“I must have Ye Chen! Ye Chen! Ye Chen!” Nangong Baixue’s voice echoed, her demand absolute. “Some things bear repeating, after all.”
Taichen Old Ancestor could only nod in resignation. “I’ll make the arrangements.”
Without delay, he delved into the Ancestral Land, rousing Taiye Old Ancestor from his deep slumber.
Taichen Old Ancestor, for his part, wanted absolutely no part of this mess. He had a nagging suspicion about this White Robe Supreme. After all, every single one of White Robe Supreme’s audacious displays of power had proven true. The White Robe Supreme had never known defeat!
Whispers across the Southern Wilds already linked the White Robe Supreme to the Grand Dao Sect’s Ancestor Dao Yi. Taichen Old Ancestor himself harbored similar suspicions. The White Robe Supreme’s power was simply too defiant of the heavens, too utterly beyond comprehension.
Hence, the last person he wished to encounter was the White Robe Supreme.
Just then, the Great Tomb of Taiye Old Ancestor split open. With a rustle of his gray robes, Taiye Old Ancestor emerged, his face a mask of bewilderment. “What is it? What year is this?”
Taichen Old Ancestor relayed Nangong Baixue’s imperial decree.
A spark ignited in Taiye Old Ancestor’s cloudy eyes, shining like a beacon in the night. “Since the Holy Maiden seeks to Sever Emotions, then Ye Chen absolutely cannot die! I shall go!”
“And this time, I shall finally ascertain if this White Robe Supreme truly is Ancestor Dao Yi!”
Taichen Old Ancestor and Taiye Old Ancestor presented themselves before Nangong Baixue. She gave a subtle nod. “Taiye Old Ancestor, I trust this task to you.”
Taiye Old Ancestor offered a respectful nod, a faint smile gracing his lips.
Indeed, to the disciples and elders of the Supreme Profound Sect, Nangong Baixue was nothing less than an Ancestor reborn, her status untouchable. Her every word was an imperial decree, absolute and beyond question!
With a decisive motion, Taiye Old Ancestor tore a rift in the void and vanished.
A thunderous boom! A shattering crack!
As the divine rainbow faded from the shattered void, Nangong Baixue led Qin Wang back to the Stone Sculpture of Liu Ruyan.
As was their custom, they resumed their ‘ritual’.
In less than three breaths, Qin Wang lay panting on the ground, his eyes fixed on Nangong Baixue’s breathtaking figure—her curves exquisite, her skin like fresh snow. A tempest of emotions churned within him.
His gaze, however, drifted involuntarily towards the deeper recesses of the chamber.
Qin Wang had noticed something peculiar. Lately, the Physical Body of Ancestor Dao Yi, sealed within this space, would occasionally open its eyes and stare directly at him. More unsettling still, he sensed an inexplicable, profound connection forming between them—a bond that seemed to strengthen with each passing day!
Qin Wang turned his gaze to Nangong Baixue’s flawless face. “White Snow,” he murmured, “I feel Ancestor Dao Yi’s Physical Body is watching me again.”
Nangong Baixue scoffed, “You’re seeing things, you fool.”
Qin Wang scratched his head. “No, really! I swear, these past few nights I’ve even dreamed of Ancestor Dao Yi’s Physical Body speaking to me. Though I couldn’t make out a single word.”
A faint, cruel smile touched Nangong Baixue’s lips. “Do you know why you’ve been having so many ‘visions’ lately?”
“Why?” Qin Wang asked, eager for her answer.
Nangong Baixue sneered, “Because you’re utterly drained. Too much… indulgence.”
Qin Wang fell silent, his face flushing.
The next instant, Qin Wang could no longer contain himself. He sprang to his feet and strode towards the inner sanctum, stopping just shy of the Ancestor Stone Sculpture’s Sealing Restriction, his eyes locked onto Ancestor Dao Yi.
Qin Wang gritted his teeth, his voice strained. “It’s true, White Snow! I swear, Ancestor Dao Yi saw me approach, and he moved!”
“If he doesn’t have some profound connection to me, then what could possibly explain this?”
Nangong Baixue curled her lip in disgust. “Don’t you dare insult Ancestor Dao Yi! While he might have been a pathetic simp, he was a thousand times the man you are!”
“If you were Ancestor Dao Yi, I’d eat my own…”
Before she could finish her scathing remark, the inner chamber erupted with sudden, violent changes!
A deafening, earth-shattering rumble! Terrifying power surged like a tsunami, engulfing the chamber. Ancestor Dao Yi’s Physical Body underwent a grotesque transformation; endless, brilliant Seal Dao Patterns flared across his form, a sickly dark green light pulsed from his brow, and then, his eyes snapped open!
Boom! Ancestor Dao Yi didn’t fully break free from his Sealing Restrictions, yet he stood upright, his gaze fixed on Qin Wang, and began to walk towards him!
Nangong Baixue froze, utterly stunned. “What in the realms is happening?” she gasped. “Is Ancestor Dao Yi’s Physical Body… losing control?”
This Physical Body had been entrenched here for countless ages! How could it possibly malfunction now?
Nangong Baixue scrambled to her feet, her long gown instantly cloaking her exquisite figure, her perfect, shapely form vanishing beneath the flowing fabric.
Ancestor Dao Yi’s Physical Body was a tapestry of scars, countless wounds crisscrossing his form, each imbued with a different, malevolent power. There were the insidious marks of the Ancient Desolate Forbidden Zone’s eerie power, gashes from potent Demonic Power, the tell-tale signs of Dark Shadow Island’s assassination attempts, and the terrifying energies of several Alien Races!
Yet, the most grievous wound was undoubtedly Liu Ruyan’s heaven-shattering sword strike, which had pierced clean through Ancestor Dao Yi’s Physical Body, from chest to back, leaving behind a torrent of sharp sword intent. The unmistakable power of the Supreme Profound Sect’s Emotionless Heavenly Art permeated the very air around it.
Ancestor Dao Yi bore the collective wounds of the Southern Wilds’ Eight Major Supreme-tier Forces, each inflicted by their peerless cultivation techniques!
Then, Ancestor Dao Yi’s Physical Body fixed its gaze upon Qin Wang, and slowly, a large, rough hand extended towards him.
As if compelled by an unseen force, Qin Wang reached out, his hand meeting Ancestor Dao Yi’s Physical Body.
A thunderous surge! A terrifying, undeniable connection surged into Qin Wang’s very soul.
Qin Wang, his expression utterly bewildered, tapped his forehead. “Who… who am I? Am I Qin Wang?” His eyes widened in dawning horror, then resolve. “No… I am Dao Yi!”
In that instant, a torrent of heaven-shaking power surged into Qin Wang’s body. His cultivation skyrocketed, breaking through realm after realm! Profound Saint Realm! Half-Emperor! Quasi-Emperor! One-star Great Emperor! The boundless cultivation foundation of Ancestor Dao Yi’s Physical Body poured into him without cease, until finally, Qin Wang’s cultivation settled at the Two-star Great Emperor realm!
Moments later, Qin Wang blinked, as if waking from a profound dream. He stared at Ancestor Dao Yi’s Physical Body, then slowly turned his gaze to Nangong Baixue.
“White Snow,” he declared, his voice trembling with disbelief and elation, “I truly am Ancestor Dao Yi!” What the actual hell?! He was utterly flabbergasted.
Years ago, Liu Ruyan’s heaven-shattering sword had struck Ancestor Dao Yi—a blow from a One-star Supreme! Yet, Ancestor Dao Yi had been so immensely powerful that he had somehow endured it.
However, his profound Obsession had fractured into three distinct fragments. Qin Wang was one of them. The other two fragments had relentlessly assailed this particular one, seeking to annihilate it. In a desperate act, Ancestor Dao Yi had sealed his own Physical Body, allowing Qin Wang’s fragment of Obsession to escape.
And this very Physical Body of Ancestor Dao Yi, after countless eons of waiting, had, due to its overwhelming Obsession for Liu Ruyan, miraculously developed a faint consciousness of its own. Crucially, this consciousness shared the same origin as Qin Wang’s. Thus, during his time within Liu Ruyan’s Stone Sculpture, Qin Wang had gradually forged an invisible, yet profound, connection with Ancestor Dao Yi’s Physical Body—a truly fated bond!
Qin Wang gritted his teeth, a furious curse escaping his lips. “It was those other two fragments of Obsession! They hated me so fiercely, they tried to grind me to dust, to wipe me from existence! Who would have thought I’d reincarnate as Qin Wang, the pampered young master of the Qin family?”
“I, Qin Wang, was never a waste after all! Hahahahaha!” His laughter turned manic. “I’m the damn Ancestor Dao Yi, the Invincible force who once swept across the Southern Wilds!”
With a surge of exhilaration, Qin Wang turned to Nangong Baixue. “White Snow, I’ve ascended! Before, I was plagued by inferiority, believing myself unworthy of you. But now… now I believe I am your equal!”
Nangong Baixue stood rooted to the spot, her expression utterly blank. A flurry of unspoken questions seemed to swirl across her face. “Huh?”