, and the ashes instantly scattered.
Chen Changsheng’s expression was impassive. With practiced ease, he flicked his finger at the white-robed middle-aged man, and both puppets reverted back into wooden figures in his hand.
Putting away the puppets, Chen Changsheng waved his sleeve, erasing all traces of the battle.
Chen Changsheng then looked up at the void and said respectfully, "Heavenly Dao, sir, dust to dust, ashes to ashes. These cultivators came at me with killing intent; they were not slain by my hand, but by the power of karma! Their souls return to the small world of the Southern Wilds, and their cultivation returns to the cosmos. The karma is hereby resolved!"
The causality was severed!
The ancient wind continued to blow, as if nothing had ever happened.
Chen Changsheng activated the black-robed old man again, who took to the air and uprooted the entire Dragon Flame Divine Tree.
Chen Changsheng murmured, "This withered Dragon Flame Divine Tree will make excellent material for high-grade puppets!"
He placed the Dragon Flame Divine Tree into his storage ring, waved his sleeve, and unleashed countless brilliant, ancient spiritual runes, refilling the massive pit where the tree had been.
Using his Ancient Falsification Technique, he manipulated his spiritual seals with practiced skill.
Soon, the mountain peak looked completely natural, without any trace of a human presence. Even the peak where the Dragon Flame Divine Tree had stood now flowed with an archaic aura, appearing as nothing more than an ordinary mountain.
Chen Changsheng then flew away, continuing his search for opportunities.
***
Several days later, Chen Changsheng frowned slightly as he spotted a figure. "Ah... isn't that Ye Chen?"
***
Grand Dao Sect.
Azure Mystery Peak.
At this moment, Lu Xuan had finished his meal and was lying on his recliner in front of the thatched cottage. Watching the white clouds drift across the sky, his mind was peaceful and serene, like a quiet pool of water, clear to the bottom, with gentle ripples occasionally disturbing the surface.
Life was good.
Inside the cottage, Ji Fuyao was dutifully scrubbing pots and pans.
Just then, Boom!
A divine rainbow surged from the distance, and the Sect Master descended onto Azure Mystery Peak. He walked toward Lu Xuan with a smile. "Lu Xuan, Ye Chen and the others have already entered the Martial Great Emperor's Inheritance Secret Realm..."
Before he could finish, the Sect Master's eyes fell upon Ji Fuyao, who was working diligently inside the cottage, washing dishes without complaint. His smile instantly froze.
Lu Xuan simply said, "Good."
The Sect Master's face twitched. "Besides that matter, there is one more thing. The Cangxuan Old Ancestor instructed me to bring you and Fuyao over. You are both to undergo the Great Emperor Dao Pattern Baptism."